Done, Not Done

It is an inescapable truth of this earthly existence:

what gets done doesn't usually remain done.  

A young mother posted on Facebook the other day - - - she felt the satisfaction of her laundry being done and her house clean.  She felt that for a brief, shining few moments.  Then, the other family members returned home, and the cycle began again.

Earlier this month, I filed my household's taxes, after weeks of hunting, gathering, organizing and tallying....lots of tallying.  April 15th looms each year.  On January 1st, the record-keeping begins again.

You can probably think of a similar process in your own life.  It may produce a certain amount of comfort - - that sameness, that repetition.  On the other hand, it may be like tax prep, producing extreme dread and angst.

Some have said, "Nothing is certain but death and taxes."  I've had an abundance of both this month.
But, there is one thing on which I never again have to take action, and that is to prepare for my own death.  Oh, I'm not talking about wills or trusts or funeral arrangements.  In fact, I'm not even talking about physical death.

We recently studied here about the layout and meaning of items in the ancient Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple.  The ritual sacrifices to address the sins of the Hebrew people went on and on and on, day after day, until Jesus Christ cried from the cross, "It is finished!" (John 19:30).

Today, we are in Hebrews 10:11-14 (ESV), with verse 14 being the key verse.

11And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ^b had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

See? The author of Hebrews contrasts the seemingly endless actions of Levitical priests over the centuries with the once-for-all-time work of our High Priest, Jesus.  He came to be that "single offering" of verse 14. He has purchased with His blood all who will receive Him as Savior.  His blood does what (verse 4) the blood of bulls and goats could never do!  It also does what I, myself, on my own power, could never do.

One offering.  One time.  And now, it is finished, forever.

My pastor preached on 1 Peter 1:8-9 this morning, but reached out and grabbed this verse, Hebrews 10:14.  I want to share this point he made.  This eternal sacrifice Jesus made is inexhaustible!  It never runs out.

Have you ever waited in line for something wonderful only to find that when it was your turn....there was no more?  Perhaps at the potluck, after enjoying the entrees and sides you lumbered over to the dessert table only to find....that banana pudding you had had your eye on....was all gone.

Oh hallelujah! There is always room at the cross!  Jesus will never turn away anyone who comes to Him in repentance for salvation.  His blood is always enough, always sufficient to cleanse EVERY sin, always available up until the moment of physical death.

This is why I sorrow at the loss of my loved ones this month, but not as those who have no certain assurance.  Both of my loved ones died having been justified by the blood of their Savior.  I'm so grateful that God gave them grace, gave me grace so that I, too, have been cleansed, redeemed, justified through Jesus' once-for-all sacrifice.

While I will likely know physical death (unless Jesus returns to Earth in my lifetime) I will never know spiritual death.  As Hebrews 10:23 says, "He who promised is faithful."  It is the faithfulness of God that assures my eternal salvation, not my own faithfulness (thank God!)
Let's take up the Scriptures again, this time starting with our key verse, the last verse from the earlier passage.
Hebrews 10:14-17 (ESV).

14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16“This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws on their hearts,

and write them on their minds,"

17then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Believers in Jesus Christ, listen to me:  your enemy, that old serpent, the devil wants you to believe that you can fall from grace, that you weren't truly saved, that you aren't "good enough" to serve Him....and any number of other lies ... because he was a liar, a deceiver (and a murderer from the beginning, according to Jesus).  Don't you dare listen to that accuser who wants more than anything to steal your peace and joy!

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ - - - our God only sees Jesus' blood when He looks at us.  He "remembers your sins and your lawless deeds no more".  You are forgiven.  It is finished.

However, He loves you too much to allow you to wallow around in unconfessed sin, day after day.
He loves you too much to leave you bound up in the snares, the traps that old devil sets for you and into which you frequently fall.  Because of His great love, He calls you to confess your sins regularly, because that confession is part of His sanctification process...the process where He more and more writes His words from the Bible on your heart and in your mind. The Holy Spirit longs to rule and reign in your life, making you day-by-day, as you confess your daily sins, more and more like your Savior.

Done, yet not done.  Finished, yet a work in progress.

There is a commercial running currently.  It's for Clorox bleach.  The little boy is so excited to show his mama that he has "gone potty" successfully.  Only problem is....he has gone in the bathtub.  The camera cuts from the mother's horrified face to a jug of Clorox bleach slamming down onto a surface. I'm reminded of that when I think of confession and sanctification.

Every Believer's salvation is secure.  It is forever finished, complete, flawlessly executed.  But, our sanctification begins at the moment of our salvation.  From the inside out, God's Spirit moves in us, molding us, shaping us more and more into His image, the One who died for us, the One we adore. How glorious!

Father, as this evening closes, I am humbly grateful for my eternal salvation, which You and only You gave me so many years ago.  And, I am deeply sorry for the ways I have fallen short of your standard today. While I know that all my sins, past, present and future, are forgiven, I surely do hate to disappoint you through my sinful choices, as well as by my unintentional lurches into a ditch of sin.   Thank you for allowing me to apologize and for continuing to create in me a clean heart, day by day. I know and strongly affirm that only You, Holy Spirit, can accomplish salvation and then sanctification, can produce holiness of any sort in this sin-beleaguered soul.  It is because of this truth that I give You, my God, ALL the glory for any good thing that arises out of me.  The only resplendence that could be attributed to me ... is because of You, my Savior.  And, that is why it is so easy for me to give You all the glory and honor and praise for what You have done and for what You are continuing to do in me and in this world.
In Jesus' name, amen.

Milk Drinkers

I love milk.  Actually, I love all dairy products.  They do not "love me", however.  Unfortunately, the lactose in dairy reacts badly with my digestive processes and produces vile odors, better left unmentioned.  As a result, I generally avoid consuming it.

Breast milk, however, is to a baby "perfect food".  In God's amazing design, the milk from the mother is designed especially for her baby.  And, get this - - - the milk changes as the baby grows and changes!  It does not remain constant over time.  Isn't that miraculous? The mother's body reacts to the baby's needs and without any conscious thought on the mother's part, adapts its "formula", if you'll pardon the pun, to the baby's needs.  Amazing!

The Holy Spirit longs to work in believers the same way, and godly preachers/Bible teachers do the same with their flocks.
We are, today, in Hebrews 5.  There are two main themes which deserve our meditation.

The first to consider comes in the latter part of the chapter.  The author of Hebrews is doing what I just described above.  In the first part of the chapter, he has been expounding upon Jesus' role as our high priest in Heaven today, as well as how He got to that position.  Then, after a bit, the author stops and declares that he needs to stop with that line of teaching because of the spiritual immaturity of the hearers.  (I sort of wonder what he would have said if he had gone on....)

11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV

What characterizes the Christian who feeds him or herself solely or mostly on milk?  The writer states that such a person, although certainly "saved" (having a relationship with Jesus Christ) cannot consistently distinguish good from evil.  Once a person receives Jesus as Savior, Satan immediately begins to hinder the Holy Spirit's attempts to train him or her in righteousness. In other words, Satan begins to frustrate the sanctification process.  Part of that involves misleading, deluding, confusing and deceiving the young Christian about what is right and what is wrong, good or evil.

Studying the Bible on one's own and under the teaching of godly teachers is foundational to moving from "milk to solid food".  The world, under Satan's control, presents a whole lot of error disguised as "truth", when it is nothing of the kind.  The Bible is the standard, God's Word.  Anything presented in conflict with the Bible is error and must be rejected.

The author of Hebrews makes it plain here that it is each believer's responsibility to "feed on truth", in order to "train" in the Christian faith under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  The elementary, foundational truths must be embraced first, because they underlie and support the more "meaty" truths.  Christians who fail to do this will become weak and ineffective, susceptible to all kinds of distracting and dangerous error.

Make healthy (spiritual) food choices.  Don't be a Christian who requires swaddling and coddling. God can only use you in ministry to the extent that you let him.  That requires "growing up" in the faith!

Heavenly Father, at this season of thanksgiving, I am thankful for your Holy Word, your revelation to us, the Bible.  For by it, we learn about You.  May we feed on it regularly, "eating a healthy diet".  In Jesus' name, amen.

We're The House

Recently, I've been involved in the examination of an old house.  It was built in 1973.  Over the years, it has seen a lot of changes.  The original garage is now a den, and there is a relatively new garage extension.  The walls have been moved to add a 3rd bedroom.  Both bathrooms have been moved.  A screened porch was added on the back several years ago.  The cabinets in the kitchen are new, as is the countertop and the flooring.  It is a house which has been much loved and developed.  As a result it bears little resemblance inside to how it was when it was brand new.  The exterior is somewhat changed, but the changes there are not as obvious.

It still has a few problems, although minor ones, since no house is perfect in all its ways.  There are still issues which must be addressed.

In today's scripture passage, we find the beautiful analogy that we are Christ's "house".

So, my dear Christian friends, companions in following this call to the heights, take a good hard look at Jesus. He’s the centerpiece of everything we believe, faithful in everything God gave him to do. Moses was also faithful, but Jesus gets far more honor. A builder is more valuable than a building any day. Every house has a builder, but the Builder behind them all is God. Moses did a good job in God’s house, but it was all servant work, getting things ready for what was to come. Christ as Son is in charge of the house.

 Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we’re the house!

(Hebrews 3:1-6 The Message)

I love The Message version of this passage.  Let's continue to take a good, hard look at the Son of God.  He is in charge of His Church, His House, that redeemed group of humans for whom He came and which has accepted His finished work of salvation.

As the One in charge, he "develops" us.  There are times he has to do some "demolition".  We can always be sure that He does it right, though - - no building code violations, no shortcuts, no shoddy workmanship.  Paul alludes to this when he tells us in Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) ...

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Let's examine our lives today and see where God is "working on" us, His beautiful house.  Are you undergoing minor repairs, or is God tearing an entire wing off of you (an "extreme makeover")?  Is He replacing your roof, your furnace, your bathtub?  Is He merely "redecorating" you at the moment?  Maybe he is adorning you with beautiful things!  Whatever stage of "development" you are in, I pray that you will recognize His hand in your life, Christian, and humble yourself under His mighty, loving hand.  Be bold, as today's scripture says, in your confidence that He has you in the palm of His hand!  He is in control, no matter your circumstances.

Our salvation is finished, secure!  We are forever His, because He is faithful.   Still, as part of His House we are all, after all, "under construction".  :)

I've never visited the Billy Graham library, but would like to, someday.  I'm told that his wife, Ruth Bell Graham, is buried there and that her tombstone bears an unusual inscription:

END OF CONSTRUCTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.

Father, where my floors are sagging, shore me up;
Where my gutters are clogged, clean me out;
Where there is mold, disinfect me;
Where cold winds blow in and steal my fire, seal me;
Where the enemy gnaws on my bones like a pestilent insect, inoculate me;
Where my rails are wobbly, steady me;
Where my rooms are empty, fill me with your Holy Spirit,
For Your honor and glory alone!
In Jesus' name, amen.

Lies Like a Rug

I am so blessed to still have my mother in my life, and not just for this morning.  But, in getting ready to do this blog post, I was pondering whether or not rugs "lie" on the floor or "lay" on the floor. (There is a hen somewhere, which I should recall...)  Anyway, too lazy to contemplate the hen, I texted mother, the consummate grammar professional!  She has informed/reminded me that rugs "lie".

I'm sure that your day is blessed to know that.  Moving ON!

Today's text is Colossians 3:5-11, with particular emphasis on verses 8-10 (NET).

5So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. 6Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. 7You also lived your lives in this way at one time, when you used to live among them.8But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices 10and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it. 11Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.

Now, yesterday, we examined the first verses of this passage.  Paul is telling the Colossians about "the old, fleshly nature" of man.  He focuses on two types of behaviors which best typify it.  We looked at the first group in yesterday's post.  Today, we are honing in on the second set.  Whereas yesterday's behaviors were centered around lustful actions and greed, today's have to do with the attitudes we have toward our fellowmen and, then, how we speak to and interact verbally with them.  Let's examine each of these, briefly.

Anger and Rage and Malice
It is not wrong to become angry with how our fellow humans behave, speak, etc.  How nice it would be if everything were roses and sunshine and unicorn breath here in this fallen world!  Alas, that is not reality here on good, old planet Earth.  People commit injustice, behave selfishly; basically, we SIN. And, our righteous indignation flares up!  (Note that we typically don't get as disturbed about our OWN sins; but, that's another blog post...)  So, righteous anger is not what is being described here. Since Paul pairs "anger" with rage and malice, he is referring to an extreme, sinful anger which, instead of leading to righteous correction, leads instead to malice (returning evil for evil), that is, sinful "retribution", which we have no right to dole out.  Such is God's prerogative, not ours.
"But, they deserve it!"  Nope.  Nope.  Don't "go there".  Not your job, much as you might want it to be.
So often we mess things up by circumventing the law, good policy, human decency, by giving into our own rage and malice.  Orderly, Christian societies have God-given, lawful remedies to correct injustices and to punish wrongdoers.  When we ignore and/or run around those, we are committing sin.  It is never right to do a wrong thing, in order to get a chance to do a right thing.

Lying and Slander
The unholy triumvirate of lying, slander and abusive language is a key weapon in the arsenal of those who seek to circumvent established policy or law.  Here's how it goes.  An injustice (or perceived injustice) occurs.  Our anger becomes ungodly rage.  We take matters into our own hands.  We know we'll be punished if we physically harm our target; so, we kill them with our words.  BOOM!
Ever seen close-up a loved one's life or career practically destroyed by vicious slander?  I have.  And, it was done by (so-called) Christians.
We need to remember that, when we lie, we are emulating Satan, whom Jesus gave the title "Father of Lies" (John 8:44).  That is high praise, isn't it?  That's whom we want to have as our model, right? No.  Certainly not!
Lying is tempting, particularly if it is a "lie of no consequence", or a "tiny, white lie".  Lying is used by habitual liars to control people or situations.  The more a situation spins out of their control, the more they lie, to rein it back in.
Don't be a person who is defined by the lies in which they have been caught.  Don't be that person whom people describe as "She lies like a rug."  (I'm Southern, you know!)

Abusive Language
To get a better idea what is meant here, I looked at this verse in several translations.  Here are some of the other words/phrases translators used:  filthy language, foul language, obscene talk, shameful speaking.  It is a kind of "catch-all" phrase which it seems Paul is using to say "use your speech for good and not for evil".
If you have ever been the recipient of abusive words, you know that their impact can wound for a lifetime.  The sing-song "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me!" is a lie from the pit of Hell.
People who are gifted verbally are especially susceptible to this sin.  In other words, (pardon the pun), the more words that come out of your mouth, the more likely some of them are to be evil ones. If you are one of my brothers or sisters who, in addition to being verbally gifted, have a vibrant, passionate spirit ... watch out!  You are probably (like yours truly) having to be constantly vigilant about misusing your words, when your intense nature overflows the Holy Spirit.
 
So put to death ... (vs. 5a)
Let's get out our spiritual weapons of war and KILL these manifestations of the old, sinful nature. We must do it every day, so that these sins won't draw us away from the Savior or besmirch our testimonies. When we find ourselves having been ensnared by one or more of them (because they are related and often flock together), let's confess our sins to the Lord and to one another, so as to make things right in the world, and most especially in the Body of Christ.

Father, you know that justice does not justify sin to achieve it, no matter how seductive taking things into our own hands seems.  Please guard our hearts from the evils mentioned by Paul in this passage, so that we may be "examples of the believer" in all we do.  In Jesus' name, amen.  

You Didn't Build That!

Our current president, in an unscripted moment on the campaign trail a few years ago, dealt himself a minor setback by telling a small business owner, "You didn't build that!"  (It is obvious that President Obama has never owned a small business or built anything of virtue, for that matter.  But, I digress.)

I thought of this bit of recent U.S. History when meditating on today's verses --- Ephesians 2:8-10.

8For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9it is not from works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

These are some of the most famous verses quoted by Protestant Christians, and for good reason. Within these three short verses, we see the following themes presented:  redemption, mercy, grace, sanctification, election.  Such a power-packed passage!

In these three short verses, Paul explains the relationship of our "good works" to our salvation.

1.  You didn't build that!
There was once a young man of high position who was told whom he would marry.  The designated bride was "suitable".  In order to do what was "right" and to please others, he followed through with the marriage.  He remained faithful to his wife over the years, coming to feel kindly toward her, although their love was a facade.  He also worked diligently to please her and to provide her with everything she could ever want in the hopes that it would be "enough".  And, as the years rolled on, he became a "success" in the eyes of others, often boasting of what he had done, even though his heart was empty.
Many people approach God this way.
Because of family upbringing or societal expectations, they "do what is expected".  They attend church somewhat regularly.  They slog through their church's requirements/regulations.  They behave in a moral way toward others.  They do everything they know to do to please God, in the hopes that He will be accept them ... yet their hearts are not in it.  They become successful in the eyes of those who surround them, but their souls are hungry for more.
The reason this approach is unfulfilling and often frustrating is because it is not what God intended. It's an approach in which the cart is pulling the horses, a strategy in which folks try to "build" their own salvation.
Paul tells us, by the inspiration of God's own Spirit, that only HE saves by gifting us with salvation. All we need to do is to ask for it, and it is ours!  The simplicity of this truth is stupefying to those who are weary from "working" to earn God's favor.  It can't be earned!  It can only be received; this receiving is our faith response.  We exercise saving faith when we receive what He has already accomplished.
He paid a debt He did not owe so that we could receive a salvation we did not earn.

2.  He built (and builds) us.
When we receive the salvation that God gives, that is, when His Spirit comes to live inside us and possesses us, we are forever made right with God ("justified") and simultaneously "set apart" - - (sanctified) - - to serve Him.  But, that "work", that service, is not to earn any extra favor with God!  I saw a meme on Twitter this morning which said it well..."Nothing you do today can make God love you any more and nothing you do can make Him love you less." 
Staggering, isn't it?
But, as our love grows, in response to His perfect love, "good works" billow out of us!  We then want to serve, to give witness, to love....as Jesus loved us.  We eagerly sign on to His mission as we live out our days!  This is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our spirits, our souls, our lives.
"We are His workmanship..."  The Message version says it like this:

Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Yes, HE built that...and it is glorious!  Praise His name forever!

Father God, I often get frustrated in my love offerings to You and sometimes think....if I were trying to earn my salvation by accumulating "good works", I'd be so busted.  There is absolutely no way .... But, because You did the saving, and because it is eternal, I can rest and trust in that certainty.  I love the joy those truths produce in my heart.  Such joy enables me to revel in the work of Your Holy Spirit .... to walk resplendent!  Thank you, thank you, LORD!  In Jesus' name, amen.

The Default Setting and the New iOS

I had no idea that Romans 5 was such a wonderful chapter!  Really.  It tells God's Story from beginning to end, in one chapter.  So, today we are going to finish it up, by focusing on the last two
"-ion" words:  sanctification and glorification.

Sanctification
When I was in college I got to sing my first classic choral masterwork, a mass.  Not having been raised Catholic, I had no idea what a mass was, other than I knew it was the Catholic church service. A choral mass is a large work, comprised of 5 major sections:  Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Benedictus, Agnus Dei.  Latin is a dead language, they say.  But, it lives on in the masterworks of Bach, Beethoven, Verdi, Mozart and others.  And, in those masterworks, Latin is gorgeous.  It "sings"!  A little early for puns, you say?  I agree.... moving on!
So, you may have noticed that one of the sections of the mass is called "sanctus", a word that basically means "holy".  It is the same root that gives us the English word, "sanctification" - - being set apart to become more like Jesus, more "holy".
Here's how God designed it: we can't "holify" ourselves by our own good works.  After becoming Christ's, however, His Holy Spirit within us sanctifies us, through supernatural power.   Sounds wonderful, right?  Look at verses 3-4 (NET).

3Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

When we identify with, align our hearts with Jesus Christ, sufferings, trials, tribulations inevitably result.  This is because we have then put ourselves in opposition with the majority of people in this world, standing against their philosophies, practices and beliefs.  Satan immediately puts us on his radar.  (As long as we were not Christ's, we were no threat to him, you see.)  Even if we do not fully realize it, when we become a Christian by experiencing that forever-change-of-heart, we become utterly powerful to tear down the strongholds Satan has erected in this world.  This conquering power is from Christ Himself, through His Holy Spirit (Philippians 4:13).
If we "sink deep" into Jesus, drawing on the supernatural power He gives us, He transforms us from being righteous in Him to being a warrior for Him.  That is what it means when Paul says that our problems produce endurance, character and hope.
Now what about that last bit: hope?
Remember: hope as defined in the Bible has a different connotation from our customary use of the word in modern English.  The Greek word "elpis" (ἐλπίς) means "an expectation of what is certain."
Mothers will understand this.  We call a pregnant woman an "expectant mother".  She is "expecting". Now, without getting overly graphic, let's just say that what is inside her is going to come out, one way or the other.  Right?  There's no "Perhaps the baby will come out".  It's coming.  No doubt.

Think about a successful job, perhaps the first one you got as a young person.  You were probably scared to death at first.  But, each success on the job gave you more confidence, didn't it?  The harder you worked, the better you got.  Well, it is sort of like that with sanctification.  When you yield to the Spirit, He produces spiritual "fruit" (successes) in your own spirit.  This is what Paul means by "character".  And, the more He is allowed (through your surrender) to sanctify you, the more confident of "who you are, in Christ".  This state of ever-becoming more like Jesus is what Paul calls "reigning in life" (vs. 17), resplendent daughters and sons!  Hallelujah!
When you experience justification, the last "-ion" word we talked about yesterday, you KNOW that you have been changed forever.  You KNOW that your eventual destination is Heaven.  But, through sanctification, you become even more confident and excited about "that blessed hope", the certainty of Heaven.  It's like a runner running a race: you see the finish line in the distance.  The closer it gets, the clearer you can see it and the more excited you are to reach it!

Glorification
Sanctification and glorification cannot be separated.  They go together, inseparably.  Romans 8:30 tells us that if you belong to Christ (justification), you will not be sinless; rather, you will be becoming more and more like Christ in some way.  You will not be a "fruitless fig tree" (Luke 6:30). It is impossible.  Oh, you may go through "phases" where you are temporarily walking in disobedience; but, you will be miserable the whole time, deep down in your soul.  Sanctification is the "default setting" for each believer.
This is the beginning of glorification!  One flows into the other.  The final transition is made when physical death comes to the believer, the Christ-follower.  But, there is no fear in death for the believer!  Our Savior has conquered it for us.  Physical death is merely stepping from sanctification into full-on glorification, the "new operating system"!  When we were dead (spiritually) in our sins, death reigned in us.  When we were made alive (spiritually) in Christ Jesus, grace reigned and will reign in us forever.

so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:21

Eternal life - - ultimate glorification.  Psalm 16:1l sums up the marriage of justification-sanctification-glorification beautifully.  In closing, think about that as you ponder this verse:

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

NASB

Father, eternity is now.  We need to grasp that truth and apply it to our lives.  Physical death is merely a mile marker on the road to glory.  And, every step we take brings us closer to you! We are so very, very cherished and loved.  Do your supernatural conversion in each of us.  Thank you, Lord! In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

http://biblehub.com/greek/1680.htm

He did it. He does it.

Have you ever wanted to be another ethnicity or nationality or even religion?  When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a nun when I grew up.  My mother told me that that would be a stretch since I was being raised in a Baptist family ... But, I was enraptured by that t.v. show, "The Flying Nun", which starred Sally Fields, whose considerable talents were severely underutilized in that series.  I just thought nuns were cool.  As I got older I realized that the nunnery, indeed, did not align with my faith beliefs and so abandoned that "calling".

As a young Baptist chickie, though, I also wished that I could have some Jewish blood flowing through my veins.  Understand that my immediate family is as "garden-variety" as you can get.  (One of these days I want to jump into the ancestry study thing; but, that is probably for my next decade of life, God willing.)

In Galatians 3 Paul talks to the Galatians about the spiritual parentage of  a Christian.  Who can become a child of God, through Jesus Christ?  Lineage was a big thing to Jews of that day.  It's easy to understand why.  For hundreds of years God had drilled into their culture the importance of keeping bloodlines pure.  By this time, a whole lot of "pollution" had occurred.  For example, the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom were characterized as "lost" because they had so intermarried with gentiles.  Now, here the Christian church fathers were proclaiming that this sect of Judaism, this Christianity, was not only for the Jews, but for all people.  Most of the Jews of that day weren't buying it, even some Jewish believers!

Well, they accepted it to a point.  They realized that they could not change the gentile converts' lineage.  But...they could do the next best thing!  They could force them to look and act like Jews by requiring their men to be circumcised and demanding that they keep the dictates of the Law.  I don't know that the gentile believers wanted to be "Jewish"; they were told by the false teachers they had to be... These well-meaning(?) Judaizers sold the Galatians a "bill of goods".  They were obviously quite successful at it, because Paul had to oppose the destructive trend very strongly in this letter.

Paul's point was that all believers in Jesus Christ are already "children of Abraham" (in effect "Jewish").  No amount of circumcision or law-keeping was going to make the Galatians "more Jewish" or "more Christian".  Christ Jesus had done all that needed to be done.  He finished it on the cross.  He did it.

7-8 Is it not obvious to you that persons who put their trust in Christ (not persons who put their trust in the law!) are like Abraham: children of faith? It was all laid out beforehand in Scripture that God would set things right with non-Jews by faith. Scripture anticipated this in the promise to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed in you.”

9-10 So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith—this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: “Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law.”

11-12 The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you. Habakkuk had it right: “The person who believes God, is set right by God—and that’s the real life.” Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: “The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them.”

Galatians 3:7-12 (The Message)

In one of the Star Wars movies it was observed, "The Force is strong with that one."  Well, I'll tell you that one of the strongest forces in me is that I'm prone to keep the focus on MY ability to live for God. This is sin...sin that achieves the exact opposite of what my spirit desires.  We have got to realize that spiritual victory comes from embracing what God wants to do in and through us!  The shift in emphasis is world-changing!  It is not about I.  It is about He. (Mother will be proud; that's correct grammatical usage.)  He has already made those who have accepted Jesus Christ by faith to be His spiritual offspring: "children of Abraham".  When that instantaneous transaction and transformation occur, it is only the beginning of the life of faith, the walk of faith, the resplendent walk.

Get this:  the resplendent walk is not resplendent because you or I are resplendent.  The life of faith is resplendent because HE is resplendent, and that resplendence shines through us, (often in spite of us!) Growing in faith means growing in yieldedness to Him, in relationship with Him, nothing more.  As we surrender to Him, He produces the fruit of His righteousness (not ours) IN us.  He does it.

Father, I know that I am yours and that that eternal fact is not of my own doing.  You did it.  I still don't think that I fully understand either the miracle of my justification any more than I understand the process of sanctification.  Oh, I understand it academically.  It's the "letting you do your sanctifying work in me" part that I fail to comprehend in actual practice.  I pray for greater faith, deeper relationship so that You can do what You want to do, in me.  In Jesus' name, amen.

No Longer a Law-Girl?

I'm sure that, as a modern person, I greatly underestimate the potential for spiritual warfare that was present at the Council of Jerusalem, the first scene in Galatians 2, today's text.  This meeting took place nearly 20 years after Jesus' ascension, around 50 A.D. The key players were the Gentile evangelists and the Jewish evangelists, that is, those who evangelized the Gentiles and those whose ministry was to the Jews.  Truly, this meeting could have blown the whole thing wide open.  I am sure that there were many impassioned arguments that went back and forth.  It is a testimony to the reality of the changed life, the power of the Holy Spirit, that these men realized the gospel of Jesus Christ: salvation by faith and by grace.

In a month or so, we will have at my church something called GIC (Global Impact Conference).  It is a missions conference. Missionaries our church supports, from various corners of the US and the world, will be attending. Some of them will look different from our church people.  Some of them will act different. Their methods of evangelization will not all be revealed as the same.  However, the gospel they preach is one, and only one.

I am grateful for Galatians 2.  This chapter shows how prone we are to devolve back to reliance on our own "self-righteousness".  It is our "default setting" as humans.  We love to pursue righteousness that comes from following a set of rules because this appeals to our sinful, human pride. (False) righteousness makes us feel good!  This type of righteousness is glorified in our American culture. We are surrounded by it; so, it's no wonder that, as Christians, we tend to get tainted by it.

When you read Galatians 2, you realize why God did not choose a Moses to do the job of a Paul. Moses, if you recall, was not a persuasive or even a good speaker.  Paul, on the other hand, excelled at persuasive argument; he had been "schooled" in it.  The Holy Spirit used Paul to clearly articulate the methods used to share the gospel with the Gentiles.  By the end of the Council at Jerusalem, the group of "pillars" of Christianity parted ways in brotherhood and with a renewed commitment to share Jesus with the world.

Later on, however, "the rubber met the road".  God put those who evangelized the Jews in a position to see just how dependent they still were on the Law.  When they actually met and fellowshipped with an actual group of Gentile believers, the Jerusalem guys fell back to their position of the Law's power over them.  It was their safety zone.  The Antioch experience was a sanctifying, growth opportunity for them because it opened their eyes in a new way to their justification, the centrality of God's grace and salvation by faith alone.  Sometimes, it takes a change of scenery to reveal our most closely-held prejudices.

Probably the most famous verse of Galatians 2 is verse 20.  Here it is, in context:

19“For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no 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. 21“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Galatians 2:19-21 (NASB)

I also love it from The Message version.  Take a read.

19-21 What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

No longer a "Law Man"!

The Law, here, refers to the set of rules and regulations God gave the Israelites hundreds of years earlier.  But, in our lives today, "law" can be any set of religious rules that we glorify above the truth of the gospel.  "Law" can be religious rituals that we do out of habit to make ourselves feel more holy.  Striving to impress God with our goodness "frustrates" His grace (2:21 KJV)

When I was a teenager, one of the Christian fads was to "claim" a "life verse".  It's laughable to me now.  At any rate, the one that resonated with me was Galatians 2:20. (I've always been sort of a 190 proof person ...190 proof whiskey is the highest alcohol content which can exist without the spirit evaporating.  I looked it up!)  The crazy thing that spoke to me this morning, after carefully reading this chapter is that I had made that verse all about sanctification.  Now, sanctification is great, indispensable to the resplendent walk.  But, Galatians 2:20 is first about justification!

Crucifixion typifies a one-time, irreversible act.  "I am crucified with Christ" says that my old, law-loving self has been killed by His justification of my soul.  This is the very source of Christ living in me!  Paul's statement proclaims my eternal justification.  There can be no sanctification unless there is first justification.

"Nevertheless, I live.  Yet, not I, but Christ lives in me."  I live, but I don't reign.  Here comes the sanctification part, you see?  The justification has been settled.  The Law is dead to me.  It is Christ reigning in me Who produces good works, who produces beauty, who works His love through me to the world.

All that sounds so precious.  Then, like the leaders of the Jerusalem church visiting Antioch (2:11-13), I fall down.  I don't know about you, Galatians 2:20 clashes horrifically with my frequent lost battles to sin.  What do we do with that?!  Paul says that we should come back to faith.  Look again.

"...The life I now live in the flesh, I live by FAITH in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

Every time I mess up, my prayer of confession should be closely followed by, "Lord Jesus, increase my faith in You."  Every time something "unplanned" or "unwanted" occurs, my prayer should be "Lord, increase my faith."  We read elsewhere (Hebrews 11:6), all throughout scripture actually, that it is our faith which pleases Him.  Our faith is our love offering to Him and the only source, the exclusive well-spring of our sanctification.

I wish I could tell you that I do this perfectly, even regularly.  Today's post was spectacularly difficult for me to write; I cannot even express to you...

Whaddya know?  After approximately 32 years, that magnificent verse bursts from the heart of God, to speak to me yet again.

Eyes Wide Shut

Good morning,

We need to keep in mind that in his letter to the Corinthians, Paul was dealing with and addressing specific sins that he had learned were being practiced/permitted in the Corinthian church.  It was a highly personal letter.  It should not be interpreted as an "all-inclusive sin list".  Elsewhere in the Bible, there are also lists of sins, again, pertinent to each situation.  But, the bottom line is....sin is sin, and all of it separates us from God.  If a person is an unbeliever, he or she is spiritually dead, because of his or her sins.  If a person has become a Christian, he or she has (positionally) had all his or her sins washed away; he or she is justified (positionally forever made right with God), and is in the process of being sanctified ("set apart", consecrated for Christ's kingdom work).

Even with that very verbose last statement, Christians sin, and are in need of regular confession, repentance and restoration through the Holy Spirit.  Positionally, Christ's finished work on our behalf makes us right with God forever; in this present reality, however, our flesh continually wars with our new nature.  This titanic struggle often results in the flesh's triumph.  With that in mind, let's consider
1 Corinthians 6:9-20.  As I did yesterday, I'm using the New English Translation (NET) here.

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

12 “All things are lawful for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “All things are lawful for me”—but I will not be controlled by anything. 13 “Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both.” The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 Now God indeed raised the Lord and he will raise us by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with him. 18 Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin a person commits is outside of the body”—but the immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

So, in the Corinthian society, there was a very permissive attitude toward sexual sin, much as it is in American society today.  In addition, sexual acts were often linked with acts of "religious worship". The pagan Gentiles combined prostitution of various kinds with their pagan worship.  This was, of course, diametrically opposed to the will of God and to the Way that the new Corinthian Christians had been taught by Paul and other Christian leaders.  Still, the pull, the allure of that pagan society's accepted practice was great, even as it is today.  As a result, sadly, some in the Corinthian church were practicing not only yesterday's blog post "sin-of-the-day" (suing each other, that is GREED) but also various forms of sexual immorality.  In today's scripture passage, Paul addresses both.  Since I exhausted the former in yesterday's post, today I'm honing in on the latter.

The bottom line here, if you'll excuse the bun...er, pun, is that ALL sexual immorality is wrong.  We must not be deceived by cultural sensations, such as "the Caitlyn Jenner phenomenon". We must not allow ourselves to be deceived (vs. 9) into thinking that such practices are "ok" or even righteous. These are powerful deceptions of the Evil One.  Instead of considering or (worse) embracing such behavior, we should run from it (vs. 18).  Paul mentions two types of sexual immorality here in (vs. 10): adultery and homosexual practices.  Again, however, this is not an inclusive list, merely what was troubling the Corinthians at that moment.  Paul goes on to emphasize that God's ordained and sanctioned use of our bodies for sexual enjoyment is one: and that is between one man and one woman (vs. 16).  Any and all sexual practices outside of God's clearly prescribed way are sin.  And, when we fall prey to them, we are sinning against not only Jesus Christ, but against our own bodies.

This is not a popular teaching in today's American society.  It was not a popular teaching in the day Paul wrote this letter either.  In fact, today, those who take a scriptural stand against sexual sin are vilified, called "haters", intolerant, etc.  I need to emphasize that love and truth cannot be separated. The former is built upon the latter.  Jesus Christ was the very essence of God's love, and because of His being God-With-Skin-On, He was also utter and complete Truth.  He was thoroughly "intolerant" of people's sins, while at the same time loving them completely.  The most unloving thing we, His Truth-bearers, can do is to cower under the criticism of the unbelieving world and refuse to take a stand for Truth.

Now, I want to highlight for just a moment verses 12, 13 and 20.  These verses sum up our overall and entire treatment of our bodies.  Paul uses the topic of nutrition to illustrate that even the food we eat should be consumed for God's glory.  Just because as Christians we are positionally right with God forever, through our acceptance of Jesus as Savior, we still must be on our guard against sins that defile our bodies, whether it is sexual sin or other mistreatments of our bodies.  Our bodies are to glorify God. Period.  If we are doing something to or with our bodies that does not bring Him glory, but instead brings ourselves glory, it is a misuse of a substance, practice, our bodies, etc.

Let's be honest here, my beloved friends.  You know when something is controlling you, when a substance or practice is "out of control", whether that be alcohol, vaping, piercing, overeating, immodesty, smoking..... I'm not trying to pick on a particular practice here, because that is not the point.  WE KNOW when we are doing something with our bodies that is wrong.  The Holy Spirit, who continually lives within us Believers gives testimony to it in our hearts.  He tells us.  You know this.  So, let's not dishonestly continue to deny that there is a problem, if this is a besetting sin area for you.  Let's not allow ourselves to be deceived.  We must be honest before God in these areas.

Y'all, this is hard to write about.  It's convicting to me personally.  The resplendent walk....sometimes, it isn't so very resplendent!  But, remember, God's very Spirit lives inside each and every believer. He is there to walk beside you, comfort you, and give you peace.  He knows every struggle we face and has compassion on us.  He prays to God the Father on our behalf, when we don't even know what to pray.  We are SO loved by God!  He knows our hearts. Don't feel as if your particular sin struggle is a "hopeless case", because it is not.  Don't give up.  God has not and will never give up on you.

Dear Father, open the eyes of our hearts so that we can more fully know the fathomless depths of Your love for us. We have been "bought with a price" (vs. 20), a price we could not even begin to pay, that being Your precious blood, Your very human life.  Help us, Holy Spirit.  Plead for us. Show us how to tap into Your everlasting strength, Your bottomless grace, that is ever-present to help us in our times of greatest temptation. There is no beauty like Your beauty... such that we can only begin to see.  What an eternal "smack-down" we will experience when we are face-to-face with You in all your beauty and holiness, on that glad day.  We will be flat on our faces in worship so fast....we won't even know what hit us, because Your amazing love will overwhelm us.  Thank you, Jesus, for eternally rescuing us, that we have no need to fear the future, because our eternal security is in You. In Your Name I pray, amen.  

Right Back (to) Where We Started From

Good morning (well, afternoon now),

I had an 8:30 appointment this morning which dictated that I not eat breakfast.  Believe me, you don't want to read anything I've "digested" and blogged about on an empty stomach!  And, then, the air conditioner had to be repaired, etc.  So, I'm just now getting down to my "morning" Bible study.

There is some disagreement among Bible scholars as to when Paul did what and went where. He gave several clues in his letters by mentioning this ruler and that one.  According to Matthew McGee, Paul's first visit to the Corinthian church was in the spring of 52 A.D., during his "second missionary journey".  He stayed there about a year and a half, meeting Priscilla and Aquila, and making tents to support himself.  During this stay, Paul also preached the gospel and wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians. After leaving Corinth, he traveled across the sea to Ephesus.  Paul wrote 1 & 2 Corinthians near the end of his approximately 3-year stay in Ephesus (Acts 16:8, 19), around 57 A.D.

The reason that Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians is that the young church had become so carnal and worldly in their living that the rest of Corinthian society could tell no difference between the Christians and the non-Christians.  Corinth was a city full of every kind of vice, overrun with philosophers spouting their particular brand of virtue.  Instead of listening to and holding true to what they were taught by Paul, the Corinthian church was swayed by the worldly crowd around them, allowing themselves to become polluted, allowing their gospel message to become diluted.  This was a bunch of "take-it-easy Christians":  discipleship and holiness were sadly lacking.

In order to address the situation Paul reminded the Corinthians in 1:1-9 of "where they started from": their holy calling in Christ Jesus.  He attempted to re-frame the situation and re-focus their allegiance to their Lord.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I find this interesting...Despite their having become mired in the sin that surrounded them, despite their "practice" (daily walk) having become defiled, Paul talked about the Corinthian believers' position in Jesus Christ.  He did not start out by saying, "Well, Buddy, you've DONE IT NOW!  You have LOST your salvation!  Onto the trash heap of God's judgment you will forever go!"

Instead, he said, "Hey, Folks, you have been called to be saints, to live the sanctified (set apart) life, the holy walk by faith.  People!  Get right back to where you started from!"  He hearkens back to that day when "the testimony of Christ was confirmed in" (them), the day they had received the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving grace.  He pointed out that he had observed in their local church all the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work.

He further pointed out (and this really amazes me) that the Lord Jesus would continue His work of holiness (blamelessness) in them until either they died or He returned to earth, and that the Lord would do that because God is faithful to keep those who are His.  Now, keep in mind, Paul made these affirmative statements to a severely wandering church!

Be assured that by affirming these truths Paul was not condoning the rampant sin that raged through this body of believers.  Not at all!  However, Paul knew that nothing has the power to transform more than the grace of God.

You see, these believers knew, for the most part, that they had gotten off track.  They didn't need to be beat over the head with that fact.  My pastor says that there is no more miserable person on earth than the saint who knows he or she is not walking in holy obedience to the Lord.  When a Christian leaps into sin and wallows in it, the Holy Spirit will make him or her pretty miserable.  Thank God for that!

What these folks needed was to be reminded of the truth of the grace of God.  And, they were probably surprised that Paul took this approach.  Did they deserve this grace from Paul?  No.  IF grace is "deserved", then it isn't grace.  It is "merit".  Grace has everything to do with the One extending the grace, and nothing to do with the merits of the one receiving it.

Why do you think that Peter was called "the rock" by the Lord?  Because of his outstanding track record as a disciple?  Because he tried to walk on water and failed?  Because he tried to talk Jesus out of going to the cross?!  Because he fell asleep 3 times in the Garden of Gethsemane?  Need more examples?

Tullian Tchividjian, in his book One-Way Love, puts it like this:
"It is no coincidence that Peter was both the weakest and the one who recognized who Jesus was.  He could recognize the Savior, because he knew how much he needed one!"  
Peter knew that there was no way he could follow God on his own.  I imagine the Corinthians were discouraged, believing the same thing.  They needed a fresh infusion of God's grace, and that is what Paul gave them.  I think Paul might have liked this song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68uWGunx3yQ

Ok, dance session over!  :)
Look at the underlined and italicized portions of today's Scripture passage again.  Do you see how Paul reminded them of the glorious grace they had received?

So, God's grace is the antidote to all sin.  It is grace that draws the wandering Christian or the lost rebel home.  Hallelujah!

Heavenly Father, I am so grateful to be the recipient of your grace.  I need it every, single day.  Even knowing this, it is stupefying how easily I tend to deny that healing grace to others, instead responding with the hammer of the Law.  But, you are teaching me, and as painful as the lessons are, I am blessed to receive them.  They are intended to mold me more into Your image.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

http://www.matthewmcgee.org/paultime.html