Scripture Index
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- Philippians 1:27-30 - Granted.
God grants you faith, but that's not all! DailyVerses.net Philippians 1:27-30 (NIV) CONTEXT: Paul writes this letter to the Philippians from prison, and he doesn't know what the immediate future holds for him. His prayer is that no matter what happens to him, Christ will be exalted. "For to me," he writes in v21, "to live is Christ and to die is gain." 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. 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 Paul's desire for these people he loved so dearly was for them to stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. The clearest indication that they were standing firm would be, as one dictionary defines the word Paul used, for them "to conduct themself with proper reference to their obligations in relationship to others, as part of some community." In other words, they were to live in a way that helped meet the needs of others, especially their fellow church members, but also the entire Philippian community in general. You've been reminded often that living a godly life is a good way to point others to Christ, and that is true ( 1 Peter 2:2 ). But Paul puts an interesting twist on the concept here. When church members conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, it doesn't necessarily point others to heaven, rather this is a sign to them [the non-believers] that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved! That explains why the world is often so hostile to Christians! There are two clauses in particular here that catch our attention today, as we come to understand that, as the Canons put it, faith in Jesus Christ and salvation through Him are a free gift of God. Your good conduct is a sign both to you and your community that you will be saved, but Paul makes clear that it's not your good conduct that saves you. You've been saved by God. Paul goes on to write that the very fact that you believe in Christ has been granted to you. Understand that your faith is not an indication that you're smarter than the average bear and so were able to see and believe in the salvation that comes through Christ even though so many other people missed it. Rather, you believe the gospel simply because God has granted you the ability to do so. Dig Deeper This passage contains two shocking statements. We've already seen the first, that your good conduct is viewed by non-believers as a reminder that they will be destroyed. The second shock comes in the second 'gift' God grants you. Not only has He granted you on behalf of Christ to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him . Paul knew first hand of this suffering. He wrote these words as he waited to be executed while chained to a dungeon wall. Many churches, just like businesses, spend thousands of dollars marketing themselves to their communities hoping to attract unbelievers so they can share the gospel. In doing so, they extol the benefits salvation brings, like peace and fellowship in the community of believers. These are true and worthwhile benefits that are worth sharing! But few churches advertise that just as God grants people faith, He also grants them the opportunity to suffer for Christ . But this too is good news! Paul explains to new Christians on his missionary journeys that we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). As you endure suffering in your life, especially when its on Christ's behalf, be sure to remind yourself that it has been granted to you by God as a means to bring you into His kingdom. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who grants us salvation and the opportunity to suffer for Him; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 6
- Ephesians 2:1-10 - The Gift of God
Grace and faith are free gifts, worthy of your deepest gratitude. bibleversestogo.com Ephesians 2:1-10 (NIV) 2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 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 This is the first of what will likely be several times that we come to this familiar, amazing passage this year. These words are so endearing and powerful because in just a few sentences, they communicate the life restoring effect that the gospel has. There is no life outside of Christ, spiritually at least. Paul frames it ironically: You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live . Everywhere you look, people are living and breathing and carrying on with the busyness of life, but yet spiritually they're dead. They just methodically follow the ways of this world and its ruler as they gratify the cravings of their flesh ( Sarx ). As we've been reminded by the Canons these last few days, we can't blame God for this spiritual deadness; it fully stems from our sin and willful disobedience. Since we've rebelliously wandered so far from God's good design, it only makes sense that we were by nature deserving of wrath. The Good News is that even though we fully deserved this deadness we brought upon ourselves, God made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. That is the very definition of grace . Dig Deeper If you haven't already, you really need to memorize v8-9, as they form one of the clearest explanations of salvation ever written. For it is by grace Grace is the gift of undeserved kindness. Instead of receiving the wrath that we deserve, God gives us new life in Christ. you have been saved Notice here the past tense. It doesn't promise that someday, if you clean up your act and behave you might be or even will be saved . It says that you already have been saved. through faith You are not just a passive recipient of saving grace. You must exercise faith . But... - this [faith] is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - Both God's grace and the faith necessary for you to receive it are freely given to you by Him! not by works, so that no one can boast. You did nothing to earn your salvation. The good works you now do, which God prepared in advance for you to do, are simply a token of your gratitude for His free gift of salvation to you. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as you increasingly understand the value of God's gift of grace and faith you will increasingly respond with good works in gratitude for this gift; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 5
- Ecclesiastes 7:25-29 - Many Schemes
Watch out for the lady trying to seduce you! BiblePic.com Ecclesiastes 7:25-29 CONTEXT: The book of Ecclesiastes contain the life long wisdom of the Teacher , a character modeled after King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live. This passage is shocking at first, but as we view it in the context of the Proverbs Solomon wrote, it will begin to make much more sense. 25 So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. 26 I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare. 27 “Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have discovered: “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things— 28 while I was still searching but not finding— I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all. 29 This only have I found: God created man ( ʾā·ḏām ) upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.” 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 At first glance, this passage seems to be full of the misogyny and sexist attitudes that so many people think the Bible is full of. So let's begin here by addressing the elephant in the room: no, the Teacher is not disparaging women as a whole in this passage. With that out of the way, we can begin to make some sense out of it. This passage comes at the end of a section in which the Teacher grapples with the frustrating fact that so often the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. Ultimately, the Teacher knows that the wicked will get what they have coming, so remaining in sin and wickedness is foolish. But the Teacher wants to understand why so many people persist in the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. Enter the woman who is a snare . The book of Proverbs, which is comprised mostly of Solomon's collected writings, features two primary female characters. One of these is Lady Wisdom, the lady man ought to pursue. The other is Lady Folly, the woman the Teacher has in mind here, who continually snares men with her seductive schemes . After long investigation, the Teacher identifies the root of the world's problems, and as our Canons explain, it's not God's fault that things are the way they are. God created man upright, but they have gone in search of many [of Lady Folly's] schemes. Dig Deeper Let's dwell on the Teacher's conclusion a bit longer. Notice the switch from the singular man to the plural they. The Bible identifies the first man, Adam, as the one who introduced sin into the world . Although Adam stood before God pointing his finger at the woman who ' snared ' him and the serpent, the rest of us are quick to point our fingers back at Adam, as if all of the world's subsequent problems are his fault. But the Teacher reminds us here that all of us have compounded and increased the sin Adam introduced by going in search of many schemes. Notice that we can't even blame Lady Folly for her seduction - we actively go in search of her schemes just as much as she comes looking for us. The Teacher was unable to find one upright woman among them all. Certainly, the Teacher is being hyperbolic here; this passage does not teach that women are inferior to men. It refers to the exhaustive search King Solomon made for an upright woman, marrying and taking in hundreds of women, a search that ultimately caused his downfall (1 Kings 11:3). All of them, to one degree or another, was less than upright and pulled him away from God (again, this reflects the sinful condition of humanity as a whole, not just women). But even our pessimistic Teacher mentions a glimmer of hope. He teaches us that the man who escapes Lady Folly pleases God . In all of human history, there has only been one upright man who successfully resisted her seductions. That man, of course, is your Savior, Jesus Christ. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is pleased with those who escape Lady Folly; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will realize the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 4
- James 1:13-18 - The Devil (didn't) Make You Do It
Stop blaming God, the Devil and others for your problems. Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire (James 1:14 ESV) James 1:13-17 (NIV) 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 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 I spent twenty five years as a first responder, and in the thousands of incidents I responded to, I noticed a pattern in the inquiries of those who were passing by. At car wrecks they'd ask it sometimes even before we had extricated all of the victims, and at structure fires they wanted to know even as the fire still raged out of control: HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? James here is responding to that same instinct that is woven into our being to want to know who to blame when things go wrong. This instinct is actually a huge evidence for the existence of a good God who created all things and continues to provide. After all, if the universe was simply the random product of time and chance, disaster would be just as likely as blessing, so nobody would be surprised or shocked by it. But when things turn bad, people demand answers, and too often the blame falls on God first. People who've done very little to educate themselves about God by reading and listening to His Word suddenly become astute theologians, opining that since this bad thing happened, God must either not be good or not be omnipotent, because a truly good and powerful God would never let this happen. But James will have none of this. Whether you are being tempted by sin or your world is crashing in all around you, do not blame God! Our unchanging Father is the giver of every good and perfect gift . He is not the author of evil. Though He often allows disaster for His own good purposes, the primary culprit for every bad thing that has ever happened or ever will happen is our own sin. Dig Deeper James uses a word picture here that you fishermen will identify with when he writes that each of us is dragged away. Other translations render it as us being lured and enticed , the which is the same thing you attempt to do to unintelligent fish. The fact that James describes our wandering after temptation by comparing us to unthinking organisms driven only by instinct and appetite speaks volumes! At least the fish have an excuse for their foolishness! Fish would never take the bait had you not thrown the lure in the water! James already taught us not to blame God for our failures, and now he designs to cut off the next most popular fall guy we like to pin the blame on: we love to say 'the Devil made me do it,' as if all of the lures in our water were placed there by him. But notice there's not a single mention of the Devil or demons anywhere in this passage! Certainly we know that they can and have wreaked havoc upon God's good creation, but always remember that Satan is neither omnipotent nor omnipresent. Although Jesus calls him the father of lies , he is nowhere powerful enough to be responsible for everyone's temptations. Ultimately you shoulder the blame for your own troubles and temptations. You're dragged away by your own evil desire! You can't solve a recurring problem until you first root out the cause of it. Stop blaming God, the Devil, or anyone else for your problems. Repent of your sin, and cling to Christ who paid for your sin and gives you the power to overcome your ongoing temptations. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who does not change like the shifting shadows; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Repent of your sins, and pray that in Christ you will have the strength to fight and overcome temptation; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 3
- Psalm 16 - In God We Trust
Find true peace by fully trusting in the LORD. Psalm 16 (NIV) A miktam of David. 1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” 3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” 4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. 5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 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 God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction, and receive the gift of eternal life. Summary & Dig Deeper It's so easy to say we trust in the LORD. We even stamp the saying on our money. Psalm 16 beautifully unpacks what it really means to trust in the LORD, so that it becomes the guiding principle for your life, rather than just an empty saying. Theologian Mark Futato suggests these five headings to help you understand what it means to truly trust in the LORD, taken from the five stanzas of this week's psalm. To Trust Is to Rely on the LORD (v1-2) Most people want what David begins with in Psalm 16 - they want God to provide them safety and refuge in the midst of trouble. But David's reliance on the LORD is far deeper. David realizes that apart from God he has no good thing . In other words, David knows that even in the good times, he is fully reliant upon the LORD. To Trust Is to Be Devoted to the LORD (v3-4) David looks to those around him who have demonstrated devotion throughout their lives - the holy people , or saints. It's these people who are society's true nobles. The less devoted - those who want safety and refuge from God when things are bad but who run after other gods the rest of the time - will suffer more and more. To Trust Is to Delight in the LORD (v5-6) John Calvin writes of these verses , "This passage reminds us that true godliness is learned only by those who find their ultimate happiness in God alone. When David calls God his portion, inheritance, and cup, he declares his complete contentment in God, needing nothing else and rejecting any sinful desires. Let us likewise learn to embrace God fully when He offers Himself to us, seeking in Him alone everything we need for true and complete joy" (paraphrased for modern english). To Trust Is to Learn from the LORD (v7-8) David understands the LORD to be his counselor (other translations use the word guide or advisor ). That's not too surprising, in and of itself. What's really surprising is what David writes next, that his heart instructs him. Isn't Bible lesson number one is DO NOT TRUST YOUR HEART, which is deceitful beyond all measure (Jer. 17:9)? But David says you can trust the reflections of your heart when it's been continually grounded in the LORD's instruction. To Trust Is Rejoicing in the LORD (v9-11) David's heart is glad and his tongue rejoices because he knows that God's grace is stronger than he is. David can rest secure because of his assurance that he will not be abandoned to the realm of the dead. This is why you need to learn the biblical doctrines of grace summarized in the Canons of Dordt, so that you too can fully trust in the LORD as David did. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who makes known the paths of life and fills me with joy in His presence; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that like David, you will fully trust in the LORD in the days to come; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 2
- John 12:42-50 - Buffet Theology
The Bible isn't a buffet; you need to believe all of it! The Bible isn't a buffet where you can pick and choose only what you like (Photo credit: Unsplash) John 12:42-50 (NIV) CONTEXT: These words come near the end of Jesus' ministry. Verse 37: Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, the people would not believe in Him... 42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” 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 God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction, and receive the gift of eternal life. Summary We love buffet theology - that is, the ability to pick and choose doctrines we'll believe while passing over the teachings we don't care for the same way we only choose what we like and skip what we don't when eating at Pizza Ranch. But Jesus warns against this misguided approach as He cries out one last time to the people He came to save but who now reject Him. These people had loved the signs and wonders that Jesus performed in their midst in the earlier phases of His ministry. Just a few days before, Jesus had raised His friend Lazarus from the dead, His last and greatest public sign of all, but it doesn't seem to do much to sway public opinion in His favor. The crowds had already begun to thin out when Jesus slowed the miracle production down and instead began to teach repentance and the need to pick up a cross and follow Him. Jesus here proclaims that believing in Him means more than just agreeing that two millennia ago there lived a humble man who spoke peace and healed the sick. To believe in Jesus is to also believe in the One who sent Him. In fact, when we look at Jesus (through the words of scripture), we see the One who sent Him as well; we see the Father through the Son. Logically, the opposite of this must be true as well: you cannot believe in God the Father and reject His Son. In other words, you can't pick and choose from the Bible what you'll believe and what you'll reject the way you do at the buffet line. Belief in Christ is an all-in experience. Dig Deeper What a sad commentary at the beginning of our passage today - that many leaders believed in Him, but would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear... they loved human praise more than praise from God. Notice that they didn't just miss out on fulfilling the reason they were created for - to give praise to God - but they missed out on something even greater - to receive praise from God! It's so easy for us to sit back and shake our heads at these fickle Pharisees who wanted to but didn't quite dare to stand up for Jesus. But commentator Robert Mounce provides a needed attitude adjustment , writing "Lest the contemporary believer look with disdain on such hesitancy, it would be wise to search one’s own heart to discover how often lips remain sealed for fear of displeasing someone in the secular world." Jesus' words here are even more stark. Those who reject Him and do not accept His words will be condemned by the words He has spoken. Jesus will not condemn those who reject Him; He won't need to, since His rejected words will have already done so. But the command that comes from the Father through the Son - the command to repent (change your thinking) and believe - this command leads to eternal life ! Don't pick and choose the words you'll believe in the Bible. Obey God's command to believe them all and find eternal life! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who will praise those who obey His command to believe and find eternal life; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the Spirit will strengthen you to believe all of God's Word and that you'll have the courage to stand up for that belief despite the world's rejection; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 1
- John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology
Experience peace by maintaining tensegrity in your theology. Tensegrity is a contraction of the words 'tension' and 'integrity'. It's the stability achieved when the forces of tension and compression are equalized. John 6:37-40 (NIV) 37 "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” 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 God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction, and receive the gift of eternal life. Summary Jesus gives us a fascinating peek behind the curtain, so to speak, in today's passage. The people who come to Jesus are the people whom the Father gives to Jesus. As theologian Robert Mounce puts it, "The coming by faith to the Son is the unmistakable indication that they have been chosen by God." In other words, the evidence of your election is the fact that you've come to Jesus. Jesus uses a strong negative statement to make a solid positive affirmation. When He says whoever comes to me I will never drive away , He also means that He will heartily welcome, keep and preserve all who do come to Him. We will certainly be coming back to this passage and others like it this year as we focus on how God's grace is stronger than we are in that we have the solid assurance that we will be held tightly in God's hand for all eternity. This is why, Jesus says, that He needed to come down from heaven (a phrase that shocked those listening to Him!) in order to do the will of His Father who sent Him . God's unchanging will is that Jesus shall lose none of all those He has given Him. God's will is always accomplished, so as one who has been given to Christ, you can be certain you will never be lost! This doctrine gives us unspeakable comfort as we gather in the cemetery to bury the dead, knowing that Jesus will raise us up at the last day. Dig Deeper It's important that as we dig into these doctrines of grace that you learn to maintain tensegrity in your theology. Tensegrity is a contraction of the words tension and integrity. It's the solid, stable condition achieved when multiple opposing forces have an equal balance of tension and compression. Tensegrity enables bridges to cover spans of thousands of feet while carrying thousands of tons. It seems that Jesus is presenting two mutually exclusive ideas here. On one hand, it seems somewhat fatalistic to understand that you're saved simply because God gave you to Christ, as if you're simply a pawn in some great cosmic transaction. On the other hand, Jesus lays out a number of imperatives that you must fulfill in order to achieve salvation. You must come to Jesus, look to the Son and believe in Him in order to gain eternal life. The challenge for you is to live in the tension between these truths. If you lean too hard into God's sovereignty and conclude that because God gave you to Jesus you'll never be driven away no matter how sinful you remain, you will experience instability. But if you let go of God's sovereignty and depend totally on your own ability to look to the Son , you'll miss out on the comforting assurance of knowing for certain that Christ will raise you up at the last day. But when you do the hard work of coming to understand how both of these concepts are equally true - the equalized tension between God's sovereignty and your responsibility - you'll live in the rock solid tensegrity that God desires for you. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who gave you to Christ that you would look to Him for salvation; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the wisdom, discipline, and strength to do the hard work of understanding sometimes difficult theological concepts; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 16
- John 3:31-36 - Wrath Removed
In Christ, you already have eternal life. Those who reject Him wander in darkness. Bible.com John 3:31-36 (NIV) 31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. 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 God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction, and receive the gift of eternal life. Summary John here uses the flowing, somewhat poetic style he is famous for here to provide a very solid Christology - a description of who / what Jesus is. Jesus comes from above - from heaven, He is above all, and He testifies to what He has seen and heard . These themes are almost identical to the themes John poetically unpacks in his prologue (1:1-18). Yesterday we noted that John is also famous for his use of contrast in his writings, such as light/dark, love/hate, truth/lie, love/death, good/evil. He uses that same literary tool here in today's passage, contrasting the difference between those who have not accepted Jesus' testimony and who reject the Son with those who believe in Him. The contrast in the fate of those who do accept the testimony of Christ and those reject the Son couldn't be more stark. The rejectors will not see life . That's a very interesting way John puts it! He's not saying that they will not live, but rather that they won't see life (literally: life will not be lit up). Instead they will spend their entire existence, both now and into eternity, wandering and groping around in the darkness. But those who do accept Christ's testimony, and who certify that God is true are people who have eternal life. Notice that John doesn't write will have . Eternal life is not a future concept or prize that you may get way off in the very distant future, it is something that you have right here and now if you put your trust in Jesus. Dig Deeper John drops a verbal bomb in the final sentence of today's passage, writing that God's wrath remains on those who reject the Son. That means that this wrath has always been upon people. In other words, for those who do not believe , nothing changes! They were born in the dark, they live a life of wandering through the dark grasping for some sort of meaning, and God's just and righteous wrath for our sin has been, is now and always will be upon them. This also means that if you do believe in the Son , you must not live as if God is always angry with you! Many Christians continue to be terrified of God. They understand very well their own sinfulness, and because they also know well that God is holy, He must punish sin. So even though they're in Christ, they never have a free and open relationship with their Father because they fear His wrath. Know that because you embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith, you are delivered through Him from God’s wrath and from destruction. This means that God is no longer angry with you. Quite the opposite, in fact! He longs to be your loving Father and to have the close relationship with you that He created you for. Know that in Christ, you already have eternal life . Start living with an eternal perspective right here and now. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is truthful , and who has removed His wrath from those who put their trust in His Son; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will begin to live the eternal life you have right here and now; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 15
- John 1:9-13 - The TRUE Light
John draws clear contrasts for a world mired in nuance. Bible.com John 1:9-13 (NIV) 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of 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 God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction, and receive the gift of eternal life. Summary The true light. What an interesting adjective John uses here! Certainly there are lots of false lights in the world; most only seem like light because they're lesser shades of darkness, while others only dimly reflect the one true light. But this one true light burns bright enough to give light to everyone . Yet it's obvious that two millennia after this light arrived in the world , most people still bumble around in absolute darkness. As John puts it, the world did not recognize or receive this one true light . This light shines all around them and makes it plain where they ought to go and how they ought to get there, but they have their eyes shut so tightly that it results in self imposed blindness. But you've seen this light! Or better yet, as John puts it, you've received the Light by believing in His name. You've come to recognize that the very One who made the world now stands before you to guide you out of the brokeness our sin has brought to the world and into the perfect righteousness that this One true Light both requires and supplies. Jesus does more than just illuminate the path you need to follow. Because you've received / believed in Him, He changes your eternal identity - He gives you the right to become a child of God! Dig Deeper We're going to spend this entire week in John's gospel because John, more than any other Biblical writer, illustrates the stark contrast between rejecting the gospel and embracing Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith. John contrasts concepts like darkness / light, truth / falsehood, and God / world, as we read in today's passage, as well as numerous others in his gospel, epistles and Revelation. We live in a world in love with nuance that rejects stark contrasts. It wants to stretch the continuum between good and evil by adding steps in between; most things are either sort of good or sort of evil. The world loves to point to the flaws in that which has been considered good and to make excuses for things considered evil in the past. While nuance is good and necessary at times, John will help us recognize this week that ultimately God's judgment is binary. You're either with Him or against Him. You either walk in the Light or wander in darkness. You are either the child of God or your father is the devil (John 8:44). As the Canons put it, you either embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith and are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction , or God's wrath remains on you. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who sent the one true light into the world , so that you would have the right to become His child; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God would keep your eyes open so that you walk in His light; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 14
- Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos
Our God is mightier than the chaos surrounding you. Nathan Dumlao, via Unsplash Psalm 93 (NIV) 1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. 2 Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. 3 The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. 4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is mighty. 5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days. 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 In order that people may be brought to faith, God mercifully sends messengers of this very joyful message to the people and at the time He wills. By this ministry people are called to repentance and faith in Christ crucified. Summary Psalm 93 comes in the midst of a section of psalms that celebrate the kingship of the LORD. Royal terms like reign, majesty, armed and strength pepper the first stanza. But the King being described in this psalm is far different than earthly kings, whose time comes and goes regardless of how mighty they are. This King's throne was established long ago; in fact, He's from all eternity! The psalmist points in an unexpected direction to illustrate the LORD's kingly power. The ancient Hebrews were landlubbers; they wanted nothing to do with the sea, which represented chaos and uncertainty to them. The psalmist here portrays the chaotic sea throwing all that it has at the LORD - pounding waves which consume everything in their path. But the LORD, the very one whose words bounded the chaos as He separated the land from the sea on day two of creation, is mightier than the thunder and the breakers of the sea . Despite all that this fallen, chaotic world can muster against our King, His statutes stand firm. Dig Deeper Despite the massive differences that exist between our modern North American context and the ancient near east that the psalmist called home, one of the commonalities we share is the unpredictable chaos that our sin unleashed upon God's good creation. But The psalmist here seeks to build your confidence in your King in this short song. This psalm is a reminder that, as the old hymn puts, that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. Despite the fact that you're continually pounded by proverbial waves, you can be confident because this world is established, firm and secure in the King who created it and who continues to sovereignly reign over it. As we come to understand how it is God bestowed His unconditional election upon us, keep Psalm 93 tucked into your memory. It's with the same might that the LORD holds the chaotic seas to their boundary that He holds you in the palm of His hand, where nothing can separate you from His love (Rom. 8:38) AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who is mightier than the powerful chaotic forces of this world; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the faith to trust in the LORD's might, even as the waves of chaos crash around you A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 13