The Mighty Privileges of Faith

It is by faith, simple faith in Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, that people’s souls are made free. It is by receiving Christ, trusting Christ, committing ourselves to Christ, placing our whole weight on Christ–it is by this, and by no other plan, that spiritual liberty is made our own. Mighty as the privileges are which those who are free in Christ possess, they all become a person’s property on the day that they first believe. They may not yet know their full value, but they are all their own. They that believe in Christ are not condemned, rather they are justified, are born again, are an heir of God, and have everlasting life.

~ J.C. Ryle

It is interesting to look at the nature of our salvation and see our total dependence on Christ, our total need for grace and the total requirement of faith. Salvation, top to bottom, is designed to take us out of the equation "so that no man should boast". Yes we need to exercise our faith. Yes we need to respond to God's prompting and pleading. But all of that, I dare say, is secondary to Jesus' primary work on our behalf.

I'm beginning to realize that we really don't know how bad and pervasive sin is. We don't know how much we really don't want God to tell us what to do. He has protected us so much, he has graced us so profoundly that we think that there is something intrinsic in us that is seeking after Him. If there is one ounce of desire for God in your heart and mind, that thought, that impulse came from God.

Thankfully, God is continuing to call people to Himself.  As this day dawns, it is another day God has made available for us to respond in the faith that He graciously provides. So whether today is the day we put our trust in Christ for the first time, for the first time realizing that everything depends on Him or today is another day we wake up and praise, thank and worship God for all that He has given us in Christ, let us each rejoice!

To God Alone be the Glory

Do Our Lives Add Up?

For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 1 Th 2:11-12

I'm reading a book which has as one of its underlying premises that Christianity must be changed / reformed / returned to its original state since most people who call themselves Christians don't live what they profess, or at least what the label "Christian" implies. Without going into a critique of the book (visible vs invisible Church, the effects of indwelling sin, Christ's sovereign power to build His church) I was tweaked by a small choice of words that I read in My Utmost for His Highest today. Chambers, in comparing mountain top (i.e. deeply spiritual) experiences to a believer's everyday life, he said "Their lives don't add up". And while its conclusions may be misguided, the book I mentioned earlier observes a very similar thing. Sadly, the lives of many Christians don't add up.

At this point I am tempted to throw out some verses. 1 Th 2:11-12 is above. Eph 4, Rom 12, Mt 5, Isa 58 also come to mind. But I will leave it up to you, at the Spirit's prompting, to reflect on these and other passages. Because I would maintain that the entire New Testament and probably most of the Old Testament doesn't make sense if we are not "all in". Read the book of Acts. Whether its Peter or Paul, what they endure for the gospel is incoherent if they simply viewed the faith as some add on to their already pretty good lives. Look at the urgency and passion in the epistles, Words like urge and anguish, unceassing and constant, confident and assured are littered across the pages. Clearly the expectation was (and is) that anyone who would follow Christ would really follow Him. Remember what a disciple was back in Jesus' day. A disciple was some one who left whatever profession they were in to follow someone (usually a rabbi) for a period of time and immerse themselves in his life and teaching so that at the end of the training they would be just like their teacher. Sound familiar?

So the bottom-line is simply this: Do our lives add up? I am confident that the Holy Spirit will gladly answer that question for you and for me. And, He will provide the means for each of us to move from where we are to where God wants us to be.

To God Alone be the Glory

Tuesdays from Phil 1 - God Finishes What He Starts

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Phil 1:6

To be honest, I find the familiar passages more difficult to comment on than the more obscure ones. The less reflected upon a verse or passage is, the comfortable I find myself. Maybe that's due to a lesser chance of critique when few are unfamiliar with a text. Or, maybe its due to a fear that I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said, said more accurately and more eloquently. But, both the fear of critique and the fear of irrelevance have their roots in pride. So, I trust that God will use a time like this to both bless His people but also root out the sometimes pervasive pride in my life.

I share this in part to be transparent with those who read this blog, but also as a way to testify that God is at work even now bringing to completion the work He began in us. I know we need to be careful and to understand the Paul is ultimately looking at the full completion Christ will accomplish on our behalf on the day of His return. Yet isn't all of our journey, including our death, part of the process of being completed? Yes there will be a glorious day when the perishable puts on the imperishable, but aren't there hundreds and thousands of days where we become a little more Christ-like in this life?

I think this verse has two time horizons. The first is the end state, the 1 Cor 15, resurrected body, walking on streets of gold, fully complete, gloried person. And, we should praise God that we can be sure that He will do and accomplish this. If He can't, or won't or is given to changing His mind, our faith is useless. But I would also submit there is a second time horizon. Or maybe a better comparison is traveling from New York to LA. You can take a 747, get on and go. Once you are on the plane, if you trust the pilot and equipment and the security folks, you are on your way. Or you can drive in your family vehicle, stopping in Philly and Pittsburg, maybe Chicago or St Louis, Denver or Salt Lake anyone? How about stopping at Gettysburg or Cedar Point or the Arch. What about skiing or picnicking or a hundred other activities along the way. Eventually, however, if you trust your driver and your mechanic and your GPS, you will also arrive in LA.

Our lives are on the secure-in-Christ, fast track to glory. God said it. I believe it. That settles it.  But our lives are also on the cross country journey to glory. There are detours. There are diversions. There may be car trouble. Paul's point here is not to belabor the what or where or the why, but to get our focus back on the Who. God started our journey and He wlll make sure we finish it. Why? Because He's God.

So whether you need to be gently (or abruptly) reminded that God will absolutely, positively get us where we are going or you need to know that the Spirit travels with us on the day to day journey of life and He will ultimately get us where we need to go, this verse (and this Book) is for you.

One final note. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that all of Paul's (and my) confidence is pointed to those who are on the journey. If God has begun the work in you, He will complete it. No doubt. But if He has not yet begun the work, that is where you must start. Look to Christ, even just ahead in Philippians 2 or in John or the other gospels. See what He has to say and the faith He asks from us, but also graciously provides to us (Eph 2:4-10). Trust me, this is one journey you don't want to miss!

To God Alone be the Glory

Happy Anniversary - belated, of course

I noticed over the weekend that this blog has survived its first year. This is only by the shear grace of God, since the general tendency of my life is to start strong but fade as things become routine and other, newer things come into play. For nostalgia's sake, I re-read my first post and found it as powerful as when I wrote it. Clearly God's Word doesn't ebb or fade.

Coincidently, I also participated in a Bible study that worked through Heb 10. Since the overall title of this blog is "Drawing Near", I took a moment to reflect on the connections between that verse (Heb 10:22) and the goals and objectives I have for this blog.

Two things immediately stand out to me.  First is that drawing near to God is a privilege that Jesus has purchased for us at the cost of his life through his High Priestly role. Yet, this is an action verb, not a passive one, so in some sense, we must participate in drawing near to God who has drawn near to us through the life, death and resurrection of his Son. Second, our drawing near is done in full assurance of faith. I submit this represents both the means and also the measure of our drawing near.  We can only draw near to God through faith and while that faith doesn't have to be the rock-solid, never-doubting, world-conquering, Jim Elliot kind of faith it does need to have the full assurance that Jesus is who He says He is and He accomplished what He needed to accomplish and that God is satisfied in Him.

Strange is it that where misery was concentrated mercy reigned; where sorrow reached her climax weary souls find rest. The Saviour bruised is the healing of bruised hearts. See how the lowliest penitence gives place to assured confidence through simply gazing at Christ on the cross! - C.H. Spurgeon

To God Alone be the Glory

Edwards' Resolutions - week 14

My I intention, by God's grace, to post one of Jonathan Edward's 73 resolutions each Monday. As I read the list, it is convicting to me that I can only handle them in small doses, while Edwards reviewed the whole list each week The entire list of Edward's resolutions can be found here: the-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards

To God Alone be the Glory

Preamble:

Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him, by his grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.

Resolution 14:

Resolved, Never to do any thing out of revenge.

 

If You Had Known.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" Mt 23:37

"Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes." Lk 19:42

“If you had known . . . .” God’s words here cut directly to the heart, with the tears of Jesus behind them. These words imply responsibility for our own faults. God holds us accountable for what we refuse to see or are unable to see because of our sin. And “now they are hidden from your eyes” because you have never completely yielded your nature to Him. Oh, the deep, unending sadness for what might have been! God never again opens the doors that have been closed. He opens other doors, but He reminds us that there are doors which we have shut-doors which had no need to be shut. Never be afraid when God brings back your past. Let your memory have its way with you. It is a minister of God bringing its rebuke and sorrow to you. God will turn what might have been into a wonderful lesson of growth for the future. - Oswald Chambers My Utmost For His Highest April 3

I am a firm believer in the sovereignty of God.  It is a non-negotiable for me. I am also a firm believer in the responsibility of mankind. A contradiction? Perhaps in our minds, but without these two realities both being true, the Bible is incoherent and all we get from our theologies are caricatures.

Take the destruction of Jerusalem. Who's to blame? The citizens, since they rejected Christ and the prophets that proceeded him? Or God since Jesus even says the way out is now hidden from them? If you pick the people you make them the final arbiters of their fate and God is simply a hand wringing judge, hoping His people do the right thing. However, if you pick God, then the people are mere pawns and God is a mean orge without and real grace or mercy. But what if it is both? God, through Christ extending his hand saying "Turn, turn. I don't delight in the death of the wicked" and yet also saying "if you reject me, I will reject you" And the people saying "I do believe, help my unbelief" and "Be merciful to me, a sinner", and "we have no god but Caesar" and "we have Abraham as our father".

But what about us? What difference does this make today, in 2011? Two thoughts:

1) God is still (and always) sovereign. Earthquake in Japan? Turmoil in the Middle East? Political and societal disarray in America? God is still (and always) sovereign over it all. Are His purposes easy to fathom? No. Are His motives easy to fathom? Yes. (See Rom 8)

2) Man is still (and always) responsible. This might be the harder pill to swallow, because if God is sovereign in a black and white sense, then I'm off the hook. But I'm not. I must believe. I must put to death the work of the flesh. I must put on the new self. I must share my faith. I must preach the gospel. I must keep myself in the love of Christ. All of this, of course in the context of Phil 2:12-13.

So today, live your life with fear and trembling, but also with joy and hope. We each messed up yesterday and yesterday is gone. Confess what needs to be confessed and know that as believers our sins are forgiven in Christ. And now move into the new day, ready to serve the One who has called us, redeemed us, empowered us, prepared the path for us and will always be with us.

To God Alone be the Glory

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Phil 2:12-13

Delighting in Leviticus?

I happen to be reading through Leviticus as part of my Bible reading plan, so I thought it was very interesting when I ran across the following post Colin Hansen on the Gospel Coalition blog: Daring to Delight in Leviticus.

The post is essentially an interview with Jay Sklar, associate professor of Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary.His references are on the blog linked above, but interestingly, he is one of authors of the ESV Study Bible's notes on Leviticus. While the post is longish, I found it intriguing for a couple of reasons. 1) We need to understand Leviticus (or any OT book) in its OT context first then its connections to the gospel are much more solid. 2) grace permeates the Levitical system.

Here is an excerpt from the final question:

Would you caution preachers and teachers in any way as they proclaim Jesus from this book? 

In light of the previous answer, there are at least two cautions. First, law must be set in the context of redemption. When this is not done—and when we preach on law it usually is not!—we become moralists: “Do this! Don’t do that!” Someone who is soaked in the gospel of grace—and who remembers the context!—takes a different approach: “In light of what the Lord has done for you, do this; in light of who your redeeming Lord is and who he has called you to be, don’t do that.” A moralist leaves you with the feeling that there are things you must or must not do to earn the Lord’s favor. A gospel preacher or teacher leaves you with the feeling that the Lord’s favor has been so richly shown in his redemptive acts that the only proper response is grateful and loving obedience to him. 

The second caution is simply to remember that proclaiming Jesus does not mean one stops at the cross. As the above makes clear, Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross is always the starting point for Christian preaching. By this I do not mean that every message must have a separate point that mentions Calvary; rather, I mean that God’s redemption in Jesus is the context of the message (see above). But what must be remembered is that Jesus has not simply saved us from something, he also calls us to something. He calls us torespond to his redemptive grace in every aspect of our lives; he call us to be that “kingdom of priests and holy nation.”

To God Alone be the Glory