Your opinion on today's passage informs your politics, but don't fight over it. What could make two of our favorite teachers disagree so sharply? (AI generated image - Sproul & MacArthur disagreed on this issue, but had a deep respect for one another and didn't fight over it) Romans 11:22-29 CONTEXT: Romans chapter 11 comes in a section of the book in which Paul works through the complexities of God's sovereignty in our salvation. The first 22 verses of the chapter show that Israel’s rejection is not total or final, but part of God's unfolding plan to bring salvation to the Gentiles and preserve a remnant by grace. 22  Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23  And if they [Israel] do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24  After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! 25  I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26  and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27  And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Article 7: God’s Freedom in Revealing the Gospel In the Old Testament, God revealed this secret of his will to a small number;  in the New Testament  (now without any distinction between peoples)  God discloses it to a large number.  The reason for this difference must not be ascribed  to the greater worth of one nation over another,  or to a better use of the light of nature,  but to the free good pleasure and undeserved love of God.  Therefore, those who receive so much grace,  beyond and in spite of all they deserve,  ought to acknowledge it with humble and thankful hearts.  On the other hand, with the apostle they ought to adore (but certainly not inquisitively search into)  the severity and justice of God’s judgments on the others,  who do not receive this grace. Article 7: The Earnest Call of the Gospel Nevertheless, all who are called through the gospel are called earnestly.  For urgently and most genuinely God makes known in the Word what is pleasing to him:  that those who are called  should come to God.  God also earnestly promises rest for their souls and eternal life to all who do come and believe. Summary Looking at how God sovereignly works out our salvation in Romans 9 - 11 is always a study in contrasts: God's justice and mercy; power and compassion; wrath and forgiveness. Today we read of His kindness and sternness (ESV: severity NET: harshness ) . Furthermore, it seems here that God's kindness is doled out only to those who continue in His kindness, while His sternness is given to those who fell, as if salvation is only achieved by those who are strong enough to hang on. Yet back in chapter 9, he wrote that salvation doesn't depend upon man's desire or effort, but upon God's mercy . These opposites are not meant to convey the idea that sometimes God is merciful, compassionate and kind, while at other times He's filled with wrath and sternness. God is always all of these - as we've read so often, He's always fully merciful while also always being fully just . It's just that as limited human beings we often only see one aspect or the other at work, which makes seem that God is so arbitrary and unpredictable, as if some days His grace is stronger than we are, but then on other days it's up to us to hang on. Paul lays out all of these contrasts to show you that you must live in tensegrity (the integrity achieved by holding on to ideas in tension). This same principle applies to understanding the status of the original members of God's covenant people, Israel. It sure seemed at the time Paul wrote this epistle, and still does today, that God had rejected Israel and they had rejected His salvation that comes through Christ. But not so fast, warns Paul, having opened chapter eleven emphatically denying such a conclusion.   Dig Deeper   Verses 25-26 represent one of the most contested passages in the entire Bible: ...Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved... The division over how to understand these words doesn't follow the typical fault lines (Catholic vs. Protestant or Calvinist vs. Arminian). We'll find good, solid Reformed teachers on both sides of this divide: R.C. Sproul: “I take ‘all Israel’ to mean the full number of the elect, including both Jews and Gentiles.” In other words, inasmuch as you and I are members of Christ's Church, we are now 'Israel,' so all Israel = the whole Church, including both us and the Old Testament saints. John MacArthur: “At [the appointed] time, God will sovereignly and miraculously bring salvation to the Jews as a people in fulfillment of His covenant promises.” Johnny Mac looks forward to the day when the nation of Israel will confesses Christ. If you know Sproul and MacArthur well, you know that although this was a major theological difference, it was not something that prevented their collaboration on all sorts of good things. Such should be the same for us; the way you interpret Romans 11:26 will have a massive impact on how you understand geopolitical politics, but it should not be an issue we split the church over. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who has shown us His kindness; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to live in tensegrity as you live in the tension between seemingly contrasting truths. A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 23

As Christians, our unity does NOT come from our diversity. BibleHub.com Galatians 3:26-29 26  So in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith, 27  for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Point 4 - Irresistible Grace Article 7: God’s Freedom in Revealing the Gospel In the Old Testament, God revealed this secret of his will to a small number;  in the New Testament  (now without any distinction between peoples)  God discloses it to a large number.  The reason for this difference must not be ascribed  to the greater worth of one nation over another,  or to a better use of the light of nature,  but to the free good pleasure and undeserved love of God.  Therefore, those who receive so much grace,  beyond and in spite of all they deserve,  ought to acknowledge it with humble and thankful hearts.  On the other hand, with the apostle they ought to adore (but certainly not inquisitively search into)  the severity and justice of God’s judgments on the others,  who do not receive this grace. Article 7: The Earnest Call of the Gospel Nevertheless, all who are called through the gospel are called earnestly.  For urgently and most genuinely God makes known in the Word what is pleasing to him:  that those who are called  should come to God.  God also earnestly promises rest for their souls and eternal life to all who do come and believe. Summary We live in a society dominated by external labels placed upon us. Some of these labels represent how God created you - male or female, tall or short, extraverted or introverted. But most of the labels that get applied to you by others represent societally invented categories: you're a conservative or liberal; the race and ethnicity you were born into; and increasingly the gender you most identify with from amongst an infinite spectrum of choices. While there are still some who cling to the absurd notion that our unity springs forth from our diversity, there does seem to be more and more people who've had enough pigeon holing. There must be a better way. Unfortunately, history teaches us that the world always has, and therefore likely always will, maintain its habit of forcing distinctions, often at the point of a gun (until, that is, the Lord returns). The good news is that as a Christian, you've been set free from this madness. Elsewhere in the New Testament , we're taught that despite all of the world's differences, there are really only two types of people: those who remain in Adam, and those who are in Christ. And for those of us who are in Christ Jesus are all sons of God through faith!   Dig Deeper   Paul uses clothes for an analogy. Imagine a large locker room; on one side, people stream in wearing every imaginable color and style of clothing possible. But out the other come people who've changed their clothes and now present a uniform, matching appearance: when you were baptized into Christ, you clothed yourself with Christ. This means that you've left all your worldly distinctions - both those you were glad to shed, as well as the ones that you took pride in - in the proverbial locker room, for there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female. Rather, as Christians we are all one in Christ Jesus. This new uniformity does more than just set you free from the morass of hyphenated identities society wants to force upon you. It also makes you an heir according to the promise given to Abraham's seed. In other words, as a redeemed son of God, all of the promises God made to Israel in the Old Testament now extend to you! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who has made us His sons in Christ Jesus; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength and desire to live into your true identity as a son of God; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 22

Your prayers don't need to be polished to be powerful. Psalm 25 is sort of like this picture. It doesn't neatly fit into any categories. (image: DailyVerses.net ) Psalm 25 Of David. 1  In you, LORD my God, I put my trust. 2  I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. 3  No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. 4  Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. 5  Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. 6  Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. 7  Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, LORD, are good. 8  Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9  He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10  All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant. 11  For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. 12  Who, then, are those who fear the LORD? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. 13  They will spend their days in prosperity, and their descendants will inherit the land. 14  The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. 15  My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. 16  Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17  Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. 18  Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19  See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! 20  Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21  May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you. 22  Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles! Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 6: The Saving Power of the Gospel What, therefore, neither the light of nature nor the law can do, God accomplishes  by the power of the Holy Spirit,  through the Word or the ministry of reconciliation.  This is the gospel about the Messiah,  through which it has pleased God to save believers,  in both the Old and the New Testaments. Summary Commentators don't like Psalm 25. It doesn't fit neatly into their categories. It's mostly an acrostic (each line begins with a subsequent letter in the Hebrew alefbet ), but one line, for whatever reason, doesn't fit the mold. The psalm begins addressing the LORD in the second person (In you, LORD my God I put my trust), then it switches to the third person (Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He instructs sinners in His ways) and continues to arbitrarily switch back and forth throughout. The psalm seems to lack a cohesiveness as it wanders from one subject to the next. In other words, Psalm 25 is a poetic mess, a far cry from the literary works of wonder seen in other psalms - especially David's. But therein lies the beauty of Psalm 25: At its core, this psalm is a prayer, and it serves as a shining example that your prayers don't need to be polished and perfect to be effective. David's prayer has all of the elements that Jesus taught us to pray with : He a cknowledges who God is (All of the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful); He a ligns his life with God's will (Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths) and he a sks God for what he needs (Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.) But as with the other aspects of Psalm 25, there's no particular semalance of order in how David organizes these elements; they just sort of spill out. All of this to say that it seems clear here that David wasn't overly concerned with technical precision or literary beauty here in Psalm 25. He just open his heart and poured it out before the LORD. Keep this in mind as you pray as well. Don't worry about getting the order just so or using flowery words to make it look good. Just open your heart and talk to your Father.   Dig Deeper   We use the AAA Prayer Pattern to help pray as Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer: A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS :   Our Father in heaven. His name must be hallowed. A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: May your will be done, may your Kingdom come; Lead us not into temptation; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Give us each day our daily bread; Here's a question for you: in looking at David's requests for forgiveness, they seem to fit in both the a lignment and a sking categories: 11 For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. What do you think? Jesus told us to ask for our debts to be forgiven, but which category does that fit in. Use the comment box below to share your thoughts (remember, it really doesn't matter what category you put it in as long as you remember to do it!). AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, the LORD, in whom we put our trust; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 21

The Bible is a light shining into the darkness. You'd do well to pay attention to it. 2 Peter 1:16-21 16  For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17  He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18  We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 19  We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but prophets, though men, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 6: The Saving Power of the Gospel What, therefore, neither the light of nature nor the law can do, God accomplishes  by the power of the Holy Spirit,  through the Word or the ministry of reconciliation.  This is the gospel about the Messiah,  through which it has pleased God to save believers,  in both the Old and the New Testaments. Summary It's important to remember why it is that each weekday in this space we read the Bible and then dig deeper into it, and why it is that God calls us to gather on the Lord's Day (in many churches twice) to hear His Word proclaimed. These words are not just ancient history, a religious guru's insights, nor cleverly devised stories. Rather, these Words - written over thousands of years and springing forth out of three languages and multiple massively different cultures, all univocally and powerfully point to one thing: the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. These words come to us presented in all sorts of different genres: historical narrative, poetry, prophecy, epistles and even apocalyptic (future revelation). Not only did the men who penned these books have the aforementioned cultural and linguistic differences, but they came from all walks of life - from simple men like Amos and Peter to erudite and educated men like Moses, Solomon, Daniel and Paul. Lots of books have been written over the centuries by talented people sharing their wisdom with the generations that follow, with some of those books having greater and more lasting impact than others. But what makes the Bible different is that its message didn't originate with the authors. No prophecy , writes Peter, came about by the prophet's own interpretation (or experience) of things. Rather, he goes on, these prophets, though men, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.   Dig Deeper   Paul describes this process of divine inspiration as God breathing through the human writer so that although the particular words and style reflect the culture, background and personality of the writer, the message is God's, and therefore is inerrant and infallible. Peter tells us that we have the prophetic message as something completely reliable (Peter here refers specifically to the Old Testament, but the principle applies to the New Testament as well). Most Christians hold to the authority of scripture. That is, we submit ourselves to it in all matters of life and faith. We understand that God certainly speaks to us through His creation, but the noetic effect of sin clouds our ability to understand it completely. Scripture, then, becomes like a set of glasses that help us view the world with the focus God intends. What makes us different as Reformed Christians is that we subscribe to Confessions, like the Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dordt. These documents are subordinate to scripture, but they summarize what scripture says about Christianity's most important doctrines. In other words, we don't just say we believe in the Bible, we can tell you exactly what we agree that it teaches. Because we have this, Peter continues, you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who gives us His Words which accurately and authoritatively give rule to our lives and point us to the Word made flesh; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to do the hard work of knowing the Bible well. Pray that God begins to prepare you now for the Lord's Day lessons coming in a few days; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 20

You're drowning in bad news. Take a moment to be reminded of the Good News. Photo Credit: Aaron Burden via Unsplash 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (NIV) Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2  By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5  and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 6: The Saving Power of the Gospel What, therefore, neither the light of nature nor the law can do, God accomplishes  by the power of the Holy Spirit,  through the Word or the ministry of reconciliation.  This is the gospel about the Messiah,  through which it has pleased God to save believers,  in both the Old and the New Testaments. Summary Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was a brutal letter, both for Paul to write and for the Corinthians to receive, in which Paul needed to confront them on a host of sins and issues that had crept into their midst. But he ends this difficult correspondence with a reminder of the gospel he preached to them. Like the Corinthians, all of the forces of evil in this world seek to pull you away from this truth, so you continually need this same reminder Paul gives here as to what is of first importance, that which you received and on which you have taken your stand. It's interesting to see how Paul frames the purpose of the gospel. The NIV translates v2 as by this gospel you are saved, whereas other translations better render it as by this gospel you are being saved. On one hand, your salvation is made fully complete the moment you put your faith into Christ; you are instantly justified (declared righteous). But on the other hand, passages like this remind us that salvation also involves a lifetime of sanctification (that is, becoming more like Christ), so you need to be continually reminded of what the gospel actually is in order to keep growing in it.   Dig Deeper   The first thing Paul makes clear as he begins to remind us of the gospel is that he didn't make it up. The gospel is not a recitation of the preacher's own insights and ideas. Rather, a true gospel preacher is one who simply passes on that which he received. In other words, a preacher just reports the news. At its core, that's exactly what the gospel is: good news. The news, of course, is that Christ died for our sins. Certainly the details of this good news are reported in the New Testament, but there's nothing new about the purpose and need for this sacrificial death. Christ died, Paul reports, according to the Scriptures, a word which here refers to the Old Testament. In the same way, those same Hebrew scriptures had indicated that the sacrificial Lamb would be buried and raised on the third day. David pointed to the resurrection in Psalm 16:10 and Jesus Himself referenced Jonah's 'resurrection' after three days in the belly of a huge fish as a prediction of the three days and nights He would spend in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40). Paul also adds credibility to this seemingly incredible good news that not only did our Savior die for our sins but that He also has been raised to new life. If just a handful of closely intertwined people had claimed to witness Jesus alive, it might make sense to chalk the whole story up as a conspiracy. But it wasn't just Cephas (Peter) and the Twelve who claimed to see the resurrected Savior. Five hundred others had as well. Finally, Paul, one who'd been diametrically opposed to the Twelve witnessed it as well. The gospel isn't complicated. Jesus died, was buried, was raised, and appeared to hundreds of people. But since this world and your sinful nature seek to obfuscate these simple truths, make sure that you're reminded of it often. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose Scriptures - both the Old & New testaments - tell us everything we need to know about the gospel; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray the wisdom to keep yourself in environments where you're continually reminded of the true gospel; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 19

What if the first thing you saw in church was an electric chair? 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NIV) 18  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19  For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” ( Isaiah 29:14 ) 20  Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22  Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23  but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24  but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25  For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 6: The Saving Power of the Gospel What, therefore, neither the light of nature nor the law can do, God accomplishes  by the power of the Holy Spirit,  through the Word or the ministry of reconciliation.  This is the gospel about the Messiah,  through which it has pleased God to save believers,  in both the Old and the New Testaments. Summary The cross has become a ubiquitous symbol of Christianity. Even the most reformed of Reformed churches, who eschew any other sort of iconography in their sanctuaries, will still likely have a large cross affixed to the building. People wear it as jewelry and tattoo it on their bodies. The symbol has become so commonplace that it hardly is even noticed anymore. But it's a really odd practice. In fact, writes Paul, those who are perishing consider it to be foolishness ( mōros ). Afterall, crosses represent one of the most heinous forms of capital punishment ever developed, from which the condemned would hang in agony, often for days, as they slowly suffocated before a jeering crowd. Imagine how shocked you would be if you were invited to come hear a message from an upstart religious faction, which is what Christianity was when Paul penned these word, and you walked into their assembly and the first thing you saw was a giant likeness of an electric chair. It's no wonder that the Jews considered the cross as a stumbling block ( skandalon ) and the Greeks considered Christians to be morons . Yet to us who are being saved, the cross is the power of God! We know that this cruel, ugly instrument of death illustrates the punishment sin deserves, and that it demonstrates the love of our Savior who humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:8).   Dig Deeper   Commentator Verlyn Verbrugge explains well how today's passage connects with the doctrine of total depravity that we've been focused on these past few weeks: For all of their so-called wisdom, the intellectuals of this age, who should have been able to find God by his revelation in nature, have failed to do so. Instead, they have created gods out of their own imagination. Thus the only way to find what God is really doing in this world is to have God reveal it, which is precisely what is done through the church’s preaching about Christ and his cross—God’s means of salvation for a world separated from him. The only way to receive this salvation is to “believe,” to put one’s trust in, this Christ. This is what good preaching does. It 're-scandalizes' you each and every Lord's Day. All week long, the world slowly but surely creeps into your life with its 'wisdom,' pulling you farther from the foolishness of the cross and further into the philosophy of this age. As you listen to, read along, and think about God's Word, the Holy Spirit jolts you into once again understanding that the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who will destroy the wisdom of the wise and frustrate the intelligence of the intelligent through the preaching of Christ's cross; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would make preparing yourself to hear Biblical, Christ centered preaching each Lord's Day one of your top priorities in life; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 18

You're not just Christ's follower - you're His captive! Watch this short explainer video to understand what Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 2:14 2 Corinthians 2:12-14 (NIV) 12  Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13  I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. 14  But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 6: The Saving Power of the Gospel What, therefore, neither the light of nature nor the law can do, God accomplishes  by the power of the Holy Spirit,  through the Word or the ministry of reconciliation.  This is the gospel about the Messiah,  through which it has pleased God to save believers,  in both the Old and the New Testaments. Summary It's so easy to put Paul on a pedestal, as if he somehow had been able to maintain a laser like focus on preaching and teaching the gospel despite the continual persecution and challenges he faced. But our opening verse today humanizes Paul a bit. The Lord had opened a door for him to preach the gospel of Christ in Troas, but even so, he still had no peace of mind , because he did not find his brother Titus there as he had hoped. So Paul said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. As we read of this here in his letter to the Corinthians, it's not clear whether Paul's anxiety regarding Titus caused him to leave Troas before his work was fully done there or not. But it does sure seem that Paul's more motivated to find Titus than he is to enter the doors the Lord opened for him in Troas. This gives us a glimpse of Paul in a different light. Instead of his usual confidence in God's providence and sovereignty, we see his own angst as he grapples with his lack of control over the immediate situation. It seems to get the better of him. In other words, we get a good picture of ourselves in Paul here!   Dig Deeper   Don't for a minute think that God had somehow lost his grip on Paul. Paul begins v14 with the conjunction but, which means the clause that follows is going to supercede what just came before it. Paul's restlessness seemed to lead him away from the doors God had opened, BUT thanks be to God, who always leads us! In other words, God's sovereign control in our lives is not just limited to the times that we're in perfect alignment with him! But notice how it is that God always leads us. He doesn't lead us as willing followers who are always eager to do exactly what God says. Rather, He leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession. The people who first read this letter would have been very familiar with triumphal processions. The Roman Empire referred to them as a triumphus - a parade in which a victorious general would triumphantly return from a conquest showing off the loot he had won, including thousands of slaves who would now serve the Empire (short video explainer ). This is who and what we are as Christians. Christianity is often portrayed as a tool to enhance and fulfill your spiritual nature, in the way that academics rounds out your intellect and working out builds you physically. This of course is true in a very limited way, but the Canons today remind us that despite having the lights of nature and God's law, we were never able to 'capture' Christianity ourselves in order to use for our own limited purposes. Instead, it was God   who captured us by the power of the Holy Spirit . His grace is stronger than we are! It is Christ who now triumphantly leads us into the Kingdom of God as His slaves. Not slaves who are used and abused for however long they last as they are in the empires of this world, but slaves who find our fulfillment having been redeemed by the very One who captured us . AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who ALWAYS leads us; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will fully live into your identity as a redeemed slave being led in Christ's triumphal procession; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 17

The Law can't save you, but it's still God's good will! The Three Uses of God's Law Psalm 1 1  Blessed is the man who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2  but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6  For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 5: The Inadequacy of the Law What is true of the light of nature is true also of the Ten Commandments  given by God through Moses  specifically to the Jews.  For humans cannot obtain saving grace through the Decalogue, because,  although it does expose the magnitude of their sin  and increasingly convict them of their guilt,  yet it does not offer a remedy or enable them to escape from human misery,  and, indeed, weakened as it is by the flesh, leaves the offender under the curse. Summary Having taken a look so far this week at how the Law is inadequate to save, it can possibly leave us with a negative view of the Law. However, when you take a look at some of the passages we explored this week, you’ll notice that God’s Law is something good .  Paul, at various times in Romans 7 , points out how God’s Law is good like in verse 12, so the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good and likewise just after in verse 13, did that which is good , then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin. While the Law convicts us of our sin, that doesn’t make it bad.  God’s Law is good; it is His will for our lives!  Even in our passage today of Psalm 1, we find right away in verse two how those who walk in the way of righteousness, their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.   We’ve talked this week about uses of God’s Law that our Reformed Tradition discusses, and it is here that we arrive at the third use - “Principally it admonishes believers and urges them on in well doing,” as John Calvin puts it in his Institutes of the Christian Religion .  God’s good Law not only convicts us of our sin, restrains sin, but especially encourages believers in doing what is right, doing God’s will through the enabling work of the Holy Spirit.   Dig Deeper   So, we come full circle to what we talked about at the start of this week - the privilege and blessing we have in getting to love God and our neighbor through His grace and strength.  God’s Law is good, it is freeing, it is His will for our lives.  As believers, the Holy Spirit helps us to see that and creates in us the desire to do God’s will, doing so out of gratitude and love for what He’s done for us in Jesus.  So, when you read the Ten Commandments, or hear them read at church each week, rather than seeing just a list of do’s and don’ts, may you see the goodness of God’s Law, the ways that it encourages you in doing what is right in your day-to-day life in your interactions with your family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers, being a light and a witness for Christ to those around you.  May the Lord ever help us to see the goodness of His Law as believers who have gone before us have, filling us afresh daily with that desire to live and walk according to His good will! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who knows the way of the righteous; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will kindle in you a delight in His Law; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 16

God’s Law won't cure you... so what will? Romans 7:7–25 (NIV) 7  What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  8  But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9  Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10  I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11  For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12  So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. 13  Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. 14  We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15  I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21  So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23  but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 5: The Inadequacy of the Law What is true of the light of nature is true also of the Ten Commandments  given by God through Moses  specifically to the Jews.  For humans cannot obtain saving grace through the Decalogue, because,  although it does expose the magnitude of their sin  and increasingly convict them of their guilt,  yet it does not offer a remedy or enable them to escape from human misery,  and, indeed, weakened as it is by the flesh, leaves the offender under the curse. Summary During my Junior year of High School, the entire year for Bible class was spent going through the book of Romans, seeing how far we could get as we walked verse by verse through the deep but beautiful theology of the letter.  I still remember trying to follow Paul’s line of thought through this passage back then, as he goes back and forth from the good he wants to do, the good that he doesn’t do, that which he doesn’t want to do, he does, and so on.  It is here, in this passage, that God, through Paul, delves deeper into what we read yesterday, how the Law brings about knowledge of sin.  Paul writes: What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”  But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. Later Paul adds, did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. The Canons echo this when it says although the Law does expose the magnitude of sin and increasingly convict us of our guilt, yet it does not offer a remedy or enable us to escape from our misery…   So, what is the remedy that mankind needs?   Dig Deeper   As Paul reminds us throughout his various letters, the remedy is not the Law.  Even here in this morning’s passage, Paul bemoans the weight of his sin, two laws waging war when he declares: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Perhaps you have groaned that way with Paul before over your own sin.  In fact, it is important for us to recognize the weight of our sin, to come to grips with it, being reminded ever of our need for a Savior.  There is only one who saves, only one who redeems.  It is not the Law, but rather, as Paul writes, thanks be to God [we're saved] through Jesus Christ our Lord! Thanks be to God that He provided the remedy for us, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who perfectly kept God’s Law in our place which we could never do, died for lost and broken sinners like us who were in need of saving as He took our punishment upon Himself, and rose victoriously from the grave, vindicated!  So, as we read God’s Law week in and week out as a part of our worship services, may God through the Holy Spirit ever convict us of our sin, our need to come and repent, asking for His forgiveness and grace, even as we are pointed once again to the cross of Christ and the forgiveness of our sins that God is faithful and just to give! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose Law we're called to delight in; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God for the strength to continue waging war against the law of sin; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 15

Thanks be to God for freeing us from sin’s dominion! Romans 3:9–20 (NIV) 9  What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10  As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11  there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”  13  “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.”  “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”  14  “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”  15  “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16  ruin and misery mark their ways, 17  and the way of peace they do not know.”  18  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  19  Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20  Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. Canons of Dordt Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election Point 2 - Limited Atonement Point 3 - Total Depravity Article 5: The Inadequacy of the Law What is true of the light of nature is true also of the Ten Commandments  given by God through Moses  specifically to the Jews.  For humans cannot obtain saving grace through the Decalogue, because,  although it does expose the magnitude of their sin  and increasingly convict them of their guilt,  yet it does not offer a remedy or enable them to escape from human misery,  and, indeed, weakened as it is by the flesh, leaves the offender under the curse. Summary Having previously shown how neither Gentiles nor Jews are righteous because they either suppress the truth or break the law and condemn themselves, Paul now asks if there is any difference, then, between Jews and Gentiles.  Paul answers his own question saying, no, not at all.  For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin….  As teachers do to help their students learn, apply, and understand what they are trying to get across, Paul goes on to list numerous examples of ways people are held under the power of sin, showing mankind’s total depravity.  Commentator Douglas J. Moo sums up what Paul is getting at here when he writes: “This is Paul’s, and the Bible’s, analysis of the human predicament: People, by nature, are addicted to sin.  They are imprisoned under it, unable to free themselves by anything they can do."  This principle is echoed in here the Canons: The Law does not offer a remedy or enable him to escape from his misery …  Then, just like we read yesterday in Galatians, Paul reminds us at the close of this passage: Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.  For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight , since through the law comes knowledge of sin.   Paul points out here what we’re going to explore more tomorrow: how the law is inadequate to save, how it can only bring about a knowledge of our sin and misery.  This is what the Reformed tradition calls the first use of the Law: the Law’s convicting us of our sin.   Dig Deeper   A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Independence Day, remembering and celebrating the freedom that we have as a nation.  The Lord has immensely blessed us with the freedom to be able to worship Him, to freely read His Word, for which we should give Him our humble thanks and praise.  We can so easily take it for granted.  As we mentioned earlier, apart from Christ, we were held as slaves under sin's power.  Sin was our master, and, on our own, we had no hope of escaping.  But thanks be to God for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the freedom that He graciously won for us in His perfect life, death on the cross, and resurrection from the grave, which He imparts to us as believers, and is now our master!  As you go about the rest of your day, the rest of the week ahead, and throughout your life, thank the Lord every day for freeing you from sin’s power in order to walk in newness of life!  We are still working on shedding what is of the old self, as Paul mentions in his letter to the Ephesians, and so we still struggle with indwelling sin.  May we ever ask Him to help mold and shape us to be more like Christ, even as we praise Him for saving, redeeming us from sin's power, and bringing us into the Kingdom of His marvelous light! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, to whom the whole world will be held accountable; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to continue to mold and shape you to be less like your sinful nature and more like Christ; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 14