The gospel is good news, but it's not always news you want to hear. Faithlife.com 2 Timothy 3:12–17 (NIV) 12   In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13   while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14   But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15   and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17   so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 14: God’s Use of Means in Perseverance And, just as it has pleased God to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel, so he preserves, continues, and completes his work by the hearing and reading of the gospel, by meditation on it, by its exhortations, threats, and promises, and also by the use of the sacraments. Summary Today's Summary section is reposted from January 26, 2024 You've likely been told dozens, if not hundreds or even thousands of times that you need to read your Bible and stay rooted in scripture. It's not unfair to ask why , though. Why is it that reading a bunch of ancient words, written by men who lived in vastly different cultures with really weird customs... why should this be a central part of your daily routine? Paul tells you exactly why in this short passage. The primary purpose of Scripture is to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus . Certainly God's self-revelation - both His book of creation, and the clearer and fuller revelation in His written Word  - teach us all sorts of things about Him and how to best navigate this world He's created, but the primary purpose of it all is so that you might understand how it is you are saved through Christ alone. These words that are to be the mainstay of your life are not ordinary words. Millions of pages have been written over the course of history, and of course, some of those pages are better than others. But the words of Scripture stand alone in that they are the very words of God, breathed out by the Holy Spirit through ordinary men comprised of vastly different cultures and personalities. Because its divine origin makes Scripture so much different than anything else ever written, it is the world's only source of authoritative, objective truth.   Dig Deeper   You probably know that the word gospel is shorthand for good news. So it makes sense that the four books of the Bible that narrate Jesus' ministry on earth are referred to as the gospels, for they tell the best news ever! But the word gospel often gets used in a more general sense to refer to all sixty-six of the books of the Bible, since each one of them were also breathed out by God. Certainly the gospel brings you grace, mercy and peace, but it also uncomfortably prods you at times. As the Canons put it, the proclamation of the gospel also gives exhortations and threats alongside its promises. Paul here explains that the gospel is designed to teach, rebuke and correct you. Most of us don't like experiencing rebuke and correction , or even being taught for that matter. But this training in righteousness is exactly what you need as the Spirit sanctifies you into the righteous servant of God that He has declared you to be. As the Canons put it, God not only begins this work of grace in you by the proclamation of the gospel , but He preserves, continues, and completes his work in you as you hear and read the gospel . In other words, you need the gospel just as much now as a believer as you did before you first heard about Jesus. And you'll continue to need it every day of your life until He returns or calls you home so that you'll be thoroughly equipped for every good work. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who breathed-out His Word to us; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray the same prayer as yesterday: that you'll keep God's Word always on your lips, meditate on it day and night, so that you might be careful to do everything written in it; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 18

Learn to chew your spiritual cud. Yes, you read that correctly. Photo: Pascal van de Vendel, via Unsplash Joshua 1:6–9 CONTEXT: After a decades long exodus through the wilderness, Israel is on the banks of the Jordan River, ready to enter Canaan. Moses has died, and God is calling Joshua to lead, and reminding him what the keys to true prosperity and success are. 5  No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6   Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their fathers to give them. 7  “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law ( tô·rāh ) my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8  Keep this Book of the Law ( tô·rāh ) always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9   Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 14: God’s Use of Means in Perseverance And, just as it has pleased God to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel, so he preserves, continues, and completes his work by the hearing and reading of the gospel, by meditation on it, by its exhortations, threats, and promises, and also by the use of the sacraments. Summary God makes two primary promises to the newly minted leader of His people - promises that extend to you as well. The first promise is one we've become very familiar with in this past year: God's grace is stronger than you are. God tells Joshua that no one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life . In other words, as the Apostle Paul would rhetorically put it - writing thousands of years later and in a different language, but inspired by the exact same Holy Spirit - if God is for us, who can be against us? ( Romans 8:31 ). The reason you can have such strong certainty and assurance is because of God's omnipresence . We often describe this word as meaning that God is everywhere all the time, which is true, but here God personalizes the concept, telling Joshua (and us) that I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you. In other words, God will always be omnipresent in your life; therefore, be strong and very courageous (a command God repeats three times in today's short passage!). The second promise God makes here just sounds plain wrong. Maybe you also have a visceral reaction to what's often referred to as the prosperity gospel, in which a celebrity huckster 'preacher' twists Biblical truth into some contrived formula to make all your wildest dreams come true. Such heretics ought to make you sick and angry! But don't miss what God promises His people: He tells them, in no uncertain words, that they will be prosperous and successful! Generally speaking, when you do everything written in the Book of the Law, things will go well for you. But going well does not always equate to wealth and riches. Divine prosperity and success is defined by a disciple who does not turn from the tô·rāh to the right or to the left. In other words, true success is achieved when you look like Christ, who perfectly kept the tô·rāh on your behalf.   Dig Deeper   God doesn't just lay out the possibility of prosperity and success, He explains exactly how to achieve it. He instructs His people to keep this tô·rāh always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. In the Old Testament, words like laws, precepts, commandments, and several other synonyms don't just refer to the lists of rules that Moses handed down. Rather, they're shorthand for all of God's Words. Chances are you have the same visceral reaction to a word like meditation that you do for prosperity gospel. The practice has been hijacked by hippies and 'mindfulness' advocates, who promote it as a way to empty your mind in order to harmonize it with its surroundings. This is NOT AT ALL what God means! True Biblical meditation is just the opposite: it's about filling your mind with truth, not emptying it. And the best way - really the only way - to do so is through the continual consumption of scripture. Whereas most translations use the word meditate, the NET Bible renders God's command to memorize it [God's Word] day and night. The Hebrew word literally means to mutter. In other words, keep your mind filled with Scripture by keeping your mouth filled with it. Read it, recite it, sing it, pray it and memorize it. Most of our readers live in a rural setting, so you'll get this illustration a bit quicker than your urban brethren. Do what cows do. They eat - voraciously. Then they lie down and chew their cud. You can't actively read the Bible every minute of the day. But you can - and must - learn to chew your spiritual cud. Recall what you've read and heard, and then chew on it through all of your other activities. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who will never leave or forsake us; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you'll keep God's Word always on your lips, meditate on it day and night, so that you might be careful to do everything written in it; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 17

Your top priority must be hearing & reading God's Word. Photo: Logos Bible Software Deuteronomy 6:1–9 (LSB) 1   “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments, which Yahweh your God has commanded me  to teach you, that you might do it  in the land where you are going over to possess it, 2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 “O Israel, you shall listen and be careful to do it , that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in  a land flowing with milk and honey. 4   “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! 5 “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as phylacteries between your eyes. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 14: God’s Use of Means in Perseverance And, just as it has pleased God to begin this work of grace in us by the proclamation of the gospel, so he preserves, continues, and completes his work by the hearing and reading of the gospel, by meditation on it, by its exhortations, threats, and promises, and also by the use of the sacraments. Summary Today's Summary and Dig Deeper posts are a modified re-post from January 1, 2024 . What a perfect passage to read as a another year of reading through the Bible draws to a close! Moses spoke these words to Israel at the end of their exodus through the wilderness, just as they were about to cross the Jordan river to possess the Promised Land. In these words, God, speaking through Moses, gives His people (both Israel and us) the key to enjoying long life: that you and your son and your grandson might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I am commanding you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. These promises of enjoying a long life in which things may be well and in which things may multiply greatly, clearly are made in general terms. Normally, blessings will follow obedience, but not in every specific situation. Sometimes faithful saints will experience long periods of frustration or even early death, while other times those who have no fear for God will seem to prosper. What's really interesting about these words is that the key to enjoying the good life doesn't just involve blindly following commands, but rather the good life is rooted in theology.  Truly successful people must fear God; that is, they must know both who and what God is, as well as how we as people relate to Him. As we near the end of our year long study of how God's grace is stronger than we are, we're reminded of the basic truth that God's people have been reciting since they stood on the banks of the Jordan. It's called the Shema: Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!   Dig Deeper   You may not be on the cusp of settling into a new land, but we are close to beginning a new year, so it's a good time to take stock and reset your course where needed. Notice here that as Moses prepares Israel to move in that he mentions nothing about the hard work or logistics that will be needed to feed and house all of the people. Certainly these things are important and necessary - in fact, if you keep reading this passage, God promises to provide these things (v10-12) - but housing and food production are not the top priorities. The priority God gives us, His people, is to first of all know Him (which is a lifelong endeavor). This priority is the one which must be on your hearts. The second priority then is to teach this theology to the subsequent generations. How will your new year reflect these top priorities? The Canons of Dordt draw to a close with a very similar reminder for God's people today. Israelite children were not born with a comprehensive theological understanding; their fathers were commanded to impress this upon them. Israel's sad history show the dire implications that stem from their repeated failure to do this. As God's covenant people, you've been given this same mandate. Teach God's commandments diligently to your sons and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up . This week's penultimate article of the Canons of Dordt catalog the best ways for you to fulfill this obligation through which God preserves, continues, and completes His work in you and your children. At the top of the list is the hearing and reading of the gospel . As you finish out 2025 and prepare for 2026, make sure placing yourself in a Bible preaching church is at the top of your list as well. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Start your prayer with the Hebrew Shema - Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you'll hear God's Word often and subsequently love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 16

You can cling to God because He's clinging to you. Beware of building your theology from bumper stickers. Psalm 63 A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. 1   You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2   I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3   Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4   I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5  I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. 6  On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7  Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8   I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. 9   Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth. 10  They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals. 11  But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 13 - Assurance No Inducement to Carelessness The renewed confidence of perseverance does not produce immorality or lack of concern for godliness in those put back on their feet after a fall, but it produces a much greater concern to observe carefully the ways of the Lord which he prepared in advance. They observe these ways in order that by walking in them they may maintain the assurance of their perseverance, lest, by their abuse of his fatherly goodness, the face of the gracious God (for the godly, looking upon his face is sweeter than life, but its withdrawal is more bitter than death) turn away from them again, with the result that they fall into greater anguish of spirit. Summary We're probably reading Psalm 63 at the wrong time of the year. Most of you see nothing but snow as you look out right now; and for those who find themselves reading this in more tropical climes, please don't describe your current weather conditions in the comment box below; we don't want to hear it. David comes to us this morning from the a place far different than our current upper midwest winter snowscapes; he's in a dry and parched land where there is no water . Psalm 63's inscription - the italic header seen so often throughout the psalter that explains the author, the setting, and sometimes the tune the psalm should be sung to - informs that David wrote it in the Desert of Judah. But it wasn't his physical lack of water that drove him to poetry. It was his spiritual thirst for God - my God - that David earnestly sought. David knows exactly what he's missing because of all the times he's seen God in the sanctuary and beheld His power and glory. While it's true that our sanctuaries look far different than tabernacle in which David worshipped God, it's not the physical place David longs for. It's being in God's holy presence and experiencing His love which is better than life. We’ve noticed often these last weeks that life can feel like a long walk through a valley darkened by death’s shadow , as David so famously described it in Psalm 23:4. But in Psalm 63, David sings of a far more pleasant shadow - the shadow of God’s wings.   Because you are my help, he writes, I sing in the shadow  of your wings. In God, David finds shade from death's dark shadow, and so can you.   Dig Deeper   David describes a beautiful tensegrity in the verse that drew our attention to Psalm 63 today: 8   I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. You've probably heard the trite bumper sticker phrase "Let go and let God." Ostensibly, the cliche is meant to remind that God's right hand upholds me, which of course is true! Those are David's - and so many other Biblical writers' - exact words! But nowhere does the Bible tell you that's it's alright for you to just 'let go' and passively let God's right hand roll you through life! Quite the opposite, in fact! A tensegrity is the integrity that's achieved when tension is applied - think of how a rope becomes firm and strong when it's pulled from opposite directions. David's verse here definitely has tension - does his integrity come from the fact that he's clinging to God, or does it come from the fact that God's right hand is upholding him? Of course the answer is both! Derek Kidner explains this well : "The two halves of verse 8 make one of the most vivid statements of the two facets of perseverance." David certainly clings with all his might, "But it is God himself who makes this possible, and the firmness of his upholding grasp is implied in the allusion to the right hand, the stronger of the two." So cling to God. Earnestly seek Him. Long for Him with your whole being, the same way you'd long for a drink of water in a dry and parched land. But do so with the comfort of knowing that your eternal security does not come from your strength or ability to cling. Rather it comes from the almighty power of God's right hand. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father who upholds you with His right hand; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for calling you to His sanctuary on the Lord's Day to be empowered to cling to Him; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 15

You're an employee of the one you obey. You better examine your compensation package. Biblia.com Romans 6:1–23 (NIV) This week we've been working our way through this entire chapter. We read vss. 1-4 Monday and vss. 5-10 Tuesday , vss. 11-14 yesterday . We'll finish the chapter today. 6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2   By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3   Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4   We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7  because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10  The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13  Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14  For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 15  What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16  Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17  But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19  I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20  When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21  What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 13 - Assurance No Inducement to Carelessness The renewed confidence of perseverance does not produce immorality or lack of concern for godliness in those put back on their feet after a fall, but it produces a much greater concern to observe carefully the ways of the Lord which he prepared in advance. They observe these ways in order that by walking in them they may maintain the assurance of their perseverance, lest, by their abuse of his fatherly goodness, the face of the gracious God (for the godly, looking upon his face is sweeter than life, but its withdrawal is more bitter than death) turn away from them again, with the result that they fall into greater anguish of spirit. Summary Paul returns to the literary device he began this chapter with as he now begins to wrap it up - the diatribe. That's where he baits the reader by asking a rhetorical question that echoes their own thoughts. Paul ended yesterday's passage with the revelation that you are not under the law, but under grace! What's your first inclination when you're told that you're not under the law? It's probably not far from Paul's rhetorical question. If there's no law telling you 'no,' then why not just do what you want to do? Why not answer every salacious temptation with a resounding 'yes?' Or, as Paul puts it, shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? But just as this second rhetorical question is very similar to the first, the answer is exactly the same: by no means! No way. Absolutely not. Literally, may such a thought never exist! Remember the primary point here in Romans 6 is that since you have been united with Christ in a death like His, you certainly also will be united with Him in a resurrection like His. You are united to Christ in every way. This certainly gives you all the benefits of Christ - His atonement and perfect righteousness - but it does not make you an equal with Christ. You and I remain subordinate; He's the Master, we're the slaves. Slavery doesn't sound very appealing. But you need to understand it's your only choice. Pure, independent freedom isn't possible (for lots of good reasons which we don't have time for today). The only choice you do have is who/what you're enslaved to: either sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness. Your actions make the choice for you: you are a slave of the one you obey . The good news is that although you used to be a slave to sin, you have been set free and have become a slave to righteousness! So obey your Lord!   Dig Deeper   Yesterday we noted the importance of spiritual accounting, in that you must count yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Paul picks up on this business metaphor to close the chapter out by asking another rhetorical question: what benefit did you reap from the things you are now ashamed of? What was the profit (literally: fruit )? Once again Paul provides another reminder of your change in status. Since this time he describes it using economic language, we'll paraphrase using terms a bit more familiar to our day and age: You have been released from sin's employment and you now work for God. The profit you now reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. That's an unbeatable profit margin! The final verse - one of the most famous in the whole Bible - continues with the economic imagery. The wages of sin is death. This demonstrates the absolute justice and fairness of God. If you keep working for sin, you will be paid exactly what you deserve. But our economic paradigms are blown apart by the second half of the formula. Eternal life is not the wage of righteousness. You don't earn it. It's a gift . It can only be achieved in Christ Jesus our Lord. In other words, eternal life is only given to those who've been united with Christ. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father who has set us free from sin and made us slaves to righteousness; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will live and work hard in every regard for your Master; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 14

You need to take a spiritual accounting of your life. Photo credit: Carlos Muza, via Unsplash Romans 6:1–14 (NIV) This week we'll be working our way through this entire chapter. We read vss. 1-4 Monday and vss. 5-10 yesterday . 6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2   By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3   Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4   We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7  because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10  The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13  Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14  For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 13 - Assurance No Inducement to Carelessness The renewed confidence of perseverance does not produce immorality or lack of concern for godliness in those put back on their feet after a fall, but it produces a much greater concern to observe carefully the ways of the Lord which he prepared in advance. They observe these ways in order that by walking in them they may maintain the assurance of their perseverance, lest, by their abuse of his fatherly goodness, the face of the gracious God (for the godly, looking upon his face is sweeter than life, but its withdrawal is more bitter than death) turn away from them again, with the result that they fall into greater anguish of spirit. Summary We've spent the last two days reading through Romans 6, which tells us a shocking truth: Christians are dead! You were baptized into Christ's death (v3), and buried with Him through baptism into death (v4). Paul even moves on past the metaphorical, indicating that a part of you - your old self - was actually crucified with Jesus. It's so easy to quickly move past this reality of our inclusion in Christ's death in order to get to the rich benefit it brings: since you were united with Him in a death like His, you will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His (v5) . And that's definitely worth celebrating! It makes sense that so many of the songs we sing together praise God for this new and eternal life that He's given us in Christ! But Paul slows you down in today's opening verse. Don't lose sight of your new life, but you also need to continually remind yourself that you're dead . Paul uses an accounting term in telling you to count yourself dead to sin. A good businessman emotionally detaches himself from his business in order to make sound decisions that will benefit his company. He may really like a particular product, service, or employee, but be willing to cut it if the accountant says it's detrimental to his bottom line. This is what you're commanded to do here: to often take a step back, dispassionately take an accounting of your life and cut out the parts that pull you away from Christ and towards sin, even if you really like those parts of your life. Counting yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus changes the way you think about and evaluate everything you do.   Dig Deeper   Your English teacher likely taught you not to mix your metaphors. That's good advice, but Paul doesn't follow it. He only sticks with the accounting metaphor for one sentence before moving on to another: the relationship between a king and his subjects. Don't let sin reign in your mortal body; don't be an instrument (literally: weapon ) of wickedness; sin shall no longer be your master (literally: have dominion or be your lord / ruler ). The enemy's most successful temptation is to offer you freedom. That's what he successfully tempted Adam with in the garden and what he continues to tempt you with: don't let anyone else tell you what to do... just do whatever feels right to you. This is an insidious lie. The reality is that you will always be subject to something, either to God or wickedness (literally: unrighteousness - notice this word is negative, in that it can't be fully defined; anything that's not righteous is wicked). Every one of the imperatives in today's passage is in the active tense. What this means is that you must take these actions, because if you remain passive, sin will reign, you will obey its evil desires, and you will be used as a weapon of wickedness. Do not let this happen. Instead, actively offer yourself to God as one who has been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness . AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father who has brought us from death to life ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the insight and clarity to often take an accounting of your life, and that you'll count yourself dead to sin and alive to Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 13

Amazing grace saved a wretch like you, so stop thinking of yourself as wretched. Heartlight.org Romans 6:1–4 (NIV) This week we'll be working our way through this entire chapter. We read vss. 1-4 yesterday . 6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2   By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3   Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4   We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7  because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10  The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 13 - Assurance No Inducement to Carelessness The renewed confidence of perseverance does not produce immorality or lack of concern for godliness in those put back on their feet after a fall, but it produces a much greater concern to observe carefully the ways of the Lord which he prepared in advance. They observe these ways in order that by walking in them they may maintain the assurance of their perseverance, lest, by their abuse of his fatherly goodness, the face of the gracious God (for the godly, looking upon his face is sweeter than life, but its withdrawal is more bitter than death) turn away from them again, with the result that they fall into greater anguish of spirit. Summary One of the most dangerous phenomenons in western civilization is a lifestyle often referred to as cultural Christianity. Cultural Christians believe in God, that Jesus came into a world that ultimately crucified Him, and that three days later He arose from the grave. These people do their best to live a moral and godly life... or at least a life that seems better to them than the lives their pagan neighbors are leading. One of the principle problems with this sort of shallow world view is that it flattens the character of our triune God. To them, God the Father is a benevolent old man who gives good things to most, amazing things to a few that earn it, and who does His best to fend off bad things (in addition to the fact that He always agrees with their political persuasions). The Holy Spirit is always near, ready and willing to lift them up when they're down if they just ask nicely. And Jesus is our good buddy up in the sky, looking out for us and cheering us on from afar. But such a limited theology is wholly incompatible with today's passage. Jesus isn't just a cheerleader, role model, or even a detached savior whose suffering two millennia ago paid for your sin. Rather, you've been inseparably united with Him in a death like His! In other words, Jesus is so much more than just the man upstairs. Your relationship with Christ is deeper and more involved than any other relationship you have. You're not just an ordinary person; you belong in body and soul, in life and in death, to your faithful Savior . 'Belong' is hardly a strong enough word - to translate the word Paul used literally, you've been congenitally joined to Him!   Dig Deeper   Daniel Doriani explains well the contemporary cultural significance of today's passage: We live in a culture of resentment and complaint. When we privilege victims and scorn the privileged, people are reluctant to “admit” that they have a great family, received a fine education, or enjoy economic resources that let them live without anxiety. No, in the “oppression Olympics,” people trumpet their suffering and compete to see who can claim more pain or betrayal. Somehow, Western society has determined that the poor, the downcast, the sufferer, the oppressed have the stamp of authenticity and must be heard, while the successful must be silenced. Since people long to be heard, they learn to maximize their sorrows and minimize their advantages. Again, such a mindset is incompatible for Christians who've been united to Christ. Paul explains that since we've been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. This means that in Christ, you've been set free from slavery to sin and suffering. It means that your life is no longer defined by mistakes you've made or pain you've experienced. It means that your life must be marked by continual sanctification - looking more and more like Christ - and that these achievements must be celebrated and encouraged. Doriani continues, "This body of sin is annulled or undone by the death of Christ, so that the dominance of sin has ended. Sin no longer controls believers. For the redeemed, to cite Augustine, it is possible not to sin." You will certainly stumble - often - but when you do, you can, as the Canons put it, cling to the confidence of perseverance with a much greater concern to observe carefully the ways of the Lord which he prepared in advance. We know the song well: amazing grace... that saved a wretch like me . But what Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit wants you to know is that you are no longer a wretch. You've been united with Christ in death to sin and have been raised with Him so that you too may live a new life. Doriani concludes, "So yes, we struggle, but let us also humbly say: Because of our union with Christ, because of the transforming presence of the Spirit, our lives can be beautiful and can point, however imperfectly, to Christ." AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father who sovereignly controls all things and united us to Christ; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that having been united to Christ, that you will live to God; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 12

You don't need a guilt trip. You just need a reminder. Biblia.com Romans 6:1–4 (NIV) This week we'll be working our way through this entire chapter. 6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2   By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3   Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4   We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 13 - Assurance No Inducement to Carelessness The renewed confidence of perseverance does not produce immorality or lack of concern for godliness in those put back on their feet after a fall, but it produces a much greater concern to observe carefully the ways of the Lord which he prepared in advance. They observe these ways in order that by walking in them they may maintain the assurance of their perseverance, lest, by their abuse of his fatherly goodness, the face of the gracious God (for the godly, looking upon his face is sweeter than life, but its withdrawal is more bitter than death) turn away from them again, with the result that they fall into greater anguish of spirit. Summary Paul knew exactly what his readers would be thinking at this point. In the first five chapters of this most magnificent book, Paul masterfully not only laid out man's wretched depravity and sinfulness in no uncertain terms , but also unpacked all the beautiful workings of how Christ's blood atoned for our sin and met our covenant requirements so that we now have peace with God . The message has been crystal clear: where sin increased, grace increased all the more (Romans 5:20). So it only makes sense to conclude that the more you sin, the more grace you'll receive. To combat this error, Paul breaks out one of his favorite literary devices: the diatribe , in which he responds to an imaginary interlocuter who asks the question his readers are thinking in order to proactively dismantle the problem before it takes root: Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Having set himself up, Paul tees off on his rhetorical question: BY NO MEANS!!! I used every bit of emphasis possible to reflect the sharpness of Paul's repudiation reflected in the original language. The NET Bible translates the answer as absolutely not! The KJV renders it God forbid. Literally translated, Paul's answers your temptation to keep sinning in order to receive more and more grace with the words may [such a thought] never exist.   Dig Deeper   Notice what Paul doesn't do here. He doesn't lay on a good ol' fashioned guilt trip like we deserve for even thinking the thought. After all, our Savior swapped all the trappings of glory to be laid in a borrowed manger as a helpless babe, and life for Him went downhill from there until he hung bleeding in an agonizing death to pay for sins that were not His own. And we have the callous attitude that a few more sins added to the pile won't hurt? But instead of piling on the guilt, Paul simply reminds you that you've experienced a significant shift in reality: you've died . Specifically, you've died to sin . Paul's next question isn't rhetorical - it's one you need to wrestle with and answer: how can you, as one who's been baptized into Christ's death, live in sin any longer? Of course, there's only one right answer: you can't! Your baptism into Christ's death brought about an even more significant change in your status. Having died to sin, you've now been raised with Christ through the glory of the Father, so that you too may live a new life. But Sarx - the enemy that lives within - keeps trying to drag you back from this new life into a life of sin. He lies to you, telling you that a few little sins here and there won't hurt a thing, especially since they've already been paid for. But a few little sins quickly snowball into the monstrous sins we read about a few months ago. So repent - change your thinking . Don't give quarter to sinful thoughts like the rhetorical question Paul begins this chapter with. Live fully invested in the new life you have in Christ. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father whose glory raised Christ from the dead; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength and desire to reject the temptation to go on sinning; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 11

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed. Bible.com LAST CHANCE DRAWING IS DECEMBER 12 AT MIDNIGHT Psalm 34 Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left. 1   I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2  I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3   Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. 4   I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 5   Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6   This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7   The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8   Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 9   Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10  The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 11  Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12  Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, 13  keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. 14  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15   The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16  but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. 17  The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18  The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19  The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; 20  he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. 21  Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22  The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 12 - The Lifestyle Assurance Brings This assurance of perseverance, however, so far from making true believers proud and carnally self-assured, is rather the true root of humility, of childlike respect, of genuine godliness, of endurance in every conflict, of fervent prayers, of steadfastness in crossbearing and in confessing the truth, and of well-founded joy in God. Reflecting on this benefit provides an incentive to a serious and continual practice of thanksgiving and good works, as is evident from the testimonies of Scripture and the examples of the saints. Summary It's probably been awhile since you've read the story of David's pretending to be insane - and many of you likely have never read it at all! You can catch up on those details in 1 Samuel 21, but long story short, David was fleeing from King Saul and hid out in a Philistine city. But by this point, David had killed thousands of Philistines in military conflicts, so he naturally feared what the Philistine king would do when he found out David was hiding in his territory. So David feigned insanity - drooling on his beard and everything - and the rouse worked. The king left the 'insane' David alone. But this psalm isn't a celebration of David's ability to save his own skin, but rather it's an acknowledgement that when David sought the LORD, and He answered him; He delivered David from all his fears . Whereas David needed to make himself look shameful before the kings of the world, those who look to the LORD are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. There's a pretty good chance that you're not going to need act insane while hiding out from a truly insane king (Saul) in a pagan city where everybody wants you dead. But no matter what it is that you're facing in your own life, you can still benefit from David's psalm, for it reminds you that as the LORD's holy person, you lack nothing when you fear Him.   Dig Deeper   It's the final few verses that brought us to Psalm 34 today as we continue to unpack this doctrine of the perseverance of the saints (saints = the LORD's holy people = you). You already know that being a Christian doesn't mean you get a pass from the problems and afflictions of this world. Sometimes, in fact, you experience those problems more acutely! David acknowledges this in the final five verses of this psalm. The righteous (that's you by the way!) cry out... They have troubles; they're brokenhearted and crushed in spirit; In fact, the righteous person may have many troubles! But the LORD preserves His people - you - in the midst of these trials. He delivers you from your troubles, is close to you and saves you. And don't miss how Psalm 34 points you to Christ! Remember that the soldiers overseeing Jesus' execution broke the legs of the other condemned me who hung beside Jesus, but not Jesus' because He had already died, because the LORD protected all the bones of the righteous man; not one of them will be broken. You're likely reading this near the end of another week. Don't miss the opportunity you'll have on the Lord's Day to gather with the saints and cry out to the LORD, for no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father who is attentive to the cry of His people; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for strength to keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: LAST CHANCE DRAWING IS DECEMBER 12 AT MIDNIGHT Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 10

You're commanded to live at peace with everyone. How?!?!? Romans 12:1–16 (NIV) CONTEXT: We read the first two verses of this chapter Monday , verses 3-6 on Tuesday , and verses 9-16 yesterday . We finish out the chapter today. 12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2   Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4   For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5   so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6   We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7  if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8  if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 9  Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”  says the Lord. 20  On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”  21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints Article 12 - The Lifestyle Assurance Brings This assurance of perseverance, however, so far from making true believers proud and carnally self-assured, is rather the true root of humility, of childlike respect, of genuine godliness, of endurance in every conflict, of fervent prayers, of steadfastness in crossbearing and in confessing the truth, and of well-founded joy in God. Reflecting on this benefit provides an incentive to a serious and continual practice of thanksgiving and good works, as is evident from the testimonies of Scripture and the examples of the saints. Summary Today's Summary and Dig Deeper sections are a re-post from October 2, 2023 . One of our most fundamental inclinations as North Americans is the concept of fairness - that people ought to get exactly what they deserve. It's this deeply embedded motivation that the Bible calls you to push back against! Rather than repaying a person by giving him what he's got coming, you must not take revenge. The Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that that an ugly concept like murder is not limited to the overt actions related to physically taking a person's life, but extends to seemingly benign actions such as belittling and insulting  people. Sometimes it might feel good to blow off a little steam by verbally assaulting a person who's been giving you grief so that things don't escalate into a full blown physical confrontation, the catechism is simply echoing Paul's advice to, as far as it depends upon you, to live at peace with everyone, and do not take revenge. This peace that you're called to is much more than just an outward politeness in which you don't say the quiet part out loud, even as you seethe and simmer on the inside. No, the Bible calls you to a pervasive, permeating peace that radiates from the inside out; a peace that keeps not just your mouth and hands in check, but your thoughts, looks and gestures as well.   Dig Deeper   Today's passage ends with the famous line: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This passage often gets externalized, as if the best way to overcome bad guys is to shower them in good deeds. That may occasionally be the case, but I don't think that's what Paul means here. He wasn't referring to the evil reigning all around  you, but the evil that seeks to plant its flag inside of you - your sinful nature ( Sarx ), who gains ground with every revenge filled thought and attitude you allow to fester. Overcome Sarx by flooding him out as you fill your mind with whatever is noble, right, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy ( Philippians 4:8 ). The concept of revenge is a theme deeply woven into the fabric of scripture. In fact, the Bible draws to a close with Jesus promising to do the very thing that Paul here prohibits you from doing: Jesus will return with His settlement , meaning that He will repay everyone with exactly what they deserve, either good or bad. Base the peace that you've been commanded to have by l eaving room for God's wrath, for it is written, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord." AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father who has promised to reward good and repay evil; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to let go of your sinful instinct to desire revenge and instead reflect the goodness and forgiveness Jesus has shown you; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 8