I Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
Message: Are We Born Free?
Time: Four years prior to writing the letter we know as 1 Corinthians, the apostle had spent eighteen months in Corinth, so he was intimately familiar with the church and many of its congregants. Paul penned his letter in AD 55, just as he was planning to leave Ephesus for Macedonia. Paul made it clear that he was willing to risk the good opinion of some in order to help cleanse the sin that tainted the church.
What the Lord is Saying:
This lesson raises an interesting question that has been debated over the years, namely whether man is born a sinner or born free. In this lesson, I will follow the lesson given by RC Sproul and his series Willing to Believe and the 3rd lesson Are We Born Free?.
Man is born a sinner
In I Corinthians 15:22, it states very simply that in Adam (due to his sin) all die, and coversely in Christ all will be made alive. On both fronts mankind is not the beginning of sin nor the end of sin - meaning it is through two men. We become part of sin by Adam sinning and we can be clear of sin through Jesus. Thus, after Adam sins, mankind is now a sinner. The secret to me was being in the garden. Once he is thrown out of the garden, he loses his goodness. And then only in Christ can we be made alive again.
Man is born with a good nature
Rather, mankind believes man's nature is fine or good. Therefore, life is about improvement and attainment and making our lives more comfortable, more safe, more contented, and eventually more entertained and pleasurable. And we think we are the one's that make this happen.
Pelagius
There was a British monk names Pelagius who lived 354-420. He was very concerned about moral laxity in the church. Pelagius was from the British Isles and he traveled and lived in Rome (Italy). He was concerned about the cavalier attitude among the Christians and the Clergy in the City. He was zealous for the achievement of righteousness. Thus, he was similar in a way to Pharisees and like the Puritans of today. Their motives were to restore the covenant of truth. Eventually the Pharisees became self-righteous and this is similar to the thinking of Pelagius.
What provoked Pelagius was a response to Saint Augustine's prayer - "O God, grant what thou commandest and command what thou thus desires." Pelagius was fine with the last part of this prayer, but not the first. The problem he had was Augustine saying 'grant' or give me the gift or help me or provide me the grace to be able to do what you command. Augustine believed man is unable to obey the commands of God unless God grants him grace. But Pelagius thought that whatever God commands is an obligation for man to obey.
He thought that man is just and God only commands us to do something we are able to do. But Augustine thought that the effects of the fall meant we lost our power to complete obedience. Adam had it in creation, but Adam fell and with his fall the entire race fell and so now we are born with a sin nature and we are no longer morally able to obey the law of God perfectly. Thus, in light of the fall we need grace whereby God forgives us. Pelagius thought that Adam was created good. He had the freedom or power to obey or disobey - to do good or evil. When he chose to do evil, that choice did not change his nature. Thus, every person is born in the same condition that Adam was born into. Thus, sinning changed our nature. Rather than Augustine saying that we are born sinners. Thus, according to Pelagius man can do good or evil. Sin affects man, but not at the core. A Gallup Poll among evangelicals responded that 2/3rds believe they are basically good.
Thus, when Adam sinned, Pelagius thought nothing was transferred onto the human race.
Pelagius was not opposed to grace and there is nothing wrong with praying for grace, but grace facilitates obedience or righteousness. Thus, with the help of grace it is easier to live a live of moral perfection. It helps, but it is not required.
He went on to argue that some people can live perfect lives and many have lived this way without the benefit of grace. Paul says, "There is none righteous, no not one." Instead many are righteous is what Pelagius thought.
What is at stake here is the entire concept of our salvation. With Pelagius grace is not completely essential. It paves the way to legalism in which man can be righteous in and of themselves. Thus, self-righteousness. Thus, it makes us wonder the need even of Jesus and being declared just by Him. Thus, we are justified by our own righteousness and our own free will. Thus, the chief way that Christ works is providing us an example of how to live. Jesus shows us the right way to achieve righteousness.
But before we can be saved, we first must understand our need for salvation and we must understand we are debtors that cannot pay the debt. But, Pelagius says we can pay the debt. Augustine saw this as a heresy. Thus, is grace a prerequisite for salvation or an aid?
Promise: We must have a strong, biblical doctrine of sin otherwise our view of ourselves will be stronger than it should be. Only in Christ can we obey, but many think like Pelagius that God only puts forth a command if he thinks his people can do it. But as sinners we cannot do obedience apart from Him and therefore he is just to condemn us.
Prayer: Lord, there is a fine line in this discussion between truth and lie. There remains a tendency in people to believe they are good and that You are simply the conductor telling them what to do and then sitting back to see what will happen. God you are holy and I am not. I can only be holy with your aid and you working through me. Help me to champion this message. Help me to focus n this truth in my life.
Monday, June 24, 2019
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
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.
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.
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Jesus Calling - 366 Days
January 1 February 1 March 1
January 2 February 2 March 2
January 3 February 3 March 3
January 4 February 4 March 4
January 5 February 5 March 5
January 6 February 6 March 6
January 7 February 7 March 7
January 8 February 8 March 8
January 9 February 9 March 9
January 10 February 10 March 10
January 11 February 11 March 11
January 12 February 12 March 12
January 13 February 13 March 13
January 14 February 14 March 14
January 15 February 15 March 15
January 16 February 16 March 16
January 17 February 17 March 17
January 18 February 18 March 18
January 19 February 19 March 19
January 20 February 20 March 20
January 21 February 21 March 21
January 22 February 22 March 22
January 23 February 23 March 23
January 24 February 24 March 24
January 25 February 25 March 25
January 26 February 26 March 26
January 27 February 27 March 27
January 28 February 28 March 28
January 29 February 29 March 29
January 30 March 30
January 31 March 31
April 1 May 1 June 1
April 2 May 2 June 2
April 3 May 3 June 3
April 4 May 4 June 4
April 5 May 5 June 5
April 6 May 6 June 6
April 7 May 7 June 7
April 8 May 8 June 8
April 9 May 9 June 9
April 10 May 10 June 10
April 11 May 11 June 11
July 4 August 4 September 4
July 5 August 5 September 5
July 6 August 6 September 6
July 7 August 7 September 7
July 8 August 8 September 8
July 9 August 9 September 9
July 10 August 10 September 10
July 11 August 11 September 11
July 12 August 12 September 12
July 13 August 13 September 13
July 14 August 14 September 14
July 15 August 15 September 15
July 16 August 16 September 16
July 17 August 17 September 17
July 18 August 18 September 18
July 19 August 19 September 19
July 20 August 20 September 20
July 21 August 21 September 21
July 22 August 22 September 22
July 23 August 23 September 23
July 24 August 24 September 24
July 25 August 25 September 25
July 26 August 26 September 26
July 27 August 27 September 27
July 28 August 28 September 28
July 29 August 29 September 29
July 30 August 30 September 30
July 31 August 31
October 1 November 1 December 1
October 2 November 2 December 2
October 3 November 3 December 3
October 4 November 4 December 4
October 5 November 5 December 5
October 6 November 6 December 6
October 7 November 7 December 7
October 8 November 8 December 8
October 9 November 9 December 9
October 10 November 10 December 10
October 11 November 11 December 11
October 12 November 12 December 12
October 13 November 13 December 13
October 14 November 14 December 14
October 15 November 15 December 15
October 16 November 16 December 16
October 17 November 17 December 17
October 18 November 18 December 18
October 19 November 19 December 19
October 20 November 20 December 20
October 21 November 21 December 21
October 22 November 22 December 22
October 23 November 23 December 23
October 24 November 24 December 24
October 25 November 25 December 25
October 26 November 26 December 26
October 27 November 27 December 27
October 28 November 28 December 28
October 29 November 29 December 29
October 30 November 30 December 30
October 31 December 31
January 2 February 2 March 2
January 3 February 3 March 3
January 4 February 4 March 4
January 5 February 5 March 5
January 6 February 6 March 6
January 7 February 7 March 7
January 8 February 8 March 8
January 9 February 9 March 9
January 10 February 10 March 10
January 11 February 11 March 11
January 12 February 12 March 12
January 13 February 13 March 13
January 14 February 14 March 14
January 15 February 15 March 15
January 16 February 16 March 16
January 17 February 17 March 17
January 18 February 18 March 18
January 19 February 19 March 19
January 20 February 20 March 20
January 21 February 21 March 21
January 22 February 22 March 22
January 23 February 23 March 23
January 24 February 24 March 24
January 25 February 25 March 25
January 26 February 26 March 26
January 27 February 27 March 27
January 28 February 28 March 28
January 29 February 29 March 29
January 30 March 30
January 31 March 31
April 1 May 1 June 1
April 2 May 2 June 2
April 3 May 3 June 3
April 4 May 4 June 4
April 5 May 5 June 5
April 6 May 6 June 6
April 7 May 7 June 7
April 8 May 8 June 8
April 9 May 9 June 9
April 10 May 10 June 10
April 11 May 11 June 11
July 5 August 5 September 5
July 6 August 6 September 6
July 7 August 7 September 7
July 8 August 8 September 8
July 9 August 9 September 9
July 10 August 10 September 10
July 11 August 11 September 11
July 12 August 12 September 12
July 13 August 13 September 13
July 14 August 14 September 14
July 15 August 15 September 15
July 16 August 16 September 16
July 17 August 17 September 17
July 18 August 18 September 18
July 19 August 19 September 19
July 20 August 20 September 20
July 21 August 21 September 21
July 22 August 22 September 22
July 23 August 23 September 23
July 24 August 24 September 24
July 25 August 25 September 25
July 26 August 26 September 26
July 27 August 27 September 27
July 28 August 28 September 28
July 29 August 29 September 29
July 30 August 30 September 30
July 31 August 31
October 1 November 1 December 1
October 2 November 2 December 2
October 3 November 3 December 3
October 4 November 4 December 4
October 5 November 5 December 5
October 6 November 6 December 6
October 7 November 7 December 7
October 8 November 8 December 8
October 9 November 9 December 9
October 10 November 10 December 10
October 11 November 11 December 11
October 12 November 12 December 12
October 13 November 13 December 13
October 14 November 14 December 14
October 15 November 15 December 15
October 16 November 16 December 16
October 17 November 17 December 17
October 18 November 18 December 18
October 19 November 19 December 19
October 20 November 20 December 20
October 21 November 21 December 21
October 22 November 22 December 22
October 23 November 23 December 23
October 24 November 24 December 24
October 25 November 25 December 25
October 26 November 26 December 26
October 27 November 27 December 27
October 28 November 28 December 28
October 29 November 29 December 29
October 30 November 30 December 30
October 31 December 31
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.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Titus 3:4-7 - The Grace of Justification
Titus 3:4-7
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Message: The Grace of Justification
Time: Paul is the self-identified writer of Titus. Paul wrote his letter to Titus from Nicopolis in AD 63, after the apostle’s release from his first Roman imprisonment. The doctrine of the incarnation in the letter to Titus grounds its message of producing right living through the careful attention to theological truth.
What the Lord is Saying:
Man's condition is fallen. The plumbline of man's condition is therefore bent on not pleasing God, but rather pleasing self. This is the norm of man. Man may try in his lifetime to better himself in all manners of ways but in the end he remains a sinner. That God chooses us to be redeemed or set free from this fallen condition is something God does for His reason not because of some special way He sees in us. God is the potter and we are lumps of clay and He forms us out of his desire, not because he sees something unique in the clay. Others he does not call and instead leaves them to pursue the life they lead that is not pleasing to God. Their hearts are hardened towards God, separated, against God. God gives His called ones the gifts of faith and repentance. Since all of this is God's doing, when He makes us free it is as if our position in heaven is a done deal. He seats us in the heavenly places not in the future, but as of today. So, this redemption does not come and go. It cannot be lost.
It cannot be overstated that faith plus anything is not grace. In Paul's letters to the Galatians he spends that entire book confronting the doctrine that is misleading many people and that is that man shares in the making of oneself brand new, that our good deeds yield this salvation, along with Jesus dying on the cross. But this is impossible. Once again, the fallen condition of man is incapable of becoming the righteousness of God.
Titus 3:7 says being justified by His grace meaning justification is entirely grace. He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy.
Paul to Titus takes a moment to explain what this looks like in the life of a believer. He says is seen through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word here for washing is laver. A laver is a basin or a pan for cooking; it is the sacred wash-bowl of the temple and tabernacle. It contained water wherewith the priests washed their hands and feet when they entered the tabernacle. In the temple there were ten lavers used for the sacrifices. In the Greek this passage is rendered the laver of regeneration. Thus, baptism shows to us, to all, the change that has taken place. The person is made clean. Our strength to be look more and more like Christ each day comes about through the renewing by the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 4:16 says - Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
I do not think in my life I properly give credit to the Holy Spirit for being the one that renews my life every day. But, the believer has the Holy Spirit renewing their life day by day. New things have come. The change in a believer's life is evident because of the work of the Holy Spirit in that person's life.
And following this rebirth, the regeneration, this saving by grace is the hope that we will spend eternity with God. being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. His grace means permits us to hope that we shall live with him forever. An heir does not earn eternal life. An heir receives because of the choosing of the one that is in charge. Paul once again, asserts through talking of eternal life that it is not of our own doing. It is entirely of God. We are made heirs.
Promise: This word of God is so beautiful for it asserts over and over that our salvation is by grace. It is seen through baptism, the outward sign of our regeneration and then the Holy Spirit renews us day by day. And our future hope is secured because God has made us heirs not owners but heirs of eternal life. We completely honor the Lord Jesus Christ in upholding justification by grace alone.
Prayer: O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. I declare that God is great, not man. I am saved by your grace. I am made new not because of me, but because of You. Day by day you are renewing me Holy Spirit. Thank you for the promise that I too am a heir of eternal life. God you are so good, even calling you good sounds trite but it is the best my words can come up with. How great you are God. How Great You Are.
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.
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Message: The Grace of Justification
Time: Paul is the self-identified writer of Titus. Paul wrote his letter to Titus from Nicopolis in AD 63, after the apostle’s release from his first Roman imprisonment. The doctrine of the incarnation in the letter to Titus grounds its message of producing right living through the careful attention to theological truth.
What the Lord is Saying:
Man's condition is fallen. The plumbline of man's condition is therefore bent on not pleasing God, but rather pleasing self. This is the norm of man. Man may try in his lifetime to better himself in all manners of ways but in the end he remains a sinner. That God chooses us to be redeemed or set free from this fallen condition is something God does for His reason not because of some special way He sees in us. God is the potter and we are lumps of clay and He forms us out of his desire, not because he sees something unique in the clay. Others he does not call and instead leaves them to pursue the life they lead that is not pleasing to God. Their hearts are hardened towards God, separated, against God. God gives His called ones the gifts of faith and repentance. Since all of this is God's doing, when He makes us free it is as if our position in heaven is a done deal. He seats us in the heavenly places not in the future, but as of today. So, this redemption does not come and go. It cannot be lost.
It cannot be overstated that faith plus anything is not grace. In Paul's letters to the Galatians he spends that entire book confronting the doctrine that is misleading many people and that is that man shares in the making of oneself brand new, that our good deeds yield this salvation, along with Jesus dying on the cross. But this is impossible. Once again, the fallen condition of man is incapable of becoming the righteousness of God.
Titus 3:7 says being justified by His grace meaning justification is entirely grace. He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy.
Paul to Titus takes a moment to explain what this looks like in the life of a believer. He says is seen through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word here for washing is laver. A laver is a basin or a pan for cooking; it is the sacred wash-bowl of the temple and tabernacle. It contained water wherewith the priests washed their hands and feet when they entered the tabernacle. In the temple there were ten lavers used for the sacrifices. In the Greek this passage is rendered the laver of regeneration. Thus, baptism shows to us, to all, the change that has taken place. The person is made clean. Our strength to be look more and more like Christ each day comes about through the renewing by the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 4:16 says - Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
I do not think in my life I properly give credit to the Holy Spirit for being the one that renews my life every day. But, the believer has the Holy Spirit renewing their life day by day. New things have come. The change in a believer's life is evident because of the work of the Holy Spirit in that person's life.
And following this rebirth, the regeneration, this saving by grace is the hope that we will spend eternity with God. being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. His grace means permits us to hope that we shall live with him forever. An heir does not earn eternal life. An heir receives because of the choosing of the one that is in charge. Paul once again, asserts through talking of eternal life that it is not of our own doing. It is entirely of God. We are made heirs.
Promise: This word of God is so beautiful for it asserts over and over that our salvation is by grace. It is seen through baptism, the outward sign of our regeneration and then the Holy Spirit renews us day by day. And our future hope is secured because God has made us heirs not owners but heirs of eternal life. We completely honor the Lord Jesus Christ in upholding justification by grace alone.
Prayer: O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. I declare that God is great, not man. I am saved by your grace. I am made new not because of me, but because of You. Day by day you are renewing me Holy Spirit. Thank you for the promise that I too am a heir of eternal life. God you are so good, even calling you good sounds trite but it is the best my words can come up with. How great you are God. How Great You Are.
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.
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