John 15:14-17 - Friends of the Savior

John 15:14-17

14 You are my friends, if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another. 

Message: Friends of the Savior

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

What the Lord is Saying: Jesus continues this long discourse with his disciples. I am taking these words slow, breaking them apart, and yet this is a discourse that is not lasting long in time, though Jesus is speaking a lot. A lot of what I have read and see in these words are words of comfort and encouragement that Jesus is sharing with His disciples. But there are also words of responsibilities we have as believers and followers. 

I use the devotional Tabletalk, a ministry of Ligonier, to guide me through these lessons. It is interesting because I have seen recently in the lessons that speak of commands and appear to give these conditional statements like today in verse 14, "If you do what I command you" and verse 7, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you" and verse 4-6, "Abide in Me, and I in you" to bear fruit or Jesus will cast us out -- as those conditional statements are made, Tabletalk makes a point to say - now don't think these statements are conditional. I don't necessarily disagree with this, though I find it interesting that these statements must be made because it tells me there is potential for misunderstanding. 

And yet on a high level, Jesus is communicating a responsibility that believers have living in Christ. There is a responsibility they have with themselves towards Christ, with how they relate to others, and even the world at large which I will get to later. 

In this passage, Jesus says we are His friends, but says we are to do what He commands as He has previously mentioned the importance of keeping His commandments (v.10) and that the commandment is to love one another (v.12).  We are friends, not slaves any longer. And Jesus speaks of the special-ness or the intimacy that we now have with Him as His friends knowing what He is doing. Jesus receives from the Father and has shared with us. We are close to Him. 

Then in verse 16 and 17 is another summary that Jesus gives and these words do make us think those previous words that appear to be conditional are not. He says, "I chose you." We did not choose Him. This is correct. He called the disciples, the followers of Him and they responded, but Jesus did the choosing. And with that choosing is a task to go and bear fruit. I've been remembering the words of God in Genesis 1:28 when God says to Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." God created and God called. He says He chose us to bear fruit. That we are to ask of Him so that He will provide. He wants to provide. Again He says, "Love one another." Here it is again - (1) Believe, (2) Ask, (3) Obey, (4) The Helper helps and maybe I could add to love one another but I think that is part of obedience. 

Summary: We are Jesus' friend, no longer slaves. He chose us to bear fruit, and we can ask Him in His name and He will give it. We are to love one another. 

Promise: Though we are friends with Jesus, we still receive commands from Him that we are to obey. 

Prayer: Lord, you have called me your friend, choosing me, being transparent with me by telling me what You have done and done for me and will do. Thank you God for your honesty toward me and helping me throughout my days and my life. You keep me close to You always. Give me that strength to love one another and encourage them always to live for You. 

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

John 8:33-40 - Children of Abraham

John 8:33-40

33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's offering, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is that You say, "You shall become free?" 34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 And the slave does not remain remain in the house forever, the son does remain forever. 36 If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham's offspring; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father." 39 They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do." 

Message: Children of Abraham

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

What the Lord is Saying: The Lord delivered thoughts yesterday that we have come to view as the mark of a true discipleship and that was the idea that we need to abide in His word and in the process of doing this we will be made free by this truth. The first response often would be someone saying, "I did not realize I was lost." As my friend and I would often share with people at the mall it was with the premise that people did not know they were entangled by sin. In order to hear the Good news of Jesus, there needs to be some sort of realization that a person has a need for this. Today, very often in our population, people are not looking to God for help or guidance or even seeing God as someone they need. Perhaps, this was the mood of some listening to Him at this time. Especially Jewish officials who believed they already had what they needed. 

And so in this passage Jesus is helping the hearer see that the problem they have is that "everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin." That is a key message. What makes us need to be set free is that we are sinners and we need to get freed from being a slave of sin. And we are slaves simply because we sin. Jesus states in verse 35 and 36 that because someone is a slave to sin they do not dwell with Jesus in his forever house. But the Son can make you free. Believing in Him with a belief that will then abide in His Word - this will then be a person that is free indeed. Thus, the salvation message is one of freedom. 

Jesus often responds to their claim that they do not have a problem of being entangled or being a slave because they are of the offspring of Abraham. The Jew makes this common claim that because of their tradition and because of being grafted into the line of Abraham as a Jew that because of this they are not lost. The traditional idea among the rabbis was that the descendants of Abraham were in a higher position spiritually from others. Jews did not seem themselves as being in bondage to wickedness like the Gentiles. 

Most plainly Jesus responds that if they are truly of the offspring of Abraham then why are they seeking to kill him because like Abraham who did the deeds of God, Jesus is the same. Jesus is doing the deeds of God. These deeds are in response to what the Father has told Him to do. He has heard directly from God, something Abraham does not have. Jesus is from the father and He speaks to an audience that is to believe in Him, abide in His word and in doing this they will be set free. We are only set free by the Free One - Jesus Christ. 

Summary: Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. To be free like Abraham is to be a servant of Christ. 

Promise: When we move from being enslaved by sin to being a slave of Christ, then are empowered to serve Him, abiding by His word, being set free through the deeds of God. 

Prayer: O God, you are good and you have freed me from sin. I have freedom in you Jesus. Thank you for giving me that recognition that I am a sinner and can only be freed by You. Bring people to salvation, on the street in which I live, at the place in which I work, throughout this land. Help people to see that they cannot hold onto an allegiance simply and that there life needs to be changed from the inside/out. 

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

Romans 6:15-23 - The Antinomian Error (Version 2)

October 13

Romans 6:15-23

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Message: The Antinomian Error

Time: Paul route to Rome, the city has never visited, from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57. The rights to a church that he believes needed to hear basic Gospel doctrine. The city was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idolatry.

What the Lord is Saying:

I've studied this passage before. This passage covered 4 lessons I did in September 2014 when I studied Romans. Wow, I did 30 lessons that month. A lesson every day? Whoa. Living Under Grace, Slaves to Righteousness, Slavery to Sin and Its Fruit, and the Wages of Sin vs. The Gift of Life.

October 18

The justified person has died to sin and earlier in chapter 6 Paul is asking whether we continue in sin that grace may increase and the answer is emphatically "no" because sin is dead in our life. That is the way we need to view it because that is the way God views it. And then in verse 15 we wonder that since we are no longer under the law, which was also called a curse, can we sin then? The law never meant to save us, but rather guide us and show us we are sinners. And this still is true today. But the thought was that law living meant complete obedience where grace living is complete freedom so maybe breaking the law is not a big deal. 

And then further in this text in verses 16-19 I learn I have shifted to now being a slave of righteousness. The Christian that walks in a life where God has forgiven him completely and cleansed him from all forms of unrighteousness now walks in righteousness and wants righteousness completely, in all forms of their life. Why? Because any act of unrighteousness in my life is an offense to God; any act is embarrassing to me when it is committed. There is no middle ground. I think we wish there was. But I no longer live in non-Christ like ways, but instead shift to all righteous living. 

This is what I remember from studying these passages. 

An Antinomian is a person that views the law as not applicable anymore in a person's life. This is a person that says the moral law is no longer relevant and obedience to the commandments is no longer needed. Therefore, Christians can live however they want. It is a shift. I was speaking to someone the other day and they remarked that the Law of God is simply there as a nice story in the Bible but we only need to emphasize the New Testament or New Covenant living and yet Jesus in the New Covenant remarked that the Law had not disappeared. 

The Law of God has not been set aside. Instead God sent Jesus to be obedient to it. We were incapable of perfect obedience. Thus, the Law remains what it was - showing us we are incapable of following it. I still need this reminder. 

October 19

Exodus 19:5-6 -- 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

2 Corinthians 6:14 - 14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

I John 1:5-7 - 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.


I John 2:4 - Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

I John 3:6 - No one who abides in him keeps on sinning

Summary: I think the point of this lesson today is to remind us that the law of God is still relevant in our life today. It remains a guide to our life. It is not to be dismissed. Commandments are still needed in our life. Each of us should be following God's commands and should desire to follow them -- all of them. A slave to righteousness is how I should live. 

Promise: From Tabletalk -- "People who possess saving faith earnestly desire to obey God’s commandments. They do not seek to do so to merit eternal life; they do so in order to thank God and demonstrate the authenticity of their faith."

Prayer: O God you are holy and true. You have saved me from the penalty of living an unrighteous life. In response, help me to continue to want to live righteously. Lord, sin is still present in me. As you know I stumble still. I get tempted and I give into that sin, not trusting in You and Your ways. I am two-faced - one moment saying I will abide in You and then the next moment lying and seeking my own desires. For my own sake, I need to be different. For your sake, I need to honor You with my life and surrender my entire will to you. I say it again - I don't want to be a partner of lawlessness. Thank you for restoring me and making me clean again. Keep helping me evaluate my life and submitting to you. I need your strength in 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 celebrating the 500th year of the Reformation. The month of July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God. 

Bringing me to Christ

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. Restraint and Guilt - the law is meant to restrain Christians and non-Christians alike; so that others may see Christ. The Law's Revelation of Sin - The Law reveals sin, at times making it more desirable, and show the sin which people commit and the complete standard it expects. The Law and Our Powerlessness - We are powerless over the Law and Sin revealed. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness and the power to resist sin. The Law our Guardian - The law is not a tool of justifying me, but rather it is an instrument to bring me to Christ and show me my need for Him. 

Guiding our Lives

The Guidance of the Law - The Law is a guide in our lives for what pleases God and what it looks like to walk in holiness. The Antinomian Error - We were slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to obedience and righteousness. Judaizing Legalism - The error of Judaizing Legalism is the idea that obedience brings about God's acceptance of us for salvation. The Deadliest Form of Legalism - This legalism is that one would get too focused on external practices instead of focusing on the heart.

The Law is our Guide

The Centrality of Love - Love and the law go hand in hand. We do not belong to God unless we love our neighbor, and we cannot love our neighbor without knowing and doing God‘s law and loving him. Finding Guidance in the Law - God's Word, all if it, is a guide to my life and I am to meditate on it continually. 

Romans 6:15-23 - The Antinomian Error

Romans 6:15-23 

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Message: The Antinomian Error 

Time: Paul wrote to Rome, a city he had never visited, from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57. He writes to a church that he believes needed to hear basic gospel doctrine. The city was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idolatry.

What the Lord is Saying: Often we see the extremes in life. The Pharisees and much of our world believe that salvation or eternal life is earned instead of given and there are elaborate systems or rules that must be followed to earn this salvation. On the other end are those that accept grace but along the way believe it is completely a free gift and Christians can live however they want, for the law is in no way binding for believers. 

Today's passage makes it clear that in understanding the gospel is understanding that we are about obedience no matter what; it is never an option. Prior to Christ being in our lives we were slaves to sin. And now we are slaves to righteousness. It is actually an interesting paradigm shift that has occurred in our lives in that we remain slaves; our life and how it is lived takes on a different meaning. As a slave to sin we are a slave to perfect obedience in order to merit salvation. The fact that we do not live under grace means that all of our deeds are worthless before God because our sin is not excused or not paid for. In this framework these verses iterate that we are slaves to impurity and lawlessness resulting in greater lawlessness. Sin multiplies and continues and we need more sin as it feeds upon itself. As a slave to sin, righteousness is not even an option though. 

But now life is different and we have been freed from sin and freed from the penalty of sin, resulting in sanctification and eternal life. Our destiny is secure. We are free and free indeed. The wages of the gift of God now is eternal life. Before the wages of sin was death. 

Promise: By possessing saving faith there is now the desire to fulfill the commandments. We do so as a response to God's love and to please Him not looking to merit or earn salvation through our deeds. 

Prayer: O God thank you for the beauty of your Gospel message and I look to You continually God for salvation. It is in You. It is in Christ. Thank you for showing me at 14, just shy of 15, that there was nothing I could do to earn my way to eternal life and it is a free gift. You confirm this daily and the message never gets old. Help me to continue to be true to the reading of your word and applying it in the correct way, so as to bring you all of the 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 July is about the right use of God's Law; June was justification by faith alone; May about solus Christus - Christ Alone; April, salvation by grace alone; March, the sovereign providence of God; February, the doctrine of revelation and the various aspects of the doctrine of Scripture that sola Scriptura seeks to preserve; January, the doctrine of God.

The Restraint of the Law - the law is given for lawless, unholy, disobedient people, to restrain us from acting on our sinful thoughts. Restraint and Guilt - the law is meant to restrain Christians and non-Christians alike; so that others may see Christ. The Law's Revelation of Sin - The Law reveals sin, at times making it more desirable, and show the sin which people commit and the complete standard it expects. The Law and Our Powerlessness - We are powerless over the Law and Sin revealed. It is in Christ that we receive forgiveness and the power to resist sin. The Law our Guardian - The law is not a tool of justifying me, but rather it is an instrument to bring me to Christ and show me my need for Him. The Guidance of the Law - The Law is a guide in our lives for what pleases God and what it looks like to walk in holiness.

John 8:31-38 - The Truth Shall Make You Free

John 8:31-38
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”

Message: The Truth Shall Make You Free

Time: Throughout church history, Christians have consistently attributed this gospel to Jesus' disciple John, the brother of James, the son of Zebedee. John was one of the inner circle of Jesus' most trusted companions. It's most likely that John wrote his gospel while he was in Ephesus, and that he wrote it for an audience that lived outside Palestine, perhaps in Asia Minor. John appears to have had in mind members of a Jewish community who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but who had continued to worship in the synagogue. John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing he was to confirm the belief that Jesus was both the Christ and the Son of God

What the Lord is Saying:

In this study of grace, I have been looking at a lot of passages from Paul, though Paul reiterates much of what is said in the Bible. This entry today is based upon a teaching series that RC Sproul did called Willing to Believe. As I studied the book of Mark, it seems apparent that much of what Jesus was doing as he ministered was responding to critics from the Jewish community. As he did this he was teaching and preaching to his disciples as well as others on the gospel, the good news of God and his love for people and our need to trust God and only God. We are not to trust in our own good deeds, but trust in God. God is calling all of us, Jew and Gentile alike.

Thus, in this passage Jesus is speaking now to those Jews who believed Him, "If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." On the surface this sounds like an innocuous statement. It sounds like a message of good news. We are free as we continue to listen to the Words of Jesus. Yet, the response of the Jews was one of alarm as Jesus was insinuating that they had a need to be set free, that they had a need to be rescued. And this can be an offensive statement to people. People instead like to think that their life and the way that it is being lived is good. These individuals Jesus was speaking to were not presently in captivity and yet there seems to be a captivity that Jesus is referencing.  Thus, their response to him was therefore -  We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” 

The response of these Jews is that they are Abraham's descendants and as his descendants are recipients of blessings through covenants that God has made. As recipients of blessings they are therefore not captive and as such, do not need to be set free. This is their contention. Our non-Jewish world may not say they have a blessing from being Jewish today, but they might say that their good works have paid off over the  years and through their good deeds and hard work and learning from mistakes and living a fairly pain-free life that they also are not captive. We do live in this free land of America.

Yet, Jesus remarks something that is still offensive to this day - everyone who commits sin is the slave to sin. I listened to this episode on Youtube from Living Waters and the atheist made that claim. The claim was that one person does one action and they are labeled a sinner. And yet I think Ray Comfort showed him later that he had actually done a lot of offensive actions. But, this is a statement by Jesus that people just don't like hearing. This is one reason why Jesus is a curse word. People don't want to be found out. And we are a culture that says, "I'm okay" not "I'm a sinner." We are about doing things that prove ourselves as worthy we believe, and then looking pass those things that are offensive. But, it is the offense that we still must deal with it each day.

Thus, people's beliefs are often humanistic which believes in an exalted view of the goodness of human nature. Thus, inconceivable to these people that they were held captive or in their own souls enslaved to sin. Thus, the basic view of humanism is however many times we may stumble or fall into evils of unrighteousness, at the core our default is goodness and these evils are external to us. Even in the church, among evangelicals we are grafted into this thinking. Thus, when defining free will one must look at where the definition is coming from. Meanings of words are different and they are different because of the context of those meanings. Thus, there is free will as it relates to the sovereignty of God and the operation of original sin which tells us what we have inherited from Adam and Eve as our first parents.

There is an external force that makes us free and that force's name is Jesus. John speaks of Jesus as being the Truth (John 14:6) and here in these verses he says the truth shall make you free and he says the Son makes you free. We need Jesus. We need to submit and surrender to Him to be free. We have this faith in Him. He makes us free and He draws us into this relationship with Him.

Promise: Let us cast aside our sin and look for life only in Jesus. He alone can satisfy us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your Word. Thank you for gifting speakers like Ray Comfort and RC Sproul who examine your Word and the ideas of this world to show us that You God are the only true God. We need you and we thank you God for making us free. I thank you for making me free. I am free indeed because of Jesus. I have been made right with you God because of Jesus. Holy Spirit, continue to confirm this in my life each and every day. Continue to speak to me and help me to better understand it. Yet, help me to not sit in silence. Give me the voice to carry this message to the masses. Thank you for the online forums you have given me and the ability I have to use those forums, like GMO, to speak to others and help them with the understanding you have given me. O God you are a good God and this generation needs you more than ever. Remove the blinders that are on the eyes of many. Help people to see you as you really are and to recognize the evil that is present in this world.

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.

Deuteronomy 5:6 - The Law Covenant

Deuteronomy 5:6
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Message: The Law Covenant

Time: This book chronicles farewell messages by Moses, the 120 year old leader of the Israelite, primarily intended for the lay person. It covers about one month, at the end of the forty-year period in the wilderness - 1405 BC. It is a renewal of the old covenant given at Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab.

What the Lord is Saying:

I am now in a series of lessons on grace and God's overall providence. God sets forth his message to save mankind. This is what we know as salvation. Inside the garden, man had everything he needed and yet man chose to disobey God, opting for something God said was off limits. Without that sin, man would live in perfect obedience, but once Adam and Eve sinned, they were thrown out of the garden and away from the tree of life. Yet, God would continue to provide for them -- all that they would need to live, but also provide them all they need for salvation. There are many covenants  - the Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, Abraham -- and all of these covenants speak of God providing. Man has been given responsibilities by God, but earning God's favor is not one of them. Instead, we are declared righteous by faith. Responsibilities or the work we do is for a wage or a result on this earth, but it is not for God's acceptance. Righteousness from God comes through faith.

In this world we now live the ruler of this world is Satan. God pledges to redeem us from this enemy - the prince of this world - Satan. On one hand, it was our choice to align ourselves with this enemy, when we ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil -- but God will continue to provide the way back to Him, as He provided His creation, our coverings, our responsibilities, all that we have. We must stay clear or the propensity we all have to think that adhering to rules or responsibilities results in acceptance. As I think of my parents' love for me, it is based upon nothing else but their desire for me. It is not based upon my works.

Today's passage - Deuteronomy 5:6 - I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery - precedes the giving of the Law which begins in verse 7 with You shall have no other gods before Me. The message should be clear. First comes the providence of God (brought you out), next comes the command (You shall...). God rescues then God asks for obedience. Thus, obedience follows grace. God does not declare that a rescue will occur upon obedience or after all that we can do, but rather his rescue is complete prior to the giving of the Law. One could say we are complete before the Law is given.

Yet, this passage addresses the Israelites as the ones he brought out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He addresses here specifically the chosen ones - the Jews - but God makes it clear that his salvation message of rescue is open to all.

Granted, the law comes with it everlasting life, when it is lived to the full. Leviticus 18:5 - you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if He does them. Yet, the Law will be broken. We cannot do all that it says. Thus, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4). Jesus Christ ends the law. Keeping the law, the entire law yields righteousness. And only one has kept it - Jesus. Thus, He is our Savior. He is our Redeemer. He is our Salvation. He succeeds where we can not.

Promise: We trust the redeemer who has brought us out of slavery to the prince of the world. Jesus is our visible propitiation for the fulfillment of the Law. We are made righteous by faith.

Prayer: O God, you are rich in mercy and love. You have provided to me all that I need in brining me out of slavery to the king of this world. O God, the world is distracted, I am distracted all too often by this worldly king who takes us residence in this world and drives us away from you. I want to turn my eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face so that the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Help me to be watchful as to how I can so easily get sidetracked. Thank you for the Law and the clarity of it in helping me to see what I can do to have a fulfilling life. You show me clearly how I can trust You and do what You have said. Help me to be a light to this world I live in and to my family and everyone in my path. Be glorified.

Mark 2:27 - The Purpose of the Sabbath

Mark 2:27
Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
Meaning: The Purpose of the Sabbath

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:

As I have said, Jesus is teaching here in these verses, and telling his people, his followers, even us today lessons. It is interesting what he is teaching and what Mark is communicating. Thus far, the theme I have seen is that Jesus is letting us know that His message is new, different, unconventional and he is expressing overall our need to turn to Him and embrace Him and trust what he is saying. Along the way, it is the Pharisees or those that are known to be religious that are asking the questions. Yesterday, the issue was harvesting for grain on the Sabbath or doing any work on the Sabbath and once again the point is not that it's not good to take a rest, but if there is a need, breaking a code of conduct will not separate man from God. We are not asked to follow a set of rules, but we are called to follow Christ.

Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." In Jesus' day, in our day, we tend to look at the religious men, the pastors and teachers and hold them high on a pedestal as the pious men of our day. In Jesus' day and today, the orthodox Jewish people not only say that no work can be done on the Sabbath (recently, I've noticed 7th day Adventists also follow a similar code), but they make a very complete list of what constitutes work - from turning on the air conditioner to driving a car to preparing a meal. For the pharisees tying or untying knots or writing more than one letter of the alphabet were defined as labor that would break the Sabbath commandment.

I admit that often I am a hot or cold person that sometimes lives in extremes. I over-analyze application sometimes and in so doing miss the principle and get too focused on the practice or what should not be practiced. I've always struggled with concepts and understanding them and instead side on actionable items. And this was the problem often with religious zealots in that they over-looked the principle and became more obsessed with what constitutes labor or work on the Sabbath. They lived in fear of perhaps doing something wrong. Like yesterday, obviously a person should not spend their entire Sabbath continuing to harvest the field, but if they had a need for nourishment, was their a problem with picking a little grain. The concept was yes, we need to rest from our labor and trust God, but that doesn't mean necessarily that we can't do anything that constitutes work.

Thus, this could be what Jesus meant when he said The Sabbath was meant for man. God gave us the Sabbath so that we could rest. Rest is easy to understand today because we have so many opportunities to rest and we can rest very easily. In fact, we often rest every evening and then for bulks of time on the weekend. But, in Jesus' day rest was not possible for to survive you had to be always working. But God knew the importance of rest and so he instituted a day for it. The principle was that we need to remember to take it easy. As a person, I don't often take off a full day only because resting happens throughout each day often. Thus, it is not the purpose of the Sabbath to then make a list of what constitutes work and what doesn't. To me, that falls into legalism.

Promise: I am to love the Law of God. But, if it becomes fear or their is concern too much in its breaking, then I miss the point. The reality is obedience to the law is never completely possible. So failure will occur so I need to be more focused on what God is teaching me through the commandments versus getting obsessed with obedience to every detail of it that I conjure up.

Prayer: Lord, thank your for this lesson. I admit being a person that gets bogged down in the details, out of fear that perhaps what I'm doing is breaking the law. Help me to realize why you gave us rules and that I will never be completely obedient to those rules so why do I work so hard to make sure I am. You know me better than I know myself. Teach me to trust you. And help me as a Father, as I relate to my children and teach them that I help them see the principle and don't get too caught up in details.

Jesus Calling: June 2

     Relax in My healing, holy Presence. Be still, while I transform your heart and mind. Let go of cares and worries, so that you can receive My Peace. Cease striving, and know that I am God. 
     Do not be like Pharisees who multiplied regulations, creating their own form of "godliness." They got so wrapped up in their own rules that they lost sight of Me. Even today, man-made rules about how to live the Christian life enslave many people. Their focus is on their performance, rather than on Me.
     It is through knowing Me intimately that you become like Me. This requires spending time alone with Me. Let go, relax, be still, and know that I am God. 

Psalm 46:10
New American Standard

Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Verse thoughts

My default reaction to almost everything in life is to "try harder." God knows this and knows that I need these words each day, to be reminded, that my first reaction to things does not have to be to "try harder" but instead to cease striving, to silently and quietly wait on Him, without fear; to be calm and not tremble, but know Him to be God. I need to leave it to Him to fulfill His own counsel and support His own interests in the world.
 
I John 3:2
English Standard Version

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

My Prayer
Lord, so often my emotions get the better of me. This past week I saw something my son was doing and my emotions swelled up and I started to get angry at him, come down upon him. Thankfully God, you gave me the good sense to talk to my wife who helped me see that my emotions were getting the better of me and my son would have frozen up and not done his school work if I came down on him. I wanted to take action and take control, quickly. I wanted to react. But I didn't. I stopped and was silent and ceased striving and instead simply waited. You are God and You got this. You know me better than I know myself. And by the end of the week, he was making good decisions and having success. I got scared God and I wanted to just take control of the situation. I wanted to make my own rules. Lord, sometimes I do need to speak up but only after I have taken it before You and given You the opportunity to give me peace about me speaking up. Lord, thank You for waking me up and using my wife to help me not do something I would have regretted. I am Your child and I want to be like You.

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.

Jesus Calling: April 17

     I am training you in steadiness. Too many things interrupt your awareness of Me. I know that you live in a world of sight and sound, but you must not be a slave to those stimuli. Awareness of Me can continue in all circumstances, not matter what happens. This is the steadiness I desire for you.
     Don't let unexpected events throw you off course. Rather, respond calmly and confidently, remembering that I am with you. As soon as something grabs your attention, talk with Me about it. Thus I share your joys and your problems; I help you cope with whatever is before you. This is how I live in you and work through you. This is the way of Peace. 

Psalm 112:7 
English Standard Version
He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

Isaiah 41:10
New King James Version
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

My Prayer
Lord, this reminds me once again of the importance of talking to you about all the events of my life. Your disciples and followers did this while you walked the earth. When they didn't understand something, they asked you. I need to do this instead of running off and figuring it out on my own or seeking after other people for answers.  As the Psalm says, you are not afraid of bad news or anything I bring to you. You will strengthen me and help me and uphold me by Your righteous right hand. 


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.

Romans 8:19-22 - Cosmic Redemption

Romans 8:19-22 - 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

Message: Redemption from Chasing after wind

Time: This book was probably written between 56 and 57 B.C. Paul was in Greece, probably Corinth when he wrote. It was sent to Gentile believers, but also believers with a strong Jewish element.

What the Lord is Saying:

In keeping with the theme from the previous verse, Paul is speaking or having me focus on the fact that my future glory eclipses or has nothing to do with my current suffering. I don't think Paul is saying a Christian must suffer to be counted worthy or in order to be accepted by God, but suffering is a part of being a Christian and as Christ suffered (5:17) then we can expect to suffer as well.


Just yesterday a close friend of mine sent me a text that said, "My wife and I are really hurting." They are really suffering. Their oldest son last year set out for college after his high school graduation. Much to their liking, he ended up attending his parents alma mater.  During the summer he spent time taking classes at the community college so as to be able to enter college practically as a sophomore. He also had taken college level classes in high school to get ready for college. He had been an avid fan of his parents alma mater, going with his father many times to basketball games or college football games or bowl games his dad had gotten tickets for. My son, Tyson, and I had seen my friend, and his son at a game we attended last fall. By all signs he was loving his time at school and was engaged with college life and on his way.

I saw my friend and his son on their way to the Fiesta Bowl, a New Years Day bowl game in Phoenix they had gotten tickets for, in Albuquerque around New Years Eve. My sons friend and I had even started connecting on Twitter. Well, I got disconnected from my friend for most of 2014 and it wasn't until he was due to come into town a couple of weeks ago for an annual golf tournament for one of his insurance clients (which he asked me to join him playing in as I had played last year, but this year didn't because Tyson was coming home from Alaska the same day). But my friend called and mentioned his wife would be in town as well with them so we (my wife and I) and my friend and his wife grabbed a dessert at Flying Star one Wednesday evening. During this time, they let us know some surprising news. Unbeknownst to either of them, toward the end of last fall, their son, in his 1st semester (Fall) at college, at the end of November, stopped attending his classes and determined that college life was not for him. He didn't finish out the year and ended up getting no credit for his classes. He would not be returning to that school in the Spring. He didn't feel like he fit at that school, though his father was able to enroll him in a community college where his father had grown up and even get a full ride scholarship to this community college as well. His son also secured a job. 

Well, then, they learned something they didn't know previously. Their son had been visiting the casino's frequently and had a consistent gambling problem. He eventually dropped out of the community college as well and returned home. He would get another job, get laid off from that one. And continue going to the casino's. He also had a girlfriend, a year younger from him, that was attending another university now. He would see her often. He would come and go at his house and his parents would often not know where he was at for days. He enrolled himself in an online university, paying for it himself. He got another job, but my friend just let me know he just got fired from that job as well this past Tuesday, on the day of my friend's birthday.

Now, my friend is suffering. I really feel for him and am actively praying for him and his wife and their son. It breaks my heart to hear about it. I shared Romans 8:18 with him, even saying that he is experiencing suffering. I encouraged him to keep talking to God. My friend has been a deacon in his church and he and his wife have always been real involved, with his wife leading a bible study for women for many years.

And now I think of these verses today, on the heal of verse 18 and its thought that future glory doesn't compare with present suffering.

All of creation waits
Verse 19 is interesting because it mentions that creation waits. All people wait. Not just Christians, to which Paul has been addressing predominantly in this letter to Rome. People are waiting eagerly for an answer. Every one wants an answer. People choose answers to life they are often comfortable with. People are affected by the environments they grow up in, by the families they come into, by their peer groups.

And Paul specifically says that people wait for the "sons of God." Paul mentioned this in verse 14 to address those individuals who are being led by the Spirit as sons of God. And then this led into a conversation of being in the family of God, of being adopted and how man can now call God father. So Paul is saying that all of creation longs for this level of community or familiarity with the creator. There is passion in faith. This is clearly evident. People have a longing for truth. I see this everywhere. I hear of our missionaries in India that are around Hindu's that get so passionate throughout the year and engaged in their worship of different gods. There are regular Islamic people of faith and then there are radical people exerting out pain in others. Everywhere there is this passion. There is even a longing and passion and fervor of those that say there is no faith. They so badly want people to embrace their thinking. So Paul speaks the truth that there is an anxious longing in creation.

The Sons of God are not the sons of Adam which are the sons of disobedience or the sons of the father of lies in the world. People don't long to be wrong or to be in sin and to be distant from the answer. It is true many people are in this predicament or way of life, but what people long for is truth and to be aligned with truth. 

The other thing that is compelling about this verse is people are looking for sons of God that are of substance. People are God's representatives on this earth and other people are looking at the kind of lives the children of God are living. It is always amazing the admiration that is placed on the lives of Mormon's. Why is this? Because they so clearly stand out in the crowd. They have high morals and good works. They model their faith very well. They have great families. They are very appealing. The problem with many Christians is how much they look like the world. It seems at times that the way we act is no different from anyone else. We don't look any different or act any different. There should be a difference if we are truly sons of God.

Futility
In verse 20, it states, "For the creation was subjected to futility." Solomon often recorded these thoughts, that there is nothing new under the sun. All life is a repeat. Life at times does feel like a progressive act of futility or chasing after the wind.

When I see futility, I wonder why, but Paul clearly sets us straight and states that this is God's doing. We are meant to be dissatisfied with life. What does the Law do again? It exposes our sin and illuminates our sin. It shows us the need we have for a Savior. And all of life is constantly pointing us to that need for something greater. The problem with man is he tries so hard to find his fulfillment in himself or in his fellow man. But, at some point, he discovers this emptiness.

So, to what end? Hope.
We are being moved toward hope. I remember chapter 5 and Paul reminding us as new creatures, upon being justified, that we can now exult in our tribulations. And through that tribulation it produces hope. Verse 21 states, "in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." It is futile and slavery is a corrupted way of life. Wow, I wish people could see this and discover this.

My atheist friend, Derek, that I speak to, that lives in London. He so badly wants to show me that God is not real. He has that passion for truth. And yet he cannot see the futility. And the hook life has on him, taking him down the road of corruption. His pride is exalted. He thinks I am burdened. I want him so badly to understand the freedom in Christ I have. I have the hope and freedom of the glory (of God).

But life is painful
In verse 22, Paul reiterates (as is his custom) "For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now." The Fall came in the garden. As Paul so clearly pointed out in Chapter 5, verses 12-21, in Adam man sinned and death spread to all. The Fall produced pain in childbirth. It's incomprehensible to think that bearing children possibly would not have produced pain. But, the whole world groans and suffers.

I'm constantly amazed at how often the question is asked, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" I think of a different question: "Why do good thinks happen to bad people?" We are all basically bad, darkened by sin, and none of deserve anything good. It's only by God's grace and mercy that good enters our life. This world groans and suffers, so why are we surprised when it happens to us?

Promise: Tabletalk, June 24, 2014, "One day, the suffering will be over, and this is a day for which even the earth hopes."

Romans 8:14-15 - The Spirit of Adoption

Romans 8:14-15 - 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

Message: The Spirit of Adoption

Time: This book was probably written between 56 and 57 B.C. Paul was in Greece, probably Corinth when he wrote. It was sent to Gentile believers, but also believers with a strong Jewish element.

What the Lord is Saying:

Reviewing
The book of Romans is a treatise on getting the gospel right. Romans 1 begins with Paul clearly putting forth that he is all about the gospel and he affirms the church in Rome for also being about the gospel. This is the tone and message that sets forth his communication. He begins with the problem of sin in 1:18 to 3:20 focusing on the Gentile and the Jew. And then the Gospel is ushered in 3:21 and the righteousness of Christ is communicated as well as the immediate results of being imputed with God's righteousness through chapter 5. And now we are at the tale end of sanctification (chapters 6-8) or how are we to live now that we are in Christ. Throughout this discussion of sanctification, Paul I believe wants to reiterate that God sees us differently now that we are justified. I am no longer in Adam, but in Christ and that is not because of me, but because of what Christ has done for me and all that I have done is believed and agreed with God's hand of providence in my life.

I believe from God's perspective, being justified immediately takes me to glorification. This is what the thief on the cross experienced (i.e. "Today you will be with me in paradise.). But, as I remain in this world, I grow in holiness. But, who I am in Christ never changes in that process of being sanctified.

That's hard to comprehend if we dwell on it, but I don't think I am to dwell on that. I am to accept God and His word for what it is and let the Spirit guide me.

Sons of God
Here is a promise in verse 14 that being led by the Spirit means I am a son of God. I remember that song we often sang in church as we assembled together for some function (another one of those great songs by Bill and Gloria Gaither):

I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God
I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod;
For I'm part of the family, the family of God.

It is an amazing thought that in Christ we become a family member of God's. People everywhere often state, "the most important thing in life is family." I hear this often in my job. One of my co-workers brother died suddenly last year. Did he die a great death? No. Did he put himself in a bad situation? Probably. But, you know, for her it was her brother and it didn't matter. It was her brother; her family member. And he died. There is nothing more important than family. And God wants us to know that we are now in the family of God.

Not spirit of slavery, but adopted children
We are not just members of the family of God, we are God's children and we can call God, Abba Father. We begin life with one association and then we are adopted, and our association changes. We have a different belonging that never changes. I've watched several movies and the thrill a child experiences living in an orphan, becoming adopted, being told they are wanted is an incredible picture that we have in Christ. We are wanted and valued. He wants us in His family.

Promise: I'm a member of God's family.

Romans 6:22-23 - The Wages of Sin vs. The Gift of Life

Romans 6:22-23 - 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Message: Eternal life is a gift

Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.

What the Lord is Saying:

A Review of Romans
I can't help but take a moment and review where I have come from in this study. Paul began Romans talking about the Gospel and that is his central message. He is all bout the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the church of Rome is about this as well. In the 2nd half of Romans 1 Paul instructs the church that some reject God by making their own god, serving themselves rather than the revealed creator.

Romans 2 looks at God's judgment of man and it is impartial. Specifically, toward the Jewish person, holding on to the law, instructing it, having circumcision, being Jewish, this spiritual identities doesn't give a person a free pass in order to exempt them from God's wrath.

Romans 3 answers the why question for this. Because everyone is a sinner. It is our unrighteousness that brings us to the righteousness of God. And Paul reveals this further at the end of Romans which culminates with the Gospel message. God's righteousness is imputed or credited to a person through their belief in God. But belief doesn't then earn a person grace. Faith is in accordance with grace. God justifies the sinner. Never does the sinner boast in anything but Christ. Never in themselves.

And this act of God crediting people as righteous is not a new thing. It was evident in Abraham and David. This is the focus of Romans 4. Righteousness comes to the believer because of their faith in God and His substitutionary death. God makes a way for man through a promise not through a ritual such as circumcision or obeying he Law.

The result is the peace of God in the life of the believer. And hope. And we get to experience tribulations or trials. These are good things to confirm our faith and give us hope for the future. Later in Romans 5 we can see the clarity that we were in Adam and therefore our life would end in death, but through faith we are now in Christ. In Adam, helpless; In Christ, completely secure. Adam and Christ have similarity. Adam's sin resulted in condemnation for all. Christ's dying for sin resulted in justification for all.

So, now, Romans 6, what does it now mean for the believer that sin has been paid for on the cross. How should we then live? This chapter confirms that our life is no longer about sin, in any degree, for we are freed from sin. God no longer sees us as sinners and so our lives should be lived apart from sin. Our problem is we mess up, but God wants us to know that He sees us free from this sin and so our lives should be lived focusing on the instruments of righteousness.

Freedom from Sin equals Eternal Life
The focus through most of this chapter has been on the believer's response to being free from sin. The believer wondered if sin really could not any longer be a part of their life. Is is possible that sinning is good for grace? Is it possible that being freed from the law means that a person can still sin once or twice without it being a big deal? But, Paul clearly lets the Christian know that having been freed from sin we no longer really have a desire for sin because our life is now about being righteous. One cannot try to have both lives. Sin has been crucified. Sin is dead in our life, so don't give into it ever again. We are freed from sin, and thus a slave to righteousness not a slave to sin.

To be freed from sin means eternal life is ours. Verse 22 could be misunderstood in thinking that when we are moved to righteousness and live free from sin that we inherit eternal life. Eternal life however is not earned, but is a gift (verse 23). By believing in God our ownership is now in heaven and that can't change. The sinner should no longer desire to sin. After being justified and credited with righteousness our life is about being sanctified. We are obedient Eternal life is what we receive by being in Christ. In Adam, death was our outcome. In Christ, eternal life is our outcome. This is the point of verse 23. And this concludes Romans 6. 


Promise: By faith, God credits us with righteousness, frees us from sin, changes our life to focus on living righteous lives and we can look forward to eternal life.

Romans 6:20-21 - Slavery to Sin and Its Fruit

Romans 6:20-21 - 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.

Message: Black and White in a Grey World

Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.

What the Lord is Saying:

Comparing slaves
A slave is one who surrendered wholly to another person's will and thus disregarded his own interest. Paul here places man in an either/or state. Either we are a slave to sin or we are a slave to righteousness. It is black and white. The person in Christ is freed from sin. The person in Adam is a slave to sin. There are stark contrasts between these two individuals. Here in verse 20 and 21 Paul speaks more clearly of the person who is in Adam. In Christ we are free from sin. In Adam we are free from righteousness.

Ashamed of my life in Adam
And in verse 22, I am hit with the reality that there is no benefit to be derived from being a slave to sin because the reality is i am now ashamed to live this sort of life. And the result of this sort of life is death. The last time I saw the word ashamed was in Romans 1:16 with "I am not ashamed of the gospel." To be ashamed is the means to experience a painful feeling or sense of loss of status because of some particular event or activity. In Romans 1:16, now that I am in Christ I don't then live and then not preach the gospel. I don't result in having these truths and then acting like I am living in a painful feeling or sense of loss status. I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is interesting that he would use those words. So, if a person is ashamed, how can they really call themselves a Christian?

The opposite of being not ashamed is being ashamed. So, now that I am in Christ. I am, in relation to my old life, my old self, ashamed or experiencing a painful feeling or sense of loss of status of being in Adam. I have great sorrow for seeing now that I lived that life.

Seeing the difference
The hard part in this is people don't live in black or white, either or or. But, instead people live in each. People take from both. At times looking in Christ and times looking in Adam.

And so what separates the two. Is it simply a realization and commitment to be in Christ versus not. The in Christ person is ashamed of the life he was living in Adam. And this person wants to live not ashamed of the gospel. 

What is my roll in this God? My life is still black and white and gray. So, when I see people that are also living gray and yet acknowledging black and white, what words do I say to them? Do you just want time to live my life so clearly that they can see a difference in me?  Why do people continue to do things that are harmful to themselves? It is my job to point it out? I think of my friend who curses. Does he hear himself? Or my friend who destroys their body by smoking? Does this person see it? Are they wrestling? Or are they not?

Promise: God has bought us with the blood of Christ. We serve Him. We are made to be servants. I am either a slave of righteousness or not a slave of righteousness. There is middle ground. God hates the middle.

Romans 6:16-19 - Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:16-19 - 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

Message: It should be that we can't help it, as a follower of Christ, to be a slave of righteousness and in turn reach sanctification.

Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.

What the Lord is Saying:

Background
From 6, verse 15-23, is the Believer's Death to Sin in Practice. Yesterday, the question was asked, now that a person is under law, can they ever sin, even if it is just once or twice. Earlier in chapter 6, it was clearly stated that sin is dead from the perspective of God through Christ and I am made alive in Christ. And so the person in Christ needs to realize that we are complete in Christ and our biggest obstacle in life is when we live outside of this condition.

No matter whom you serve, you are a slave
Whether we serve sin or serve obedience, we are a slave (verse 16). I can be a slave of sin or of obedience. At times, in my life, specifically when I was growing up, I struggled with those people that were, so-called goody too shoes. Maybe what I disliked is the confidence they had in doing things well, like school work. They seemed to take great pride in its accomplishment and were good at it. And I struggled because I was not good at it. So, I found myself poking fun at their studious behavior. I remember one summer when the quest was to read books. I had read like 3 books that summer and felt very accomplished only to found out the boy across the street had read an unbelievable amount. I thought it was somewhere in the 70's or even 100. My jaw dropped and I just assumed it was a ruse. Yet, he was good at being a slave of education and learning. 

Thanks to God, we are slaves of obedience
Something interesting has happened as I make a commitment to follow Christ. I become a slave of righteousness. The questions that are asked in this chapter, verse 1 and verse 15, are in essence completely contrary to what a Christian or Christ follower or regenerate sinner would ask. Why? Because in Christ (verse 17 and 18)we have been freed from sin and have become slaves of righteousness.

This is something I struggle with at times. I see Christians or proclaimed Christians in my life that don't seem to have a complete life change. There are changes in principle but not always in practice. They still retain their old life in some shape or form. Perhaps it is a foul mouth. Or perhaps there is no desire for corporate worship or church. Perhaps there is a thirst for alcohol (which in our country equates to a lifestyle contrary to the cross). Or there is little thirst for Bible reading, but more interest in just self-improvement. Yet, here in these verses, it is clear. I have been freed from sin. I became a slave to righteousness. This doesn't mean I always am righteous but I am in turmoil when I'm not living in a righteous manner. I think this is the Christian. The follower or true worshiper really has a tension with sin. And not just because it reaps poor dividends in life. The true worshiper doesn't want to displease God any longer.

There is a goal: sanctification
Verse 19 reminds us that these aren't just things we do, righteous living or sin living. But, they are resulting in a transformed life. If we are a slave to the flesh, then impurity and lawlessness will result. The purpose of the Christian is to follow Christ all the days of his or her life and thus move towards Christ likeness. This is who we are in Christ.

Promise: By being in Christ, God frees us from sin and we become slaves of righteousness.

Romans 6:5-7 - United to Christ

Romans 6:5-7 - 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

Message: United with Him in His death, United with Him in His resurrection means I no longer should be a slave to sin.

Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.

What the Lord is Saying:

Background
In the Open Bible, Chapter 6, verses 1-14 is called, "Believer's Death to Sin in Principle." And then verses 15-23 is "Believer's Death to Sin in Practice." Thus, a corner has been turned, and building off of the verse 20 of chapter 5, Paul now approaches what it means to the individual Christian's life for sin to be crucified.

First we saw the natural question of whether sin increases because when the Law came it increased lawlessness or rather it increased the knowledge of lawlessness. Before the Law, sin was known, but with the Law the standard is more clearly realized and sin has now a name to it.

But, sin is still sin and it reminds us that with it we are helpless (5:6) before God. Christ has died for us because of the sin in our life. And now that we are in Christ, we must become removed from being in Adam.

Paul then shows me the picture of baptism in verses 3 and 4. Baptism is the perfect picture of putting to death sin in my life and then rising up to walk in a new life.

United with Christ
And now in verse 5 is the statement which clarifies the beginning of verse 4 which stated, "we have been buried with Him through baptism into death." In verse 5 it says, "We have become united with Him in the likeness of His death." This may be the first use of the word united but its meaning was known in the previous chapters. We are united with Adam in his sin. We are united with Christ in being justified. So, we are united with Him in his death. And just as unity with Adam resulted in death to all people so also in being united in Christ's death, we are also united in Christ's resurrection.

Sin was crucified on the cross
By being united with Christ in his death, our sin life, the sin that Jesus was with Him on the cross, was put to death. This represents our old self or our "In Adam" self. Genesis is a great picture of the contrast between the promises God laid out to Adam in the garden versus the consequential promises God laid out to Adam after the fall. Everything changed for Adam when he sinned. And in the same manner, everything changes for us when we believe in Christ. Nothing can or should be the same again. The life of the believer in Christ should see a big change.

Free from sin
I am no longer to be a slave to sin. This also is new terminology here in chapter 6. My unity with Christ means that sin should no longer be a slave in my life: "For he who has died is freed from sin (verse 7)." This reminds me of the great Daniel Band song, "Free from sin."

And I don't care what you might say
I'm going to live for Him every day
I heard the message, I took it in
That's why I'm living free from sin

(1) Our old self was crucified; (2) our body of sin might be done away with; (3) we should/would no longer be slaves to sin. 

This is the reality of the picture of the person in Adam. That person is a slave to sin, but in Christ, I no longer need to be or rather, should be a slave to sin for I am free from sin.

This is not the practice of my life. This is the principle. This is the reality. It isn't the feeling that I am free from sin, but rather the reality that I am free from sin.

Note: My bible is a NASB circa 1975 and in that version verse 6 is "should no longer be slaves to sin." In the 1995 version it is now "would no longer be slaves to sin." But, in verse 7 the past tense is clear, "freed." It is done. It is over. We are free from sin. Our future state should no longer be about serving sin.

The believing Christian's sin has been crucified. There is a clear contrast from Paul in Romans. To be justified means that the way God sees me has changed. I have been declared righteous. But, this doesn't mean that I live in a righteous way all the time.

Galatians 2:20 puts a further emphasis on this. "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." I still live life in the flesh. I am still susceptible to living a life of sin. But, now I live by faith. Sin is all around me, but I life by faith.

The problem with this statement I think in life is that it is contrary to the way we think about other situations in life, to a point. When a baby is born in a family, will anything that that person does in their life ever change their being a part of that family. No. Could this be why God used "born again" to communicate our new life in Christ? Many people however think that when we start a job or start a life in Christ, if we decide to quit that job then we are no longer in Christ. I must hold onto scripture and what it says and it says my life has been crucified.

It is a done deal.

Promise: Sin is no longer my master.

Romans 1:1 - Paul's Magnum Opus

Romans 1:1 - "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ, called as an apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God,"

Message: A convert of Christianity, a Pharisee, explains the Gospel of God and speaks of the true and complete message of Jesus Christ.

Time: Romans written sometime in AD 57-58, probably from Corinth, at the end of the third missionary journey. Paul was on his way to deliver monies collected from the Gentile churches to the Jewish church in Jerusalem. After Jerusalem, Paul wanted to stop in Rome to meet the church there before going on to preach the gospel in Spain. This letter is written to the Romans to introduce himself to the church there and to explain the message he preached throughout the world.

What the Lord is Saying:

Paul, is a bond-servant of Christ, as I am likewise. In Galatians 1:10, Paul says, "Am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." Paul is speaking almost 30 years after the death of Christ on the cross and yet Paul is speaking as if Jesus is present at the same time he is. Bond-servant is the word doulos which means slave.

"God, it doesn’t matter what You tell me to do, I am willing to be submissive to Your will."

Paul is called as an apostle. I am not an Apostle in the official sense, but I am still a called one. I have been called by God.

Paul has been set apart for the Gospel of God. There is a special distinction on Paul's life. His calling is different from others. His mission is to preach the gospel. So, he is a slave, he is called an apostle, but his special purpose is to preach the Gospel of God. As this book begins, we must realize what it is, the Gospel in the truest sense.

Promise: We are people with a mission - to share the Gospel of God.

Hebrews 2:15

and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
(Hebrews 2:15 ESV)

Jesus frees us from the fear of death, from death, from a lifelong fear of not knowing freedom, not knowing comfort, not knowing peace. Why? Because God is our friend and our protector. And everywhere we are under the protection of our Savior.