Bible Teachings by Pete Beck III: Recent Episodes
Pete Beck III
Jesus Is the Resurrection The apostle Paul wrote that the resurrection from the dead is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your…Continue Reading
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There are four big tests that most of us will encounter on our discipleship journey. Each will reveal some aspect of the condition of our hearts and our devotion to God.
The post Wipe Out! How to survive life’s four big tests – Part 1, Idolatry appeared first on Third Peter.
I have decided that I am okay with being God's fool, but I am no longer willing to be the devil's.
The post A Cosmological Fool for Christ appeared first on Third Peter.
Just as it is crucial that we preach the correct gospel, it is also important to have a correct cosmology; therefore, it does matter what we believe about the shape of the earth.
The post Cosmology and the Heavenly Gospel appeared first on Third Peter.
Mea culpa for not always demonstrating a proper humility in the way I presented my recent teachings on biblical cosmology. I still hold to my convictions and interpretation of God's Word on this matter, but ask forgiveness for any exhibited arrogance and harshness.
The post Mea Culpa appeared first on Third Peter.
Following such a hermeneutic, if God's Word does not line up with accepted "science," then we must accommodate the Bible to it, which is the equivalent of making science Lord.
The post Science is NOT Lord! appeared first on Third Peter.
In order to ascribe to heliocentrism, we must believe some very crazy things.
The post A Few Crazy Things Heliocentrists Must Believe appeared first on Third Peter.
Satan, the great deceiver, has erected an enormous house of cards here on earth constructed of lies piled upon lies. The only thing that keeps it from completely falling apart is our spiritual blindness and resultant complicity. Once we see through his lies, the entire structure will come down.
The post Satan’s House of Cards appeared first on Third Peter.
Any study of end time prophecy should properly begin with the words of our Lord and specifically the Olivet Discourse when he answered three specific questions posed by his disciples.
The post Chapter 78: Daniel’s Seventy Weeks appeared first on Third Peter.
One of the more shocking conclusions I have observed is that heliocentrism requires faith in the atheistic Big Bang theory.
The post Belief in Heliocentrism Requires Belief in the Big Bang appeared first on Third Peter.
Here are some resources that I think are very good that should help anyone who is interested in researching the claims of the flat earth position. I plan to update this page when I discover more such material. This list includes biblical explanations and scientific reasons for believing that the…Continue Reading
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Throughout church history the restoration of truth always produces controversy and sometimes persecution by those who wish to suppress the truth.
The post Why I Will No Longer Participate in Suppressing the Truth about the Earth’s Design appeared first on Third Peter.
Any study of end time prophecy should properly begin with the words of our Lord and specifically the Olivet Discourse when he answered three specific questions posed by his disciples.
The post Chapter 77: The Olivet Discourse appeared first on Third Peter.
As a result of the Copernican Revolution, people began to cease thinking biblically about the earth and began to conceive of it as one of the planets - a wandering star, a fallen angel.
The post What If I Told You that Planets Are Fallen Angels? appeared first on Third Peter.
Jesus will raise the dead on the “last day,” and Paul said that the resurrected dead will precede the living saints who will be caught up to heaven. Therefore, there cannot be a rapture ahead of the general resurrection which will take place at the Second Coming.
The post Chapter 76: Introduction to Knowing Jesus as Coming King and Judge appeared first on Third Peter.
If you read this series of articles, you probably already deduced my conclusion: the earth is not a globe as
we have been brainwashed into believing.
The post The Startling and Liberating Conclusion – The Earth Is a Plane appeared first on Third Peter.
Every person will eventually face a crisis that tests our loyalty to God's Word.
The post Loyalty to God’s Word appeared first on Third Peter.
Whatever route we took on our personal journey to the Lord is our testimony.
The post Chapter 75: How to Share Our Personal Testimony appeared first on Third Peter.
Understanding God's design of the world in which we live can liberate us from pervasive deception.
The post Why Understanding God’s Design for the World Is Important appeared first on Third Peter.
Since most people accept that something cannot self-generate from nothing, those who reject the Creator as the source require another "god" to account for the emergence of the universe - gravity.
The post Gravity – the god of the Big Bang Theory appeared first on Third Peter.
When we come to know the one called Truth, our souls find rest from our restless quest.
The post Chapter 73: The Gospel Satisfies Our Thirst for Truth appeared first on Third Peter.
I believe it is time for God-fearing Christians to reaffirm our allegiance to God's Word as our authority on the creation.
The post Reaffirming Our Allegiance to God’s Word appeared first on Third Peter.
When God says he will roll up or split apart the heavens like a scroll, he means he will remove the firmament to reveal the one who sits on the throne. (Isaiah 34:4 and Revelation 6:14)
The post The Amazing Firmament appeared first on Third Peter.
Just as the Passover and Exodus effective removed Israel from slavery in Egypt, the cross of Christ and his subsequent resurrection transferred us believers out of Satan’s kingdom into God’s.
The post Chapter 71: The Gospel in Relation to the Passover, Exodus, and Crossing Over into the Promised Land appeared first on Third Peter.
When engaging in this sort of syncretism, something has to give, and it always seems to be our adherence and allegiance to the written Word of God.
The post Repentance from Syncretism appeared first on Third Peter.
How Can We Escape Pervasive Deception? Part 5 – Adopting a Biblical Cosmology In my previous article, I showed how important it is for us not to try to blend irreconcilable ideas in a vain attempt to synchronize the Bible with godless philosophies and systems of thought. The only way…Continue Reading
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Once the devil can get a person to go against his or her own sense of right in favor of a convoluted lie, the mind has been captured by deception.
The post Repentance from Embracing the Deception of Evolutionary Theory appeared first on Third Peter.
Once we understand the mechanics of deception, it should make us even more determined to live within the framework God has given to us, using the map and the guide.
The post The Mechanics of Deception appeared first on Third Peter.
Once Adam and Eve poked a hole in the wall of truth that guarded their lives, it opened a flood of deception upon the earth. All of us to some degree or another have become co-conspirators in a giant assault on the truth.
The post The Entrance and Extent of Deception appeared first on Third Peter.
Both the extended time of favor and the cataclysmic day of judgment are part of the gospel message.
The post God’s Coming Judgment upon the Wicked Is Part of the Good News appeared first on Third Peter.
Understanding the covenants will greatly increase our appreciation of Jesus and his finished work on our behalf and can give us new insights into the gospel.
The post Chapter 70: The Gospel and the Covenants appeared first on Third Peter.
When we come to Jesus, the Holy Spirit removes the blindness from our eyes. He opens our deaf ears and heals our hardened hearts, enabling us to see and believe.
The post Chapter 72: The Gospel Opens Blind Eyes appeared first on Third Peter.
We simply cannot rely on human intelligence and ability if we want to be good at relational or any other kind of evangelism.
The post Chapter 73: Relational Evangelism appeared first on Third Peter.
The Bible reveals that God is a Person who is good and loving and who communicates with people.
The post Gospel in a Minute: Jesus Is Alive and Communicates with Us appeared first on Third Peter.
Jesus encouraged us to endure suffering for the gospel, not pin our hopes on a "great escape" called the rapture.
The post Don’t pin your hopes on the rapture. appeared first on Third Peter.
Come… Follow… Fish. Each of the three calls invites us into a deeper relationship with God, and each has a higher personal cost associated with it. Many are called, but few embrace all three.
The post Chapter 69: The Gospel Presented as Three Calls from God appeared first on Third Peter.
Our goal is to present the gospel in such a way that our hearers understand that Jesus is the One for whom they are searching.
The post Chapter 68: Gospel Paradigms appeared first on Third Peter.
Unity is important in the church, family, nation, or really any group, but disunity often, maybe always, accompanies any important new activity or truth coming from God.
The post Disunity Can Be a Sign that God Is at Work appeared first on Third Peter.
The Holy Spirit "blows" or "breathes" upon us when we are born again, reconnecting our dead spirits to God from whom we receive his never ending life.
The post Have You Been Born Again? appeared first on Third Peter.
Christianity is not a religion devised by men as a way to reach God. It is a relationship initiated by God who came looking for us. God knows each of us by name and has personally called us to belong to his family.
The post Has Jesus Called You? appeared first on Third Peter.
Water baptism is the outward demonstration of the inward baptism into Christ's body with the added dimension of its being a public declaration of allegiance to Christ.
The post Chapter 33: Lordship Matters – Water Baptism appeared first on Third Peter.
Jesus is looking for those who will take the gospel and his healing ministry to the lost and dying.
The post Chapter 47: Lordship Matters – Authority to Heal the Sick appeared first on Third Peter.
Paul wrote that confessing Jesus as Lord is what saves us. (Romans 10:9-10) Adam's and Eve's sin was a renouncing of their submission to God. They chose instead to obey the serpent. It is not surprising, therefore, that the fundamental element of our salvation is the reestablishment of our proper relationship to Christ's lordship.
The post Chapter 32: Lordship Matters – Jesus Is Lord appeared first on Third Peter.
Let us remember that casting out demons is not a power struggle between us and the evil spirit. It is an authority issue.
The post Chapter 46: Lordship Matters – Authority to Cast Out Demons appeared first on Third Peter.
As God's children, we have been given enormous privileges and authority related to sonship.
The post Chapter 31: Christ’s Finished Work – Sonship appeared first on Third Peter.
Is God indeed taking down the mockingbird, the government's false narrative machine? I certainly believe we should pray to that end and do our part to spread the truth.
The post take down the mockingbird… appeared first on Third Peter.
Our glorification will be the final defeat of death and sin's power in our lives and in God’s creation.
The post Chapter 30: Christ’s Finished Work – Glorification Part 2 appeared first on Third Peter.
Glorification, however, is completely in the future, even though God reckons it to already be done.
The post Chapter 29: Glorification appeared first on Third Peter.
The reason many people resort to religion as a means to experience God’s presence is because they have never experienced the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The post Escape from Religion appeared first on Third Peter.
Relying on money instead of God is rooted in the fear that God will abandon us, which he promises us he will never ever do.
The post Worry about Money and the Fear of Abandonment appeared first on Third Peter.
Peace with God is the root of all other forms of real peace. It is a treasure freely given to all of God's born again children that comes at an incalculable cost to God.
The post The Effect of God’s Kindness Is Peace appeared first on Third Peter.
Every time we come face to face with God's kindness instead of his judgment, it reminds us that Jesus absorbed God's wrath for our sake to make this possible.
The post Encounters with God’s Kindness appeared first on Third Peter.
Nothing makes Jesus happier than to tell us all about his Father's amazing love and the inexhaustible riches of his kindness.
The post The Inexhaustible Kindness of God appeared first on Third Peter.
When we believe a lie, it is a form of idolatry. Lies are meant to destroy us, but the truth sets us free.
The post Believing a Lie Can Kill Us appeared first on Third Peter.
Does Father God delight in us because we do the things that please him, or do we do what pleases him because he delights in us? The Bible gives us the answer: the chicken comes before the egg.
The post The Chicken or the Egg? appeared first on Third Peter.
For us to properly draw upon God’s grace (the ability he gives to us via his Holy Spirit), we must first understand that all that we need for godly living has already been given to us in Christ.
It is important for us to communicate in words, attitude, and demeanor that we love, appreciate, and delight in who others are in Christ, instead of judging them for what they are not.
Christ’s Finished Work is a deep, multi-faceted subject, but I believe we can say that the purpose behind all Jesus accomplished on the cross is contained in the one word, "reconciliation."
The post 27: Christ’s Finished Work – Reconciliation first appeared on Third Peter.
Believers now have the authority of Christ that enables us to cast out demons. The Holy Spirit backs up our commands to these evil beings and forces them to obey.
The post 26: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Demonic Oppression first appeared on Third Peter.
Physical healing is part of the atonement just as much as the forgiveness of sins.
The post 25: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Sickness and Disease first appeared on Third Peter.
When earthly fathers speak blessings over their children, it opens a conduit from heaven in their lives.
The post Receiving and Giving Away Three Spiritual Treasures first appeared on Third Peter.
When we are filled with God's Spirit, we have the authority of Christ which overcomes the power of the enemy and the power of the Holy Spirit within us to enforce Christ's authority.
The post 24: Christ’s Finished Work – Redemption from Powerlessness and Fear first appeared on Third Peter.
[Jesus Christ] who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Titus 2:14 (NASB)Now we will look at another salvation paradigm - clean versus unclean. The Jewish ceremonial law made a clear distinction between that which was holy or set apart and fit for God's service and that which was not. Animals, people, and objects could be clean or unclean. Unclean people and objects could become clean through ritual washings and other prescribed acts. Some of the things that could make a person unclean are listed below.
- Touching something that is unclean - Lev. 5:2
- Menstruation (issue of blood) - Lev. 12:2
- Leprosy (skin disease) - Lev. 13:3
- Bodily Discharges - Lev. 15:2
- Eating an unclean animal - Lev. 20:25
- Sexual activity - Lev. 15:18
- Sin - Ezra 9:11
- Demonization - Luke 9:42
The unclean person or thing had to be isolated to prevent the contamination of those who were ritually pure.
In this way, you will keep the people of Israel separate from things that will defile them, so they will not die as a result of defiling my Tabernacle that is right there among them. Leviticus 15:31 (NLT)If a person was in a state of being unclean, he or she was not fit to serve the Lord. This was one reason the priest refused to help the injured man in the parable of the good Samaritan. He would have contaminated and disqualified himself from priestly service.
Say to them, 'If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the LORD. 4 'No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean... Leviticus 22:3-4 (NASB) In light of this, it is understandable why the woman with a bloody discharge was terrified when she was asked if she had touched Jesus' garment. Under the Law, her action would have defiled Jesus. And consider that Jesus was and is God's tabernacle, where God dwelled in all fullness. She would have been worthy of death for touching the tabernacle! But what actually happened?
But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction." Mark 5:33-34 (NASB) This account reveals that Jesus has the power to deliver us from uncleanness. Instead of being defiled by being touched by this unclean woman, Jesus healed and restored her to ritual purity.
Jesus also taught us that uncleanness does not come from what we touch or eat but from what is within us.
And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." Mark 7:18-23 (NASB)*The Old Covenant type of ritual defilement pointed to the much larger issue of internal defilement through sin. Sin is what separates us from God.
Going much deeper than individual sins, our “sin nature,” which is sometimes called the “old man” or the “flesh,” is the internal inherited cesspool of corruption that generates our lawless behavior.
Every human being is born into this world in a state of uncleanness because of original sin.
For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. Psalms 51:5 (NLT)Jesus redeemed us from this internal defilement by taking our defilement into himself when he hung upon the cross.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)Thus we see the divine exchange. Christ took our defilement, and we received His cleanness.
But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD." 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NASB)Sanctification is a state of holiness or being set apart to God, the opposite of defilement.
It is essential that we accept by faith what Christ has done for us. Our holiness does not depend on our own performance, nor can it be accurately discerned by how we feel.
A person, who has been made to feel "dirty," "tainted," or otherwise defiled must bring that to the cross and leave it there. In addition, such a person must retrain the mind and conscience to accept our God-given state of holiness in the Lord.
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:13-14 (NASB)Questions for Further Study and Discussion* How would you minister to a victim of sexual abuse who still feels "dirty" because of what was done to him or her?
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Psalms 34:5 (NLT)Shame can be either a painful negative emotion for having done something specific that was wrong of foolish, or it can be a general pervasive negative emotional state resulting from a chronic sense of self-reproach or sense of failure. The latter may originate in childhood and is more difficult to alleviate.
Some of our shame is well-deserved. If we sin against God and others, shame can be the consequence. It certainly was for Adam and Eve.
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Genesis 3:6-7 (NLT) Sin reveals the unseemly side of us that most of us wish to conceal, as did Adam and Eve.
We usually try to hide if we are threatened with our shame being exposed.
This can make relating to others a big challenge, since they/we often go to great lengths to cover up any areas for which we might feel ashamed. We fear that, if we are truly known, we may be despised and rejected, which is sometimes the case, as it turns out. As a result, sometimes we grow to like or love someone based on the façade presented to us, rather than the real person. This can be unnerving to the person who is hiding because of the fear of one day being exposed. It is also a problem for all of us because we wonder if we truly know the one we love. This kind of hiding can involve big issues or small.
Eventually who we really are will surface, however, and that is when relationships get tested.
This process can end in disillusionment which allows us to get rid of our illusions about the other person and face the truth. This is often a necessary step in building a great relationship or marriage.
Deep friendships and great marriages can develop when people take down the façade and continue to love one another despite knowing the other person’s weaknesses and sin.
Conversely, friendships and marriages can rip apart if the deception and resulting disillusionment are too great. This can also happen in a church.
Often we cannot truly know a person until after we have had a disagreement with them or go through a crisis together. How we weather those storms can more perfectly reveal the nature and depth of our relationship. One of my mentors once told me that he never truly trusted a person until after he had a fight with him. Whenever a new person or family joins our church, I am usually excited to get to know them. My hope is that they will prove to be good friends and valuable assets to the kingdom. In the back of my mind, however, is the realization that one day they may turn out to be just the opposite.
Disappointment and disillusionment are risks we take when we dare to love people.
There are countless numbers of believers who are drifting with no church home because at some point they were hurt and disillusioned by members of some local church. What makes this particularly sad is not so much that offenses and disappointments take place in the church. Rather, it is because people do not realize that this is to be expected in any group of humans, even the church. Believers must be prepared to encounter and work through these things. If we are going to survive and thrive in a very sinful world, we must come to terms with the fact that people are not always who they pretend to be.
One person who is incapable of being disillusioned is God.
God knows us completely and anticipates our every thought, word, and action. Nothing we ever do surprises him. King David knew and wrote about this truth.
O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT) God’s omniscience makes it even more remarkable and encouraging that he chooses people to belong to him even before they are born.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:3-5 (NLT) Adoption is never by accident. It is an intentional act of love. Every child, whether biological or adopted, is a treasure. Parents may have some idea of who their biological children are, but the full revelation comes over time. Adoptive parents have less idea of who their children may be because they usually have no idea what family traits may have been passed down. But God knows everything about all of us. He will never step back in disgust or disappointment after we make a huge misstep or sin, thinking that he made a mistake in choosing you or me.
God knew ahead of time all we would ever think, say, or do, and still chose to love us. This is a big antidote to shame.
Abandonment and rejection are at the root of much shame. These two things signify that the other person is of little value. Sometimes the reason for the abandonment or rejection is understood; sometimes, not. In the latter case, the affected person is left to imagine the reason. Little children are quick to assume blame, thinking that there must be something wrong with them. This can lead to the development of a pervasive since of shame mentioned in my opening definition.
Sometimes shame can be associated with sinful things we have done or were done to us. People who commit sexual abuse, for example, should feel shame for their actions; that is, until they experience the forgiveness and cleansing provided by our Lord Jesus. Children who are preyed upon by abusers also experience a sense of shame in many cases, even though the abuse was not their fault. Unfortunately, many predators tell their young victims that it was their fault, establishing a “lie-based stronghold” in that young one’s mind. This sort of lie must be replaced with the truth in order for shame to be eradicated.
Whether our shame was earned through our own sinfulness or improperly thrust upon us by some predator, Jesus has done everything necessary to set us free.
When Jesus hung naked upon the cross, enduring scorn, rejection, abandonment, injustice, and disgrace, he took that shame on our behalf, along with the shame attached to our sin. Just as He carried our sin and guilt to the cross, He also bore our shame there.
...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (NASB) Because He carried our shame, we do not have to bear it.
Here are some promises.
"Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more, 5 for your Creator will be your husband. The LORD Almighty is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth. 6 For the LORD has called you back from your grief—as though you were a young wife abandoned by her husband," says your God. 7 "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back. 8 In a moment of anger I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer. Isaiah 54:4-8 (NLT)But the LORD will save the people of Israel with eternal salvation. They will never again be humiliated and disgraced throughout everlasting ages. Isaiah 45:17 (NLT) Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." 1 Peter 2:6 (NKJV) But that is now. Did Jesus ever liberate anyone from shame during his three-year itinerant ministry? The answer is “Yes!” He set free the demoniac, who endured the shame and disgrace attached to his condition. He was forced to live alone in the tombs away from society. Jesus healed lepers who had to isolate themselves and cry out “unclean” whenever they moved about. Jesus allowed the adulteress in John Chapter 8 to walk away forgiven and with dignity after rescuing her from those who would have stoned her to death for her publicly exposed sin. He forgave and restored Peter, who shamed himself and his Lord by denying him publicly three times. When Jesus walked the earth he delivered people from shame and continues to do this today.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NLT) Therefore, we who follow Christ can know that our shame was carried away by Our Lord Jesus Christ and we no longer must bear it. Jesus came to liberate his followers from shame. To believe and live out anything less is unbelief. We can throw off any oppressive weight of shame by faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross.
Now we have the privilege of honoring the One who was shamed for our sake.
We can make it our aim to honor and glorify God by putting our full trust in him and his promises and by boldly declaring the Gospel and name of Christ without fear of any shame the world may attempt to thrust upon us. If we are proud of our Lord, he will return the favor at the Last Judgment.
Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 (NLT) Let’s trust the Lord to help us to be bold witnesses for Christ. Whenever we may fall short, let’s quickly repent and receive forgiveness and cleansing from our sin and shame and have another go at it.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion* For you, has disillusionment ever been a necessary step in growing deeper in a relationship? * How important is shame in determining how a person relates to God and other people? * If you were ministering to someone riddled with shame, how would you counsel them?
Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)The gift of eternal life means that in an ultimate and fundamental sense the power of death has been defeated.
Jesus told Martha: "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. 26 They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?" John 11:25-26 (NLT)**Jesus did not deliver us from experiencing a physical death, but He did liberate us from the second death, the one that lasts forever.
And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15 (NLT)If we are born once, we die twice. If we are born twice, we die once.
That means that those who are born again by the Spirit through faith in Christ will never experience the second death. Those who are not born again will.
Fear of eternal separation from God after being found wanting at the judgment seat of Christ is what is behind the fear of death in many people.
By delivering us from the threat of eternal condemnation, Jesus also set us free from the bondage produced by the fear of death.
I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. 25 "And I assure you that the time is coming, in fact it is here, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted his Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge all mankind because he is the Son of Man. 28 Don't be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God's Son, 29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to judgment. John 5:24-29 (NLT) After assuring his disciples that they would never be condemned, Jesus spoke of the coming judgment and resurrection from the dead. It is vital that we see the connection even as Jesus did.
Confidence at the judgment seat of Christ depends upon our conviction that we have been set free from the threat of the second death.
And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us. 1 John 4:17-18 (NLT) For believers, physical death will be an instant transition into God's manifest presence where we will experience the extreme joy of being with God and the extended family of born-again believers.
So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (NLT) Once again we are encouraged to be confident when we stand complete in the righteousness of Christ before God at the judgment. We have nothing to fear. For believers, judgment will not determine heaven or hell. That has already been decided in Christ, since he took our condemnation and judgment upon himself.
For us who trust in and follow Christ, the judgment will be a place where God will reward our works of faith and love done in cooperation with God’s Holy Spirit.
It is extremely important that we do not allow Satan to rob us of our freedom from the fear of death by implanting his lie that God will ultimately reject us. We are accepted in the beloved, the eternal Son, Jesus Christ. Because He lives, we live. Death has been defeated through His resurrection!
For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die. 54 When this happens—when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die—then at last the Scriptures will come true: "Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:53-55 (NLT)Questions for Further Study and Discussion * What is the only thing that can prevent our being cast into the lake of fire? * What are some of the reasons a person might fear death? * How does Christ set us free from these fears?
And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God. Matthew 15:6 (NLT)This verse records Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees for allowing men to donate money or land to the synagogue that otherwise would have been used to support their aged parents, thus relieving them of their duty to provide for them. God is not impressed when we dodge a clear command to honor our parents under the pretext of being generous in a religious way. I remember counseling a young man who ducked into a denominational church wearing a hat. His hair was a mess, and he was embarrassed to remove his hat. The gate keeper of the church asked him to leave if he would not remove his hat. That young man was seeking after God, but the roadblock of a religious tradition barred the door. Sure, if he had been more mature, he would have swallowed his pride and uncovered his head. However, he was not that mature, and neither was the gate keeper. It ended poorly because tradition triumphed over mercy and love. When I spoke to this young man, another stumbling block had been erected in his life. Hopefully he forgave that man and moved on. Sometimes traditions of men keep us locked in bondage.
Nowhere is the deviousness of the human intellect so clearly seen as in our religious traditions that we think are expressions of devotion to God, but which defeat the clear intent of His Word.
Every group has traditions, even those who profess to be free from such things. Non-tradition can easily become a defining tradition. When Luther distanced himself from the Roman Catholic Church, he was careful to try to retain everything that he deemed was not a contradiction to Scripture. Others were more iconoclastic and rooted out anything they considered was not clearly found in the Bible. Hence, Lutherans have a more formal liturgical type of worship service somewhat reminiscent of Catholic tradition, while some more radical groups did such things as banning musical instruments from worship services, since the New Testament nowhere mentions them. The question we must ask ourselves is: "Which philosophy is correct, retention or iconoclasm?"
To answer this question requires that we step back and examine our presuppositions. The Protestant Reformation protested flagrant abuses and errors found in the Catholic Church at that time. Luther found much good in the church but could not abide certain things. Thus, he posted his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg to launch a religious and political upheaval. He was careful to not "throw out the baby with the bath water", so to speak. Others did not have his love and appreciation for the Roman church. They hated it and found it rotten to the core. Their version of the Reformation was much more an overthrow of the entire system. Centuries later, it is interesting that the church polity and style we follow more resembles the radical reformers than the Lutherans.
The Catholic Church adopted a theology that gives as much weight to church tradition, including ex cathedra pronouncements by the Pope, as it gives to the Holy Scripture. Evangelical Protestant tradition insists on sola scriptura, meaning the Bible is our only infallible source for doctrine and practice. As children of the Reformation, sola scriptura is an established doctrine. Things break down a little right off the bat, however, because not everyone interprets the Bible the same way. Different Protestant groups have established their own church traditions based on their interpretations of the Bible. Hence, some groups rally around what is called "Reformed" doctrine, based on John Calvin's teachings. One group may make its stand on the proper mode of water baptism, which divided the Baptists and Methodists during the great early camp revivals in our nation. Other groups believe resolutely in the present-day baptism in the Holy Spirit and the operation of the spiritual gifts, while still other groups declare that these things are no longer in operation and are "of the devil". Depending on the group to which you belong, you will think the other group has man-made religious traditions that nullify God's Word. Christians have been fighting each other for centuries over doctrinal disputes. What is a person to do?
Some people get confused and rattled by all this wrangling. They wonder how anyone can determine what is right, or if there is a "right" side to the argument.
Jesus came to set us free from men’s traditions that conflict with the Word of God.
The core of God's Word can be summed up in two commandments - love God and love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:36-40)
God has given us unity with our spiritual brothers and sisters based on our being children of the same Father, servants of the same Lord, and indwelled by the same Holy Spirit. Whether or not our doctrine is perfect does not affect any of these core unities.
Even if we dispute the meaning of certain scriptures, we are to maintain a unity of heart and Spirit.
Some doctrinal differences are so great, however, that they must be resisted vigorously.
Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4 I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude 1:3-4 (NLT) Deciding what doctrines are pernicious is the responsibility of church leaders who are guardians of the truth.
Anything that detracts from God’s glory, Jesus’ lordship, or the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives, leads us to disobey God’s clear commands, or promotes immorality cannot be from God and must be heartily resisted because of their destructiveness.
The truths enunciated in the early church creeds are a good starting point for identifying what is essential.
However, if we allow a non-essential doctrinal tradition to separate us from our brethren, it is wrong. Honest God-fearing Christians see things quite differently.
If we hold to our own interpretations and traditions with a high regard and show respect for those held by others, and we refuse to allow our hearts to be divided from other groups because of these things, it shows that we have been redeemed from the power of tradition. Doctrine divides, but God's love and the Holy Spirit unite us.
I believe God has made His Word deliberately ambiguous in certain areas to test our hearts. I do not suggest biblical truth is relative or malleable, but I do believe our ability to grasp the enormity and complexity of God’s truth is limited by our imperfect human minds. To make the human intellect the measure of what is true is gross arrogance. To insist that our group is the only group that really "gets it" is an expression of an ugly form of pride. To hold to one's own convictions with magnanimity of heart towards those who disagree is an expression of spiritual maturity. Let's use the following maxim as our guide.
IN ESSENTIALS UNITY, IN NON-ESSENTIALS LIBERTY, IN ALL THINGS CHARITY
Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. Romans 14:1 (MSG)Questions for Further Study and Discussion* Can you name a man-made tradition that you or your church holds that is not clearly in Scripture. * Can you name any areas in which you have observed a man-made tradition lead someone to disobey clear biblical teaching? * If we find ourselves in a dispute over a particular doctrinal point of view, such as the rapture, what is the best way to handle it?
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Romans 6:1-2 (NASB)Lawlessness is the opposite side of the coin from legalism. Legalism and lawlessness are both forms of rebellion against God. Lawlessness rejects God’s standard of righteous living altogether. It fully embraces sin and gives free rein to the sin nature. Legalism, as we have seen, embraces God’s standard of righteousness but rejects God's way of attaining it through faith in Christ.
When we first hear about how Jesus set us free from the power of condemnation, the carnal mind is tempted to draw the conclusion that we are now free to be lawless, or, as Paul put it in the verse above, "to continue in sin that grace may increase." A person who thinks this way has not yet experienced the transformation of the mind through the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. The regenerated person receives a new heart that desires to serve God and be pleasing to him. The old nature inherited from Adam will always desire to sin; therefore, we should not be surprised when these sorts of thoughts occur to us. However, we must resist these temptations to believe a lie.
Spiritual maturity is the condition of thinking and living in harmony with God’s Spirit and Word.
God has not abandoned his desire for his people to live according to his ways. The only thing that has changed in the New Covenant is how we get there. The new way of the Spirit produces in us the obedience and purity of heart that the Law could not. All the Law can do it expose how far short we fall.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NLT) A distinguishing characteristic of those who serve God and those who refuse God is the fear of the Lord.
Part of the fear of the Lord is a regard for the consequences of our actions. Those who fear God fear his judgments against sin.
God’s born-again children should properly fear the Lord. We know that God loves us, and we love him back, but we still stand in awe of him and the discipline he may bring should we defy him.
A person who flaunts his or her sin is either not regenerated or still is yielding actively to the sin nature for some reason. Regardless of the reason, a lawless person embraces that which nailed Jesus to the cross. Such a person may be ignorant of the truth, or may be bitter or offended with God in some way, using that as an excuse for sin, or may be trying to cover up his or her pain by “self-medicating”. The answer for the unregenerate person is to put his or her faith in Christ and surrender to his lordship. This article is aimed at the born-again believer who still is living a lawless life.
“Walking in the Spirit” is a phrase Paul uses that describes the condition of allowing the Holy Spirit to live His life through us in such a way that makes us obedient and pleasing to God.
The gospel not only provides forgiveness: it also provides the power to live a new kind of life.
The best defense many times is a strong offense. If we actively seek after God by doing the things that promote deepening our relationship with him (worship, prayer, meditation on God’s Word, etc.), we are less likely to give ourselves over to sin.
Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20 (NLT)But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. *Galatians 5:16 (NASB)*Walking in the Spirit produces an obedience that legalism cannot because it begins from a position of resting in our having already obtained God’s favor and blessing through Christ, instead of working to gain that favor through our performance.
If what we are doing is producing in us the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, etc.., we can be sure it because we are resting in God’s grace. Legalism, in contrast, is an attempt to gain God's favor and blessing through our own performance, proving, so to speak, that we deserve it. Legalism cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit. Usually it results in frustration, discouragement, pride, impatience, and judging others.
Walking in the Spirit makes us aware of God's graciousness toward us and encourages us to show appreciation and love to the One Who has done so much for us.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:2-4 (NASB) The only way obeying God is not a heavy burden is when our love and appreciation for him is coupled with his grace toward us through faith.
When Jesus lives through us, we can serve God willingly.
I believe our Lord described what this is like better than anyone else.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)Refusing to let the Holy Spirit have His way in our lives is the fundamental sin of self-directed living.
When the Holy Spirit directs us, He also gives us the power to perform what He shows us to do; whereas, the Law leaves us to our own devices.
Jesus described our predicament under legalism as follows, speaking of the Pharisees who represented legalistic self-righteousness:
They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden. Matthew 23:4 (NLT) Grace is God's power via the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life.
The Christian's highest calling in life is to bring glory and honor to God. Anything that dishonors God can never be a product of grace or true righteousness. Grace was never meant to be an excuse for sin or permission to sin. Quite the opposite, it is the reason we do not have to sin any more after being born again. Through our identification with Christ in His death, the sin nature lost its power to dominate or rule us.
Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God's grace. Romans 6:14 (NLT) The lawless Christian is deliberately yielding once again to the domination of sin, which is a contradiction of the efficacy of the cross. Such a person’s life is actively testifying to all who know him or her that the cross of Christ is powerless to deliver someone from sin.
What do you think God should do about that? The lawless Christian should be in fear and trembling, wondering what God may do to preserve the testimony of Christ.
How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:29-31 (NASB) Since Christ took our punishment for sin on the cross, he is not required to punish us as our sin deserves any longer. (Psalm 103:10)
When God disciplines a lawless son or daughter, it is the stern love of a Father who wants the best for his child.
God will chasten or discipline a rebellious person with three ends in mind: (1) to draw us to himself in love, (2) to make our lives match the truth that the gospel sets people free, and (3) to transform us into Christ’s image and likeness. Everything God does is motivated by his love for us and will work for our good and his glory. (Romans 8:28)
God knows when to be gentle with us and when to be stern. (Romans 11:22)
Even though God’s mercy is great, sin is no light thing, and it is very unwise to put God in a position where He may need to do something drastic to preserve the integrity of his name and the gospel.
Living by grace requires that we walk in the tension created between knowing that God does not demand perfection from us in keeping "the rules," but He does expect us to surrender our lives to him and make a sincere effort to walk in cooperation with and obedience to his Spirit.
Jesus has set us free from legalism and lawlessness so that we can bring glory to the Father through heartfelt obedience.
Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. Romans 1:5 (NLT) Questions for Further Study and Discussion* Do you think that most believers are surprised when they discover that the “flesh” can never be rehabilitated? * Can you describe how legalism and lawlessness are both examples of rebellion against God? * How would you explain to someone that lawlessness in a Christian is a contradiction of the effectiveness of the cross of Christ and the truth of the gospel? * Can you give an example of how an unbeliever might use the contradictory lifestyle of a lawless Christian as an excuse to reject the gospel? * Does it make sense to you why God disciplines his children who are lawless?
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” John 11:21-27 (ESV) This passage is an interesting study in our propensity to misunderstand God. Having the advantage of hindsight, today we realize that Jesus was leading Martha to believe that he would raise Lazarus from the dead right in front of her eyes. Even though she had a good theology of who Jesus was (and is), she did not make the leap into applying that great truth to her present need. When Jesus asked her if she believed that he embodied the resurrection, all Martha could muster was a declaration that he was the promised Messiah. She spoke truth while completely missing the point of Jesus' question. She had faith in his being the Messiah, but none for his being willing and able to raise her dead brother. Why could she not properly hear what Jesus was saying or believe?
Her faith was for the future but was useless for her present situation. It is relatively easy to believe when there is nothing before us to test our faith. We seem to more easily believe in what will happen in the far off future than to apply our faith to the here and now.
Mental assent to truth does not necessarily engage the heart, where faith resides. (Romans 10:9-10) If what we believe about the past and the future does not translate into faith for the present, it might be mere mental assent, which cannot help us much.
According to Hebrews 11:6, God is pleased and honored by our faith. Real faith produces acts of obedience, which is faith in action. (Romans 1:5)
Martha and Mary gently chided our Lord for not showing up sooner to prevent Lazarus' death. They viewed his failure to immediately respond to their request as a lack of caring for them. They did not understand that Jesus had bigger things in mind. He deliberately delayed until after Lazarus died to provide an opportunity for God to be glorified through his resurrection. Martha and Mary underestimated God's love for them and his sovereignty over our lives. If we truly believe that Jesus is the resurrected Lord of lords, we will learn to see everything in life as an opportunity for God's glory to shine as we apply our faith and keep our focus on him and his love for us.
One of the big lessons of the resurrection is that we cannot properly evaluate our circumstances without factoring in God's love, sovereign rule, and power.
Real Faith in Jesus' Resurrection Will Greatly Impact Our LivesJesus' death and resurrection profoundly affected the early disciples, morphing them from being fearful followers into dynamic disciples. Following his ascension into heaven, Jesus poured out his Spirit on his disciples, which greatly enhanced this transformation, empowering them to boldly proclaim the Good News. Today we do not have the privilege of physically viewing the risen Christ, but we can see him with the "eyes" of faith. In addition, the same baptism in the Spirit is available to us today.
Jesus does not want us to wallow in unbelief regarding his resurrection. Instead of casting aside his most dubious disciple, Jesus confronted Thomas' lack of faith as described below.
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” John 20:27-29 (NLT) Believing without seeing requires us to have another kind of sight called revelation.
Now we depend on the Holy Spirit's ability to reveal Christ to us, and he is very good at it. With his help, our faith can be just as strong as that of the early disciples. Some people in Jesus' day saw miracles with their physical eyes but did not believe. Today we are able to believe without physical sight, thanks to the inner revelatory work of God's Spirit.
Paul wrote about the Spirit's ability in the passage below.
For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, Ephesians 1:15-18 (NASB) In my own case, the Holy Spirit "opened my eyes" to understand and believe that Jesus is truly the risen one described in the Bible. Before he did this for me, I did not believe because my spiritual eyes had been blinded by Satan, according to 2 Corinthians 4:4. But I asked Jesus, if he were real, to come into my life and show me the truth about himself. Amazingly, God used the slightly open door to set up residence in my life and open my spiritual understanding to Jesus' identity as the risen Savior and Lord. In an instant of revelation, the Spirit moved me from unbelief to faith by an inner miracle of healing my blinded mind. I came to understand and believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead, and that changed everything in my life.
For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT) His resurrection, if true, is easily the most world altering event in history, and God requires us to face it squarely. Do we really believe it or not?
Christ's resurrection proved that he was not a delusional martyr with a tragic God complex. Instead it showed that God the Father accepted his sacrifice for our sins as the Lamb of God and vindicated him as the Lord. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we know that our sins have been forgiven and we have been made right with God. Those who put their faith and allegiance in Jesus are now God's beloved children with all the associated rights, privileges, and authority.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3 (NASB) If we truly believe that Jesus rose from the dead, here are some ways our lives in the here and now ought to be affected every single day.
- We should be the happiest people on earth because the threat of condemnation and death for our sins has been removed.
- Through the new birth, as God's beloved children we now have continual access into God's loving presence where we are always welcome.
- We can be bold and fearless because death no longer has power over us.
- We are free because the power of sin, the "flesh," and the Law have been nullified.
- Having been released from bondage and oppression, we are free to serve the Lord.
- Because Jesus is Lord over all, we can live in the confidence that he is working all things out for our good and his glory. (Romans 8:28)
- Because Jesus was raised from the dead and has all authority, as his representatives we can operate in his name and authority to preach the gospel and set the captives free through the power of the Spirit of God. We are authorized to heal, cast out demons, raise the dead, and otherwise represent him to the world.
- Because we know God is real, his love for us is proven, and his power limitless, we pray with confident perseverance.
If these things are not yet true in our lives, most likely our understanding of the Bible and our faith need to grow. People without a proper revelation of Christ's victory through the resurrection...
- Will live as if we are still under condemnation and are not beloved children of God.
- Will be inhibited in their obedience because of the fear of death. (Hebrews 2:15)
- Will not believe we are free from the power of sin, the "flesh," and the Law and so will live as if we are not.
- Will simply acquiesce to sickness and and other forms of oppression. (Acts 10:38)
- Will doubt that Jesus is truly Lord over all things and will have difficulty trusting him when things appear to go wrong.
- Will not be bold to preach the gospel and operate in his authority and the power of the Spirit.
How Faith in Jesus' Second Coming (the Second Resurrection) Should Shape Our LivesThe first resurrection happened some two thousand years ago when Jesus came out of the tomb.
Every time a person is born again, he or she participates in that first resurrection by coming alive spiritually and being joined to Christ.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7 (NLT) The second resurrection will take place at the return of Christ. That is when our dead physical bodies will be raised and transformed into glorious spiritual ones, thus completing the salvation of our spirits, souls, and bodies.
And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see (by revelation) his Son and believe (in their hearts) in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:39-40 (NLT) Many people today give "lip service" to their belief in Christ's return as the glorious Son of Man and King of Kings, but I suspect there will be a high level of astonishment when he actually returns, even among those who profess faith.
Here is how Jesus described the coming "Day of the Lord."
Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see (revealed to all people) the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. Matthew 24:29-31 (NLT) When Jesus returns as the glorious Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14), he will come as God's judge of everyone who has ever lived. (John 5:27) All people will be gathered before him to be judged and, for his elect, to receive their reward. It will be at this time that all wrongs will be set right. That which was hidden will be brought to light. Those acts of faith and love which went unnoticed will be fully rewarded. God's people will be vindicated and the wicked judged. Jesus will be acknowledged by all as the Lord of Lords. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess it.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT) This will be the culmination of God's plan to redeem his people and his creation. It will be the grand finale when everything will be made right. But do we really believe that it will happen?
People who truly believe and look forward to Jesus' return will be like Paul.
And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8 (NLT) They will...
- Joyfully and eagerly look forward to (love) his coming.
- Distance themselves from that which defiles or hinders their fellowship with and obedience to the Lord. (1 John 3:2-3)
- Set themselves apart for the Lord's work and prioritize the Lord over everything else.
- Be willing to make sacrifices to advance God's kingdom, knowing that their eternal reward will be far greater than anything they might give up in the present.
Those who only give "lip service" to the Second Coming will...
- Not care too much about his second coming or even dread it.
- Live like those in the world.
- Be distracted from or uninterested in the Lord and his work.
- Be unwilling to sacrifice temporary pleasures or wealth for the sake of the kingdom of God, since they lack confidence that God's eternal reward will be better.
ConclusionThe Easter season is a good time for us to take another look at our lives to see if our behavior reflects faith in the resurrection and the Second Coming or not. If not, here is a prayer we can use.
Holy Spirit, I come to you because the Bible says it is your ministry to reveal Christ and his truth to us. I ask you to give me a deeper and clearer revelation of Christ and his resurrection and lordship so that I will live as I should, full of joy and commitment to Jesus and his kingdom. Deliver me from unbelief and carnality. Let me live in a way that is worthy of our Lord and the sacrifice he made for me. Amen.
Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? Galatians 3:1-4 (NLT) Legalism or performance-based living is one of the greatest evils propagated by well-meaning people in cooperation with the devil. Paul likened it to being under the power of witchcraft. Legalism mesmerizes those under its sway. It is fueled by our pride and reinforced by rules that are used to measure people's righteousness before God.
Performance-based living cannot give us the peace we desire because it is based on the lie that it is possible to gain and maintain a right relationship with God through our own effort.
Because of the effects of sin, most of us realize that something is missing in our relationship with God. Religion is man’s attempt to connect with God, but the Bible makes it clear that any restoration of that relationship must be initiated by God himself. We are quite incapable of pulling it off.
Just as the people of Israel thought they could fight against the Canaanites on their own, we are under the delusion that through trying hard we can please God without his help. The Israelites who followed Moses, illustrated this principle.
So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the LORD had commanded him. 8 And all the people responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded.” So Moses brought the people’s answer back to the LORD. Exodus 19:7-8 (NLT) They thought they had the capacity to obey. All they needed was to know what to do. The truth of the matter was that they were fatally flawed at the core of their being because of the devastating effects of sin. Even though they professed to want to obey God, they had no ability to follow through on their promise. God knew this, but they did not – yet. The same is often true for us. We imagine that if we just try a little harder, we can pull this off. But we cannot.
Most Christians understand that before being born again we desperately needed Christ. When we realize that we are unable to save ourselves, the gospel becomes most welcome news. Jesus died to take our punishment for all the sins we ever committed! God is willing to "let bygones be bygones" and erase or forgive all the marks against us on the great blackboard of life.
Those who do not fully understand the gospel tend to stop here with forgiveness, thinking that once we get a fresh clean slate, now it is our responsibility to make the most of it. After all, “God helps those who help themselves.” (This is probably the most quoted non-scripture ever!) This way of looking at things misses the point. We could not save ourselves before we turned to Christ, and we cannot do it after.
The good news is much more than simple forgiveness. God gives those who trust in Jesus his Spirit to live the Christ life in and through us!
This means that we need God’s grace to operate in every aspect of our lives from the beginning to the end.
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. Romans 5:1-2 (NLT) Under legalism, we get into the kingdom by grace, but we remain in God's favor through our obedience. In other words, we earn it. Grace thinking is quite different. We enter the kingdom by grace, and become obedient through grace. The result is the same, but how we get there is very different. Legalism requires self-effort.
Grace requires faith that Christ has already provided us with a permanent right standing with God. Our obedience stems from our love for such an amazing Savior and a desire to please and bring him glory.
For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. Romans 10:3-4 (NLT)Legalistic thinking in earlier times led some to postpone water baptism until their deathbed. That way they would have the cleanest slate possible when they approached the judgment seat of Christ. The early Jewish believers in Christ often added a slightly different twist: people get into the kingdom by faith alone, but if you wanted to be a true follower of Christ, you then had to keep the law and be circumcised.
The key idea in legalism is that salvation comes through faith in Christ plus something else. The true gospel is that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone.
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. Galatians 5:1-4 (NLT) Every God-fearing person who has tried to keep the Law knows what it is like to feel the desperation of condemnation. Before faith in Christ, all of us were under condemnation and wrath because all have sinned.
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:22-24 (NLT) No one has ever escaped this judgment, because no one apart from Christ has been without sin. Condemnation comes because of the Law.
The Law is God's righteous standard of holiness that points out and defines sin in our lives. Its job is to place us under condemnation so that we will understand our desperate need for a Savior. It is our servant to lead us to Christ.
For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. Romans 3:20 (NLT)Once a person places his or her faith in Christ, this condemnatory role of the Law in our lives is finished forever.
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. 1 Timothy 1:8-11 (NIV)Christ took upon Himself all the condemnation that the Law placed upon us. He bore our sin and the penalty for our sin. When we placed our faith in Christ, we were justified by the Father, which means we received Christ's perfect righteousness as a gift. This means in God's eyes we already have the righteousness that comes from perfect obedience unto death over a lifetime. That is why we are no longer subject to condemnation.
Freedom from condemnation is a big key to victorious living by faith.
The strength of sin is the Law's power to condemn. (1Cor.15:56) If we allow ourselves to be condemned because of our sins and failings after becoming a Christian, we are giving power to sin to rule us, even though it has no right to do so.
Until we decide to focus instead on Christ's righteousness given to us instead of on our own sinfulness and weakness, we will struggle with a condemnation-induced power of sin in our lives.
Therefore, it is just as important to understand and believe that we are free from condemnation through dying to the law in Christ as it is to believe we are free from the power of indwelling sin through our identification with Christ's death to sin and resurrection in life.
The Law will never go away. Its righteous standards are eternal. We had to "go away" by dying so that we could be married to someone else whose name is Jesus Christ. Just as our union with the Law brought forth evil fruit due to our corrupt sin nature, even so, our union with Christ produces good fruit out of our new nature in Christ.
The new nature cannot be joined to the Law because the two are incompatible. We must jettison old performance-based thinking and accept the new way of the Spirit.
But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit. Romans 7:6 (NLT) The only way this will work is if the power of grace and the indwelling Spirit is strong enough to overcome temptation and the desires of the sin nature, which still reside in us in diminished strength. According to Romans 8, this is indeed the case.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NLT) If this sounds too good to be true, it is because we have never understood the true gospel of grace. Instead, we have been living to some degree or another under a form of legalism or performance-based Christianity. Yes, it is vitally important to obey God, but we don't do it to gain a right standing or acceptance from Him. We do it because we already have those things. Love and appreciation are far more powerful motivators than fear and condemnation. If we have any doubts about this, consider the story of the woman caught in adultery in John Chapter 8. She expected to be killed by stoning for her sin as required by the Law, but…
Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:10-11 (NLT) She was able to walk in victory over sin because God forgave her and released her from condemnation. If we have only known serving God out of fear of judgment, we really should give this new way of living condemnation free in the Spirit a try. We will never go back!
Questions for Further Study and Discussion* How did God deliver us from the power of condemnation? * Why is condemnation so antithetical to living by grace? * Why is it just as important to understand and believe that we are dead to the law's power to condemn as it is to know that we are dead to indwelling sin's power to rule us?
The blood of Jesus provided for our overall redemption. It is the price that was paid to secure our freedom from every form of bondage.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV) The blood of our Lord provides us with forgiveness of sins. This aspect of redemption can be equated with salvation in general.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)Here we have an overlapping of propitiation and redemption. In this mediation, we will focus on how Jesus redeemed or set us free from the power of sin.
Our identification with Christ in his death and resurrection is the divine mechanism that sets us free from sin's enslaving power.
The following scripture verse clearly shows this.
Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:6 (NLT)Many, if not most, Christians do not understand or even know about the importance of the principle of identification. Instead, they are usually only familiar with the idea of substitution.
Most believers know and believe that Jesus died FOR their sins, in their place, but they do not grasp that the believer died WITH Christ and lives IN Christ so that the sin nature or "old man" might lose its power to rule our lives.
Not only are we identified WITH Christ, but the Bible says that we are IN Christ. We are in him, and he is in us.
If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:15-20 (NLT) The principle that we are “in Christ” is found throughout the New Testament. In fact, we are united with Christ in the Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:17) Here are a few verses for us to consider.
being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; Romans 3:24 (NASB) Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 (NASB) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NASB)Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NASB) nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (NASB) I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 1 Corinthians 1:4 (NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Ephesians 1:3 (NASB)There are literally dozens of verses containing this small and often overlooked prepositional phrase "in Christ" which contains one of the most important concepts in the Bible.
God ingeniously inextricably linked our salvation to a Person. All we have from God is in His Son. By being in Him and his being in us, we have everything.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:12 (NIV) Therefore everything that is true of Christ, is true for us believers, aside from His divinity and unique role as the only begotten Son of God. He shares his life, his power, his holiness, his authority, and his freedom from sin's power with us.
Because Jesus is free from sin, so are we.
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:10-11 (NASB)For this freedom to be fully experienced and enjoyed, we must understand and believe it. Satan seeks to rob God's children of our freedom and authority through ignorance and deception. He wants us to rely on our own experience and feelings to determine if we are indeed free from sin, instead of believing what God's Word says.
Since the Bible teaches that Christ has indeed set us free from the power of sin, we are responsible to believe it and ask the Holy Spirit to make it our experience.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion* Explain in your own words what it means to be "in Christ". (Hint: 1 Cor. 6:17) * Why is being in Christ fundamental to our freedom? * Is it right for us to claim that we are “dead to sin" even if we still commit sins? (Hint: Our true identity is who we are “in Christ.”)
He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12 (NIV)Redemption encompasses the entire work of Christ at times, but it also has a very specific meaning. Jesus our Redeemer purchased us from slavery and set us free. He liberated us from the dominion of a tyrant, the devil. He delivered us from our enemies. This is all part of what it means to be redeemed.
In its basic sense, “redemption” means to buy back from slavery with the intent to set free. It is the power of the gospel to liberate us.
Redemption extends to everything that formerly held us in bondage - sin, death, Satan and his demons, the Law, men's traditions, deception, sickness, disease, and various enslaving addictions. Redemption extends to all areas of bondage.
As much as most people don't want to hear this, everyone is a slave to something or someone. Slavery is usually associated with being captured, mistreated, stripped of all rights, and forced to work without pay. Most slavery over the centuries has been just that. However, there is a type of slavery mentioned in the Bible that was more like what was once a common practice - indentured servanthood. In fact, my mother’s seventh great grandfather, Pieter Claesen Wyckoff , who was born on 26 JAN 1625 in Boda, the Netherlands, and died on 30 JUN 1694 in what is now Brooklyn, New York, came to the new world, New Amsterdam to be exact, as an indentured servant as a young boy. After fulfilling his term of seven years of service, he married and settled in the Brooklyn area. His home still stands and is a museum. His many thousands of descendants are scattered all over the United States. For him, indentured servanthood was a temporary “slavery” of sorts that served to liberate him from poverty in his motherland and give him new opportunities to thrive in a new world. He or his parents made the choice to enter this contract. I suspect it was a choice to either be a voluntary slave for seven years followed by freedom or be enslaved permanently by poverty in the Netherlands.
In the Old Testament, if a person sold himself into this kind of slavery to a master for economic reasons, he might discover during his time of service that his life was far better than before. In this case, he could choose to make the enslavement permanent. His master would drive an awl through the ear lobe of the servant, marking him for life as a voluntary slave.
But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ 6 If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life. Exodus 21:5-6 (NLT)**
The Bible describes the Christian as a doulos or slave to Christ. Paul makes it clear that we only have two options in life - to be a slave to sin or a slave to God.There is no third way of doing our own thing. That option, by definition, is serving self, which equates to serving Satan, the king of self.
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? Romans 6:16 (NASB) Jesus taught that all who sin are slaves of sin. (John 8:34) Satan does a good job of deceiving us into thinking that, when we sin, we are simply doing what we want. The fact of the matter is that when we choose to sin, we become willing slaves of Satan in the matter of sin, taken captive by him to do his will.
Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 2 Timothy 2:26 (NLT) Sin opens the door to all sorts of bondage. We became subject to slavery to death and the fear of death through our sin. Jesus died to set us free from that.
Because God's children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT) Jesus also set us free from demonic and satanic oppression through His death and resurrection.
In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ. Colossians 2:15 (NLT)Likewise Jesus redeemed us from sickness and disease; although, we still live in bodies that will one day suffer physical death. The full manifestation of our redemption from sickness and death will take place at the resurrection of the body.
He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds! 1 Peter 2:24 (NLT) Another aspect of redemption is deliverance from the performance-based system of attempting to find and maintain favor with God.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Galatians 3:13 (NIV) One of the most wonderful areas of redemption is deliverance from our bondage to deception. Jesus is the Truth, and as we continue in the revealed truth of His Word, we are made free.
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32 (NASB)Slavery to sin and the devil always produces death, destruction, sorrow, regret, and loss. In contrast to this, voluntary submission to God produces life, peace, righteousness, joy, and abundance.
Whereas the devil enslaves us to impoverish us and strip us from everything that brings joy and fulfillment in life, God “enslaves” us to set us free.
Submission to God fulfills and enhances our life. In fact, God has elevated us from simple slave status to sonship. We take our cue from the only begotten Son, who was subservient to His Father's will. His obedience unto death elevated him to being Lord of all.
Before becoming a man, the Son of God enjoyed the privileges and status of being part of the Godhead. After his incarnation, death, and resurrection, he has all the rights and privileges of divine sonship, but as the God-man and Lord he has reclaimed the authority Adam gave away. This has enormous consequences for us who believe in him.
Through being identified with Christ, God has conferred upon us who serve Him all the wonderful privileges and status associated with being a child of God.
Far from being a miserable slave, our obedience to God elevates us to the highest status available, God’s own child. This will be the subject of another aspect of Christ's finished work on our behalf.
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36 (NASB)Now let’s review a bit. Use the following chart to clarify and deepen your understanding of what we have covered thus far regarding what Christ accomplished on our behalf on the cross and by his resurrection and ascension.
Work of Christ
Propitiation
Forgiveness
Justification
Redemption
Definition
God’s wrath against our sin has been appeased.
Our debt toward God has been erased.
Our guilt has been removed and we have been given Christ’s right standing with God.
We have been bought back from slavery and set free.
Result
We can now enjoy God’s love without fear.
We can now forgive others as God forgave us.
We can now come boldly into God’s presence without condemnation or shame.
We are now free to serve God and others.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion* From what has Christ set you free that is the most meaningful to you? * How does redemption differ from propitiation, forgiveness, and justification? * How do they overlap?
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 (NASB)It is one thing to be forgiven for an offense and quite another to be completely exonerated in court and declared not guilty! When we are forgiven, it means we admit that we have done something wrong to another person, concerning which we have incurred some sort of debt to them.
Forgiveness does not erase the wrong; it simply releases us from the debt. Justification, however, erases the record of the wrong altogether, as if it never happened.
Justification is the formal declaration of our righteous standing with God in the court of heaven. What Jesus did on the cross delivered us from guilt and condemnation through his becoming our substitute. God's justice demanded that we pay back our debt incurred by our sin by dying a criminal’s death.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NLT)Jesus, who never sinned, agreed to die in our place as our substitute, taking upon himself our sin, our guilt, and our debt. Because he substituted for us and paid off our debt, we were forgiven. In other words, toward God we became debt free, but the record of our offense still existed. Forgiveness leaves us being wrongdoers for whom someone else has paid the debt.
Justification, however, removes the record of our wrongdoing. Perhaps the closest parallel in our legal system is expungement, the process by which a record of criminal conviction is destroyed or sealed from state or federal record.
An expungement order directs the court to treat the criminal conviction as if it had never occurred, essentially removing it from a defendant's criminal record as well as, ideally, the public record.
When Jesus rose again, Father God declared that his atoning death was enough to erase the guilt and condemnation associated with our sin.
The reason this could be done without violating Father God’s own righteousness and justice is because we are now identified with our Lord Jesus. Instead of being defined as a “sinner”, we are now the righteousness of God because we are “in” Christ, and he is “in” us. This means that we are now partakers of who Christ is and all the benefits of what he accomplished through his death and resurrection.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB) We are now partakers of God’s own righteousness, a perfect righteousness without fault or blemish!
It is God who has made you part of Christ Jesus. And Christ has become for us wisdom from God. He is the reason we are right with God and pure enough to be in his presence. Christ is the one who set us free from sin. 1 Corinthians 1:30 (ETRV)Some have said that to be justified is to be "just as if I'd" never sinned. This is a memorable way to define justification, but it is inadequate. Such a definition of justification returns us to a state of moral innocence, the condition that Adam and Eve enjoyed initially in the garden. Justification goes much further by giving us the complete and perfect righteousness of the Son of God, who was obedient to his Father unto death.
When we are justified, we receive Christ’s righteousness deposited into our spiritual bank account.
It is as if we had already lived a perfect life, died as a martyr, and already stand before the Father completely vindicated and faultless! In fact, that is our actual condition positionally in Christ.
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)The only way anyone of us can be without fault is because we are one with the Righteous One. There is no righteousness available outside of Christ’s. God is not dispensing little bags of righteousness based on our performance.
We either become righteous because we are in Christ, or we are outside of his righteousness altogether.
A thinking person will realize at this point that justification is an overwhelmingly amazing gift from God.
Imagine that while we are running in a race, it is announced that we have already finished our race and won. What kind of encouragement would that be? I imagine we would gain a new spring in our step! This is what has happened to us believers! We who are still on planet earth are in a race (Hebrews 12:1), and we have won through Christ!
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37 (NLT) In God’s eyes the race is already finished.
and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8:30 (NASB) All of the verbs in the above verse are in the aorist past tense, which means the action has been completed once for all, never to be repeated. This means God regards us as having been justified and even glorified in His sight. He sees the end from the beginning. (Isaiah 46:10) He knows the outcome since He is sovereign and all-knowing.
Father knows you have already finished the race in Christ and have been declared a winner because Christ already won!
Even though we have already won our race, we must keep running. This is where our faith comes into view. Faith includes the following attributes – trust, allegiance, and steadfastness. The Bible says it is a gift from God, like everything else necessary for our existence. The idea is that the God who saved us by dying on the cross when we were still his enemies, will continue to “keep” us by and through faith now that we are his friends.
And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:9-11 (NLT)As we, with God’s help, steadfastly continue in a trust and allegiance relationship with Christ (faith), God’s grace will keep us.
Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it. Colossians 1:22-23 (NLT) This is what it means to be justified. We have been given another person's, Christ’s, righteous standing before God - a perfect standing resulting from a completed life of absolute faithfulness to God. We are no longer under the Law or any performance-based system in which we must earn or maintain our standing before God. Our righteousness is no longer in question now that we have placed our confidence in Christ.
Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God—something the Jewish law could never do. Acts 13:39 (NLT) So, if we have put our faith and allegiance in Christ, we have passed from death to life (John 5:24). The next time we are tempted to get down on ourselves because of a recent sin or failure, we must remember that we stand before God clothed in Christ's perfect righteousness. Therefore, we can come boldly before our Father's glorious throne to receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. If we confess our faults and sins to our loving Father, he will let us experience the blessing of His mercy and forgiveness once again. We should never doubt our right standing with Him.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) Questions for Further Study and Discussion* Explain how justification is different from forgiveness. * Why did Jesus have to pay the penalty for our sin? * How did Jesus’ resurrection prove his vindication (righteousness) before God? * Can you explain the difference between moral innocence and justification. * Does it make sense to you that we are in a race that we have already won? * Why can we always boldly come into Father’s presence to receive grace and mercy, even when we have recently failed?
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28 (NIV)Forgiveness is another side of propitiation. Once the just wrath of God against sin has been appeased, forgiveness may be offered.
Forgiveness is never required. It is an offer to release someone from a debt that is justly owed. It is always an act of mercy.
In this case, our debt was one we had no means of ever paying - the debt of sin. The only acceptable payment that could release us from this debt was the death of a perfectly righteous God-Man offered in obedience on the cross. Only the Lamb of God could pay that price. Thank God He did!
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 (NIV)Jesus' parable of the unrighteous servant (Matthew 18:23-35) teaches us that we are forgiven only because of the mercy of God. The unrighteous servant never understood and thought he could or should pay back his master over time for a debt that had already been removed. As a result, he failed to properly receive the gift offered to him or to show the same sort of mercy to others. Since he thought he must still earn his forgiveness; he demanded that others earn theirs, too, by repaying their debts to him. This kind of spiritual blindness and pride produces legalism in which we try to earn our acceptance and standing with God through our performance. Only One Person had the ability to pay the necessary price, and he has already done it.
Jesus offered himself, not because he was required to do so because of a personal debt he owed, but because he chose to extend mercy to us by paying our debt.
He purchased our forgiveness with His blood.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 1:7 (NASB) Redemption is a theological word which simply means to buy back from slavery and set free. We will look more at the depth of meaning of this word in future meditations. For now, we will concentrate on this one aspect of redemption - the forgiveness of sins.
Once a debt has been paid, it can never be legally demanded again.
Until the debt is paid, the debtor is in bondage to the lender. Being in a state of unforgiveness is a kind of prison, a debtor's prison. We do not have this form of debt collection anymore, but in earlier times a person could go to prison for unpaid debts. On a personal level, we can hold people in a psychological or spiritual prison of our own making through refusing to forgive. It is impossible to relate in any sort of a close way when we hold an offense against another person or that person holds an offense against us.
Forgiveness means we release the other person from owing us anything at all. We let go of our demands for personal satisfaction or vengeance, knowing that God will handle any justice that needs to be administered.
When Jesus died for us and paid the price of His blood for our redemption, God's wrath was completely satisfied, and He released us from our impossible debt. God forgave us completely and released us from the prison of our sins. We were still guilty of committing them, but we were released from the debt incurred. This is an important point.
Forgiveness does not remove guilt: only the debt.
If someone commits a murder, the family of the murdered person may offer forgiveness to the killer, but that will not remove the murderer's guilt or bring the dead person back to life. He still did the act and must answer for it in a court of law. The consequences of the murder remain. If the governor should pardon him, he also would be released from the state's demand for vengeance or pay back. In that case, he would be completely forgiven and set free. Nevertheless, he would still be guilty of killing a man, and that family would still have to suffer the consequences of losing a loved one. Forgiveness does not erase the guilt for what we did; only the debt we had to pay.
There is another aspect of salvation called justification that takes care of the guilt problem. We will look at that next time. For now, why not spend some time thanking God for releasing us from the impossible debt we owed Him because of our sins? And we should also make sure we are not failing to release anyone else from a debt owed to us.
Holding an offense against another person is one sure way to sabotage our own mercy.
God forgives us as we forgive others. God requires us to extend mercy to others. (Matthew 6:12 & Mark 11:25) If we have been holding on to an offense, we must let it go, just as God did for us. It's not just the best way: it's the only way.
You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13 (NLT)Questions for Further Study and Discussion* How does it affect us when someone refuses to forgive us? * How does it affect us when we refuse to forgive another person? * How does our refusal to forgive others reveal that we have never yet understood our own need for mercy? * Would you agree that when we refuse to forgive someone, it shows that we have elevated ourselves to be their judge on a par with God? * Are you aware of anyone that you still need to forgive? * What do we do when we know we should forgive someone, but our heart is not in it? * What do we do when we choose to forgive someone, but when we get around them the old feelings of bitterness resurface? * When we forgive someone, does that require us to act as if they never did anything to us? * When we forgive someone, does that mean we should trust them in the future? * How specific should we be when we forgive someone? (Example: I forgive you vs I forgive you for betraying me.) * What is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation?
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10 (NASB)The work of salvation accomplished by the Lamb of God is so broad, deep, and high that it might be compared to viewing a mountain range. Mountains will look different depending on our vantage point. It is the same with the finished work of Christ. We will look at it from different perspectives to gain a better understanding of the whole. Some of the views will overlap, as when we blend many shots together to make a panorama.
As I begin breaking down the magnificent and multi-faceted work of our great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I will be using theological terms that may or may not be familiar to you. Some of these concepts are overlapping and have more than one way of being understood. The word that I believe encompasses the entire work of salvation is the "atonement," which is an invented word to describe what Christ did. Jesus died and rose again to restore us to a place of "at-one-ment" with God. I have chosen to break down the atonement into various aspects that I believe are distinctive and enlightening. It is important to see how each part contributes to the whole. Let's begin with "propitiation", a word rarely used today. If we are in deep trouble with a very powerful and angry person because of a major offense we committed, the first thing we need to do is somehow defuse the situation. Otherwise, no progress will be made in the relationship. If we have betrayed someone to whom we owe loyalty, our treason demands justice.
Beginning with Adam and Eve, we humans have rejected our Creator in favor of going our own way and trying to be our own god. Instead of being grateful creatures, we have arrogantly refused to acknowledge, praise, and serve the One to whom we owe everything.
In our fallen condition, things have only gotten worse. We have committed numerous crimes against other people and the creation as well. This is a violation of God’s justice and has justly stirred up his holy wrath.
Our greatest primary need regarding God is to somehow satisfy or appease His just wrath against our rebellion and sin.
Jonathan Edwards was a brilliant theologian in New England many generations ago during the First Great Awakening in this country. In his famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," he put into words the condition of every person without Christ.
So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, his anger is as great towards them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the fierceness of his wrath in hell, and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least bound by any promise to hold them up one moment; the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out: and they have no interest in any Mediator, there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God.
Obviously, this was written for the purpose of awakening each of his listeners to the imminent danger of dying while being in an unforgiven and unreconciled state and to stimulate us to reach out to God for mercy. It is recorded that many in his congregation grasped the truth of his words and groaned in agony until they had a breakthrough of knowing in their hearts they were forgiven. Only the sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah, the innocent Lamb of God, could satisfy or propitiate God’s fiery wrath against our sin..
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 (NLT) Only Jesus could take the full fury of God's wrath upon Himself, thereby leaving us unscathed and unthreatened. And that is just what He did!
Because Jesus took God's wrath as our substitute, we now have been delivered from that wrath and any threat of ever encountering it.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NASB)We can compare Paul’s words to those of our Lord regarding our deliverance from wrath and condemnation.
I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT)Jesus substituted for us by taking our punishment. We are identified with him because the Word of God says that when he died, we died, and when he rose, we rose. Our sin fell upon him, and his righteousness was given to us who believe. Substitution and identification are two very important concepts we need to understand and believe.
The reason we are not destined for wrath is because Jesus took our condemnation and punishment upon himself, leaving us “justified” or “not guilty” before God. We have passed from death to life because Jesus died for us and rose again. When he died, we died. When he rose, we rose.
Some appointments are pleasant, such as one to see an old friend. Others are not pleasant at all, such as an appointment to have a root canal. The most feared of all appointments is an appearance before the judgment seat of God for one who has no propitiation for his or her sins. This is an appointment to wrath. Every believer in Christ has been delivered from this appointment. It is not in our future. Praise the Lord!
This does not mean we will never encounter God's discipline or reap the consequences of our sin. We will reap what we sow, but we will never have to endure God's wrath.
For example, King David committed two deadly sins for which death was the just punishment. He committed adultery with his faithful friend’s wife and had his friend put to death to hide the fact. God, showing David New Covenant mercy, did not require David to be put to death. He was forgiven when he repented, but God warned him through the prophet that he, his family, and the entire nation would suffer bad consequences for his sins. We can be forgiven yet still have to reap what we sow. King David was a person who ushered in countless blessings to his family and the nation, but he also brought to them some negative reaping. The same is true for us. We all reap what we sow; so, we should ask God’s help to bring blessings upon those we love and serve and ask for a crop failure when we sow evil.
But those of us who put our faith and allegiance in Christ will never reap the wrath of God. That bit of reaping has already been taken by Jesus when he became sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor.5:21)
And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 (NLT)The next time we think about what God has done for us in Christ, let us try to remember what it was like to fear the certainty of spending an eternity in hell suffering the torments of God's wrath. Let us lift our hands to heaven in thanksgiving that He sent a Savior Who endured that wrath on our behalf so that we will never have to face it.
Instead of being sinners in the hands of an angry God, we are beloved children sitting in the lap of a loving Father.
Only Jesus could effect that change. What a Savior!
We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart; he has told us about him. John 1:16-18 (NLT) Questions for Further Study and Discussion* Why didn’t God simply forgive us, instead of requiring Jesus to appease His wrath? * Why can we be confident we will never encounter God's wrath if we put our faith and allegiance in our Lord Jesus Christ? * Animistic religions also recognize the need to appease the wrath of demon “gods.” If you were preaching the gospel to a group of people who regularly offered animal sacrifices to gain the blessing and protection of a demon spirit ruling the area, how would you go about it?
Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:30 (NASB)What exactly did Jesus mean by these last words upon the cross? How we interpret them will somewhat depend on our view of Scripture and life. For the pessimist, maybe they were the last words of a defeated man who died tragically for nothing. For the more positive minded, perhaps Jesus was simply relieved that he had made it through the worst and finally would find escape in death. But what about the believer? What truth do we find in Jesus' last words upon the cross? I believe he gave us the clue we need in a previous discourse.
Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17:1-5 (NASB) Even before his crucifixion, Jesus could confidently say that He had accomplished the work his ABBA had given Him to do. How much more could he claim that upon the cross as his last breath was exhaled as an act of total obedience to His Father's will.
For us to understand what is meant by the finished work of Christ, we must go back to the "once for all" aspect of salvation.
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus died once and will never need to do that again, having purchased our salvation through His ultimate sacrifice.
He does not need to offer sacrifices every day like the other high priests. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he sacrificed himself on the cross. Hebrews 7:27 (NLT) As we consider the nature of what Jesus did on the cross, we must engage our minds to think quite deeply. This was not a simple or superficial thing. C.S. Lewis, in his Chronicles of Narnia, which is an allegory about Christ, calls it "deep magic". Of course, there was nothing magical about it, but it was "deep". Paul calls it God's "secret wisdom".
Yet when I am among mature Christians, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world, and not the kind that appeals to the rulers of this world, who are being brought to nothing. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the secret wisdom of God, which was hidden in former times, though he made it for our benefit before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would never have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." 10 But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 (NLT)In the Bible a "mystery" is something hidden until it is revealed by God.
What Christ accomplished on the cross and through His resurrection is just such a mystery.
God's secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. 10 And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. 12 God's purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. 13 And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God. Ephesians 1:9-14 (NLT)The mystery is that God's salvation was accomplished in and through Christ via the cross and resurrection.
God's eternal plan to conform us to His glorious image has been carried out to perfection through His Son's ultimate sacrifice and his indwelling life ("Christ in you, the hope of glory" - Col.1:27). This plan was conceived in the mind of Abba Father before the world was created. (Ephesians 1:4)
The Holy Spirit applied Christ’s finished work to our lives when the gospel intersected our timeline.
Here is another passage that clarifies the plan.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8:29-30 (NASB) Every key verb in the above passage is in the Greek aorist past tense, which means it is a once for all completed action, a "done deal".
Our faith is not in something shifting or uncertain.
We have been given a strong anchor that is hooked into Christ's finished work.
So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. 19 This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the line of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:18-20 (NLT) As we continue to trust in what God has already done for us in Christ, we have the stability to navigate through the uncertainties of our "fragile" earthly existence in these mortal bodies.
Despite having to do battle with renegade desires coming from the “flesh,” we have bold confidence that ultimately our salvation is complete and does not depend on our performance but on Christ's perfect work.
God sees the end from the beginning. The Holy Spirit Who indwells us is God's guarantee that what He has begun, He will finish. In fact, it is finished!
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (NASB) God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:5 (NLT) Questions for Further Study and Discussion* What difference does it make for us to know that Christ already completed the work of salvation? * How does our understanding of “spirit-soul-body” help us to grasp the difference between the “once-for-all” eternal salvation of the spirit and the “in process” daily salvation of the soul? * What part does each Person of the Godhead play in our salvation? * Does Christ’s death on the cross also cover all of our present and future sins or just those in our past? * If Jesus already paid for our forgiveness, what place does repentance have in the process?
Anyone who aspires to what some call "full-time" ministry is probably well aware of the idea of receiving a "calling" from God. What this means is that such a person knows, senses, or believes that God uniquely chose him or her for some ministry responsibility. It may be a general sense of calling or very specific. Having a strong sense of calling can be very important when, not if, things get rough. One missionary who lost his wife and family on a foreign field told me that the only thing that kept him going then was his "calling." How do I know if God has called or is calling me to some leadership or ministry responsibility in the local church or wider kingdom of God? This article is my attempt to answer that question.
A good place to start is with the general call regarding which every child of God receives and responds. Paul wrote about this call in his letter to the church in Rome.
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. Romans 8:29-30 (NLT) How does this call come to us? Usually it is through reading or hearing the gospel message. It might even come via a dream or vision, as is the case in many Islamic countries. This might be labeled the "outward" call, which many people hear without ever responding in faith. When the outward call comes our way, if it is going to make an eternal impact on us, it must be accompanied by what some have designated the "inward" call, which is the hidden or invisible work of the Holy Spirit in our lives drawing us to Christ. Jesus spoke of this.
For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. John 6:44 (NLT) Everyone who has put his or her faith in Christ did so after receiving an outward call combined with an inward call from God. Some were aware of the process. Others were not. Some who are born into a family with parents who are disciples and hear the gospel from infancy often quite seamlessly start believing in Christ at a young age without any critical moment of decision. Others of us, who never really heard or understand the gospel until later in life, as was my case having been raised in a Roman Catholic family, have a decisive born-again experience, which enables us to compare our "before Christ" experience with our lives after being saved.
Here is my first point: every genuine disciple of our Lord has been called by God.
We can divide this general call into three parts, about which I have written previously: the call to belong, the call to allegiance, and the call to mission. The call to belong to God's family is the first one each of us receive. This corresponds to knowing Jesus as Savior. The call to allegiance draws us to surrender our lives as best we can to Jesus the Lord. Water baptism is our outward declaration of allegiance to him. The call to mission challenges us to consciously enlist in God's Great Commission army of disciple-makers. We receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit to empower and embolden us for this task.
In other words, every single follower of Christ is called to serve in the completion of the Great Commission and to minister in some fashion or another, and this ministry is "full time." There is no clergy-laity divide in the kingdom of God, no elite status of people who are "above" the rest. We are all servants.
Jesus said that he only did what he saw his Father doing. (John 5:19) In other words, our heavenly Father has great interest in our lives and shows his children what he wants us to do. This is what it means to be led by the Spirit. Following the Spirit takes faith because the invisible Spirit of God often communicates in very subtle ways. We must learn and be open to the ways God communicates to us, which is another subject about which I have written. In short, he speaks to us through the words of the Bible, through his indwelling Holy Spirit, through other people, and circumstances. The most reliable way for us to hear God is through the words of the Bible, but even then we need the indwelling Spirit of God to help us properly interpret those words. The impressions we get from God's Spirit are also very reliable, but it takes practice to discern and properly interpret them. This is why we need to turn to the Bible and other people to help us. God often uses people to communicate his will to us. The prophetic ministry is a great example of this. When this happens, it should always be confirmed internally by what God is speaking or has spoken to us. Circumstances are the least reliable, and it is important for us to interpret their meaning, too. Sometimes circumstances are against us because God is allowing our faith and resolve to be tested. At other times, contrary circumstances may suggest God is not in a particular venture. Likewise, when things are easy, it not always clear what that means either from a guidance perspective.
The takeaway is this: God does not leave us to our own devices. "God with us," Emmanuel, is well able to communicate his will to us; although, sometimes it can be a challenge for us to understand it. We have this promise, however: if we seek him, we will find him. If we ask for his help and wisdom, it will be given to us.
This brings us to the topic of this article. Are some of us called to a level of leadership or ministry that is beyond the general call on all disciples to serve? If so, what is the nature of this ministry and how can we know if we are called?
There are various kinds of ministry found in most local churches. The first person that probably comes to mind is usually called the pastor or shepherd. This person is looked to as the spiritual leader of the church under Christ. Other leaders and ministers(servants) function in harmony, hopefully, with the pastor - elders, deacons, worship leaders, Sunday School teachers, small group leaders, etc. In addition to that, we have the leadership God places in each family. Fathers and husbands are the "heads," and mothers and wives function alongside and in harmony with their spouses. Does every one of these ministry "positions" have to receive a unique call from God, or just the pastor?
Men become the spiritual heads of their homes when they marry. It automatically happens, whether or not we are aware of it or embrace it. Husbands and fathers have a responsibility from God to provide, lead, teach, protect, and model Christ to their families.
Leadership and ministry always include responsibility. We receive grace from God to carry the weight of whatever responsibility he assigns to us. If God asks us to take more responsibility in his kingdom, we want to make sure it is something he wants, or we will not have the grace to do it.
Usually, if not always, we have a desire to do what we think that God is calling us to do, even if it is layered over with fear and doubt at first. For example, Moses took upon himself to be a leader of Israel before God called him to do it. He flopped miserably because he got ahead of God's timing, which drained him of all self-confidence. When God appeared to him in the burning bush many years later and called him to lead his people, Moses protested to the point of disobedience because of his fear and doubts, not because he did not want to lead. He was a "natural" leader, but God had broken him of all self-confidence. Now he needed to replace self-doubt with God confidence. This is my point.
If we have a desire to lead or minister in God's kingdom, this is likely an indication that we are called. Most people do not have this inclination. But this is not foolproof. Sometimes we may misunderstand what God wants, or we may simply have a form of unholy ambition.
John the apostle wrote about such a person named Diotrephes, who loved to be the leader, but in whom something was not right. (3 John 1:9) He had not been appointed by God, or if he had, he did not have the character required. Character often determines whether we will succeed or not. Anointing is a gift that can be torpedoed by a lack of godly character. Character plus anointing will produce great results. (E.g. Moses was denied the privilege of leading Israel into the Promised Land because of a character defect - anger. Joshua, who represents Jesus, did take them in. He had no marked defects character wise.)
So, if we have a desire to lead or minister, what is next? Paul tells us that such a desire is good, as long as it is submitted to God.
This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder, he desires an honorable position.” 1 Timothy 3:1 (NLT)If a person is called by the Holy Spirit to be an elder, it will be recognized and confirmed by others in the church. When this happens, elders are "installed" or "ordained" by other recognized leaders in the church, usually accompanied by the laying on of hands, which is symbolic of the anointing or grace for leadership being conferred to them. Elders have a greater responsibility in the church and receive greater grace.
A general principle is that we should only lay hands on those upon whom we recognize that God has singled out, called, or given them grace and ability for ministry or leadership. In other words, if we are called, other leaders and the people will see it.
Those who are truly called by God to leadership and ministry in the church will have the grace, character, ability, humility, faith, and courage to accept the call and fulfill its responsibilities - all the while very much depending on God's ongoing help and support. None of us is truly adequate to the task.
Whereas elders are called by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28), other important ministries, called by some "five-fold ministries" and by others "ascension gift ministries," are appointed by Christ himself. These include apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. (Ephesians 4:11-12) Five-fold ministers have the responsibility of leading and equipping the church to fulfill its ministry. Those who end up leading or "pastoring" local churches are usually one or another of the five-fold ministry. They will also be part of the eldership, sometimes called the "lead" elder, at least in churches that follow the New Testament model of church government by elders. How do I know if I am called to this kind of ministry and leadership?
Moses received a unique call to leadership which was unmistakable and directly from God himself. He was also given the very great responsibility of leading Israel out of captivity in Egypt, through the desert, and into the promised land of Canaan. Moses did not have the privilege of being surrounded by other godly leaders who could mentor him. He had to get it all from God directly. This is one way men and women are called to ministry.
Another way we enter this level of leadership and ministry was modeled by Joshua, Moses' understudy or servant. Joshua served Moses for years and spent large amounts of time with him and in the presence of God. He was privy to much of the interactions Moses had with God. When it became time for Moses to turn over leadership due to his impending death, God told him to lay hands on Joshua and transfer his leadership anointing to him.
O LORD, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. 17 Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” 18 The LORD replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19 Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. 20 Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. Numbers 27:16-20 (NLT) We have no record of Joshua receiving a direct message from God calling him to replace Moses. Instead, the Lord chose to use his mentor to relay that instruction. The same dynamic took place between Elijah and Elisha. Elisha apparently was the son of a well-to-do farmer who was out supervising the plowing of their fields when Elijah called him to prophetic ministry.
So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20 Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!” Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.” 21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant. 1 Kings 19:19-21 (NLT) Eventually Elisha, as was the case with Joshua, had his own personal encounter with God that confirmed that he was indeed called by God himself, not just his mentor. I give examples of both below.
After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. Joshua 1:1-5 (NLT) As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress. 13 Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. 14 He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across. 2 Kings 2:11-14 (NLT) It is no secret why serving a leader can lead to being the leader eventually. One of the most important qualities of any true leader is a willingness to serve the Lord and the people one leads.
But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT) Servants are willing to devote themselves to helping another person be successful and to be called to greater responsibility by the one they serve.
We all serve the Lord, but in the church he distributes his authority among various leaders and ministers.
The ability to see the Lord's delegated authority in others who lead is a mark of a true servant.
This is the reason behind why wives are asked to submit to their husbands as to the Lord. (Ephesian 5:22) It is not because their husbands are superior in some way; rather, it is because God has chosen to distribute his authority through husbands and fathers. Any woman who properly submits to her husband's authority does so because she understands that in so doing she is indirectly submitting to God. This gives her safety because she knows that, if her husband misuses that authority, he will answer to God, not her. It takes great faith to lead and to be led.
This brings us back to the question with which we began. How do we know if we are called by God to some ministry or leadership responsibility? Let me summarize what I believe are some key points to remember.
- God calls some of us directly and some indirectly through the one we serve.
- Normally those who have a calling also have a desire or an aspiration to have ministry or leadership responsibility, but this in itself is not proof of their calling. However, it is a good indicator. (E.g. If someone tells me they feel called to pastor, I take that very seriously because it is not "normal.")
- If God calls us directly, other people should be able to recognize and confirm this calling. If we believe we are called, but no one else sees it, we should wait until others do. Timing in God's kingdom is crucial. We can really foul things up if we get ahead of God. Take for example, Moses.
- If we are tapped to serve a leader, realize that it may or may not lead to taking the leader's place one day. If it does, God will confirm our role as leader when the time comes. Until then, or perhaps always, we should be content to serve another.
- Whether we are called directly by God or indirectly through men, God will give grace to us to fulfill our leadership and ministry responsibilities. This grace often comes at the point of ordination, when hands are laid on us and we are commissioned to the work. No matter when and how the grace comes to us, it is vital for our success in serving God. We do not have the resources within ourselves to pull it off. We all depend on the Lord, whether we are leading or following.
- All of us are servants of the Lord and one another. Whether we lead or follow, we are servants. Leaders serve those they lead, just as surely as those who follow serve the Lord and his delegated leaders. No one ever stops being a servant.
I have been carrying the "weight" of leadership in the local church for about forty years. I look forward to stepping aside soon to turn over this responsibility to another. In so doing, I plan to become a very good follower. As a pastor, I understand how crucial it is for people to be willing to humble themselves to follow another person. All leadership success depends on this, whether in the family, at work, in government, or the church.
We should all make it our goal to serve to the best of our ability, whether it be as a follower or a leader. This is a key way we serve and glorify the Lord.
PrayerLord, I am willing to serve or lead in your kingdom. I consecrate myself to your will. Use me as you see fit. I trust that you will make clear to me and others what my role is to be now and in the future. I trust you to provide the grace for me to be faithful in what you ask me to do. Amen.
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:11 (NKJV)If you come from Texas or the deep South, you might use the word "reckon" in your normal conversation, such as, "I reckon you're right." This use of the word is about the same as "suppose". The King James version of the Bible also uses the word "reckon", but in a much different way. In the above verse, "reckon" is the equivalent of "consider it true or done". This type of reckoning is very important if we are to grow as a Christian.
Faith is the God-given ability to take God at His word.
Faith is not something we generate from within ourselves or something innate in everyone. When Adam sinned, we all died spiritually, and the human heart lost its connection to God. We died to spiritual things. God had to revive us on the inside for us to be able to live again. Paul put it very clearly in his letter to the Ephesians.
God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 (NLT) Jesus is called the Author and Finisher or initiator and completer of our faith.
...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (NASB)Faith is a work of grace from start to finish. The indwelling Holy Spirit is God's Agent of grace. He is the One who develops faith inside us. He is called the "Spirit of faith". (1 Cor.12:9; 2 Cor.4:13) He is the One Who lives out the Christ life from inside us. When we trust in God, it is the Spirit trusting in and through us. When we worship the Father, we do so in cooperation with the Spirit.
Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Galatians 4:6 (NASB) Because we have been joined or united to the Holy Spirit through the new birth, it is next to impossible for us to differentiate between God's Spirit and ours in these matters.
But the person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 (NASB)Faith is the ability to accept God's promises as being true just because God said. Faith enables us to consider that his promises are a done deal even before we see or receive what was promised.
Faith reckons that what God has said is true.
What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) Now why is this so important? Remember that salvation begins in the spirit, on the inside, and over time works its way into our thoughts, motives, and behavior, as yeast works its way through a lump of dough. (Matthew 13:33)
If we think that our spiritual growth depends on how hard we work at it, we will always be unsettled. But if we trust completely in what the Bible says, that our new life is a gift of grace from start to finish, we will be steadfast in our faith.
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (NLT) By God’s grace, our thinking and behavior will sooner or later catch up to God's promises that we believe. This is a crucial principle for spiritual growth.
Here is an example of how this works, going back to our opening scripture verse. The Bible says we are "dead to sin". How many of us "feel" dead to sin? I would venture to say that none of us do. Are we dead to sin or not? If we only consider that we are dead to sin when we feel like it, we will never agree with what God says is true. We will not be operating in faith. If, however, we take God at His word and reckon that we are indeed dead to sin, despite what we feel or how we have recently acted, we will be living by faith. Not only that, what we believe will be the truth.
What difference does this make? Practically speaking, it makes a lot of difference. After sinning, which we all do, we will either be cast down and discouraged because we failed again or relatively upbeat and encouraged because we realize a temporary set back is just that. Which way of thinking will lead to which outcome? Now I am not suggesting that we be careless when it comes to sin, but if we get discouraged because we sin, we will be discouraged a great deal of the time. If we can stay encouraged even at our worst, trusting that no matter how we have behaved, we are indeed dead to sin and it shall not be able to dominate us, we will avoid one of the greatest deceptions of the enemy - the power of condemnation.
Condemnation robs us of our joy and peace. It puts us into "Judas Mode". After betraying Jesus, he felt so hopeless and worthless that he committed suicide. Peter, on the other hand, also betrayed the Lord, but he had hope that he would be forgiven and kept on going. He eventually was fully restored. Unless we conquer lying condemnation, we are likely to despair of there being any hope for us and give up. We might even wonder if we are really God's children at all. Jesus took our condemnation upon Himself on the cross. When we were made right with God through faith, God the Father declared that we are "Not Guilty" in the court of heaven. We were once for all delivered from the power of the Law to condemn.
"I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT) God justifies us, and Christ died and intercedes for us. No one of any rank is left to condemn us.
Condemnation is usually the result of a lack of understanding of what Christ has accomplished, and it is a killer of faith.
Paul lists it as the number one enemy to conquer before a person can learn to "walk in the Spirit".
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)Now the question we must ask ourselves is this: is what I have just read true? I reckon it is, and so should we all.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion* Why is it crucial for us to consider that we are dead to sin, even if we are not yet acting as if we are? * What makes condemnation such a powerful enemy, and why must we gain victory over it before we can walk in the Spirit?
And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently. Romans 8:23-25 (NLT)Sometimes when we are attempting to share the gospel with someone, we might ask them if they are saved. A typical response might be, "I hope so!" At that point we have a perfect lead in to tell them about the meaning of biblical hope.
Instead of hope being something we wish for, but is unlikely to happen, biblical hope is a confident expectation that God’s promises will be fulfilled.
Biblical hope enables us to patiently wait for the promise, no matter how long it may take for it to come to pass. Some have described hope as "stretched out” faith. Faith is the basis or ground of hope. Like faith, hope originates in God, who is our source. Paul wrote:
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NLT)We expectantly wait (hope) for what we believe (know) to be true.
Faith immediately receives the answer to prayer, knowing that God has already "done" what He promised, even though we do not yet see it. Hope hangs on to that promise for as long as it may take until we see and experience the actual fulfillment.
The resurrection is our hope. We know it's coming, but we don't know how long it will be before it arrives.
The future salvation of the body is called glorification, and this is what will happen when believers rise from the dead. We will be instantly transformed into Christ's image, and our resurrection bodies will radiate His glory.
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power that he will use to conquer everything, everywhere. Philippians 3:20-21 (NLT) The resurrection is the final installment of God's great salvation.
The first installment is the new birth, whereby we are given a right standing with God, liberation from all that would enslave us, forgiveness of sins, life eternal, the indwelling Holy Spirit, reconciliation to the Father, and the privileges and rights of sonship. The second installment is called sanctification or transformation, which is the day-by-day walking out in our souls of what was given to us through the new birth. This requires our participation in daily grace, faith, and obedience. This is the process of working out our salvation and becoming more and more like Jesus in our thoughts, motives, and behavior. This process will continue until the day of our death. At that point, we will be ready to receive the last installment, the resurrection of the body. The first installment is a past grace. It was accomplished at Calvary. The second installment is a present or daily grace. The last installment, the resurrection, is in the future. Though it will certainly come, we cannot have it now and must patiently wait for it. When the resurrection becomes our experienced reality, salvation will be complete.
But let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us. Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed. 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. 53 For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die. 54 When this happens—when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die—then at last the Scriptures will come true: "Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 (NLT) The transformation of our souls will be instantly completed when our bodies are transformed, too. Jesus wants us to live today in the tension between looking back to what He has already completed through His death and resurrection and what will be ours in the resurrection. In other words, we must learn to live in past grace, present grace, and future grace.
We must learn to reckon as true what is already done and confidently wait for what yet remains to be done.
This will give us the faith and strength to walk with God today, day after day after day.
What do we hope for? Jesus wants us to live our lives in the hope of receiving a reward at the resurrection. This means we should invest in God’s kingdom by making sacrifices now so that we can have a more glorious resurrection later.
It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. Hebrews 11:24-26 (NLT)Having a future hope in the resurrection gives us a reason to live today.
Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3 (NLT) Hope in the resurrection is one of our most powerful motivations toward godly living. We should ask God to give us transforming hope.
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NLT)Questions for Further Study and Discussion* In your own words, give a working definition of hope. * Explain why it is important for our life in the present to both look back to what Christ has already accomplished for us through His death and resurrection and to look forward to what will be given to us in the resurrection. * What practical difference will it make for me today, if I live in the hope of the resurrection?
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NASB) Repentance is integral to the entire process of our salvation. Without it, there is no salvation. Prior to repentance our condition is one of denying our need or willingness to submit to God's rule. After repentance we recognize the greatness and glory of our Creator–Redeemer–Sustainer and our utter dependence upon him, and we willingly serve him out of love and appreciation for who he is and what he has done.
The “deeper” our repentance from independence and rebellion against God, the greater will be our enjoyment of his benevolent rule and the more effective we will be as his servants.
The basic meaning of repentance is "to change the mind". How does this happen and what does it look like? Everyone is born with a mind that is clouded or deformed by sin. By default, we are prone to distrust the truth and believe lies. Thanks to the presence of evil in the world, deception is ubiquitous and relentless. Over the course of a lifetime, without continual repentance, all sorts of wrong thinking can begin to accumulate. Sometimes seemingly impregnable fortresses of deception are erected in our lives as a result of painful experiences and wrong interpretations or reactions to those experiences. The net result is a mind that resists God and rejects truth. Paul describes it in Romans as a deliberate suppression of truth.
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. Romans 1:18 (NLT) This is every person's condition before God gives us the desire and ability to repent.
Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 2 Timothy 2:25 (NIV) It is important to realize that, before the Holy Spirit begins to work inside us, we are quite incapable of understanding how far from God and His truth we are.
Self-deception is deadly because the person who is gripped by it has no idea of his or her condition or peril.
Using God's Word as the catalyst, the Holy Spirit does an inner work of revelation and conviction. He brings us to the point where we begin to see that we are guilty of wrong thinking and sin, and that we need a Savior.
And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. John 16:8 (NLT)When this happens, God asks us to humble ourselves before Him and sometimes other people, admit we are wrong, ask for his help, and surrender to his lordship.
Repentance, then, is the process whereby we transition from sinful defiance of God and His ways to humble reliance and obedience. It opens the way for us to receive God's blessings and forgiveness.
The process includes aligning with how God thinks. Confession of sin means we agree with what God says about our sin and rebellion.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NASB) To confess in Greek means "to speak the same things as" God.
True repentance always agrees that God is right instead of justifying our own actions.
King David did this in Psalm 51.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. Psalms 51:4 (NLT) Ultimately repentance will result in a change of behavior, which is the fruit of repentance.
Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Luke 3:8 (NASB) You can tell when we are truly repentant because we will no longer argue in an attempt to defend our innocence or justify our actions. Instead, we will humbly admit to our wrongdoing, along with having a heartfelt sorrow for our sin and a desire to make things right. Here is how Paul describes it in his second letter to the church at Corinth.
For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow. But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death. 11 Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish the wrongdoer. You showed that you have done everything you could to make things right. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 (NLT) In summary, repentance is an inner work of the Holy Spirit that begins with a change of thinking and will ultimately result in a change of behavior. Repentance opens the door to faith and the blessings of God. It is something we must do for all our lives. No one ever outgrows our need for it.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion* Why does our thinking have to change before our behavior does? * Why it is important for us to agree with God regarding our sin. * What would you say to someone who says that he has repented of a specific sin but who still struggles in that area? * Why are godly emotions usually a part of true repentance? * Would you characterize repentance as more of a gift from God or a choice that we make?
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. Romans 12:2 (NLT)The first component of Jesus' message concerning the Kingdom of God was repentance. He echoed John the Baptist when he proclaimed, "Repent!" The basic meaning of the Greek word for repentance, metanoeo, is "to change the mind". We are born into this world with a predisposition to believe lies. It's called the “old man” or sin nature. Have you ever wondered why gossip is so universally appealing? We love the "dirt" about folks, and it doesn't usually matter whether it's true or not. Why do people so easily believe negative news but find it difficult to believe the truth? It’s because we're sinners whose minds need renewing.
Satan is a liar, and his kingdom operates on fear, intimidation, and lies. He lied to Adam and Eve about God, and his most destructive work today is to convince people that God is not to be trusted. He plants deception and misinformation wherever he can, because knowing the Truth (Jesus) will set us free. Knowing and believing the truth of God's Word will keep us free.
All of us are in bondage to one degree or another, which is always connected to our believing lies. The way out of slavery is to displace lies with God's truth and begin to act upon it.
Jesus put it like this.
...If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32 (NASB) The salvation of the soul is the process over time whereby God displaces wrong thinking and actions with correct thinking and living. This is a lifetime process that requires fresh help from God (grace) each day. Ideas have consequences. What we believe will affect every part of our lives.
Right thinking, the result of repentance, is the key to right living.
The Word of God affects every area of our lives, if we are open and willing to obey. If we see that God's Word conflicts with something we believe or are doing, we should ask God to help us change.
Repentance is a gift (2 Timothy 2:25 and Acts 5:31), not something we can do on our own.
The Holy Spirit comes alongside us to work repentance or right thinking into our lives. We participate in repentance by responding to the conviction and leading of the Spirit in the pursuit of embracing God’s truth and turning away from evil. The turning away from evil is the fruit or evidence of our change in thinking.
Embracing truth is always the first step in transformation.
Sometimes we will discover areas in our lives that seem impregnable to God's Word. The Bible calls these "strongholds".
Biblical strongholds are fortresses of falsehood reinforced by fears and hurts that resist God's truth. They are usually built on logical arguments that we have constructed, perhaps without realizing it, which interfere with our ability to believe and receive the truth.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) We can often tell where we have a stronghold against the truth by observing when we use the word "but" as our defense against believing and receiving God's truth. Here is an example: "I know the Bible says God is a loving Father, but that has not been my experience." Or "I know we are supposed to forgive, but... (fill in the blank)." In cases like these, everything that comes after the "but" is a lie that must be cast down.
Perhaps our own father was such a bad example of what a father should be that we have transferred our experience with him to God, and we cannot believe in our hearts that God really loves us. This is a common stronghold that must be destroyed with God's help, if we are going to experience true victory and freedom in our daily lives.
Remember: it's not necessarily what we believe theologically that will set us free, but what we believe in our hearts. How we act under pressure reveals what is truly in our hearts.
Whenever we act contrary to what we thought we believed or with a reaction that is disproportionate to the stimulus, we should suspect the presence of a stronghold.
Some strongholds run so deep that we must get help from others to recognize and overcome them, but it is always worth the effort. Most of the time God breaks these things down as we seriously study God's Word, listen to good teaching, pray, and interact with other believers who will speak the truth in love to us.
Unless we take seriously the requirement to study and become familiar with God's Word as revealed in the Bible, we have little hope of renewing our minds and living in freedom.
Many Christians are lazy in this regard and therefore fail to qualify as real disciples.
Christians are born (again), but disciples are made by the Holy Spirit over a lifetime of disciplined study and committed obedience.
Which are we going to be? Regardless of what our past has been like, we can make the choice to act as a disciple from now on. May God help us all make the right choices.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion* Is the basic meaning of repentance different from what you thought? * How is the mind renewed? * What is a stronghold and how are they demolished?
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 1 Peter 3:18 (NASB) How important is the phrase "once for all"? I believe it would be safe to say that everything pertaining to our salvation hinges upon it.
Does that surprise you? If it does, you have not properly understood the nature of the work which Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection.
In a very real sense, the sin in the garden was a "once for all" sin. Adam's and Eve's failure to obey God was a one-time event that negatively impacted all of us. What some call the "original sin" resulted in the transmission of a fallen "sin nature" to every human being who would ever be born the natural way. (Jesus is excluded from this list by reason of the virgin birth.) It set in motion a horrendous sequence of events that is still whirling seemingly out of control today. (However, God is still sovereign over his creation.) The evil we see around us, that sometimes seems to strike the most "innocent" at random, is nothing more or less than the result of that original sin reinforced by the additional sins that each of us have added to the mix and which has been augmented by the malevolent interference of the Devil. Since salvation is God's means of overcoming the power and effects of sin, it stands to reason that what God would eventually do to rescue mankind would also be a "once for all" event.
God is "Other". By that I mean that He is very different from you and me, even though we are created in His image. Time is part of his creation, but he is not bound by it as we now are in many ways. He sees the end from the beginning and "calls those things which be not as though they were". (Romans 4:17) He exists outside of time but interjects himself into our historical timeline. God merges the eternal with the temporal in a way that confounds our minds. The following verse is an example of this.
And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb who was killed before the world was made. Revelation 13:8 (NLT) If you are a believer, not only did God choose you before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), but His Son was put to death before history ever began as well.
There is an eternal reality to things before they ever show up in what we call "history". History is the playing out of God's wonderful plan.
That which is eternal is what is truly important. It might be said that what we do here in the present (the working out of history) is the outworking of the eternal. What happens on our timeline is also part of determining our eternity. God is sovereign and we are responsible agents. Please do not make the mistake of insisting that both of these things cannot be simultaneously true. In God they are. That which from God's perspective was accomplished before the foundation of the earth had to take place at a given point in history as well. In the "fullness of time" (God's appointed time), Jesus was born, lived, was crucified, and rose again.
When Jesus hung upon the cross, some eternal things were taking place that we must acknowledge and believe if we are to fully appreciate and benefit from what God did. Romans says that when Jesus died, we died. When He rose, we rose. We were placed "in Christ" so that what He experienced and accomplished is now ours. We were and are identified with Christ.
Identification is one of the most important salvation concepts in the Bible.
We were not given salvation as much as we were given a Savior. We did not receive grace so much as the Gracious One now lives inside us. We have not so much been given life as we are filled with the One who identified himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
All the blessings of God are in a Person, and His name is Jesus. We experience all this via the indwelling Holy Spirit, God's most amazing gift.
When Jesus died on that cross, for the believer He took care of every sin that had ever been committed or would ever be committed. Does this sound too good to be true? Think about it: when the crucifixion took place, the sins of every person who would ever live and come to believe the gospel were still in the future. How could those sins be included in what Jesus did on the cross? God, in His eternal wisdom, placed every future sin of His people on His Son. Jesus carried that heavy burden to His death. He substituted for us by taking our punishment for us. Substitution is another big concept.
Jesus was our Substitute by paying the price for our sin, but we are identified with Him in that we too died. God accomplished two things on the cross. Jesus died for us, and we died with Him.
His death for us released us from guilt and condemnation. (Romans 8:1) Our death with him released us from the power of sin and the Law. (Romans 7:4) When He rose again, we rose with Him, which empowered us to live a new life in the Spirit.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV) But let's get back to our main topic for today, the once for all nature of what Jesus did. The Greek language has more verb forms than English. The past tense can be expressed as the imperfect, which is used for repeated past actions, and the aorist, which is used to communicate a one-time occurrence. An example of this would be: "Johnny practiced (imperfect) his driving skills every day with his instructor. Eventually he got (aorist) his license." What Jesus accomplished on the cross is always expressed in the aorist tense. It was done only once, never to be reenacted. (This is one reason why the Catholic doctrine of the reenactment of Christ's death in the Mass is so unbiblical.) Here is how the author of Hebrews put it.
Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the earthly high priest who enters the Most Holy Place year after year to offer the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, he would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But no! He came once for all time, at the end of the age, to remove the power of sin forever by his sacrificial death for us. Hebrews 9:25-26 (NLT) In other words, what Jesus did was permanent and eternal. When we confess our sins and ask forgiveness from God, we tap into that once for all past work of grace on the cross. I hope you can see the significance of this important truth.
Since His death was "once for all" and it took care of the power of sin "forever", then our salvation is also "once for all".
Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever. Hebrews 9:12 (NLT) God permanently transferred us out of the kingdom of darkness into his kingdom of light and life. (Colossians 1:13-14) He caused us to pass from death to life with the result being we will never come under condemnation again.
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT) Christ removed us from the treadmill of needing to "earn" our salvation or maintain a right standing with God through our performance and placed us "in Christ," where the work is finished.
The New Covenant was inaugurated with the death of the substitute "covenant breaker," our Lord Jesus, who upfront paid the penalty for our failures. He actually “became” our sins, and, when he rose again, we became the righteousness of God in him.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) When he rose again, all forgiven former covenant breakers entered a right relationship with God, passed from death to life and from darkness to light. We participated in his death through identification and in his resurrection, too. It is impossible for us to go back into death and unbecome a born-again child of God.
Christ’s death and resurrection were “once for all” and so is the resultant new birth and justification.
We are now “one spirit” with God. (1 Corinthians 6:17) He lives his life in and through us. (Galatians 2:20) Now God is working in us both to “will and to do” his good pleasure as we cooperate with his grace. (Philippians 2:12-13) This ought to make us shout for joy!
Questions for Further Study and Discussion * Why is it important that we understand that Christ's sacrifice for sins was "once for all"? * Why does the Bible tell us to confess our sins, if the provision for them was in the past? * In your own words, explain the difference between identification and substitution.
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:5-6 (NASB) The spirit of man is the part of us that died when Adam and Eve first sinned. God warned Adam that "from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." Genesis 2:17 (NASB) God does not lie. They died on the inside that day; even though death did not claim their bodies and souls for many years. God's great salvation through Christ reverses the death process. When a person places his or her faith and allegiance in Christ and His finished work on the cross and the resurrection, a new birth takes place in the spirit. God makes us new creatures inside, but the full manifestation of that miracle will not be seen until the resurrection.
Just as the death process began in the spirit and later manifested in the soul and body, our new life in Christ begins in the spirit and eventually transforms us in the soul and body.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) When Adam and Eve died on the inside following their sin, it showed up in their souls (mind, will, and emotions) almost immediately. They experienced guilt and condemnation for the first time. When we are born again in the spirit, something begins to change in our souls, too.
The first thing God takes care of for us is the guilt and condemnation problem.
The Bible says that anyone who is justified by faith has peace with God. Peace is the polar opposite of guilt and condemnation.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 (NASB) This peace comes from being in a right relationship with God, which is accomplished by the removal of all guilt and condemnation. Our sins are forgiven, and condemnation is removed. In other words, we are declared "not guilty!" This happens in the spirit, even if we are not fully aware of it or believe it.
Our growth as disciples happens in a large part because we become educated in what the Scriptures reveal about the person and work of Christ in our lives and begin to believe it.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT) If a murderer, while waiting on death row, were to receive a visit from the family of the one he murdered and received forgiveness from them, he would still be under the sentence of death at the hands of God's earthly minister of justice, the government. His sin would have been forgiven, but his guilt would remain. Jesus did an amazing thing for us. God's justice and wrath were both satisfied when He bore our sin on the cross. God's wrath was appeased, resulting in forgiveness. This is called "propitiation". God's justice was also satisfied, resulting in our justification.
To be justified means to be declared "Not Guilty"! Our names were cleared of all crimes under which we stood convicted and sentenced to die.
That is why Jesus boldly proclaimed:
I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. John 5:24 (NIV) Paul's words in Romans completely agree.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1 (NIV) [* See note at end of chapter.] The purpose of the Law is to condemn us for our sins and drive us into the arms of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. Galatians 3:23-25 (NIV) When we come to Christ and receive justification, the condemnation produced by the Law is removed.
Because we have received Christ’s own righteousness, there is nothing left for the Law to condemn.
This is the reason why we can “walk” or live in the Spirit of grace rather than under a set of laws. Sin gains its power in our lives when we succumb to the accusations of the devil and condemnation for our failures pointed out by the Law. In 1Cor.15:56, Paul wrote that “the law gives sin its power,” meaning that God’s prohibitions stimulate the “flesh” to rebel, and, after we sin, it seeks to keep us focused on our failures and under a cloud of defeat. Instead, we are to focus on our Lord and the freedom we have in Christ, allowing the Spirit to work inside us to change our inmost desires into conformity with God’s will. And when we do sin, we are to admit it and repent, but not get mired down in condemnation. Sadly, many believers either do not understand this great truth or simply do not believe it.
It is important that we grasp that justification and the removal of condemnation were accomplished in the realm of the spirit. Our souls (hearts and minds) often feel quite condemned when we fail to live up to God's righteous standards. Unless our souls are trained to believe what God's Word says about justification, we will quite likely fall back into a works mentality and measure our worthiness and right standing before God in relation to our perceived success in living uprightly. This kind of Christianity is filled with frustration and condemnation and is not what God meant for us.
God wants to lift us out of legalism into a new realm of walking by the “law of the Spirit of life”. (Romans 8:2) For this to happen, our minds must be renewed to think correctly. The end result with be that we live free of condemnation and the struggle of legalism while actually becoming more godly through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NIV) It is impossible to “walk” in the Spirit while under condemnation.
Condemnation makes us withdraw from God and others, just as happened with Adam and Eve in the garden. They hid from God after sinning and becoming aware of the guilt and failure. Many Christians today are hiding from God because they do not understand justification. Even when we fail miserably, we are encouraged to “draw near” to God to receive his forgiveness, affirmation, and help. It is when we are most obviously a “failure” that we need God the most. He will never reject us because Christ has totally satisfied the requirements of the Law on our behalf. Our relationship with God is sealed and secure. The more we draw near to God, the greater is the liberating and transformative work of the Spirit.
This Lord is the Spirit. Wherever the Lord's Spirit is, there is freedom. 18 As all of us reflect the Lord's glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (GW) The new birth is a hidden work of God in our inmost being, the spirit, but ultimately this salvation in seed form will grow and manifest itself in every area. It is like leaven that works its way into the whole batch of dough.
We must have confidence that what God begins in us, though seemingly small and hidden, will eventually conquer and result in our transformation into the image of Christ.
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
This is what God has planned all along.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:28-30 (NIV) From this passage we see how the salvation that begins in the spirit will eventually result in a day-to-day transformation of our thinking and behavior (the salvation of the soul) and finally be manifested in the glorification of our bodies in the resurrection (the salvation of the body). The salvation of the Spirit can be termed a "past" salvation because it was accomplished once for all through Christ some 2000 years ago. The salvation of the soul is "present" because new grace is needed each day as we believe and apply what Christ has done for us. Paul calls this "working out our salvation" in Philippians 2:12. The salvation or glorification of our bodies is in the future. In the next meditation, we will look in more detail at the "once for all" nature of the salvation of the spirit.
- Note pertaining to Romans 8:1 - Later Greek manuscripts added the phrase "who live according to the Spirit", but this addition is not in the earliest manuscripts. We must remember that the Word of God AS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN is the infallible message from God. I suspect later editors who did not fully comprehend the grace of God could not abide such a wonderfully freeing message and felt compelled to add in the legalistic terms that once again seek to place the reader on a performance basis with God rather than allow him or her to fully enjoy the grace of God. John 5:24 has no such addition and further confirms that the earlier manuscripts were correct.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion * Why would a lesson entitled “Born of the Spirit” end up focusing on freedom from condemnation? * How would you explain the difference between forgiveness and justification? * Do you think that a person who feels condemned by God can live in the freedom God intends? Why? * If you were trying to help someone who feels condemned, what would you tell them?
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB) A proper understanding of the relationship between spirit, soul, and body is a master key to help us unlock the mysteries of salvation.
According to Genesis, God created mankind in His own image.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 (ESV) God is a Trinity - one God consisting of three distinct Persons - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is clearly revealed in the Bible, even though the word "trinity" is never used. We too are one person having three distinct parts - spirit, soul, and body. This too is revealed in scripture. Just as it is sometimes difficult to distinguish one Person in the Godhead from another, since they are all one God; likewise, the lines sometimes get blurred when we try to differentiate between our three parts. With God, one of the easiest ways to keep the Members of the Godhead separate in our understanding is to focus on what each Person does. Similarly, if we highlight how God's great salvation affects each of our parts differently, it will become clearer to us that they are indeed distinct.
Using the language of building, God the Father is the architect of salvation. He planned it long ago before the creation of the world. Jesus is the contractor, so to speak: He came and put the plan into action, doing the difficult "hands on" work. The Holy Spirit is the marketing agent and administrator. He is "selling" the completed work to prospective customers. This is a very inadequate and somewhat inaccurate description of salvation, but it gives us an idea in plain language of the distinct roles of each person in the Godhead.
Father God planned salvation. Jesus accomplished it. The Holy Spirit applies it. The Father chose us. Jesus died for us. The Holy Spirit draws us.
Reconciliation to the Father is the goal of salvation. The cross and resurrection are the means of salvation. The Holy Spirit is the agent of salvation, applying to our lives everything the Father planned, and the Son accomplished.
Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 (NASB) When God created Adam, he took dust and formed it into a body. Then He breathed His Spirit into that lifeless substance, and Genesis says that Adam became a living soul. As I understand it, a soul is the result of the combination of spirit and body. Spirit is breath or wind. We all know what a body is. The soul is harder to define, but many have settled on three main components - mind, will and emotions.
God's salvation impacts each part of our being and is marvelously complete.
We will look at what God has done for each separate part in more detail in coming chapters, but, for now, an overview is helpful.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (ESV) On the day Adam sinned, just as God promised, he died. His body did not die, nor did his soul. That leaves only one other part. His spirit, which had been alive to God in a special way, was cut off from its source of life, God, when Adam sinned. This was evidenced by his and Eve's hiding from God in the garden and their sudden awareness of their own nakedness. Many think the first humans’ nakedness may have been previously covered by God's glory, which was removed because of sin. Regardless, their consciousness had been defiled. They became all too aware of their own shame and sinfulness; whereas, before they had been gloriously innocent before God and able to fellowship with Him without fear, guilt, or shame.
The spirit was the first part of man to die and needed to be the first part restored.
The spirit is the most God-like part of a person. We know from Scripture that God is Spirit. (John 4:24) The spirit is the innermost core of a human being, the part of us that is intuitive and able to connect with God naturally. I started to write "supernaturally", but God's intention for the spirit of man is that it would always be able to connect with Him; therefore, it is its "natural" function.
When we are "saved" the first thing that happens is a rebirth of the spirit.
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:6 (NASB) The spirit is restored to the perfect condition it had before sin. (Hebrews 12:23) The spirit within is given access to God's presence once again. (Ephesians 2:18) Believers are hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), and this in the spirit, or should I say, Spirit. When we are born again, our spirit is joined to God's Spirit (1Cor.6:17), and it is hard to distinguish them anymore.
The body is the last part of us that will be restored completely. This will happen at the resurrection.
Until then we live in a world that still suffers from the aftershocks of that first sin. God's judgment upon our race still stands. Even born-again Christians still die physically. People get sick. Evil is all around us, and our bodies often suffer the most. As we wait for the glorious day when these mortal bodies will be transformed into glorious spiritual ones, we can experience God's provision of healing and strength. Nevertheless, the glorification of our bodies is a future event for which we confidently wait. In the meantime, we live in imperfect bodies that are still subject to the fallout from sin.
As mentioned before, the soul is the combination of spirit and body. If you are tracking with me thus far, I imagine you see where I am going next. We have a problem here.
A saved person has a huge inner conflict. We have a perfect spirit combined with a body that is still subject to the fallout of sin.
(Paul calls it a "body of sin" - Romans 6:6 & 8:10.) What do you think will be the result when we combine the two? Paul describes our inner conflict in Galatians Chapter Five.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18 (ESV) The soul or mind is where the battle rages.
Our spirits always desire to do what is right, but our "flesh" or sin nature, which derives from the unredeemed body that is not yet glorified, never wants to do what is right. (* See note at end of chapter.)
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. Romans 7:21-25 (ESV) The ”inner being” is the spirit, with which Paul’s mind agreed. However, the pull of the flesh, which comes from the unredeemed body, works against the desires of the spirit. This makes born again people somewhat spiritually “bipolar.”
We are pulled in opposite directions, and we must learn to lean on the Holy Spirit to overcome the pull of the flesh.
Jesus recognized our weak condition when he said:
"Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41 (NASB) What God did for our spirits was done once and for all on the cross. We can say it is a "past" salvation. What God will do for our bodies at the resurrection is in the future, but what God wishes to do in our souls is in the present.
Every day we need to access fresh grace for that day. Our victory in the daily battle for our souls hinges on our confidence in what God did in the past and what He will do in the future. You can also see what a glorious day it will be for every believer when we shall be given glorified bodies that will not be in conflict any longer with our perfected spirits. There will no longer be any inner turmoil or struggle between "flesh" and spirit. We will have been completely saved!
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. Philippians 3:20-21 (NASB)
- Note: I am not suggesting that the body is evil, but only that it has been corrupted by sin. The body was part of God's original creation which was good. Jesus came in the flesh, which showed again the inherent goodness of the body. Jesus' body was not compromised like ours by sin since He was born of the Holy Spirit and the woman. Apparently, the sin nature is transmitted through the man, the governmental representative of the human race. Jesus did not have the inner conflict caused by having a perfect spirit and a sin corrupted body. The fact that God will one day glorify our bodies further establishes that God regards these bodies as "good" and worth saving. Let me also emphasize that my theory of the soul is not something you must believe in order to benefit from this teaching. To me it makes sense and helps me understand. If you have a better model, please share it with me.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion * What questions do you have regarding spirit, soul, and body? * Do you think that Genesis 2:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23 adequately support this doctrine? * Do you understand the significance of the past, present, and future aspects of salvation? * How is our daily transformation impacted by believing in what God did in the past (justification) and what he will do in the future (resurrection & glorification)? * How would you attempt to explain the battle we all have between flesh and spirit?
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." John 6:40 (NASB) The spiritual condition of an unsaved person is spiritual blindness and deafness to the things of God. Jesus addressed this issue with the Pharisees who believed they could see but were blind. This is a common deception for religious people who are not born again. Religion, as I am using it, is our attempt to know and be accepted by God through using our own efforts, rather than by receiving by faith the gift of forgiveness and eternal life offered in Christ.
Then Jesus told him, "I have come to judge the world. I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind." 40 The Pharisees who were standing there heard him and asked, "Are you saying we are blind?" 41 "If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus replied. "But you remain guilty because you claim you can see. John 9:39-41 (NLT) A blind person cannot see where to go and does not know what to do to be saved. When a religious person, who has never received a revelation of Christ, tries to lead another to salvation, the result is disastrous.
Jesus replied, "Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be rooted up, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch." Matthew 15:13-14 (NLT) We cannot know God unless he opens our eyes, unstops our ears, and softens our hard hearts. When God does this for us, we can see, hear, and understand spiritual things, which results in our seeing or knowing Christ in a totally new way.
But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT) When we see Christ for who he truly is, it fundamentally changes us on the inside. The new birth and revelation go hand in hand.
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 (NASB) We can easily tell which plants were planted by the Father from those which were not: the first has a revelation of Christ, and the latter has only religion.
Those who are religious end up opposing those who have revelation and faith. (Galatians 4:28-29)
Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Matthew 16:15-17 (NLT) So how does a spiritually blind unsaved person gain sight through revelation? Only the Holy Spirit really knows, but those of us who have had our eyes opened can testify that it happened.
The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 (NLT) The man healed by Jesus of physical blindness in John Chapter 9 did not know how Jesus did it, but he knew he had been healed.
The mechanics of revelation are not necessarily for us to know, only the results.
I remember when I first "saw" in my heart that Jesus is Who the Bible claims. I don't know how God did it, but suddenly I "knew" that Jesus is alive, risen from the dead, and the glorious Lord. Before that life-changing moment, I heard my girlfriend, who is now my beloved wife, share the gospel with me. I deeply considered whether I wanted to pursue knowing this Christ. I honestly asked Christ into my heart and life, if He were indeed real, and I asked Him to reveal Himself to me. From all this, you can see that receiving revelation is not a passive thing; at least it wasn’t for me.
Only the Holy Spirit can open our eyes, but, as far as I can tell, we must be active in our pursuit of Christ in some form or another.
It is God’s good pleasure to limit salvation to those whose eyes he opens.
At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! 27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Matthew 11:25-27 (NLT) No one deserves to receive revelation from God. No one is good enough or smart enough.
It is always a supreme act of mercy when God opens blinded eyes.
It is also very humbling to us as the recipients of his mercy. No one can boast that they were able to know these things on their own.
Paul the Apostle was a man who received a revelation of Christ in a dramatic fashion. He was actively pursuing Christians to torture, imprison, and kill them for their faith. Was he pursuing God, too? The answer has to be, "Yes". Although he was misguided, he really did wish to please God. The point is that God knows the human heart and will reveal Himself to those who seek him.
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NASB) The Pharisees believed that they already knew God because they had their Law and religion.
Many who attend Christian churches today are modern day Pharisees. They grew up in the church, know the language and the Bible, and are members of the church. They hear sermon after sermon and mentally agree with what is said, but they have never received a revelation of Christ from the Father.
This is the most dangerous place to be in the world. It is a form of self-deception that inoculates a person from ever really hearing the gospel. It's as if their hearts are closed to any possibility that they might be still lost. Only the Holy Spirit can bridge the chasm between their deception and the light of the glory of the revealed Christ. It begins when we realize we need to be saved.
Is there any record that this has ever happened before? Yes, Paul is the supreme example. God gave him to all religious people as an example of what God can do for the most obstinate of people. Humanly it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. You may know people who are in this condition. If so, you should pray for them to have their spiritual eyes opened to receive a revelation of Christ. More importantly, we should ask ourselves, "Have I ever had my eyes opened?" If not, we should earnestly seek God until we know that we have.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion * Share your testimony of how Christ was revealed to you. * Explain why you think God uses revelation to separate those who are really His children from those who are not. * What is our role in the process of having our eyes opened?
Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." John 6:28-29 (NASB) Faith in Christ is a spiritual “work.” How is this so? Many conceive of faith as a blind leap into the unknown in hope that we might be right. Others think that belief in Christ is acknowledging key truths about him, such his suffering, death, and resurrection. But is that the version of belief to which Christ referred?
Perhaps the most important aspect of faith is our understanding through revelation who Jesus is, and this must result in something more, if our faith is genuine – our allegiance to him.
When we see him for who he is, it fundamentally changes us and inspires us want to serve him.
This is what my Father wants: that anyone who sees the Son and trusts who he is and what he does and then aligns with him will enter real life, eternal life. My part is to put them on their feet alive and whole at the completion of time." John 6:40 (MSG) The more we know about Jesus and what he did, does, and will do for us, the more we love him and desire to be loyal to him.
True faith produces a life of adoration, surrender, and obedience, which results in spiritual transformation.
This will continue until we die or he returns. The final piece of the puzzle will be our glorification at the resurrection. We will discuss this more later.
Many people fundamentally misunderstand of the nature of salvation, which can easily lead to legalism, which is a man-made attempt to reach God or stay right with God. Some imagine Christ's death and resurrection provided us with a clean slate from which to begin again. Their understanding is that God erased the list of things we did wrong (sins), but since then has been writing our new sins on the blackboard. We had a clean slate, but it is starting to fill up again. This kind of thinking led Constantine to delay his water baptism until his deathbed, hoping that the slate would be clean at death, giving him a sure entrance into heaven. This feeds into the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory, which is the belief that after death we enter a place of suffering until our sins are purged and we attain the moral purity required for entrance into heaven.
What is wrong with this concept? Several things, but let's concentrate on two right now. First, we need to understand that our problem is not so much "sins" as it is "sin".
Yes, we will be held accountable for the individual sins we commit, but the far deeper problem is our inherited sin factory which propels us into sinful thinking and behavior.
We can erase our slates clean every day, but, by nightfall, it will have begun to fill it up again. This propensity is called the “flesh” by Paul.
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Romans 7:21-23 (NLT) Thankfully, Jesus took my sins upon Himself on the cross, but my "sin" had to die, too.
My sin “nature” had to be crucified because there is no reforming it.
Like a leopard, it cannot remove its spots. This is why in the previous lesson I pointed out that we cannot actually know just how sinful we really are. Even if we are spiritually cleansed somehow, the “flesh” lurks under the surface, ever ready to rear its ugly head and do something despicable. Even our best attempts at righteous living need to be made righteous by God. (Isaiah 64:6)
Salvation then is not a mere erasing of the slate, but an execution. The old man, flesh, or sin nature had to die.
For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. 20 I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die. Galatians 2:19-21 (NLT) There had to be a complete exchange of life for life. Jesus died in our place (substitution), putting to death our old man (identification), and placed in us His Holy Spirit.
The Bible calls this receiving a "new heart" or being "born again" in the spirit. Christians are indeed "little Christs" who carry about in themselves the life of Christ.
Salvation is an exchange of our sin for His life. It is not erasing a blackboard. It is smashing the blackboard because it is irrelevant now.
God does not mark iniquities any longer.
LORD, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? 4 But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you. Psalm 130:3-4 (NLT) We have been released from the system of works that keeps track of every right and wrong for an impending day of reckoning. Jesus took the condemnation and punishment for all our failures and sins upon Himself, and instead we have been given the Christ life within. The “sin nature” still lurks, waiting for an opportunity, but it no longer has the right to control us.
We must engage in a continual battle of the spirit (Christ's life within us) against flesh (the residual inclination toward sin that is somehow linked to our Adamic bodies) until the day of our resurrection, but our true identity now is the new life of Christ that indwells us.
Another aspect of our salvation pertains to family. For those of us who are born again, born of the Spirit, and born of the Father, what really matters is who is our Father now.
Our salvation depends on being born into the family of God.
For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 1 Peter 1:23 (NLT)** Rather than being weighed in the balances in a system of works in which we can never measure up, we are born into a family where our acceptance is based on our all having the same Father. Blood is thicker than water, they say, and when it comes to the Kingdom of God, I would rather be a beloved "son" than a frustrated “keeper of the rules.”
Our access to the throne and heart of our heavenly Father, our Abba, is based on our being identified with His beloved Son, the Righteous One, Jesus. Our relationship with Abba is the same as Jesus' because it is His Spirit within us who cries out, "Abba, Father".
God sent him [Jesus] to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you. Galatians 4:5-7 (NLT) To conclude, we must see salvation not as a second chance to "get it right" but as a life exchange and an adoption because we had no possibility of ever "getting it right".
God knew we were hopelessly flawed; so, He provided a salvation that is not dependent on us but on Christ. If we are going to be good disciples, we must cast aside our vain attempts to measure up by keeping the Law and accept the marvelous provision of Christ's life within as our only source of righteousness and acceptance and our key to obedience and victory. This is truly Good News!
The key for us, then, is faith. The way we do the works of God is by believing on Christ and His promises, declaring allegiance to him, and trusting in His Spirit to live the Christ life through us.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion * How would describe faith or belief in Christ? * Why does our salvation demand an execution? * Why do some people call Christianity an “exchanged life”? * Why does our salvation depend on being born again into God’s family? * What would you tell someone who struggles with trying to be “good enough”? * What do you see are the most fundamental differences between the Old and New Covenants?
As the Scriptures say, "No one is good— not even one. 11 No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away from God; all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one." Romans 3:10-12 (NLT) The first thing we need to know is that human beings are in desperate need of a Savior. We are not just a little off track: we are totally lost. If we think we have a pretty good idea of how bad we are (without Christ), we have not yet seen ourselves as God sees us. We are rotten to the core and so skewed by sin so that we cannot save ourselves. Knowing this up front makes it easier later to appreciate God's grace and to avoid the pitfalls of legalism. If you find this assessment of our condition offensive, you do not yet understand the nature of sin.
Sin is the attempt to live independently from God.
It started in the Garden of Eden, and today it takes many forms, from defiant atheism to moral attempts to live a "godly" or religious life without surrendering everything to God first. Murderers and self-righteous hypocrites all share the same basic problem - a determination to live without a humble reliance upon God. In fact, the most religious people in Israel, the Sanhedrin, Pharisees, priests, lawyers, and scribes, banded together to murder the Messiah. It was not the "criminal element" that put the Lord of Life to death.
Sometimes those of us who have been brought up from childhood in the church don't know our own sinfulness as well as those of us who had a B.C. (before Christ) existence.
A danger for any long time Christian is losing touch with our need for mercy and grace.
We sometimes imagine that we are "beyond" all that because the Lord has helped us overcome some sins that formerly defeated us. There is nothing worse than a self-righteous Christian who looks down on others who are struggling with sin. Jesus had little tolerance for those with such an attitude.
When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Matthew 9:12-13 (NLT) The good news is that God understands our hopeless condition and sent His Son to die for our sins. In addition, He sent His Holy Spirit to live a new kind of life through us.
One of the biggest secrets of the New Covenant is that God never expected us to live in a way that brings God glory all by ourselves. He sent his Spirit to live through us.
The gospel confirms our need for salvation, forgiveness and reconciliation to God accompanied by a complete overhaul from the inside out. It comes through repentance and faith in Christ. When we come to realize how much we need a Savior and the Holy Spirit's help, we learn to be humble, which is a mark of a true disciple, as is a love and an appreciation for mercy.
How about us? Have we yet come to terms with our own sinfulness? Are we disillusioned with ourselves when we fail once again, imagining we are better than that? Are we prone to judge others whom we see as inferior to us, or do we extend to them the same mercy God has shown to us? Real Christians are not perfect, just forgiven.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion * Did you have a B.C. stage of your life in which you were very much aware of your own sinfulness? * Did you come to Christ to be forgiven or for some other reason? * When did you first begin to realize that you are not a "good person"? * Do you still get discouraged when you see another example of your sinfulness? What does that say about you?
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” Matthew 4:19 (NLT) The Great Commission prioritizes making disciples. Discipleship is the process whereby the Lord trains and shapes his followers to be like Him in the way we think, speak, and act.
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29 (NLT) God is conforming his people into the image of His beloved Son. He uses the various pressures and challenges of life to teach us about Himself and about love. He is shaping us into bold witnesses He can use to spread the good news of salvation throughout the world. He is preparing us to rule and reign with Him for all eternity, and He is making us into a people who will bring glory to His name.
Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. Revelation 3:21 (NLT) God is working everywhere to draw men, women, and children to Himself. Some have said that there are many believers but few who are true disciples. If this is true, it is a product of "easy believism" and a watered-down gospel that does not call for our surrender to Jesus' lordship. Every Christian is supposed to be on a pathway to total commitment to Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately, many of us are still trying to decide if we would rather be comfortable or committed.
We cannot straddle the fence with one foot in the world and one in God's Kingdom. Such a position makes us unfit for both. (Luke 9:62)
God is looking for people whom He can shape into a world conquering force.
You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. Matthew 5:13 (NLT) If we will count the cost and make the commitment, Jesus will show us the secrets of His Kingdom and reveal Himself to us as our Everything.
If we give ourselves to Christ as an investment, he will provide a return that far outweighs the sacrifice.
But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills? Luke 14:28 (NLT) As we go through this study, it is important that we apply the principles to our lives. God is after doers, not eternal considerers.
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22 (NLT) If we are among those who long to grow in our knowledge and obedience to our Lord, we should make it our practice to read, meditate, and obey what the Bible says, relying on God’s Spirit and grace to help. This is not a "works" or performance thing, however.
Whenever we seek to obey God's Word by depending on His grace and Holy Spirit, He will always do His part. But only real disciples will do theirs.
Questions for Further Study and Discussion • Why is being conformed to Christ’s image usually not comfortable? • Have you ever thought much about how our lives here on earth are preparing us for our destiny to rule and reign alongside our Lord? • Can you think of areas of your life that that need to be more fully under the Lord’s rule? • Why does the Lord tell us to count the cost? Is he encouraging some to give up the pursuit of discipleship?