Journal,

The following guest study is from Pastor Charles Smoot of ‘Simple Church Ministries’ of Lancaster, PA.

While Charles and I may view some things a bit differently, I have found his study on the security of the believer to be well written. I thought it would be good to offer it here for the benefit of my readers.

Note: Charles’ web site is: http://charlessmoot.org/

There are many promises in the Word of God giving assurance to the true believer in Christ that he cannot lose his salvation.  To be saved is to have eternal life.

Eternal life is not based on human merit, but is a gift to all who come to Christ in faith and place their trust in him and his finished work of the cross.  To have eternal life is to experience everlasting joy and peace in the presence of God forever.  Jesus promised:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:29).

However, not all who profess salvation are genuinely saved (Matt. 7:21).  There are also warnings in the Word of God to make your calling and election sure (1 Pet. 1:10).  Indeed, there are tares that grow among the wheat (Matt. 13:24-30).  There will be some who will fall away from “the faith” and reveal their true nature as counterfeit believers (2 Pet. 2:1; Jude 4).  Only the process of time will reveal who is truly saved and who is not (I Pet. 1:5).

The Apostle John writes:

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 Jn. 2:19)

Even Jesus had followers who walked with him for a while, but afterward walked away from him in unbelief (Jn. 6:64-66).  Judas Iscariot was chosen by Jesus, but afterward became a “son of perdition.”

Nevertheless, a genuine believer can and should have full assurance that he is indeed saved, and that heaven will be his eternal home.  Yet, how is it that some Christians live from day to day with insecurity about their salvation?

Salvation is a Finished Work

What is sad to me is:  Many believers do not yet understand that salvation is a “finished” work.  They do not understand the New Covenant of Grace and the basis from which they are saved.  In addition to not understanding salvation through Grace, many believers do not understand how the believer is subsequently sanctified through Grace.

Eternally Secure

Often, because of incorrect teaching and ignorance of God’s Word, a believer may embrace some form of legalism (righteousness through human merit) which will distort his understanding in the area of the assurance of salvation.  In view of the fact, that legalism encourages a spirit of self-righteousness; the believer, regretfully will look at his performance to validate or invalidate his salvation, rather than to the truth of the Word of God.

Based on their performance (works) or even on the way they feel on any given day (emotions) some believers are just unsure about whether they are going to heaven.  Thus, a person’s lifestyle may contradict their profession of being a Christian, and introduce doubt, as to whether they were truly saved in the first place.

Remember, it is Satan’s business to cause the believer to doubt his salvation and his relationship to God.

How can the believer know and be assured that he is saved and that his salvation is secure?  He must understand two things:

1) The Word of God makes the believer sure.

2) The blood of Jesus makes the believer secure.

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 Jn. 5:11-13).

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12).

Often, because of failure to obtain the “perfection” encouraged through legalism, some believers may become discouraged to the point of disillusionment.  They may even eventually backslide and stop serving God altogether.   This is tragic.

Putting Things into Perspective

Let’s put some things into perspective.

1)  As a work of grace, the believer’s salvation is a past, present, and future work that has already been “finished” in Christ.

a) We are saved – (justification) past

b) We are being saved – (sanctification) present

c) We shall be saved – (glorification) future

Paul writes in the book of Romans:

Father, we are all here! (John 6:39 – Heb2:13)

It is in the present tense that we as Christians live.  This is the “sanctification” phase of our relationship with the Father; a process which is both an instantaneous and progressive work of God’s sanctifying grace. However:

2) As a work of grace, the believer’s sanctification has been already been completed and perfected in Christ.

Thus, the writer to the Hebrews says:

“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14).

This scripture teaches us that our sanctification and perfection is based solely on the blood atonement of Jesus Christ and His finished work of the cross.   It has nothing to do with our works, performance, or the way we feel.  Notice, He has perfected us “forever!”

Once a Son, Always a Son

In order to understand how sanctification works in the life of the believer we must have an understanding of the difference between the two aspects of relationship and fellowship and how sin and disobedience affects each.

a) Relationship: has to do with our standing or position in Christ.  The aspect of relationship is not subject to change.  Regardless of the fruitfulness, level of maturity, or degree of victory in the believer’s life, we are sons and daughters, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.

b) Fellowship:  has to do with the quality or level of intimacy of our relationship with Christ.  It can range from intimacy and complete submission, to estrangement and rebellion.  The aspect of fellowship is subject to change and directly affects the fruitfulness, level of maturity, and the degree of victory in the believer’s life.

How does sin affect the believer in the aspects of relationship and fellowship?

The answer is really quite simple.  Sin (disobedience) separates the believer from intimate fellowship with the Father, but sin cannot separate us from His love, favor, and our standing as sons and daughters.  As a son, regardless of the quality of our fellowship or lack thereof, our relationship to God the Father remains the same.  ”Once a son, always a son.”

A good biblical example of these two aspects is given in the story of the prodigal son (Lk. 15:11-31).  Understanding the restorative grace displayed in this parable will help the believer understand that:

Though we may often fail, we are by birthright a child of God; a son or daughter completely loved and accepted of the Father.  Though we are children of God, we all have the freedom to leave the Father’s house, to stumble, to fail, to repent, and to find grace, mercy, forgiveness, and restoration.

The bible teaches us that broken fellowship can be restored through repentance and faith.  We must understand, however, sin and disobedience will affect the quality of our relationship to the father.  Sin will impair intimacy, cause estrangement of our relationship, and it will provoke the correction, discipline, and chastisement of the Father who waits with loving arms for the prodigal.  A chastisement that may even end in a premature death (Acts 5:1-11).

John the beloved writes:

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 Jn. 3:9).

Personally, I have no problem with the implications of “once saved, always saved.”  In my opinion,

The eternal security of the believer is the greatest testimony to the efficacy of the cross of Christ. Therefore, an assault on the eternal security of the believer is, in effect, an assault on the efficacy of the finished work of Christ.  Moreover, any doctrinal position with regard to the security of the believer which takes into account human merit (in any sense and to any degree) presents an anthropocentric (man-centered) view of the atonement and diminishes the efficacy of the cross.

Just my thoughts,

Charles S

www.CharlesSmoot.org

One other item for this blog entry….

Congratulation to the graduates of the Christian Challenge International 48th School for Christian Workers. May the Lord bless you in all that you do for His name’s sake, and may you become even more fruitful in the harvest work of God’s kingdom.

Other

“The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” (Ecc 12:10-13)

Journal,

Isn’t it amazing how you can carry a memory through life. Some memories from my younger days, even days of my childhood are just as fresh today as ever. Of course I can’t always remember where I placed my glasses. 

Anyway, I was serving as a radioman aboard the USS Calvert in the Pacific Fleet. It was 1962. I’m on duty in the radio shack. Everything is quiet. Nothing to read except a dictionary. Course I’ve always been an avid reader so having a dictionary on hand was fine with me. That was when this strange notion struck me that I ought to write a book.

Write a book? Wow! Write a book? There I was 22 years of age, and thinking of writing a book. And to think how much I hated English in high school. Then to take into account that I had no literary experience or training.

Besides that, who would be interested in reading a book by an unknown author who did not know the difference between an adjective and an adverb, much less a dangling participle.  (Still don’t know that the last thing is.)

But I couldn’t shake it. I even had a name for the book. I would simply call it, ‘Casandra.‘ Where that came from, I really don’t know. The aspiration to write a fictional book about a fictional character without the slightest idea of what the book was to be about, happened some fifty years ago. And like a ship without a sail, it was dead in the water.

Oh well, that memory has long remained in the background of my thought life through all the years. Now, here I am 71 years old and I still haven’t written a book. But why do people keep asking me to write a book? Life can sure be eerie at times.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

Or does it? Maybe its time had not come. And maybe my writing was not simply to be fictional.

Better yet, how about this, maybe my life is a book being written every day. And maybe I’m not the writer. Maybe the Holy Spirit is writing a book in my heart.

And maybe every believer’s life is a book being written, that is, in time as we know it, but in God’s time each of our books are finished products. Could it be that the Lord knows the beginning from the end?

Is this what Paul was talking about when he said,

” … being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2Co 3:3)

Could it be that God plants kingdom seeds in Our Hearts

Could it be that each of our giftings are part of God’s divine plan and that each gift has a unique fitting into the Lord’s working of redemption?

Could it be that nigh fifty years ago the Lord actually planted a seed in my heart that would flourish into writings for His kingdom.

Over the years I’ve written a great many studies on the Bible. In fact I have several hundred studies that can be accessed through the web. I’ve also designed training courses for disciples. Even with my online journal, I’ve written enough to make up several books. Could these writings be considered ‘kingdom seeds’ to be scattered in many hearts and in many places. I surely hope so.

But perhaps there is a greater writing that fits my part of God’s program even more so. As a preacher of the gospel for over forty-five years, the Holy Spirit has used my preaching to write the story of the cross in the hearts of countless people.

My preaching has taken me from traditional churches, to house churches,  to tent revivals, to theater, to radio and television, to brush harbors, to home and foreign mission work, to store front ministries, to nursing homes, to banana plantations, to street preaching, and in many other places. On my book shelves I have volumes of sermons that I’ve preached. Some reach back to 1965.

Please don’t think that I wish to brag on my accomplishments. I have far too many failures for that. Even as founder of Christian Challenge International, my role is merely as a steward. Never to this day have I felt worthy of anything that has related to my calling. If anything at all, I feel very unworthy.

So, it really isn’t simply about writing books that I’m concerned with. I’m thinking about those ‘God seeds’ that rests in the spiritual make up of all God’s children. We all have God seeds in us that will flourish into various ministries over time. But we also have gospel God seed that we are given to scattered. It all takes place in God’s timing and with His help.  

I have come to believe that every child of God has ’God-seed kingdom investments’ planted in them. Yes, I have even come to believe that some of what we think may be ‘pipe dreams’ are actually things placed in us by the Spirit. And while we may sometimes misunderstand their intent, the Lord will make them to become realities in their time.

My pipe dream was ‘Casandra.’ But it was only a seed planted that would eventually flourish in my sharing the gospel story.

The point is that our giftings in life come with our calling in life.

Paul said in Romans 11:29, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” For something to be irrevocable means that it is not subject to recall. It also means that whatever the purpose of the gift and the calling, they will have a fulfillment in the proper season.

Anything planted by the Lord has the nature of the divine will in it. It will produce fruit in its season.  David spoke of this when he said,

“[The righteous person] will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” - Psalm 1:3 nasb

What makes all this even more interesting is that our spiritual genetic code of life was implanted in us before we were born. David also speaks of this:

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” (Psa 139:13-14)

So, what about the book that was never written

Sometimes I think it would be good to put some of my writings in book form. At other times I remember what the sage said about the writing of books and how tiring it can be. Solomon wrote:

“The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” (Ecc 12:10-12)

There is one book that I never tire of reading. It is the only book that has lasted through the ages and remains the most beloved of all books. Of course you know the book I am speaking of. Its God’s holy book, the Bible.

How about you? Have you wondered about your gifting and calling? Don’t lose your dream. Don’t let the bumps in life try to cheat you out of that which the Lord has planted in your garden.

Think about it. Don’t be discouraged. You are uniquely fashioned by the Lord for unique things in His kingdom.

Here is your song for today. Listen carefully. The Lord wants to speak to your heart.

The Imperials – ‘I’ve Got Confidence’ 

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Other

“Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’

 

“But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’

 

“So the disciples were saying to one another, ‘No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?’

 

“Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.’

 

“’Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.’” (Joh 4:31-35)

Journal,

As I was meditating on my morning devotion, this thought began stirring in my heart, ‘I must be about my Father’s business.’ My mind was drawn to what Jesus said to His first disciples concerning the harvest field. He said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” 

The work that Jesus was to accomplish was the work of the cross. Listen carefully to the prayer of our Great High Priest -

“Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. ‘This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

“‘I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.’” (Joh 17:1-4)

The work of the cross would be God’s finished work of salvation in Jesus Christ. From the moment of Christ’s ascension into heaven the eternal gospel was to be sent into all the world. The message could encapsulate in this one statement,

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Cf. Acts 2:21; Rom 10:13)

In the meantime we have this instruction from the Lord -

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luk 10:2)

Much Work to Do

In 1976, the Lord gave me a work to accomplish. It began in an old store-front building. On the right side of the entrance a simple sign read, ‘School for Christian Workers.’

This March 9, 2012, will be 36 years since the CCI School for Christian Workers has come into being. Since that time we have trained hundreds of workers for the harvest fields of the Lord.

The motto of  Christian Challenge International is, ‘How Beautiful Upon the Mountians’. The motto for the School for Christian Workers is, ‘Preparing Servants for the Nations.’

Has the work that God gave me to do been accomplished? Not yet. There is much work to be done. And if the Lord tarries, it will continue after my departure. (This applies to the whole body of Christ.)

Where are we now? It is now time for out 48^th School for Christian Workers.

Is the Lord stirring your heart for service in His kingdom? Perhaps our 48^th School is where you need to be.

The CCI School for Christian Workers is quite unique. Our entire emphasis is on true Biblical discipleship. For your consideration here is our class schedule for the school.

Class Schedule for the CCI 48th School for Christian Workers

The School begins January 22^nd and 23^rd, 2012, and runs 13 weeks. Tuition is $35 per course. Disciples Heart I is $25 for CCI members only.

The Disciple’s Heart Training Program – Sundays  5:00 PM [Required training for anyone serving with CCI] 

The Disciples Heart II Training Program – Sundays 5:00 PM

Shepherd’s Heart Mentoring Program – Every Other Wednesday 6:30 PM

Old Testament Bible Survey – Mondays 6:30 PM

Conversational Spanish – Mondays 6:30 PM

Financial Peace University ($100) – Mondays 7:00 PM

God’s Creation – Mondays 6:30 PM

Registration is required. For additional information call the Christian Challenge office at (318) 640-4300.

For your listening here is the theme song of Christian Challenge – How Beautiful Upon the Mountains.

http://www.christianchallenge.org/audio/music/14_How%20Beautiful%20Upon%20The%20Mountains.mp3

In Christ Always,

Buddy

Other

 

 

 

“…in the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise; and again, ‘I will put My trust in Him.’ … 

 

 

” … And again, ‘Behold, I and the children who God has given Me.’” (Heb 2:11-13 nasb)

Readers,

Notice the bold portion of the above Scriptures where we hear Jesus say, “Behold, I and the children who God has given Me.”

This statement draws on a redemption promise that God gave through the prophet Isaiah.

“And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.” (Isa 8:17-18)

Then we have this in Isaiah:

“Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: ‘Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale; but when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, they will sanctify My name; indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.” (Isa 29:22-23)

Fulfilled in Christ

Jesus said,

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. …

“ … This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds [looks to] the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (Joh 6:37-40)

Again pay close attention to the words in bold print – “Of all that He [the Father] has given Me I lose nothing.”

Christians who lack knowledge in how salvation works will always battle insecurity. The problem isn’t merely with the believer. In some pulpits Jesus Christ is being presented in a way that is not worthy of the gospel message.

The message they hear is often filled with fear and condemnation. It centers on a salvation through works, that is, a salvation that is based on a believer becoming good enough.

This kind of thinking is a misreading of the gospel story. The work of salvation is not our work. We are all sinners saved by grace. Salvation is God’s work from beginning to finish. He alone is the author and the finisher of our faith.

Here is an example where a Scripture is sometimes mismanaged:.

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Php 2:12)

Sounds pretty plain. How then is it mismanaged? The problem is that this statement is only half of what is being said. Listen to the rest of the statement:

“ … for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Php 2:13)

Notice carefully that the working out has to do with God Himself. The believer is to place his faith in God who is at work in his life. The believer is to trust that the Lord is working His will in the believer’s life.

That isn’t the only Scripture that sets forth God at work in the believer. Listen with your heart:

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, …

“… working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13:20-21)

Once again note the words in bold. God is the one who equips us to do His will. God is the one who is working in us that which is pleasing in His sight.  

The Author and Finisher

The apostle said he was convinced the good work that God began in us, He would perfect until the day of Jesus Christ. God is the author and the finisher of our faith. He is the perfecter of His work. The Lord God began the work and the Lord God finishes the work

The Lord does not want His children to live in fear of any nature. And when the Lord speaks into our lives it is His purpose is to destroy our fears. Even when He needs to correct us, it is a correction towards life.

Here is an example from my walk with Jesus -

It was 1974

I had just resigned from my former church affiliation. The following morning at my office a dark cloud settled over me. What will we do? Where do we go? Where will we find fellowship? Did I miss God?

The last words my former pastor had spoken to me when I handed him my resignation was ringing in my ears, “Brother Martin, these people will never anything else to do with you.”

I fell on my knees next to a chair, and reached for my Bible. Lord, I need to hear from You. 

My Bible actually fell open to Philippians 1:6, and my gaze riveted on these words,

“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

The Son of God had spoken to my heart. Instantly the cloud vanished. No more fear! No more uncertainty. I knew everything would be alright. Our future was well cared for.

In my excitement I reached for the phone to call Betty. Little did I realize that she was facing the very same struggle at that very same moment. Before I could get the words out of my mouth, Betty said, “Honey, listen to what the Lord just shared with me.”

“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Gal 1:10) — We were both using the KJV at the time —

The Lord had spoken to both of us at the same time. Betty knew just as I knew that our future was well cared for.

God’s Unconditional Promises

Of course I’m not telling any true believer something that you don’t know. Jesus has come to my aid myriads of times on my pilgrim journey. He does the same for all who belong to Him. What did the Lord say about His presence in our lives?

“ … for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, or will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” (Heb 13:5-6)

That, dear friend, is an unconditional promise.

This is where we need to understand Biblical promises.

Conditional promises are based upon some action on our part. Unconditional promises are based upon something God has promised with no aid from us. These are the, “I will” promises of God.

An example of a conditional promise is Luke 6:38, where the Lord says,

“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Notice that it is by ‘our standard’ of measure that gauges the ‘pressed down’ blessings.

Unconditional promises are different. Unconditional promises are generally summed up as redemption promises. These kinds of promises are, ‘from God, through God, and to God’ promises. They cannot be broken by believers simply because we have no role to play in them. They are based entirely on the sovereignty of God.

The Bedrock of the Faith Walk

These ‘never-ever’ promises serve as the bedrock of our walk with the Lord. One of the very last things Jesus said to the disciples was,

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt28:20)

Another one is the John 10:27,28, promise where Jesus said,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Some believers see the strength of their walk in how strong their grip is on God. This is not what Jesus is saying. The safety for a child of God does not depend on his or her grip. It rests entirely in the hands of the Lord. Jesus said,

“No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

A few more ‘never-ever’ promises

“…whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

“…everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38-39)

Our Inheritance in Christ

The point being that these promises are based upon something God says He will do. These unconditional promises relate to God’s redemption plan in Christ, a plan that was set forth before time.

Paul gave insight into this area, when he said,

“We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to [God's] purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” (Eph1:11)

Notice that Paul said it is God’s will that is at work. The apostle John certainly agrees. He said that our birth from heaven was not a thing of our will. He says,

“[We] were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13)

When we were born again, it is because God opened our ears to hear, and placed in our heart to respond. We see this being worked out in a lady named Lydia. It says,

“A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshipper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” (Acts 16:14)

The stumbling, bumbling apostle

Have you ever been a stumbling believer? Sure you have. Think about a man called Peter. Peter actually denied the Lord three times. Was that the end of the story? Certainly not. Jesus sought him out, restored him in faith, and gave him the privilege of preaching the gospel at the very place where Peter had become fearful for his life.

Have you caught the point in all this?

— Regardless of how well we think we understand the mystery of our salvation, the fact remains that God’s unconditional promises do not rest upon how well we are able to do or how much we understand. They are not performance promises. Each of these promises rest upon God Himself. When He says that He will never desert us or forsake us, that promise cannot be broken.

Yes, we all become stumblers at times.  So we ask, “Why me, Lord?” About the best any of us can do is write songs about all this.

In the Midst of the Congregation

And so, we agree with the Psalmist who said,

“…in the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise; and again, ‘I will put My trust in Him.’ … 

We write:

“I don’t know why Jesus loved me. I don’t know why He cared. I don’t know why He gave His life for me. Oh, but I’m glad. So glad He did.”

And,

“Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but He is strong.”

And,

‘All hail the power of Jesus name! Let angels prostrate fall…”

And,

“I am weak but Thou art strong, Jesus keep me from all wrong…”

And,

“So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, … Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.”

Oh yes, we Christians write songs without end. And we will continue to write them.

But the message from heaven never changes. While we love the Lord with a love that cannot be measured, John wants us to understand something very special when he writes,

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1Jn4:10)

Think about these things.

In the meantime listen to this song that was written and sung by Kris Kristofferson – ‘Why Me Lord.’

Your Servant in Christ,

Buddy

Other

“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’” (Mat 16:16-17)

Journal,

When Jesus asked the apostles who people said that He was, they spoke of the Old Testament prophets. When He ask them who they thought He was, Simon Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

What is happening here is a prophetic portrayal on how salvation would be found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Actually Peter did not arrive at this revelation on his own. Jesus said the Father had given Peter the revelation, and that upon this revelation He would build His church.

Thus Jesus said, “Upon this Rock [the revelation of His divine Sonship] I will build My church.” 

Actually there really is a play on words here. Peter’s original name is Simon. After Peter receives the revelation from the Father, the Lord calls him, ‘Little Stone.’ (The term for ‘Peter’ [Pétros] in Greek always means a stone and never a rock.)  But when the Lord said, ‘Upon this Rock I will build My church,’ he was not talking about Peter. The word He used for ‘Rock’ relates to a mass of rock or a cliff. It is never used for a stone.

The church would be built upon a revelation given from heaven that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God.

The Struggle Over the Son

Someone wrote me about their confusion of their being a Father and a Son in the godhead. Perhaps it is a mystery to be understood with the heart. However, the idea of God having a Son was not lost with the Hebrew people. It can be found in their ancient writings.

The Hebrew people were taught that in God was a mystery sometimes called, ‘the Son,’ and often time called ‘the Word’. They believed that God’s Son ‘the Word’ had made appearances in the earth throughout the generations of man.

You find these early beliefs not only in the Bible but also in the writings of Philo, in the Targums, and in a number of other extra-Biblical writings.

The Targums were the Hebrew Scriptures loosely translated into Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of the Jews both before and after Christ. Hebrew was the temple language. It is from the Aramaic Targums that we hear what the people were being taught. Here are examples:

Genesis 1:1: “From the beginning with wisdom the Memra of the Lord created and perfected the heavens and the earth.”

The Neofiti Targum actually has it this way; “From the beginning with wisdom the son of the Lord created and perfected the heavens and the earth.”

The term ‘Memra’ is the Aramaic word that translates into Greek as ‘Logos.’ It means ‘Word.’

More from the Targums 

Keep in view that while the Greeks used the term ‘Logos‘, the Hebrews used the term ‘Memra‘. They meant the same thing. Memra was the Jewish way of relating to the unseen God, in saying that the Most High God did all His personal communication and revelation through the one called ‘the Memra.’

Here are a few more samples from the Targums. Every time you see the term Memra, simply think Logos, or the Word, or think, ‘Jesus’ Himself.

Gen1:27 – “And the Memra of the Lord [Word of God] created the man in his own likeness; in a likeness from before the Lord he created him; male and his partner he created them.”

Gen2:8 – “And the Lord God had planted a garden in Eden from the beginning and he placed there the first Adam.” (Recall how Paul spoke of the first and the last Adam.)

Gen3:8 – “And they heard the sound of the Memra of the Lord God walking within the garden in the breeze of the day…”

Gen12:7 – “And the Memra of the Lord was revealed to Abram and said to him: ‘To your sons I will give this land.’ …”

Gen15:6 – “And Abram believed in the name of the Memra of the Lord and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

 A Clear Testimony from Philo 

Now let’s consider the writings of Philo. Philo took what the Hebrews believed and translated it into the primary lingua of the time, which was Greek. Philo was contemporary with the origins of Christianity. Anyone who reads Philo will hear the same language being used by John and Paul.

As Philo was presenting the Judaism of His day into Greek, notice very carefully some of the terms he used with regard to the Words of God. (Some are Targum terms.)

The Logos, the King, Shepherd, High Priest, Covenant, Rider on the Divine Chariot, Archangel, Firstborn Son, the Beginning, the Name, He who sees, the Form, the Glory, the Shekinah, and the Messenger of Great Counsel.

There are other terms, but this gives an idea of just how very Hebraic the New Testament really is. We find some of these terms used by the apostolic writers.

But there was a statement by Philo that has caused much consternation among rabbinic Judaism. Philo wrote,

“For nothing mortal can be made in the likeness of the Most High God and Father of the Universe but only in that of the second God, who is His Logos.”

Philo was not using the expression ‘second God’ with a view to many gods, but rather in the sense of God who can and has been seen, with God who cannot be seen.

There was the belief in a noted distinction between what was called Yahweh Most High, and the lesser Yahweh, or, the Memra. This distinction had to do with God coming forth from God, which brings us back to all the many terms used to describe God who has and can be seen.

Hear it from Jesus:

“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” (Joh 14:28)

Testimony of Early Church Writers

You find much of these early Jewish concepts not only in the New Testament writings, but also in other writings of the early church believers. Here are sampling from the Ante-Nicene writings:

[Epistle to Diognetus a.d. 130] “…God Himself, who is almighty, the Creator of all things, and invisible, has sent from heaven, and placed among men, Him who is the truth, and the holy and incomprehensible Word…”

And,“As a king sends his son, who is also a king, so sent He Him; as God He sent Him; as to men He sent Him; as a Saviour He sent Him…”

[Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians 30-107 a.d.] “…there is one God, who has manifested Himself by Jesus Christ His Son, who is His eternal Word…”

[Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians] “…there is but one unbegotten Being, God, even the Father; and one only-begotten Son, God, the Word and man…”

[Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp] “Look for Christ, the Son of God; who was before time, yet appeared in time …”

I realize this may seem weighty but it helps us relate to much of what is written in the New Testament.

To believe and accept that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God is the crucial element of salvation. To believe in Him is to receive Him as your Lord and Savior.

The Hidden Mystery

Yes, the ancients knew there was a mystery in God that was hard to grasp. Paul often spoke of this mystery. It also gives us pause to listen to Jesus when He said,

“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5)

And again,

“What if you should see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before.” (John 6:62)

The early Jewish believers took what was commonly taught in Judaism of the day, and brought Jesus into the picture. This allows us to see how much of the ancient theology of the Jews was on course with the truth of Jesus Christ.

There is no question that the early Jewish Christians saw Jesus as the answer to what had been long believed among them. This was the ancient faith realized. And this was the mystery Paul said that contained all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

And so the Christian faith in its simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus Christ is the true religion of heaven. Does this not cause us to appreciate John 3:16, which says,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

The bottom line is not how you wish to depict your beliefs of the godhead. Christians know there can only be one true God. We have been monotheistic from the beginning. The issue at hand is whether you have confessed and received Jesus Christ as the Son of God, your Lord and Savior.

Do You Have the Revelation

Peter made the confession when he said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’

How important is this revelation? Does God really have a Son? You must decide this for yourself. The religion of Islam has already decided. On the temple mount you will find these words written inside the golden dome; ‘God has no son.’ [Did you know that Islam can be identified with the antichrist religion?]

This is what the apostles wrote:

2Pe_1:17  “For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—

 

1Jn_1:3  “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

 

1Jn_2:22  “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.”

 

1Jn_2:24  “As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.”

 

1Jn_4:14  “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”

 

2Jn_1:3  “Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.”

 

2Jn_1:9  “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.”

While you think on these things, please take time for this song…

What do you believe?

Buddy

Other

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” (2Co 4:6-7 nasb)

Journal,

Sometimes I find it very worthwhile to reaffirm an earlier journal entry. This entry draws largely on an entry that I provided in March, 2011. It was titled, ‘Finding Your Way Home.’ (Year and a half ago.)

The apostle Paul said that all believers in Jesus Christ have a  ‘surpassing [divine] power’ in their hearts, and that we must learn to live by that power and not by our own soul’s self powers. Each apostle tell us the same thing,

John says,

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (1Jn 4:4)

“[We] who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:5)

Living in the Glow of Jesus

But before I go further I want to give a better perspective on why Paul called attention to the opening of Genesis, where God said, “Let there be Light.” Paul is saying that it is this ‘Light‘ that is now shining in the heart of every true believer. (2Co4:6)

Paul is doing is drawing on an ancient belief among God’s people. They believed that when God said,“Let there be Light,” this was the original Light that that creation was to live by. The ancients called this Light, ‘the Light of Life’. 

The Hebrew people had other names for the original Light. They said that ‘Light‘ is one of the names of Messiah, in that God Himself is called ’the Light of the world.’

Even the term ‘sun‘ was sometimes used metaphorically to speak of God and His Messiah.

You hear a bit of this from the Prophet Malachi:

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (Mal 4:2)

“I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” (Isa 42:6-7)

Now let’s take this on and talk about…

The Light that shines in the darkness

When Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world,” His words did not fall on unknowing ears. Many of the Jewish leaders knew exactly what Jesus was drawing from, and they did not like it.

While His words fell on those unbelieving ears that loved the darkness, they also fell on believing ears.

Those in Israel who believed in Jesus were being prepared to enter into God’s new creation. Jesus called His kingdom, ‘a kingdom not of this world.’

This new world would be the heavenly Israel of God, that is, God’s holy people, the church of the new covenant. (This is what the analogy of the Vine and the branches is about. The Vine represents God’s true heavenly Israel.)

It would be a world of pure grace. It would be a world of unqualified love. This new world life would have its beginning stages in this present life but would culminate in the life to come. This life would be a journey of life. We are on our way home.

The Powers of the Age to Come

This is why the apostolic writers said that true believers today are actually partakers of the powers of life that belong to the age to come. Paul said that we have this treasure in earthen vessels.

Listen to the apostle John:

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. …

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Cf. John 1:5-14 NASB)

What does this have to do with ‘finding our way home? Good question. This brings us to…

The Redeemed Believer

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

When a person is born again a number of things happens. As the Light of Jesus enters into the believer’s heart, the Christian is given a new nature. But a problem remains. The believer becomes a spiritual being. Yet his or her personal life (soul) has to be redeveloped with spiritual values. And this is where the believer must learn to focus his attention on Jesus.

Here what often happens. When a new believer first enters the realm of salvation, there is a burst of spiritual life. There is joy! There is peace! There is wonderment! Grace flows like a river. Then somewhere along the way this feeling of joy may start to wane. Temptations begin to cloud the mind. The struggle of life becomes more difficult. A stumble. Another stumble, and then?

What is happening? Paul said that believers must learn to draw on that ‘surpassing power’ that is part of our inheritance in Christ. (Our spiritual DNA.) This is a learning experience. The believer who fails to keep his focus on Christ, is going to have many mistakes, misdeeds, and extra bits of misery in life.

The Greater is He, Principle

And this is why it is so important to understand this principle of ‘Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.’ 

The principle of ‘greater is He’, doesn’t just disappear because we had a failure or even a hundred failures in our life. It is a truth that needs to become an active principle in each believer’s walk with the Lord.

The Old Testament writer said:

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” (Pro 4:18)

The Light Shines on the Path of Life

This is also where we need to understand what the term ‘truth‘ means in the new covenant experience. In the Scriptures, the term ‘truth’ does not refer simply to a doctrine. The Greek term  is used in the new covenant for experiencing the realities of Christ. Paul said the letter kills where the Spirit gives life. No believer can live in victory by trying to live by the letter. Yet it is so easy for a Christian’s life to get bogged down in ‘letterism’.

Letterism says we need all the laws we can get to get saved and to stay saved! This is bad thinking. Paul said that every person born of God’s Spirit remains eternally under the life supervision of the Holy Spirit. This means that every failure we make will be attended to by the Spirit of God.

It is the Spirit of God who births us, seals us, tutors us, educates us, places us where we need to be, refreshes us, turns our trials, temptations, and failures into victories, helps us escape bad teachings, keeps the glory of Jesus before us and in us, and many such things. Our final presentation in heaven is a thing of the Spirit.

This is what truth is all about. Jesus explained this in His response to Thomas:

“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” (Joh 14:5-6)

The Redeemed person is a son or a daughter

Our relationship with the heavenly Father is not that of a servant. We are sons and daughters of the living God. Angels know and recognize the Holy Spirit’s seal upon every one of God’s children. The seal says, ‘Sealed for the day of redemption.’ (Eph4:30)

The Holy Spirit is to present us safely before the throne of God. This work of the Holy Spirit is so powerful, that He can and does take every situation of our life, and turn it into part of our reshaping in Christ. This is why the apostle said,

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28)

Paul also says,

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image (inward spiritual likeness) from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2Co3:18

The question is not, ‘How do we find our way home?’

Yes, the title of this blog could be challenging. That was simply to get your attention. No believer has to find his way home. You are on your way home. You are already guaranteed an entrance into heaven. Believe it or not, your name was recorded in the Lamb’s book before the foundation of the world.

So when God said, ‘Let there be Light,’ that statement reached across prophetic history and at the right moment, that Light entered into your heart. And inside you were given a shining heart.

Now, can you let your soul relax in the knowledge that Jesus is going to see you through? Can you let go of bitterness? Can you lay your past failures and mistakes where they belong? In the sea of forgetfulness.

Can you be quiet in His rest?

Can you take to heart what David said in this ascending Psalm? Listen:

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. O Israel [Christian], hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.” (Psa 131:1-3)

Other

“For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” (Heb 7:25-27)

Journal,

The point of no return can be applied to various situations, and especially in the work of redemption it has a place. I decided to draw on this term from my experience as a radioman in the Navy.

I was stationed in the Philippine Islands during the early years of the Vietnam War. (1960-62) As a radioman on a Navy Marlin-Martin P5M (Seaplane), it was our job to check on Chinese and Vietnamese shipping in the South China Sea. We flew low while taking pictures of the shipping. Was never shot at to my knowledge.

When we reached a certain point between our home base in Sangley Point and a forward safety area, I would send a secret morse code message stating, “We have reached the point of no return.” That code meant that if we were in trouble, we could not look back at our home port for help.

There was no turning back. In the event of a problem, we had to go forward to the closest safety port.

Points of No Return

There are noted ‘points of no return’ in the Scriptures. One such point of no return involves a last judgement.

Forget reincarnation or transmigration of the soul or any other such nonsense. There are no second chances after death.

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” (Heb 9:27-28) 

Take note that the judgment is for those who have rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. True believers do not have to be judged. Their judgment took place at the cross.

 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Joh 3:18)

The apostle adds to this ‘no damning judgement’ for a believer when he says,

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Rom 8:1-2)

The Biblical term for condemnation is the word ‘katakrima’ (kat-ak’ree-mah). It speaks of a judicial damnatory sentence. The reason there can never be a damming sentence against the believer is because his life has been placed in Christ. To condemn a believer, Christ would have to be condemned.

The tenses in the Greek speak in this way: ‘There is not now nor can there ever be a damnatory sentence against anyone who is in Christ Jesus.’

All of this wraps around God’s plan of redemption from the beginning. It involves the mystery of the cross in how the Father would place each believer in His Son. It is in this way that no believer could ever be separated from God’s redemption love.

Paul said it this way:

“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:37-39)

It all has to do with the cross.

The Cross is God’s Covenant of No Return

The defining point of redemption history is found in the message of the cross. The new covenant is a covenant of creation. It is not the covenant of Moses made better. The new covenant addresses a new humanity. This new humanity is made up of ‘in Christ’ believers.

The Lord said to this Jewish leader,

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (Joh 3:6-7)

The Greek term for ‘born again’ is, ‘gennao anothen.’ ‘Anothen’ means, ‘from above.’ ’Anothen‘ is a Greek modifier. It includes the idea of ‘from the beginning.’

Thus the lost man must have a heavenly rebirth that gives him a new beginning. But it is a birth that has its origin from the beginning. This is where the idea of ‘heavenly‘ comes in. The birth from above is divine in origin. It is from above.

The apostle alludes to this, when he says,

“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” (Eph 1:4,5)

God spoke through the prophet Isaiah in setting forth a new humanity made up of sons and daughters -

“Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: ‘Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons, and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.’” (Isa 45:11)

Paul is drawing on this in describing God’s new creation in Christ.

“The first man [Adam] is from the earth, earthy; the second man [Christ] is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” (1Co 15:47-49)

The Centerpiece of the New Covenant

A key issue of the new covenant is that God’s new creation people are not only hidden in Christ, but they are also given the spiritual nature of Christ. Peter makes reference to our new nature -

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1:4)

One day we will fully enjoy the total of our spiritual inheritance, but for now we are the heavenly children of God in earthly bodies.

It is important to understand this. The apostles never discounted the fact of our being in earthly bodies. Believers are still subject to issues in this present life. We struggle with temptations and with our own fleshly weaknesses at times. Yet within every believer is the source of life that helps us to overcome those things that we are confronted with.

Jesus describes this divine source of life in terms of an overflowing heart. In speaking with the woman at the well, He said,

“… but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (Joh 4:14)

One of the most powerful lessons that a believer can ever learn is the lesson of learning to draw from the deep of their own inward spiritual fountain.

The prophet of old tells us how this works. Listen carefully with your heart. This is something every believer should make part of their victory language. -

“’Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.’ Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.” (Isa 12:2-3)

And it all has to do with…

The Children of the Covenant 

John said,

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

 

“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1Jn 3:1-2)

We belong to a kingdom that is not of this world. It is a kingdom of sons and daughters. It is a kingdom of freedom. It is a kingdom where each child is treated as part of the royal family. And even when the Father brings discipline into our lives, it is always the discipline of a loving Father designed to help the child learn how to live in righteousness.

Jesus said,

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)

So, once again we hear that Jesus did not come to give us a new religion. Nor did He come to give us a visible structure by which we can find ourselves. We must learn to find ourselves with the Jerusalem from above. The kingdom we serve is invisible to the eye. No one can say, “Lo, Christ is here.” Or, “Lo, Christ is there.”

Does this mean that we should not flock ourselves together as believer. Not at all. Actually it is just the opposite. The Lord places each child in the body as it pleases Him. There will always be a proper flock for each believer to associate himself with.

Let’s look at one more issue. It has to do with …

Unique Traits of God’s ‘No Return’ People

There is identifiable traits of God’s new Adam race in Christ. Every person who is born from above has direct access to God Himself. It is this fact alone that does away a need for an intermediary ministry in the new covenant.

No single believer has more access to the divine counsels of God than does another believer. Lots of folk don’t like to hear this, but it is Biblical.

One noted weakness that can be found with many believers today is in their attempt to live the new covenant, on an old covenant level. This is why they continue to look for a prophet who can give them a word from the Lord. Any attempt to live on that level is an open door for disaster.

Listen very carefully to how Jesus describes His new covenant people;

“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one Shepherd.” (John 10:16)

Note the Lord’s emphasis on His ‘Voice.’

In the former covenant, the prophets served as the voice of God. In God’s new humanity, each person born from above, has the Voice of the Shepherd speaking into his or her life.

This is not to say that new covenant believers have no need of mature counsel. Quite the contrary. Mature guidance is especially crucial for the immature believer. But the guidance given must be only from what God has given us to say in the Scriptures.

Then we have another unique trait found in God’s new humanity. Inside each and every believer is found the ‘authorship‘ of heaven. This means that the believer carries a seal over his or her heart. And in this seal is the very presence of heaven. That is what the Spirit of Jesus is all about.

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:13-14)

It is this presence of heaven in our hearts that creates our homesickness. Every true believer knows intuitively that they are only pilgrims and strangers in this life. We know that our true home is glorious beyond words. We also know that we will have a new heavenly body and that there is nothing in this world to compare to the life that awaits us.

Listen to these Scriptures. See where they fit in your life –

“But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.” (Gal 4:26)

 

 

“For he [Abraham] was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Heb 11:10)

 

 

“But as it is, they [Old Testament believers] desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:16)

 

 

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:20-21)

 

 

“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven…” (2Co 5:1-2)

Here is a song for your meditation. If you have not surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus, now is the time. Let this song be your prayer.

In Christ always,

Buddy

Other

“For some men, straying from these things, have turned to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully….” (1Tim1:6-8)

Journal,

Of the 160 studies that I’ve provided on my blog there is one that I place at the very top of what I consider the most important entry. It has to do with the very heart of God’s eternal covenant in Christ.

Many do not realize that the new covenant is a marriage contract. Many more do not understand why the covenant of Moses and God’s new covenant in Christ are not to be meshed together. 

Those who like to say that the new covenant is merely the covenant of Moses, renewed, have little understanding of what the new covenant is really about. This is why it is on my heart to provide the original study a second time. Please take time for this study. It may bring a turning point in your theology of the cross.

Let’s begin with why would Paul say the Law is good if one uses it lawfully? The apostle is saying that the Law of Moses has to be viewed through the lens of the new covenant. Whereas the Law of Moses can serve as a text-book in many respects, it cannot be used in place of the covenant of Christ. Each covenant is distinct in itself.

Paul’s point is that while the Law of Moses contained wonderful truths of God, yet much of the Law of Moses is simply not applicable to the covenant of Christ. The reason is that both Laws are marriage contracts. We are espoused to the resurrected Lord of glory. Israel of the Old Testament did not have that privilege.

Paul speaks with regard to those in Israel who rejected Jesus, as being the Israel after the flesh. The King James Version says it this way: 1 Corinthians 10:18;

But Israel after the flesh; are not those which eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?” (1Co10:18)

The covenant of the husband…

Let’s go to the prophet Jeremiah, where the Lord explains the new covenant … 

Behold, days are coming, ‘declares the Lord,’ when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers … My covenant which they broke, although I was a *HUSBAND* to them.” (Jer31:31,32 Caps for emphasis.)

Notice God says that the new covenant would not be like the covenant of Moses. Why? There would be a death of Israel’s husband, which would nullify the former marriage contract. (The Man on the cross was the God of Israel manifest in the Son.) From the cross would come a new creation. This new marriage covenant would be a marriage between the Messiah and His elect. (Holy begotten ones.)

This new order will take up the name Christian, which means, ‘belonging to Christ.’ (Isaiah 65:15 speaks of a new name to be given God’s people.)

This new order would have its own marriage contract that would be suitable to it. Jesus said we cannot put new wine into old wine skins. The covenant of Moses was never intended for a new creation people. It was designed for an earthly people until the Christ should come.

Now continue with Jeremiah … 

“But this is the covenant which I will make … I will put MY LAWS within them and on their heart I will write it…” (Vs33)

Each covenant contained a heart issue. In the new covenant each person born from above receives into their heart the very Spirit of Christ, who, in turn, works and writes new covenant laws into their heart. It is the imprinting of God’s wonderful truths that helps us to process life as we should. In the covenant of the Law, God wrote on stone tablets.

Again notice the Lord did not say He would put the Law of Moses within His new covenant people, rather He would write His Laws or His instructions in them.  (The Hebrew word ‘torah’ often translated as ‘law’ simply means ‘instructions’ or ‘teachings.’)

I need to repeat this for the sake of understanding – The law of Moses was the law of the husband given at Sinai. In the new covenant we are under a new law, which is called ‘the law of Christ.’ It is a new marriage contract, without any curses. And yet, both the law of Moses and the law of Christ contain eternal laws (truths) of God.

The song of Moses and the Lamb.

The covenant of Moses did not have the spiritual love factors built into it that are contained in the new covenant. Love was commanded, but it was not fulfilled. Why? Because the defect of Adam’s sin still rested upon the people. Before the cross, no person could meet the spiritual expressions that are found in the new covenant.

This is why Peter said,

And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” (1Pe1:8)

Listen to Moses as he sings this song over Old Testament Israel;

They have acted corrupted toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deu32:5)

Peter alludes to this song on the day of Pentecost. The song of Moses and the Lamb is a prophetic song. It reaches across the generations and fulfills itself in the Lord Jesus Himself. In the book of Revelation it is called ‘the song of Moses and the Lamb.’

And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,  ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!’” (Rev 15:3 NASB)

The defect of Adam…

What did Moses mean by their ‘defect?’ This reflects on the fall of Adam. All humans on this planet inherited that defect. The best religion in the world, and Israel had the best, could not remove the defect. Only the cross could do that.

This is also why the new covenant cannot essentially be classified as a religion. It is a living union between God and His people. This is a love union. However, if we wish to call Christianity a religion we must reckon it as ‘the religion of the Bible.’ (We have far too many manmade synthetic ‘sectarian’ religions.)

This is also why God’s people began to tire of religion. When believers go from Church to Church, it isn’t necessarily that they are being rebellious. Often they just don’t understand that what they are looking for cannot be found in any religion. Find the truth, and God will flock you where you belong.

Paul was a Christian Hebraist

Let’s return to Paul’s teaching on Law. One problem we have in the study of Scriptures is our distance from the writers. We are not familiar with the thought form, with the customs, or with the word usages, along with many other things that belonged to the early Church, or to the new covenant. Because of this, we tend to lose sight of distinctions being made.

When we see the term ‘the Law of God’ in New Testament writings, we automatically think ‘Law of Moses.’ In many cases the Law of Moses is in view, but not always.

Let’s see the distinctions. Paul puts three distinct Laws together in one portion of Scriptures. Listen carefully to the language that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 9:19-21. (The numbers (1), (2), etc. will be explained.)

To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win the Jews; to those who are under the Law(1), as under the Law(1) though not being myself under the Law(1), so that I might win those who are under the Law(1); to those who are without law(4), as without law(4), though not being without the law of God(2) but under the law of Christ(3), so that I might win those who are without law(4).

Do you see the distinctions? Read it carefully in your Bible and these four law usages  stand out.

(1) Is a reference to the Law of Moses. (2) Is with regard to the law of God. (3) Is to the law of Christ. And, (4) is to those with no regard to any law.

Now compare this to Romans 2:14,15, says,

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law(1) do instinctively the things of
the Law(1&2), these, not having the Law(1), are a law(2) to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law(1&2) written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness…”

 

(1&2) is used to show that the Law of Moses had encoded in it many of God’s eternal laws. And yet, the Law of Moses itself is not in itself the eternal Law of God. The Law of Moses was for that moment, and for that marriage.

The curse is removed in Christ.

And so, it wasn’t the Laws of Moses that was written in the hearts of these Gentiles. It would have been God’s eternal laws, or the Law of God. The eternal law of God can be encapsulated in one expression, ‘the law of love.’ The law (walk) of love fulfills all that the law of Moses pointed to. (God would not write into the hearts of the Gentiles a covenant that had to do with Israel alone.)

Again we come to the fact that the Law of Moses was essentially a marriage contract between Israel and God. No other nation had a part in that contract. A great part of the Law of Moses had to do with the land, with temple worship, with blessings and curses of the marriage. Understand this and it will help you understand the new covenant better.

And so what did Paul mean, when he said,

But we know that the Law [of Moses] is good, if one uses it lawfully?”

Or, what did Paul mean, when he said, “…the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life?”

The apostle is showing that in much of the Law of Moses you will find wonderful things that pertain to the Lord Himself. But the Law of Moses cannot be used as an instrument of righteousness because it was written for an earthly people. The covenant of Christ is purposed for a heavenly people. (Those who are born of God’s Spirit.)

Listen carefully:

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2Co 3:5-6 NASB)

The Law of Moses was a covenant of the letter. The new covenant is entirely a covenant of the Spirit. Each covenant served a different purpose.

Hear it from two of our apostles:

John – “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:16-17 NASB)

Paul – “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death [Law of Moses]. For what the Law [of Moses] could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law [of righteousness] might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom 8:2-4 NASB)

Removing the bruise

Is it any wonder that so many Christians are being bruised by those who do not understand the covenant of Christ, or the love of Christ, or the forgiveness of Christ; those who keep reaching back into the Law of Moses and use it as a whipping post to bring condemnation upon God’s children.

And so we need to hear it again:

For some men, straying from these things, have turned to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully….” (1Tim1:6-8)

The Lord Himself said,

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Gen3:15)

My word to any minister who is using the Law of Mose to beat up on God’s people is simple -

Stop bruising God’s people. They have been bruised enough by the world. Jesus took their place. If you have been led astray in your on teachings, take your heart to the Lord for forgiveness and cleansing. (Both Paul and James said that ministers would receive a stricter judgment.)

Think about it.

Please take time to listen to the message in this video:

Always your servant in Christ,

Buddy

Other

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph 2:4-10)

Journal,

It is so important to get the message of salvation right. Salvation in Christ is not something we can earn. Nor is our salvation something that we keep by our own personal goodness or performance. Salvation is based on one thing alone. It is based on God’s love. And God’s love displayed on the cross.

The finished work of the cross means that our salvation is finished. There is nothing to be added to it. There is nothing that can take away from it.

The apostle said,

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Rom 5:6-10)

The Major Fault Line

The major fault-line with any belief system that fails to accord with the finished work of the cross will always result in a life of full of doubt and uncertainty. Rather than living in blessed assurance, a  works-righteousness system of belief holds people in the sway of uncertainties. At what point can I really know that I am really saved? 

It is important to understand that God’s love is eternal and that our salvation can never be based on our ability to do points of goodness. The love of God serves as the basis for all His actions towards us. Our salvation was completed at the cross. This is why the apostle John said,

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1Jn4:10)

Paul adds -

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing by the Holy Spirit.” (Tit3:5)

The Lord of Always

The point is that the apostles were given a love message to carry into the entire world. This is why the subject of ‘love’ is found so much in their writings. Paul said it best:

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom8:38,39)

Let’s give a perspective on Jesus being the Lord of always. How about if you could be in your child’s future, always in the background, yet never diminishing your child’s freedom of choice. You would be there to help in whatever the need may call for. Would you be willing to be there? Well, you can’t do that, but God can.

The Lord gave David insight into this awesome area. David said,

“O Lord, You have search me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.” (Psa139)

David said such knowledge was too wonderful for him.

But what is it about God’s love that is so incomprehensible? We know that only too well. We have all found that God’s love surrounds us. God’s love reaches into our pits and draws us out. How we’ve been ashamed of a misdeed, wondering how God could ever love us still, and yet, in our turning to Him, we found He was ever there. In fact He had never left us.

The prophet Micah spoke to this -

“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love … You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham…” (Micah 7:18-20)

Unchanging love is the catch phrase.

Jesus expresses God’s eternal love in saying,

“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you, abide in My love.” (John 15:9)

Yes, we Christians have such passion over the love of God. After all you don’t hear Muslims singing, ‘Mohammed, lover of my soul.’

The Mystery of Our Tomorrows

Once again we need to take a deeper look at the finished work of the cross. Herein is a great mystery that goes far beyond our ability to understand. God is the God of our yesterdays, of our todays, and of our tomorrows. This means that God is already in our future before we get there. He has made a provision for every situation we may face.

God has no limitations on time and space. He sees our entire life before it unfolds in time. He knows every trial, every failure, every disappointment, every temptation, and every bad choice we will ever make. Does this mean there will be no consequences for all the bad that we may do? It doesn’t mean that at all. Every choice we make will always bring consequences for those choices, whether good or bad.

But here is the wonder. God is the God of our tomorrows. Even in the life that we have not yet lived, the Lord has provided the wherewithal for us to overcome in all that we may have to deal with. Arrangements have already been made for our future.

Stop and think about it — Every trial we will ever walk through, every sorrow we will ever face, and every bad choice we will ever make, God has already made a way to turn all this into His glory. There is nothing in our life that is left to chance.

This is included is what Paul had to say -

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:28-32)

How does the story of our salvation end? Do you remember the Scriptures I used in introducing this study? Look at them again. Paul says that we have already been seated with Christ in the heavenly places. The story has already been written. In God’s story you are already in heaven.

Here it is again:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph 2:4-10)

Be encouraged my friend. Jesus really does love you and He is going to help you see things through to the end.

Take time for this song. The Lord wants to speak to your heart.

In Christ Always,

Buddy

Other

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13:20-21)

Journal,

Sometimes religion can become a road block to a meaningful spiritual life. One struggle many believers have is in trying to find the perfect religion. They go from one group to another trying to find God’s blue print for life. The problem is that no institution on earth has the blueprint of God. To begin with there is no such thing as the perfect religion. And secondly, Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world. [It can’t be found in an earthly form.]

Roman Catholics don’t have God’s blueprint. Southern Baptists, nor Pentecostals, nor Messianism have heaven’s blue print. The blueprint came to us from God and it can only be found one place. It can only be found in the heart.

Jesus is heaven’s blueprint. He said,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)

Living life without the blueprint

Most believers today are spiritually mature enough to realize that God has people throughout the varied Christian groupings. Yet you always have those who live spiritually shallow lives because of their misconceptions about how to walk with God. Their walk is ‘religion-centered.’ Without even realizing it, they have placed their religion between themselves and God.

These are the, ‘Lo, Christ is here’ people. Jesus spoke of them:

“And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him … ” (Mar 13:21-22)

So, the question remains. If the blueprint of heaven can’t be found with any religious group, where then do we find Christ? The apostle said it very well:

“… the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

 “We proclaim Him [Christ], admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” (Col 1:26-28)

The Bible says that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And God wants each believer to find their own…

Completeness in Christ

It really isn’t a matter so much of where you attend church. God does place His people into flocks. Simply be where the Lord wants you to be.

What is important is that believers understand the essence of God’s heavenly covenant. The new covenant is an eternal covenant that gives us eternal life. The people of the new covenant are a heavenly people. They are a people born of heaven. They are given a heavenly directed heart. (That is what being born again actually means.)

Jesus is the heart and soul of the new eternal covenant. His life is our life. It is His life that we live. This means that new covenant life is an under tutorship of the Spirit of Christ.

Listen very carefully once again:

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13:20-21)

Paul explains this very well when he says,

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is not longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal2:20)

Learn to believe God’s way

It takes time to learn how to live in kingdom life. A difficulty we often have is in reading our own belief system into the Scriptures. We read it that way because we want to believe it that way. This is called eisegesis, or ‘reading into.’ This form of reading can mar a person’s spiritual life. Rather than let God speak to our hearts, we rush through the Scriptures to bolster what we want to believe.

The proper way to read the Scripture is called exegesis, or ‘reading out of.’

To properly understand what a Biblical writer means when he uses a certain term, we have to understand how that term was used during his time. When John says,

“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace,” we need to know how the term ’fullness’ was used at that time.

The word ‘pleroma‘ means ‘that which fills,’ and it comes from ‘pleroo‘, or, ‘ to fill with a content.’

Pleroma as used by the gospel writers had a two-fold meaning. It meant that believers have been brought into a fullness in Christ’s sphere of life. In this case there is nothing we need to do to be any closer to God, than being ‘in Christ.’ This fullness of our sphere of relationship takes place in the new birth. It is not some later added spiritual experience.

This Greek word also means that believers are filled absolutely by the Person of Christ as the giver of life. No believer has more of Christ than another believer. It is here that we get the idea of Christ living out His life in us. The apostle said that the one who belongs to Christ is one spirit with HIm.

Let’s take another example. Paul said,

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled (pleroo) the law.” (Rom13:8)

Paul is saying that the love of God that is poured out in our hearts in the new birth, is the governing principle of the new covenant, and that by walking in the Spirit of love we automatically fulfill, or reach the full goal of the intent of the Law of Moses. Paul’s point is that Christ has removed any need for performing rituals. Anyone can do a ritual, but only those truly born of God’s Spirit have the capacity to fulfill the love walk.

Made complete in Christ

There is a last sense in the word ‘pleroma‘ which has to do with completeness, or to finish up a thing. This is a very important concept. Listen carefully:

“For of His fullness (pleorma; or, ‘completeness’) we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” (Joh 1:16-17)

Completeness means there is nothing you can add to make it any more complete.

At the very moment of the new birth, a believer is made complete in Christ. No one can take away from that. Nor is there anything to add to that. This is the sum and substance of the new covenant.

It is because of this sum and substance, that John said we are given “grace upon grace.” Grace upon grace means that at no time in a believer’s life will he or she be able to get beyond God’s redeeming grace.

Hear again the apostle;

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He *lavished* on us, in all wisdom and insight.” (Eph1:7,8)

The key word is ‘lavished.’ Perisseuo means a super abundance, or be over and above anything needed or required. God can lavish grace on all His children because we have received the fullness of Christ.

Putting on Christ

This issue of Christ being our completeness was a struggle for the early believers, just as it is for many today. They had the Judaizers who said you must fulfill the law of Moses to be right with God. Then you had the Gnostics and philosophers who took to themselves as being the ‘special’ ones on the earth, that one must come to them to have fulfillment.

These kinds of religious systems have always been around.

John disarmed both groups when he said,

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

He then says,

“By this, love is perfected (brought to completion) with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He [Christ] is, so also are we in this world.” (1John4:15,17)

John is saying Christ perfectly represents every believer in heaven. And this is where our salvation lies. You can also refer to this as the life exchange of the cross. Christ took our life to Himself in His death on the cross, and, He, in turn, gave us His perfect life to be our standing with heaven.

Heaven’s GPS

And now for the path finder. Folk often wonder what specific role the Holy Spirit has in a believer’s life. There are many specifics to be had but the one most important to our walk of faith is how the Holy Spirit acts as our guide in our journey from earth to heaven.

Listen to these Scriptures:

“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.” (Joh 16:12-14)

The Greek term for ‘truth’ speaks of an unveiled reality or the very essence of a matter. Here the Lord is calling attention to matters of the kingdom.

Notice Jesus said, “Whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

How real is this? Most believers are familiar with what Jesus said about His sheep –

“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (Joh 10:26-29)

The point is that God’s people have the capacity to hear the Spirit of Christ speaking in their own hearts, also in providence, also in ways to many to mention. But once again, here is where spiritual maturity must come into place.

The prophet described how very real God’s speaking is:

“Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isa 30:20-21)

The Way of God

When Jesus said that He was ‘the Way’, this term resounded with prophetic overtones. In time the disciples saw the connection, the very connection that we need to see. This is why the earliest believers often referred to their walk as ‘the Way.’

Listen to the Psalmist as he describes both God speaking and how the Messiah sets forth the way of God:

“I will hear what God the LORD will say; for He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones; but let them not turn back to folly.

“Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Lovingkindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.

“Indeed, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its produce. Righteousness will go before Him and will make His footsteps into a way.” (Psa 85:8-13)

And so, we are back to where we started. Ok – One more time – Listen with your heart to our beginning Scripture portion –

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13:20-21)

Does this Scripture speak to you? Take your time. Let it sink in.

There is no truth more important to a believer than to understand the reality or truth of kingdom life. That truth is simply, “Christ in you the hope of glory.”

Here is your meditation song. ‘Thank You, Lord’ by Hillsong. (Why not relax and let Jesus minister to your heart.)

In Christ always,

Buddy

Other