John 20:23 - Giving and Withholding Forgiveness

John 20:23

23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

Message: Giving and Withholding Forgiveness

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)." 

What the Lord is Saying: The idea of God forgiving sin I think is an interesting idea in scripture. I was speaking to someone recently that said I John 1:9 wasn't necessary to be prayed for it says, "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Their point that on the cross Jesus forgave sin and our salvation is accessed by our faith in Jesus as told in Ephesians 2:8-9. Now I've looked at this verse and studied and came away with the conclusion that it could also be used to acknowledge agreeing with God for our sins. Their argument is the confession of sin was needed but that need was a prior dispensation or time period and that once Jesus died on the cross, the need for confession was no more. More to come on that idea. 

Today's passage is a passage that the Roman Catholic church uses to uphold the idea that their are those that have the authority to forgive sins and that authority is conveyed to the Apostles and then to their successors, the priests and bishops, who have a special sacramental authority. The Mormons or LDS church takes a similar role in conveying authority to the Apostles that then gets passed onto Joseph Smith and then he passes on to apostles in the church and that continues throughout the age of the church. It is an interesting idea I think that continues, that certain people on the earth get to receive the authority to forgive sin and they pass on that authority to others.  

Mark 2:10 states that "the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." Jesus forgave the sin of the paralytic. This appears to be his role and yet is it a role on while he was on earth. Did that change when after he had died on the cross?  

Ephesians 1:7 gives forgiveness over to the shedding of blood --  "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us."

What happened in the Old Testament when animals were taken to the altar and their blood was shed for the sin of people? Leviticus 4 prescribes that "the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven (verse 20)." This is repeated multiple times in this passage, either using a bull or a goat or a lamb but each time, though the types of sins may be different, the result it blood is placed somewhere for an offering and this process of atonement for sin results in forgiveness. Seems clear. But Hebrews 10:1-18 gives the direction that the Law and the sacrifices did not make anyone perfect. So while the sin was atoned for with blood it was not complete in its atonement, but was temporary, having to be repeated yearly and never completely washing away the sin. The song lyric says, "What can wash away my sin -- Nothing but the blood of Jesus" supports the idea that only Jesus' blood washes away sin. Hebrews 10:11-14, "Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." 

Thus, the Old Testament provides us a script that is fulfilled in Jesus, namely that blood starts by temporarily covering sin, but then in Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross, all are perfected for all time. And it those that are being sanctified that are perfected, so those who have salvation and are continuing to be sanctified or working out their salvation (Philippians 2:12). 

And then I come back to today's passage and other passages that speak to the idea of sin being forgiven. Jesus has come to the disciples. They were hiding in a room, trying to stay away from the officials out of concern that they would be held guilty of an offense as Jesus was held guilty. Jesus comes to them and confers upon them peace, the Holy Spirit, and then says and this is the translation from the Greek, "If of any you might forgive the sins they are forgiven them if any you might retain they are retained." What is Jesus saying in these verses because at first reading it sounds like he is conferring on the disciples the ability to forgive sin. 

Now the person that told me earlier about the I John 1:9 not applying believes in dispensations and so can say that all of those verses are good verses, but they don't apply anymore today. And that's the basic idea. Is it that simple? Has something changed? 

I suppose it still makes me wonder what this verse means and what Jesus meant by it. It seems clear that only Jesus/God can forgive sin. But, Jesus did give the Holy Spirit and maybe with the Holy Spirit upon them, it is really the Holy Spirit that is forgiving. It seems to be what he is doing is making us ambassadors for his work. Jesus forgives sin. It is a hard verse and I still not completely sure about it. 

Summary: Jesus speaks to the disciples, mentioning that they can forgive or not forgive sin.

Promise: God promises to forgive all those who turn from their sins and believe in Jesus, so we can tell people that God has in fact forgiven them when they trust in Christ alone.

Prayer: Lord God, your word speaks to me, but I admit, at times, I am not completely understanding of it in all of its ways. Would you give me insight Holy Spirit and help me to better understand Your Words and all that they mean in all of their parts? At times, it feels like a puzzle and I believe in much of it and understand it but not always. And this passage does sort of confuse me, that Jesus would perhaps place forgiveness on others after he had died and risen again. Even if it was only for a time, I am not sure if that makes sense to me. Lord, I am not hanging on these words and I believe you have given wisdom and insight to people about these verses, simply help me to find those answers. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

TABLETALK - February 2018

I continue in my daily studies to be guided by Tabletalk magazine. 2018 was a study on the Gospel of John and its straightforward presentation of the person and work of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and other doctrines. 

• January 2018 (July 4, 2023 - July 23, 2023) John 1:1-2:22 - The preexistence of Christ, the ministry of John the Baptist and the person of Christ. 
• February 2018 (July 24, 2023 - August 10, 2023) John 2:23 - 3:36 - Regeneration and our need to believe in Christ for Salvation

Encounter with Nicodemus

Jesus and the Hearts of Men - People were believing in Jesus' name, but Jesus did not entrust Himself to them. Jesus knows hearts and must have not seen true faith in all people. Nicodemus Comes to Jesus - Nicodemus, observing the signs Jesus was doing, comes to Jesus to remark him as a Rabbi and that He must be sent from God. Our Need for Regeneration - To see the kingdom of God, you must be born again, by the Spirit of God. Irresistible Regeneration - The Spirit moves in us to be born again, and we believe then, which pleases God. Mysterious Regeneration - Even to the Jewish leader and teacher, the things of truth can be mysterious. The Witness of Jesus - Jesus testifies that He has come from heaven to speak of the things of God. We must know the basics to understand the heavenly things. The Son of Man Lifted Up - We must believe in Jesus that He was lifted up on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. God's Love for the World - God's love is significant and is a love that up to this point has not been mentioned in this way by God for His people and yet it is a love central to our Bible and changes everything about us who believe for eternity. Why God Sent His Son - Those who look to Christ escape condemnation, but those who refuse to trust Him are as good as condemned already. Loving the Darkness - The Light has come into the world but people love evil and hate the Light for fear of being exposed. Doing the Truth - We must expose ourselves to God, admitting we are sinners and run to the Light, believing, and we are saved and God gets all the glory. Christ Increasing - God gave Jesus authority and we are commissioned to be His ambassadors, giving Him all the attention. The Divine Testimony of Jesus - Jesus comes from God and is God, different from finite man, speaking the words of God and has the fullness of the Spirit. The Father's Love for His Son - Jesus has it all. He is loved by the Father and the Father has given him all things. Believing in and Obeying the Son - It's simple and profound, the Spirit draws us, we believe in Jesus, and we obey. All are needed. All must happen. 

The Problem of Forgiveness - RC Sproul - Distinguish between forgiveness and feeling forgiven. When we don't think God will forgive us after He has we are committing the sin of arrogance. God requires perfect holiness. Once it is lost, we cannot regain it. Forgiveness is objective, but the feeling of it subjective. I can feel forgiven but not be forgiven. I can be forgiven but not feel it. God forgets our sin. He does not hold them against us. Forgiveness means not bringing it up. If people confess their sin, we are to forgive, but if people don't repeat, we are not obligated to forgive. The Bible provides a provision of marriage dissolution for adultery. But we still must forgive and treat the person as a brother/sister in Christ, but we can end the marriage. We can have forgiveness, but there still may be consequences. 

How Not to Do Theology - Rev. Robert Rothwell (Associate editor of Tabletalk magazine) - After Hurricane Katrina in 2017 many people lost their lives for operating a generator inside. They didn't know and died from carbon monoxide poisoning. We need to know our theology for it determines our eternity. Do we all realize that we are each theologians because we have thoughts about God? But in this regard, our thoughts are our own and not divine revelation. This works when our thoughts match scripture, but what about when they don't. The idea of sola scriptura is the belief that studying the scripture on my own will give us understanding of truth. God promises in His Word to provide other people, our church leaders and theologians understanding of theology. Rarely is anything new being discovered. Even during the reformation period, what Luther stated about justification by faith alone and Scripture as the infallible authority was not new information. Lots of teachers out their to gravitate towards, but we need to be careful we don't put all our eggs in one basket, so listen to many. Reading blogs is great and other things on the internet, but we need to dive into Scripture and listen to known sound teachers. We can each do theology and it is not only seasoned veterans that can assist us. We must be careful to not get puffed up on ourselves though. We must stay humble. 

Studying Scripture and Doing Theology - R. Carlton Wynne (associate pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Atlanta) - Everyone is a theologian. God is able to make Himself known to those He has made in His image (Gen. 1:26–27). Theology (joins the Greek logos, or “word,” with theos, or “God”) literally, a word or knowledge concerning God—delivered by God to us first. Scripture is God-given and infallible and “the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him” (Westminster Shorter Catechism 2). The Apostle Peter teaches that the human writers of the Bible “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Scripture is the letter of Jesus Christ to His church (see Rev 2–3; 22:16). And just as He, now risen from the dead, gives life to all of His people (John 5:21), so His Word remains “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12). The psalmist sings to the Lord, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation” (Ps. 119:99). Pay careful attention to the meaning of particular passages in their immediate contexts, but also trace organic connections with other passages across the whole of Scripture. Doing theology centers on the question, what does the whole Bible say about God, man, sin, Christ, the church, heaven, or any other topic relevant to God’s Word? For things “hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16), we can and should look for help from godly teachers, Bible commentaries, and the wealth of the church’s past reflections on the Bible. After all, they, too, are Christ’s gifts to us (Eph. 4:11–14). Our final authority must be the Spirit speaking in the Scriptures He inspired. Westminster Confession of Faith: “The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly” (WCF 9.1). Jesus promised His Apostles that the “Spirit of truth” would guide them into all truth (John 16:13). Sometimes we do eisegesis, reading things “into” (eis in the Greek) the text that are not there, rather than exegesis, reading the truth “out of” (ex in the Greek) the text. His Word is able to expose and correct the faulty assumptions we bring to it. Through careful reading of what Scripture says to better align our thinking with Scripture. For example, a new Christian may have learned that Jesus died to take away sin (1 John 3:5). This knowledge, however limited it may be, becomes a grid through which he reads about the Jewish sacrifices described in the Old Testament. Suddenly, upon reading Hebrews 10:4 (“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins”), a new theological insight develops: the sacrifices in Israel anticipated the coming of Christ, who is the only effective sacrifice for sin (Heb. 7:27; 9:26). The Christian’s knowledge of Scripture thereby increases, and soon, John the Baptist’s declaration in John 1:29 (“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away sin of the world!”) sparkles on the page with a newfound brilliance. God’s revelation has come to us for an even higher purpose, namely, that we might know God personally in Christ and worship Him in the bond of fellowship. 

The Role of Creeds and Confessions in Doing Theology - R. Scott Clark (professor of church history and historical theology at Westminster Seminary California) - Ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions are like maps of Christians of the past. Creed comes from the Latin word credo, “I believe.” The ecumenical creeds, including the Apostles’ Creed (developed during the first four centuries AD), the Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed (often called the Nicene Creed; AD 325/381), the Athanasian Creed (after AD 428), and the Definition of Chalcedon (AD 451), widely accepted across the ages of church traditions and often responses to heresies of Christian religion at the time. Other Reformed confessions include the Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563), the Canons of Dort (1619), and the Westminster Standards (1648). Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” is known as the Shema, after the Hebrew word translated as “Hear!” in the verse. It is quoted by Jesus, Paul refers to it and James alludes to it. Our Lord Himself commands us to confess the faith. He said, “So everyone who confesses me before men, I also will confess before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32–33) even where there is opposition in culture. The confessions serve the Scriptures. They are ecclesiastically sanctioned summaries of God’s Word, not an alternative authority of thought. Some have been revised and further supported by scripture references. They themselves declare scripture alone as authority. They are not of equal value to Scripture. The creeds and confessions are the living voice of the church’s understanding of God’s Word on the most important issues of Christian doctrine and living. Without the roadmap of the creeds and reading the Scripture in isolation from the Church it can lead to different understandings. Thus with creeds and confessions we are learning from their journey before us and learning with them the most vital doctrines of the Christian faith and basic Christian practice: the observance of the Lord’s Day, attendance to worship and the means of grace, prayer, repentance, and dying to sin and living to Christ by grace alone.

Doing Theology Together under the Leading of the Holy Spirit - Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer (Senior pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, Tenn.) - The Bible and church history teach us that the Holy Spirit guides not just Christians individually (Rom. 8:4) but the church corporately. Doing church is not optional in the NT. Upon professing faith we are to belong to a local body of fellow followers. Jesus passed authority to the apostles and those they would teach to teach and baptize. Paul’s letters are to church’s and to be read in churches. And the Holy Spirit would guide people into truth after Jesus’ death. John 14 promises guidance by the Holy Spirit and “you” in these passages is plural. And then Paul gives instruction to those that will have the gift of teaching and instruction. The Lord has gifted His church to serve with gifts of teaching and preaching (see Eph. 4:11–12; Heb. 13:7). Jesus and the disciples well versed in Jewish synagogues where community was important and reading and interpretation of scriptures not only by rabbis but every devout Jew. There is community interpretation, never in isolation, learning from the past. If the Holy Spirit guides the people of God, why has there been so much error in church history, and why have so many important truths been buried for so long? First, false teaching will be prominent until Christ's return, even in the church (Matt. 24:11; Acts 20:29; 2 Tim. 4:3–4). This should be no surprise. Second, God is sovereign and allows false teaching. God will guide His people by His Spirit to glory and as He does they shall prevail. 

The Goal of Doing Theology - Sinclair Ferguson (a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and vice-chairman of Ligonier Ministries) - Theology is a joyful and glorious activity because it is ultimately about the glory and joy of our God. Its goal is that of the angels, indeed, of God Himself: this combination of glorifying and enjoying God, which is to the unbeliever the ultimate contradiction but for Christians the discovery of our destiny. Next to the Lord Jesus, no one has embodied what this means more fully than the Apostle Paul. Romans 9–11 provides us with an extended illustration. These three chapters, then, are perhaps the headiest theology anywhere to be found in Paul’s letters. What triggered Paul’s entire exposition here was his “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” of heart for his kinsmen (9:2). He longs that they will be saved (10:1). Why? A further step backward into Romans 1–3 provides the answer. It is because of his passion for God’s glory. He sees the tragedy of man’s condition—made in God’s image and for His glory but in sin exchanging the glory of God for creatures and idols (1:23). Sin is indeed “any want of conformity unto, or transgression of the law of God” (Westminster Shorter Catechism 14). But its result is that we “fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) and lose both our crown and our destiny. If we see this, the fallen condition of our kinsmen and its repercussions are heartbreaking indeed. So, those who “do theology” for the glory of God must also be prepared for sorrow (9:2) and have a willingness to sacrifice (v. 3) and evangelize (10:14–17). Besides acting as a catalyst, Paul’s way of “doing theology” has life-changing repercussions. Romans 9:1–11:36 hinges into Romans 12–16 and especially into the first words of those chapters (12:1–2). The mercy God displays (11:30–32) calls for unconditional consecration to Him expressed in nonconformity to the world and transformation into Christ’s image, ultimately to reflect His glory. But how does this take place? By “doing theology” to His glory and for His pleasure. For transformation takes place “by the renewal of your mind” (12:2).

Wonder and Awe - Thomas Brewer (Managing editor of Tabletalk magazine and teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America) - We use telescopes to look out into space, trying to understand the shape of our universe. Galileo invented the microscope by reversing the telescope and in the process discovered a very small world living. Like a droplet of lake water will reveal an amoeba swimming. With our eyes we see nothing, but with the microscope a new world. And yet we can go smaller still and see how the amoeba is made up. And in the middle of space and these small details is us humans comprehending some and not comprehending other. “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Ps. 8:4). “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). Such thoughts lead to wonder and awe as we acknowledge that He continues to uphold the universe by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3).

It's So Easy to Be Jealous - Rev. Stephen Mueller (church-planting pastor of Gospel Church München in Munich, Germany) - Pr 23:17, “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.” Part of envy and jealousy is being sad when things are going well for someone else and rejoicing when things are not going well for them. Author rememberss a wedding in which his friends did skits and received accolades and did well while what he did not merit much. This is when he recognized his joy in seeing them do poorly. But in the process of being jealous he started to not feel good at all or enjoy himself. Pr. 14:30: “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” Upon recognizing the sin, asked the Lord to forgive him and things improved and he could rejoice with friends when great things happened to them. We have no need to compare ourselves anymore with others.

Church Matters - Jon D. Payne (Senior minister of Christ Church Presbyterian in Charleston, SC) - More and more people are punting church thinking that the church is not offering them what they need to build their lives seriously. People continue to miss the point of church. "God ordained the visible church as an organization for the gathering, protecting, and perfecting of the church as an organism––the members of the body of Christ (Rom. 12:3–8; 1 Cor. 12:12–31)." To be the church we must be a part of a local body. Our spiritual life is not simply individualistic it is to be connected to others and the church is this connection we all need and all must have. 

The Benefits of Fasting - Rebecca Vandoodewaard (author and mother) - Fasting is a popular decision for the healthy and there are probably more people fasting at the gym than at the church. Fasting is a discipline and hard work and Scripture associates hardship with it. It is marked by prayer, repentance, and grief. First, fasting reminds us we are not in control. If no food, we will die. Second, self-control is learned and gets stronger as one repeats it. Third, a growling stomach is a reminder to pray, and opens up wider angles of praying. Fourth, it creates a spiritual seriousness, it is giving ourselves in a way others cannot see. It draws us into the throne room of heaven to plead in Jesus' name. Take it seriously. 

Acts 2:38 - Baptism and Forgiveness

Acts 2:38 - Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Message: Baptism and Forgiveness

Time: Clearly written by Luke, this book follows the lives of Peter and then Paul after Jesus' ascension into heaven. The book was completed about 62 AD as Paul sat in prison. It provides an account of the growth of the Church and spread from Jerusalem, from a small group of frightened believers in Jerusalem transformed into an empire-wide movement of people who had committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and it should help us to be bold and have zeal in our walks with God.

What the Lord is Saying: I am enjoying taking a deeper dive into these studies on baptism and its significance as a sacrament. As I have studied in the last 2 lessons -- Baptism is commanded in Scripture following conversion and it is to be instituted in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, but the method can be any form with water over the person. Baptism has regenerated all who believe in Christ alone for salvation. For me in these studies, there needs to be a strong emphasis on baptism and its work before God in 3 persons and then being regenerated as a Called One of Christ. It is true that not everyone that is baptized will be part of the kingdom of God but this should not diminish the act of baptism. Baptism needs to be important in the life of the believer, of the person being regenerated. I think it needs to be something that each person that has made a decision to follow Christ does. In the previous lesson it speaks of how there is change in that person or a renewal. 

In today's passage it speaks of the forgiveness of sins. 

The Westminster Confession of Faith speaks of Baptism in 28.1. 

Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church, but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ, to walk in the newness of life: which sacrament is, by Christ’s own appointment, to be continued in his church until the end of the world.

Thus, there remains this close relationship between a person repenting and then being baptized. Acts 2:38 states that baptism follows repentance. "Repent and be baptized..." Thus, before one is baptized they repent of their sins.  

There are places in scripture that speak of salvation into the Kingdom of God that do not speak of baptism. I understand now that this does not mean that Baptism is not necessary, but I think repentance is the first key to our lives. It is the commitment and the act to turn oneself from sin and run towards Christ. We repent and then as we do baptism assures us that God has cleansed us from our sin and forgiven us. Thus, baptism gives us confirmation of God cleansing us. 

I definitely have not thought of baptism in this way in my life. I have heard some say it is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. Yet, what it seems to be that we repent and turn from sin and then baptism confirms our forgiveness of sin. A baptized person can be a saved person, but a non-baptized person can still be a saved person and a baptized person can be an unsaved person. I am still not sure it is a requirement but it is very important and with the language about it being so prevalent in scripture, I think it is something that needs to be present in the life of every believer. It is not something to shy away from. 

For me, I believe a person can be complete in Christ following repentance but still it is a command and we need to follow through on baptism to the best of our ability, as soon as we can. I think a person can be complete because of so many instances of this in Scripture. And yet baptism needs to be present in the life of a follower of Christ.  

The Westminster Confession acknowledges that baptism can occur with an infant. I don't understand this thinking. This doesn't seem to be a valid form of baptism, but the reformers I know agree with this thinking.  

I'm still struggling with this. I also think that well Jesus has the authority to forgive sin. He forgives sin often in the Gospels. But forgiveness by people always was in the form of people acting. In the Old Testament, people would sacrifice animals. They carried out an act. In the New Testament people are baptized. And so people have this responsibility to act. As people we need to see these outward signs of our commitment to Him. But let's not get caught up in thinking that doing these acts saves people.  

Summary: People who have repented need to be baptized. It confirms their new birth to the visible church.  

Promise: The water of your baptism is God's unbreakable promise to you to forgive you when you repent. But it is the Spirit that cleanses us. God cleanses us. Baptism reminds us in a visual way to the visible church God's promise to cleanse and forgive. 

Prayer: Lord, this subject is one that I continue to struggle with in understand. Perhaps it is the way some people share it with me - with such authority that if a person is not baptized then they are not saved. And yet on the flip side I struggle with it that maybe it is too much of an afterthought. You have given us words that speak of its importance and so Lord help me to be one that confirms its practice. Right now, I'm thinking of my son-in-law Brandon and him sharing to me that he has not been baptized. Help me to encourage him in this. And continue to give me wisdom and guidance as I have future conversations about this with others. 

Matthew 18:15-20 - The Discipline of the Church

Matthew 18:15-20

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Message: The Discipline of the Church

Time: Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, is credited with this book, despite the fact that he did not sign it. Dating it's writing is difficult, but most agree it to be AD 60-65 since it does not mention the destruction of the temple in AD 70. A Jew, he includes 50 direct citations and many other indirect citations from the Old Testament. 

What the Lord is Saying: 

Church discipline is a defining characteristic of the church - whether it is a part of sacraments or a separate distinction it signifies that a person is not allowed to be a part of the visible church fellowship and therefore is not to partake of the Lord's Supper. 

The reason church discipline is important is the church is commissioned to walk in holiness and be free of flagrant sin and false teaching. I Peter 1:13-25 includes - As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. In addition - love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. The church is the obedient children and we are not to engage our lives in a manner that mirrors our behavior and actions of our life before Christ. Instead, we are to be holy and act holy in all of our conduct. The congregation of the church or the visible church is meant to be different from the world. Yesterday, in Sunday School we talked about characteristics found in Christians that are distinct from the people of the world like Joy and Happiness (something I've always struggled displaying), forgiveness, be encouraging, showing comfort, humility, peace. Admitting your sin is one I hold in high value for I am a person that makes mistakes often and there is no harm in stating you made a mistake. I think also honesty is important. Thus, in church discipline we need to be a people that encourage repentance to keep the church pure and set apart. 

To me church discipline comes about when you have someone in the Body that does not agree that a sin has been committed or is not willing to change from their behavior. 

In this passage today from Matthew 18, Jesus is explaining the practice of discipline or seeing sin in your brother and confronting it. Step 1 in the process - see the sin and tell your brother you have seen it. I can't say in my life I have much experience in this. I think I attempt to bring attention to people their sin when we share the gospel and ask them questions about the ten commandments, but in general it is quite hard these days to confront sin. Step 2 is to bring someone else. Step 3 is to bring it before the church. Step 4 is to treat the person like an outsider in the church. Basically, if someone is unwilling to see their sin then they have no business being in the church. Sounds simple, but the practice I think is more difficult. 

Our goal in all of this is restitution. We do not treat the person as evil. We also hope that forgiveness will follow. Disciplined sinners that turn from their sin are to be restored. 

2 Cor 2:5-11 -- Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Summary: In church discipline, we need to be a people that encourage repentance to keep the church pure and set apart.

Promise: The most important thing we can do to advance the church's purity is to pursue holiness ourselves so that we need not come under official church discipline. 

Prayer: God, you are gracious and good. In life, you tech me that in me I struggle being good. There are times when we waiver further from you and your ways and seek after things that do not give you glory. We are called to be in a Body of believers and yet even in this community we can waiver from you. Discipline is difficult. Correction is hard, but help us Father to always lean toward grace and forgiveness while also dealing with sin. The church is meant to be a light for all to see and so if there are those in our community that are not living holy lives, show us who they are and then I pray that we would have the courage to confront them and they would have the courage and recognition to then turn from their sin. Lord, help us be always a holy people. 

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am now working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of August is about the Body of the Lord - the Church recovered in the Reformation; July was the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May, Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation, Scripture; January, the doctrine of God. 

Christ's Body

The Body of Christ - The Church is the Body of Christ and Christ loves the church. We are to imitate Christ and see that the Church is how Christ carries out His purposes in the world. The Head of the Church - Christ is Head of the church and he only has final authority and gives life to the church. Life is found only in Jesus Christ our Lord. - The Church We Can See - Belonging to a church is not optional, for anyone. We are meant to live in a community with other believers, to hear the Word of God preached, and to grow. The Church We Cannot See - What we see is the Visible church, the invisible church only God knows because He is omniscient and that is the Church we cannot see. 

Truths about the Church from the Apostles Creed

Church Unity - The church is bigger than our local assembly; there are core beliefs among the invisible church. One People Throughout History - God has only one people; throughout the world there are people that share doctrines and truths despite their being differences in where we attend or belong. God's Holy People - By being in Christ, though we still have a fallen nature, God has set us apart as holy, as his saints. True Catholocity - God's people includes men and women from every tribe and every tongue that hold to the biblical gospel. The Apostilic Church - we are fellow citizens with all people from all tribes and tongues throughout history, united by being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets teaching, thus apostolic, with Christ Jesus being our cornerstone.

What the Church Does and Believes

Preaching Christ and His Commandments - A church needs to be committed to faithfully preaching the Word of God. Administering Sacraments - Sacraments (The Lord's Supper and Baptism especially) need to be part of a church existing, but they also need to be rightly administered.

Romans 4:6-8 - Justification and Sin

Romans 4:6-8

Just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to who God reckons righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account." 

Message: Justification and Sin

Time: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16 year old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. Persecution of Christians wouldn't begin until AD 64. The church was experiencing times of relative peace. From where he wrote, Corinth, was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship.

What the Lord is Saying:

As I saw in the previous study, faith is the means of justification. At justification, a person is declared righteous and this declaration will allow said person to endure God's judgment and enter into eternal life. There are different interpretations of what determines this declaration of righteousness - whether it is faith alone as Reformers and Bible-based Christianity now teaches or whether faith is coupled with baptism (as the Romans Catholics and Church of Christ teach and some Southern Baptist churches) and/or also coupled with penance (the act of confessing sin to a priest and receiving a requirement to fulfill). I John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness - might be a verse that is used to support this. 

From my perspective, there is a lot of quibbling over things that every Christian will do. Baptism will be followed by all as Jesus was baptized and repentance or being sorry for one's sin is a natural part of a person following Christ and then also a desire to do what the word of God teaches as Paul states in Ephesians 2:10 - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God promised beforehand, that we should walk in them. And yet these differences result in different denominations and churches. 

In today's passage, we see that in addition to being made righteous, this means also that a person's sin has been removed and never again will be counted against them. Psalm 32:1-2 records How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the manto who the Lord not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit! Our sins are washed away. Hebrews 10:10 says By this will we have been sanctified (sins washed away) through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

Jesus washes sin away once and washes all sin away. It is true that we sin, but our sin will never have eternal or separation issues with God. Now, there may be consequences to committing sin in this present life but once we have been declared righteous by God, our sin is not imputed against us any longer. Again, consequences may occur. God hates sin and even in this life God may punish us for the sin we have committed. There is therefore a distinction between eternal consequences and temporal consequences. The Christian needs to continue to confess their sin in this life for it is a part of their growth as a Christian to daily turn from sin and embrace God's power in their lives. 

But eternal cleansing is the main focus and the conclusion of today's passage, Romans 4:8 - "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account." This is good news. 

Promise: Before God's judgment seat, in justification, our sin and guilt are removed and we are covered by Christ's obedience, enabling God to declare us righteous in His sight. In Christ, our sins will never be held against us. However, in Christ, during this present life, we may still experience punishment for sin. 

Prayer: O God, your mercies are new every morning. Thank you for declaring me righteous, not because I did something to earn it but because you chose me. Thank you for Jesus and the offering of His body on the cross, having completed a life of being perfect, without sin, so that all the sin of saved mankind falls on Him and is transferred to Him. I will never understand this. In this life, you keep showing me how my sin has consequences and though those consequences are not eternal any longer for me, there are temporal consequences and I confess I don't take them seriously all the time. I am wrong in this. Keep changing my thinking and giving me the power to seek you First. Glory to God.  

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of June is about justification; May was about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

Mankind's Condition - The Sins of the Gentiles - Though born with God being evident, Gentiles do not honor God or give thanks, look to their selves for truth, and God gives them over to their sin, and in the process God's wrath is sin which will culminate on the Day of the Lord. The Sins of the Jews - Jews thought their status meant only Gentiles were true sinners. Romans 2 and 3 explains that Jews are just as guilty before God. 

The Law Speaks - The Law and Accountability - the Law reminds us we are sinners and doing good will not outweigh this bad; I am condemned. Righteousness According to the Law - The Law can make one righteous if obedient to all. Our sin keeps us from this. Human Inability - the simple reminder that man cannot make himself righteous because he is a sinner. 

Only Justified through Christ (God) - The Obedience of One - with Jesus all obedience was completed in Him which resulted in Him taking on all sin; we trust only in His words, not ours. God's Initiative In Justification - God initiates the act of justification through the work of Christ alone; he saves us out of His kindness. Faith and Justification - no one is continually righteous; only through Jesus one will be made righteous; to be made righteous one must believe in God, ask for His mercy. Faith and Righteousness - Faith is what God uses in us to build the bridge to being accepted by God and restored to a right relationship with Him. 

My Utmost for His Highest - November 19 - When He Is Come

And when He is come, He will convict the world of sin… — John 16:8 (R.V.)

Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin; we know the experience of being disturbed because of having done wrong things; but conviction of sin by the Holy Ghost blots out every relationship on earth and leaves one relationship only – “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned.” When a man is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every power of his conscience that God dare not forgive him; if God did forgive him, the man would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the rending of His heart in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the Divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. When we have been convicted of sin we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary, and nothing less; the love of God is spelt on the Cross and nowhere else. The only ground on which God can forgive me is through the Cross of my Lord. There, His conscience is satisfied.

Forgiveness means not merely that I am saved from hell and made right for heaven (no man would accept forgiveness on such a level); forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a recreated relationship, into identification with God in Christ. The miracle of Redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One, by putting into me a new disposition, the disposition of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 - The Covenant of Grace Fulfilled

Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Message: The Covenant of Grace Fulfilled

Time: The son of a priest from the small town of Anathoth in Judah, the prophet Jeremiah dictated prophecies from the Lord to his secretary, Baruch. He spoke to a people, though, that would not listen and his words have much emotion to them. Jeremiah’s ministry began when he was 20 years old, in 627 BC and ended sometime around 582 BC. Jeremiah prophesied in the final years of Judah before God’s people were exiled to Babylon.

What the Lord is Saying:

As I now transition in this study of grace from the Old Testament to the New Testament of the Bible, I see here in Jeremiah a prophecy from the Lord. He speaks of a covenant which they broke (v. 32) though God did not leave and stayed attached to His people (I was a husband to them). The Israelites had broken the old covenant and God would bring about a new covenant, namely the arrival of Jesus and Grace completely fulfilled. Sins will be forgiven and the people would know this. All people would know that this message of Grace is for them. And Jesus would get to the heart of the matter. He would expose the problem with duty, with the feeling of the day that we are justified by our works. He would show people over and over that believing in Him, having faith is what matters most. Here is the promise from God. All will be fulfilled in Jesus. Man would need this. He would need to see this visible God to show them the way.

God was all about making covenants with His people. These were almost like contracts with His people that He would fulfill His promises to them. In these covenants, presented to us in the Old Testament were responsibilities as well of man. As He made covenants, as God, He would fulfill His promises, but the people - His called ones - did not. But all covenants would end and culminate with this new covenant where the Lord will put My law within them. In essence the Laws before had required righteousness on the part of the people. Yes, God had called His people to His own, but He also gave them a law to follow. He provided a way for them, but He also asked them to respond. Thus, the experiment of man being righteous was over. Now righteousness would be imparted to them - written on their hearts.

This idea is summarized by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:3-6:

3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The law would move from stone to hearts. We went from being adequate to God making us adequate. Joseph Benson writes - "the law shows man his duty, the gospel brings the grace of regeneration, by which the heart of man is changed, and he is enabled to do his duty."

Tabletalk for this particular day and for this devotion records it like this:

the final aim of grace is not to set aside God’s law in every way. God’s saving grace is opposed to the law in the matter of justification—we are declared righteous by grace through the faith-imputation of Christ’s righteousness. But grace is not opposed to law in our sanctification. For by grace, God writes His law on our hearts, giving us the will to obey Him in order to thank Him for our great salvation, not to merit eternal life (Jer. 31:33).

The Law was really never meant to justify us. It was to remind us that we were incapable of never breaking a Law. In essence we should all be continually reminded that we are sinners. I find that those that are stuck on law abiding can also be stuck on the idea that they don't make mistakes. They are pleased with their law keeping, it would seem to me. But, when I go to worship at my church, I see a love towards God and Jesus' sacrifice that reminds me of how much we need a savior because our sins have been washed. I must remove duty from my thinking, from our thinking. And instead completely rely on Him. At times in church I wonder if I have that same exuberance for God. I've started holding my hands out just a little during the songs in order to sort of make myself somewhat prostrate before Him as I sing. It is small, but I don't want to raise my hands simply to be noticed, but I want it to be from my heart.

My life is often about duty and obedience. At times I need that to keep me on track, but I want to be more about Love and Devotion and dependence on God.

Promise: From Tabletalk - The process of God’s writing His law on our hearts begins in this life but is not completed until our glorification. Christians grow slowly but surely in their willingness to obey and to repent for even the smallest sins, and at Christ’s return, the covenant of grace will be consummated in a new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). Until then we pursue holiness, anticipating that great day to come.

Prayer: O Lord, wake me up. I want these truths to penetrate my entire being. I want to know and see the Law on my heart. Lord, I want to walk by your strength each day. Lord, I'm concerned for my work mates. I'm concerned that they don't know you - really know You. I can't help but stare at their lives, their reactions, their words. I'm concerned that their faith is about duty, about works, about showing up at church - and not being really changed by the resurrection, by Jesus. Lord, you are leading me right now to write out more clearly what I think the bridge needs to be. I'm thinking about that book the person at church introduced me to many years ago. Help me God to have the wherewithal to really commit to this. I don't want my days to be shallow.
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Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with the April devotional being about salvation by grace alone and how the Lord never fails to save the one whom He has purposed to save.

Mark 11:25 - A Condition for Forgiveness

Mark 11:25
Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.

Message: A Condition for Forgiveness

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus and the disciples have come into Jerusalem in the morning, and it appears this is the 3rd day since they embarked on their entry into Jerusalem from Bethany and the Mount of Olives, as Jesus comes to die. Previously, he went to a fig tree seeking fruit from it because of seeing leaves, but found no fruit. It had the appearance of fruit and with that appearance is the expectation that the tree is following through on being a fruitful tree. Instead Jesus cursed it. A similar thing happened when he came upon the temple. There he saw the priests and scribes hustling people by turning the temple into a business or sort of market to sell things to people. The outcry by Jesus was inferring that they had missed their calling to reach all people, that includes the Gentiles. The priests and scribes didn't like this - they feared Jesus. Jesus left. The disciples and Jesus the next day come into Jerusalem again and see the fig tree and after Peter states that it is indeed withered, Jesus tells him and the disciples that they must have faith in God for God to act, for God to move mountains, for God to answer prayers.

After this, Jesus will now make another remark about praying and specifically the idea of forgiveness. Up to this point, in Mark's gospel the idea of forgiveness has been mentioned few times.

• Mark 3:28-30 - Jesus spoke of all sins being forgiven except for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 
• Mark 2:1-12 - A key passage about forgiveness. Jesus has come upon a paralytic and in front of the Jewish counsel he first forgives the man's sin and then heals him of his paralysis. Jesus provides forgiveness to this man, the thing he needs the most, more than healing of his paralysis. Forgiveness occurred in response to the people who brought him and lowered him down to Jesus from the roof. Faith first, then forgiveness. 

Jesus remarks - Whenever you stand praying, forgive. Standing is simply their normal posture when praying. Jesus says, when you pray - forgive. Not when you pray, seek forgiveness. Jesus continually put forth a 'serving other people' idea. I'm not sure I completely recognize the significance of this message from Jesus and that -- it is the way I conduct myself with other people. Jesus came to save the lost - he came to redeem people - he came to serve them. I am asked to do the same - serve others. God saves, I serve. Yet, much of life is spent not on service, but acquisition. Even in my bible study, my desire is often to better my own understanding. Jesus has just spoken of prayer and getting answers to prayer, moving mountains, and getting what we want. And now Jesus more specifically says that with that praying is forgiveness - forgiving others.

If Jesus says we must forgive, then it must be clear that people are doing things toward us that we do not like - that hurt us - sin against us. And our response to them is forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a concept I understand, but the way I conduct myself is often not showing forgiveness. I get angry when people don't meet my expectations. If anything, I belittle them or ridicule them, sometimes behind their backs. I poke fun at them. Work is often a source of these types of situations. We all have jobs to do, tasks to accomplish and when they are not accomplished in the right way, I am often critical of this. But, do I take a moment and say in prayer "I forgive." I don't hold a grudge. Jesus commands - forgive, if you have anything against anyone. Anything.

I think of a friend in his marriage and the anger that he and his wife often display toward one another, for not getting what they want, for the other person not meeting their expectation and here Jesus says, forgive, if you have anything against anyone. I don't think we get this concept, this idea. In a way, it is so simple - it is too simple. But it is so powerful. In some ways it is a daily habit. I just see so often I first complain, then justify, then seek from other people agreement to my complaint and in unison we agree it was wrong and with that agreement I walk off satisfied. Ha! It's horrible. All that I have done is help other people sin as well. It's horrible. But, forgive, if you have anything against anyone. 

And Jesus says - so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. Forgiveness is something we do to be forgiven. Jesus says, "Have faith in God, then forgive others." So there Jesus is saying - you want to be forgiven? You want something for yourself? Then first do something for someone else. For me to really understand what it forgiveness means, I need to forgive others. Don't hold a grudge. Don't gang up on another person. Don't walk around with a critical attitude toward that person. Don't try to get other people on board with my way of thinking toward that person. No, instead I need to forgive first.

Summary - Jesus, after telling his disciples that faith is the key to our prayers being answered, tells them also that they need to forgive others. Receiving forgiveness from God happens when we forgive others for then we really understand what forgiveness means.

Promise: God is most concerned with my heart, and my forgiving hearts indicates to Him that I have seen my sin and I am truly casting myself on the Lord's mercy.

Prayer: Lord, change me. Make me new. Make me different than I am. Right now Lord I run to others when someone has hurt me or sinned against me. I complain. I try to get others to agree with me. And once I get that agreement I feel satisfied. Lord, I need to listen to what you are saying to me and forgive. Forgive first. I want to have faith in you and forgive others. Change my ways Lord.

Mark 3:28-30 - Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Mark 3:28-30
28 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”


Message: Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Verses 28 and 29 of this passage are words from Jesus. So far, one of the central messages that Mark is putting forth about Jesus is he has come with an authority of speech different from anyone else. In chapter 1:21, Jesus goes to the synagogue and the scribes immediately notice this. In verse 27 it states, What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him. And this authority from Jesus continues as he preaches and teaches repentance and believing in the gospel, and has the authority to cast out demons from people's lives and heal them.

Jesus has most recently spoken to the scribes after they accused him of being of the devil and he quickly dispels this and shows that Satan cannot and will not cast out Satan. Satan must be bound first. An outside source is needed to deliver people from the power of Satan and Jesus is the one with that authority.

In these verses today, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit for the first time in the book of Mark. Thus, the Holy Spirit is real and present. Mark did mention the Holy Spirit at Jesus' baptism as they Spirit descended upon him (1:10). But here Jesus speaks directly of a sin against the Holy Spirit and it being the sin that is not pardoned or forgiven. Jesus is in the sin forgiveness business. I have already seen this in chapter 2 when he speaks to the paralytic brought by friends in stating to him My son, your sins are forgiven. Now here he presents a contrast of sons of men who sin and even blaspheme, but the blaspheme of the Holy Spirit is a greater, unforgivable sin.

First of all, what I see is this is the context of the scribes coming to Jesus stating that He is possessed by Beelzebul (3:22) and Jesus clearly refuting this. But he does this in an explanation using parables, but now also mentions the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the scribes are sinning with their words toward Jesus so uttering blasphemy against the Holy Spirit also appears to be words toward Jesus. And yet in verse 28 the sin of blasphemy is mentioned as a sin that is forgiven. Thus, blasphemy, which is speaking about God or his acts in a profane way (unfortunately a very common occurrence in today's world). Thus, how is this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit different? How is profaning the name against the Holy Spirit different from profaning the name of God?

Jesus is speaking directly to the scribes and their condemnation of Jesus is beginning to be repetitive. The Holy Spirit, also sent by God, like Jesus, is to believers and reveals God. So, this blasphemy isn't very clear.

The common explanation I have seen is that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not a one-time sin, but a recurring sin of willfully disregarding the work of God in people's lives, thus the belief that God does not work in people's lives and therefore is not real. I John 5:16 speaks of a sin that leads to death and the sin appears to be the complete disregard of the power of God in people's lives.

I have a friend who is a Christian and I believe he spent so much of his life using God's name as a curse word that when it comes out of his mouth, he doesn't even notice it. Yes, it is sin, but I still believe is a saved man. Whereas, the blasphemy of the Spirit is stating that God does not work in people's lives, thus separate from profaning the name of God.

Purpose: RC Sproul - Worrying about [whether one has committed the unforgivable sin] is one of the clearest evidences that [the troubled person has] not committed this sin, for those who commit it are so hardened in their hearts that they do not care that they commit it.

Prayer: Lord, I am ashamed at the times in my life that I have blasphemed your name and I thank you for forgiving that sin as well as all of my sins. Lord, I hate to hear your name blasphemed and disregarded in our world today. I look forward to the day when both this blasphemy and the total disregard of the work of You in people's lives will be seen and heard no more.

Mark 2:6-12 - Forgiveness and Healing

Mark 2:6-12
6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

Message: Forgiveness and Healing

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Let's remember where we are. Jesus is ministering in the Village of Capernaum, which is northern part of Sea of Galilee. Four men were carrying a paralytic man to Jesus, and because of the crowds, they lowered this man through a room and Jesus responded first to the man by saying, "Your sins are forgiven." Well, these are not welcome words to the Jewish scribes that heard of this and that is where we are now in verse 6.

Here, in this passage, is the first time, in a way that Jesus gets more radical with his message, from Mark's perspective. So far he has told people he will preach the gospel of repentance and believe and that will be his primary mission. As he goes forth he also heals people. He heals one and the news quickly spreads for more to be healed. But upon speaking to the lowered paralytic he first focuses on the faith of his friends remarking that because of their faith and strong conviction the paralytic will be healed.

And now scribes, I suppose listening in, are focused on the words that Jesus is going to forgive this man's sins.  While others simply accepted his words, the scribes are hearing something different and so they are reasoning in their hearts. The scribes custom is to speak on behalf of someone else's authority, namely the rabbi's. But this man was not a rabbi although he spoke like one. Whereby the rabbi reasoned through what God was saying, this man was speaking as if he had the same authority of God - able to forgive sins. 

So Jesus poses a question to them - Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? So what is Jesus's point here? He seems to be saying, which is easier -- or which is harder -- be healed or your sins are forgiven? 

Jesus first addresses his heart. Jesus dealt first with the most important problem in his life - the need for forgiveness. I am thinking if you and I witnessed this we would be amazed at the healing, but Jesus wants us to see first -- forgiveness. This is the message that John preached prior to Jesus coming on the scene - forgiveness of sins. And after forgiveness he heals the paralytic, to which the people exclaimed “We have never seen anything like this.” The people appear to marvel at the healing, and yet "forgiveness" is what surprised the scribes the most.

Jesus is saying that what is most important in this man's life is having his sins forgiven. I think he is saying that the man's real need is to have his sins be forgiven. This is the authority he came to earth to do - forgive sins. This is the message John focused on preparing his way - forgive sins. And this is what this man needs more than anything else, for the healing of paralysis is temporary, only for this life, but the forgiveness of sins will last for eternity.  The scribes were making the assertion that Jesus was blaspheming God, doing something that only God can do.

Promise: Forgiveness is our greatest need. Disease, depression, sorrow, poverty, injustice, and all other ills are true needs; ultimately, however, all these ills exist because sin has corrupted creation. Not all of our problems are caused by our specific sins, but all of them are due to the fact that we live in a fallen world and suffer from sin’s corruption. If we are not saved from our sins, any fix to these problems is temporary and hell awaits us.

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for always getting to heart of the matter. Thank you Lord for coming to forgive sins. O Lord I pray that people everywhere will embrace this and realize that this is our greatest need, not simply for a better temporary life, but for a better eternity. Forgiveness is the key. Bring this understanding to people everywhere.

Question -- My guess is I might be more marveled by someone getting healed from being paralyzed than someone telling that man his sins were forgiven. Probably because I can see healing and not forgiven sins, but Jesus wants us to be amazed at forgiveness more. How do we change our thinking so that forgiveness is a bigger deal to us?  

Mark 2:1-5 - The Faith of the Friends

Mark 2:1-5
When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Message: The Faith of the Friends

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

What catches me first about this passage, that I really haven't seen before is Jesus is back in Capernaum and he is preaching, speaking the word to people. This is his overriding mission, to share the truth of God with people.

Overall, this has always been an interesting text to me because of how Jesus heals a man based upon the faith of his friends. The friends are tenacious as well and make a way where there seems to be no way in lowering this paralytic down. And while it says that the man's sins are forgiven, previously we have seen that Jesus sees the problem that has resulted from sin being in the world and that is people have problems, some of the diseases and some of them life-long ailments, like being paralyzed. So, by saying your sins are forgiven, it could also mean that the paralyzed man is healed. I'm not sure, because this doesn't happen always in real life - today.

This is likely at the home of Simon (Peter) and Andrew.

An evangelist of today tells that, after one of his meetings, he observed that a little girl kept her seat after all others had left. Thinking that the child was asleep, he stepped forward to awaken her, but found she was praying that God would send her drunken father to that meeting-house that very night, there to be converted. The evangelist waited, and soon a man came rushing in from the street and knelt trembling at the child's side. He had been brought there by a sudden impulse which he could not resist, and then and there he found Christ. The child's faith was honored in the conversion of her father. -- Sunday School Times

Promise: These men were so sure of Jesus' ability that they would stop at nothing to see Him. May we pursue our Savior with such fervent faith.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the power of faith. Thank you for the confidence that is found in people and the way you change lives through fervency of others. I praise you for my Mom and her praying for me and continuing to commit to pray. Thank you for the faith of her mom and her continual confidence in You. There is power in your name and you are to continually praised.

Psalm 106:6-48 - A Call for Us to Remember

Psalm 106:6-48

We have sinned like our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, that He might make His power known. Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, and He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness. So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them. When they became envious of Moses in the camp, and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord, the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and engulfed the company of Abiram. And a fire blazed up in their company; the flame consumed the wicked. They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image. Thus they exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wonders in the land of Ham and awesome things by the Red Sea. Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them. Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe in His word, but grumbled in their tents; they did not listen to the voice of the Lord. Therefore He swore to them that He would cast them down in the wilderness, and that He would cast their seed among the nations and scatter them in the lands. They joined themselves also to Baal-peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up and interposed, and so the plague was stayed. And it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to all generations forever. They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah, so that it went hard with Moses on their account; because they were rebellious against His Spirit, he spoke rashly with his lips. They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and learned their practices, and served their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with the blood. Thus they became unclean in their practices, and played the harlot in their deeds. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people and He abhorred His inheritance. Then He gave them into the hand of the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were subdued under their power. Many times He would deliver them; they, however, were rebellious in their counsel, and so sank down in their iniquity. Nevertheless He looked upon their distress when He heard their cry; and He remembered His covenant for their sake, and relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. He also made them objects of compassion in the presence of all their captors. Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, to give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the Lord!

Message: A call for us to remember

Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

The words of the first 5 verses of Psalm 106 yesterday, in my reading, can basically be summed up with the proclamation that "God is great; His deeds are mighty; His ways are true; so God, show Your favor on us." 

The beginning focus, from this Psalm, is on the greatness of God and the only reason He would show favor to us is because He is great. I was reminded yesterday of my need to speak of His greatness, but also to remember the things that He has done in my life. I began a writing in which I would document those things. I must remember. We must remember. Without remembering, we forget what has occurred and the blessings that we have received. They happen and occur constantly. 

As a kid and even as I got older, I always the theme of that 80s song from Edin-Adahl singing, "Bring back the joy of my salvation." It was a stark reminder that I remember the thrill that I experienced embracing the Gospel and its reality upon my life. 

The rest of this Psalm, is dark, as it speaks to a people that did not remember God. It begins with the memory that we sinned, repeating iniquity (We have sinned like our fathers), and yet God saved us in order to show His power (Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name), rescuing them from their foes (redeemed them from the hand of the enemy). For a moment, they believe and sang his praise, but then forgot, got selfish, and blamed God (tempted God in the desert). But they did not simply forget, but they replaced their Love for God with a Love for something else (They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image). God said He would destroy them, but Moses intervened. But they still did not surrender, but continued in their march away from God (They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt) and a plague resulted and their doom was near; but then Phinehas intervened (Phinehas stood up and interposed, and so the plague was stayed). But they continued abandoning God and their descent continued (they mingled with the nations and learned their practices, and served their idols) and even as they spiraled down, He remembered His covenant with them (He remembered His covenant for their sake). We must praise God. Praise the Lord. He restores us and saves us despite our constant attempts to run the other way. We must stay close to Him and remember what we have received, and be thankful and not forget.

Promise: Remember what the Lord has done in my life. Don't forget.