Day 90 - Revelation 20-22

Today, we come to the final 3 chapters of the New Testament. In many ways this really is the climax to the entire Bible! These are some of my favorite chapters. I always enjoy reading them.

Chapter 20 describes the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ. What a glorious time that will be! This will be the only time in the history of the world where Satan will be bound and Christ will reign as the physical Sovereign of the world. Those of us who know Him as Savior will have the privilege of reigning under His ultimate rule. After this 1000-year reign, Satan will be released to lead one final rebellion against God, and this time his defeat will be full and final (vs9-10). After this comes what is really a chilling statement. All of the wicked dead will be raised and will face God as their ultimate Judge. He will judge them according to their works and will condemn them to eternal damnation in the lake of fire. The thing about this that is so ironic is that so many people today are trying to work their way to heaven, and it is those very works by which they will be condemned!

Chapter 21 gives us the description of the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city. This is where the redeemed will spend eternity engaged in the worship of God. It truly will be a glorious place. Gems and precious metals will abound. One interesting thing to note in this description is the absence of many things: sea (vs1) - this was a terrifying place for those in the first century, for many people lost their lives on the sea during sever storms; tears, death and pain (vs4) - certainly none of us will miss these; sinners (vs8); temple (vs22) - there is no need of this because God's presence will be manifest all around; sun and moon (vs23) - God is the light!; night (vs25) - how can there be darkness in the presence of God?!; uncleanness (vs26) - God is a God of purity!

Chapter 22 continues the description of the heavenly city by detailing the presence of the river of life and the tree of life. Then, the best part comes! Verse 4 contains the reason that heaven will be heaven. This is the reason that I long for heaven. All of the streets of gold and the gates of pearl and the foundations of precious stones will be wonderful, but they will all pale in comparison to the experience of seeing the face of God for the first time! This is why heaven is precious--we will see His face!

The book closes with a promise that Jesus is coming soon. Some might question whether that is true or not due the fact that it's been nearly 2,000 years since the writing of this book. It is times like this that we must remember that to God a day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years is as a day (2Peter 3:8). So, in a sense, to God it hasn't even been two days since this has been written! This book also closes with an invitation to come. I add my invitation as well. Dear reader, if you have yet to turn from your sin and trust wholly in Jesus Christ and what He did for you on the cross of Calvary, then come today to Jesus Christ! In Him you will find the satisfaction that your soul desires. Come to Jesus Christ!

Day 89 - Revelation 18-19

The recording of the future ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ continues in these chapters. In chapter 18, Babylon has been defeated. As with the beast and the prostitute in the previous chapter, the identification of "Babylon" is up for debate. The truly important point to understand here is that Babylon has been overthrown and this destruction was in direct relation to its sinfulness (vs3-5). This serves as a good reminder that sin will ultimately lead to destruction, whether on a national or personal level. Let us heed the warning given to us in vs4 - "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues."

Chapter 19 gives us another glimpse into the heavenly scene, and once again we see exuberant worship directed toward God. As I write this blog post, it is Saturday night. Tomorrow, I will engage in a foretaste of this heavenly worship as I gather together with other believers to worship God. Every Sunday that we gather to worship we are preparing ourselves for the activity with which we will occupy ourselves for all of eternity. The worship on this side of heaven can be wonderful, but oh for the day that we experience the worship in Heaven!

Day 88 - Revelation 16-17

The scene now shifts back to the pouring out of the wrath of God in judgment upon the earth. This judgment is extremely harsh, yet it is just (16:5-7). The purpose of this judgment is not to rehabilitate the wrongdoers nor is it to educate them (as is the case with some forms of human punishment), but rather it is retributive in nature. The key phrase that leads to this conclusion comes at the end of 16:9,11 - they did not repent. For believers, it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (cf. Rom. 2:4), but here for unbelievers, even the harshness of God does not lead to repentance. How hard the unregenerate human heart must be! It is for this very reason that we understand that the regenerating work in the heart of any man must be wholly the work of God. It is a miracle!

Chapter 17 begins the discussion of the great prostitute and the beast. Many people throughout the history of the church have tried to identify what these symbols represent. I will not attempt to do so. I'm not sure that anyone can correctly identify them with certainty. There is one thing, however, that is certain. Even though both the prostitute and beast are powerful, they are no match for the Lamb (vs14). He conquers them! What an image that presents! We tend to think of lambs as weak and dumb, but not this Lamb. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is a keen and mighty warrior who vanquishes all of His foes! Try as you might to get to all of the specifics about who the kings are in this chapter and who the prostitute is, the main point is that no matter who these people are, Jesus Christ will conquer them! This really is the theme of the book of Revelation - Jesus Wins!

Day 87 - Revelation 14-15

The scene now shifts to focus on Jesus Christ. He is referred to at first as "the Lamb" (14:1). This obviously is a reference to Jesus Christ as our substitute referring back to His sacrificing Himself in our place on the cross of Calvary. But here, He is no longer suffering. He is the focus of holy worship from holy witnesses. Next, He is referred to as the "Son of Man" (14:14). Here He is a farmer. He has a sickle in His hand and He is ready to reap. His harvest seems to be His own righteous people, although it is not specifically stated. The contrast with the reaping of the angel leads me to think that this is the case. In other words, since what the angel reaps gets thrown into the winepress of the wrath of God (14:19), it only stands to reason that what the Son of Man reaps are those who are not destined for wrath (cf. 1Thess. 5:9). How reassuring this is! Since we are His people, He will take us out of this world before the full wrath of God is poured out!

Day 86 - Revelation 12-13

These two chapters continue to describe the bleak time in the future known as the tribulation. The identification of some aspects of these chapters can be a bit difficult. Once again, the purpose of the book of Revelation is not to give us all the information about what is coming in the future in crystal clear detail. That is why some things are omitted and others are recorded in highly figurative language. This is a call to us to trust the Lord for the ultimate outworking of these things in history.

One thing that is clear in chapter 12 is the identity of the dragon. It is the devil (vs9). There is pertinent information here for us even for the present day. That information is in how the devil can be conquered. 12:11 tells us that the means to conquering the devil is the blood of the Lamb and the Word of God. The cross is where the blood of Jesus was shed. It was that act of substitutionary atonement that bruised His heel, while at the same time crushing the head of the serpent (cf. Gen. 3:15). It is the Word of God that we are told to use as our weapon against the spiritual forces with which we are engaged in battle (cf. Eph. 6:17). He is making war against us now (cf. 1Pet. 5:8), and he will continue to do so during the tribulation period (12:17). Let trust in these two things to conquer our foe!

Day 85 - Revelation 10-11

What is the purpose of the book of Revelation? There are numerous, but I can say with certainty that the main purpose is NOT to let us know everything that will happen at the end of this age. Chapter 10 clearly states that the Apostle John was forbidden to record the happenings related to the seven thunders (vs3-4). So, John saw things that were to come in the future, and yet he was not permitted to write them down. This incident should help us to keep ourselves from the temptation to try to figure out everything that will happen in the end. It's impossible for us! We don't have all of the information! Another thing that this does for us is increase our need for faith in the sovereign, wise hand of God. Although we do not know everything that will happen, He does! We must trust Him to take care of that just as He is taking care of the present.

Day 84 - Revelation 8-9

The bleak situation described in this part of the book of Revelation continues. There is much destruction, despair, pain, etc. However, the interesting thing to notice not only here, but throughout the book is that these horrific events that are happening on the earth are recorded in between visions of heaven. Also, the listing of these happenings are in conjunction with the acts of the angels of God. The significance of this is that everything that is happening on the earth is under the supervision and control of God. Therefore, those of us who know Him have nothing to fear! Nothing can get to us except for what God allows! This should serve us as a call to trust in our sovereign God.

Day 83 - Revelation 6-7

Revelation 6 is a dark chapter. It describes the period of time known as the Tribulation. It is a time that is characterized by a lack of peace (vs4), great famine (vs6) and death (vs8). In the midst of this description, verses 9-11 describe something incredible. The souls of those who have been martyred call out to God for justice. After giving them a white robe (I believe this stands for the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ), they are told to rest until the rest of their fellow believers who were to be killed would be killed! What an amazing thought! God here waits. He withholds His execution of justice in the earth until all of the martyrs have been martyred! In other words, God could stop the martyrdom of His people at any moment (He is the Sovereign Lord - vs10), yet He allows it to happen. Why? I don't know all of the particulars, but I do know that when people give their lives for someone, it magnifies that person. So, when people give their lives for God it brings Him glory. It is when considering statements like these that we must rest in the sovereign wisdom of our good God.

The next chapter has quite a different tone. Here the 144,000 witnesses of the nation of Israel are sealed and with them a great multitude of Gentiles enter into exuberant praise to God for His salvation. This group as well is clothed with the white robes of the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. This gives them the right and the confidence to stand before the throne of God with boldness.

Day 82 - Revelation 4-5

These two chapters are probably my favorites in the entire book of Revelation. They contain a glimpse of what we will be doing forever in heaven--worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for who He is and what He did for us on the cross. One preacher had said that true worship is the worship of the Redeemer by the redeemed about the redemption! This is exactly what we see in these two chapters. It is truly a grand display of the ultimate worthiness, holiness, majesty and glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ! O that we might see Him in this way even now on this side of heaven, and may we worship Him for who He is and for what He has done for He alone is worthy of our worship!

Day 81 - Revelation 1-3

Well, today we begin the "home stretch." Not only is this the last book in the NT, but it is also the final 10 days of our reading schedule. Here we go!

The book of Revelation begins with John seeing a vision of Jesus Christ. As is typical throughout the entire Bible, when confronted with the unveiled glory of God, the beholder (John) falls prostrate before Jesus Christ (1:17). Truly, this was an amazing sight--one that all true believers will have the privilege of enjoying one day! In considering this reaction to the glory of God, it makes me wonder about those whose "worship" of Jesus seems more like a "jam-fest" party than stunned awe and silence. It also makes me think, "When was the last time I felt the awesome, weighty presence of Christ in my own worship?"

Chapters 2 and 3 contain the letters to the 7 churches. Each letter follows this general pattern: A description of Deity, a list of the good works that each church had done (if any), a list of the problems of each church (if any), and a closing exhortation or two. These letters should prove helpful to each of us as we consider our own hearts. We are certainly more prone to look for the "good works" that we are doing; however, we must also search our hearts to see where we are coming up short, and then seek to remedy the problem by submitting to the appropriate exhortation(s). It is interesting how often repentance is encouraged. These letters were written to churches, not unbelieving people! This demonstrates that the Christian life is not an experience characterized by sinless perfection, but by continual repentance. I remember hearing the statement many years ago, "It's not once saved always saved. It's once regenerated, always repenting!" We must attempt to live out our Christian experience in an atmosphere of repentance! One other thing to point out with regard to the fact that these letters are written to believers is that 3:20 is so often used as an invitation to the unbeliever to "open the door of their heart and let Jesus come in." While that is certainly something that is inline with other biblical texts (cf. John 1:12), this verse was written to Christians who have shut Jesus out of their lives, and it calls on Christians to open up that door to experience the fullness of fellowship with Jesus Christ that is available to them!

Some years ago I created a table/spreadsheet that has been helpful to me in seeing an overview of this information. You can download a copy for yourself here if you'd like.

Day 80 - 2John, 3John & Jude

2John in many ways continues some of the same themes as 1John. John is concerned for truth (vs2), love for other Christians (vs5) and obedience to the commands of God (vs6). Again, he warns against false teachers who would lead these believers astray (vs7-8). Some would say that John sounds very unloving when he encourages such harsh treatment (vs10), but actually this is the most loving thing that he can do. It would show a complete lack of love to withhold a warning that would protect these believers from the harm of false teachers.

In 3John, John heaps praise on this group of believers for their faithfulness to the truth of God (vs1-8), and then launches into a scathing rebuke of one of their number who was living his life in accordance with the truth of God. Diotrephes was a proud, slanderer who was not exhibiting true love of the brethren (vs9-10). This type of cancerous activity warranted John’s exposing it for what it was and also warning the true believers against this type of activity. Instead John tells them that they should be pursuing that which is good to the glory of God (vs11).

The epistle of Jude is a clarion call to contend for the truth of God's Word (vs3). His definition of that which is to be identified and rejected is anything that would either twist the truth of God into error or deny the Lord Jesus Christ (vs4). Of course it does take discernment to do this, but it must be done nonetheless. Before closing the epistle, Jude gives some direction for believers to keep themselves from falling to these perversions of the truth. This instruction consists of strengthening ourselves in the truth of God (vs20), praying in the Spirit (vs20), keeping ourselves in the love of God (vs21), waiting on Jesus Christ (vs21), and compassionate ministry toward others (vs22-23). Jude then closes with one of the most famous benedictions in the Bible (vs24-25). It is a glorious prayer for us to pray for ourselves and our fellow believers.

Day 79 - 1John 1-5

The theme verse of 1John is found in 5:13 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” What has preceded this verse are several “tests” by which a person may judge whether or not he truly is a Christian. Basically, there are three major tests. The first is that a true Christian does not persist in sin. Verses like 3:9 can make it seem like you must attain to sinless perfection in order to secure you salvation. However, this is certainly not what John is intending to communicate or else he wouldn’t have included verses like 1:8-2:2. John’s point is that a true believer does not make it a consistent practice to pursue sin in his life. If a person does, then it is evidence that there is no spiritual life in him. He hasn’t been born of God (3:9). The converse of this is also stated frequently in the book, namely, that a true Christian pursues righteousness. In other words, he seeks to obey the commands of God (2:3).

The second test is love for other Christians. This too is presented by both positive and negative statements. For example, we are told that if we love God then we will love our Christian brother or sister as well (4:21). On the other hand, if we hate our Christian brother, then we are giving evidence that we are not true Christians (2:9). True love for other Christians will characterize our lives if we are genuine people of God.

The third test has to do with the identification of Jesus Christ as the Son of God (5:1). It makes all kinds of sense that you would not be considered a true Christian if you don’t believe in Jesus CHRIST! Related to this is also the presence of the Holy Spirit of God within a person. It is only by having the Spirit of God in you that you can truly believe in the person of Jesus Christ (4:2)!

The consideration of this epistle will do one of two things to the reader. It will either confirm to him that he truly is a Christian or it will reveal his true lack of faith. Which did it do for you as you read it today? If it was the first, then praise the Lord for the confirmation of your genuine spiritual life! If it was the second, then I beg you—turn from your sin and come to Jesus Christ by faith and become a true believing Christian today!

Day 78 - 1 & 2 Peter

The theme of 1Peter is summed up very nicely in 4:19 - "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."

Suffering is a key idea throughout this letter. Apparently, the ones to whom Peter wrote this letter were undergoing suffering in trials and persecutions. "Suffering" is referenced 16 times in this short book. Peter calls us to endure this suffering partly by following Christ's example (2:21). He makes it very clear that this suffering does indeed have a helpful effect in our lives (1:7), but only if the suffering is a result of doing what is good (2:20). The key element in enduring unjust suffering is faith, an element that Peter references 4 times in the opening chapter! One of the most comforting thoughts in this book is that no matter what kind of suffering we encounter, it comes to us only after having been filtered by "God's will" (4:19). This means that whenever trials and suffering come to us, they had to have God's approval first before coming to us. Therefore, we can have confidence that an all-knowing, all-loving God has given us just enough difficulty to strengthen us and purify us, yet not more than we can handle by His enabling grace. He also adds that when the suffering is over, God Himself will help to patch up the wounds (5:10).

The other main idea is the exhortation to holy living. This is demonstrated by the high number of commands that Peter gives us. He starts off by telling us to be holy because God is holy (1:15). Then he proceeds to call us to holy living in the areas of our relationship to authority, both governmental (2:13-17) and in our work (2:18); in our marriage relationships (3:1-7); with regard to our fleshly desires (4:1-6); and in our serving one another (4:7-11).

He then closes the book with instructions to church leaders (5:1-5) and a warning concerning our enemy, the Devil (5:6-11).

2Peter is a very serious book. It has some very weighty themes. The main ones are the warning against false teachers and the proper understanding of the coming "Day of the Lord." The prescription to prepare to face both of these is growth. Peter starts off right away with a call to growth in faith by supplying 7 qualities - virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love (1:5-7). The proper appropriation of these results in a strong confidence (1:10). Then, Peter ends the book with a call to grow in grace (3:18). So, growth is necessary to face false teachers and to prepare for the end of this age.

The means of growth is the Word of God. This Word, Peter describes, is a sure foundation for us (1:19). It is also accessible (1:20). The reason for this is that this Word is not from man, but from God Himself (1:21). This is what we must build our lives upon.

Day 77 - James 4-5

James continues in his practical manner in these last two chapters dealing with the topics of interpersonal difficulties (4:1-2), the struggle against pride (4:3-10), the brevity of life and divine providence (4:13-17), instructions to the rich (5:1-6), patient waiting for the day of the Lord (5:7-12), and prayer (5:13-20).

Along the way, James has made some very significant statements. He tells us that the source of interpersonal strife is internal primarily, not external. Problems arise because we end up holding onto desires in such a way that we expect others to fulfill them and when they don't come through as we wanted to, then we punish them! We must learn to hold our desires loosely (4:1-2).

When James tells us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (4:6), he is not saying that we can ultimately "earn" grace by being humble. That would contradict the very meaning of the word "grace." What he is saying is that God continues to shower opposition in the area of pride and continues to shower grace in the area of humility. As we move from one area to the other, we experience both the opposition and grace of God depending on which area we are in. The humble person therefore does not earn this grace, he simply has put himself in the pathway that God's grace normally flows.

5:12 is a verse that calls us to integrity. We should be living lives and speaking with others in such integrity that we don't need to ensure the believability of our words by "swearing." People should just know that we are people of our word and take our word at face value knowing that they are getting the truth. It is a dangerous position to be in if you find yourself needing to go beyond the simple "yes" or "no" to convince people of your truthfulness.

5:16 has proven to be quite the difficult verse to translate. I will not go into all of the reasons for this. The reality is this--prayer is powerful. It would be good to remind ourselves that the reason for this lies not in the person praying, but in the person to Whom we pray. In other words, prayer is powerful because we are praying to a powerful Person. Let us not neglect this opportunity that we have to be a part of what God is doing in this world!

Day 76 - James 1-3

James is a very practical book. This is not to say that the other books of the NT are not practical. It's just that James deals with a wide variety of topics in a very simply and straightforward way, and his instruction is concerned primarily with very practical issues. All of us can relate to the topics that he discusses. We all face trials and need to know the positive effect of the trials that God allows in our lives (1:1-8). All of us need to know the nature of sin and temptation in order to know how to fight against it (1:13-15). There isn't a one of us that doesn't need to be reminded of our responsibility as it relates to the proclamation of the truth of God's Word (1:19-27). It is important for each of us to be warned against the dangers of showing partiality to different types of people (2:1-12). We all need to be reminded that it is not enough simply to "say" that we have faith, but that we must demonstrate that we have that true faith in us by the outworking of that faith into our daily lives (2:14-26). None of us is exempt from James' warning concerning the detrimental effects that our tongues can have in the midst of our interpersonal relationships (3:1-12).

As I said before, James is a very practical book. It deserves our reading of it, our meditation on it and even our memorization of it. It is not long. It is not difficult to understand. It would be extremely helpful in advancing your Christian discipleship. Will you take the challenge? Memorize the book of James!

Day 75 - Hebrews 10-13

Chapter 10 continues the theme of the supremacy of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Here, His priesthood is superior because His sacrifice of Himself not only did what the other sacrifices could not do (it took our sins away - vs11), but His sacrifice only needed to be offered once and then He sat down in the exalted position at the right hand of God (vs12). It is because of this that the writer of Hebrews then calls us to faith in Jesus Christ as our High Priest (vs22,38,39). It is this call to faith that then launches the writer into the grand "Hall of Faith" in the next chapter.

Chapter 11 is truly one of the most powerful chapters in this book, and some would say even in the entire Bible! There have truly been some amazing displays of faith from Abel down to the present day. When you stop to think about people like Abraham who left his hometown (vs8) and was ready to sacrifice his own son believing that God would raise him up (17-19), what God calls us to do in trusting Him during difficult times seems a bit small, and yet it can be so hard for us. Maybe that is why this chapter is in the Bible! Verse 38 says that the world was not worthy of these people of faith. O that we would be that kind of people, trust God to be and do what He is and what He promises!

The final two chapters of this book contain the "ethical" section. In other words, the writer is telling us how we should act in light of the supremacy of Jesus Christ. We are to endure patiently the chastening that comes (vs6-11). We are to be pursuing lives of holiness in our interpersonal relationships (vs12-17). We are to be careful in our approach to worship God (vs18-29). Then as chapter 13 begins, the writer seems to be throwing out several rapid-fire commands that encompass many different areas of life - brotherly love, hospitality, generosity, marriage, submission to authority, etc. Then he closes the book with a grand benediction (vs20-21). These verses are certainly worthy not only of further contemplation, but of memorization and application.

Day 74 - Hebrews 5-9

The writer of Hebrews continues his argument for the supremacy of Jesus Christ as High Priest in chapters 5-9. He does so by pointing out that His path to the priesthood was not something He did on His own, but He was appointed High Priest by God the Father (5:5-6). Next, the supremacy of Christ is set forth above the Levitical priesthood by noting the Jesus' priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek. He uses the point that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek while Levi was still "in the loins" of Abraham and the lesser pays tithes to the greater, therefore Jesus' priesthood is superior to Levi's. But the final evidence is that Jesus is also the High Priest of the New Covenant (8:6). This is described in glorious detail in chapter 9, the pinnacle coming in vs11, "But when Christ appeared"! So, not only is the priesthood of Jesus superior to the Levitical priesthood, it replaced it!

In the midst of this presentation of the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, there is another warning. It begins in 5:11 and continues through 6:12. The heart of the warning is in 6:4-6. These verses are some of the most difficult to interpret in the entire NT. I even have a small book in my library that focuses entirely on trying to come to terms with the correct interpretation of this passage. The main crux of the matter is whether or not a believer can ever fully and finally fall away from the faith. That question has been answered very clearly in a number of other passages in the Bible. Therefore, the interpretation of this passage to be one of these two: 1) the person being described is a true believer who will never fall away, and this warning is here to be used as a means to ensure that he never does, OR 2) the person being described is a professing believer who has immersed himself in the externals of the Christian religion, and when someone like that falls away from the externals, he will never come to true repentance. My personal view is that the correct interpretation is the first view. Either way, I have no problem using this passage with either true believer or merely a "professor" of Christianity to either keep the true believer firm or call the merely professing believer to true repentance and faith.

Day 73 - Hebrews 1-4

Well, it looks like our reading pace will get a little more manageable for the next several days. It was a bit brutal there through the heart of Paul's shorter epistles. Today, we begin the book of Hebrews. This has long been a favorite of mine. My appreciation for this book just seems to grow deeper and deeper. I look forward to blogging through it this time around.

The theme of the book of Hebrews is the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Chapter 1 begins with the exaltation of Jesus Christ above the angels. In presenting his case, the writer of Hebrews (a.k.a. Paul--that's at least my opinion) makes some statements that once again sets Jesus up as God Himself. For instance, vs6 enjoins the worship of Jesus Christ. This book was written to a Jewish audience, and Jews ascribed worship to one God--Yahweh. This then is another of the many proofs throughout the Bible of the Deity of Christ. If that isn't enough, just keep reading. Vs8 records God the Father addressing the Son using the term "God." Now, to be sure, throughout this chapter there also seems to be a distinction being made between Jesus and God (cf. vs2,3,5,9). The only answer that satisfies both of these tensions is the concept of the Trinity--one God who exists is three distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the only way that you can have true monotheism (worship of only one God), the distinction between the Father and the Son, and the Deity of the Son.

Chapter 2 begins with a warning. This is the first of 5 warnings throughout this book. Some would like to take these warnings as proof that it is possible for one who is truly saved to lose his or her salvation. I'm not one of those people! I think, rather, that these warnings serve to preserve those who are truly saved and keep them in the faith till the end. So, rather than proving that one can lose his salvation, I see these as a means to preserving a lifestyle that fits salvation.

The rest of chapter 2 contains some very comforting thoughts. These come in vs11,14,17,18. In these verses, Jesus Christ is described as our brother (vs11), our deliverer (vs14) and our sympathetic High Priest (vs17-18). It will do your heart good to meditate on these precious truths.

In chapter 3, Jesus Christ is presented as being superior to Moses. This is quite a big deal when one considers the audience (Jews) and their high view of Moses (exponentially higher than even our American estimation of presidents Washington and Lincoln). Moses was known for not only bringing the nation of Israel out of Egypt and giving them the Law, but also for preparing them for their entrance into the Promised Land. This is why the idea of "rest" is introduced in this chapter and the next. The "rest" for the nation of Israel was the land of Canaan--the Promised Land! The "rest" for the Christian is Heaven. This is where the next warning comes in. The warning is against unbelief. It was a lack of faith that kept some of the nation of Israel from entering their rest (3:19), and it is also that same lack of faith that will keep people out of heaven.

Chapter 4 ends with the beginning of the transition where Jesus Christ is going to be exalted as the superior High Priest. In setting us up for this manifestation, the writer of Hebrews presents Jesus as not only a sympathetic High Priest, but also the perfect High Priest--He was without sin (4:15). Because of this sympathetic, sinless High Priest, we can have confidence to come boldly before the throne of grace. I trust that each of us will not take for granted this wonderful privilege that Jesus Christ has secured for us!

Day 72 - 2 Timothy 1-4, Titus 1-3 & Philemon 1

Paul's second letter to Timothy was his last (a good reminder that as we read the Bible, the books are not necessarily in chronological order). He writes this letter while in house-arrest in Rome. The last words of someone seem to be a bit more significant, and this book is no exception.

Paul continues to give instruction and encouragement to his fellow-laborer, Timothy. He also continues to warn him. He reminds Timothy of his godly heritage (1:5) and his gifting from God (1:6-7). He calls him to bold ministry for Christ even in the face of suffering (1:8-14). He reminds Timothy of the principle of multiplication in ministry (2:2). He calls him to be a single-hearted soldier, up-standing athlete and hard-working farmer for the kingdom of God (2:3-6). He reminds Timothy that usefulness in the work of God is dependent upon personal holiness (2:14-26). He warns of the coming apostasy and growing wickedness (3:1-9). He points Timothy to the source of confidence and success in the ministry--the Word of God (3:10-17). And finally, Paul closes the letter with a call to faithful ministry that follows his own pattern of faithfulness to the cause of Jesus Christ. O, that one day I would be able to say along with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (4:7)!

Titus is parallel in many ways to the letters to Timothy, yet there remain some significant differences that warrants the inclusion of this as well in the canon of the Scriptures. After recounting the qualifications for church leadership, Paul adds a section of warning concerning false teachers. As he closes this warning he makes a chilling statement: "They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works" (1:16). How important it truly is that we not merely "say" that we know God, but that our lives bear fruit that demonstrates that we not only know God but also that He knows us!

The short letter of Philemon is truly a thing of beauty! This slave, Onesimus, had run away from his master, Philemon, and had ended up in jail with Paul (vs10). While in Paul's company, Onesimus comes to faith in Jesus Christ. What a testimony, that even while in prison, Paul continues to share Jesus with people. Now, Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon. As he does, Paul appeals to Philemon to receive this slave as a brother in Christ (vs16). This is what our union with Christ does--it levels the playing field. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, not masters and slaves of one another. Paul is confident that Philemon will do this (vs21). Yet, Paul realizes that Onesimus has wronged Philemon and so he is willing to assume any debt that Onesimus had accrued (vs18). What a wonderful picture of self-sacrificial love for the benefit of a fellow-believer!

Day 71 - 1Timothy

This is the first of what are known as the "Pastoral Epistles" (1&2Timothy and Titus). Timothy was a pastor, as was Titus. While there is a good bit of instruction that is pointed directly to pastors and church leaders in these epistles, there is still plenty there for the layman as well. Even the layman needs to know things like how to point out a false teacher (1:3-11), how and for whom to pray (2:1-2,8), what is required of church leadership (3:1-13), how to take care of the needy in the church (5:3-16), how to provide for and relate to their church leaders (5:17-25) and to beware of the deceitfulness of pursuing earthly wealth (ch6 - various verses).

The Gospel is a key component in this epistle as well. From the outset, Jesus Christ is seen as our "hope" (1:1). The purpose of the coming of Christ into this world was to save sinners (1:15). Jesus is seen as the "go-between" or arbiter in the relationship between a holy God and sinful man (2:5). Paul ends chapter 3 with that glorious hymn of praise for Jesus Christ (3:16). In 4:10, God Himself is given the title "Savior"! The Gospel is central to this book and it also must be central to our lives!

For the pastor, this book serves him well in many ways. It prepares him for protecting the flock from false teachers (1:3-11). It helps him by defining roles for both genders in the church (2:9-15). It lays out very clearly the qualifications that the minister must meet (3:1-7), and the qualifications for the deacons in the church (3:8-13). It gives needful instruction in the areas of the minister's public and private life (4:11-16; 6:11-16). It gives instruction on how to minister to and relate to various groups in the church (5:1-6:2).

This book proves to be a very helpful and needful "handbook" for both pastor and parishioner!

Day 70 - 1 & 2 Thessalonians

I've gotta stop missing days like this! I've had a head-cold for the last few days and yesterday was the worst. In my misery, I guess I just plum forgot to do my reading and blogging, so...two posts today!

1Thessalonians is another "happy" epistle. The Thessalonian church was in many ways a model church. Look closely again at the first chapter and you will see that Paul had nothing but good things to say to and about this church! Though this church did have many things "going for them," Paul didn't want this church to become complacent. After recounting to them his initial ministry among them and the good report that came from Timothy (ch2-3), Paul opens chapter 4 with an exhortation to keep on pressing on. None of us has arrived in our Christian walk, therefore, none of us should ever be content with where we are spiritually. We should be seeking to "do so more and more" (4:1) as Paul encouraged the Thessalonians.

Here are some other brief comments on various passages in 1Thessalonians: 2:13 - we must receive the revelation of God by means of men as it really is--the Word of God; 3:9-13 - a wonderful prayer that deserves your careful consideration and imitation; 4:3-8 - want to know God's will for your life? Here it is--your sanctification, or in other words, your holiness!; 4:13-18 - encouraging words for those who have lost loved ones who knew Jesus as Lord and Savior; 5:16-22 - these "machine gun" type commands are extremely important for us to understand and obey as we seek to excel still more in our Christian walk; 5:23-24 - Paul's benediction to close this letter is a wonderful prayer to pray for ourselves and others.

2Thessalonians is quite different from the first letter of Paul to the Thessolonicans. It is a forward-looking epistle. The themes of the day of the Lord and the coming "man of sin" dominate the book. With these very serious themes in view, Paul is constantly drawn to prayer in this book. He prays in 1:11-12 and 2:16-17 and then asks for prayer for himself and his co-laborers in 3:1. As we look forward to the end of this age it should drive us to prayer as well.

Day 69 - Philippians 1-4 & Colossians 1-4

The book of Philippians is in stark contrast to the books of 1 & 2 Corinthians. It is a very “happy” epistle. The words “joy” or “rejoice” occur 16 times in this short letter. The striking significance of that fact is that Paul is writing this epistle as he sits in a Roman prison! Yet, Paul has a lot to rejoice about as he considers the help from the Philippian church by means of Epaphroditus (2:25; 4:18). He also takes some time to reflect on the partnership in the Gospel that he had with the Philippians and how this same Gospel was being advanced (ch1).

Paul does call the Philippians to do a number of things in this epistle. The first major thing (and something that recurs throughout the book) is to have a unity of mind (2:2). The path to this is one characterized by humility and selflessness. The thought of these virtues launches Paul into a grand illustration of selfless humility as demonstrated by the incarnation, life and death of Jesus Christ (2:5-11). The surprising end of this step by step humiliation and servitude as described in vs5-8 is lofty exaltation. This is why it is so often said that the way “up” in the Kingdom of God is “down.” Nowhere is that more clearly seen than in the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Paul also calls the Philippians to “work out” their salvation (2:12). This is not what it may seem to be on the surface. Paul is not saying that the way to salvation is one of works, but rather that once a person is saved, the inner change that salvation brings about needs to be “worked out” into the practice of that saved individual. Another surprising twist comes in the next verse (13). This working is something that God does! We are to work out what God is working in us. These verses put the responsibility of man and the sovereignty of God side by side with seemingly no tension. How we need divine illumination to keep ourselves from failing to reconcile these two truths!

To keep this post from getting way too long, let me just point out a few other verses that warrant further contemplation: 1:6 – our confidence in God’s work in our lives; 1:21 – can we truly say this along with Paul?; 1:29 – faith and suffering are gifts from God; 3:9 – Christ’s righteousness is the only “outfit” that is acceptable in the presence of God; 3:10 – Knowing Christ is the ultimate pursuit of the Christian; 3:12-14 – if Paul hadn’t “arrived,” what makes us think we ever will this side of heaven?; 4:6-7 – don’t worry! Pray!; 4:13 – divine enablement makes all things possible—there’s always hope!

The book of Colossians is somewhat of a “sister” epistle to the book of Ephesians. It follows the same basic structure of truth first, then practice. It is unique. There are plenty of differences that not only add to the message of Ephesians, but also that complements it as well.

Chapter 1 contains, in my opinion, the most lofty expression of the exaltation of Jesus Christ every found in the Bible (1:14-19). It is certainly worthy of further consideration. In chapter 2, Paul’s concern is for the Colossian church to be grounded in the truth of the Gospel so as not to be led astray (2:8). As a result, he lays out one of the most beautiful recitations of the Gospel (2:9-15). Chapter 3 calls the believer to have a heavenly mindset that is demonstrated in killing the sinful desires and putting on what is fitting for the regenerated lifestyle. This then affects every relationship (3:18-4:6).

Day 68 - Ephesians 1-6

OK...this one is going to be difficult. I'm finishing up preaching through the book of Ephesians right now and it has taken me over a year to do so. How in the world do I cram all of that into one blog post?!?!?! How about just a few highlights?!

The theme of the book of Ephesians as I see is this: God's purpose and plan for the Church in the world through Jesus Christ. This is seen through God's calling people to Himself, saving them, creating a unified body out of diverse peoples, and then enabling them to live distinct lives in the midst of a sinful world.

The book of Ephesians divides nicely into two sections: chapters 1-3 - these chapters focus on truth and doctrine; our position in Christ; who we are; lots of "indicatives" (statements of fact); etc. chapters 4-6 - these chapters focus on the practical outflow of the truth and doctrine already laid down; our practice in Christ; what we are to do; lots of "imperatives" (commands); etc. This is actually quite important to understand. The main point being that we must know what is true before we can act in a truthful manner. Our "doing" in the Christian life must flow from our "knowing." If we short-change ourselves in the "truth" department, then we will be weak and inconsistent in the "do" department.

Prayers. There are two incredible prayers in the book of Ephesians (1:15-23; 3:14-19). These are well worth their own blog posts, but I will simply recommend to you that you spend some extra time meditating on them and then modeling your own prayers after these "gems."

The second half of the book (ch4-6 - the "practical" section) is broken up into several sections that can easily be identified by the repetition of the word "walk." The whole last half of the book is a description of the "worthy walk" of the believer, yet how that is brought about is detailed in the separate sections. We are called to walk in unity (4:1-16), in holiness (4:17-32), in love (5:1-6), as children of light (5:7-14) and finally in wisdom (5:15-6:9). The book is then concluded by a call to "stand" in the battle.

One part of this book in particular that I saw in a new light after having gone through it verse by verse is the beginning of chapter 2. Verses 8-9 are so often quoted as proof-texts showing how salvation is not by our works, but by the grace of God. These verses do, in fact, prove that point, and they do it very well. However, they are not the "high point" in Paul's argument. In fact, they are somewhat of a footnote to what Paul is saying. The pinnacle of the first part of chapter 2 actually comes in verse 7. See if you can track this with me from verse 1 until verse 7. Chapter 2 begins with Paul's description of all of lost humanity - dead, unable to save themselves. Verse 4 sounds the nearly deafening "BUT GOD" and then proceeds to shine the light on the great love, mercy and grace of God in saving dead, sinful humans. After laying this out, Paul gives us the purpose for all of it--the glory of God. The purpose of God's saving us miserable creatures was to put on display for the world to see now and in all ages that are to come "the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." In other words, God saved us in order to demonstrate His glorious grace. Then, and only then, do verses 8-9 describe that it is that grace alone that saves us apart from our works! This set of verses (1-9) is another reminder that salvation is all of God and all about God! Soli Deo Gloria!

Day 67 - Galatians 1-6

Today begins a rather strenuous section in our reading schedule. I'm not sure who put together this schedule, but they should have thought it through a bit better. Anyway, this is the schedule we are all on, so I will abide by it and do my best! To the reader...tie and knot and hang on! These posts could get really long, but I'll try to keep them a manageable length.

The book of Galatians has the true Gospel at its heart. Paul begins with a passionate plea to stay true to the true Gospel that he had delivered to them (1:6-9). Then, he continues with a discussion detailing how this Gospel was not his idea, nor any man's for that matter, but he received this from God Himself (1:11-24). Paul then moves to defend this divinely delivered Gospel from the distortions and additions of the Judaizers. The main thrust of these false teachers was that the requirement of circumcision be added to repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ. What is shocking is that even Peter himself was affected by these Judaizers so much so that Paul had to confront Peter to get him back in line with the true Gospel (2:11). Paul then levels his strongest statement concerning the true Gospel as it relates to the Law (2:16). This verse is one to memorize, if you haven't yet!

In all of this, the big question that remains is this: if the keeping of the Law is not a necessary component of salvation, then what continuing role does the Law have in the life of a believer? First, we must reiterate that the Law does have a part in bringing people to salvation. That part is the conviction that comes when we realize that we cannot keep the Law sufficiently ourselves to warrant salvation. Second, we must realize that there are certain aspects of the Law that do not apply any longer at all--namely the ceremonial law in general as is illustrated by the fact that circumcision is not required for salvation. Third, it is important to remember that the moral law of God is still binding in the life of a believer as is demonstrated in Paul's pointing to the OT command to love your neighbor as yourself (5:13-15). So, although the Law does not bring us salvation and certain aspects of the Law are no longer binding, our adherence to the moral Law of God remains a requirement for people of faith.

How does one insure that he is able to live a life in accordance with the moral Law of God? The answer to this question comes at the end of chapter 5. We must walk by the power of the Spirit. The connection between these two things should be quite clear. If we rightly understand the Spirit to be God Himself, then it makes perfect sense that walking by the Spirit will keep us in line with the Law that comes from the Spirit as well!

There is much more to discuss in this epistle, but I will close my comments here. In closing, let me point out some individual verses in this book that really do deserve some extra contemplation as you have the time: 1:10; 2:20; 3:3, 13; 4:4-7; 5:19-23; 6:1, 7-10, 14.

Day 66 - 2Corinthians 10-13

In preaching through Ephesians 6 recently, I've been reminded about the spiritual warfare that we fight every day. In chapter 10, Paul addresses this warfare. It is good to remind ourselves not only that we are in a battle, but that the means to victory come from God. If we fight this battle in the power of the flesh, we will most certainly be defeated. Our weapons are not of the flesh, but on the other hand, they have divine power (10:4)! Therefore, victory is not only possible, but it is certain if we fight God's way!

As Paul "boasts" of his credentials as an apostle, it is interesting that he chooses to use his persecution as "proof" (11:23-27). What seems like a detriment to the average onlooker, Paul uses as his badge of authenticity of being an apostle of Jesus Christ. This really is the way that we should view hardships that we endure for the cause of Christ--not as marks of shame, but rather as badges of honor!

Chapter 12 records Paul's description of his "thorn in the flesh." This gives us a number of insights. First, not all requests we make to the Father are answered in the way that we would choose. Second, in the midst of trials that God allows in our lives, He also gives sufficient grace so that we may be able to endure. Third, when we are "weak" and yet overcome, God gets the glory for our accomplishments because it apparent that we are not the reason for the success. My father-in-law recently reminded me that our lives as Christians should be lived in such a way that it requires a supernatural explanation. That is where Paul lived his life.

Before Paul closes this epistle, he gives a command that all of us must give ear to. It comes in 13:5 - "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith." This is quite a bit different than the all too often encouragement to "look back and remember when you made your profession of faith." The reality is that it doesn't really matter how well you can remember the day and events when you made a profession of faith, what really matters is how you are living your life today. Are you bearing fruit? Do have a passion to know God better? Do you love Jesus Christ more than anything or anyone else? Is an attitude of repentance the aroma of your life? Do you love other believers? These and so many other things are the proofs that there is true spiritual life in you, not simply that you can recite the date and time and sequence of events when you made a profession of faith! Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith!

Day 65 - 2Corinthians 6-9

To understand fully the last section of chapter six requires a bit of knowledge of the "holiness code" in the OT. God is very passionate about the distinctiveness of His people. This was seen time and time again in the OT as God directed His people to be distinct by means of circumcision, their manner of worship, even to the types of foods they could eat and fabrics out of which they should make their clothes. While those specific directives found in the OT holiness code are not applicable today, God still desires for His chosen people to be distinct from the surrounding world. The foundation for this desire is the fact that we are the temple of God (6:16). Since God dwells in us, and He is a holy God, He desires a holy separation from His people. When we do separate ourselves from the pagan world in our thoughts, attitudes and actions, we have a wonderful promise (7:1) from God--acceptance in God's family (6:17-18)!

What is "godly grief" (7:9)? Godly grief is grieving over your sin and how it has offended a holy God. There is an ungodly grief as well, and that is grieving merely over the natural and logical consequences of sin. In other words, there is grief over sin because of how it affects our relationship with God, and there is grief that simply affects our mood. This first type of grief results in true repentance (turning from sin) that honors God (7:10). The second type of grief results in just feeling bad (depression). It's the difference between being truly sorry that you sinned and being sad that you got caught in your sin.

8:2 contains what seems like an antinomy. On the one hand there is affliction and poverty, and on the other there is joy and generosity. These two sets of ideas are quite opposite, at least in the mind of the typical American! How can both of these sets of ideas coexist in the heart and life of the same individual or group of people? The answer is in vs1--the grace of God! That is the only way that anyone can be joyfully generous in the midst of affliction and poverty. How we need that continuing grace in our lives!

9:8 is truly an amazing verse! Notice how many times "all" and "every" are used! First, God gives us all the grace that we need. It is this enabling grace of God that makes us completely sufficient for what He has called us to do. This sufficiency extends to all things. There is nothing that God will ever call you to do that He hasn't also enabled you to do it. This sufficiency also covers every moment of every day. There is never a time in your life, nor will there ever be, when you will lack the grace of God to enable you to do what He has called you to do. The result of this all-sufficient grace is not just that you will have enough grace to do every good work, but you will have this in superabundance! What a wonderfully grace God we serve!

Day 64 - 2Corinthians 1-5

What is the purpose of suffering and trouble? There are many, but Paul points out just a few for us in the opening of this second epistle to the Corinthians. First, the reason that we suffer is so that we can receive the comfort that comes from God in order that we might be able to comfort others with the same comfort that we have received from God (1:3-4). Those of you that have been through difficult times yourselves know the overwhelming grace of God that accompanies such trying situations and no doubt you've been able to be used by God to bring comfort and encouragement to others who are enduring similar troubles. I know I've seen that time and time again in my own life. Second, trials and difficulties come in order to reinforce in us our dependence upon God (1:9). Often, when life is going smoothly, we can tend to coast, relying on our own strength, but when troubles come, we are quickly reminded how much we need God and His all-sufficient sustaining grace in our lives. Third, we experience suffering in order to move ourselves and those around us to prayer (1:11). God accomplishes His purposes and plans through the prayers of His people. Suffering and trouble bring us to our knees, and we are ready to call others around us to do the same. Then, when we endure successfully the trial, God is glorified through answered prayer. So, don't waste your suffering! Submit to what God is doing through that trial and glorify Him as He sustains you!

Those who minister the Word of God have an effect on people's lives. The effect is different depending on the type of person who is hearing the ministry of the Word. To those who are "saved" (those who have repented of their sins and trusted in the finished work of Christ alone), the effect is one of "life." To those who are "perishing" (those who have NOT turned from their sins to Christ), the effect is one of "death" (2:14-16). How does the ministry of the Word affect you? If it is a source of "life" to you, then praise the Lord for this confirmation of His salvation in you! If it is a source of "death" to you, then come, turn from your sins and trust in what Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary to save you and then this ministry of the Word will be "life" to you as well!

There two verses in chapter three that are favorites of mine. The first is vs5. My awareness of my need for God grows more and more keen nearly every day! This is one of the verses that God has used to heighten that awareness. The only way that I am sufficient to do anything for the cause of Christ is through the sufficiency that comes from God. The other verse is vs18. What is the catalyst of lasting change? It is a fresh and continual revelation of who God is. As we behold Him in His glory, we are changed--transformed! And how much to we need that divine transformation!

Chapter 4 has two more. First - vs7. I am but a jar of clay, yet God has chosen to do a portion of His work through me. The reason? So that He can receive the glory! I love it when God uses frail people such as myself to accomplish His Kingdom work because when that happens, God is glorified because it is apparent that it is not because of me that the work succeeds! Second - vs17. This is another reason for the suffering and difficulty that God brings into our lives--it makes us long for Heaven! This verse also puts suffering in perspective. It is light. No matter how heavy it may feel, in the grand scheme of things it is light. It is momentary. Even if a particular trial lasts for your entire life, it is momentary in the light of eternity. This light momentary affliction is doing a work in us that is beyond our wildest imaginations! To God be the glory that He can take things that seem so bad and difficult and then use them in our lives to make us better!

When I was in seminary, I wrote an entire paper just on vs14-21 of this chapter. I will spare you all of those details, but let me briefly point out some very significant points that Paul makes in this chapter.
Vs14-15 - Why did Jesus die? Obviously, there are many answers to this question, but one that Paul points out here is so that we would not live for ourselves, but for Him! So, when we live for ourselves, we contradict one of the reasons that Jesus died for us.
Vs17 - When we are regenerated, there is a massive change that takes place in us. Old things pass away and new things come. If there has been no change in your life like this, then this is a good time to examine yourself to see if you really are "in the faith."
Vs21 - The sinless Son of God became sin so that we, sinful people, might be made righteous. This is the glory of what is called "double imputation." Our sin was imputed to Jesus Christ, therefore He died. His righteousness was imputed to us, therefore we live. What a precious truth that is!

Day 63 - 1Corinthians 15-16

The humility of Paul continues to shine in his epistles. He makes the statement in 15:9 that he is the least of all the apostles. This is not mere lip-service, nor is it without grounds for the next verse (one of my favorites in this epistle) gives the reasoning behind this humility. It is the fact that anything that Paul is able to do is a demonstration of the grace of God in his life! Some people talk of grace as if once grace enters then there is nothing for us to do. Nothing could be further from Paul's mind. Notice that immediately after claiming to be the least of the apostles and acknowledging that anything good that comes from himself is because of the grace of God, he makes the assertion that he worked harder than any of the other apostles! Hard work and the grace of God are not mutually exclusive, but rather they are quite complementary, at least in Paul's mind. The key to understanding this is that grace doesn't make work unnecessary, but rather grace enables the work. That's why God deserves the "credit" for any successful work the we do!

Apparently, another one of the "issues" in the church at Corinth was concerning the idea of the future resurrection of believers. Paul's argument in this chapter points out that if there is no resurrection, then the Gospel is null and void because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is part of the Gospel (15:1-4). Further, it is Christ's resurrection that secures ours! Therefore, if there is no resurrection then we have no hope. What a dreadful thought! Paul then continues to describe the wonders of the resurrection that truly does give us hope. He climaxes in 15:50-57. This is the very reason that this passage is so often read at modern day funerals--it gives hope to those who mourn the loss of believing loved ones. Take a moment to reread these verses, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of your future resurrection!

The final verse of chapter 15 is another one of my favorites. It is a wonderful verse to encourage perseverance and faithfulness to our Lord as we seek to labor for His glory. Think of these different adjectives and their significance: steadfast, unmovable, abounding always. Do these characterize your service for Christ? The foundation and the fuel for this type of enduring ministry flows from the Gospel that Paul has been describing and defending in this chapter with the hope of future resurrection as the focal point. Let's labor faithfully for our Lord and Savior as we ground ourselves in the hope that the promise of resurrection brings to us!

Chapter 16 closes this epistle. Much of what Paul communicates is of an administrative nature along with the typical formal greetings that were so common in the written communication of his day. Right before he closes the book, he makes a rather striking statement in vs 22 - "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed." He doesn't say "if anyone has no faith in the Lord" or "if anyone refuses to obey the Lord", but " if anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed"! Let this thought sink in! Many say that they believe in Jesus. Many say that they attempt to obey Jesus. These are good things that the Scriptures indeed call us to do many times, yet Paul singles out this one aspect as that which is necessary to avoid eternal damnation. Another thing to consider is that this word for "love" is not the so-called "highest form of love" that we know as agape. Rather, this is the verb phileo. This word for "love" puts the emphasis on affection and is a highly relational word. This, I think, fills out what is lacking in so many people's conception of faith and obedience. Having a high level of affection for Jesus Christ is part of what makes "faith" faith and what makes "obedience" obedience. In other words, if you do not have this type of affection for the Lord Jesus Christ, then you really don't believe in Him nor do you obey Him the way the Bible calls us to. That is the very reason that Paul calls down a curse of eternal damnation on all those who do not love the Lord with their affections!

Day 62 - 1Corinthians 13-14

The "love chapter" in 1Corinthians is one of the best-known and best-loved chapters in this entire book, and perhaps, to some, the entire Bible. To me this chapter is a mirror into which I can look and see from God's perspective how unloving I really am and how I need to grow in so many areas! The list that describes what true biblical "love" is serves as a powerful reminder of how desperately we need the grace of God to love in His way. If the Law served as our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, then this chapter serves us as our schoolmaster to bring us to the grace of God. Right off the bat, Paul tells us that love is patient. If there is one area that I struggle in, it is in this very area. I must have the grace of God to help we demonstrate my love for others by my patience with them. The list then continues with many other qualities that are a true demonstration of love. The second greatest commandment, according to Jesus Christ Himself, is to love your neighbor as yourself. This chapter offers a wonderful standard against which we can measure ourselves to see what areas we need more grace from God in order to love in His way.

Chapter 14 contains Paul's instruction regarding the speaking in tongues. My personal belief is that the gift of tongues was a temporary sign-gift that was given by the Spirit to validate the new revelation of the NT. Once the NT was complete, the purpose of the sign-gifts was no longer necessary. I know that there are plenty of people who disagree with me on this point, and I am OK with that. To those who disagree and say that tongues are still for today, I would ask this: "Can you show me anyone today who is exercising the gift of tongues in according to the instruction and limits that Paul gives in this chapter?" Paul's concerns here include intelligibility (vs9), edification (vs12,17,26), limited number (vs27), always interpretation (vs28), only men (vs34) and orderliness (vs40). In my limited exposure to the practice of speaking in tongues, I've never seen anyone engage in this activity in accordance with these principles. In fact, nearly all of these principles are completely disregarded by the modern day tongues movement. If that truly is the case, it makes one wonder if the modern tongues movement is truly from the God who inspired the writing of this chapter.

Day 61 - 1Corinthians 10-12

Chapter 10 includes two of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible. One to help fight against temptation (vs13) and the other to give the proper perspective on why we should do anything (vs31). But how often do we consider the context in which these verses come to us? I'm guessing not very often. So, let's consider the context.

10:13 - The context of this verse is Paul's warning against idolatry. He uses several incidents from the history of the Jewish nation (contained in the OT) to warn against falling into the same types of traps that they did. This list includes the most blatant form of idolatry--that of worshiping an image in the place of God. But it also includes other forms of idolatry--that of sexual immorality, testing the Lord and grumbling. Exactly how each of these is idolatry is something that I will leave for you to meditate on, just know that the heart of each of these sins is the sin of idolatry. Also, each of these areas is very tempting and that is why verse 13 comes in and encourages us to stand firm in the time of temptation knowing that our temptations are not unique (he has just showed how the children of Israel fell to these same types of temptations). The final phrases are very encouraging. God has provided a way of escape in every temptation that He allows, and we are able to bear each temptation. We never have to sin! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!

10:31 - This is the "life verse" of many and rightly so, but consider again with me the context. The eating and drinking Paul has in mind is related to those things offered to idols. That was apparently quite the "hot topic" in Paul's day. Some were making it a huge deal while others looked down on those who made it such a big deal. Paul brings the glory of God to bear on this situation. Whether you eat that which is offered to idols or not, make sure you are acting in such a way that God is glorified. This charge is something that we still need to this day. God and His glory should be the ultimate governing factors in our lives!

Chapter 11 contains Paul's instructions regarding head coverings for women and the observance of the Lord's Supper. I know that there are differing opinions concerning the idea of head coverings for women in the church. I do not intend to disparage those who hold to a view different from mine, however, I fell I must comment about this since it is a major part of this chapter. The main point, as I see it, that Paul was trying to make here was for wives to demonstrate submission to their husbands. This seems to be clear from the beginning of the chapter as Paul introduces the idea of "headship" among differing relationships and also from vs10 - "a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head." An outward sign of submission in Paul's day was for the wife to wear a head covering. Over time and distance, this external sign of submission has lost its significance, therefore, it seems unnecessary to me to continue to require and external sign of submission that no longer communicates such submission. Ladies, the Bible clearly calls the wife to submit to her husband, therefore if you husband asks you to wear a head covering, then it truly will be a sign of your submission to him (and there are many other ways that you need to demonstrate such submission as well!). If he does not require it of you, this does not mean that you do not have to submit to him, but rather it means that you must search for other ways to demonstrate your submission to him.

I think the most important part of Paul's instruction concerning the Lord's Supper for us today comes in vs28. The observance of the Lord's Supper is certainly a special time, but we must also take care to engage in thorough self-examination before partaking. In light of what our Savior did for us on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, self-examination that leads to confession and repentance from sin is the proper response!

Chapter 12 is a wonderful chapter dealing with spiritual gifts. Here are some highlights. These gifts are spiritual--they are gifts from the Spirit of God Himself (vs4-5). Every Christian has a spiritual gift or gifts (vs6-7). There is a diversity in the distribution of the spiritual gifts (vs8-10). God is wise in how He distributes these gifts to His children (vs11). All gifts are necessary and significant (vs14-22). Let's praise God for His gifts to His children and seek to use them for the building up of the body of Christ--that's why we have them!

Day 60 - 1Corinthians 7-9

Chapter 7 is a virtual encyclopedia on marriage. So many questions are answered in these verses. We find out the God-ordained place and purpose for sexual relations. We find instruction related to divorce and remarriage whether the spouse is a believer or an unbeliever. However, in the midst of all of this, Paul is making a point. His main point here is that if you can live your life without needing to enter into marriage, then you will be more useful for the Kingdom of God. He also points out that this ability to remain single and satisfied is truly a gift (vs7). This is a gift that I do not have! It is true, though, that those who remain single have the opportunity to pour more of their time and energy into service for God. In light of all this, however, Paul continues to point out that marriage is not something to be avoided (vs2,9,28,36,38,39).

Paul makes another interesting point in the middle of this chapter (vs17-24). His point here is to remain in the same state you were in when you came to know Christ as your Savior. I think what we can gain from this is that God calls to Himself different types of people in different types of situations in order that His Kingdom work can be carried out by diverse people in diverse ways to bring about even more glory to God. Another way that you could say it this, "Bloom where you're planted." Bear fruit in the situation that God has called you in and seek His glory, not your own advancement!

Chapter 8 introduces the concept of the "weaker brother." This "weak" brother is one who does not have all of the knowledge necessary to inform his conscience properly. Paul's exhortation here is not to the weaker brother to be strengthened, but rather to the knowledgeable brothers to be considerate of the weak. One of his main reasons for this consideration is that Jesus Christ died for these "weak" brothers, therefore to sin against one of them is to sin against Christ (vs11-12). This certainly "ups the ante" as we try to live in consideration of one another. In the midst of his explanation, Paul makes some very significant statements in vs6--namely, we exist for God and we exist as Christians through Jesus Christ. These two statements do a wonderful job in orienting ourselves to our place in the world and the Church. We exist, not for ourselves, but for God. Life is about Him, not about us! Further, we came into being as Christians, not through our own power or initiative, but rather through the power and initiative of Jesus Christ. These two concepts are truly foundational to the successful living of the Christian life!

In chapter 9, Paul details his rights as a minister of the gospel. Again, here there are many statements made by Paul that are instructive to the people of God as to how they should provide for their ministers. But, Paul does not include this to press upon the Corinthians in order to exercise his rights, but rather for them to understand what he is not exercising, though he does have the right to do so. In other words, Paul is surrendering his rights so that he might have a fruitful ministry among these people. How counter-cultural this thought is today in our culture of "i-must-have-my-rights"! It is in this context that Paul states that he becomes "all things to all people, that by all means I might save some" (vs22). What is ironic about this is that so many people use this verse to expand their rights in their attempt to reach out to people. They would say that they have a right to do things that others might have a problem with because they are doing it in the name of reaching diverse groups of people. This is in fact the direct opposite of what Paul was saying in this passage. Paul's becoming "all things to all men" manifested itself in Paul's restraining himself from things that he had a right to do. Isn't it amazing what happens when one considers the context of certain "proof-texts"?

Paul closes this chapter with a well-known passage on persistent, self-controlled striving in the the ministry (vs24-27). What a wonderful example Paul is to those of us who would serve the church faithfully!

Day 59 - 1Corinthians 4-6

As Paul wraps his argument against the divisions in the Corinthian church due to differing alliances (e.g. some of Paul, some of Apollos, etc.), he again demonstrates his humility as he refers to himself and Apollos as mere servants and stewards whose greatest contribution to their ministry is faithfulness (4:1-2). On the heels of that Paul warns the Corinthians concerning their pride. In doing this he lays out a great argument against pride in vs7. It gives us the perspective that if we have anything (e.g. abilities, knowledge, etc.) it is a result of the gracious giving of God. So, if we are merely beneficiaries of the kindness and generosity of another, what room is left for boasting? This is certainly the God-centered outlook on life that we need to keep us from falling into the same pitfall as these Corinthians.

Chapter 5 details Paul's correction of the Corinthian church's acceptance of an openly immoral person in the church. Paul's concern for the whole well-being of the church moves him to call for the excommunication of this individual. It certainly seems to be a harsh penalty, but Paul knows how destructive sin is in the church (leaven and its permeating effects are a picture of the destructive nature of sin - 5:6-8) and so he calls for this judgment to be made (so much for those who like to quote Matt. 7:1 at times like this!). How sad it is that so many church leaders today are more concerned with what people think of them and having more people in the church than they are about the health and well-being of their church!

Apparently, another problem in the church at Corinth was believers suing believers. Paul is flabbergasted by this activity within the church. Unfortunately, this practice continues to the present day. Paul's concluding questions (6:7) just don't go over well in our present-day "I-want-my-rights" American culture.

Next, Paul returns to the theme of sexual immorality. His reasons for abstaining are very weighty! Our bodies were made for God and His glory! Further, now that we are Christians, we are part of the body of Christ! Therefore, if we enter into immorality, we are prostituting the body of Christ! This truly is a horrific picture that should be enough to keep even the weakest Christian from engaging such activity. If that reasoning is insufficient, then at least heed Paul's command to "flee from sexual immorality" (6:18). Isn't interesting that we are told to "resist" the devil, yet we are to "flee" from sexual sin? We must certainly take this warning and command from Paul seriously. Paul closes this section with some very familiar thoughts in 6:19-20. These are good reminders to us that we do not belong to ourselves. We were made by God for the glory of God, therefore we belong to God. Further, now that we are Christians, we have God living in us--we are His temple. This arrangement between God and us did come cheaply--there was a great cost! We have been bought with a price. That price was the precious blood of Jesus Christ when He gave Himself up for us. When we allow the passions of our flesh to lead us into sexual sin, we are showing the low estimation that we have for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If we would really think about this in detail, it would change the way we view sexual sin! Let's glorify God in our bodies! They belong to Him!

Day 58 – 1Corinthians 1-3

1Corinthians is not a very “happy” letter. There were many problems in this church that Paul had started. Those problems are the occasion of this inspired epistle. Yet even in spite of those difficulties, Paul still opens this letter by thanking God for these believers. The ground for his thanks is the grace of God that had been given to them (1:4). They had been given so much that Paul describes them as having everything that they needed (1:5,7). Their problem was that they just weren’t using what they had wisely or well. This is a good reminder to us that we truly do have everything that we need for life and godliness, yet we must appropriate what we have in the right way and at the right time for the glory of God.

In addressing the difficulty of divisiveness, Paul makes a powerful statement in 1:17-18. First, he makes it very clear that “baptism” is not part of the gospel. This certainly should deal the “death-blow” to the false idea of baptismal regeneration! Paul specifically says that God did not send him to baptize, but to preach the gospel! He then goes on to point out the power of preaching. This too should be a corrective to the current-day lack of confidence in preaching. The preaching of the cross is the power of God! Preaching is where the power is. There is no life-changing power in emotionally-packed stories, moving dramas, etc. Life-changing power comes through the power of the preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ!

The manner of preaching is important to Paul as well as the content of the preaching. He makes this abundantly clear in the beginning of chapter 2. Apparently to Paul (and to God, seeing He inspired Paul to pen these words) there is a way to present the truth about Jesus Chris in a way that puts the focus on the messenger instead of the message. Paul strove to avoid that type of presentation. The result was that the faith of the people to whom he ministered was grounded in God and not Paul. O that we would have a return to this type of ministry where the preaching is about God and not the preacher! As a follow-up to that, Paul adds 2:14. The natural man doesn’t receive the things of the Spirit of God. If that is the case, then why do so many “preachers” attempt to make the things of the Spirit of God palatable to the unbeliever? This is an exercise in futility!

Paul again demonstrates his understanding that if anything of lasting value is to be done, then God is going to have to do it. He sees himself as a planter, others as “waterers,” and God as the One who causes growth (3:7-8). Truly life is all about God and His glory. Fruitful ministry is as well!

The next section is an often misunderstood passage of Scripture. The foundation of Jesus Christ that Paul has laid is the foundation of the church, not the individual Christian (at least in this passage of Scripture – 3:10-15). Therefore, the building of gold, silver and precious stones or wood, hay and straw is done by the ministers of the Church of Jesus Christ. We who strive to build the Church, must give diligent heed to how we do it. Paul has already identified in this letter some of the bad building materials (human wisdom) as well as the good (the preaching of the cross of Jesus). Let’s take care how we build the Church!

Day 57 – Romans 15-16

Well, I missed another day! As I write this post (and the next day’s post as well) I am sitting on an airplane headed to SC for a couple weeks of vacation. So, yesterday was the day to prepare to leave. There was so much to do that I didn’t have time to post. So, here is the first of two posts for today.

Chapter divisions in the Bible are not inspired. They were added much later. They are certainly useful to us to help us find specific passages of Scripture more quickly and easily; however, sometimes the chapter divisions can actually break a line of thought that the Scripture writer was attempting to develop. The chapter division between Romans 14 and 15 is such an example. The beginning verses of chapter 15 are very clearly a continuation of the theme of chapter 14, namely that we ought to be looking out for our fellow-believers in an attempt to keep from causing them to stumble. This thought is actually somewhat of an illustration of what it looks like to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (13:14) because part of the reasoning that Paul uses is the example of Jesus Christ and how He did not live to please Himself (vs3). The thrust here is selfless serving of our brothers for the sake of unity in the body of Christ.

At 15:13 Paul begins to end this epistle. It’s interesting how many times it feels like Paul is about to end, and yet he continues to write! It’s almost like the preacher who continues to use words like, “finally,” “lastly,” and “in conclusion” and yet continues to preach! This first “closing” of Paul is truly a wonderful prayer to pray for one another. It is directed to the “God of hope.” Truly, God is the only One that can give us lasting hope! Paul prays that his readers would be filled with joy and peace, not merely given a measure of joy and peace. Notice, though, the path to these—believing! Faith is the pathway to being filled with joy and peace. Of course, the power behind this filling is the power of the Holy Spirit—God Himself! And the ultimate outcome is abundant hope! This verse truly is a gem to be meditated on time and time again.

Paul’s humility is again on display for us. In vs18 he makes the declaration that he “will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through [him].” Where does this put the focus? On Christ and His enabling grace and power! What marvelous things were done through Paul that from a humanly standpoint he could have taken the credit for! But he refuses and continues to deflect the praise and honor to the One to whom it is due—Jesus Christ!

After listing his greetings to the Roman church, Paul adds a warning in 16:17 concerning divisive people. Paul’s love for the church continues to shine through. What he has already done has well-equipped the church for unity. Right doctrine is the foundation to true biblical unity, and Paul has done a masterful job of presenting not only the doctrine that unites, but also the application of that doctrine that will preserve this unity. However, Paul knows that there is no such thing as a perfect church, and so he warns against these people who would come in and try to destroy the unity that Paul’s letter has attempted to establish.
Paul then closes this magnificent letter with a final doxology. A doxology is literally a “word of glory.” This entire book has put the glory of God on display and so a “word of glory” is certainly a fitting end to this book. Soli Deo Gloria!

Day 56 - Romans 12-14

Today we begin the so-called "practical" section of Romans. That is not to say that the first 11 chapters are not "practical." It's just that these last 5 chapters of Romans deal primarily with the "practice" of the believer rather than the "doctrine" of the believer that was covered in the first section of Romans.

Paul begins this section with an appeal to the reader that is based on the truths contained in the first section. This appeal is a very familiar one. Whenever you come to one of these "familiar" passages, it is good to ask yourself. "Why is this so frequently quoted or referenced?" I believe this particular passage is so often quoted because it is so clear in describing the whole-life responsibility of the Christian--to give himself completely to God in order to be transformed by God.

12:9-21 contains quite a few machine-gun-type commands. One can feel a bit overwhelmed by all of this, and rightly so. Any attempt to obey all of these commands perfectly in one's own strength will certainly end in utter failure. It is passages like this that are wonderful reminders to us of how much we need the grace of God to live the Christian life. I can't do this list of commands on my own, but by God's grace, I can live a consistent Christian life to the glory of the Giver of that grace!

Chapter 13 contains a good reminder to us about our relationship with the authorities in our life. Our view of governmental authorities in particular tends to vary depending on which political party is in office. This chapter reminds us that whether those in power line up with our morals and virtues or not, they are in power because of the sovereign ordination of God. Therefore, they deserve not only our obedience but also our respect. Let's be careful to give honor to whom honor is due.

The last verse of chapter 13 is quite the admonition from the Apostle Paul. We are told to "put on" a number things throughout the NT, but none are quite as important as this. We are told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ! In every deed, thought and motive we are to strive to be like Christ. In doing this, we will not be making provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. This is a good reminder that the best way to keep from doing something is to focus on what we should be doing. One preacher put it this way, "The best way to keep from 'don'ting' is to do so much that we don't have time to don't." If we would focus ourselves on putting on the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully, then we wouldn't have to work so hard at not making provision for the flesh. It's like this--the best way to keep from going east is to focus on going west. You can't go in two opposite directions at the same time!

Chapter 14 is a clear call to Christian charity in areas concerning which the Bible is not definitive. The danger here is putting things in this category that shouldn't belong there as well as not putting things in this category that should. I guess that exercise in an of itself can be somewhat in this very category. Regardless of what things you do or do not put in this category, the overarching principle that is at stake here is the well-being of your fellow believer. We must be careful that we do not put a stumbling block in our brother's way (vs13).

Day 55 - Romans 9-11

There has been much debate about some of the verses in chapter 9 of Romans. It is true that they can certainly make us feel a bit uncomfortable. Some have tried to take the "uncomfortable" verses and reinterpret them so that they "sit" better with human reasoning. I think that is quite unfortunate. Paul knew that what he was writing was difficult and quite controversial. Why else would he have included verses such as vs14,19? Of course this is difficult to comprehend, but then again, we must realize that we're dealing with the mind and purpose of an infinite, sovereign God here! We shouldn't be surprised that it's difficult, but rather expect it to be so! In all of this difficulty, let us glory in the wisdom of God and His grace toward us who believe. Let us not get so caught up in trying to make all the connections here fit together in a nice, neat box (you'll never get there anyway) and instead praise the Lord that He has shown mercy to us! Let's let God be God and trust Him. He knows what He is doing!

If chapter 8 of Romans contains the "Golden Chain of Salvation" (8:29-30), then chapter 10 contains the "Golden Chain of Evangelism" (10:13-15). Starting in reverse order, Paul speaks of those who are "saved" (vs13). How did they get there? Well, they called upon the Name of the Lord. Why did they do that? Because they believed (vs14). Why did they believe? They heard (vs14). How did they hear? Someone preached the gospel to them (vs14). Why did those who preached preach? Because someone sent them (vs15). So the order goes like this: God sends all of His people to preach the gospel to the whole world (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8). While they are going they preach. There are those who hear the preaching and as a result, they believe. The outward manifestation of that inward belief is a calling on the Name of the Lord unto salvation. Let us all do our part in preaching this good news about Jesus Christ so that many may hear, believe, call and be saved!

Chapter 11 of Romans contains Paul's reminder to the Gentile believers in Rome that they are "wild" olive branches. The Jewish people are the natural olive branches. Some unbelieving national Jews were cut off (vs20), and some believing Gentiles have been grafted in (vs17). Paul's charge to these Gentiles is "do not be arrogant" (vs18). The reason is this, "You are not the root. You are only branches, and wild grafted branches at that!" (vs18). How thankful must we be for the kindness of God toward us "wild" branches (vs22)! Therefore let us continue in His kindness and so prove to be a genuine part of His people!

This chapter ends the "doctrinal" section of the book of Romans. Before moving to the "practical" section, Paul includes a doxology to close out the first section. It truly is a "word of glory" concerning our great God. Take a minute to reread this portion of Scripture. Pray this to our God from your heart:
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Day 54 - Romans 7-8

There is a lot of talk about being free from the Law. Unfortunately, what many people think the meaning of that phrase is that they can now act however they please. Romans 7:4 absolutely annihilates that line of reasoning. True, we are dead to the Law through the death of Jesus Christ, but not in the way that some would have us think. The Law no longer has power over us to condemn us because Christ fulfilled the Law perfectly on our behalf. Notice, though, the purpose of the death of Christ in this verse--"so that [we] may belong to another." The point is not that we are free to whatever we please, but that we now have a new master--Jesus Christ. No longer are we bound to the old master (the Law) that would condemn us, but we now are bound to a new Master who has redeemed us with His blood so that we would in turn "bear fruit for God." This is the end of our salvation--that by the power of our new Master, we would be fruit-bearers for the God who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us!

Right on the heels of that, Paul launches into the inner struggle that each of us has as we seek to bear fruit in the power of our new Master (vs15-25). How true this is of our current condition. We have been given a new nature at salvation, yet that new nature still exists in a fleshly body. Our new nature gives us new desires, yet our old fleshly body so often gets in the way. This is why sometimes we do the things that we don't really want to do and we don't do the things that we really do want to do. There is a constant struggle in the Christian life to live out these new desires while still clothed in the flesh. But thanks be to God who gives us grace and strength to live new lives in the power of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 8 is just jam-packed with wonderful truths. I would like to point out some powerful verses and just make some brief comments about them:
8:1 - When we are "in Christ" there is no longer any condemnation for us because Jesus Christ took our condemnation in our place - Praise the Savior!
8:17 - Since we are the "children of God" that makes us heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ! We get what He deserves because we now are His brothers and part of His body!
8:18 - We all suffer. Sometimes we even suffer because we are doing the right thing, but all of this suffering pales in comparison to the glory that God is working in us through the suffering.
8:28 - What a comforting verse this is particularly during those difficult times! God always has our best good in mind in ordering the events of our lives. Let us trust Him! He knows what He is doing!
8:29-30 - This "Golden Chain" of salvation demonstrates that salvation truly is all of God from the beginning to the end. Therefore, we can be confident and assured that what God has begun, He will complete!
8:31-32 - God is "for us." What an amazing thought! Consider the fact that at one time we were alienated from Him. We were His enemies! But now, in Christ Jesus, He is "for us." And since He was "for us" in giving His Son to save us, He will continue to be "for us" in giving us everything that we need for life and godliness!
8:35-39 - I don't know if there is a more precious passage than this in the entire Bible! God loves me and nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus! His love is a persistent, triumphant love.

Day 53 - Romans 4-6

Paul's argument in chapter 4 is that justification (our being declared righteous before the Judge of the Universe) is NOT based on works, but rather it is base on grace that comes to the individual through faith. If it is based upon grace, then this precludes salvation on the basis of works! It is impossible for salvation to be by grace and by works at the same time. These two ideas are mutually exclusive! Therefore, since it is by grace through faith, that faith cannot be a work! The other point that Paul is emphasizing here is that the promise of God to justify sinners by grace through faith came to Abraham before the external rite of circumcision was even established. Therefore, this promise is valid to both Jews and Gentiles! Therefore, this promise is not contingent upon external conformity to a ceremonial code, but rather on the heart of the individual.

There are so many very precious verses in the first part of chapter 5! We can be at peace with God because of Jesus Christ (vs1). God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (vs5). God didn't just love us, He manifested that love by giving Jesus to be our Savior Substitute when we were still His enemies (vs8). These are wonderful truths, but I'd like to focus a bit on the last part of chapter 5. It is in these verses that the somewhat controversial subject of "Original Sin" is discussed. This is the idea that because of Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden, all those that have descended from Adam are born sinners. In other words, a person doesn't even have to commit an actual sin to be considered a sinner by God. The reality is that we don't become a sinner when we sin, but rather we sin because we are sinners. For some, this is troublesome because it seems to put all men at an unfair disadvantage right off the bat. None of us had a chance even from our birth. It seems to hold all of us accountable for something that we had no part in. However, though this is true, the contrast here is simply glorious. Just as all who are in Adam are condemned, so also all who are in Christ are justified. You see, for those who would say, "If Adam did it, then why am I guilty?", I respond, "If Christ did it, then why are you now innocent?" The point I'm trying to make here is that if you have a problem with a "federal" view of condemnation where one man's sin "ruins" it for all others after him, then you will have a problem with the "federal" view of justification where one man's obedience secures justification for all who are in Him. If you reject this "federal" view, then you are first of all denying what the Bible clearly teaches here in Romans 5, but also, secondly, you end up making it necessary for you to earn your own righteousness for your salvation, something in which we all miserably fail! Paul's argument is clear here in this chapter--all in Adam die, all in Christ are made alive! Praise the Lord for the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ!

Chapter 6 takes the truths of chapters 3-5 and gives them legs! In other words, all this talk about the inability of man to save himself, the fact that salvation is not by works, but by grace through faith, the fact that we are at peace with God because of Jesus Christ did for us on our behalf, all this talk is not just window-dressing. It's not just something to sit around and admire. These truths have an effect on the way that we live our lives! This effect is namely that we should therefore no longer live in the sin from which we have been saved! The transformation that occurs at salvation is so radical that it not only changes us inside, but it changes us outside as well. While this outward change is not the means to our salvation, it certainly is an outflow of our salvation! Therefore, if there is not an outward change, one must wonder if there really has been an inward change. Examine yourself to see if you really are in the faith! Let's be diligent in considering ourselves dead to sin an alive to God as servants of righteousness!