WHAT TRUTH?
(Galatians 3:1) "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?"
Paul asked this question of the Galatians and there is a lesson for us, as well, in considering the answer. Of course, equally significant with the fact that these believers had been bewitched (enchanted with or by someone or something) is the point that they were no longer living on the basis of the truth. The definite article is employed to indicate that there is a specific truth that Paul had in mind rather than a broad spectrum of truthfulness in general.
The Galatian epistle makes it clear about the source of bewitching. There were teachers that were troubling them with a false gospel (Gal. 1:6-7). This gospel was false, not because it was foreign but for the reason it had been corrupted from grace by legalism. It sounded good to some but with Paul it was off the mark. It was like Paul’s gospel of Grace but it added works. Paul then “certifies” his gospel by affirming its origin and authority, asserting the uniqueness of his message which is distinct in its content of grace apart from works.
NOT CONTRIDICTING BUT DIFFERENT
Paul was required to return to Jerusalem to settle things with Israel’s Kingdom apostles because of the distinctive nature of his gospel (Gal 2:1-2). This meeting, particularly with James, Peter, and John resulted in some conclusions and an agreement.
The record says it this way; (Galatians 2:7-9) "But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; {8} (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) {9} And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision."
Notice the differences. Different apostleships; one Hebrew and one Gentile. Different gospels – the Gospel of the Kingdom (circumcision) and the Gospel of the Grace of God (uncircumcision). Different mission fields – Peter and the eleven to Israel’s little flock and Paul to all other heathen.
The Galatian problem was about more than legalism. It involved the confusion of Law and grace but the root problem is dispensational in nature. God has employed different agencies in His purposes on earth and at different times. In times past He worked in, and through, the nation Israel and to be estranged from that nation was alienation from God Himself (Ephesians 2:11-12). The present age is called the Dispensation of the Grace of God (Ephesians 3:1-2) and the agency of this age is the Church, the Body of Christ. This is one of the reasons that the Church is called the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).
IDENTITY CRISIS – KNOW WHO YOU ARE
Much misunderstanding has resulted from the fact that religion has blurred the lines between Israel and the Church, the Body of Christ. Both involve different instructions, promises and structure. One is a nation the other a spiritual body. One operated on the basis of Mosaic Law and the other according to Grace (incompatible programs - see Romans 6:13-14; 8:1-3). This mingling of Law and Grace has been catastrophic to many because it involves a false sense of identity with believers attempting to occupy Israel’s place and standing instead of the identity as a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
IGNORANT LAW TEACHERS
Those that teach that Israel’s Law is contemporarily applicable do tremendous damage and inflict great discouragement. Note Paul’s declaration to Timothy concerning Law teachers; (1 Timothy 1:3-11) "As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, {4} Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. {5} Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: {6} From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; {7} Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. {8} But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; {9} Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, {10} For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; {11} According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust."
The Law is not made for the righteous because its purpose is condemnation. Law keeping, for the lost soul, will not result in the righteousness necessary for salvation, nor will it generate practical righteousness in we who are saved.
Law teachers ignorantly promote the truth of another age. The Mosaic Law was a way of life for Israel but in the age of Grace its precepts produce spiritual death (Romans 7:5-6). The Law was a system of don’ts and its ultimate purpose was to declare us as guilty (Romans 3:19-20). Grace is positive truth that promotes life and is centered in the believers identity in Christ (Galatians 2:20). Law completely frustrates the power of grace (Galatians 2:21) condemning the believer to a life of self-righteousness and resulting in alienation from the life of God.
GRACE VERSUS WORKS
The Bible tells us that we are God’s creation and thus, according to His grace, we are His workmanship unto good works (Ephesians2:8-10). In this world system there are basically two approaches to pleasing God; grace and works. Works say do and is driven by man's self-righteousness. Grace operates on the basis of Christ’s life in the believer, powered by grace, and is rooted in the fountain of joy and thanksgiving. Law is negative; a short account system which can never be satisfied (Colossians 2:20-23). Grace is positive, and living under grace is founded upon the affirmation of positive truth.
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE
(Titus 3:8) "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
Some have taken this verse from Titus to mean that good works are the product careful maintenance. This is interpreted, by some, as busy-ness in a religious sense and is polar opposite to the intended application.
Titus 3:8 does not say we are to constantly affirm the need to maintain good works. It says that there are “things” which need to be constantly affirmed and that “these things” are “good and profitable.” Many of these positive truths are identified in the passage. Titus 3:4 declares God’s kindness and love toward us. Verse five asserts that it isn’t on the basis of our righteousness (we don’t have any) but centered on God’s mercy and regenerating work. The next verse speaks of the abundance that we receive through our Savior Jesus Christ. Paul then finishes this blessed plethora with the justifying power of grace and our standing as God’s heirs because of our new identity in Christ.
The constant affirmation of these positive truths goes a lot further in motivating the believer to good works than any legalistic performance system ever will. The effectualness of grace trumps law any day. Good works are not the result of a daily, careful, attention to the details doing well. Good works are the fruit of God’s grace in the believer and they flow from a well of joy and thanksgiving.
(1 Corinthians 15:10) "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
(2 Corinthians 9:8) "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:"
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A Brief Statement of Faith
The Bible
2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works
2 Peter 1:19-21) "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: {20} Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. {21} For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
The Godhead
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
(Colossians 2:8-10) "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. {9} For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. {10} And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"
Sin
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Salvation
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
1 Tim 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
1 Cor 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eternal Security
2 Tim 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
2 Tim 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eternal Judgment
2 Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
2 Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The Unique Apostleship of Paul
Eph 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Rom 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Gal 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
1 Cor 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
The Church, The Body of Christ
Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
1 Cor 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Col1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
The Rapture
1 Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works
2 Peter 1:19-21) "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: {20} Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. {21} For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
The Godhead
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
(Colossians 2:8-10) "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. {9} For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. {10} And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"
Sin
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Salvation
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Gal 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
1 Tim 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
1 Cor 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eternal Security
2 Tim 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
2 Tim 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eternal Judgment
2 Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
2 Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The Unique Apostleship of Paul
Eph 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Rom 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Gal 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
1 Cor 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
The Church, The Body of Christ
Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
1 Cor 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Col1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
The Rapture
1 Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Cor 15:51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Monday, August 17, 2009
"All Things" Work Together for Good
Questioning God
Romans 8:28 ( KJV ) 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Often believers think themselves to be at odds with God because of difficult circumstances in their lives. They experience feelings of abandonment and question God’s purpose for their life as they imagine God’s disapproval and adopt an almost superstitious attitude regarding the events of their life. When things are going smoothly it must be because God approves of us, but if times are tough, obviously, God disapproves of us, He is punishing us, or He is trying to teach us something.
As doubt intensifies it begins to have affect in different areas of the believer’s spiritual life. It can damage relationships as we live our lives differently because we sense God’s apparent disapproval. This can produce anger as we struggle under the assumption that God is the author of our suffering. Our prayer life becomes frustrating because the more we ask, even beg, God to change our circumstances the more it seems He has turned a deaf ear. Many believers become trapped in a vicious circle of self-debasement and self-incrimination derived from false notions about Romans 8:28 thinking that the "all things" are their circumstances when they are, really, God's gifts.
God is For Us
Romans 8:31-32 ( KJV ) 31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
What many of us miss in this passage is the true regard, even genuine love, which God has for us. He is not some distant deity, looking down from above, who delights in frustrating us, or is indifferent to our struggles. This regard and love, stems from many sources but, in the context, it is something we share because God, the Father, identifies us with His Son.
This is a marvelous truth that many of us miss. This truth is an element of doctrine in which some of us remain shallow, either because we have not been taught, or have not applied ourselves to learning. Doctrine is often perceived as dry and tedious without much practical value but, in actuality, it is the exact opposite. Few things can be more exciting than discovering fine points of doctrine and finding that there is great practical benefit in our daily lives.
Ephesians 1:3-6 ( KJV ) 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
When we believe the Gospel of Grace, trusting in Christ and His Cross work for us, there are a number of things that happen to us as believers. One of the things is an operation of God where He identifies us with His Son, our Savior, and from that point on we share Christ's identity. This is true because the believer is placed into Christ by God, the Holy Spirit, (1 Cor. 12:12-13) and then is sealed by the same Spirit in this new identity (Eph 1:12-14; 4:30). Because we are now “accepted in the beloved” we no longer need fear God’s disapproval, nor do we worry that God will become angry with us. Romans 5:1 (KJV) “1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. God deals with us now on the basis of His love, and His grace, but never in anger.
We Are Complete
Colossians 2:9-13 ( KJV ) “9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”
Recognizing our new identity in Christ is a liberating event and it produces freedom for the believer as we realize the work that God has done in each of us. To be complete means to “have nothing lacking”. When Romans 8:28 declares "all things work together for good" it isn't a reference to all circumstances but, rather, to all that God has done for us. It is a statement to the effectiveness of God's gifts to us, a fact to which we are often ignorant, or have forgotten in troubling times. God has given us many things that work to our good because of our identity as a new creature "in Christ". All we need to do is to study out the details of our approved status (2 Timothy 2:15).
(1 Corinthians 2:10-12) "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. {11} For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. {12} Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God."
Three Facts
1. God doesn't need to fix my circumstances because He fixed me. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Colossians 2:10-13)
2. God doesn't use circumstances to create character in me, He uses the life of His Son. (Galatians 2:20-21; Romans 8:10-11)
3. My circumstances are not a reflection of God's love and regard for me (Romans 8:37-39)
Romans 8:28 ( KJV ) 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Often believers think themselves to be at odds with God because of difficult circumstances in their lives. They experience feelings of abandonment and question God’s purpose for their life as they imagine God’s disapproval and adopt an almost superstitious attitude regarding the events of their life. When things are going smoothly it must be because God approves of us, but if times are tough, obviously, God disapproves of us, He is punishing us, or He is trying to teach us something.
As doubt intensifies it begins to have affect in different areas of the believer’s spiritual life. It can damage relationships as we live our lives differently because we sense God’s apparent disapproval. This can produce anger as we struggle under the assumption that God is the author of our suffering. Our prayer life becomes frustrating because the more we ask, even beg, God to change our circumstances the more it seems He has turned a deaf ear. Many believers become trapped in a vicious circle of self-debasement and self-incrimination derived from false notions about Romans 8:28 thinking that the "all things" are their circumstances when they are, really, God's gifts.
God is For Us
Romans 8:31-32 ( KJV ) 31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
What many of us miss in this passage is the true regard, even genuine love, which God has for us. He is not some distant deity, looking down from above, who delights in frustrating us, or is indifferent to our struggles. This regard and love, stems from many sources but, in the context, it is something we share because God, the Father, identifies us with His Son.
This is a marvelous truth that many of us miss. This truth is an element of doctrine in which some of us remain shallow, either because we have not been taught, or have not applied ourselves to learning. Doctrine is often perceived as dry and tedious without much practical value but, in actuality, it is the exact opposite. Few things can be more exciting than discovering fine points of doctrine and finding that there is great practical benefit in our daily lives.
Ephesians 1:3-6 ( KJV ) 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
When we believe the Gospel of Grace, trusting in Christ and His Cross work for us, there are a number of things that happen to us as believers. One of the things is an operation of God where He identifies us with His Son, our Savior, and from that point on we share Christ's identity. This is true because the believer is placed into Christ by God, the Holy Spirit, (1 Cor. 12:12-13) and then is sealed by the same Spirit in this new identity (Eph 1:12-14; 4:30). Because we are now “accepted in the beloved” we no longer need fear God’s disapproval, nor do we worry that God will become angry with us. Romans 5:1 (KJV) “1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. God deals with us now on the basis of His love, and His grace, but never in anger.
We Are Complete
Colossians 2:9-13 ( KJV ) “9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”
Recognizing our new identity in Christ is a liberating event and it produces freedom for the believer as we realize the work that God has done in each of us. To be complete means to “have nothing lacking”. When Romans 8:28 declares "all things work together for good" it isn't a reference to all circumstances but, rather, to all that God has done for us. It is a statement to the effectiveness of God's gifts to us, a fact to which we are often ignorant, or have forgotten in troubling times. God has given us many things that work to our good because of our identity as a new creature "in Christ". All we need to do is to study out the details of our approved status (2 Timothy 2:15).
(1 Corinthians 2:10-12) "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. {11} For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. {12} Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God."
Three Facts
1. God doesn't need to fix my circumstances because He fixed me. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Colossians 2:10-13)
2. God doesn't use circumstances to create character in me, He uses the life of His Son. (Galatians 2:20-21; Romans 8:10-11)
3. My circumstances are not a reflection of God's love and regard for me (Romans 8:37-39)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Quench Not the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a vital element in our relationship to God, not only as a member of the Godhead but as the performer of Divine operations that shape this relationship. The Holy Spirit is the one that baptizes us into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13) and seals us there (Ephesians 1:13) and is the earnest of our redemption (Ephesians 1:14). The Spirit is also an intercessor and a helper of our infirmities (Romans 8:26). We also discover that the Spirit enables us to mortify our flesh (Romans 8:13) and is the means of quickening our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11) as it indwells us. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is the witness to our identity as the children of God (Romans 8:16) and whose witness reassures us of our new identity in Christ.
Paul addresses several issues regarding our bond with the Holy Spirit. He exhorts believers to not grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) which is the result of our living in a manner inconsistent with our identity. The Ephesian epistle is unambiguous in the directive to “walk worthy of the vocation” wherewith we are called. In Christ we are said to be “light” and we are expected “walk as the children of light.” The Holy Spirit is grieved when we fail to do so.
Paul also cautions that the Spirit can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19). This is an interesting notion in that quenching the Spirit would seem to suggest that God can be extinguished. Of course, this is impossible so we must look beyond the literal to discern the figurative meaning. Obviously, you cannot quench God – BUT you can extinguish the work He would accomplish in, and through, your life.
In looking at this subject we should note that man has a spiritual component that serves as one of the mechanisms by which we perceive and know one another. (Prov 27:19) "As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man." Just as man’s spirit is a point of contact between men it is also a point of contact with God (Prov 20:27) “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly." However, the spirit of man alone does not equip us to know God as He intended – we must respond by God’s Spirit within us. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14) "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. {13} Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. {14} But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Perhaps one key in understanding how the Spirit might be quenched is found in the intrinsic link of the Holy Spirit with the Word of God. The mechanism of Inspiration is explained in 2 Peter 1:21; “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The Word of God is also identified as the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) which explains its ability to cut us so penetratingly at the heart. The Bible is the one book that reads us as we read it, discerning all of our thoughts and intentions. (Hebrews 4:12-13) "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. {13} Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."
As the Word of God is crucial in generating faith (Romans 10:17) it is primary in the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we reject scriptural truth and refuse to be directed by it we are, in essence, quenching the Spirit. As we heed the instruction and principles of God’s Word we are being led by the Spirit. It isn’t by an indefinable force, or in the Divine manipulation of our circumstances, that we discover the substance of the Spirit’s leading; it is with the voice of God inked on the pages of our Bible. To walk in the Spirit is to make life choices based upon God’s Word. To quench the Spirit is to handle the details of our lives with our own agenda, in our own strength, and by our own wisdom.
The sad result of quenching the Spirit is to alienate ourselves from the life of God. It is to live in futility and it is a contradiction to our identity in Christ.
(Romans 8:5-6) "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. {6} For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
Paul addresses several issues regarding our bond with the Holy Spirit. He exhorts believers to not grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) which is the result of our living in a manner inconsistent with our identity. The Ephesian epistle is unambiguous in the directive to “walk worthy of the vocation” wherewith we are called. In Christ we are said to be “light” and we are expected “walk as the children of light.” The Holy Spirit is grieved when we fail to do so.
Paul also cautions that the Spirit can be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19). This is an interesting notion in that quenching the Spirit would seem to suggest that God can be extinguished. Of course, this is impossible so we must look beyond the literal to discern the figurative meaning. Obviously, you cannot quench God – BUT you can extinguish the work He would accomplish in, and through, your life.
In looking at this subject we should note that man has a spiritual component that serves as one of the mechanisms by which we perceive and know one another. (Prov 27:19) "As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man." Just as man’s spirit is a point of contact between men it is also a point of contact with God (Prov 20:27) “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly." However, the spirit of man alone does not equip us to know God as He intended – we must respond by God’s Spirit within us. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14) "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. {13} Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. {14} But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Perhaps one key in understanding how the Spirit might be quenched is found in the intrinsic link of the Holy Spirit with the Word of God. The mechanism of Inspiration is explained in 2 Peter 1:21; “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The Word of God is also identified as the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) which explains its ability to cut us so penetratingly at the heart. The Bible is the one book that reads us as we read it, discerning all of our thoughts and intentions. (Hebrews 4:12-13) "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. {13} Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."
As the Word of God is crucial in generating faith (Romans 10:17) it is primary in the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we reject scriptural truth and refuse to be directed by it we are, in essence, quenching the Spirit. As we heed the instruction and principles of God’s Word we are being led by the Spirit. It isn’t by an indefinable force, or in the Divine manipulation of our circumstances, that we discover the substance of the Spirit’s leading; it is with the voice of God inked on the pages of our Bible. To walk in the Spirit is to make life choices based upon God’s Word. To quench the Spirit is to handle the details of our lives with our own agenda, in our own strength, and by our own wisdom.
The sad result of quenching the Spirit is to alienate ourselves from the life of God. It is to live in futility and it is a contradiction to our identity in Christ.
(Romans 8:5-6) "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. {6} For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
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