You know... there are some times when I feel completely inadequate for any task. Do you know that feeling? I hope not...
There is something so "real" feeling about inadequacy, sometimes... but you know what... it's these feelings, when I listen and obey them, which cause me to be completely ineffective for the kingdom. So, then it comes down to a couple of questions which I must ask myself in order to determine the validity of my concerns.
1. Am I strong? Not, am I physically strong, but am I a strong-willed, confident person?
Well, I'm just going to come out and admit right now that I'm not a very confident person. In fact, my track record is so full of passed-up opportunities because of my deep fear of failure! What a shame! I have left alone so many opportunities for sharing the gospel because of my lack of confidence! Why???
Well, here's the deal... I care waaaaaaaay too much what other people think about me. You see, when I care more about what someone might think of me than how desperately that person's soul needs salvation... I revert to a selfish withholding of the life-giving message of Christ's atoning work! (actually, I'm making myself sick thinking about the Silence which has so often molested the opportunities I've had for sharing the Gospel...)
Consider this... If I have an opportunity to share Salvation with a friend and I don't say a word about Christ... I have become an ineffective Christian and, more or less, an agent of damnation to that person's soul! Now, is that person's soul my responsibility? Directly, I would probably say "no." But, indirectly, this friend's soul is under my gaze as we speak, and by not caring enough to offer the Way at some point in the conversation... I have indeed lost all effectiveness as a disciple of Christ.
So, to answer question 1... I am not strong! However, I have Christ! He is my strength! 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says:
"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."
That's awesome! If only I could remember these words of encouragement when I am tempted to remain silent, for fear of man... Would I still consider the rejections of men to be such a great burden to bear if I allowed Christ to be my strength? And not only my strength, but if He was my only focus, my only love... this indeed would free me from much of my self-induced fear and ineffectiveness!
Alrighty then! Answering question 1, once and for all: "I am not strong, in-and-of myself, but I have Christ. He is my strength when I am weak, and His power is perfected in my weakness. Therefore, my feelings of inadequacy, because of fear, are invalid and should not hold sway or command over my words and actions."
2. Am I necessary? Does anyone really need me or am I just tolerated?
This question is so self-centered and prideful that I'm ashamed to admit it's presence in my life. However, for the sake of honesty, it remains a question I must ask when these feelings of inadequacy arise.
Okay, well let me clear this up at the beginning... this is not a question that we MUST ask ourselves, except if it is something that you actually struggle with. For me, my deep-rooted desires of acceptance do affect my effectiveness as a Christ-follower, therefore this IS a necessary inspection.
The answer to this question is two-fold. First, am I necessary in the sense of "Does God need me?" NO! He doesn't need me, but that's the beauty of our serving God! He doesn't NEED any of us! But He allows us to bring what little we have to offer and uses us in spite of our failures and shortcomings. However, if I come with pride in my service, thinking that I have something to offer God... I am approaching this service in a very wrong way! I have to remind myself, constantly, that God can work quite effectively without me being present. How comical is that??? How prideful is that??? That I would even begin to worry that the Holy Spirit would somehow be less able to move and work if I'm not there to help. Clearly I think WAY too highly of the value of my service!
So, to answer part one of question two... I am not necessary! However, God has promised to work, in and through me, for the spreading of His fame. The requirements for me are:
A. That I serve with humility.
B. That I serve UNDER the Christ who's name I carry, and not attempt to make my own name greater! (okay, so A and B are pretty much the same thing...)
C. That I serve with ALL my strength, and that strength not being my own, but Christ's power in me.
D. That all of my service be done in an effort to show the love of Christ to others in whatever I'm doing. (This includes that all service be done to the glory of God, whom I serve)
So, the second part of this question is this: "Does anybody care about me?" or "Am I necessary in people's lives or am I just a tolerated presence in the room?"
Wow! Talk about a self-centered, prideful question to have to ask yourself! And I'm going to answer this one very quickly because I feel gross just examining this part of the question! How highly do I consider myself, if I am asking this internal question of other's affections?
The answer to this question is: "It shouldn't matter ONE BIT what other people think of me!"
This may sound kind of cold and unfeeling, but my prayer has been "Lord, please help me to not care at all what other people think of me!" Please understand the gravity of this prayer and do not take it lightly... There is such a deep-seated desire in me for acceptance and approval that I cannot rightly examine how I appear in other people's eyes until I have completely deconstructed my current self-examination, in this respect. So, I'm not asking that God would allow me to be completely unaffected by the concerns other might have about any wrong behavior I might exhibit, but that I quite simply no longer let my fears and desires of approval and acceptance rule my actions and, again, cause ineffectiveness for His name's sake.
Do you feel this very same weight? Perhaps some of you do not... but maybe some of you do. Maybe you, just like me, need to be freed from the weight of approval. Friends, wait not a moment longer! This SIN, for sin is what it is, causes the soul to rot while the ego grows roots deep within the heart! There is not a moment to lose in uprooting this barrier which so quickly strips the wandering, searching, perhaps well-meaning Christian of any usefulness.
"Do people need me?" There is NO ROOM for this question in our hearts! There are many other, much more important, questions that we should be asking ourselves!
So, a wrap-up of question 2... Recognize, in humility, that we are not NEEDED, but that God has chosen to use us, to His glory and for His purposes! There is no greater cause to which we might play a role or in which we might find meaning!
Secondly, LET GO of the desire for approval and acceptance by other sinners! We are acceptable in the sight of the only One whom it really matters that we might be found acceptable by! Because of the blood of Christ, we are acceptable in the sight of God, by His grace and mercy! Praise be to God! There is indeed acceptance for the longing heart... we just have to look in the right place.
3. Who am I serving?
This question makes me reconsider whether or not my focus has shifted off of Christ, as my center focus.
Am I now serving myself, my desires, etc...? If I become more focused on my own desires, I very quickly fall into the traps we discussed in questions 1 and 2. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters..." (Matt. 6:24a) And He meant it! You cannot serve the God of heaven if you are serving your own agenda.
So, how do we avoid this trap? We conform our agenda to the agenda of Christ! We no longer look at our own desires but, instead, follow the example of Christ in glorifying our Father in heaven in EVERY aspect of our lives!
Another important consideration is this: "Am I serving the affections of others?" This is easy to do! It is very easy for me to make an idol of other people... to set them in front of Christ and to make them a higher priority than Him. What a sad day... the day when you awake to realize that your Savior is calling out to you from the back of a crowd... a crowd which you have placed in-between yourself and your true Master. This is a hauntingly familiar situation...
Serve God alone! This is my only exhortation and encouragement for this final question. If you are serving God, then you will find yourself serving others, but it will be service which points all glory to God and not a self-seeking, approval-hunting type of service. By making God the sole focus of your service, you will glorify Him even in your service to others!
To bring this all back together... What are the results of these feelings of inadequacy which tend to arise when I'm off focus? Well... depression, ineffectiveness for the kingdom, fear of man, failure to share the Gospel and ultimately you get the life sucked out of you! There is a loss of all vitality when I do not live missionally! Seriously! If you want your "Best Life Now" then forget about yourself and live for the glory of God!!! There is no other way to a fully satisfied life! The greatest and only true joy to be found is a life that is fully devoted to Christ.
Do I say all of this because I have triumphed in this area? No! But I say these things because of my repeated failures in these areas... and because of the repeated grace of God over my soul! If ever there was one upon whom the well of grace might run dry... it is I! But thanks be to God, that His faithfulness, grace and mercy FAR EXCEED my failures towards Him! I am a grateful wretch... unworthy, but doubly blessed! All praise and glory to God!
Is there anyone who has experienced the depression I speak of? Is there one who has known the desperate longing for acceptance and approval? Friends... beloved friends... All is found when we lose ourselves in the love of Christ! There is no greater satisfaction for the longing of your soul! Please... hear these words, not of mine, but of Christ... "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Our Lord does not desire to burden us down with cares, but rather to give us lasting peace. Rest for the weary, wandering soul can ONLY be found in Christ alone!
Grace and Peace to you, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ!
Questions or Comments? Please e-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
What Faith Looks Like: A Brief Glimpse
"But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep." - 1 Corinthians 15:13-20
So, here's a little something that is extremely pertinent to the faith I've been touching in on the past few blogs... the resurrection of Christ, from the dead, is the only thing that makes our faith worth anything. Without the resurrection of Christ, our faith does nothing and we are to be pitied above all others. What would a live of sacrifice and devotion to a cause be, if the cause was not legitimate? The same is true of our relationship with Christ and the faith that we put in Him.
If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is useless!
If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then those who have historically placed their lives on the line and sacrificed comfort and pleasure for His sake, have done such commendable acts in vain!
HOWEVER... since Christ HAS BEEN RAISED... we have a faith that saves and Savior who is interceding, on our behalf, before the throne of God!
So, who or what then is the object of our faith? Is it not Christ? The only One who can save! Yes! Indeed Christ is the the ONLY way, as is seen in John 14 where Christ says, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (Jn. 14:6) Faith in Christ, faith in His atoning work on our behalf is our only hope for redemption from our sins. Now, this requires that you actually see and recognize your sin for what it is... that it is the separating factor between you and God. If you do not see your sin and understand it's effect on your relationship with God, then you will not understand or appreciate the altering affect of Christ's death on your behalf.
However, assuming that you do in fact recognize the fact that YOU are a SINNER in need of saving grace and that Christ has paid the penalty for your sins... and not only did He pay them, but He paid them in FULL... then there is nothing left for you to pay! God no longer has a bill with your name on it, if in fact you have put your life in the hands of Christ, and have put your faith in Him. That's why the Scriptures say, "...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Rom. 10:9)
It's the faith in Christ and His resurrection that makes all the difference!
I know this is short, but that's all I've got for right now!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
God Justifies Through FAITH
"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law." -Romans 3:28-31
These few verses bring a lot of hope to those of us that live in the Western world... If justification of sins came through the Jewish Law... we would have no means of justification. However, since faith is the concept by which we are saved, there is hope for those who are not of Jewish origin and have not grown up in Jewish society.
I can tell you right now, without hesitation, that we would all be in trouble if we were justified through the Law! There is no doubt in my mind that we would all fail, miserably, in our attempts to uphold the Law. You see, as we've studied in the past, the purpose of the Law is to reveal sin. It convicts, by it's higher standard, the fallen nature that resides within us. Even in Jewish society the Pharisees and Sadducees would uphold the Letter of the Law, but not necessarily the Spirit of the Law.
What do I mean? I mean that they would outwardly comply with what the Law commanded them to do, but would not do it out of a heart that desired to please God... they were more concerned with their appearance before men. Actually, when Christ would call them hypocrites, a term that literally means "one who wears a mask," He was specifically calling them out on their false appearances. Rather than seeing the Law as a basic guideline of life, with plenty of room for upward progress, it was often viewed by many as the highest standard to be reached and most would try to get by with the bare minimum that was required of them.
All of that to say, "Thanks be to God that it is through faith in Christ by which we are saved!" And not only that it is Christ who saves, but that He is the Savior of the Gentiles as well as the Jews! This is really the only point I have to make this morning...
I am so thankful that faith in Christ is the prerequisite for a relationship with God the Father. If we were measured according to the Law then I would fall so short that there would be no hope of recovering... But God justifies us by faith!
What is this faith? Perhaps you are very familiar with what it means to have faith in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior... but then again, perhaps not. If this is a new concept for you and you are curious to learn more, please e-mail me at the e-mail address below. Faith in Christ is the total dependence on His death, burial, and resurrection, as your only hope for reconciliation with God. It is the understanding that we are not, and could never be, good enough for God, in our own strength. Faith is the confession of sins, repenting (turning away) from your sin and no longer living in it, and trusting Jesus' blood to pay God's demanded penalty for your sins. This is a very simplistic, introductory look at what it means to have faith in Christ. For a more in-depth understanding, please e-mail me with specific questions or talk to a pastor or elder in your church or a trusted Christian friend. Ask them to show you, in Scripture, what faith looks like.
I don't want to make this blog so long today that we lose the simplicity of this concept of faith being our only hope of redemption.
Well... I'm probably going to have to jump back into this same thought, the next time around, because I'm out of time this morning!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
These few verses bring a lot of hope to those of us that live in the Western world... If justification of sins came through the Jewish Law... we would have no means of justification. However, since faith is the concept by which we are saved, there is hope for those who are not of Jewish origin and have not grown up in Jewish society.
I can tell you right now, without hesitation, that we would all be in trouble if we were justified through the Law! There is no doubt in my mind that we would all fail, miserably, in our attempts to uphold the Law. You see, as we've studied in the past, the purpose of the Law is to reveal sin. It convicts, by it's higher standard, the fallen nature that resides within us. Even in Jewish society the Pharisees and Sadducees would uphold the Letter of the Law, but not necessarily the Spirit of the Law.
What do I mean? I mean that they would outwardly comply with what the Law commanded them to do, but would not do it out of a heart that desired to please God... they were more concerned with their appearance before men. Actually, when Christ would call them hypocrites, a term that literally means "one who wears a mask," He was specifically calling them out on their false appearances. Rather than seeing the Law as a basic guideline of life, with plenty of room for upward progress, it was often viewed by many as the highest standard to be reached and most would try to get by with the bare minimum that was required of them.
All of that to say, "Thanks be to God that it is through faith in Christ by which we are saved!" And not only that it is Christ who saves, but that He is the Savior of the Gentiles as well as the Jews! This is really the only point I have to make this morning...
I am so thankful that faith in Christ is the prerequisite for a relationship with God the Father. If we were measured according to the Law then I would fall so short that there would be no hope of recovering... But God justifies us by faith!
What is this faith? Perhaps you are very familiar with what it means to have faith in Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior... but then again, perhaps not. If this is a new concept for you and you are curious to learn more, please e-mail me at the e-mail address below. Faith in Christ is the total dependence on His death, burial, and resurrection, as your only hope for reconciliation with God. It is the understanding that we are not, and could never be, good enough for God, in our own strength. Faith is the confession of sins, repenting (turning away) from your sin and no longer living in it, and trusting Jesus' blood to pay God's demanded penalty for your sins. This is a very simplistic, introductory look at what it means to have faith in Christ. For a more in-depth understanding, please e-mail me with specific questions or talk to a pastor or elder in your church or a trusted Christian friend. Ask them to show you, in Scripture, what faith looks like.
I don't want to make this blog so long today that we lose the simplicity of this concept of faith being our only hope of redemption.
Well... I'm probably going to have to jump back into this same thought, the next time around, because I'm out of time this morning!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
No Room For Boasting!
"Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." -Romans 3:27-28
In contrast to yesterday's blog... this is going to be amazingly short!
Faith in Christ trumps works! A million to one, you cannot out"do" the grace of God, through Christ Jesus' death on the cross. Since there is nothing we can "do" to be justified, by obeying and observing the Law, we see that faith is the requirement of justification.
Don't understand this to mean that we should not do good works, since we have been saved through faith in Christ. Rather, as a result of having been saved through faith in Christ, we should live as God has commanded us to live -to help the poor, the orphan, the widow- all the while understanding that NONE OF THIS will save or justify us before Him. It is only the atoning work of Christ which will redeem us, but it is the ministry of Christ which we are called to, so that "they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)
Basically, it is the privilege of the one who's faith has been placed in Christ, to then do good works for the glory of God. AND... in all of this, our boasting is eliminated because it is by the very act of God that we receive the faith to believe in Christ in the first place! So, works won't save us, which means no boasting there. Faith in Christ is the ONLY thing that can save us, which is from God so that boasting in ourselves is excluded! The only thing left to boast in is the One who had mercy on your soul!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
In contrast to yesterday's blog... this is going to be amazingly short!
Faith in Christ trumps works! A million to one, you cannot out"do" the grace of God, through Christ Jesus' death on the cross. Since there is nothing we can "do" to be justified, by obeying and observing the Law, we see that faith is the requirement of justification.
Don't understand this to mean that we should not do good works, since we have been saved through faith in Christ. Rather, as a result of having been saved through faith in Christ, we should live as God has commanded us to live -to help the poor, the orphan, the widow- all the while understanding that NONE OF THIS will save or justify us before Him. It is only the atoning work of Christ which will redeem us, but it is the ministry of Christ which we are called to, so that "they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)
Basically, it is the privilege of the one who's faith has been placed in Christ, to then do good works for the glory of God. AND... in all of this, our boasting is eliminated because it is by the very act of God that we receive the faith to believe in Christ in the first place! So, works won't save us, which means no boasting there. Faith in Christ is the ONLY thing that can save us, which is from God so that boasting in ourselves is excluded! The only thing left to boast in is the One who had mercy on your soul!
Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Righteousness of God Demonstrated
"But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." -Romans 3:21-26
Okay, so I included yesterday's text, in addition to today's verses, in order to keep the context of verses 25 and 26 clearly intact. So, without further ado, let's dive in!
Remembering that we're looking at the redemptive plan of salvation being fulfilled through Christ, let's look at God's purpose behind Christ's death on cross... verse 25 says, "whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;"
Once again we will review our necessity for a savior... Verse 23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Thus, all of us are incapable of pleasing God in our own strength or efforts. Christ's death was the atoning sacrifice on our behalf, so that there might be a way for us to be reconciled to God. Therefore, as we see in verse 25, His blood was shed on Calvary as the propitiation (The act of appeasing the wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person - dictionary.com "Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1996") of our sins, before a holy and righteous Judge. The penalty of our sins was blood and Christ paid that penalty, once and for all.
Now... the reasoning behind this sacrifice on man's behalf? Well... I could sit here and type for hours about how all things that have ever happened and will ever happen are caused, by God, to bring glory to God. The thing that we will look at today, though, is how God's character is revealed through the entering of sin into the world and then, through the death of Christ.
First, God's character revealed through the entering of sin into the world. Before sin entered into the world, here's what we know about God:
We know Him as Creator. In Genesis 1 we see that God made everything that exists out of nothing. This gives us an understanding of God's authority over all creation. We see His power to create matter, an ability that God exclusively posseses.
We see Him outside of space and time. We understand from Genesis that God existed before all matter. He is not bound by the same laws that bind us as finite beings.
We see Him as the Author of good. In each part of creation, we read that God saw what He created and called it "good."
We see Him as the Provider. He provides Adam with all of the necessary things of life in order to demonstrate His ability to completely satisfy all of man's needs.
Now, enter sin! What do we now see about God's character?
We see Him as Holy. His character is such that, once sin has entered into the world, perfect communion with His now stained creation is no longer possible.
We see Him as Judge. He pronounces judgment against the offenses commited towards His commands. (Gen. 3:14-19)
We see Him as compassionate. God does not completely forsake His creation because of their sins, but rather provides the first blood sacrifice as the atonement of their sin, and uses the skins to clothe them!
We see His faithfulness. Genesis 3:15 gives us the first glimpse of a Savior to come."And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." This is God's first promise of the redemption to come, through His Son!
Now... enter Christ! The Savior of the sinful world!
We see God's Mercy! Mercy can be defined as "not receiving the punishment I deserve." Christ paid our debt... and with that act of mercy, we now have a Perfect High Priest who intercedes for us before the throne of God Almighty!
We see the Grace of God. Grace can be defined as "the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God" - (dictionary.com Random House)
Eph. 2:1-10 describes this grace in a very poignant manner.
We see the Love of God. God's love is made evident in His effort of restoration between us and Himself. We have nothing to offer God, but He gave up His only Son in order to restore our relationship with Him.
Finally, looking again at Romans 3, we see His righteousness displayed through the death of Christ. His righteousness was displayed towards mankind in order that we might be justified, by God, through our faith in Jesus. (v. 26) God alone is the Justifier of our souls. This is an attribute of the character of God, revealed through Christ's death. Does it seem like I'm going in circles? Perhaps I am, but somewhere in these circles I'm trying to make certain that we understand this incredible glimpse into the character of Almighty God! I'll try to make my point a little easier to understand...
God, through the death of Christ, allowed us to understand His love, mercy, grace, and compassion, to name a few attributes. These would have otherwise gone as unknown characteristics if we did not have the death of Christ as the demonstration of these attributes of God. Now, of course we see glimpses of His patience, mercy, grace, etc... throughout the Old Testament, but not to the perfect extent which we see in Christ Jesus.
Now! The final point. All of these attributes of God are put on display so that God might be glorified in all things. God, as perfect and holy, is the only One who is able to exalt and glorify Himself in a righteous manner. We as humans cannot rightly exalt ourselves, but for God it is perfectly right and just for Him to cause His name to be lifted high, because He alone is Holy, Holy, Holy!
So, all things that exist are in existence for the final and utmost reason of glorifying God. This is a point which we could spend literal DAYS looking at and marveling about! I'll try to boil it down a little: If we live lives of Christ-likeness and in pursuit of God, bearing witness to His name and loving Him in all that we do... we bring glory to His marvelous love, grace, mercy, compassion, kindness, faithfulness and strength. On the other hand, if we live in selfish ambition and in rebellion to His Word... we bring glory to His justice, judgment, righteous anger, holy jealousy, and perfect wrath. So, in a nutshell, "You cannot escape your purpose in the glorification of God, no matter what side of the fence you're on!"
Well... that was a mouthful! Er... a "whatever-ful" it is when you blog for a long time on a very small set of verses! And I'm not even sure if any of it made sense! Hopefully, this will prove helpful to someone, in some respect. Otherwise... well... we'll just move on!
Grace and Peace, dear friends!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Okay, so I included yesterday's text, in addition to today's verses, in order to keep the context of verses 25 and 26 clearly intact. So, without further ado, let's dive in!
Remembering that we're looking at the redemptive plan of salvation being fulfilled through Christ, let's look at God's purpose behind Christ's death on cross... verse 25 says, "whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;"
Once again we will review our necessity for a savior... Verse 23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Thus, all of us are incapable of pleasing God in our own strength or efforts. Christ's death was the atoning sacrifice on our behalf, so that there might be a way for us to be reconciled to God. Therefore, as we see in verse 25, His blood was shed on Calvary as the propitiation (The act of appeasing the wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person - dictionary.com "Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1996") of our sins, before a holy and righteous Judge. The penalty of our sins was blood and Christ paid that penalty, once and for all.
Now... the reasoning behind this sacrifice on man's behalf? Well... I could sit here and type for hours about how all things that have ever happened and will ever happen are caused, by God, to bring glory to God. The thing that we will look at today, though, is how God's character is revealed through the entering of sin into the world and then, through the death of Christ.
First, God's character revealed through the entering of sin into the world. Before sin entered into the world, here's what we know about God:
We know Him as Creator. In Genesis 1 we see that God made everything that exists out of nothing. This gives us an understanding of God's authority over all creation. We see His power to create matter, an ability that God exclusively posseses.
We see Him outside of space and time. We understand from Genesis that God existed before all matter. He is not bound by the same laws that bind us as finite beings.
We see Him as the Author of good. In each part of creation, we read that God saw what He created and called it "good."
We see Him as the Provider. He provides Adam with all of the necessary things of life in order to demonstrate His ability to completely satisfy all of man's needs.
Now, enter sin! What do we now see about God's character?
We see Him as Holy. His character is such that, once sin has entered into the world, perfect communion with His now stained creation is no longer possible.
We see Him as Judge. He pronounces judgment against the offenses commited towards His commands. (Gen. 3:14-19)
We see Him as compassionate. God does not completely forsake His creation because of their sins, but rather provides the first blood sacrifice as the atonement of their sin, and uses the skins to clothe them!
We see His faithfulness. Genesis 3:15 gives us the first glimpse of a Savior to come."And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel." This is God's first promise of the redemption to come, through His Son!
Now... enter Christ! The Savior of the sinful world!
We see God's Mercy! Mercy can be defined as "not receiving the punishment I deserve." Christ paid our debt... and with that act of mercy, we now have a Perfect High Priest who intercedes for us before the throne of God Almighty!
We see the Grace of God. Grace can be defined as "the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God" - (dictionary.com Random House)
Eph. 2:1-10 describes this grace in a very poignant manner.
We see the Love of God. God's love is made evident in His effort of restoration between us and Himself. We have nothing to offer God, but He gave up His only Son in order to restore our relationship with Him.
Finally, looking again at Romans 3, we see His righteousness displayed through the death of Christ. His righteousness was displayed towards mankind in order that we might be justified, by God, through our faith in Jesus. (v. 26) God alone is the Justifier of our souls. This is an attribute of the character of God, revealed through Christ's death. Does it seem like I'm going in circles? Perhaps I am, but somewhere in these circles I'm trying to make certain that we understand this incredible glimpse into the character of Almighty God! I'll try to make my point a little easier to understand...
God, through the death of Christ, allowed us to understand His love, mercy, grace, and compassion, to name a few attributes. These would have otherwise gone as unknown characteristics if we did not have the death of Christ as the demonstration of these attributes of God. Now, of course we see glimpses of His patience, mercy, grace, etc... throughout the Old Testament, but not to the perfect extent which we see in Christ Jesus.
Now! The final point. All of these attributes of God are put on display so that God might be glorified in all things. God, as perfect and holy, is the only One who is able to exalt and glorify Himself in a righteous manner. We as humans cannot rightly exalt ourselves, but for God it is perfectly right and just for Him to cause His name to be lifted high, because He alone is Holy, Holy, Holy!
So, all things that exist are in existence for the final and utmost reason of glorifying God. This is a point which we could spend literal DAYS looking at and marveling about! I'll try to boil it down a little: If we live lives of Christ-likeness and in pursuit of God, bearing witness to His name and loving Him in all that we do... we bring glory to His marvelous love, grace, mercy, compassion, kindness, faithfulness and strength. On the other hand, if we live in selfish ambition and in rebellion to His Word... we bring glory to His justice, judgment, righteous anger, holy jealousy, and perfect wrath. So, in a nutshell, "You cannot escape your purpose in the glorification of God, no matter what side of the fence you're on!"
Well... that was a mouthful! Er... a "whatever-ful" it is when you blog for a long time on a very small set of verses! And I'm not even sure if any of it made sense! Hopefully, this will prove helpful to someone, in some respect. Otherwise... well... we'll just move on!
Grace and Peace, dear friends!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Manifest Righteousness of God
"But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;" -Romans 3:21-24
Hello, all! Wow! It's been awhile since I've been on here... Well, God's been working in some interesting ways, in me, and I'm excited start blogging again! I won't go into all of the details of my sabbatical, just yet, but I assure you some of it will come up in some of the future blogs...
Well, with that being said, let's jump right in! I don't have a lot of time today so I'm going to try and break this down rather quickly this morning...
So, the last thing we covered was the Law and how it makes us aware of sin. Now let's get into the Good News! The Gospel, as it were, from Romans chapter 3... Now we see that "apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested..."
First, let's look at this word, "manifested." From dictionary.com the definition of "manifested" is as follows: "readily perceived by the eye or the understanding; evident; obvious; apparent; plain" (dictionary.com; based on the Random House Dictionary)
So, manifested means "apparent." God has made His righteousness apparent! Through what? His Son! In Christ Jesus, the righteousness of God was made apparent for all those who believe. This may seem pretty simple, and maybe it is... but it's essential that we grasp the point of our salvation, right here and now, before we move any further into Romans...
Without Christ being understood as our ONLY good and our ONLY righteousness and our ONLY hope... we will fall into the desperate depravity of believing that we are able, by some other strength, to redeem ourselves before God. That's why we've looked at the Law!
Paul showed us the Law so that we might realize the depth of our wickedness, not because he hoped that some might stand and say, "I've done all these things!" How can I say this? Because look at the very next thing that Paul says... "for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." We looked at the Law so that we might realize our desperate need for a Savior.
Why is this so important? Why must we understand how wicked we truly are? Because until we do see our wickedness for the offense that it is against Almighty God... we will never understand the gravity of our sin and it's effect on our relationship with Him. Until we are able to take ownership of our faults, instead of passing the blame onto someone or something else, we will never be open or humbled enough to receive the healing that Christ offers us.
If you do see the depths of your own sins, however, and you do understand the need that you have for a Savior... then let's keep reading! Be prepared for the greatest headline that has ever hit this world! "Christ has been raised!"
Through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, He has paid the penalty for our sins and made apparent, "manifested," His claims to deity by His resurrection from the dead. These claims have been made known to be true by His appearance to hundreds of men and women in the weeks following His resurrection.
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." -2 Corinthians 5:17
Let's look at verse 24 really quickly and then I'm going to have to be finished for today...
"being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus."
What a hope we have! We are justified, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, and can spend eternity in heaven with Him, because of what HE has done! It's a gift of grace, not something we have accomplished in ourselves... simply an undeserved measure of grace and mercy which has been poured out on us by the God of the universe! (Eph. 2:1-10)
What love! We were all sinners, damned to an eternity of punishment... "But God!" What an amazing combination of words! Please... read this passage and let it's implications rest on your soul as you go throughout this day...
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." -Ephesians 2:1-10
Grace and Peace, dear friends!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Law and the Lamb
"Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." -Romans 3:19-20
So, here's one more look at the problem of sin in our lives. The question now becomes, "How do we know that what we're doing is wrong?". The answer... through the Law!
The Law is God's standard of holiness. It is the bar which has been set, and by no other law does God judge the world. Through the Law we are made aware of those things which we do that displease God; those things which are against His laws and standard of perfection. The Law condemns the sin within us.
This is an incredible gift! If you cannot see the benefits of the condemnation which comes from Law... let me try to explain what I mean. The Law makes us aware of a fracture in our goodness. We begin to see, through the Law, that we have displeased our Creator and we have rebelled against His goodness. The sin in our hearts is revealed through God's standard of obedience. Look at the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20 -
"You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (Exodus 20:3-17)
As is evident by this list... there is not a single person (outside of Christ) who has ever been able to keep all of these commands. From the moment we are born we are selfish, self-serving beings who cannot, in and of ourselves, honor God or faithfully serve Him. The Law burns in our consciences the fallen state of our hearts. We see, through the Law, our failure in following the commands of God. Ten rules of living which no man or woman has been capable of keeping... These laws have been in effect for thousands of years, and yet only one man, Jesus Christ, has ever kept all of them to their fullest extent. You see, Christ came to fulfill Law. We see this in other places in Scripture; that Christ was the fulfillment, not the abolitionist, of Law. This is something we will be studying in greater detail, in the not-so-far-off future.
So, I've mentioned the conscience already... The conscience is a gift from God. It is the tool by which we are convicted of those things which are wrong in our lives, even before we become children of God, our consciences convict us of wrongdoing. Think about it... our society has a standard of "right" and "wrong." For example:
We all agree that murder is wrong. Murder is not considered acceptable in our society... Where does this conviction of wrong come from? Who is to say that there is anything wrong with murdering another human being? Why do we recoil at the news of such happenings? Why can a non-Christian group of people stand up and say, "This man deserves death! He has taken the lives of others, therefore His life is forfeit!" What gives us this sense of justice and judgment? There must be a foundation for such a universal wrong... If you think about standard human behavior for a minute... there are very few things which people agree on to such an extent as murder, embezzling, rape... even lying is something which causes distrust and sorrow in the lives of those who are affected by it. What gives us this feeling of wrong-doing when we see and experience these things, whether done by other or by ourselves? Where does the guilt come from? Where does the sense of punishing the one responsible for such actions come from? ... The conscience!
The Law speaks to our conscience and tells us that those things which we read, of which we are all guilty of breaking at least some if not all, are the standard of behavior that demonstrates righteousness (right-standing with men/God). We see ourselves in light of the Law and it reveals the sins which we have within us.
Even in human law, given by humans, the reason for laws is not for the upright citizen but rather for the ones who would seek to do wrong. The law condemns wrongdoing. This has been a very long and probably a very circular topic to look at this morning... I just want to make sure that we understand Law before we look at the bright side of this whole ordeal. You see, the Law does not give us much hope for right-standing before God. If all we have is the Law and our conscience, which tells us that we have not kept the Law, then we are condemned within ourselves and stand ashamed before the throne of God. We understand that there is no good in us and that we have fallen short...
There is yet hope, though... Enter, Christ Jesus, the Savior and fulfillment of Law! The only way by which men could be justified before God, according to Old Testament Law, was through the sacrificing of animals. The blood of lambs, bulls and other animals was the atonement by which current sins could be forgiven. This, however, was never meant to be the fulfillment of Law, because the blood of lambs could not cover the sins which you were yet to commit. You had to keep sacrificing lambs and bulls to atone for the sins which you would continue to commit, over and over again.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only One to ever live a sinless life, upholding the entirety of the Law... He became the sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world. Through the blood of Christ we have eternal redemption. This is not something which must reoccur in order for our sins to be continually covered. Christ's death was the finality of blood sacrifices! Through His death and resurrection we now have a way to be found blameless in the sight of God! This is something we will look into in much greater detail, in the next blog. I did not, however, want to leave this blog without the hope of the Gospel.
So, basic recap... The Law speaks to our conscience and reveals the fracture that has taken place between us and God. Our conscience convicts us of our wrongdoing and urges us to make things right. We see that, through the Law, we can never be completely forgiven or made clean... there is only temporary cleansing through Old Law. Then, we see Jesus! God's redemption plan! "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn. 1:29b) His death and resurrection make a way for us to be cleansed, completely, of our sins and shortcomings before God. We are washed in the blood of the Lamb and, therefore, we are clean in His sight. This is such incredible news!
I can't wait to get into this in much deeper detail. I must, however, end this episode right here and now. I'm sorry to cut things short, but I will be late for work if I don't get going!
I love you all! Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com
So, here's one more look at the problem of sin in our lives. The question now becomes, "How do we know that what we're doing is wrong?". The answer... through the Law!
The Law is God's standard of holiness. It is the bar which has been set, and by no other law does God judge the world. Through the Law we are made aware of those things which we do that displease God; those things which are against His laws and standard of perfection. The Law condemns the sin within us.
This is an incredible gift! If you cannot see the benefits of the condemnation which comes from Law... let me try to explain what I mean. The Law makes us aware of a fracture in our goodness. We begin to see, through the Law, that we have displeased our Creator and we have rebelled against His goodness. The sin in our hearts is revealed through God's standard of obedience. Look at the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20 -
"You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (Exodus 20:3-17)
As is evident by this list... there is not a single person (outside of Christ) who has ever been able to keep all of these commands. From the moment we are born we are selfish, self-serving beings who cannot, in and of ourselves, honor God or faithfully serve Him. The Law burns in our consciences the fallen state of our hearts. We see, through the Law, our failure in following the commands of God. Ten rules of living which no man or woman has been capable of keeping... These laws have been in effect for thousands of years, and yet only one man, Jesus Christ, has ever kept all of them to their fullest extent. You see, Christ came to fulfill Law. We see this in other places in Scripture; that Christ was the fulfillment, not the abolitionist, of Law. This is something we will be studying in greater detail, in the not-so-far-off future.
So, I've mentioned the conscience already... The conscience is a gift from God. It is the tool by which we are convicted of those things which are wrong in our lives, even before we become children of God, our consciences convict us of wrongdoing. Think about it... our society has a standard of "right" and "wrong." For example:
We all agree that murder is wrong. Murder is not considered acceptable in our society... Where does this conviction of wrong come from? Who is to say that there is anything wrong with murdering another human being? Why do we recoil at the news of such happenings? Why can a non-Christian group of people stand up and say, "This man deserves death! He has taken the lives of others, therefore His life is forfeit!" What gives us this sense of justice and judgment? There must be a foundation for such a universal wrong... If you think about standard human behavior for a minute... there are very few things which people agree on to such an extent as murder, embezzling, rape... even lying is something which causes distrust and sorrow in the lives of those who are affected by it. What gives us this feeling of wrong-doing when we see and experience these things, whether done by other or by ourselves? Where does the guilt come from? Where does the sense of punishing the one responsible for such actions come from? ... The conscience!
The Law speaks to our conscience and tells us that those things which we read, of which we are all guilty of breaking at least some if not all, are the standard of behavior that demonstrates righteousness (right-standing with men/God). We see ourselves in light of the Law and it reveals the sins which we have within us.
Even in human law, given by humans, the reason for laws is not for the upright citizen but rather for the ones who would seek to do wrong. The law condemns wrongdoing. This has been a very long and probably a very circular topic to look at this morning... I just want to make sure that we understand Law before we look at the bright side of this whole ordeal. You see, the Law does not give us much hope for right-standing before God. If all we have is the Law and our conscience, which tells us that we have not kept the Law, then we are condemned within ourselves and stand ashamed before the throne of God. We understand that there is no good in us and that we have fallen short...
There is yet hope, though... Enter, Christ Jesus, the Savior and fulfillment of Law! The only way by which men could be justified before God, according to Old Testament Law, was through the sacrificing of animals. The blood of lambs, bulls and other animals was the atonement by which current sins could be forgiven. This, however, was never meant to be the fulfillment of Law, because the blood of lambs could not cover the sins which you were yet to commit. You had to keep sacrificing lambs and bulls to atone for the sins which you would continue to commit, over and over again.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only One to ever live a sinless life, upholding the entirety of the Law... He became the sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world. Through the blood of Christ we have eternal redemption. This is not something which must reoccur in order for our sins to be continually covered. Christ's death was the finality of blood sacrifices! Through His death and resurrection we now have a way to be found blameless in the sight of God! This is something we will look into in much greater detail, in the next blog. I did not, however, want to leave this blog without the hope of the Gospel.
So, basic recap... The Law speaks to our conscience and reveals the fracture that has taken place between us and God. Our conscience convicts us of our wrongdoing and urges us to make things right. We see that, through the Law, we can never be completely forgiven or made clean... there is only temporary cleansing through Old Law. Then, we see Jesus! God's redemption plan! "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn. 1:29b) His death and resurrection make a way for us to be cleansed, completely, of our sins and shortcomings before God. We are washed in the blood of the Lamb and, therefore, we are clean in His sight. This is such incredible news!
I can't wait to get into this in much deeper detail. I must, however, end this episode right here and now. I'm sorry to cut things short, but I will be late for work if I don't get going!
I love you all! Grace and Peace!
Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com
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