Scripture Index
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- John 17:6-12 - Given
The Father gave us to the Son, who gave us His Father's words, giving you salvation. Following Jesus' prayer in this passage is a bit like keeping your eye on the ball during a volley (Image: Unsplash) John 17:6-12 (NIV) CONTEXT: We began this chapter, which contains the prayer Jesus lifted to His Father in the moments before He was arrested, yesterday . 6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith 6 - God’s Eternal Decision 7 - Election Election is God’s unchangeable purpose by which he did the following: Before the foundation of the world, by sheer grace, according to the free good pleasure of his will, God chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race, which had fallen by its own fault from its original innocence into sin and ruin. Those chosen were neither better nor more deserving than the others, but lay with them in the common misery. God did this in Christ, whom he also appointed from eternity to be the mediator, the head of all those chosen, and the foundation of their salvation. And so God decreed to give to Christ those chosen for salvation, and to call and draw them effectively into Christ’s fellowship through the Word and Spirit. In other words, God decreed to grant them true faith in Christ, to justify them, to sanctify them, and finally, after powerfully preserving them in the fellowship of the Son, to glorify them. God did all this in order to demonstrate his mercy, to the praise of the riches of God’s glorious grace. Summary As Jesus continues His prayer, He gives us a fascinating insight into His trinitarian role and relationship with His Father. One of Jesus' primary missions in becoming Immanuel (God with us) was to reveal the Father to those the Father gave to Him. This sentence has profound implications on the scope and breadth of your salvation. Expressed in the simplest terms, Jesus saved you by atoning (paying) for your sins in His death on the cross, conquering death three days later as He rose from the grave, and fulfilling your obligation to perfectly obey God as He triumphantly ascended into heaven. But in more abstract terms, Jesus saved you by revealing His Father, making God's sovereign, saving grace evident. In other words, your salvation is the result of you truly knowing God through His Son. This is why we continually push you to know God more and more. But there's one word that sticks out more than any other in this short passage since Jesus used it eight times: gave. As Jesus reflects on His earthly ministry in the hours before He goes to the cross, it becomes evident just how involved our Father is in bringing salvation to His people. Jesus unpacks a number of transactions, so to speak, between Him, the Father, and those He came to save. Dig Deeper Following the flow of Jesus' prayer in this paragraph is a bit like trying to keep your eye on the ball during a fast paced volley - you need to keep your head on a swivel and track all that is given : Jesus revealed the Father to those the Father gave to Him; The Father gave them to Jesus, and they obeyed the Word (Jesus); They know that everything the Father gave Jesus came from the Father. Jesus gave them the words the Father gave Him, and they accepted them. Jesus' concern is not for the world in general, but rather for those the Father has given to Him, for they are the Father's. Everything Jesus has is the Father's, All that the Father has belongs to Jesus. The Father gave His powerful name to Jesus, Jesus prays that the Father would protect them [us] by the power of God's name; While He was with us, Jesus protected us and kept us safe by the name the Father gave Him. As you continue with your day, be mindful of all of the ways you've been handed back and forth between God the Father and His Son in order to accomplish your salvation. Remember that you remain in these very same hands, protected and preserved by God's powerful grace, which is far stronger than you are. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who gave you to His Son that you might come to truly know Him; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that glory will come to Christ in the way you live; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 16
- John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission
Find out what eternal life is and how to attain it. Biblia.com John 17:1-5 (NIV) CONTEXT: Jesus has been teaching His disciples after the Last Supper and right before He's arrested. This passage contains what is known as His High Priestly Prayer. We'll read the first five verses today, and vss. 6-12 tomorrow. 17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith 6 - God’s Eternal Decision 7 - Election Election is God’s unchangeable purpose by which he did the following: Before the foundation of the world, by sheer grace, according to the free good pleasure of his will, God chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race, which had fallen by its own fault from its original innocence into sin and ruin. Those chosen were neither better nor more deserving than the others, but lay with them in the common misery. God did this in Christ, whom he also appointed from eternity to be the mediator, the head of all those chosen, and the foundation of their salvation. And so God decreed to give to Christ those chosen for salvation, and to call and draw them effectively into Christ’s fellowship through the Word and Spirit. In other words, God decreed to grant them true faith in Christ, to justify them, to sanctify them, and finally, after powerfully preserving them in the fellowship of the Son, to glorify them. God did all this in order to demonstrate his mercy, to the praise of the riches of God’s glorious grace. Summary Jesus prays this prayer even as the establishment assembles a squad led by Judas to arrest Jesus in the dark of night, yet Jesus begins His prayer by acknowledging that God had granted Him authority over all people! Think of that - Jesus didn't go to the cross as a passive victim, but as One who had full authority over those who arrested, tortured, judged and nailed Him to the cross. Jesus did this so that He might give eternal life to all those His Father had given Him. Jesus was very much in control on that awful night; He was using Judas and the goon squad that arrested Him, the sham trial before the high priest, Pontius Pilate and everything else related to His crucifixion in order to give you eternal life! Jesus did this because our Father had first given you to Him. As we come to grips with these difficult passages describing God's sovereignty in our salvation, it's so easy to let go of the tension and come to a fatalistic conclusion that thinks of ourselves and the world around us to be nothing more than pre-programmed robots unwittingly marching towards God's pre-ordained conclusion. It's almost as if all of history is just a giant set of dominoes and after tipping the first one, God just is sitting back from afar and watching the show. But passages like today's vividly demonstrate the absurdity of such notions. Yes, the Father granted Jesus authority over all people and also gave to His Son all those He had chosen for eternal life. This is the very definition of sovereignty. But God doesn't just aloofly sit back and watch things play out. He, in the person of the Son, stepped into history to take the abuse His enemies willingly inflicted in order to save those He chose before creation to willingly receive His grace. Dig Deeper Verse three is one of the most important verses in the Bible: Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, who you have sent. This verse communicates two massive truths. First, it explains what we'll be doing for all eternity: coming to know God and all that He has created. In other words, we'll be continually exploring and learning in the perfected new heavens and earth . Today we're going to concentrate on the other truth this verse unpacks: how it is that you attain eternal life - you do so by coming to know the only true God and Jesus Christ. The Canons unpack what it is you must come to know: That God gave you to Christ , who fulfilled the conditions necessary for you to attain eternal life; That God draws you into Christ’s fellowship through the Word and Spirit. That God decreed: to grant you true faith in Christ, to justify you, to sanctify you, and finally, after powerfully preserving you in the fellowship of the Son, to glorify you. All of this to say that while God is truly sovereign in working out all things for your salvation, you are not just a passive, pre-programmed recipient of it. As one who has been given to Christ, you must do the hard work of coming to know and understand exactly what has been done on your behalf. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the only true God; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for giving you to His Son for salvation, and pray that you'll do the hard and continual work of coming to know Him ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 15
- Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart
God set His affection on you and chose you to be holy. BibleHub.com Deuteronomy 7:1-10 (NIV) CONTEXT: The book of Deuteronomy is a collection of the instructions Moses gave the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. 7 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your fathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 10 But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith 6 - God’s Eternal Decision 7 - Election Election is God’s unchangeable purpose by which he did the following: Before the foundation of the world, by sheer grace, according to the free good pleasure of his will, God chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race, which had fallen by its own fault from its original innocence into sin and ruin. Those chosen were neither better nor more deserving than the others, but lay with them in the common misery. God did this in Christ, whom he also appointed from eternity to be the mediator, the head of all those chosen, and the foundation of their salvation. And so God decreed to give to Christ those chosen for salvation, and to call and draw them effectively into Christ’s fellowship through the Word and Spirit. In other words, God decreed to grant them true faith in Christ, to justify them, to sanctify them, and finally, after powerfully preserving them in the fellowship of the Son, to glorify them. God did all this in order to demonstrate his mercy, to the praise of the riches of God’s glorious grace. Summary For many people, the fact that the LORD directed the total, merciless destruction of the Canaanite nations is the excuse they hide behind in their own rejection of God. In their minds, such an order represents the antithesis of what a good and loving God ought to command of His people. To them it reeks of intolerance, xenophobia and pure hatred. But in their haste to demonstrate that their own sense of goodness surpasses that of the God of the Bible, they miss the reason God issued such a harsh directive. Any sort of treaty negotiation or marriage arrangements would pose an existential threat to God's people. The Canaanites would never budge from their idolatry, no matter how nice the Israelites were to them, and worse yet, they would turn Israelite children away from following the LORD to serve other gods. Theologian Meredith Kline explains this well: "Many have found a stumbling block in this command to exterminate the Canaanites, as though it represented a sub-Christian ethic. Actually, the offense taken is taken at the theology and religion of the Bible as a whole... For, because of Israel’s frailty, the proximity of the Canaanites would lead to the dissolution of Israel’s covenantal distinctiveness (v. 3), to foreign and idolatrous allegiances (v. 4a), and hence to Israel’s own destruction (v. 4b). The program of conquest (chap. 7) is thus a consistent application of the principle of consecration (chap. 6; esp. 6:12–15). Dig Deeper Consecration : That's how this episode about God's ancient people conquering a plot of land thousands of years ago relates to you, and why you should understand it well and use it as a guiding principle for your own interaction with the world. You, just like those Israelites of old, have been chosen out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people - a people holy to the LORD God. The word holy is often misunderstood to only mean pure / perfect / without sin. It does mean that, but even more, holy describes something that's been cut away and made distinct. In today's passage, the LORD reminded the Israelites the same thing the Canons continue to remind His people of today: that those chosen were neither better nor more deserving than the others . In other words, God didn't elect you because you were somehow holier than others. Rather, God picked you up out of the common misery (sin) you laid in and consecrated you - that is, made you holy in Christ. This means that in Christ you are now pure / perfect / without sin. But it also means that you've been cut away and made distinct from the sinful world. So keep yourself separate from it - don't make treaties with it or intermarry with it (both literally and figuratively speaking). Always know that the LORD your God is God. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will will reflect God's sovereign choice to belong to Him by loving Him and keeping His commandments; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 14
- Ephesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation
God chose you before He created anything else! Biblia.com Ephesians 1:3-6 (NIV) 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith 6 - God’s Eternal Decision 7 - Election Election is God’s unchangeable purpose by which he did the following: Before the foundation of the world, by sheer grace, according to the free good pleasure of his will, God chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race, which had fallen by its own fault from its original innocence into sin and ruin. Those chosen were neither better nor more deserving than the others, but lay with them in the common misery. God did this in Christ, whom he also appointed from eternity to be the mediator, the head of all those chosen, and the foundation of their salvation. And so God decreed to give to Christ those chosen for salvation, and to call and draw them effectively into Christ’s fellowship through the Word and Spirit. In other words, God decreed to grant them true faith in Christ, to justify them, to sanctify them, and finally, after powerfully preserving them in the fellowship of the Son, to glorify them. God did all this in order to demonstrate his mercy, to the praise of the riches of God’s glorious grace. Summary Reading today’s passage feels like opening an ancient chest overflowing with treasure. Yet, the riches within this text surpass golden crowns and jeweled trinkets—it holds some of the Bible’s deepest and most foundational theology. This passage explains who God the Father is: He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... He blesses us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing - Whatever God has blessed you with here in this physical world is only a foreshadowing of what He's already set out for you in the heavenly realms! He chose you... before the creation of the world - Before God spoke any aspect of the universe into existence, He knew you and chose you to belong to Him! This is one of the most astounding statements in all of scripture! He predestined you for adoption to sonship - God does much more than to just choose you to belong to Him and then hope for the best. He also predestined / foreordained all of history to work out the way it has so that you become His son - that is, His legal heir set to inherit all that's been created! Everything that God has done and will do - especially His choosing and predestining you - is done in accordance with His pleasure and will. As R.C. Sproul has written , "This is the only reason to be found in Scripture that explains why God elects people for salvation. The reason for election is not my foreseen righteousness; or my foreseen obedience; or my foreseen response to the gospel." This passage explains who Jesus Christ is: He is the Son of God the Father. It is through His atoning death and perfect obedience that enables you to be adopted to sonship. This passage explains who you are: You are different than those of this world, because: You are blessed by God your Father; You have been chosen by God, who has predestined all things to work out your adoption to sonship ; You are in Christ. This is the most fundamental definition of what it means to be a Christian. God accomplished that which He predestined - that you would be holy and blameless in His sight - by putting you in Christ. God has freely given you His glorious grace in Christ - the One He loves. Dig Deeper No doubt your day will be (or has been, depending on what time you read this) filled with stresses and worries. The work and tasks of your daily grind are important, but remember, no matter how much God has or has not blessed you with here and now pales in comparison to that which He has blessed you with in the heavenly realms . Don't get so caught up in the daily trappings of this world that you lose sight of who you are in Christ . You have been chosen by God before the creation of the world. You have been made holy and blameless in Christ , and you have been adopted to sonship through Christ. In this light, whatever fleeting problems you struggle with today seem rather insignificant, don't they. Remember, God's grace, which He initiated toward you before He created anything else, is stronger than you. Praise God. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will glorify God in gratitude for the grace which He chose to give to you; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 13
- Psalm 81 - Call To Worship
The last thing you want to follow is your sinful heart. Biblia.com Psalm 81 (NIV) For the director of music. According to gittith . Of Asaph. 1 Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! 2 Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre. 3 Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival; 4 this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. 5 When God went out against Egypt, he established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say: 6 “I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. 7 In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. 8 Hear me, my people, and I will warn you— if you would only listen to me, Israel! 9 You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me. 10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. 11 “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. 13 “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, 14 how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! 15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. 16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.” Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith 6 - God’s Eternal Decision The fact that some receive from God the gift of faith within time, and that others do not, stems from his eternal decree. For “all his works are known to God from eternity” ( Acts 15:18 ; Eph. 1:11 ). In accordance with this decree God graciously softens the hearts, however hard, of the elect and inclines them to believe, but by a just judgment God leaves in their wickedness and hardness of heart those who have not been chosen. And in this especially is disclosed to us God’s act —unfathomable, and as merciful as it is just— of distinguishing between people equally lost. This is the well-known decree of election and reprobation revealed in God’s Word. The wicked, impure, and unstable distort this decree to their own ruin, but it provides holy and godly souls with comfort beyond words. Summary Psalm 81 begins as a thunderous call to worship. There are times when our behavior in worship ought to be reverent and subdued ( God is in His temple, all within keep silent, Hab. 2:20), and then there are times where we're to begin the music, strike the timbrel, and play the melodious harp and lyre. In an age where many have settled for a mere livestream connection to watch others worship, Psalm 81 reminds us that we have an obligation to participate in gathered corporate worship. God's instruction for His people to come together and worship is described as a decree, an ordinance, and a statute. Calling people together for a time of energetic, musically driven praise often isn't difficult, and large crowds eagerly attend. But Psalm 81 paints a far more comprehensive picture of what worship must include. Certainly good, energetic music is a big part of it as we praise God for removing the burden from our shoulders and setting our hands free from the basket , but gathered worship also forms a vehicle through which God's people receive His solemn rebuke for sin that remains in our lives. God has promised to fill our mouths, subdue our enemies, and feed us with the finest wheat and honey, yet our sinful nature sends us looking for those good things from anywhere but God. Yet it's as God's Word is proclaimed over us during public worship, that our Father gently chides and reminds us that we shall not worship any god other than Him. Dig Deeper Often critics of the Calvinism (or 'doctrines of grace') taught in the Canons complain that they portray a God who arbitrarily forces people to come to predetermined conclusions about their relationship with Him, making us little more than robots. But the more we begin to better understand this doctrine of Unconditional Election , the more it becomes clear that this isn't the case at all. Obviously, as the name of the doctrine implies, God has for His own good reasons (reasons not conditioned by anything else) decreed that some will receive the gift of faith... and others will not. That's a tough concept to comprehend in and of itself, but let's not make it tougher by misconstruing it. Simply put, God does not compel anybody to do anything. Psalm 81 helps us to understand this. Notice how God's loving call of warning goes out to all people: Hear me... I will warn you... if only you will listen to me! He genuinely wants all people to return to Him ( 1 Timothy 2:4 ). Yet God always gives everybody what they want! When the people failed to respond to His pleas to return to Him, God lets them go. I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, He says, to follow their own devices. Remember, the only reason that you have heard and responded to God's call for you to return to Him is because He has graciously opened your eyes and ears, a gift unconditioned by anything you have done, and which He will never take from you. He has regenerated your heart so that you now truly want to live for Him. But remember to continually participate in gathered corporate worship which reminds and guides you to freely submit to God and follow His ways. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the LORD our God, who brought us up from slavery; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for calling you to worship Him, and pray that by His grace you will desire to gather with His people to praise Him and be reminded to not worship any god other than Him; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 12
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth
If you don't love the truth, God gives you what you want (and it's not good). Biblia.com 2 Thessalonians 2:10b-12 (NIV) [People] perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith 6 - God’s Eternal Decision The fact that some receive from God the gift of faith within time, and that others do not, stems from his eternal decree. For “all his works are known to God from eternity” ( Acts 15:18 ; Eph. 1:11 ). In accordance with this decree God graciously softens the hearts, however hard, of the elect and inclines them to believe, but by a just judgment God leaves in their wickedness and hardness of heart those who have not been chosen. And in this especially is disclosed to us God’s act —unfathomable, and as merciful as it is just— of distinguishing between people equally lost. This is the well-known decree of election and reprobation revealed in God’s Word. The wicked, impure, and unstable distort this decree to their own ruin, but it provides holy and godly souls with comfort beyond words. Summary People often recoil from the idea of God's sovereignty in salvation because they misunderstand it to mean that people are nothing more than unwitting pawns in the hands of an all powerful God who foreordained who would accept His grace and who would reject it. Paul anticipated this visceral reaction in yesterday's passage when he introduced the rhetorical question that springs to the front of so many minds: Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist His will? (Romans 9:19). Paul answers this vexing question in today's passage. God blames those who reject Him because they refused to love the truth . As Robert Thomas puts it, "They lack a positive commitment to the gospel. This is just as blamable as indifference or even antagonism toward the truth." It's true that God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie , but notice this divine action comes in response to people's refusal to love the truth. It's for this reason, Paul indicates, that God sends them a powerful delusion. In other words, since people do not love the truth, God gives them exactly what they want . People will be condemned , Paul writes, not simply because they drew the proverbial short straw before time began, but because they have not believed the truth. This lack of faith doesn't just leave them in some ambivalent gray area, it immediately gives way to them delighting in wickedness. There's no middle ground. You either believe the truth OR delight in wickedness. Dig Deeper This passage has profound implications for you and your faith: To love the truth means that it's not enough for you to simply understand the gospel correctly. Robert Thomas writes, " To love the truth denotes a positive dedication to the gospel. One can refuse to love the truth without refusing the truth." John Calvin helps explain how loving the truth means much more than simply knowing the correct answers. He writes, "faith must always be conjoined with a sweet and voluntary reverence for God, because we do not properly believe the Word of God, unless it is lovely and pleasant to us." Spend quality time today thinking about that. Can you truly say that the Word of God is lovely and pleasant to you? If not, realize the jeopardy such ambivalence places you in, for your lack of love for the truth leaves you defenseless against the lies of the devil and you'll often find yourself delighting in wickedness . Do the hard work of determining what factors prevent you from truly loving God's Word - is it a lack of time to read and dwell on it, an inability to understand what you're reading, or maybe even boredom with its content? Once you identify this barrier, you can pray for the Spirit to help you overcome it. All of us in our hyper-distracted society need to learn to love the truth more. The more you love the truth of God's Word, the more protected you will be from the lies of the evil one as you more and more come to understand that God's grace is stronger than you are. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who sends a powerful delusion upon those who refuse to love the truth ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you can identify things which keep you from more fully loving the truth so that you can pray that God will give you what you need to overcome it; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 11
- Romans 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort
True peace comes from realizing God's grace is stronger than you are. BibleHub.com Romans 9:16-21 (NIV) 15 God says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 It [our salvation] does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, o man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith 6 - God’s Eternal Decision The fact that some receive from God the gift of faith within time, and that others do not, stems from his eternal decree. For “all his works are known to God from eternity” ( Acts 15:18 ; Eph. 1:11 ). In accordance with this decree God graciously softens the hearts, however hard, of the elect and inclines them to believe, but by a just judgment God leaves in their wickedness and hardness of heart those who have not been chosen. And in this especially is disclosed to us God’s act —unfathomable, and as merciful as it is just— of distinguishing between people equally lost. This is the well-known decree of election and reprobation revealed in God’s Word. The wicked, impure, and unstable distort this decree to their own ruin, but it provides holy and godly souls with comfort beyond words. Summary We have a deeply embedded sense of fairness and justice here in North America. We understand that those who take risks and work hard deserve to be rewarded, while those who cheat and steal ought to get what they have coming to them. These are good principles necessary for building a solid society, so because they've contributed to success in one sphere of life, we often assume that they carry over into all of the others, such as our eternal salvation. God must be obligated to save those who truly deserve to be saved, we conclude. But in one of the most shocking passages in the Bible, God turns this assumption upside down. Paul begins shattering our notion by quoting the LORD's words to Moses , stating that He will have mercy on those whom He chooses . This means, Paul goes on to conclude, that salvation does not depend upon a person's individual efforts. In other words, none of us can point to our own holy accomplishments and say that we deserve salvation. God, according to His wisdom and good pleasure, has mercy on who he wants to have mercy, and he hardens those whom he wants to harden. It's not that the elect somehow deserved grace more so than those who God has passed over and left in their sin. Paul, as he so often does, anticipates the very question his readers will have upon reading these heavy words. If it's all up to God as far as who repents and who rejects, then how can God blame those who reject Him? How can it be their fault if they're just doing what God in a sense programmed them to do? Dig Deeper Paul doesn't directly answer the hypothetical questions that both he and we raise. Instead he hits us with the hard reality that we don't deserve to ask the question in the first place. Remember, Paul tells you, you are God's creation, so therefore God has every right to do with you as He pleases. If God's desire is to preserve you unto eternal salvation, then so be it. If He instead wills you to the eternal punishment (which we all actually deserve!), then so be it. Paul's words seem harsh, cold and unfeeling. Read in isolation, they seem to portray a preprogrammed robotic world - a fatalism in which an uncaring God creates some people just to smite them and arbitrarily saves a few, whether they deserve it or not. But of course these words are not written in isolation. They come directly from God Himself, through Paul, right alongside words that tell us of His unfailing love, mercy, goodness and holiness. These words come in a book, that more clearly than any other book in the Bible, describe how it is that Christ atoned for sin and granted perfect righteousness to those His Father had given to Him; the same book that goes on to tell us how the Spirit's regeneration enables us to obey God's command to freely accept and live in accordance with the grace He gives. These words are not at all written to dent or dull your perception of who and what God is or how He operates. They're written to humble you. The more you humble yourself and understand that your salvation is completely dependent upon God's mercy and not your effort, the more comfort you will experience knowing that God's grace is stronger than you are. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who has mercy upon whom He will have mercy, and has compassion upon those whom He will have compassion; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that through the humility these words bring, you will come to realize more and more that God's grace is stronger than you are; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 10
- Ezekiel 36:24-28 - A Whole New Reality
Your heart transplant has made you an entirely different person. "I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" - verse 26 Ezekiel 36:24-28 (NIV) CONTEXT: God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel to His people who are exiled in Babylon, promising to restore them. 24 “ ‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your fathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith 6 - God’s Eternal Decision The fact that some receive from God the gift of faith within time, and that others do not, stems from his eternal decree. For “all his works are known to God from eternity” ( Acts 15:18 ; Eph. 1:11 ). In accordance with this decree God graciously softens the hearts, however hard, of the elect and inclines them to believe, but by a just judgment God leaves in their wickedness and hardness of heart those who have not been chosen. And in this especially is disclosed to us God’s act —unfathomable, and as merciful as it is just— of distinguishing between people equally lost. This is the well-known decree of election and reprobation revealed in God’s Word. The wicked, impure, and unstable distort this decree to their own ruin, but it provides holy and godly souls with comfort beyond words. Summary Ezekiel prophesied at time when the LORD's people, the Israelites, were exiled in Babylon because of their hard-hearted rebellion against God. But here the LORD speaks good news through His servant Ezekiel, promising to take them out of the nations, and that He will gather them from all the countries and bring them back to their own land. But God is promising here to do much more than just bring them back; what good would it do to simply return these sin-stained people back to the seat of their rebellion? So God promises to cleanse them with clean water from their impurities and from all their idols. But this would be so much more than just a surface level, external washing - it would penetrate to their very spirit. Ezekiel is famous for painting vivid word pictures, and this passage is one of his most famous. God would put His Spirit in them, removing their heart of stone and giving them a heart of flesh. This change of heart would transform the lives of the LORD's people as they returned to their land . Now instead of harboring wickedness and idolatry, they would follow God's decrees and be careful to keep His laws . And best of all, the relationship that the LORD created them for would be restored: They will be His people, and He will be their God. Dig Deeper It can be hard to properly interpret how the promises God made to His people Israel apply to us as New Testament Christians, and good solid Christians often come to different conclusions as to how to do so. But today's passage helps build a bridge between the two subsets that comprise God's people throughout history. Ezekiel's prophecy of the Spirit transforming stone cold hearts into soft and lively flesh is famous for good reason, which extends far beyond its literary beauty. Ezekiel here paints one of the Bible's clearest pictures of what we call regeneration , which is the process the Canons describe of God graciously softening the hearts, however hard, of the elect and inclining them to believe. If you have faith in Christ, then you've experienced this Spiritual regeneration. For many of us, it came at such a young age we have little to no recognition of what life with a stone cold heart was like. But this transformation fundamentally changed who you are as a person. You're no longer at enmity with God; in fact, the LORD has placed His Spirit in you, who moves you to follow God's decrees. Like the Israelites, God has promised to return you to the land. Only the land God has in mind is so much so than a mere geographical location. We understand the land to represent the new heavens and earth described so beautifully in Revelation ( here and here ). AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who gathers us His people from out of the nations to bring us back to our own land ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your words and actions reflect the new heart you've been given by the Spirit; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 9
- Isaiah 45:21-25 - Irrevocable
God's will to deliver and strengthen you cannot be revoked. Isaiah 45:21-25 (NIV) 21 Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. 22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. 24 They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone are deliverance and strength.’ ” All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. 25 But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the LORD and will make their boast in him. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith 6 - God’s Eternal Decision The fact that some receive from God the gift of faith within time, and that others do not, stems from his eternal decree. For “all his works are known to God from eternity” ( Acts 15:18 ; Eph. 1:11 ). In accordance with this decree God graciously softens the hearts, however hard, of the elect and inclines them to believe, but by a just judgment God leaves in their wickedness and hardness of heart those who have not been chosen. And in this especially is disclosed to us God’s act —unfathomable, and as merciful as it is just— of distinguishing between people equally lost. This is the well-known decree of election and reprobation revealed in God’s Word. The wicked, impure, and unstable distort this decree to their own ruin, but it provides holy and godly souls with comfort beyond words. Summary The LORD here gives instructions to his prophet Isaiah to declare what is to be. (Remember, a prophet is one who represents God to the people, whereas a priest represents the people before God.) The fact that the Old Testament is comprised of so many books written by prophets, plus numerous sections of prophecy embedded into the other books, shows just how much God wants His people to hear of His salvation! As we begin this new week, we're jumping into some deeper water as we work through the Canons, specifically coming to grips with the fact that God has decreed that some receive from God the gift of faith..., while others do not. God makes clear to His prophet that He has foretold this long ago, and declared it from the distant past. We refer God's choice in eternity past as to those He would save as election . It's comforting to know that our righteous God and Savior knew our names and included us in His covenant before the creation of the world ( Ephesians 1:4 ) to find deliverance in the LORD and make our boast in Him. But election has an ugly cousin. We will see this week that God's choice to grant salvation to some necessarily means that He chose to leave others in the sinful condition that we put ourselves in. We call this doctrine reprobation . Dig Deeper It's important to understand that although He chose to leave some in their sinful condition, God does not force them to stay there. We've already seen this year in the Canons what the LORD here makes clear to Isaiah: that He announces His salvation to ALL people. He cries out to all, Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other! Notice also that all people will come to acknowledge and worship God. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will swear allegiance (v23 ESV). But this demonstration of submission will be quite different for all those who have raged against the LORD in their lifetimes. As they come to Him on that day of judgment, they will be put to shame. But those who have been elected by God unto salvation - the spiritual descendents of Israel will find deliverance in the LORD and will make their boast in Him. If you came here longing to be reminded of God's grace in your life, that's a sure sign God is drawing you to Him and that He has extended His promises to you. The question really isn't whether or not you will accept His grace (we'll learn later this year that His offer is irresistable ), the question is how exactly will you make your boast in Him in your actions and words today for the grace and salvation He was already conveyed to you? AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose word will not be revoked; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will live in a way consistent with God's irrevocable call in your life; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 8
- Psalm 95 - The LORD is OUR God
The LORD is your God, and you're part of the flock He cares for. Bible.com Psalm 95 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, l as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election 1 - God's right to condemn all people 2 - God shows His sovereign love in the sending of Jesus Christ 3 - The Preaching of the Gospel 4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel 5 - The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith The cause or blame for this unbelief, as well as for all other sins, is not at all in God, but in man. Faith in Jesus Christ, however, and salvation through him is a free gift of God Summary Psalm 95 helps us understand two fundamental truths about who the LORD is. First of all, the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. Certainly the psalmist here isn't claiming that there are many gods, but the LORD is the greatest of them all. Rather, the LORD is greater than any of the idyllic gods our sinful minds try to prop up in His place. After all, the LORD holds in His hands both the highest peaks and the lowest depths. Even the chaotic sea we read about last week belongs to Him , and His hands formed the dry land that we call home. But the LORD is not just the transcendent creator, who remains far above all that His hands have made. Quite the opposite: He is our God. At first glance, those four words may not seem profound, but reflect on their immense significance throughout the day—the LORD Almighty, Creator of all things, who rules over and sustains them, is our God! Not only does Psalm 95 give us these two key insights as to who the LORD is, but it next tells us who we are. This world would have you believe that you're just the random - accidental, even - result of space, time and matter crashing together to produce the conditions from which you happened to evolve. Psalm 95, on the other hand, reminds you that we are the people of the LORD's pasture and that as part of His flock, you are under His care. Dig Deeper Psalm 95 also gives you two ways you must respond to the LORD, your creator and sustainer. It repeats the first imperative three times: 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. 6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; This command to come stands in stark contrast to your sinful instinct to flee from the LORD as Adam did after rebelling. To come means more than just moving yourself closer to God. It means to humble yourself, realize your complete dependence upon Him, by humbly and joyfully singing praises to Him. Secondly, and a bit more ominously, you must submit to the LORD. After beginning with one of the most joyful calls to worship in the entire Psalter, Psalm 95 seems to come to a screeching halt in v8, sort of like when the bad guy comes into the saloon in an old Western movie. The LORD reminds His people - us! - to not repeat the ugly mistake of hardening our hearts the way the Israelites did during the exodus. That generation missed out on entering the LORD's rest. To ensure you don't miss out, keep your heart from going astray, and be sure to know the LORD's ways . The only way for you to do these things is to fully cling to the Rock of our salvation! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our LORD God, who cares for His flock; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will come to the LORD in all your ways, and fully submit to Him through Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 7