Romans 12:3
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.
Message: The Pelagian Captivity of the Church
Time: Written sometime in AD 57-58, probably from Corinth, at the end of Paul's third missionary journey.
What the Lord is Saying:
I have arrived at the last lesson of this series on salvation by grace alone. I have learned a lot. But it has taken me a long time. I should be okay with that. It has taken almost a year to go through this one month as I started on March 6, 2019. Yowza. That's 20 or so lessons. Hmm. Oh well. At least I am still going at it. It is March 19, 2020. I started this post over a month ago, and now revisiting it. I've been doing other things, BSF, but also not waking up early, and getting busy with getting on with each day. At the moment, due to the coronavirus, I am working at home more, so I go back to revisiting these studies, to see what I can get through.
I think what I have been amazed about through this series (as I have been listening to RC Sproul messages on the last 5 or so of these lessons) is the history of comprehending salvation and whether man has done anything to earn salvation. The message is simple: Jesus did it all.
Pelagian, a man who lived 1600 years ago, is still having an impact on how people think today - being the idea that man is involved in salvation and God can only work in man if man agrees.
In his final message in this series, he has titled it "The Pelagian Captivity of the Church" which makes sense because the tenets of Pelagian are still at work today in the church. Sproul hones in on this idea of the extent that Pelagian and his ideals have made their way into evangelicalism today and invaded the church still today. He speaks of Charles Finney, a 19th century preacher, and his focus on evangelism and 500,000 people coming to Christ. His methods of evangelism live on today. Yet, while Finney may say that Jesus paid it all, how many gets to salvation is about man being involved in this work.
Let me step back for a moment - what I am seeing in this study is trying to intersect God's ways with my thinking of God's ways. Who God is and how he works sits on a plane. If we believe in God, then life is about understanding how he works and who He is. So is my understanding of Him the same as His? Does my plane intersect His? To me that is the goal. To be on the same plane. So does God's plane or ways include me being involved in my salvation or not? At the end of the day whether I am saved or not does not change. Can I change God's mind? Can I change my own mind? All of these are questions I am trying to figure out as I read and learn and study scripture.
As I back up to Finney, I am not saying the 500,000 that came to Christ under his method are not saved. Whether I think that or not is not for me to decide, as if my view of their salvation determines their salvation. I can honestly say the Spirit of God is living in me. I know this. So now my quest is understanding salvation and what actually occurred. Then as I intersect with others, no matter what they believe, I first wonder if the Spirit of God is living in them. I don't want to assume He isn't based upon the label they have attached to their lives of the type of religious thought or group they hold to. For example, I don't want to assume all Catholics are not Spirit-filled. But, I know this is my tendency.
Historically, the group of people that are identified as evangelical are those that embrace the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Yet Charles Finney, who is generally regarded as a hero of the faith, denies this thinking. What he denies is sola fide - which can be described as - when the sinner looks to Christ by faith and puts his trust in Christ and Christ alone that God legally declares that sinner just by the virtue of the imputation or the transfer of the merit of Christ and the righteousness of Christ to the legal account of the sinner who lacks merit and lacks any righteousness of his own. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). Each person has an account. Before Christ it is an account of works with the hopes that my works will yield salvation. But my works without Christ include sin and sin on its own whether intermingled with good works is unclean and cannot merit being declared just by God. Thus salvation is the sinner looking to Christ by faith, putting his trust in Christ, believing in the resurrection, believing in the transfer of righteousness -- then I am declared just by God imputing or transferring the merit or work of Christ or the righteousness of Christ to my account, to cover my sin - and man is incapable of having anything to do with this righteousness transfer. I don't make the transfer happen. But, my faith in Christ does happen.
According to Finney, such a view of justification would be a travesty of divine justice and God indeed would never make a legal declaration in calling someone just when that person is not just in and of himself. In this vein, he shares a common objection to forensic justification of the Roman Catholic church. Where Finney missed it was in his view of what Jesus did on the cross, seeing it as an example of the seriousness of sin and thereby the Christian is pardoned by God, not justified, but pardoned. It is not about Christ atoning but Christ using the cross to show us that we are evil and therefore we need to clean up our lives. In a subtle way it shows that man is responsible agent in cleaning up his/her life. For Finney sanctification yields justification whereas the classic protestant view is justification occurs and sanctification is a process in the Christian's life of being conformed to the image of Christ.
Finney is Pelagian to the core in that he believes that man has a natural ability and moral ability to make choices, to naturally choose right and wrong, but also the moral ability to choose the things of God, even without grace. Whereas, the discussion of classical Protestants is that man does not on his own have the ability to choose the things of God unless God intervenes.
What Sproul is arguing is that most evangelicals today hold to this view and do not rightly understand the meaning of original sin. Do we come to sin thinking that we can change or do we come to sin thinking that Christ must change us?
Summary: Salvation by grace alone. Man is a sinner and nothing in man can make him right with God except for the grace of God intervening. Man cannot choose to be right with God. Faith is the expression by man of the grace of God in God making man right with Himself through the work of Jesus and the transfer of His righteousness to man upon His conquering of sin through the resurrection after He was crucified on the cross. It is a fine line.
Promise: We do not have to invent fancy techniques to bring people to faith; we just have to preach God’s Word accurately and trust Him to save His people. Let us put our hope not in methods but in faithfulness to God’s Word.
Prayer: O Lord, thank you for the truth of your Word that has invaded my life and shown me the significance of Your grace. Forgive me for thinking I make myself righteous. I want to turn to You and trust You and You alone and depend on You. Thank you for RC Sproul and illuminating him and calling him to teach and show us that your truth is continuous. Keep us on the right track. Help me to discern false messages, expose them, and continue to uphold and praise You God. Give me compassion upon people and help me to not have strife with others over this issue. As I've learned of you, continue to sink truth into my life - to your Glory.
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 salvation by grace alone. March was 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 is about the doctrine of God.
Showing posts with label Man's Position. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Man's Position. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2020
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Titus 2:11 - Is Grace Cooperative
Titus 2:11 - For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
Message: Is Grace Cooperative?
Time: Paul is the author, written in AD 63. Paul went with Titus to the island of Crete and evangelized there before Paul left Titus there in a position of leadership. The book speaks of living right as guided by Truth.
What the Lord is Saying:
The issue: How free is the human will after the fall of Adam.
Humans beings are free to make choices. But our freedom is limited by our desires. Freedom is doing what we most want to do. Apart from God's grace, the only thing that we want to do is sin. In order to do what is truly good and pleasing to God, grace must change our hearts. It is only the regenerate person that understands the things of God.
I go back to an idea that I have been focusing on: the horizontal and the vertical. The horizontal is our life lived with one another and the life I live for myself. In this life there is freedom: each day there are choices to engage in good acts and bad acts as they relate to man's relationship to man. Much good has been done by men and women on this horizontal level. We should not ever diminish these acts. But there is the vertical - man's relationship with God. Without God's grace there is no vertical, only a horizontal. Grace brings the vertical into my life because sin removed the vertical. Without grace, I will only live on the horizontal. With grace, I can carry out the things of God. Thus, today's text states in Titus 2:11 - For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. Salvation is a God thing and it is needed to make me right vertically, right with God.
The debate that I have been looking at is - can man get to God on his own or must God intervene? And is this intervention completely by God or is man involved?
RC Sproul Message - Is Grace Cooperative - In this message RC Sproul begins his lecture by reciting a quote by Joseph Arminius in which he upholds the lost condition of man following Adam's sin or his sin and mentions that the only way man can be brought to salvation is through the act of grace into that person's life. He mentions that Arminius began as a pure Calvinist and Augustinian but then he got wrapped up in a debate with someone and in that process began to move further and further away from the reformed doctrine.
Early on he speaks of preventing grace and prevenient grace. "Pre" means before and "venient" - coming before so this is 'grace that comes before something." Grace comes before conversion. There are also those who look at internal grace and external grace. External grace is something that happens outside of ourselves, outside of our soul. Internal grace would be something that God does inside of us. For Arminius, grace is not limited to an external operation of the Holy Spirit, but also God's internal operation. However, he then goes to say that all persons have their own will and can refuse the call of the Holy Spirit. So even though it is internal (God doing something inside of us), it is not irresistible. He says the grace of regeneration is sufficient to convert. It is all a person needs to be liberated from spiritual bondage. The grace is enough. But it is not inherently efficient as it does not always affect conversion or regeneration. Thus, prevenient grace or grace that comes before man's choice to then choose whether or not he wants that grace.
Calvin however speaks that the calling of God is effectual. Here the Spirit effects what it intends and thus, it cannot be rejected. Thus, grace is internal and effectual. But for Arminius it is internal but can be rejected. Arminius says that if man does not submit to the grace, the fault lies with man. Pelagius would though deny this for Pelagius believes that God does not have to help a person be saved. But Arminius says that God does have to help, but man can reject. Arminius seeks to not make God accountable to people rejecting Him whereby with Calvin the onus is completely on God as to man being saved or not saved. While Arminius believes that the rejecting by man means that the fault rests on him, he also does not believe that the acceptance of man does not rest on man being virtuous. To believe this would mean that man has something to boast about and this would contradict what Paul says in Ephesians 2:9.
Arminius gave a famous example of a rich man coming to a beggar to offer him a gift. The beggar does nothing to earn the gift, and to receive it simply reaches out his had to accept the gift. But the beggar can also not reach out his hand and therefore be content in his position of being poor. Billy Graham even stated that God does 99% and man does 1% whereby reformers would say that for the drowning man, the person would drown and then God would pull him out of the water and resuscitate him to life.
After Arminius died in 1609, some of his disciples in the Synod of Dort were called upon to consider the five articles of Remonstrance. It was in response to these five articles that we received the five points of Calvinism.
[I was thinking of this question - most of the proof text I think about Calvinist thought, namely whether man is involved at all in salvation, comes from Paul's writings (and also Hebrews). Is it possible that Augustine and Calvin concluded their points on man having no place in saving man from Paul alone or is that line of thinking consistent throughout the Bible? Stated another way, is Jesus a Calvinist? Is God and the Old Testament writers Calvinist? This is a side-note question of mine. Some people have made the assertion that if we only follow the red letters or Jesus' words then we won't come to the conclusion of grace alone.]
RC Sproul Message - Born to Sin - In this message RC Sproul begins speaking about Jonathan Edwards and his book, Freedom of the Will, written in 1754. That book is very theological and philosophical and technical. It was written after Edwards had been removed from his church in Northampton and began a ministry to the Indians at Stockbridge (both in Massachusetts).
Edwards deals with the question - "What is the will anyway?" Philosophers often looked at the mind, the affections, and the will OR the mind, the heart, and the will. Edwards felt it was important to distinguish between the mind or thinking and the will or choosing. He says they are interrelated. In analyzing the will, the making of human decisions or choices, he looked first at the law of causality. Causality is every effect must have a cause. Thus, he analyzed human choices as effects with causes. The choices we make are made for a reason and the mind supplies the reason. Thus, the choices we make are what we deem to be good for us, though, Edwards use of the word good isn't necessarily morality, but rather good is what is pleasing to us. Thus, the good is what is most pleasing to me, at this moment, and to choose what I want. Thus, this is the role of desire in the making of choices. The mind deems a particular action to be good and pleasing to us. For example, when one is hungry, those hunger pains alert the mind and then the mind through choosing decides to eat, in order to meet the need of hunger, in order to please himself.
Edwards states that all choices are caused by something. They don't just happen. And what causes choices are inclinations. Thus, choices are motivated or driven by inclinations. Edwards understood that as humans we are complex. At times, we have very complex desires and motives within our lives. Paul reverberates this idea in Romans 7:19 - For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do. What Paul seems to be saying that in him are competing desires and competing inclinations. In Christ is the desire to always do those things that honor God, but in his flesh is desires contrary to the Spirit and sometimes I follow these desires. Edwards might say to Paul that at the time of your choice to sin, you have a stronger desire to not do what is pleasing to God than you have in yourself to please God. Thus, there is a conflict of inclinations. Thus, Edwards states that we always choose according to the strongest inclination at the moment.
This is not determinism which is being controlled by external forces that coerce us, such as our environment and place in which we live and grow up. Atheists believe in determinism, meaning we are a product of our environment. What Edwards is focused on instead is self-determination in which the choices we make are determined by us. What Edwards is getting at is our choices are determined by us and my desires and what my mind deems to be most good for me at the moment. There is a desire continuum we have. Some desires are strong while others are mild. Thus freedom is the power to choose according to your inclinations.
For example, the doctor may recommend and I may agree that I need to lose 30 pounds as losing pounds has a myriad of positive outcomes. But, my desire to lose those pounds varies from moment to moment. After eating a thanksgiving meal I have no desires to eat more and want to lose pounds, but when I am hungry and a chocolate sundae is presented before me, my desire for that sundae is greater than my desire to lose weight. Thus, the desire continuum. We have different degrees of desires, but without an inclination there wouldn't be a choice is what Edwards argues.
Yet, Edwards is arguing with pagan philosophers and even other theologians which might say that the will is not indifferent, but has a prior bent, disposition or inclination. To be really free it would have an equal means to go to the right or the left. Edwards says an indifferent choice is an irrational concept. If I choose one thing over another for no other reason whatsoever, like choosing which way to go at a fork in the road with no reason to choose either way, how would that have any moral significance. Intent is essential to a moral decision, to a voluntary act. To be a moral decision, there has to be a reason or intent. But he says the idea of an indifferent choice is a nonsensical concept.
What Edwards is most famous for is his distinction between our natural ability and our moral ability. This is similar to Augustinian's distinction between free will and liberty. Edwards says, "We have the natural ability to make choices." We have natural ability that is not coerced by outside forces. What we lack, according to Edwards, is the moral ability to choose the things of God. Because in the fall, we lost our disposition, our desire, our inclination for God. We don't choose God because we don't want him. We cannot choose what we do not want. We have no natural inclination for the things of God until the Holy Spirit creates that in our soul. Thus back to the vertical, Edwards is stating that we lack, on our own, the ability to see that God is what we need the most in our lives, and in turn meets us on the vertical, on our own. The only way our heart is inclined to the things of God is God coming to us and once God comes, we cannot resist Him. Thus, grace is not cooperative.
Summary: On the horizontal, man is capable of making choices, based upon his inclinations and desires. The problem is that apart from grace, we only desires the things of this world, the things that do not save us, that are not of salvation, that therefore are not of God. To do the things of God, God must intervene in our lives and this intervention is not resisting. If God calls us, we will respond.
Promise: Paul says that the grace of God has brought salvation to all people, thus God has saved all sorts of people. The gospel must be preached to all people.
Prayer: Father, your word is alive and true. I seek truth. Even as I spend time talking to people that are coming from a myriad of faiths, I want to make sure that the truth of who you are and how salvation happens or how I am made to be free from sin happens. Guide me into truth always. Thank you for saving me and making me whole and giving me new life. I live now in obedience to You and I do not want that to ever be muddy or unclear. You are my God and I am yours. You love me and in response I love You and others and want You to be in the life of all others I am near. Save. Save people. Keep on saving people.
Message: Is Grace Cooperative?
Time: Paul is the author, written in AD 63. Paul went with Titus to the island of Crete and evangelized there before Paul left Titus there in a position of leadership. The book speaks of living right as guided by Truth.
What the Lord is Saying:
The issue: How free is the human will after the fall of Adam.
Humans beings are free to make choices. But our freedom is limited by our desires. Freedom is doing what we most want to do. Apart from God's grace, the only thing that we want to do is sin. In order to do what is truly good and pleasing to God, grace must change our hearts. It is only the regenerate person that understands the things of God.
I go back to an idea that I have been focusing on: the horizontal and the vertical. The horizontal is our life lived with one another and the life I live for myself. In this life there is freedom: each day there are choices to engage in good acts and bad acts as they relate to man's relationship to man. Much good has been done by men and women on this horizontal level. We should not ever diminish these acts. But there is the vertical - man's relationship with God. Without God's grace there is no vertical, only a horizontal. Grace brings the vertical into my life because sin removed the vertical. Without grace, I will only live on the horizontal. With grace, I can carry out the things of God. Thus, today's text states in Titus 2:11 - For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men. Salvation is a God thing and it is needed to make me right vertically, right with God.
The debate that I have been looking at is - can man get to God on his own or must God intervene? And is this intervention completely by God or is man involved?
RC Sproul Message - Is Grace Cooperative - In this message RC Sproul begins his lecture by reciting a quote by Joseph Arminius in which he upholds the lost condition of man following Adam's sin or his sin and mentions that the only way man can be brought to salvation is through the act of grace into that person's life. He mentions that Arminius began as a pure Calvinist and Augustinian but then he got wrapped up in a debate with someone and in that process began to move further and further away from the reformed doctrine.
Early on he speaks of preventing grace and prevenient grace. "Pre" means before and "venient" - coming before so this is 'grace that comes before something." Grace comes before conversion. There are also those who look at internal grace and external grace. External grace is something that happens outside of ourselves, outside of our soul. Internal grace would be something that God does inside of us. For Arminius, grace is not limited to an external operation of the Holy Spirit, but also God's internal operation. However, he then goes to say that all persons have their own will and can refuse the call of the Holy Spirit. So even though it is internal (God doing something inside of us), it is not irresistible. He says the grace of regeneration is sufficient to convert. It is all a person needs to be liberated from spiritual bondage. The grace is enough. But it is not inherently efficient as it does not always affect conversion or regeneration. Thus, prevenient grace or grace that comes before man's choice to then choose whether or not he wants that grace.
Calvin however speaks that the calling of God is effectual. Here the Spirit effects what it intends and thus, it cannot be rejected. Thus, grace is internal and effectual. But for Arminius it is internal but can be rejected. Arminius says that if man does not submit to the grace, the fault lies with man. Pelagius would though deny this for Pelagius believes that God does not have to help a person be saved. But Arminius says that God does have to help, but man can reject. Arminius seeks to not make God accountable to people rejecting Him whereby with Calvin the onus is completely on God as to man being saved or not saved. While Arminius believes that the rejecting by man means that the fault rests on him, he also does not believe that the acceptance of man does not rest on man being virtuous. To believe this would mean that man has something to boast about and this would contradict what Paul says in Ephesians 2:9.
Arminius gave a famous example of a rich man coming to a beggar to offer him a gift. The beggar does nothing to earn the gift, and to receive it simply reaches out his had to accept the gift. But the beggar can also not reach out his hand and therefore be content in his position of being poor. Billy Graham even stated that God does 99% and man does 1% whereby reformers would say that for the drowning man, the person would drown and then God would pull him out of the water and resuscitate him to life.
After Arminius died in 1609, some of his disciples in the Synod of Dort were called upon to consider the five articles of Remonstrance. It was in response to these five articles that we received the five points of Calvinism.
[I was thinking of this question - most of the proof text I think about Calvinist thought, namely whether man is involved at all in salvation, comes from Paul's writings (and also Hebrews). Is it possible that Augustine and Calvin concluded their points on man having no place in saving man from Paul alone or is that line of thinking consistent throughout the Bible? Stated another way, is Jesus a Calvinist? Is God and the Old Testament writers Calvinist? This is a side-note question of mine. Some people have made the assertion that if we only follow the red letters or Jesus' words then we won't come to the conclusion of grace alone.]
RC Sproul Message - Born to Sin - In this message RC Sproul begins speaking about Jonathan Edwards and his book, Freedom of the Will, written in 1754. That book is very theological and philosophical and technical. It was written after Edwards had been removed from his church in Northampton and began a ministry to the Indians at Stockbridge (both in Massachusetts).
Edwards deals with the question - "What is the will anyway?" Philosophers often looked at the mind, the affections, and the will OR the mind, the heart, and the will. Edwards felt it was important to distinguish between the mind or thinking and the will or choosing. He says they are interrelated. In analyzing the will, the making of human decisions or choices, he looked first at the law of causality. Causality is every effect must have a cause. Thus, he analyzed human choices as effects with causes. The choices we make are made for a reason and the mind supplies the reason. Thus, the choices we make are what we deem to be good for us, though, Edwards use of the word good isn't necessarily morality, but rather good is what is pleasing to us. Thus, the good is what is most pleasing to me, at this moment, and to choose what I want. Thus, this is the role of desire in the making of choices. The mind deems a particular action to be good and pleasing to us. For example, when one is hungry, those hunger pains alert the mind and then the mind through choosing decides to eat, in order to meet the need of hunger, in order to please himself.
Edwards states that all choices are caused by something. They don't just happen. And what causes choices are inclinations. Thus, choices are motivated or driven by inclinations. Edwards understood that as humans we are complex. At times, we have very complex desires and motives within our lives. Paul reverberates this idea in Romans 7:19 - For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do. What Paul seems to be saying that in him are competing desires and competing inclinations. In Christ is the desire to always do those things that honor God, but in his flesh is desires contrary to the Spirit and sometimes I follow these desires. Edwards might say to Paul that at the time of your choice to sin, you have a stronger desire to not do what is pleasing to God than you have in yourself to please God. Thus, there is a conflict of inclinations. Thus, Edwards states that we always choose according to the strongest inclination at the moment.
This is not determinism which is being controlled by external forces that coerce us, such as our environment and place in which we live and grow up. Atheists believe in determinism, meaning we are a product of our environment. What Edwards is focused on instead is self-determination in which the choices we make are determined by us. What Edwards is getting at is our choices are determined by us and my desires and what my mind deems to be most good for me at the moment. There is a desire continuum we have. Some desires are strong while others are mild. Thus freedom is the power to choose according to your inclinations.
For example, the doctor may recommend and I may agree that I need to lose 30 pounds as losing pounds has a myriad of positive outcomes. But, my desire to lose those pounds varies from moment to moment. After eating a thanksgiving meal I have no desires to eat more and want to lose pounds, but when I am hungry and a chocolate sundae is presented before me, my desire for that sundae is greater than my desire to lose weight. Thus, the desire continuum. We have different degrees of desires, but without an inclination there wouldn't be a choice is what Edwards argues.
Yet, Edwards is arguing with pagan philosophers and even other theologians which might say that the will is not indifferent, but has a prior bent, disposition or inclination. To be really free it would have an equal means to go to the right or the left. Edwards says an indifferent choice is an irrational concept. If I choose one thing over another for no other reason whatsoever, like choosing which way to go at a fork in the road with no reason to choose either way, how would that have any moral significance. Intent is essential to a moral decision, to a voluntary act. To be a moral decision, there has to be a reason or intent. But he says the idea of an indifferent choice is a nonsensical concept.
What Edwards is most famous for is his distinction between our natural ability and our moral ability. This is similar to Augustinian's distinction between free will and liberty. Edwards says, "We have the natural ability to make choices." We have natural ability that is not coerced by outside forces. What we lack, according to Edwards, is the moral ability to choose the things of God. Because in the fall, we lost our disposition, our desire, our inclination for God. We don't choose God because we don't want him. We cannot choose what we do not want. We have no natural inclination for the things of God until the Holy Spirit creates that in our soul. Thus back to the vertical, Edwards is stating that we lack, on our own, the ability to see that God is what we need the most in our lives, and in turn meets us on the vertical, on our own. The only way our heart is inclined to the things of God is God coming to us and once God comes, we cannot resist Him. Thus, grace is not cooperative.
Summary: On the horizontal, man is capable of making choices, based upon his inclinations and desires. The problem is that apart from grace, we only desires the things of this world, the things that do not save us, that are not of salvation, that therefore are not of God. To do the things of God, God must intervene in our lives and this intervention is not resisting. If God calls us, we will respond.
Promise: Paul says that the grace of God has brought salvation to all people, thus God has saved all sorts of people. The gospel must be preached to all people.
Prayer: Father, your word is alive and true. I seek truth. Even as I spend time talking to people that are coming from a myriad of faiths, I want to make sure that the truth of who you are and how salvation happens or how I am made to be free from sin happens. Guide me into truth always. Thank you for saving me and making me whole and giving me new life. I live now in obedience to You and I do not want that to ever be muddy or unclear. You are my God and I am yours. You love me and in response I love You and others and want You to be in the life of all others I am near. Save. Save people. Keep on saving people.
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Philippians 1:6 - The Grace of Perseverance and Glorification
Philippians 1:6
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Message: The Grace of Perseverance and Glorification
Time: Paul likely wrote this epistle at the end of his Roman imprisonment, around 61 or 62 AD. Paul wrote to express his appreciation and affection for the Philippian believers. Paul ministered at Philipi during his second missionary journey, spending about three months in the city and, later visited Philippi briefly on his third missionary journey.
What the Lord is Saying:
The question sometimes arises - "Can I lose my salvation?" This can be asked while still believing in the necessity of salvation by grace. But for someone to ask it, it assumes that the one asking believes that man has the position of being able to distance himself from God, to the point of rejection, after God has saved him.
The issue here then tends to be what precipitates salvation and so far I have studied that man is incapable of becoming righteous on his own. Sin darkens our lives and we are all on the same course of live - sinful living, distance from God. Now one may think that persons are different, some closer to Mother Theresa and others nearer Stalin or Hitler; but the issue is not where one resides on the person righteousness line, but rather the issue is can a person ever on his own make himself righteous before God.
But, we've studied these compelling verses:
Over and over, the message is the same, we are saved by grace.
Thus, today in answering the question of being able to lose salvation would mean that all of the preceding verses which speak of God saving us was a mistake or could be a mistake. The Roman Catholics believe in grace, but they also believe in a cooperation between God and man in salvation. Thus, the final decision of salvation is upon a person. But, I believe the scripture is clear that man is incapable of choosing and all the work of being made free rests on God.
Yet, we are still called to preach the gospel. We are called to share faith. We are called to make disciples. We are called to not listen to the god of this world - Satan and to receive the message of Jesus. And like I looked at yesterday, we are very strongly compelled to work out our salvation even though it is God doing the work.
Promise: God keeps in salvation all those who He saves. He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. He will finish what He started no matter how it may look on that journey.
Prayer: O Lord, thank you for saving me. I will never understand and help me to not try. But instead I give you praise and glory and honor. Keep me active in preaching because you have called me to preach. Thank you for the truth of Your Word and its compelling words. I praise You. I give you Glory.
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 salvation by grace alone. March was 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 is about the doctrine of God.
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Message: The Grace of Perseverance and Glorification
Time: Paul likely wrote this epistle at the end of his Roman imprisonment, around 61 or 62 AD. Paul wrote to express his appreciation and affection for the Philippian believers. Paul ministered at Philipi during his second missionary journey, spending about three months in the city and, later visited Philippi briefly on his third missionary journey.
What the Lord is Saying:
The question sometimes arises - "Can I lose my salvation?" This can be asked while still believing in the necessity of salvation by grace. But for someone to ask it, it assumes that the one asking believes that man has the position of being able to distance himself from God, to the point of rejection, after God has saved him.
The issue here then tends to be what precipitates salvation and so far I have studied that man is incapable of becoming righteous on his own. Sin darkens our lives and we are all on the same course of live - sinful living, distance from God. Now one may think that persons are different, some closer to Mother Theresa and others nearer Stalin or Hitler; but the issue is not where one resides on the person righteousness line, but rather the issue is can a person ever on his own make himself righteous before God.
But, we've studied these compelling verses:
- Justification - Titus 3:7 - He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy. We are heirs to salvation; we have received not from what we have done, but from what He has done.
- Regeneration - Ephesians 2:1-9 - In this passage Paul describes the condition of man in multiple ways as being dead in our sins and that we are made alive in Christ. The shift from man's condition to seated in the heavenly places is entirely God. Our good deeds will never make us worthy of salvation. It is completely a God thing.
- Reprobation - Romans 9:16 - So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. As the Lord speaks in Exodus 33:19 - I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion. If it depended on man, then man would get the glory. It is one or the other. It cannot be a two-way thing where man does a little, God does the rest.
- Predestination - 1 Corinthians 15:22 - In Christ all shall me made alive. This is the pinnacle statement, I believe, of the identification of eternal life for all who are in Christ. In Christ all... In Jesus man now has complete fellowship with God.
Over and over, the message is the same, we are saved by grace.
Thus, today in answering the question of being able to lose salvation would mean that all of the preceding verses which speak of God saving us was a mistake or could be a mistake. The Roman Catholics believe in grace, but they also believe in a cooperation between God and man in salvation. Thus, the final decision of salvation is upon a person. But, I believe the scripture is clear that man is incapable of choosing and all the work of being made free rests on God.
Yet, we are still called to preach the gospel. We are called to share faith. We are called to make disciples. We are called to not listen to the god of this world - Satan and to receive the message of Jesus. And like I looked at yesterday, we are very strongly compelled to work out our salvation even though it is God doing the work.
Promise: God keeps in salvation all those who He saves. He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. He will finish what He started no matter how it may look on that journey.
Prayer: O Lord, thank you for saving me. I will never understand and help me to not try. But instead I give you praise and glory and honor. Keep me active in preaching because you have called me to preach. Thank you for the truth of Your Word and its compelling words. I praise You. I give you Glory.
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 salvation by grace alone. March was 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 is about the doctrine of God.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Philippians 2:12-13 - The Grace of Sanctification
Philippians 2:12-13
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Message: The Grace of Sanctification
Time: Paul likely wrote this epistle at the end of his Roman imprisonment, around 61 or 62 AD. Paul wrote to express his appreciation and affection for the Philippian believers. Paul ministered at Philipi during his second missionary journey, spending about three months in the city and, later visited Philippi briefly on his third missionary journey.
What the Lord is Saying:
One of the chief ideas I have been looking out over the past several lessons has been this idea that man is fallen and in that fallen condition is incapable of righteousness. This means that on our own we cannot achieve true righteousness. Yes, we can work and do good deeds but we are unable, meaning our free will is incapable of choosing God, choosing His holiness. We are unable of making ourselves worthy for God acceptaning us. God must intervene and choose us. He must save us. He must bring salvation to us. As a human, I am ultimately bent on impurity. This means that no part of salvation is obtainable by me. Salvation comes to me by faith. But again this is the natural result of God calling me. Faith does not save me. I am justified completely by His grace.
And in response to God's love for me, I obey. Obedience follows faith. Yet, we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Naturally, as a believer in Christ I work. The Holy Spirit is renewing me day by day (Titus 3:5). I have work to do and I am empowered each day to do it, but it seems clear that in this daily war of my will and God's will I must submit and surrender to the Lord. I must take up my cross (Mark 8:34) and follow after Him.
For this verse in Philippians 2:12 - work out your salvation with fear and trembling, I have seen groups that believe in justification by works, and use this verse to defend the idea that we work out our salvation; their idea in this verse is 'you do your part and God will do his.' There is a common expression - "God helps those who help themselves." Again, the expression that ends up getting applied in a myriad of circumstances is that 'you work and God will certainly help you.' And the big danger in this verse is it gets applied to individuals who are believing they are engaged in the practice of earning their salvation. Thus grace and pardon through Jesus Christ is a cooperation between God and man.
Yet, Paul is not addressing those who will be saved. He is writing to the church followers in Philippi, as in verse 1 of Philippians 1: To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi. And in verse 12 he says my beloved, just as you have always obeyed. I am saved by grace through faith. This is what must first be considered when reading this passage. Unless there be faith, there is no work. Faith precedes work.
The working phrasing in this verse must be joined together with the first part of verse 13 - work out your salvation...; for it is God who is at work in you. Paul does not say, "Work it out; yet it is God that works in you." Instead he says that the work that we do is God at work. It is a great verse of mystery really because we see that my work is God's work actually. My work is God working.
Spurgeon says - that some men have said that ‘God works in us,’ and, ‘therefore there is nothing for us to do.’ Bad reasoning, false conclusion. God works, says the text; therefore we must work out because God works in. And the work that we do is with fear and trembling. Yet, this fear and trembling is not that we are scared of God rather we recognize the awesome relationship here of God working and yet I work. There is a combination here of free will and God's sovereignty that isn't immediately explained. Yet, the two are working together.
I think there is a real danger in not working as we uncover God's sovereignty. Yet God commands it. I must admit that I struggle with the notion of man's free will and man's responsibility when I dwell on God's sovereignty and perhaps that was one reason why this verse by Paul needs to be said - it points that we work and God is working, and we work with fear and trembling. We don't not work or we don't work with passivity. The fear and trembling in a way is the thrust in our life to work with everything that is in me. If I am really trusting in God, then I am working to the best of my ability.
This is an extremely powerful verse. And I now see that is an exciting verse and one that I can get it excited turning to and pointing out, instead of having fear in it. It is the reminder of the importance of my will, my doing.
Promise: We act and we obey and God is working in us. We have an obligation to work. Our work is not passive but it is done with exuberance.
Prayer: Thank you Jesus for the clarity of your Word and the excitement of reading Your word and seeing the truth of it. You God are sovereign and yet You call me to be obedient to Work. Yet you remind me that you are working in me. How much more should I not fear and desire to work with the knowledge that You are working in me. Lord, forgive me for shrinking away from your work. I analyze too much. Help me to simply get out there and do it.
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 salvation by grace alone. March was 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 is about the doctrine of God.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Message: The Grace of Sanctification
Time: Paul likely wrote this epistle at the end of his Roman imprisonment, around 61 or 62 AD. Paul wrote to express his appreciation and affection for the Philippian believers. Paul ministered at Philipi during his second missionary journey, spending about three months in the city and, later visited Philippi briefly on his third missionary journey.
What the Lord is Saying:
One of the chief ideas I have been looking out over the past several lessons has been this idea that man is fallen and in that fallen condition is incapable of righteousness. This means that on our own we cannot achieve true righteousness. Yes, we can work and do good deeds but we are unable, meaning our free will is incapable of choosing God, choosing His holiness. We are unable of making ourselves worthy for God acceptaning us. God must intervene and choose us. He must save us. He must bring salvation to us. As a human, I am ultimately bent on impurity. This means that no part of salvation is obtainable by me. Salvation comes to me by faith. But again this is the natural result of God calling me. Faith does not save me. I am justified completely by His grace.
And in response to God's love for me, I obey. Obedience follows faith. Yet, we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Naturally, as a believer in Christ I work. The Holy Spirit is renewing me day by day (Titus 3:5). I have work to do and I am empowered each day to do it, but it seems clear that in this daily war of my will and God's will I must submit and surrender to the Lord. I must take up my cross (Mark 8:34) and follow after Him.
For this verse in Philippians 2:12 - work out your salvation with fear and trembling, I have seen groups that believe in justification by works, and use this verse to defend the idea that we work out our salvation; their idea in this verse is 'you do your part and God will do his.' There is a common expression - "God helps those who help themselves." Again, the expression that ends up getting applied in a myriad of circumstances is that 'you work and God will certainly help you.' And the big danger in this verse is it gets applied to individuals who are believing they are engaged in the practice of earning their salvation. Thus grace and pardon through Jesus Christ is a cooperation between God and man.
Yet, Paul is not addressing those who will be saved. He is writing to the church followers in Philippi, as in verse 1 of Philippians 1: To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi. And in verse 12 he says my beloved, just as you have always obeyed. I am saved by grace through faith. This is what must first be considered when reading this passage. Unless there be faith, there is no work. Faith precedes work.
The working phrasing in this verse must be joined together with the first part of verse 13 - work out your salvation...; for it is God who is at work in you. Paul does not say, "Work it out; yet it is God that works in you." Instead he says that the work that we do is God at work. It is a great verse of mystery really because we see that my work is God's work actually. My work is God working.
Spurgeon says - that some men have said that ‘God works in us,’ and, ‘therefore there is nothing for us to do.’ Bad reasoning, false conclusion. God works, says the text; therefore we must work out because God works in. And the work that we do is with fear and trembling. Yet, this fear and trembling is not that we are scared of God rather we recognize the awesome relationship here of God working and yet I work. There is a combination here of free will and God's sovereignty that isn't immediately explained. Yet, the two are working together.
I think there is a real danger in not working as we uncover God's sovereignty. Yet God commands it. I must admit that I struggle with the notion of man's free will and man's responsibility when I dwell on God's sovereignty and perhaps that was one reason why this verse by Paul needs to be said - it points that we work and God is working, and we work with fear and trembling. We don't not work or we don't work with passivity. The fear and trembling in a way is the thrust in our life to work with everything that is in me. If I am really trusting in God, then I am working to the best of my ability.
This is an extremely powerful verse. And I now see that is an exciting verse and one that I can get it excited turning to and pointing out, instead of having fear in it. It is the reminder of the importance of my will, my doing.
Promise: We act and we obey and God is working in us. We have an obligation to work. Our work is not passive but it is done with exuberance.
Prayer: Thank you Jesus for the clarity of your Word and the excitement of reading Your word and seeing the truth of it. You God are sovereign and yet You call me to be obedient to Work. Yet you remind me that you are working in me. How much more should I not fear and desire to work with the knowledge that You are working in me. Lord, forgive me for shrinking away from your work. I analyze too much. Help me to simply get out there and do it.
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 salvation by grace alone. March was 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 is about the doctrine of God.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Ephesians 2:1-9 - The Grace of Regeneration
Ephesians 2:1-9
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.
Message: The Grace of Regeneration
Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.
What the Lord is Saying:
John Calvin comments that every part of salvation is authored by God. This includes even our decision to believe. As we grow more independent and seemingly more self-sufficient, this type of thinking that 'God does it all' is actually quite offensive to the world in which we live and naturally they resist it. It also seems to me that the Gospel or Truth is not that clearly spoken in our churches. Even in my own life, I am not sure if sharing the Gospel is a major focus of mine.
The last couple of studies that I have had on these subjects of grace have been significant. What I realized last time is man's fallen condition makes him incapable of making a choice for righteousness. Thus, our salvation is entirely about God. I still have free will and the power to choose but in relation to my salvation I don't have the means to choose salvation, thus God draws me.
I think in many ways we fear the real message of the Gospel which chooses some, but not most for salvation. That's the truth of the doctrine, but we as his followers do not who has been chosen and he still wants us to spread this gospel and speak to people.
As this passage make clear in Ephesians it is all God. Man's life is contrary to God. We are sinners. The Way of the Master presentation is significant because it takes a moment to do something simple and radical for this day and age - it helps people see that they are sinners. And sinners need God to intervene and save them.
Ephesians 2 presents tough words about the condition of man:
This is the condition of man. And this condition makes us incapable of coming out of it. Our nature is a child of wrath - our nature. We stand in opposition to God. The work of salvation is entirely God:
So people will do good things. They will show compassion to the poor and needy. They will restore homes and give to those in need. We have a country that is very aware of those that are hurting and helps them. But we cannot think that all of these good deeds makes us deserving at some point of salvation. This is contrary to our world-based thinking that hard work results in a reward. Most certainly giving to others yields the result of making us feel good about ourselves and that we have in a small part helped out a person in need.
The part we have in all of this is seen as having faith - For by grace you have been saved through faith. Yet, it would seem that regeneration and being made new has already happened at that point and the declaration by us of faith is a formality.
Promise: God is God and man is man. The two are separate entities. Man in his condition is fallen and that fallen condition is incapable of making the jump to being declared righteous. Man sinned and became like God, but this does not mean that gaining the tree of life was not of his own doing. God needs to make this happen.
Prayer: O God my Father, thank you for saving me. It is all you. None of it is me. My works are filthy rags in your eyes. You are rich in mercy and have great love and have made me alive together with Christ. You have raised me up with Jesus and I am seated with Him in the heavenly places. That is a done deal. You see me as completely accepted as completely loved and completely in Christ. Thus, in your eyes my position in the heavenly places is a done deal. Thank you God for saving me. I will never understand it and never should I.
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 salvation by grace alone. March was 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 is about the doctrine of God.
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.
Message: The Grace of Regeneration
Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.
What the Lord is Saying:
John Calvin comments that every part of salvation is authored by God. This includes even our decision to believe. As we grow more independent and seemingly more self-sufficient, this type of thinking that 'God does it all' is actually quite offensive to the world in which we live and naturally they resist it. It also seems to me that the Gospel or Truth is not that clearly spoken in our churches. Even in my own life, I am not sure if sharing the Gospel is a major focus of mine.
The last couple of studies that I have had on these subjects of grace have been significant. What I realized last time is man's fallen condition makes him incapable of making a choice for righteousness. Thus, our salvation is entirely about God. I still have free will and the power to choose but in relation to my salvation I don't have the means to choose salvation, thus God draws me.
I think in many ways we fear the real message of the Gospel which chooses some, but not most for salvation. That's the truth of the doctrine, but we as his followers do not who has been chosen and he still wants us to spread this gospel and speak to people.
As this passage make clear in Ephesians it is all God. Man's life is contrary to God. We are sinners. The Way of the Master presentation is significant because it takes a moment to do something simple and radical for this day and age - it helps people see that they are sinners. And sinners need God to intervene and save them.
Ephesians 2 presents tough words about the condition of man:
- Dead in your sins
- Lived in the lust of our flesh
- Indulging the desires of the flesh and mind
- By nature children of wrath
- even as the rest
This is the condition of man. And this condition makes us incapable of coming out of it. Our nature is a child of wrath - our nature. We stand in opposition to God. The work of salvation is entirely God:
- Rich in mercy
- His great love
- Made us alive together with Christ
- Raised up with Him
- Seated us with Him in the heavenly places
- Saved by faith not ourselves
- It is the gift of God
So people will do good things. They will show compassion to the poor and needy. They will restore homes and give to those in need. We have a country that is very aware of those that are hurting and helps them. But we cannot think that all of these good deeds makes us deserving at some point of salvation. This is contrary to our world-based thinking that hard work results in a reward. Most certainly giving to others yields the result of making us feel good about ourselves and that we have in a small part helped out a person in need.
The part we have in all of this is seen as having faith - For by grace you have been saved through faith. Yet, it would seem that regeneration and being made new has already happened at that point and the declaration by us of faith is a formality.
Promise: God is God and man is man. The two are separate entities. Man in his condition is fallen and that fallen condition is incapable of making the jump to being declared righteous. Man sinned and became like God, but this does not mean that gaining the tree of life was not of his own doing. God needs to make this happen.
Prayer: O God my Father, thank you for saving me. It is all you. None of it is me. My works are filthy rags in your eyes. You are rich in mercy and have great love and have made me alive together with Christ. You have raised me up with Jesus and I am seated with Him in the heavenly places. That is a done deal. You see me as completely accepted as completely loved and completely in Christ. Thus, in your eyes my position in the heavenly places is a done deal. Thank you God for saving me. I will never understand it and never should I.
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 salvation by grace alone. March was 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 is about the doctrine of God.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Genesis 15 - The Covenant of Faith-Righteousness
Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Message: The Covenant of Faith-Righteousness
Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.
What the Lord is Saying:
Thus far in this study of God's grace and saving mankind through the substitution of another, I have learned that God's original plan, offered through the Covenant of Eden, was that man would through works be accepted by God. But at the time this covenant was made there was not any knowledge of good and evil and so doing works—walking with God daily, listening to His commands, doing what He said—was everything. Once sin came into the picture everything changed. This covenant was now impossible and so it was a broken covenant and we could never go back there. Even as the original plan changed, the Word told us that God would continue to provide the answer. It wasn’t then that there was a shift to man being responsible for earning God’s acceptance. God originally provided and He would continue to provide.
Right now is a lesson of God providing. God declared a plan for man. He set up creation and man was put in charge of it (Genesis 1:28-31). He created them male and female. He defined their responsibilities. Thus he still defines life today. He orders creation. He orders my life.
God’s continued provision for man is spelled out after this first sin is committed. The Lord God speaks to the serpent and states how their will be enmity between Satan and woman. But it would be through the seed of the woman that God would provide restitution for mankind. Genesis 3:15 states that through the seed of woman, the birth, and specifically the birth of this seed Jesus he would bruise the head of the serpent. Our head represents our power and bruising the head means the power of Satan would be bruised or rather crushed. Thus, Jesus would overthrow everything Satan wanted to do. Thus, once again, God provides the answer man needs. Thus, He redeems mankind.
Throughout this early history of mankind, God was delivering to mankind promises that have been termed covenants. These covenants are to remind us of His promise to us, and then our responsibility. When sin came on the scene the Lord sent Adam out from the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23). In the garden everything was very good (1:31). The tree of life is in the garden. Man does not have access to the tree of life and the Lord says that man must eat from the tree of life to live forever (1:22) because by eating from it he will die (2:17). God would provide the way for us to have eternal life as life is in His Son.
We are never made right with God through our own efforts or merit but we are redeemed by God's provision. But in the world - hard work pays off and this message often then is equated to the idea that God is also looking for good deeds in order to merit heaven. But, just as our love for our earthly children does not change based upon their behavior, so also God's love does not change. Following the flood God gave us promises to never flood the land again and gave us a rainbow as a sign. We are still responsible for this creation of ours and for this he gives us directions to follow. Again, like a child, those directions are meant to guide us and protect us.
As I turn to this lesson about the covenant of Abraham, I see once again that this covenant depends solely on God. The Lord says in Genesis 12 I will show you the land and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and I will bless those who bless you. Over and over in these verses is the simple promise from God that He will: I will...I will...I will...I will. God chose Abraham not based upon works of righteousness. He chose him.
Genesis 12 is a broad brush stroke of what God will do, but in subsequent texts he more clearly points out his promise to Abram in other verses:
The response of the person is faith. Paul confirmed this in Romans 4:5 - the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. Evidently this is too simple and yes, this is somewhat contrary to the system we have in our world, namely 'hard work pays off.' Paul states in Romans 4:4 - Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. Thus, work for a wage is correct. One works for a wage and receives what is due. Faith is the mechanism for the ungodly to receive righteousness. Working is not the means for righteousness.
I was speaking to a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and he quoted this verse from the Book of Mormon - 2 Nephi 25:23 - "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." It says we labor, we labor to persuade children and fellow brothers so that they may believe, after all that we can do. This bridges these two concepts of faith righteousness and working to receive what is due. The problem is the means of being saved is not through working. God, in the garden gave access to the tree of life, not on the condition of man doing anything, but out of his provision. He provides eternal life. To say that it is after all we can do undermines the Bible, undermines the New Testament and undermines Jesus. It confuses two different subjects: works and faith; earnings and righteousness.
After the parable of the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10, verse 26 and 27 states - They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” I commented in my study of this that God makes things happen. Man can't get to God for it is impossible Jesus states. Salvation is only possible with God. Again, never was a relationship with God based upon earning. Jesus also said that we can only come to the Father through Himself (John 14:6).
Thus, this is another example of God's grace or God providing.
Promise: The means to salvation is not through man's works as this is impossible, but only with God as the provider.
Prayer: God, you are provider. You are creator and you are a God of order. You created me and you provide life and my mission. I am directed by you. Lord, forgive me of my short-sighted thinking often. You promise that you will be there always for me and yet the moment a problem becomes too big for me, I wonder. Lord, even in my time at work lately I have wrestled with doing things I don't like doing. I have time but I don't manage that time wisely. There are questions that rise up. There are challenges and Lord I don't think I run to You for the answers, but instead try to muster up in me the strength to keep going.
1 Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Message: The Covenant of Faith-Righteousness
Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.
What the Lord is Saying:
Thus far in this study of God's grace and saving mankind through the substitution of another, I have learned that God's original plan, offered through the Covenant of Eden, was that man would through works be accepted by God. But at the time this covenant was made there was not any knowledge of good and evil and so doing works—walking with God daily, listening to His commands, doing what He said—was everything. Once sin came into the picture everything changed. This covenant was now impossible and so it was a broken covenant and we could never go back there. Even as the original plan changed, the Word told us that God would continue to provide the answer. It wasn’t then that there was a shift to man being responsible for earning God’s acceptance. God originally provided and He would continue to provide.
Right now is a lesson of God providing. God declared a plan for man. He set up creation and man was put in charge of it (Genesis 1:28-31). He created them male and female. He defined their responsibilities. Thus he still defines life today. He orders creation. He orders my life.
God’s continued provision for man is spelled out after this first sin is committed. The Lord God speaks to the serpent and states how their will be enmity between Satan and woman. But it would be through the seed of the woman that God would provide restitution for mankind. Genesis 3:15 states that through the seed of woman, the birth, and specifically the birth of this seed Jesus he would bruise the head of the serpent. Our head represents our power and bruising the head means the power of Satan would be bruised or rather crushed. Thus, Jesus would overthrow everything Satan wanted to do. Thus, once again, God provides the answer man needs. Thus, He redeems mankind.
Throughout this early history of mankind, God was delivering to mankind promises that have been termed covenants. These covenants are to remind us of His promise to us, and then our responsibility. When sin came on the scene the Lord sent Adam out from the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23). In the garden everything was very good (1:31). The tree of life is in the garden. Man does not have access to the tree of life and the Lord says that man must eat from the tree of life to live forever (1:22) because by eating from it he will die (2:17). God would provide the way for us to have eternal life as life is in His Son.
We are never made right with God through our own efforts or merit but we are redeemed by God's provision. But in the world - hard work pays off and this message often then is equated to the idea that God is also looking for good deeds in order to merit heaven. But, just as our love for our earthly children does not change based upon their behavior, so also God's love does not change. Following the flood God gave us promises to never flood the land again and gave us a rainbow as a sign. We are still responsible for this creation of ours and for this he gives us directions to follow. Again, like a child, those directions are meant to guide us and protect us.
As I turn to this lesson about the covenant of Abraham, I see once again that this covenant depends solely on God. The Lord says in Genesis 12 I will show you the land and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and I will bless those who bless you. Over and over in these verses is the simple promise from God that He will: I will...I will...I will...I will. God chose Abraham not based upon works of righteousness. He chose him.
Genesis 12 is a broad brush stroke of what God will do, but in subsequent texts he more clearly points out his promise to Abram in other verses:
- Genesis 13:15-16 - for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered.
- Genesis 15:2 - Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great.
- Genesis 15:5 - Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.
- Genesis 15:13 - Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs.
The response of the person is faith. Paul confirmed this in Romans 4:5 - the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. Evidently this is too simple and yes, this is somewhat contrary to the system we have in our world, namely 'hard work pays off.' Paul states in Romans 4:4 - Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. Thus, work for a wage is correct. One works for a wage and receives what is due. Faith is the mechanism for the ungodly to receive righteousness. Working is not the means for righteousness.
I was speaking to a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and he quoted this verse from the Book of Mormon - 2 Nephi 25:23 - "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." It says we labor, we labor to persuade children and fellow brothers so that they may believe, after all that we can do. This bridges these two concepts of faith righteousness and working to receive what is due. The problem is the means of being saved is not through working. God, in the garden gave access to the tree of life, not on the condition of man doing anything, but out of his provision. He provides eternal life. To say that it is after all we can do undermines the Bible, undermines the New Testament and undermines Jesus. It confuses two different subjects: works and faith; earnings and righteousness.
After the parable of the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10, verse 26 and 27 states - They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” I commented in my study of this that God makes things happen. Man can't get to God for it is impossible Jesus states. Salvation is only possible with God. Again, never was a relationship with God based upon earning. Jesus also said that we can only come to the Father through Himself (John 14:6).
Thus, this is another example of God's grace or God providing.
Promise: The means to salvation is not through man's works as this is impossible, but only with God as the provider.
Prayer: God, you are provider. You are creator and you are a God of order. You created me and you provide life and my mission. I am directed by you. Lord, forgive me of my short-sighted thinking often. You promise that you will be there always for me and yet the moment a problem becomes too big for me, I wonder. Lord, even in my time at work lately I have wrestled with doing things I don't like doing. I have time but I don't manage that time wisely. There are questions that rise up. There are challenges and Lord I don't think I run to You for the answers, but instead try to muster up in me the strength to keep going.
Friday, February 15, 2019
Genesis 50:15-21 - Flowing Together
Genesis 50:15-21
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father charged before he died, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. 21 So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Message: Flowing Together
Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.
What the Lord is Saying:
Ephesians 1:11 states, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. Formerly God's inheritance was extended to Israel though it was expected that the Gentiles be ministered to as well. Israel did not minister to them. Now the inheritance is more broad. It is to Jew and Gentile and Paul makes this clear multiple times in his letters. Jesus made this clear as he often condoned the acts of the Jewish leaders of the day. The Church has been predestined to be part of God's plan for His people or God's welcoming of His people. The Gentiles were always meant to be part of His inheritance.
And this will of God to His church, to His people - all people - Jew and Gentile comes about after the counsel of His will. God works in the same way throughout all the instances of life. He adopts his children to his own. He is always holy, wise, and good. He doesn't operate the way we do, often by emotion. His plan is eternal and He continues to work it out. God has a sovereign decree. God is active and He actively controls all in creation. He actively works out all things in His way. He is the first cause and He works through our choices. Yes, we have free will but He works through our free will choices. There is a conflict in our world between these two. Christianity records that we are pre-destined by God. Determinism states that previous events determine future actions. God says there is free will and free will decision work out for His purpose. Atheism says there is no free will as man does not have a choice in how he responds in life.
Often in life we make choices based upon what we think is important at that time. God does not force us to act against our desires. We do what we most want to do, most of the time. Although Paul records that we often do what our new nature in Christ believes we ought not to do. We tend to do things based upon whatever will bring us health and safety. If a robber points a gun at us and asks us to give over our wallet or he will shoot, we give over the wallet. In that moment, life is more important than money. Thus, we respond in order to preserve life. And as Paul records often our decisions do not always match God's desire for us.
In the telling of Joseph and his brothers who sent him off to be a slave in Egypt. His brothers wanted to see Joseph suffer. God however desired good for Joseph. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Thus there is a flowing together in life of man's choices and God's decree.
Promise: The doctrine of concurrence tells us that both God and human beings make things happen according to their respective places in God's decree. It does matter what we do.
Prayer: Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Thank you for helping me understand You better and this life in which I live and breathe. Lord, help me see that my choices matter. I pray that I would honor you in all things. Thank you for continuing to work out my life, for keeping me alive. I am thankful for that, for having another day with my wife and kids and being able to see them grow and develop and my influence on their lives and what You are doing. You do work all things out. It is hard to see other people suffer, but I want to continue to trust in You and constantly evaluate my life. Lord, grant me wisdom to know where you are leading me in my life.
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 March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father charged before he died, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. 21 So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Message: Flowing Together
Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.
What the Lord is Saying:
Ephesians 1:11 states, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. Formerly God's inheritance was extended to Israel though it was expected that the Gentiles be ministered to as well. Israel did not minister to them. Now the inheritance is more broad. It is to Jew and Gentile and Paul makes this clear multiple times in his letters. Jesus made this clear as he often condoned the acts of the Jewish leaders of the day. The Church has been predestined to be part of God's plan for His people or God's welcoming of His people. The Gentiles were always meant to be part of His inheritance.
And this will of God to His church, to His people - all people - Jew and Gentile comes about after the counsel of His will. God works in the same way throughout all the instances of life. He adopts his children to his own. He is always holy, wise, and good. He doesn't operate the way we do, often by emotion. His plan is eternal and He continues to work it out. God has a sovereign decree. God is active and He actively controls all in creation. He actively works out all things in His way. He is the first cause and He works through our choices. Yes, we have free will but He works through our free will choices. There is a conflict in our world between these two. Christianity records that we are pre-destined by God. Determinism states that previous events determine future actions. God says there is free will and free will decision work out for His purpose. Atheism says there is no free will as man does not have a choice in how he responds in life.
Often in life we make choices based upon what we think is important at that time. God does not force us to act against our desires. We do what we most want to do, most of the time. Although Paul records that we often do what our new nature in Christ believes we ought not to do. We tend to do things based upon whatever will bring us health and safety. If a robber points a gun at us and asks us to give over our wallet or he will shoot, we give over the wallet. In that moment, life is more important than money. Thus, we respond in order to preserve life. And as Paul records often our decisions do not always match God's desire for us.
In the telling of Joseph and his brothers who sent him off to be a slave in Egypt. His brothers wanted to see Joseph suffer. God however desired good for Joseph. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Thus there is a flowing together in life of man's choices and God's decree.
Promise: The doctrine of concurrence tells us that both God and human beings make things happen according to their respective places in God's decree. It does matter what we do.
Prayer: Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Thank you for helping me understand You better and this life in which I live and breathe. Lord, help me see that my choices matter. I pray that I would honor you in all things. Thank you for continuing to work out my life, for keeping me alive. I am thankful for that, for having another day with my wife and kids and being able to see them grow and develop and my influence on their lives and what You are doing. You do work all things out. It is hard to see other people suffer, but I want to continue to trust in You and constantly evaluate my life. Lord, grant me wisdom to know where you are leading me in my life.
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 March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Jeremiah 18:1-10 - Things that Fall Out Consistently
Jeremiah 18:1-10
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; 8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it.
Message: Things that Fall Out Consistently
Time: The Chaldeans (Babylonians) are besieging Jerusalem. Nubuchadnezzar is king of Babylon. Zedekiah is the last king of Judah before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC.
What the Lord is Saying:
The Westminster Confession of Faith which was a document similar to the Westminster Shorter Catechism and came about after the WSC to help further clarify ideas put forth in the WSC states in 5.2 - "Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first Cause, all things come to pass immutably, and infallibly; yet, by the same providence, He orders them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently."
I am studying this decree of God currently with God as the first cause of all of life, but also realizing that there are secondary causes: necessarily such as physical laws, freely such as free will or human freedom, and now contingently.
The Bible is clear that God ordains our leaders. But he isn't in the practice of electing leaders. While he ordains a president, like Bush, Clinton, Obama, and Trump and thus he is the first cause of these appointments. The election process is carried out by the secondary cause - the free will decision of each of the voters. God establishes what will happen and then the American voters are the secondary cause in serving the means by which the event of election occurs.
Things that fall out contingently are what has been termed "if, then" relationships. Thus, the result or outcome is predicated first on something happening.
In this example from Jeremiah the Lord states two outcomes based upon the decisions of the house of Israel. He states that there will be one result if that nation turns from its evil and a different result if it does evil in My sight. This helps my understanding of God because this confirms the notion of free will and that God has not simply determined each choice.
Promise: We do not know in advance what God has decreed, so we pray, we ask, we choose, then we trust God as the outcome comes to fruition.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the clarity of You and Your word in the midst of the mixed up world we often live in. Bring guidance and understanding to people so that they will glorify You in all they do. Thank you for human free will.
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 March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; 8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it.
Message: Things that Fall Out Consistently
Time: The Chaldeans (Babylonians) are besieging Jerusalem. Nubuchadnezzar is king of Babylon. Zedekiah is the last king of Judah before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC.
What the Lord is Saying:
The Westminster Confession of Faith which was a document similar to the Westminster Shorter Catechism and came about after the WSC to help further clarify ideas put forth in the WSC states in 5.2 - "Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first Cause, all things come to pass immutably, and infallibly; yet, by the same providence, He orders them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently."
I am studying this decree of God currently with God as the first cause of all of life, but also realizing that there are secondary causes: necessarily such as physical laws, freely such as free will or human freedom, and now contingently.
The Bible is clear that God ordains our leaders. But he isn't in the practice of electing leaders. While he ordains a president, like Bush, Clinton, Obama, and Trump and thus he is the first cause of these appointments. The election process is carried out by the secondary cause - the free will decision of each of the voters. God establishes what will happen and then the American voters are the secondary cause in serving the means by which the event of election occurs.
Things that fall out contingently are what has been termed "if, then" relationships. Thus, the result or outcome is predicated first on something happening.
In this example from Jeremiah the Lord states two outcomes based upon the decisions of the house of Israel. He states that there will be one result if that nation turns from its evil and a different result if it does evil in My sight. This helps my understanding of God because this confirms the notion of free will and that God has not simply determined each choice.
Promise: We do not know in advance what God has decreed, so we pray, we ask, we choose, then we trust God as the outcome comes to fruition.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the clarity of You and Your word in the midst of the mixed up world we often live in. Bring guidance and understanding to people so that they will glorify You in all they do. Thank you for human free will.
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 March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Isaiah 10:5-7 - Things that Fall Out Freely
Isaiah 10:5-7
5 5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
6 I send it against a godless nation
And commission it against the people of My fury
To capture booty and to seize plunder,
And to trample them down like mud in the streets.
7 Yet it does not so intend,
Nor does it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is its purpose to destroy
And to cut off many nations.
Message: Things that Fall Out Freely
Time: Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. He wanted to see the nation of Judah return to serving God with humility and love for their neighbors. But he was called to pronounce judgments to on a people offering meaningless sacrifices in the Temple and committing injustices throughout the nation. It provides the most prophetic picture of Jesus in the entire Old Testament.
What the Lord is Saying:
The idea of God's sovereignty and man's free will has always been a big question for me. Fortunately, I've arrived to the part of this study that discusses what it means. The idea from the Westminster Shorter Catechism is that there is a first cause - God, as He creates and sustains all of life. God is first. We are here because of God. God determined the cause for everything in life. He created the physical laws, humans, animals. This includes man's ability to reason and examine information. For much of what he created there is an effect from these causes. He is active in creation, beginning but also continuing to create and make it all work together. He provides us His word to instruct us. He is over the big things of life, the small things and even miracles.
I learned recently that atheism believes in determinism. The idea is that we live according to laws and everything in life is the outcome of a cause. There is no free will. And these causes, well, they just happen. How they originated we don't know. But atheists are confident that they will discover the "why" behind the cause. We don't choose to do things, but rather our actions are the domino effect of previous causes. The contrary idea that God puts forth is free will, that we are not machines or robots or required to choose choices. God is the great cause in history but then there are secondary causes. And these secondary causes per the Westminster Shorter Catechism (5.2) are in 3 divisions: causes that operate necessarily, freely, and contingently.
The "necessarily" things are the physical laws that he establishes like the Law of Gravity. Gravity happens no matter what and as a physical law it takes place throughout the universe, at all times, and never changes. Gravity has always been there. Now, it is important to see that the discover of gravity was aided by a scientist. Thankfully, scientists have helped us to identify these physical laws. We need scientists. Science and faith are not incompatible.
The second division within secondary causes today I look at is things that "fall out freely." This seems to be the crux of free will in our lives. Each person has their own desires and therefore chooses based upon those desire whereas atheism would say our choices are determined from the environment in which we are in. Each person is born into this world with a sin nature. "For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God" - Romans 3:23. That is the conclusion of Romans 3:9-18 in which God makes it clear that no one is righteous. My big takeaway from this is that each person will sin. No one will be perfect, albeit Jesus. But in life, we still have choices. A sinful person may desire to do good things in life but that person is still operating on the basis of living life selfishly in order to achieve acceptance or fulfillment in life for their choices.
Until God saves us and gives us new hearts, our desires are to sin. But as God works through us, righteousness becomes more and more what we want and what drives us. A saved person is still a sinner, but that saved person now has a desire to please God in their life and this pleasing God aspect results in living a life that is not in sin. God may know who is going to end up in heaven and who will end up in hell, but the people in heaven and hell are there due to their own choosing and so both groups of people basically choose to be there.
Human freedom therefore specifies that people will choose what God has ordained but those reasons do not always coincide with what God finds pleasing. I saw this article by Phil Ryken, president of Wheaton college in which he states
This passage today from Isaiah 10:5-7 looks at one situation and sees that there are two reasons that it occurred. There is a divine or God desire in God choosing to send Assyria against Israel as His rod of wrath. Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger. But Assyria came at this situation differently, as a desire to line its own pockets and expand its territory - its purpose to destroy and to cut off many nations. Both wanted the same outcome - Assyria to invade Israel - yet both want it for different reasons.
Promise: Human beings always do what they most want to do. God does not force us to act against our wills. We can never blame God for we do.
Prayer: Lord, this is some heavy material for me to understand. This idea of your sovereignty, man's free will versus determinism starts to sort of baffle my mind when I start to think about how it all works together. I trust Your word and what is says and yet my mind doesn't work in a way to make it all make sense. But, Jesus died on the cross for my sins and has risen from the dead so I will always believe what He has to say and so I surrender to Him. This is what is most important, but help me to still understand the details.
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 March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
5 5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
6 I send it against a godless nation
And commission it against the people of My fury
To capture booty and to seize plunder,
And to trample them down like mud in the streets.
7 Yet it does not so intend,
Nor does it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is its purpose to destroy
And to cut off many nations.
Message: Things that Fall Out Freely
Time: Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. He wanted to see the nation of Judah return to serving God with humility and love for their neighbors. But he was called to pronounce judgments to on a people offering meaningless sacrifices in the Temple and committing injustices throughout the nation. It provides the most prophetic picture of Jesus in the entire Old Testament.
What the Lord is Saying:
The idea of God's sovereignty and man's free will has always been a big question for me. Fortunately, I've arrived to the part of this study that discusses what it means. The idea from the Westminster Shorter Catechism is that there is a first cause - God, as He creates and sustains all of life. God is first. We are here because of God. God determined the cause for everything in life. He created the physical laws, humans, animals. This includes man's ability to reason and examine information. For much of what he created there is an effect from these causes. He is active in creation, beginning but also continuing to create and make it all work together. He provides us His word to instruct us. He is over the big things of life, the small things and even miracles.
I learned recently that atheism believes in determinism. The idea is that we live according to laws and everything in life is the outcome of a cause. There is no free will. And these causes, well, they just happen. How they originated we don't know. But atheists are confident that they will discover the "why" behind the cause. We don't choose to do things, but rather our actions are the domino effect of previous causes. The contrary idea that God puts forth is free will, that we are not machines or robots or required to choose choices. God is the great cause in history but then there are secondary causes. And these secondary causes per the Westminster Shorter Catechism (5.2) are in 3 divisions: causes that operate necessarily, freely, and contingently.
The "necessarily" things are the physical laws that he establishes like the Law of Gravity. Gravity happens no matter what and as a physical law it takes place throughout the universe, at all times, and never changes. Gravity has always been there. Now, it is important to see that the discover of gravity was aided by a scientist. Thankfully, scientists have helped us to identify these physical laws. We need scientists. Science and faith are not incompatible.
The second division within secondary causes today I look at is things that "fall out freely." This seems to be the crux of free will in our lives. Each person has their own desires and therefore chooses based upon those desire whereas atheism would say our choices are determined from the environment in which we are in. Each person is born into this world with a sin nature. "For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God" - Romans 3:23. That is the conclusion of Romans 3:9-18 in which God makes it clear that no one is righteous. My big takeaway from this is that each person will sin. No one will be perfect, albeit Jesus. But in life, we still have choices. A sinful person may desire to do good things in life but that person is still operating on the basis of living life selfishly in order to achieve acceptance or fulfillment in life for their choices.
Until God saves us and gives us new hearts, our desires are to sin. But as God works through us, righteousness becomes more and more what we want and what drives us. A saved person is still a sinner, but that saved person now has a desire to please God in their life and this pleasing God aspect results in living a life that is not in sin. God may know who is going to end up in heaven and who will end up in hell, but the people in heaven and hell are there due to their own choosing and so both groups of people basically choose to be there.
Human freedom therefore specifies that people will choose what God has ordained but those reasons do not always coincide with what God finds pleasing. I saw this article by Phil Ryken, president of Wheaton college in which he states
God typically works out his purposes through human decisions, natural laws, and the many causes and reactions that are constantly at play in ordinary life--what the Westminster Confession refers to as "second causes." A "second cause" is simply "a cause caused by something else."But whether things happen by necessity or contingency, they all occur under the overarching providence of God.Humans make decisions, yet God knows those decisions ahead of time, and it taking those decisions and working everything out in the way He decrees. Man could make a seemingly bad decision and God will take that bad decision and work out an outcome to His liking.
This passage today from Isaiah 10:5-7 looks at one situation and sees that there are two reasons that it occurred. There is a divine or God desire in God choosing to send Assyria against Israel as His rod of wrath. Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger. But Assyria came at this situation differently, as a desire to line its own pockets and expand its territory - its purpose to destroy and to cut off many nations. Both wanted the same outcome - Assyria to invade Israel - yet both want it for different reasons.
Promise: Human beings always do what they most want to do. God does not force us to act against our wills. We can never blame God for we do.
Prayer: Lord, this is some heavy material for me to understand. This idea of your sovereignty, man's free will versus determinism starts to sort of baffle my mind when I start to think about how it all works together. I trust Your word and what is says and yet my mind doesn't work in a way to make it all make sense. But, Jesus died on the cross for my sins and has risen from the dead so I will always believe what He has to say and so I surrender to Him. This is what is most important, but help me to still understand the details.
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 March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
Monday, January 28, 2019
Ephesians 1:11 - God's Eternal Decree
Ephesians 1:11
also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
Message: God's Eternal Decree
Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.
What the Lord is Saying:
God's sovereignty over all is something I trust and believe in. It is a doctrine that I feel like is a prevailing doctrine in the lives of Christians, more so those that hold to the infallible word of God. This idea that He is in control of all things is taught in the Bible. God MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM (Acts 4:24) and we trust this. Though we talk about God's sovereignty often, its definition varies it would seem. The simple definition is that God actively controls all that occurs in His creation.
The text today from Ephesians 1:11 calls attention to this with Paul saying God works all things after the counsel of His will. For me it is one thing to say "God is in control" and quite another thing to start talking about specifically what that means. For me the difficulty comes about when we start talking about what God controls. If God controls all, does man still have a will? Is every action of man predetermined?
Going back to Ephesians 1:11, the phrase who works is a present active participle of the verb meaning "to work," thus meaning that the Lord is active today, right now, in working out His purposes in all things. Here is the seemingly hard part of this as it would include good and evil. It would include our choices and include nature and weather. There is nothing that the Lord does not determine and control. Thus, he wills things to occur in the way that they do.
This text states that these actions are after the counsel of His will. Thus, he has a plan. He has a purpose. He has a decree.
It will take some time in these lessons to unpack all that this means. For now, there is the premise that He works out all things according to His will. In verse 9 he says that He made known to us the mystery of His will. Our knowledge of God came from God. Our knowledge of Him came from Him.
Promise: All that God does is in accordance with His decree. Everything in our lives has a specific purpose even though we may not know the purpose.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being in control and helping me to see this doctrine. Now Lord help me to trust You in Your decree and trust that who You are is what I need. Help me to not get ahead of myself but stay strict to the reading of your Word.
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 March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
Message: God's Eternal Decree
Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.
What the Lord is Saying:
God's sovereignty over all is something I trust and believe in. It is a doctrine that I feel like is a prevailing doctrine in the lives of Christians, more so those that hold to the infallible word of God. This idea that He is in control of all things is taught in the Bible. God MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM (Acts 4:24) and we trust this. Though we talk about God's sovereignty often, its definition varies it would seem. The simple definition is that God actively controls all that occurs in His creation.
The text today from Ephesians 1:11 calls attention to this with Paul saying God works all things after the counsel of His will. For me it is one thing to say "God is in control" and quite another thing to start talking about specifically what that means. For me the difficulty comes about when we start talking about what God controls. If God controls all, does man still have a will? Is every action of man predetermined?
Going back to Ephesians 1:11, the phrase who works is a present active participle of the verb meaning "to work," thus meaning that the Lord is active today, right now, in working out His purposes in all things. Here is the seemingly hard part of this as it would include good and evil. It would include our choices and include nature and weather. There is nothing that the Lord does not determine and control. Thus, he wills things to occur in the way that they do.
This text states that these actions are after the counsel of His will. Thus, he has a plan. He has a purpose. He has a decree.
It will take some time in these lessons to unpack all that this means. For now, there is the premise that He works out all things according to His will. In verse 9 he says that He made known to us the mystery of His will. Our knowledge of God came from God. Our knowledge of Him came from Him.
Promise: All that God does is in accordance with His decree. Everything in our lives has a specific purpose even though we may not know the purpose.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being in control and helping me to see this doctrine. Now Lord help me to trust You in Your decree and trust that who You are is what I need. Help me to not get ahead of myself but stay strict to the reading of your Word.
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 March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
2 Timothy 3:17 - Biblical Sufficiency
2 Timothy 3:17
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Message: Biblical Sufficiency
Time: Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy 4 years into Timothy's ministry at the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his beheading in AD 67. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - I continue in the study of the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture. God's special revelation to us is through his speaking. He spoke directly in the person of Jesus, God's Son, and He continues to speak through the Word of God - which he inspired or rather breathed into men who would record those words for us to read today. God spoke through these authors and their words still express each of their gifts and personalities and the people that they were but their words of Scripture are God's words. They are infallible and complete. They are God's final revelation. Therefore, there are not new holy scriptures, like the Book of Mormon or the Qu'ran. The Bible is final.
I studied 2 Timothy 3:16 yesterday which speaks of All Scripture is inspired. The Scripture at the time of Paul's writing has different interpretations. It could only mean the writings of the Old Testament prophets. But, up to the Canon in the 5th century it came to be known also as all of the writings which would make up the Canon of Scripture. I'm curios now about a book by FF Bruce called The Canon of Scripture. I also came across a book called An Introduction to the Study of the Gospels by Brooke Foss Westcott from 1881 that looks to chronicle some of these men from the early centuries that helped in their involvement of the Canon of Scripture.
As it stated in 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. The KJV stayed "profitable for doctrine" which would mean that all the doctrines that we need are found in these texts. It is for reproof which means it convicts and shows us how we cannot save ourselves. It is for correction so it shows us what evil is to be avoided and then also what practice is to be performed; this shows us that our strength lies in the Lord. It is for training in righteousness as the Spirit of God inspired writers to write and readers to read and understand, all for the purpose of the constant training of us, his followers, toward righteous living.
Therefore, so that the man of God, that is every follower or devoted person of God, may be adequate or perfect or stand complete in the will of God. Each follower is to be equipped for every good work. Faith works. Faith is not only recognition, but faith works. Faith leads to a life of service. Paul wants to be clear I think in his writings that we are equipped for every good work and we are created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). This book may not cover every subject but it provides us everything we need to make every decision. There are principles here that guide and direct our paths and this often includes trusting in God and relying on the Spirit of God to direct our paths.
Promise: Scripture provides us God's will for our lives - completely. It is all we need. It is sufficient to give us what we need to please God doing good works in order to be made complete.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for this Word of Truth and reminding me that it is sufficient. It is everything that I need and this is why I continue to come to it each day to enrich my life and equip me. I never want to grow dull of this study and I trust that you will continue to equip me.
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 February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Message: Biblical Sufficiency
Time: Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy 4 years into Timothy's ministry at the church of Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his beheading in AD 67. Paul wrote again to this young leader in the church at Ephesus to provide him encouragement and fortitude in the face of difficulties and trials.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - I continue in the study of the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture. God's special revelation to us is through his speaking. He spoke directly in the person of Jesus, God's Son, and He continues to speak through the Word of God - which he inspired or rather breathed into men who would record those words for us to read today. God spoke through these authors and their words still express each of their gifts and personalities and the people that they were but their words of Scripture are God's words. They are infallible and complete. They are God's final revelation. Therefore, there are not new holy scriptures, like the Book of Mormon or the Qu'ran. The Bible is final.
I studied 2 Timothy 3:16 yesterday which speaks of All Scripture is inspired. The Scripture at the time of Paul's writing has different interpretations. It could only mean the writings of the Old Testament prophets. But, up to the Canon in the 5th century it came to be known also as all of the writings which would make up the Canon of Scripture. I'm curios now about a book by FF Bruce called The Canon of Scripture. I also came across a book called An Introduction to the Study of the Gospels by Brooke Foss Westcott from 1881 that looks to chronicle some of these men from the early centuries that helped in their involvement of the Canon of Scripture.
As it stated in 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. The KJV stayed "profitable for doctrine" which would mean that all the doctrines that we need are found in these texts. It is for reproof which means it convicts and shows us how we cannot save ourselves. It is for correction so it shows us what evil is to be avoided and then also what practice is to be performed; this shows us that our strength lies in the Lord. It is for training in righteousness as the Spirit of God inspired writers to write and readers to read and understand, all for the purpose of the constant training of us, his followers, toward righteous living.
Therefore, so that the man of God, that is every follower or devoted person of God, may be adequate or perfect or stand complete in the will of God. Each follower is to be equipped for every good work. Faith works. Faith is not only recognition, but faith works. Faith leads to a life of service. Paul wants to be clear I think in his writings that we are equipped for every good work and we are created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). This book may not cover every subject but it provides us everything we need to make every decision. There are principles here that guide and direct our paths and this often includes trusting in God and relying on the Spirit of God to direct our paths.
Promise: Scripture provides us God's will for our lives - completely. It is all we need. It is sufficient to give us what we need to please God doing good works in order to be made complete.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for this Word of Truth and reminding me that it is sufficient. It is everything that I need and this is why I continue to come to it each day to enrich my life and equip me. I never want to grow dull of this study and I trust that you will continue to equip me.
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 February being about the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Mark 16:14-15 - Commissioning the Disciples
Mark 16:14-15
14 Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Message: Commissioning the 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 has risen from the dead on the first day of the week, Sunday, after being crucified on Friday following his arrest and seemingly conviction for rightfully being King of the Jews. The news of his resurrection was given first to 3 women and then he appeared for the first time to Mary Magdalene, followed by 2 of the disciples, however after hearing from these individuals, people are not believing that Jesus has in fact raised from the dead.
Between verse 13 and 14 is another appearance of Jesus to his disciples - Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining. Jesus is appearing to them in the evening now of Sunday, the first day of the week. The disciples are now known as the eleven as Judas, the 12th, has killed himself following him betraying Jesus. But, it is said that Thomas is not even with them at this time, but still the group is referred to as the Eleven. They were reclining at the table and eating when He appeared to them.
and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. Jesus confronts their unbelief, their stubbornness in not believing despite His appearance to others. It is a situation that remains true to this day as many will not believe unless they see Him or have some sort of visible proof. They are not willing to take the Words of other witnesses. But, this is important for us today as well for we are believing now based upon the testimony of others. However, his focus is not on the evidence, but rather the condition of their hearts. They begin with a hardness of heart so that the evidence does not even matter, whatever the evidence may be. This is the problem with a hardened heart as it makes a decision even before the evidence is presented.
Yet despite this unbelief, it is them that he tasks to go into all the world and preach. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." On the surface this seems surprising. Today, wouldn't we look for the most qualified individuals prior to giving them this task. All to often this is how we choose people today, based upon their resume's and past performances, but Jesus then commissions these men that throughout His ministry have shown over and over that they are not the most qualified. Could this be because man's position is not what is important, but God's position and His mission will always save lives. So Jesus gives them the task despite their hardness of heart. He rebukes them, but then commissions them. One note is that Mark is always careful to show the failures of the disciples. He is often more interested in how people responded to Jesus rather than Jesus' message itself.
Summary - After speaking to Mary Magdalene and others on the road (perhaps disciples) he comes back to his original disciples (less Judas who is deceased) and reproaches them for their unbelief and for not even looking at the evidence, but first having a hardness of heart. Yet despite this denial of Him, He tasks them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. They are still the one's that He will use.
Promise: Past failures do not mean that we cannot be used of God today.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for using the undeserved. You show me continually that You can work through any person. Help me to not be so caught up in qualifications that I miss the work that You are doing. Help my unbelief and thinking a certain way before the evidence is presented. Help me to have an open-mind.
14 Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
Message: Commissioning the 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 has risen from the dead on the first day of the week, Sunday, after being crucified on Friday following his arrest and seemingly conviction for rightfully being King of the Jews. The news of his resurrection was given first to 3 women and then he appeared for the first time to Mary Magdalene, followed by 2 of the disciples, however after hearing from these individuals, people are not believing that Jesus has in fact raised from the dead.
Between verse 13 and 14 is another appearance of Jesus to his disciples - Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining. Jesus is appearing to them in the evening now of Sunday, the first day of the week. The disciples are now known as the eleven as Judas, the 12th, has killed himself following him betraying Jesus. But, it is said that Thomas is not even with them at this time, but still the group is referred to as the Eleven. They were reclining at the table and eating when He appeared to them.
and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. Jesus confronts their unbelief, their stubbornness in not believing despite His appearance to others. It is a situation that remains true to this day as many will not believe unless they see Him or have some sort of visible proof. They are not willing to take the Words of other witnesses. But, this is important for us today as well for we are believing now based upon the testimony of others. However, his focus is not on the evidence, but rather the condition of their hearts. They begin with a hardness of heart so that the evidence does not even matter, whatever the evidence may be. This is the problem with a hardened heart as it makes a decision even before the evidence is presented.
Yet despite this unbelief, it is them that he tasks to go into all the world and preach. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." On the surface this seems surprising. Today, wouldn't we look for the most qualified individuals prior to giving them this task. All to often this is how we choose people today, based upon their resume's and past performances, but Jesus then commissions these men that throughout His ministry have shown over and over that they are not the most qualified. Could this be because man's position is not what is important, but God's position and His mission will always save lives. So Jesus gives them the task despite their hardness of heart. He rebukes them, but then commissions them. One note is that Mark is always careful to show the failures of the disciples. He is often more interested in how people responded to Jesus rather than Jesus' message itself.
Summary - After speaking to Mary Magdalene and others on the road (perhaps disciples) he comes back to his original disciples (less Judas who is deceased) and reproaches them for their unbelief and for not even looking at the evidence, but first having a hardness of heart. Yet despite this denial of Him, He tasks them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. They are still the one's that He will use.
Promise: Past failures do not mean that we cannot be used of God today.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for using the undeserved. You show me continually that You can work through any person. Help me to not be so caught up in qualifications that I miss the work that You are doing. Help my unbelief and thinking a certain way before the evidence is presented. Help me to have an open-mind.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Psalm 144:1-8 - God's Greatness and Man's Smallness
Psalm 144:1-8
1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.
3 O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You think of him?
4 Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your arrows and confuse them.
7 Stretch forth Your hand from on high;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
Out of the hand of aliens
8 Whose mouths speak deceit,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
Message: God's Greatness and Man's Smallness
Time: Based upon authorship and subject matter, Psalms cover a range of centuries. David is mentioned 73 times, Solomon 2, Moses 1, and 50 designate no specific person. It is believed they were compiled around 537 BC. The psalms deal with such subjects as God and His creation, war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of the Messiah.
What the Lord is Saying:
David's Source of Vitality: A Soldier
This Psalm begins with a praise to the Lord, recognizing that God is the reason for David's greatness. David acknowledges that the reason for his gifts is the Lord has provided. He does not attribute his greatness to himself but he thanks God and God is the one that is great, a rock - Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
David's Source of Vitality: A Sovereign
As David attributes his greatness as a fighter, here he also attributes his greatness as a ruler to the Lord. My lovingkindness and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. Everything about David points back to the Lord, "My rock." God is the strong one and however people want to view him or label him, it all points to the Lord.
The Vanity of Man's Person: How Insignificant is our existence
In verse 3 are two words for man -- adam and enosh. O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him? Adam denotes mankind in general. Enosh as son of man is a world that stands for man's frailty and weakness. It comes from the word that mean "to be sick" or "to be wretched or weak." Here is the question, given the greatness of God and his great power, how is it that he considers man. What a difference this statement is from society who thinks that God must not simply be thinking of man, but only wanting the best for him at all times. God is often set aside because man has not been made great. But, it is the greatness of God that we need to be about.
The Vanity of Man's Person: How Inconsequential is our experience
The question of why God would consider man is further foreshadowed in these words - Man is like a mere breath; his days are like a passing shadow. David survey's his life and looks at his temporary time on earth. If we are honest with ourselves and our existence, sure there are good moments when we think we are on top of the world and have done good things, but there are other times that we see our sin and see the evil of our ways. As I survey life, and the shortness of life, how is it that God takes account of me. This is a far cry from our world today where all the focus is on the greatness of man and the greatness of his existence and experience. We are all about enjoying life to the max, not praising our God on high. But, David sees it. He sees the insignificance of man and sees that man is nothing without God.
The Vanity of Man's Plans: Apprehending the Power of God
In verses 5 and 6 is the following: Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down; Touch the mountains, that they may smoke. Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Send out Your arrows and confuse them. David does not ask for his greatness to be manifested, but he asks for the Lord's greatness to be manifested. Lord, show your power throughout this world. He wanted to people to see the greatness of God and he asks God to work in this way.
The Vanity of Mans Plan: Appropriating the Power of God
Stretch forth Your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, out of the hand of aliens whose mouths speak deceit, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. It is the power of God that will rescue David and will rescue man. Man cannot rescue himself and God recognizes this. All the saving that goes on in this world is attributed to God. It is just some people give him praise for it and some do not. David's confidence was in God.
Promise: David praised God and understand that his position in this world was due to the great God. God is so great, it makes us wonder why he would have anything to do with us at all. But, he does. So, our response is to call on him and ask him to intervene in our lives. His power needs to be manifested on this earth.
Prayer: O Lord, you are the Rock. You are the great One. You are all power. The roles I find myself in and who I am is because of you being so great. I don't comprehend why you see value in me. I don't comprehend why you chose me and saved me. But, you have and I am so thankful. Forgive me for not always showing this thanks. I need you God. I need your help. So send down your power O God and make it known in my world by rescuing me. You are great.
1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
2 My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.
3 O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You think of him?
4 Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your arrows and confuse them.
7 Stretch forth Your hand from on high;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
Out of the hand of aliens
8 Whose mouths speak deceit,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
Message: God's Greatness and Man's Smallness
Time: Based upon authorship and subject matter, Psalms cover a range of centuries. David is mentioned 73 times, Solomon 2, Moses 1, and 50 designate no specific person. It is believed they were compiled around 537 BC. The psalms deal with such subjects as God and His creation, war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of the Messiah.
What the Lord is Saying:
David's Source of Vitality: A Soldier
This Psalm begins with a praise to the Lord, recognizing that God is the reason for David's greatness. David acknowledges that the reason for his gifts is the Lord has provided. He does not attribute his greatness to himself but he thanks God and God is the one that is great, a rock - Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
David's Source of Vitality: A Sovereign
As David attributes his greatness as a fighter, here he also attributes his greatness as a ruler to the Lord. My lovingkindness and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. Everything about David points back to the Lord, "My rock." God is the strong one and however people want to view him or label him, it all points to the Lord.
The Vanity of Man's Person: How Insignificant is our existence
In verse 3 are two words for man -- adam and enosh. O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him? Adam denotes mankind in general. Enosh as son of man is a world that stands for man's frailty and weakness. It comes from the word that mean "to be sick" or "to be wretched or weak." Here is the question, given the greatness of God and his great power, how is it that he considers man. What a difference this statement is from society who thinks that God must not simply be thinking of man, but only wanting the best for him at all times. God is often set aside because man has not been made great. But, it is the greatness of God that we need to be about.
The Vanity of Man's Person: How Inconsequential is our experience
The question of why God would consider man is further foreshadowed in these words - Man is like a mere breath; his days are like a passing shadow. David survey's his life and looks at his temporary time on earth. If we are honest with ourselves and our existence, sure there are good moments when we think we are on top of the world and have done good things, but there are other times that we see our sin and see the evil of our ways. As I survey life, and the shortness of life, how is it that God takes account of me. This is a far cry from our world today where all the focus is on the greatness of man and the greatness of his existence and experience. We are all about enjoying life to the max, not praising our God on high. But, David sees it. He sees the insignificance of man and sees that man is nothing without God.
The Vanity of Man's Plans: Apprehending the Power of God
In verses 5 and 6 is the following: Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down; Touch the mountains, that they may smoke. Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Send out Your arrows and confuse them. David does not ask for his greatness to be manifested, but he asks for the Lord's greatness to be manifested. Lord, show your power throughout this world. He wanted to people to see the greatness of God and he asks God to work in this way.
The Vanity of Mans Plan: Appropriating the Power of God
Stretch forth Your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, out of the hand of aliens whose mouths speak deceit, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. It is the power of God that will rescue David and will rescue man. Man cannot rescue himself and God recognizes this. All the saving that goes on in this world is attributed to God. It is just some people give him praise for it and some do not. David's confidence was in God.
Promise: David praised God and understand that his position in this world was due to the great God. God is so great, it makes us wonder why he would have anything to do with us at all. But, he does. So, our response is to call on him and ask him to intervene in our lives. His power needs to be manifested on this earth.
Prayer: O Lord, you are the Rock. You are the great One. You are all power. The roles I find myself in and who I am is because of you being so great. I don't comprehend why you see value in me. I don't comprehend why you chose me and saved me. But, you have and I am so thankful. Forgive me for not always showing this thanks. I need you God. I need your help. So send down your power O God and make it known in my world by rescuing me. You are great.
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Ephesians 1:3-14 - The Inevitable Question
Ephesians 1:3-14
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Message: The Inevitable Question
Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.
What the Lord is Saying:
My Prayer based upon the passage
Lord, I have been blessed by You God, my Father and blessed with every spiritual blessing, in the heavens, in Christ. I am blessed because of being in Christ. God, you chose me to be in Christ before you laid the foundation of this world and you destined me to be holy (set apart) and blameless (without sin) before God. You destined me before hand to be your children through the work and life of Jesus Christ, because of your kindness, the kindness of Your will. Your grace or your gift despite my condition as a sinner, which is a gift from Christ to me. In Christ I have been redeemed through his cleansing blood. You have cleaned me, you have forgiven my sins, simply because of the riches of Your grace which you poor on us. It cost so much and yet you shower that costly gift on us. And even after giving us this gift, in your wise way and in the special knowledge that you have, you have made known to us the mystery of your eternal plan and will, once again according to your kind plan purposed in Christ. This purpose saw the future and saw that all things in Christ, seeing all things in the heavens and on the earth. In Christ, I have an inheritance in my life because of the pre-determined purpose of God. You will work all things after the counsel of His will. In Christ, I am the first to have hope and this praises Him and lifts up His glory. And being in Christ, I, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of being set free, and after listening, believed, I have been sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit promised to me. The Holy Spirit is given to me as a pledge of a future inheritance, giving me a view to being completely redeemed or saved of being God's own possession. I praise Him and His glory is to be praised for all of this.
My summary of this passage
This is a great prayer and a great passage. There is so much meat to this prayer. God has blessed us. That is a done deal. We have received every spiritual blessing possible. That is a done deal. My position in Christ will never be better or worse than it is now. I have been pardoned, my sins simple excused. I have been redeemed; I've been made right with God. I've been adopted; I am not simply called, but I have been grafted in to be with God. I am a branch, not merely a stick; I am connected with God. I have peace in Christ. There is nothing better than peace.
All of these blessings have been conferred upon me because of one thing: being in Christ. Being in Christ was the result of God choosing me before God laid the foundation of this world. Before the foundation of the world it was determined I would be holy or set apart; I would be blameless or without sin, before God. But, never does this happen because of my works or effort, but because of the work and life of Jesus Christ. My condition of being a sinner is completely irrelevant to my position before Christ. My worth and acceptance before God is based upon Christ, not me. In Christ I have been redeemed through his cleansing blood. Because of Christ I am forgiven. Because of Christ I am clean.
But I am not finished. My work is not done on this earth nor is Christ's work in me done on this earth. In Christ, my purpose is to be for the praise of His Glory. God works all things, in my life, after the counsel of His will. I am never alone here. I have the Holy Spirit in me, working through me, living in me, and still that work points to His Glory.
TableTalk's assessment
This passage mentions predestination and they want to argue that the doctrine of predestination is central to the Bible. It is not simply a Pauline doctrine, but it is a Bible doctrine. Whether Calvinist, Arminian, Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, there is a teaching on predestination. "The difference has to do with the basis of predestination (God's simple foreknowledge or His eternal decree), whether predestination extends to the salvation of individuals, and so forth."
Promise: My position in Christ is because of Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Message: The Inevitable Question
Time: Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians sometime in AD 60–61, around the same time he wrote Colossians and Philemon. Ephesians deals with topics at the core of being a Christian - faith and practice, no matter the situation.
What the Lord is Saying:
My Prayer based upon the passage
Lord, I have been blessed by You God, my Father and blessed with every spiritual blessing, in the heavens, in Christ. I am blessed because of being in Christ. God, you chose me to be in Christ before you laid the foundation of this world and you destined me to be holy (set apart) and blameless (without sin) before God. You destined me before hand to be your children through the work and life of Jesus Christ, because of your kindness, the kindness of Your will. Your grace or your gift despite my condition as a sinner, which is a gift from Christ to me. In Christ I have been redeemed through his cleansing blood. You have cleaned me, you have forgiven my sins, simply because of the riches of Your grace which you poor on us. It cost so much and yet you shower that costly gift on us. And even after giving us this gift, in your wise way and in the special knowledge that you have, you have made known to us the mystery of your eternal plan and will, once again according to your kind plan purposed in Christ. This purpose saw the future and saw that all things in Christ, seeing all things in the heavens and on the earth. In Christ, I have an inheritance in my life because of the pre-determined purpose of God. You will work all things after the counsel of His will. In Christ, I am the first to have hope and this praises Him and lifts up His glory. And being in Christ, I, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of being set free, and after listening, believed, I have been sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit promised to me. The Holy Spirit is given to me as a pledge of a future inheritance, giving me a view to being completely redeemed or saved of being God's own possession. I praise Him and His glory is to be praised for all of this.
My summary of this passage
This is a great prayer and a great passage. There is so much meat to this prayer. God has blessed us. That is a done deal. We have received every spiritual blessing possible. That is a done deal. My position in Christ will never be better or worse than it is now. I have been pardoned, my sins simple excused. I have been redeemed; I've been made right with God. I've been adopted; I am not simply called, but I have been grafted in to be with God. I am a branch, not merely a stick; I am connected with God. I have peace in Christ. There is nothing better than peace.
All of these blessings have been conferred upon me because of one thing: being in Christ. Being in Christ was the result of God choosing me before God laid the foundation of this world. Before the foundation of the world it was determined I would be holy or set apart; I would be blameless or without sin, before God. But, never does this happen because of my works or effort, but because of the work and life of Jesus Christ. My condition of being a sinner is completely irrelevant to my position before Christ. My worth and acceptance before God is based upon Christ, not me. In Christ I have been redeemed through his cleansing blood. Because of Christ I am forgiven. Because of Christ I am clean.
But I am not finished. My work is not done on this earth nor is Christ's work in me done on this earth. In Christ, my purpose is to be for the praise of His Glory. God works all things, in my life, after the counsel of His will. I am never alone here. I have the Holy Spirit in me, working through me, living in me, and still that work points to His Glory.
TableTalk's assessment
This passage mentions predestination and they want to argue that the doctrine of predestination is central to the Bible. It is not simply a Pauline doctrine, but it is a Bible doctrine. Whether Calvinist, Arminian, Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, there is a teaching on predestination. "The difference has to do with the basis of predestination (God's simple foreknowledge or His eternal decree), whether predestination extends to the salvation of individuals, and so forth."
Promise: My position in Christ is because of Christ.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Proverbs 16:7 - Granting Us Peace
Proverbs 16:7
When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Message: Granting us peace
Time: It seems that Proverbs was written and then compiled sometime between the tenth and sixth centuries B.C. Proverbs was probably written during the reign of Solomon, 971-931 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
According to the TableTalk reading on this passage for today, the fall of Adam and Eve introduced several wars into creation.
This makes sense, if I follow the Lord's commands to not lie, steal, commit adultery, murder, then it naturally will result in people not being harmed or feeling harmed. But, I cannot guarantee that all people all the time will be kind with me, no matter how I act. And yet Jesus pronounces a blessing upon those who are hated in Matthew 5 reminding us to look toward heaven and the hope we have with him there. And yet we do know that things will work out for good. Matthew Henry comment:
When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Message: Granting us peace
Time: It seems that Proverbs was written and then compiled sometime between the tenth and sixth centuries B.C. Proverbs was probably written during the reign of Solomon, 971-931 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
According to the TableTalk reading on this passage for today, the fall of Adam and Eve introduced several wars into creation.
- War with God - every thought of the fallen heart is only evil continually, and people seek to overthrow the Lord's rightful place as ruler over their lives. In Genesis 8:21, the Lord said that the intention of man's heart is evil, since his youth. In Romans 3:1-20 speaks of how the unrighteousness of man upholds the righteousness of God. Man does not want to do good; there is none righteous, not even one; no one understands, no one seeks for God; all have turned aside. Man's tongue, mouth, feet are swift to inflict evil.
- War with Himself - Romans 2 says the Law is written on our hearts; right and wrong is written on our heart and accuses us all of our days. This is a plain and simple reality, yet one that causes us tension all of our days. The pain is no matter how hard we try, we will never be fully good and proper.
- War with Other People - The moment after Adam and Eve sinned, Adam immediately laid the blame on Eve. Human society has been characterized by strife, disagreement, and hatred between people.
The third point is the focus of today's passage from Proverbs with the result of this promise that man's enemies will be at peace with us when our ways please the Lord. And it is interesting because in this passage the way we have peace with our fellow man is not by being a better person towards them or having more sensitivity; this may be the result, but our focus is to be on pleasing the Lord.
"God can turn foes into friends when he pleases. He that has all hearts in his hand has access to men's spirits and power over them, working insensibly, but irresistibly upon them, can make a man's enemies to be at peace with him, can change their minds, or force them into a feigned submission. He can slay all enemies, and bring those together that were at the greatest distance from each other."
Promise: This is a good reminder. We are programmed to solve problems through time management, leadership development, becoming a better communicator, conflict resolutions -- but I must remember that the real focus of my heart should be doing things that please the Lord.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Jesus Calling: April 21
Let Me control your mind. The mind is the most restless, unruly part of mankind. Long after you have learned the discipline of holding your tongue, your thoughts defy your will and set themselves up against Me. Man is the pinnacle of My creation, and the human mind is wondrously complex. I risked all by granting you freedom to think for yourself. This is god-like privilege, forever setting you apart from animals and robots. I made you in my image, precariously close to deity.
Though My blood has fully redeemed you, your mind is the last bastion of rebellion. Open yourself to My radiant Presence, letting My Light permeate your thinking. When My Spirit is controlling your mind, you are filled with Life and Peace.
Genesis 1:26-27
English Standard Version
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Romans 8:6
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Romans 8:6
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Verse Thoughts - When we have trusted in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God comes to live inside of us. However, we are not yet with God in paradise, instead we still have our mortal body's, living on this earth and our flesh continues to seek to only satisfy itself. The natural conclusion of living a life set on the flesh is death. The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. This is the deception of the flesh. The flesh thinks it is alive. The flesh thinks it is about life, but in reality there is no peace in that life. There is living and going through the motions and not really thinking beyond the grave or in the afterlife or in outcomes. The mind set on the flesh is death. The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. The Spirit is there to take us through life, not help us or assist us, but take us through life.
My Prayer (2018) - Lord, I am exhausted as my mind dwells, stares, compares, competes, is in fear, is restless, is discouraged by what I see, goes from worry to worry to worry. Bring back the joy of my salvation. Your Spirit lives inside of me. Jesus, you told me that believing in You means that I can do even greater things than what you did. Forgive me God for getting my mind off of this track and instead staring at my world around me. Instead, I want to set my mind on the Spirit. I want to resolve to be conformed to the image of Your Son. Holy Spirit, I give you my mind. Take Control.
Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.
Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
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
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
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