Various Scriptures - Christology, The Doctrine of Christ, Part 1

John 17:3

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Message: The Necessity of Christology

In John 11, Jesus wept, thus showing us his emotions. This is his humanity, but him being divine is also united with his humanity. Issues related to the natures and person of Christ fall under the heading of Christology. Recently, there has been less about Jesus being God and Man and more about simply knowing Jesus. Many religions hold to an understanding of Jesus, but often define Him differently, so who is the real Jesus? It can't be the Jesus of our imagination. 

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Mark 1:9-11

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Message: Early Denials of Christ's Deity

Heresy is false teaching and scripture warns us that people will seek to lead people astray. Many heresies deny the deity of Christ. The Ebionites (using texts like Mark 1:9-11), up until the 5th century, believed Jesus was the Messiah, but only a man, not divine. Yet, in light of all scripture, Jesus is more than just a man. Arianism believe that the Son of God existed before Jesus and before creation but still believe the Son was created. They say that the Son is the first and greatest creature of God. The Council of Nicaea in 325 said Jesus is the same essence as the Father (after much debate). 

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2 John 7

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Message: The Docetic Heresy

Even in apostles time there was a denial of Jesus having a human nature. Docetism holds that Jesus does not have a real body, but only an illusion of one. 2 John 7 states it is false to deny that Jesus came in the flesh. Christianity born in the Greek world that looked down on the physical world and looked forward to a time with the soul would be released from the body. This thinking mostly went away but still we sometimes get too focused on only defending his divinity and forget to defend his humanity. 

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Matthew 6:24

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Message: The Eutychian Heresy

Eutyches was a 5th century monk. He taught that Christ has only one nature - divine; or one theanthropic nature instead of one person with two natures as Christology teaches. Yet, by teaching it absorbs the human nature, then the divine nature is not fully divine. 2 problems result: many scriptures that speak to His humanity become confusing, like Jesus pretending to be asleep on a boat. Second, how can he be the perfect mediator between God and man, and thus He cannot atone for our sin. 

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Luke 2:52

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Message: The Apollinarian Heresy

Apollinaris, a the fourth-century bishop of Laodicea, early on defended the Council of Nicaea and the full deity of Christ. Later, though, he was opposed by orthodox because of what he taught of Christ's two natures. He said human beings are made up of 3 parts -- a physical body, a “lower” soul that makes us living creatures, and a “higher” soul or spirit that is equivalent to the rational mind that humans possess. Yet scripture grounds humans in two constituent aspects - soul and body. Again, he compromises Jesus's full humanity. He felt in Jesus his divinity replaced the higher spirit. 

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Hebrews 5:9

And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.

Message: The Nestorian Heresy

Docetism, Eutychianism, and Apollinarianism did at least believe Jesus has one nature. Nestorius, the fifth-century bishop of Constantinople not only confessed two different natures in Christ but also two different persons. He said the humanity of Jesus does not belong to the Son of God, but rather simply to the human person. Thus, a human died. And so when a miracle was performed, it was the divine nature acting independent of the human. Once again, though, we are left with an insufficient atonement, one that is only fully human or only fully divine, but not sharing in those essences. 

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Luke 1:41-43

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

Message: Cyril and Nestorius

Cyril, a bishop of Alexandria wrote to Nestorius asking him to recant his position, which led to the Council of Chalcedon in 451. He asserted theotokos toward Mary meaning, "God-bearer" meaning that Jesus had a divine nature that was pre-existent in Himself when He was born. Nestorius rejected this title, preferring Christotokos or "Christ-bearer." He did not intend to deny his divinity, but Christotokos is not enough to preserve the divine nature. Nestorius did not believe Jesus could undergo suffering and change, but Orthodox Christianity does not believe this about Jesus. When Jesus suffered, it was only according to his human nature that He suffered. It is true that the divine nature did not suffer, only Jesus' human nature suffered. Christ died as a man in order to pay for the sins of other human beings. And yet His divine nature remained unchanged. 

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Acts 20:28

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Message: The Chalcedonian Solution

In 451, in the City of Chalcedon, the Roman emperor Marcian wanted to settle these debates of Jesus' humanity and divinity and those denying His true union in the one divine person of the Son of God. There we received our standard definition that in Christ we have a perfectly united divine nature and human nature that is without confusion and mixture an each nature retains its own attributes, thus the hypostatic union - Christ is one person with two natures. He may act according to His divine nature or according to His human nature, but the same Christ acts no matter whether He is exercising His divine attributes or His human attributes.

Summary: We need to clearly understand that Jesus has two natures in one person: divine and human. We distinguish these two natures, but do not separate them. There is no division. It is important to understand the error to better understand the truth. 

Promise: Thank you Lord for those individuals that came before us, that went through a process of vetting out the true nature and we can stand firm in this belief today. 

Various Scripture - Total Depravity Lessons

Genesis 1:27

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Message: The Heights from Which we have Fallen

What the Lord is Saying: It is clear from my study of the Bible, of these Gospels and even of the last two chapters of John 8 and 9 that many do not believe. They have a slant away from God. They are not trying to discover Him. They are people without a need for they believe they have the answers and their reason for talking about Jesus is to discredit Him and to add evidence or credence to their lives that He is not real and should be rejected as Lord and Savior. We describe these people being totally depraved. They don't want the things of God. 

But in saying one is totally depraved, this does not mean a person is utterly depraved and has only evil in them. I believe all the good we describe in our world as good has as its author God. And so whatever is good is from God, even if the one giving the good may not acknowledge God. As today's verse says, every person has been created in the image of God and every person has the potential and will do good things as a God creation. For those that refuse to acknowledge God, there seems to be something in them that prevents them from this acknowledgement. They are depraved. Sin has darkened their understanding of Him. Depraved does not necessarily the person acts with evil as their ambition for their lives. 

This is a hard lesson and many will not understand it because we hold onto this notion that people are good. People are good but their willingness to accept Jesus and live for Him above all things in life is what we are talking about here. We are talking about whether people will have a desire for spiritual things and desire to glorify God above everything else in their lives. We are talking about people and whether they will deny themselves and take up their cross. Yesterday, the pastor talked about sinners and I thought to myself that for one to come to know God they first must see that they are a sinner, that they are in need, that they are imperfect and need something more than themselves. That they don't have all the answers. 

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Luke 11:11-13

11 Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Message: Utter Depravity

What the Lord is Saying: I have acknowledged that people can do good - be kind to others, even love unconditionally, and they can do these even unselfishly as well as selfishly. But their goal in doing these things is very often not to honor God. Even those who do evil often could have done more evil. We may think that what they have done is entirely evil, but it always could have been worse. Thus, utter depravity is always sinning to the greatest degree possible, again all of the time. But as Luke 11 shows, even those being evil still give good gifts to their children. Everyone has potential, but that doesn't mean everyone has a desire to please God with how they live. 

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Romans 1:21-23

21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Message: Radical Corruption

What the Lord is Saying: RC Sproul has mentioned that instead of saying with are totally depraved, perhaps we can use the phrase radical corruption. Every part of our being is corrupted, even though each of us has the ability and can still practice good. We are not evil to the fullest extent. And it is radical because sin has corrupted every part of our human nature. We are not simply creatures where we are looking for the good to outweigh the bad. We are bent away from God and the things that please him. We have to train ourselves to be Godly (I Timothy 4:7-8). We will do good out of fear of punishment, not necessarily out of love for God. In today's passage, even though we know God we don't thank Him for life and instead look inward to define life. We reason away him thinking we are being wise. My atheist friend in London does this all of the time. He believes I am gullible and he is smart. He has exchanged God for an animal to define man. 

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Romans 1:24-31

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;

Message: The "Normalcy" of Sin

What the Lord is Saying: One of the problems with total depravity or radical corruptness in the eyes of many is the fact that sin has somewhat been normalized and we in society often acknowledge certain sins as offensive like murder, but other sins that every one seems to commit like telling white lies or being disobedient to parents or even using God's name in a flippant manner like the slang, OM_, has made us complacent to the seriousness of sin and disobeying God. The Parable of the Tax Collector voices words from the Pharisee that he is not like the tax collector. He doesn't do the really bad stuff so he must be okay. And then he says he does do certain works to offset any bad that has been committed. What he fails to see is the holiness of God and His standard. The one-time sin is as great as the multiple sinful life. Many will agree with most of the sins listed here in Romans 1:29-31 like murder, but what about gossips or those even who are arrogant, boastful or lacking in understanding, do we often place those on a different chart of acceptable behavior? 

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Romans 1:32

and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Message: The Sinfulness of Sin

What the Lord is Saying: It is bad enough that we have normalized sin, but we take it a step further as Romans 1:32 states. The move of sin to acceptable behavior comes about when we come together in groups and sometimes simply one with another to agree over the sin. I think this is the move in society that we see to further normalize it. I think the homosexual and pride events that are now an annual celebration in our cities are a stark example of this, taking something that is blatantly wrong and we instead join forces to celebrate it, in the name of loving our neighbor. God loves us, but hates sin and nowadays society doesn't know how to separate those two ideas. And yet we even do this as Christians, sometimes in sharing prayer requests out of concern for our Christian brother it might move to pride that we are not like that other person and we are shocked by the sinfulness of their behavior. I must admit that I will often pick apart someone's behavior, getting others to agree with me - and all the while I can feel the Holy Spirit convicting me to not speak in this manner. I sense the Spirit providing a way out (I Cor 10:13) and yet the more I speak, the harder it is not to not speak. 

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John 8:14

Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

Message: Enslaved to Sin

What the Lord is Saying: Many can acknowledge that we are all sinners, that we all disobey God. In sharing with people in an evangelism setting, people can admit often they have told a lie. I've mentioned previously that people are capable of doing good. God is good and all that He has created has been good and so anyone can be a conduit for this good. But the harder idea is moving to pleasing God. Mark 12:30 gives us the goal: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." That move to all is the big step in us. God clearly wants this as we see numerous examples of this throughout the Old Testament. The issue here is we like to think that each of us is capable on our own to move us out of a bad situation. I love reading people's testimonies of how God has changed their lives. Often the one's that stand out are the people that have practices a very clear life of opposing God. And then to see the awakening that took place in their life. Some are moved to this awakening but others aren't. It seems clear that God sovereignty is the key that we often don't recognized or call to our attention. Lately I've been memorizing Ephesians 2:1-2, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." This is a radical statement that I seriously wonder if many of us believe or can accept or even see. That we were spiritually dead and that this deadness was because of the prince of darkness and an evil spirit moving in people towards disobedience. 

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Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Message: Total Moral Inability

What the Lord is Saying: I did not realize when I was writing earlier that this next lesson is on Ephesians 2. This is a powerful text. But this idea in verse 2 verses is people are enslaved and living in disobedience. What will make them change? Paul uses powerful language to say a person is dead. It seems consistent to Jesus saying one must be born again. What will shift them will be their faith in verse 8. But prior to that they are living on this earth - dead. A sober reality. A sober proclamation. But as I have seen, what changes in people is the Spirit of God awakening them. But how this is done I am not sure we are clear on. And so these lessons have yes chronicled the condition of people, that some are depraved or stated another way, radically corrupted. The world has corrupted their thinking. The prince of the power of the air has corrupted them. In our world we see those who are made alive in Christ and those who are not. I think we need to find the harvest and pray that the Lord would lead us to the harvest, that we might share with them to help them discover Jesus and the Savior he can be to their life. We are His workmanship (verse 10). 

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

My Utmost for His Highest - June 24th - Reconciling One's Self to the Fact of Sin

When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. - Luke 22:53

    It is not being reconciled to the fact of sin that produces all the disasters in life. You may talk about the nobility of human nature, but there is something in human nature which will laugh in the face of every ideal you have. If you refuse to agree with the fact that there is vice and self-seeking, something downright spiteful and wrong in human beings, instead of reconciling yourself to it, when it strikes your life, you will compromise with it and say it is of no use to battle against it. Have you made allowance for this hour and the power of darkness, or do you take a recognition of yourself that misses out sin? In your bodily relationships and friendships do you reconcile yourself to the fact of sin? If not, you will be caught round the next corner and you will compromise with it. If you reconcile yourself to the fact of sin, you will realise the danger at once — “Yes, I see what that would mean.” The recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship; it establishes a mutual regard for the fact that the basis of life is tragic. Always beware of an estimate of life which does not recognise the fact that there is sin.

    Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical, never suspicious, because He trusted absolutely in what He could do for human nature. The pure man or woman, not the innocent, is the safeguarded man or woman. You are never safe with an innocent man or woman. Men and women have no business to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child; it is a blameworthy thing for a man or woman not to be reconciled to the fact of sin.

 - From Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest" - Classic Edition

Highlights and Underlines are courtesy of Mom from her print edition

 
 
 

Matthew 21:18 - The Human Nature of Christ

Matthew 21:18 - Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.

Message: The Human Nature of Christ

Time: The date of Matthew's composition is anywhere from 55-60 AD probably in Antioch of Syria, written by Matthew, the former tax collector, and one of the 12 disciples or apostles. The writing is most likely to the Jews. His purpose was to show them that Jesus of Nazareth was the expected messiah and both his genealogy and his resurrection were legitimate proofs of this. 

What the Lord is Saying:

Overview

I am currently studying Jesus, Christ alone. Jesus, the human, is the anointed one, the Christ or the Messiah, predicted in the Old Testament as the one who would come and save the world from sin. Jesus is one person who possesses two natures, a divine nature and a human nature, as truly God and truly man. Jesus did not become divine nor did God become a man, Christ was instead the God man. 

Today's Lesson

Many passages teach the humanity of Jesus:

• Jesus is hungry - Matthew 21:18 - Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.
• Jesus slept - Mark 4:38 - Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
• Psalm 121:4 - Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
• Jesus is ignorant or lacks knowledge of an event - Matthew 24:36 - But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
• God is all-knowing or omniscient - Psalm 139:4 - Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all.
• Jesus is tempted - Matthew 4:1 - Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 
• James 1:13 - Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 

Thus, in this lesson today are examples of Jesus' humanity in light of the fact that God not having need of anything or being all-knowing. 

Promise: Hebrews 2:17-18 - For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for showing me clearly that Jesus is human and he can come alongside me, for he has experienced what I have experienced. Help me to remember this Spirit. Keep reminding me as you do. I feel so alone at times, but help me to be reminded of how you are like me in this way. I am not alone. 

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 April is about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April was about salvation by grace alone; March about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January was about the doctrine of God.

Mark 5:21-43 - The Divine Nature of Christ

Mark 5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. One of the synagogue officials named Jairus *came up, and on seeing Him, *fell at His feet and *implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” 24 And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

While He was still speaking, they *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, *said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They *came to the house of the synagogue official; and He *saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. And entering in, He *said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He *took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and *entered the room where the child was. Taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

Message: The Divine Nature of Christ

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:

Overview of this Series

Tabletalk for this day states - Christianity is all about Christ, who He is and what He has done. Christ alone is head of the church; Christ alone is worthy of adoration; Christ alone saves.

In this study celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation (which was actually back in 2017), the Reformers sought to return people to Christian orthodoxy, echoing statements like the Definition of Chalcedon.

The Chalcedonian definition is a declaration of Christ's nature, adopted in AD 451 at the Council of Chalcedon. This was a church council held from 8 October to 1 November, 451, at Chalcedon, a town of Bithynia in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey (on the north-western shore) and now Chalcedon is a district within Istanbul. The purpose of the Council was to come against the heresy of Eutyches. What Eutyches was saying at the time is hard to define, though it seems that he was stating that Jesus was not fully human. The Council was led to convene because of the talk that erupted and the off-shoots of this heresy. Heresy is making a statement that has been revealed by God and confirmed by the Church in which the person refuses to be corrected.

This definition stated that Jesus is one person who possesses two natures, a divine nature and a human nature, truly God and truly man. A nature is that which makes something what it is, those attributes that define it. The divine nature is marked by divine attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, self-existence, eternity, and so on, thus to have all the attributes that make God who He is. Thus, we are saying Jesus possesses every attribute that God possesses and is therefore truly God. The following study will talk of the Human nature of Christ.

Today's Lesson

For example, today's passage states in verse 23 that a daughter of a man is at the point of death. In Matthew 9:18 records that "My daughter has just died." In Mark, the man stated that she was taking her last breath and by the time of Matthew's record she had died. What Jesus does then is give life to this girl as stated in Mark 5:41, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" Genesis 1 records God creating life and now here Jesus is creating life.

Thus, in this situation is the first example of how it was recorded that Jesus, the man, also had a divine nature - giving life to this girl. 

Promise: Many respect Jesus, but only few see him as Lord and King and truly God and worthy of our worship. Jesus is the God incarnate creator.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the truth of Your word and that Your ways have been confirmed throughout history. Thank you for men that saw a need to convene regularly to declare who You are and re-confirm who You are through clear definition. Help me Lord to continue to better understand You through Your word. Help me Holy Spirit to see Christ for who He really is and help others to know the same.

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 April is about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April was about salvation by grace alone; March about the sovereign providence of God; February was about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January was about the doctrine of God.

My Utmost for His Highest - December 2 - Christian Persecution

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect… PHILIPPIANS 3:12

It is a snare to imagine that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do; God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements is apt to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you go off on this idea of personal holiness, the dead-set of your life will not be for God, but for what you call the manifestation of God in your life. “It can never be God’s will that I should be sick,” you say. If it was God’s will to bruise His own Son, why should He not bruise you? The thing that tells for God is not your relevant consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your real vital relation to Jesus Christ, and your abandonment to Him whether you are well or ill.

Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship to God which shows itself amid the irrelevancies of human life. When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that strikes you is the irrelevancy of the things you have to do, and the next thing that strikes you is the fact that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives are apt to leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary, by human effort and devotion we can reach the standard God wants. In a fallen world this can never be done. I am called to live in perfect relation to God so that my life produces a longing after God in other lives, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God is not after perfecting me to be a specimen in His show-room; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He likes. From My Utmost for His Highest Classic Edition

My mom provided the highlights and underlines

My Thoughts

• My ambition is to be One with God, not to be perfect
• We get too caught up in our circumstances and this includes being sick. If it was God's will to bruise His own Son, why should He not bruise me? 

John 14:26 - Divine Begottenness and Procession

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Message: Divine Begottenness and Procession

Time: While John does not admit to have written this gospel, there is ample evidence from others that he did. It was most likely written in Ephesus around 85-95 AD and is the fourth gospel. John provides a Jesus more clearly as the Son of God. John cites Jesus' seven "I Am" statements, mentions many miracles of Jesus, signifying Him as God's Son. He is the Son of Man and atoned for our sins and the Son of God with eternal implications in rising from the dead.

What the Lord is Saying:

Today's Tabletalk devotional starts with a discussion about the notion that each person has a human nature that includes a mind, a body, and a will, but each person's nature is different from one another. While we each have a human nature, our individual attributes are distinct. However, in regards to the three persons of the Godhead, the three persons do not have three different minds, but have one identical mind. And this is the same for every other divine attribute.

The question then is what makes each person of the Trinity different. The Bible teaches that (1) the Father is unbegotten, (2) the Son is begotten, and (3) the Holy Spirit is procession.

Regarding the Son, John 1:18 says, No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. In John 3:16 Jesus says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."  Begotten and derivatives of the Greek word are used multiple times in Scripture to talk about a special relationship between a Father or Mother and a son or daughter. John is the only Gospel writer to connect the relationship between Jesus and the Father. It talks of one being the only child of another. Yet both the Son and the Father have always existed. Even though He is begotten of the Father, his existence is the same as the Father.

Regarding the Holy Spirit, John 14:26 says the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name. Begottenness is the unique quality of the Son, procession is the unique property of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. There was a distinctive relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Father and the Son before time began. This passage talks about the special purpose of the Spirit - as a teacher and a reminder of all that Jesus has said. But the Spirit is also said to be sent by Jesus in John 15:26, though this verse speaks still primarily it would seem as coming from the Father. When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me. Thus there is debate as to whether the Spirit proceeds from the Son.

The difficult in these explanations is that we use human words or human explanations to explain eternal beings that are infinite, immutable and incomprehensible. Man is a created being and his words are created in order to communicate and they have limitations. I think of the word Love and all that it encompasses. Love can mean so many different things and sometimes the word Love does not convey the entire story. Scripture attempts to describe the relationship between these 3 persons of the Godhead and based upon all of the Words we have there is a natural conclusion to show that they are all divine and all of the same mind and attributes. Yet, as we work on describing this we fall into difficulties of explanation.

Purpose: It is important to study about God and His nature to help give us a further glimpse at who God is. Knowing this moves us to worship Him for His greatness and thus fulfill the purpose for which we were made.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for wisdom from the ages and how people have studied your words and come to conclusions that help me to better understand You. Lord, you have ministered specifically to me and spoken specifically to Me in a way that I struggle defining at times in my life. I don't understand it fully but I knot it to be true in me. I do thank you for these words from various individuals and thank you for breathing life into these words that I read. I continue to trust You and while there are questions that come up in my mind at times I continue to have peace that you are God, that Jesus you are God, that Spirit you are God and my mission on this earth is to glorify and testify of You. You have made me to be a person of relationship. You are eternal and creator and yet there is a closeness with You. Continue to help me to be clear in that understanding and communicating this to others.

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 January being about the doctrine of God.

Mark 14:50-52 - The Fleeing Disciples

Mark 14:50-52
50 And they all left Him and fled. 51 A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. 52 But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked. 

Message: The Fleeing Disciples

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 is now being held captive by the chief priests and scribes and elders of the Jewish council. He has been betrayed by Judas and Judas did it with a kiss (seemingly of affection) and calling him Rabbi (teacher). Jesus had been praying in the garden of Gethsemane, anticipating his death, not looking forward to it and even asking that this Cup pass from him. The disciples  were acting like they would always have his back, but when he asked them to watch while he prayed, they fell asleep. Jesus had said that one among them would betray Him, but everyone felt like it wasn't them. But, in fact he said that all would scatter, but at one point he would gather them together again.

And they all left Him and fled. Jesus is now alone. In some ways He has always been alone with the Father. No one stayed with Jesus instead they all went another way. Possibly, they feared their own life. None of them seemed to want this day to come. Every time Jesus spoke of His death, they didn't want to believe it and were at times angry that Jesus would be saying this. Now, as he is seized they flee. Jesus had predicted this in saying His sheep would scatter. Despite the disciples saying that they would always be by His side, in fact, they fled.

At this moment, they had been trying to trust Jesus, but they also did not now the entire story. They didn't know yet for sure about His resurrection, though He had told them it would happen. It is sad that they fled, but how often have a skirted away from sharing the truth of my relationship with God, thinking it wasn't the appropriate time or I too feared what people would think. There seemed to be a group of people not the elders and scribes that were with them to seize him or watch, so there seemed to be a crowd coming to see his demise but was there also a crowd there to come to his aid, it is not clear there was any or if they all fled. If I rely on my own strength then I will be one of those that runs away as well, but if I stop and trust in the Lord and stand firm in Him and look to Him for strength then I can be faithful.

Jesus has been captured. But Mark explains that there was someone else and as is often the case with Mark in his explanations he is not specific of who this young man was that was following Him (Jesus). But, Mark does state that he is a follower. In the process of seizing Jesus they seized him, this man, who some believe is Mark, the one who writes this narrative. This man was wearing a linen sheet over his naked body. But, as the leaders were seizing Jesus and then tried to seize this man he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked. Mark makes mention of the man's clothes and his nakedness to possibly explain the fact that all that he wanted to do was get away. And being naked didn't matter as long as he was not going to be seized as well. In this moment, are we fine with Jesus being seized, but we really don't want anything to happen to our safe and secure life and so if necessary, we will get away, even it means embarrassing ourselves as long as we remain free. And yet what we call free is really a continued bondage to the world.

What would the story have looked like if others had been seized along with Jesus? It remains an amazement to me to hear of people being martyred for their faith. Recently, there was a pastor that was killed in Cameroon after only being there for 2 months after spending years raising support to be there long term. There are many others that out of their boldness remained a follower. If others had stayed with Jesus and perhaps been crucified along with Jesus as His follower, what an interesting picture that would be. But instead what we have is people running away.

Summary - Jesus has been arrested under the cover of night. Jesus makes a point that in darkness is when he is seized, when he has been avaiable many times in the day light. He is taken at Gethsemane while he was praying. The Jewish leaders have seized him, thanks to Judas who has betrayed Jesus. After he is taken, all that were with Him, including the disciples, fled. They didn't remain by His side. They left and even when there was an attempt to seize one of them he escaped, even though it meant him being running off naked.

Promise: As Tabletalk states - The temptation to flee our Christian profession is strong when there is a real cost to our obedience, and if we trust in ourselves, we will fail. We need to ask the Lord for strength and grace to persevere under trial.

Prayer: O Lord, on my own I do not surrender to You and I am not proud of how I conduct towards others. On my own, I only look out for myself and what I think is best for me. Lord, as I navigate through life, help me Lord to surrender to You always and look to you for strength and perseverance. I admit Lord, I am too conditioned often to want the approval of people I can see versus you that I cannot see. Yet, Lord, your word is true and I want to stand close to You and be known by You. I want to pledge my allegiance to you and truly follow You in easy times and hard times.

Romans 12:16-17 - Harmonious Living

Romans 12:16-17 - Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. ¹⁷ Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

Message: Do not be self-focused, but thing about others and what is best for them.

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:

I continue to walk rather slowly through these marks of what it means to be a Christian. As is Paul's custom throughout this book, he repeats. There are similar ideas here in some of these phrases, and yet differences. 

Be of the same mind toward one another
This is an interesting phrase to me. I am to live in harmony with other people. If Paul is mentioning this here, like this, then my guess is this is not necessarily natural. It is tragic because, on the surface, it appears that many Christians do not live like this toward other people. Instead, I see a policeman mentality so much of the time with ministers of the gospel policing what is truth. It seems like Christians become the judge in society for what should be right and wrong. Is that our role? Are we to take on an offensive attitude? Yes, we are to defend our faith, but it seems that defense takes on the form of separation.

Could it be that we are not of the same mind because we are not bathing ourselves in the Word of God like he expects of Christians? And so being of the same mind is harder. 

I just think this is a hard principle. I feel like in this section of scripture Paul is writing characteristics of the Christian and what it means to be a Christian. He has gone through the Law and Grace and the theology of Grace, but now he gets to direct application. 

To be honest, I think this is a phrase that is easy to say, but hard to extrapolate the exact meaning. Yes, it is important for me to live in harmony with other people. There should be peace, kindness, unity in feeling, interests and objection. I mean, in some ways, Pamela and I had to leave Hoffmantown because we started to realize that we were having a really hard time with this idea. We were not of the same mind with the people in that church. It was like they were at one place and we were some place very different. I do not think that I was just trying to get my way. But, I did feel like because there was such a separation of thought that it was not doing any good for us to be there. It was doing more harm than good. 

In marriage, I see that Pamela and I are of the same mind. Do we agree on everything? No. Do we do things the same way? No. But, we believe in the marriage and our children. We are focused on making it all work. We have the same objective and so we can work through all the situations. We are not giving up even though at times we feel like giving up. I think the Spirit is alive in our marriage. I think the unity we share in Christ allows the Spirit of God to work through both of us and cements us together. Being of the same mind is possible, but it is definitely only possible when God's Spirit is at the helm and is allowed to work. 

Do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly

I am not to be arrogant in actions, but even in my mind. I am not to conduct myself in such a way as to make myself out to be more important than others. The Christian should not put forth the idea that because they are saved, because God has rescued them and made them holy, that they are somehow better than others. 

I think this is a real danger of a believer. I think because of their understanding they make themselves out to be superior to other people. But that misses a right understanding of the gospel because we are not in the faith we are because of our righteousness, but God has grafted us in, and so we are to give Him all the glory. 

And the complement of this thought is I am to associate with the lowly. Boy, this is hard when you are not accustomed to this. That I should go out of my way to associate with the lowly and who would be the lowly? If it is the homeless guy on the corner, asking for money ("Will work for food") then how do I associate with him? Do I take him out to eat? Could I spend more time with the lowly and bring them into my home? 

Do not be wise in your own estimation

I should not put myself up on a pedestal. I am not to uphold myself as being the wise one. In this statement is an attitude of boasting in myself. Proverbs 3:7 states something similar: "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil." A part of this is don't think that you know what other people are going through when you haven't gone through what they are going through. Don't assume that you know another person's perspective. 

I think I make assumptions about people's faith sometimes because of the label I place on them. I am learning to not do this. Every person has a different story. Each person has a different testimony of how they came to Christ and so each person will also have a different story as to how they have not come to Christ.

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone

I am never to pay back evil for evil. To me, this is a statement that separates Christians from other major religions. I see this statement, but I admit, it is a hard one to follow, even in my own household. When I have been wronged or even when evil has been committed against me; when I have been shunned at work; when I am made to look like a fool; when I am not respected; when my authority is questioned; my natural inclination is to do something or say something toward that other person that discredits them. Again, Paul doesn't give commands that are natural to follow. He recognizes here that it is somewhat normal to pay back evil for evil. 

How often have I heard the phrase, "I am going to get even with you?" As I watch movies and TV shows it is most often the reason behind the show. In crime shows, it is not just that a person will be caught for a crime they committed, but someone how something will happen to them that will try to equal the evil that they did.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:39, "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." 

Matthew 5:44, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

So, what is my response to evil? It is to continue doing good. I think the mark of a Christian is his response to circumstances. My faith is not to waiver. I am to stand trusting in God no matter what. Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Good is to rein in my life. As trials come, as hard times appear, as things occur that I don't understand, and when things well up inside of me, my response is simple, I am to remain doing the things that I do on any other day. I am to rise and surrender myself to the Lord and accept what He provides. I need to re-train myself in this way. I am too quickly trained to react and respond based upon what the world is training me. 

Respect what is right in the sight of all men

The word respect is an interesting one. I think there is an idea in this word that means to "stop." I think there is this idea that before you respond or react in a way that is natural to you, I am to think before. I am to observe in advance. I am to notice beforehand or plan before. Again, I see a big failure in my life in this over and over. The moment I feel attacked I immediately respond. I don't think. And yet this is what I need to do. I need to stop and think about how to respond and then do it in a way, that if I were to line up a string of people from all walks of life and ask them all what they would do, there would be a right way of doing things and the majority would respond to that situation in that way. I am to do what is right in the sight of all men.

Promise: I must live my life God's way. I am not live in a way that is natural to me.

Romans 12:3-5 - The Sober Judgment of the Members

Romans 12:3-5 - ³ For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. ⁴ For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Message: Our response to being transformed: A sound mind

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Don't think more highly of oneself
Because of grace, and because I have a renewed mind, I am to realize that my condition in Christ is not due to my own special doing. Grace is a gift. Ephesians 2:8 says, "it is by grace you have been saved." Now here in Romans 12:3 is a similar message, "for through the grace given to me." Therefore, I need to be very careful not to think of myself, and my position in Christ, as something that I have earned or even deserve. Paul previously spoke out against the Jewish people. Paul spoke against the Jews declaration that it was their heritage or their lineage or their circumcision or their handling of the Scriptures, that then gave them some sort of special exemption before God. That because of these things anything God prescribed they did not necessarily have to adhere to. Yes, they were God's chosen people but this did not mean that they did not have to submit and surrender to Him. 

This is a very difficult practice in life. I think it is very difficult for the Christian to see himself as higher than others either in the faith or out of the faith. As Christians, we are called to live in the world and yet not be of the world. The world sees this and sees how we separate ourselves from the world and therefore, they think we are making ourselves out to be better than anything in the world. 

I think this is such a hard line to draw. Take the issue of homosexuality. The Christian, evangelical church has clearly put forth that homosexuality is a sin. Much has been made of this because the focus of homosexual activists is to conform people to the view that homosexuality is not only okay, but people are born like this. And therefore, any message that is contrary to this is viewed as narrow. And then when the Christian states disagreement in this, they are said to be judging these people. And there is also the feeling that the Christian sees there way as superior. And then suddenly the Christian looks at themselves as more highly positioned than those that don't agree with their ways. 

With the issue of homosexuality there are huge problems on both sides of the fence.  

I was speaking to my atheist friend recently and thought that my focus and position before him should be expressed that I don't believe I am any better than him. I need to believe and think that I don't think of myself as being any better than him. Sure, I might think I am better off for eternity, but I can't for a moment let it seep in that I think I am more of a person than he is.  

A measure of faith
Now this is interesting because I wonder if we do think that faith is something we bring to the table with God. That I am saved by my faith through the grace of God. And therefore, God is somehow waiting for me to have faith in him. I think that is an application of this verse. God has allotted to each a measure of faith. He provides us with the faith that we need. He allows the temptation, but also provides the way out. He is the hand of providence in our life. In no way does he only have a certain amount of faith and I get one piece, but rather faith is allotted or given to me. 

But, also faith has been given, now what will I do with it? And what stands out about me is the influence of faith on my minds. I am so quick to judge myself by the tangible things I have. I often thing, "Wow, I am glad God has placed me here rather than there." Is that because I feel blessed here and I wouldn't feel blessed if he had placed me in a hut in Africa with no running water, toilet, or refrigerator? Therefore, is my faith really in God or is it more in the creature comforts that I find all around me. Do I really have a faith in things? 

So faith has been measured to me, but what have I done with it? How is that I really live by faith? 

Members of the Body of Christ
Paul takes this message of being no better than anyone else and presents the Body of Christ. And i should see that what he is saying is no one person in the Body is better or more of a significant part than another member. I believe I have sometimes placed certain people like a lead pastor or elder above others in the church, but the body, whether it be a nursery worker, a person maintaining the church, a greeter, a teacher, all carry some level within the Body of Christ.  In addition, "we are members one of another" and so there is a connection between all of us and what we are doing in the Body. 

Sometimes I think the church really struggles with this as it differentiates between the work of paid staff and non-paid staff. Paid staff becomes the leaders that direct the flock and the non-paid staff become the support. There is just a danger in having ourselves look no different from the world where the ones getting made are making the decisions for the ones not getting paid. 

As in many areas of scripture, we need to "be careful." We must be careful in how we apply this scripture, making sure the application is not just a mirror of the application in our worldly professions. 

Promise: There are no disctinctions when it comes to our signifcance in the church and before God (Galatians 3:27-29) - Tabletalk, September 10, 2014
 

Romans 3:8 - That Good May Come

Romans 3:8 - And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.

Message: The continued saga of man's contention that God's ways are dependent upon man's ways.

Time: Paul probably wrote Romans between A.D. 57-58 while he was at Corinth in the home of his friend and convert Gaius. He planned to go first to Jerusalem to deliver a gift of money from the Gentile churches to the poor in Jerusalem. Then he hoped to visit Rome on his way to Spain. His hopes were later realized, but not as he had expected. When he finally arrived in Rome in early A.D. 60, he was a prisoner under house arrest (Acts 28:11-31).

What the Lord is Saying:

Fifth Objection
This builds off of verse 7, "But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner." Man is looking for an out to being judged. And even more here, man is looking for an out to be able to keep sinning. 

It is funny because this is what a Mormon said to me once. He stated I hold to the once saved, always saved belief where a person only has to accept Jesus into their heart and then they can do anything that they wanted. But, there he combined bad doctrine with bad doctrine to make a conclusion. It is slander that salvation by grace means then a person can just keep on sinning.

It is true that the idea of salvation by grace lends itself to this idea.

Paul's response to the objection
In this fifth and final objection, Paul answers it, not with a refute, but states that the condemnation of the evil one who sins repeatedly and repeatedly plays word games with God is just. This is the response of all of the antagonists complaints to Paul and ultimately to God, that we don't play word games with God. It is not man that makes God more righteous. Man's guilt and God's position as righteous judge stand in separate corners. God can excuse man not because of anything that man has done, but through what Jesus has done. Paul will expand upon this further in Chapter 6. 

Conclusion: How we converse with people
I think what is interesting is that Paul in these verses recognizes the ease at which people can misconstrue the Gospel and he also readily recognizes how defensive people will get when they are told that they have not done nor can they ever do anything to merit God's acceptance. Man is a proud person and is proud of the works he has performed. Often the cars we drive, the houses we live in, the things we purchase, the lifestyles we have, are our way of showcasing the hard work that we have performed in our life. If these things display this, then why can't also my eternal life in Christ. living for eternity in heaven, be the showcase of my good deeds? Thus, the Christian needs to never belittle the thinking of the person struggling to make this understanding and connection. Man is very susceptible to this thinking because everywhere he is trained in this thinking. It is pervasive in man's life.

As ambassadors of the gospel of Christ we need to be extra sensitive to the life of the unbeliever and be clear what the Gospel says but never belittle the thinking of the person our conversation is hopefully benefiting.

Promise: The Gospel can be be misunderstood. But the Gospel cannot be changed. It is offensive and must consistently be communicated.

Hebrews 2:13; (Isaiah 8:17-18)

And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
(Hebrews 2:13 ESV)

This is a reference to the Messiah speaking, as a man, placing his hope, his only hope in God. Jesus identifies himself with the people--fully man. "I will look to him; I will put my confidence in him." And this relationship Jesus has with His people is the same closeness a father has with his children. They were of one family; one nature. He identifies with man.

Hebrews 2:6; Psalm 8:4

It has been testified somewhere,
“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
(Hebrews 2:6 ESV)

When I look at man today it seems a mystery that man would have been chosen by God. He is so sinful. He is so unlike God. Why would God give dominion to a person that will abuse it? With everything in the universe, God still takes notice of man. And man has been united with the Divine One.