First Corinthians 13:4-6
contains a list of several things
love “does not” do.
The final item in this list
is that love
“does not
delight in evil but
rejoices
with the truth.”
Love loves the truth.
Love does not love evil, or,
as the ESV puts it,
“it does not rejoice at wrongdoing.”
Corinth was an evil place with pervasive idol worship and rampant sexual immorality. The recently converted Christians in Corinth sometimes had a hard time shaking the old habits. One man involved in egregious immorality had been tolerated in the church (chapter 5), and the Lord’s Supper had been dishonored to the point of including gluttony and drunkenness (chapter 11). To combat these evils, Paul taught that love does not enjoy or “delight in” such actions; rather, true love finds joy in truth and righteousness.
Psalm 1:1-2 offers the proper attitude concerning truth: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” The “blessed” person despises evil but loves God’s truth, reflecting upon it constantly.
Psalm 5:4 says, “You are not a God who delights in wickedness.” The God who is love (1 John 4:8) delights in what is true and just. God loves us, and He “desire[s] truth in the inner parts” (Psalm 51:6). In other words, God does not ignore our sin just because He loves us. In fact, it is because of His great love that He provided the means of cleansing our sin in Christ (1 John 4:10).
True love rejoices in what is right and good. Anything that covers up sin or seeks to justify wrongdoing is the polar opposite of godly love. Love does not sweep sin under the rug. Love does not try to find ways to get away with bad behavior, and it does not put up with injustice. Instead, it treasures truth, celebrates good behavior, and promotes virtue. True love has nothing to hide.
Further, to “not delight in evil” carries the idea of not gloating over someone else’s guilt. It is common for people to rejoice when an enemy is found guilty of a crime or caught in a sin. This is not love. Love rejoices in the virtue of others, not in their vices. Sin is an occasion for sorrow, not for joy.
Basically, to exhibit God’s kind of love, we must have God’s perspective on sin and righteousness. The better we understand love, the more we will sorrow over those who commit sin. The more we love the truth, the better we can love those around us.
After the Jewish people experienced exile in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia allowed 50,000 of them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple under Zerubbabel, governor of Jerusalem. At the time, Zechariah, a prophet and priest of Israel, received several visions from the Lord. In one of those visions, God delivered this key message: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6, ESV).
In this period of Israel’s history, the prophets Zechariah and Haggai were both ministering. While Haggai encouraged the returned Jewish exiles in their work of rebuilding the temple, Zechariah urged them to repent of sin and renew their covenant with God. Spiritual renewal would be essential to their survival and worship of God once the temple was rebuilt.
Construction on the temple, which had been stopped by opposition from neighbors, resumed under the exhortation of Zechariah and Haggai. Zechariah experienced a series of night visions; in the fifth one, he saw a solid gold lampstand. Two olive trees provided the lampstand with its oil supply, which flowed through two golden pipes (Zechariah 4:1–3). The key message of the vision is contained in the words of verse 6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.” The work of rebuilding the temple would only be accomplished by God’s Spirit and not by human might nor power.
In many places in the Old Testament, the Lord’s Spirit is represented by oil (Isaiah 61:1–3; 1 Samuel 16:13). The abundant supply of oil in Zechariah’s vision is the Holy Spirit’s power, which would help Zerubbabel finish rebuilding the temple (symbolized by the large lampstand). The lampstand’s light signified that Israel, God’s covenant people, were to shine forth light and glorify God in the earth.
Both in the Old and New Testament, God’s people are called to shine the light of God’s glory into all the world (Isaiah 60:1–3; Matthew 5:14–16). It is the great commission of every believer (Matthew 28:19–20). Just as Zerubbabel would need to depend on the Spirit of the Lord to accomplish the work, so do Christians today. God’s people have no ability in themselves to shine the light of God’s truth to those walking in darkness.
The word for might in Zechariah 4:6 is often translated as “army,” “force,” “ability,” or “efficiency” and is associated with human resources. It also relates to financial means and can be connected with wealth. The term power implies purposeful force, firm resolve, dynamic strength, and resoluteness. Not by might nor by power—not by their own abilities, plentiful resources, or fierce determination—would God’s people build the temple and send God’s light into the world. Only by the Spirit of the Lord would their work and worship become a light broadcasting into all the earth (Acts 1:8; John 16:7–15).
As the physical labor of rebuilding the temple was being done, a spiritual renewal was also taking place. Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel were not to trust in financial resources or military prowess, but in the mighty power of God’s Spirit working through them: “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’” (Zechariah 4:4–7, NLT).
God had made a similar promise to those who remained faithful to Him in Hosea’s day: “But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the LORD their God” (Hosea 1:7, NLT).
Zerubbabel need not be discouraged by human limitations or afraid of earthly obstacles, and neither should present-day Christians (Romans 8:31; cf. Haggai 2:5; Isaiah 41:10). When God calls us to a purpose, His Spirit fills and equips us to complete it (Acts 2:17–18; John 3:34; Ephesians 1:18–20). As the apostle Paul learned, human weakness is no obstacle because God’s power is perfected in it: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10; see also Hebrews 11:34).
Our God-given work is guaranteed to be successful, not by human might or power, but by the guidance and empowering of God’s Holy Spirit poured into our lives like the oil that fueled Zechariah’s lampstand.
The pages of the Bible
reveal a
detailed portrait of the
character of God.
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of
God’s character is that He
is a loving Father to
all believers
(Ephesians 1:2; Galatians 1:1; Colossians 1:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:3)
God, by His nature, is wholly good
(Mark 10:18; 1 Timothy 4:4).
His goodness is unmatched, and because of it,
we can trust in Him:
"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him”
Nahum 1:7; see also Exodus 33:19; Psalm 25:8; 34:8;
Matthew 19:17; 2 Peter 1:3).
In His goodness,
God always has our best interests at heart:
“We know that all things work together
for the good of those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose”
(Romans 8:28, CSB; see also
Genesis 50:20; Jeremiah 29:11; Lamentations 3:25).
Everything God does is an expression
of His goodness
and designed to benefit His people
God’s holiness is unequaled:
“There is no one holy like the LORD;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God”
(1 Samuel 2:2; see also Leviticus 11:44–45; 19:2;
Isaiah 6:3; 43:15; 1 Peter 1:15–16; Revelation 4:8).
There is no stain of evil or impurity in God:
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all”
(1 John 1:5; see also Psalm 12:6; 19:8)
Another defining characteristic of God is His righteousness,
meaning He exists in a state of
moral perfection
: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,
through the shedding of his blood--
to be received by faith. He did this to
demonstrate his righteousness, because in his
forbearance he had left
the sins committed beforehand unpunished--
he did it to demonstrate his righteousness
at the present time, so as to be just and the one who
justifies those who have faith in Jesus”
Romans 3:25–26; see also 2 Chronicles 12:6; Psalm 33:5; Isaiah 45:21
God is also just;
He is perfectly upright and fair in how he treats His creation: “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:18;
see also Deuteronomy 32:4; Zephaniah 3:5; Acts 17:31; Revelation 16:5–6).
Loving, compassionate, gracious, kind,
and merciful are all central descriptions of the
character of God (Nehemiah 9:31).
So kindhearted and caring is He that Scripture says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16).
Life is hard. Disease, death, and difficulties abound on this side of eternity. Sin has marred what God originally created perfect. While difficulties are rarely enjoyable when we experience them, these hardships are only a “momentary, light affliction” (2 Corinthians 4:17, NASB) for the Christian. Our difficult circumstances have the ability to produce good fruit in our lives and to remind us of what matters eternally.
The context of Paul’s statement is important: “We do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:1618, NASB).
Difficulties abound in life: with relationships, jobs, health, and day-to-day activities. Christians are not exempt from these difficulties; in fact, they may experience even more than their fair share: earlier in the same passage, Paul described some of the troubles he and others faced as “jars of clay” in this world (2 Corinthians 4:7). When difficulties arise, they might seem monumental, and they have the ability to incapacitate us. However, believers have hope that even the worst suffering experienced on earth is only “light and momentary troubles” compared to the glories of eternity in heaven. Life here on earth is but a vapor (James 4:14), but our eternal life in glory, yet unseen, will make the affliction worth it all. In fact, the troubles we have today are achieving for us a lasting benefit: “They produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT).
The Holy Spirit living within believers is the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, and He assures us that we, too, will be raised from the dead (2 Corinthians 4:14). This truth allows us to keep an eternal perspective when we go through hardships.
In Romans 5:3–5, Paul reminds us that we can “glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” When we trust God through our suffering, we allow Him to shape our faith and character. Even when it does not fully make sense to us why we are going through difficulties, believers have hope that their suffering is not purposeless.
Through our momentary, light affliction, we can choose to draw near to God and even thrive in the hardship, filled with the hope that our troubles grow our character and faith. We remember that this world is not our final home. There’s something better coming, “surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness!” (2 Corinthians 4:17, AMP).
When we go through hard times, let us “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Let us choose to walk by faith and draw near to God, who is “our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”
(Psalm 46:1).
The psalmist describes God as “compassionate and gracious” and “abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15). So great is God’s love for us “that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16; see also 1 John 4:9–10). Because of His great love,
Christ died for us, even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8; see also Titus 3:4–5). God’s mercy and compassion never fail; they are renewed continuously toward us day in and day out (Lamentations 3:22–23).
Part of God’s character is faithfulness: “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9; see also Isaiah 49:7 1 Thessalonians 5:24). In our struggles and failures, God is faithful to forgive us when we confess our sin and return to Him: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In times when we stumble and fall, it is immensely encouraging to know that God will never abandon us. Even when we are utterly unfaithful, God remains faithful and true because that is who He is; it is God’s character to be faithful (2 Timothy 2:13; see also Revelation 19:11).
God is truthful, and His Word is true: “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20; see also John 17:17). God and His Word form a trustworthy foundation for life (Psalm 12:6; 26:3; 33:4; 43:3; 86:11). In Him is no falsehood, lies, or deception (Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 45:19; Romans 1:25; Hebrews 6:18). What God says is absolutely reliable (Jeremiah 10:10). His Word is consistent with His character and His revelation of Himself (John 7:28; 8:26). Because of God’s character, we can count on Him to fulfill His promises (Psalm 31:5).
Patience and longsuffering are attributes of God’s character. He is “slow to anger,” dealing patiently with rebellious sinners (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 86:15;). God was patient in delaying the flood in Noah’s time while the ark was under construction, giving sinners plenty of time for repentance (1 Peter 3:20). Likewise, the prolonging of Christ’s return is not an indication of slowness or hesitation on God’s part, but of His longsuffering, as He does not want anyone to die without the opportunity to repent, be saved, and enter into His family (2 Peter 3:9–10). At the heart of God’s character is His desire to be a Father to all who draw near to Him (Psalm 68:5; 103:13; Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; Ephesians 4:6; 1 John 3:1).
The more deeply we dig into the Scriptures, the more we will uncover new and beautiful facets to the character of God. And the longer we spend time with Him and in His Word, the better we will know and understand His nature. We will discover that God never changes (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17), that He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and always present everywhere (Psalm 139:7–10; Hebrews 4:13). He is perfect (Matthew 5:48), and He is three in one. We can spend a lifetime seeking after Him and still only scratch the surface of comprehending the depth of our heavenly Father’s character.
Scripture – Eph 3:17-21
“I pray… that you, being
rooted
and grounded in love, may have
strength to
comprehend with all the
holy ones what is the breadth and length
and height and depth, and to know the love of
Christ that surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled with all the
fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to
do far more
abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us, to
him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus throughout
all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Paul is wrapping up
his reminder to the Corinthians
of the purpose of observing the
Lord's Supper
It's not meant to be a social event and a cause for division
(1 Corinthians 11:17–22).
Paul has described how Jesus Himself taught
His disciples to break and distribute the
bread that represented His broken body,
along with the wine that represented His spilled blood
(Matthew 26:26–28).
Jesus commanded them to be intentional about
remembering Him and His sacrifice when they came
together to eat and drink for this purpose
(1 Corinthians 11:23–25).
Now
Paul reveals another
purpose
for observing this
sacrament,
also
known as communion.
It is a proclamation
that
Christ died
for the sins of all who
trust in Him.
Built into that proclamation is the promise that Christ will one day return. In that way, the Lord's Supper involves both looking back to the cross and looking forward to Christ's return to earth. This creates a unique sense in which the gospel imbues meaning into every moment of history. The past—looking back to Christ, the present—partaking in communion, and the future—the imminent return of Jesus are all relevant to the Christian worldview.
Paul has provided some specific guidelines in the previous verses about when Christians should eat and refrain from eating food that has been offered to idols. Those answers gave broad freedom to those who are spiritually "strong" and recognize that God gives a good purpose for everything He has created (1 Timothy 4:4). Scripture has also provided careful warnings that moderate how that freedom can be used. Here, Paul boils everything down to a single principle that should drive all our choices.
Believers should be motivated to bring glory to God in everything we do, or choose not to do. This includes our choices to eat or drink, or to refuse. Paul adds this to a list of motivating factors for the use of our freedom in Christ. Will this activity be helpful to me or will it cause me to be "mastered" (1 Corinthians 6:12)?
Will doing this build up others and be good for my neighbor as well as for myself (1 Corinthians 10:23–24)?
And now, will this choice to eat or drink or do anything else bring glory to God?
In all cases, the question of whether this activity will bring me pleasure, material gain, or status should not be the deciding factor alone even for those who are free in Christ. Just as anything done without conviction is sin
(Romans 14:23),
Christians should not participate in anything they
don't feel brings glory to God.
Psalm 119
is a long acrostic poem
dedicated singularly to
honoring
and
proclaiming
the
Value
of
God’s Word
In verse 105, the psalmist declares to the Lord,
“Your word is a lamp
to my feet and a light to
my path”
(ESV).
Just as a lamp brightens a path for our feet to walk, God’s Word provides the illumination and guidance we need to walk in this world.
The word translated “lamp” in this passage is ner in the original Hebrew. It refers to a small clay lantern with a solitary wick. The psalmist describes the Word of God as a lamp carried on his journey to distinguish the way and keep him from stumbling off course and going astray. The light of God’s Word allows us to see the right direction. It is God’s guidance for our travels through life on earth.
Proverbs 6:23 offers a companion thought: “For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life.” The guidance referred to by the biblical writers is not the advice of career counselors or pop magazines but rock-solid truth for navigating difficult moral choices in a dark and fallen world.
Ideas like moral relativism, situational ethics, and subjectivism make staying on the right path all the more challenging and perplexing. Worldly voices claim, “There are many paths to God,” “There’s no such thing as absolute truth,” and “Just do what feels right to you.” If we aren’t careful about the choices we make, if we listen to these voices rather than rely on God’s illuminating truth to guide us on the right roads, we will quickly encounter grief and ruin.
Only God’s Word provides the direction we need. Second Peter 1:19 describes it as a reliable lamp shining in a dark place: “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
The apostle Paul told his young protégé, Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, NLT). If we study God’s Word frequently and diligently, if we give it our full attention, it will provide us with the direction, correction, and wisdom we need to succeed in life and do the Lord’s work.
Obeying God’s Word brings blessings and rewards: “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:1–3, NLT; see also Exodus 15:26; Psalm 128:1; James 1:22–25). On his deathbed, King David told his son Solomon, “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn” (1 Kings 2:3, ESV).
God’s Word has extraordinary power, says Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Word of God is alive because He is a living God (Hebrews 3:12; 2 Corinthians 6:16). His words are full of energy, life, power, and productivity—they cause things to happen (Psalm 33:9). If we allow it to, if we don’t ignore it, God’s Word will take an active presence in our lives. We can trust the Word of God to accomplish whatever purpose God intends for it and to prosper wherever He sends it (Isaiah 55:11). For this reason, we ought to study it (2 Timothy 2:15), meditate on it (Psalm 119:97), hold firmly to it (Philippians 2:16), and hide it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11).
Christians can say to God, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” because the Word of God is the living energy that actively provides illumination, insight, direction, and guidance for our pilgrimage through a dark and sinful world.
We are not told whether
Jesus directly answers the religious
leaders or His followers,
but it appears this answer is
given to the disciples.
Nor do we know
when Jesus gives the answer,
whether during the meal or after.
The context is not clear.
The focus is instead on the actual
response Jesus provides.
The answer Jesus gives is an old proverb.
A Jewish commentary to Exodus 15:26 reads,
"If they are not sick, why do they
need a physician?"
By associating
sickness to sinners and health to righteousness,
Jesus continues the theme started when
He forgave the paralytic of his sins first,'
and then healed him (Mark 2:1–11).
God uses disease as both a punishment
(Exodus 15:26)
and a metaphor for sin. As a metaphor,
sin destroys our healthy relationship
with God as disease destroys our bodies.
As a punishment,
disease is a direct and indirect
result of Adam and Eve's sin and our
continued sin throughout history.
Jesus addresses physical disease for
a short time while He is on earth,
but He heals our sin-induced injuries now.
Both physical sickness and sin-sickness draw us to Him.
Jesus did not come to "call" righteous people,
but rather sinful people, just as healthy people do not typically seek out a doctor. His words offer a double meaning in a sense. On one level, He explains His mission as a friend of sinners who comes to save lost people. However, Jesus also subtly rebukes the religious leaders who see themselves as righteous and without need of Jesus and the salvation He provides.
The overall lesson about worshiping the
Lord in spirit and truth is that
worship of God is not to be confined
to a single geographical location or necessarily regulated by the temporary provisions of Old Testament law. With the coming of Christ, the separation between Jew and Gentile was no longer relevant, nor was the centrality of the temple in worship. With the coming of Christ, all of God’s children gained equal access to God through Him. Worship became a matter of the heart, not external actions, and directed by truth rather than ceremony.
In Deuteronomy 6:4, Moses sets down for the Israelites how they are to love their God: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Our worship of God is directed by our love for Him; as we love, so we worship. Because the idea of “might” in Hebrew indicates totality, Jesus expanded this expression to “mind” and “strength” (Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). To worship God in spirit and truth necessarily involves loving Him with heart, soul, mind and strength.
True worship must be “in spirit,” that is, engaging the whole heart. Unless there’s a real passion for God, there is no worship in spirit. At the same time, worship must be “in truth,” that is, properly informed. Unless we have knowledge of the God we worship, there is no worship in truth. Both are necessary for God-honoring worship. Spirit without truth leads to a shallow, overly emotional experience that could be compared to a high. As soon as the emotion is over, when the fervor cools, the worship ends. Truth without spirit can result in a dry, passionless encounter that can easily lead to a form of joyless legalism. The best combination of both aspects of worship results in a joyous appreciation of God informed by Scripture. The more we know about God, the more we appreciate Him. The more we appreciate, the deeper our worship. The deeper our worship, the more God is glorified.
Usually, when people speak of the “great deception,” they refer to 2 Thessalonians 2:11, which predicts that God will, in an end-times judgment, send “a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” This great deception is associated with the satanic work of the Antichrist and his “displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie” (verse 9).
The same passage in 2 Thessalonians also speaks of a great apostasy that will take place before the man of lawlessness is revealed. Similar apostasies are predicted elsewhere: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). Of course, people are complicit in the deception, for they reject the truth and prefer lies: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).
Jesus spoke about a time to come when the deception will be especially great when false messiahs and false prophets will appear. Even the people of God could be deceived if it were not for God’s providential protection: “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24, see also Mark 13:5–6, Luke 21:8).
All of these deceptions are instigated by the devil. However, 2 Thessalonians 2:11 also speaks of the deception as God’s punishment on people who refuse to believe the truth. The context seems to be similar to that of the gospel passages above and speaks of one to come who will be especially deceptive: “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9–12, ESV).
In this passage, after people have refused the truth for so long, God causes them to believe what is false—a “strong delusion.” This is not an instance where God actively deceives people; rather, God is simply giving those who reject the truth what they really want.
We see a similar pattern in Romans 1:18–25 where people reject God’s truth for so long that He simply abandons them to their own sinfulness. They have, as it were, crossed the point of no return:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”
Much the same thing happened to Pharaoh after he refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt, and God hardened his heart. It was not as though Pharaoh would have been an obedient follower of the Lord if God had not hardened his heart. Pharaoh set his heart against the Lord, and God simply confirmed for all time Pharaoh’s decision (see Exodus 8:15, 32; 9:34; 10:1).
The deception spoken of in the Gospels has to do with false prophets and/or messiahs who appear and seem to be authenticated by miracles. Taking the futurist position, we see the great deception spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2 as a future event associated with the coming of the Antichrist after the rapture of the church. “Those who are perishing” will willingly embrace the imitation and follow the beast of the end times; they will perish “because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (verse 10).
We don’t know exactly what the great deception will be, only that it will be a strong delusion capable of swaying the world’s allegiance toward the Antichrist. The Bible says that, in the time of the Antichrist and false prophet, there will be many signs to bolster their lies. The false prophet “performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth” (Revelation 13:13–14). It is hard to imagine, but the deception during the tribulation will be worse than all of Satan’s other deceptions. The Antichrist will have a deadly wound healed, his “image” will breathe and speak and give orders, etc. (Revelation 13:12, 15).
In the broader sense, anyone who rejects the truth of God is being deceived, and at some point, God may simply abandon him to the deception that he has willingly embraced. There are plenty of false teachers today who claim to teach God’s Word. Some claim to be Christians, and some claim to bring a word from God from outside of the Bible. It is vitally important that every Christian compare every teaching with what the Bible says and spend the time necessary to evaluate what is being taught. This is the mission of Got Questions, and in keeping with that mission, we would encourage every reader to compare what we say with Scripture as well.
To blaspheme is to speak with contempt about God or to be defiantly irreverent. Blasphemy is verbal or written reproach of God’s name, character, work, or attributes.
Blasphemy was a serious crime in the law God gave to Moses. The Israelites were to worship and obey God. In Leviticus 24:10–16, a man blasphemed the name of God. To the Hebrews, a name wasn’t just a convenient label. It was a symbolic representation of a person’s character. The man in Leviticus who blasphemed God’s name was stoned to death.
Isaiah 36 tells the story of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and his attempt to demoralize Jerusalem before he attacked. After pointing out Assyria’s many victories, he says, "Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?" (Isaiah 36:20). Sennacherib committed blasphemy by assuming Israel’s God was equal to the false gods of the surrounding nations. The king of Judah, Hezekiah, points out this blasphemy in his prayer to God, in which he asks that God deliver them for the purpose of defending His own honor (Isaiah 37:4, 17). And that’s exactly what God did. Isaiah 37:36-37 explains, "Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there." Later, Sennacherib was murdered in the temple of his god Nisroch (Isaiah 37:38).
Followers of God are also responsible to make sure their behavior doesn’t incite others to blaspheme God. In Romans 2:17-24, Paul scolds those who claim to be saved through the law and yet still live in sin. Using Isaiah 52:5, Paul tells them, “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (verse 24). In 1 Timothy 1:20 Paul explains that he had abandoned two false teachers to Satan so they would “be taught not to blaspheme”; thus, promulgating false doctrine and leading God’s people astray is also a form of blasphemy.
Jesus spoke of a special type of blasphemy--blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—committed by the religious leaders of His day. The situation was that the Pharisees were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ miracles, but they attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to the presence of a demon (Mark 3:22-30). Their portrayal of the holy as demonic was a deliberate, insulting rejection of God and was unforgivable.
The most significant accusation of blasphemy was one that happened to be completely false. It was for the crime of blasphemy that the priests and Pharisees condemned Jesus (Matthew 26:65). They understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. That would, indeed, be a reproach on God’s character—if it wasn’t true. If Jesus were just a man claiming to be God, He would have been a blasphemer. However, as the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus could truthfully claim deity (Philippians 2:6).
Fortunately, Jesus forgives even the sin of blasphemy. Paul was a blasphemer (1 Timothy 1:13) and tried to make others blaspheme (Acts 26:11). Jesus’ own brothers thought He was insane (Mark 3:21). All repented, and all were forgiven.
Blasphemy, by definition, is both deliberate and direct. That being the case, a believer in Jesus Christ will not/cannot commit blasphemy. Even so, we should be careful to reflect God’s holiness and never misrepresent the glory, authority, and character of God.
The Parable of the Rich Fool can be found in Luke 12:13–21. The key to understanding this parable is in verse 15 (and later summarized in verse 21). Luke 12:15 says, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Jesus says this to the man who asked Him to arbitrate between him and his brother. In ancient times, the firstborn was guaranteed a double portion of the family inheritance. More than likely, the brother who was addressing Jesus was not the firstborn and was asking for an equal share of the inheritance. Jesus refuses to arbitrate their dispute and gets to the heart of the matter: Covetousness! Jesus warns this person, and all within earshot, that our lives are not to be about gathering wealth. Life is so much more than the “abundance of possessions.”
Jesus proceeds to tell the man the Parable of the Rich Fool. This person was materially blessed by God; his land “produced plentifully” (verse 16). As God continued to bless the man, instead of using his increase to further the will of God, all he was interested in was managing his increase and accumulating his growing wealth. So the man builds larger barns in place of the existing ones and starts planning an early retirement. Unbeknownst to him, this was his last night on planet earth. Jesus then closes the story by saying, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
So the point of the Parable of the Rich Fool is twofold. First, we are not to devote our lives to the gathering and accumulation of wealth. There is an interesting point made in the parable. God says to the man in the story, “And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” This echoes the thought expressed in Ecclesiastes 2:18 (“I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me”). You see it all the time in people who are singularly devoted to the accumulation of wealth. What happens to all that wealth when they die? It gets left behind to others who didn’t earn it and won’t appreciate it. Furthermore, if money is your master, that means God is not (Matthew 6:24).
The second point of the Parable of the Rich Fool is the fact that we are not blessed by God to hoard our wealth to ourselves. We are blessed to be a blessing in the lives of others, and we are blessed to build the kingdom of God. The Bible says if our riches increase, we are not to set our hearts upon them (Psalm 62:10). The Bible also says there is one who gives freely and grows all the richer (Proverbs 11:24). Finally, the Bible says we are to honor God with the first fruits of our increase (Proverbs 3:9–10). The point is clear; if we honor God with what He has given us, He will bless with more so that we can honor Him with more. There is a passage in 2 Corinthians that summarizes this aptly (2 Corinthians 9:6–15). In that passage Paul says, “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that having all contentment in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” We are blessed by God, so we can in turn “abound in every good work” and be a blessing in the lives of others. So, if God has blessed you with material wealth “set not your heart on it” and “be rich toward God.” That is the message of the Parable of the Rich Fool.
Jesus taught that to be His disciple—His follower—the spiritual discipline of self-denial is required: “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’” (Matthew 16:24, ESV). Denying yourself is an essential part of the Christian life. Jesus called upon those who wish to be His followers to reject the natural human inclination toward selfishness. The Lord Himself exemplified self-denial (John 13:1–17).
The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines self-denial as “the willingness to deny oneself possessions or status, in order to grow in holiness and commitment to God.” The words Jesus used in the original language for “deny yourself” were strong terms similar in meaning to Paul’s wording in Philippians 3:7–8: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (ESV, emphasis added). The purpose of self-denial—counting as “loss” all earthly gains—is to become more like Jesus in holiness and obedience to God.
Denying yourself includes overcoming the persistent fleshly demands of the body, also known as the carnal self or the natural man, and bringing them into submission to God’s Word so that you don’t give in to sin: “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24, ESV).
Self-denial for the Christian means renouncing oneself as the center of existence (which goes against the natural inclination of the human will) and recognizing Jesus Christ as one’s new and true center. It means acknowledging that the old self is dead and the new life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3–5).
From the moment of our new birth into Jesus Christ, self-denial becomes a daily exercise for the rest of this life on earth (1 Peter 4:1–2). With the Holy Spirit now indwelling us, we are thrust into a conflict between the divine Spirit of God and the carnal self. Paul describes this ongoing struggle in Romans 7:14–25. Only by God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit can we learn to deny self: “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11–13).
Through daily self-denial and crucifying the flesh, our life in Christ grows, strengthens, and develops more and more. Christ now becomes our life. These famous words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer help us understand the meaning of self-denial: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die” (The Cost of Discipleship, SCM Press, 2015, p. 44). A follower of Jesus must be prepared to die if death is where the path of discipleship leads: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20; see also Romans 6:1–11).
Fasting is one of the disciplines of self-denial that Jesus practiced Himself (Matthew 4:1–2). Giving to the poor and needy is a form of self-denial that Jesus encouraged (Matthew 5:42; Luke 11:41). Watching in prayer is another way to deny yourself in service to God, as Jesus demonstrated (Matthew 14:23; 26:41). Likewise, living modestly rather than indulging in excessive luxury is an area in which believers can exercise self-denial (Matthew 8:20; 10:10; 1 Timothy 2:9).
Perhaps the most significant way we practice self-denial is in how we love and esteem our brothers and sisters in Christ. Self-denial is the basis for Christian fellowship and service within the church: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:4–8, ESV; see also Matthew 5:38–48; Mark 10:42–45).
Denying yourself means seeking the good of others before looking out for yourself (1 Corinthians 10:24). When Ruth followed Naomi, she practiced self-denial for the benefit of her mother-in-law (Ruth 2:11). When Esther put her life at risk to save her people, she demonstrated self-denial (Esther 4:16). Scripture teaches us to deny ourselves for the sake of those who are weak in the faith (Romans 14:21; 15:1–3; 1 Corinthians 8:13; 9:23). When you are willing to sacrifice your time, energy, rights, position, reputation, privileges, comforts, and even your very life for the sake of Christ, you exemplify what it means to deny yourself: “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39; see also John 12:24–26; 2 Corinthians 6:4–5).
In John 14:17, Jesus says, “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (ESV). Because the ESV capitalizes Spirit, modern readers can easily infer that the spirit in question is the Holy Spirit. To understand why Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth,” let us review the context of John 14.
John 14 is part of the Upper Room Discourse (John 13—17), a collection of teachings delivered by Jesus to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion. In these final moments, the disciples were greatly distressed about the impending departure of their beloved friend, Jesus (John 14:1). For this reason, Jesus took an extended moment to calm their troubled hearts and reassure them that “another Helper” was on the way (John 14:16, ESV).
The Greek term translated as “Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7) is paráklētos. The form of this word is passive and means “one who is called alongside.” At the Son’s request, the Father will send another Helper to encourage and exhort the disciples.
John’s use of the term another implies that the disciples already had a helper—the one who would soon depart from the earth. Although the Gospel writers never explicitly refer to Jesus as a paráklētos, the term is applied to Him in 1 John 2:1. Thus, in the context of John 14:16, Jesus promises to send His disciples a helper of the same type, and that helper would continue the ministry that Jesus began.
In John 14:17, the identity of the helper is now revealed: He is the Spirit of truth (cf. John 15:26; 16:13). The Spirit of truth is God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. The Father will send the Spirit to come alongside the disciples. He is called the Spirit of truth because He bears witness to the truth of Jesus Christ (see John 14:6).
In contrast to the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of the devil, a being who does not hold “to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Because the unbelieving world remains ensnared by satanic falsehoods, they cannot receive the Spirit of truth (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14). Tragically, unbelievers prefer to walk by sight and not by faith, failing to understand that sight guarantees nothing.
At the moment of His baptism, Jesus received the Holy Spirit: John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him” (John 1:32, ESV). So, in a sense, the Spirit of truth was already with the disciples. Following the departure of Jesus, however, the disciples will know the Spirit more intimately because He would be in them (cf. Romans 8:9–11 and Ephesians 1:13–14).
Before the disciples began their ministry,
Jesus instructed them to remain in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit: “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’”
(Acts 1:4–5, ESV).
Once the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were fully equipped to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ (verse 8).
Believers should be thankful that
the Spirit of truth
is with us, in us, and upon us. For,
without His guidance and light,
we could not distinguish truth from error.
In the
prosperity gospel,
also known
as the “Word of Faith Movement,”
the believer is told to use God, whereas the truth of biblical Christianity is just the opposite—God uses the believer. Prosperity theology sees the Holy Spirit as a power to be put to use for whatever the believer wills. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person who enables the believer to do God’s will. The prosperity gospel movement closely resembles some of the destructive greed sects that infiltrated the early church. Paul and the other apostles were not accommodating to or conciliatory with the false teachers who propagated such heresy. They identified them as dangerous false teachers and urged Christians to avoid them.
Paul warned Timothy about such men in 1 Timothy 6:5, 9-11. These men of “corrupt mind” supposed godliness was a means of gain and their desire for riches was a trap that brought them “into ruin and destruction” (v. 9). The pursuit of wealth is a dangerous path for Christians and one which God warns about: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (v. 10). If riches were a reasonable goal for the godly, Jesus would have pursued it. But He did not, preferring instead to have no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20) and teaching His disciples to do the same. It should also be remembered that the only disciple concerned with wealth was Judas.
Paul said covetousness is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5) and instructed the Ephesians to avoid anyone who brought a message of immorality or covetousness (Ephesians 5:6-7). Prosperity teaching prohibits God from working on His own, meaning that God is not Lord of all because He cannot work until we release Him to do so. Faith, according to the Word of Faith doctrine, is not submissive trust in God; faith is a formula by which we manipulate the spiritual laws that prosperity teachers believe govern the universe. As the name “Word of Faith” implies, this movement teaches that faith is a matter of what we say more than whom we trust or what truths we embrace and affirm in our hearts.
A favorite term of prosperity gospel teachers is “positive confession.” This refers to the teaching that words themselves have creative power. What you say, prosperity teachers claim, determines everything that happens to you. Your confessions, especially the favors you demand of God, must all be stated positively and without wavering. Then God is required to answer (as though man could require anything of God!). Thus, God’s ability to bless us supposedly hangs on our faith. James 4:13-16 clearly contradicts this teaching: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Far from speaking things into existence in the future, we do not even know what tomorrow will bring or even whether we will be alive.
Instead of stressing the importance of wealth, the Bible warns against pursuing it. Believers, especially leaders in the church (1 Timothy 3:3), are to be free from the love of money (Hebrews 13:5). The love of money leads to all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). In sharp contrast to the prosperity gospel emphasis on gaining money and possessions in this life, Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). The irreconcilable contradictions between prosperity teaching and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is best summed up in the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:24, “You cannot serve both God and money.”
God’s desire is that all people repent and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). At the same time, Satan, the “father of lies” (John 8:44), deceives the very people who need to accept the truth. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Surely, God could stop Satan’s lies and give people a fighting chance.
The Bible presents a consistent picture of how sin and deception are related. What’s revealed is that the way we tend to think of deceit is, well, a bit deceived. Spiritually speaking, deception is deeper than merely being tricked or lied to. In order to be saved, one does not need any particular level of intelligence, philosophical ability, or wisdom (Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 1:20, 26). In fact, mankind has an unfortunate habit of using increased knowledge to develop more sophisticated ways to sin.
Key to understanding spiritual deception is the fact that we often choose what we want to believe rather than what we should believe, even in the face of the evidence (Luke 16:31). “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him” (John 12:37). Notice that they would not believe Jesus, despite the miracles. Their unbelief was willful.
Eve’s fall into sin is the earliest example of how spiritual deception works. When the serpent asks her, “Did God really say . . . ?” Eve responds by quoting what God had said, although she added to the command (Genesis 3:1–3). She knows what to do and what not to do. The serpent then tempts her with what she can gain by eating from the tree (Genesis 3:4–5), and she notices other attractive aspects of the fruit (Genesis 3:6). Eve was lied to, and the serpent was cunning (2 Corinthians 11:3), but she ultimately chose to disobey God, even though she knew the commandment.
When confronted with her sin, Eve said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13). The original Hebrew word for “deceived” implies trickery and craftiness. Eve was tricked, but she also had a choice in the matter. She exercised her God-given free will to make a wrong choice, seeking pleasure and personal promotion over what God had willed for her.
The same dynamic is at work today. Satan appeals to our natural desires and urges us to fulfill them in ways that dishonor God. Our desire for self-satisfaction makes Satan’s deception all the more potent.
God has sent the Savior (John 3:16), He fills the world with signs of Himself (Romans 1:20), He makes Himself available to those who seek Him (Deuteronomy 4:29), and He secures anyone who comes to Him (John 6:37). When people reject what is “clearly seen” of God (Romans 1:20), it leads to a downward spiral of “foolish hearts” made dark (verse 21), idolatry (verse 23), and sexual impurity (verse 24). Finally, mankind “exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (verse 25). In other words, the spiritual deception of mankind is the direct result of rejecting readily apparent truth. The unbeliever has made an exchange—the truth for a lie—and the devil is happy to facilitate the swap by presenting the sinner with a wide array of lies from which to choose.
Anyone who resists God risks falling into spiritual deception (2 Thessalonians 2:8–10). Nature abhors a vacuum, and the void created by the eviction of truth will soon be filled by something less than true. Give up the truth, and you’ll believe just about anything.
Eve didn’t sin because she was hopelessly outmatched by a demonic force, making her do wrong when she thought she was doing right. Yes, she was lied to, but she chose to listen to the lie. That was followed by her longing look at what was forbidden and, finally, her taking the fruit in hopes of a better life.
All human sin is based in human choice (1 Corinthians 10:13). When we reject the truth, we make ourselves vulnerable to the lie. Repeated rejection of spiritual truth brings spiritual deception as a divine consequence.
God often allows spiritual deception as a form of punishment for willful sin, and in order to cultivate an awareness in our lives of how badly we need the One who is Himself Truth, our Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
In the wilderness of Judea, John the Baptist began his ministry of preparing Israel to receive her Messiah, Jesus Christ. Enormous crowds went to hear John (Matthew 3:5) as he traveled through the region “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Many people received John’s message, confessed their sins, and were baptized (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5). These baptisms stirred up such a commotion that the Pharisees and Sadducees went out to investigate. Aware of their insincerity of heart, John said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7–8).
John spoke severely, challenging these religious leaders’ spiritual pride and hypocrisy head-on. They needed to know that God’s judgment for sin was coming. Baptism is an outward symbol of true heart change. John’s baptism was a “baptism of repentance.” Repentance is the act of changing one’s mind that results in a change of actions. Sincere repentance involves turning away from sin both in thought and action. When the crowds came to John for baptism, they were showing their repentance and identifying with a new life. The Pharisees and Sadducees were detached observers at John’s baptism. They claimed to have repented of their sins—sins they eagerly pointed out in others—yet they lived as sinners, all the while denying their own guilt.
The religious leaders of John’s day had refused to submit themselves to God. They thought they were good enough by way of association with Abraham through their Jewish heritage (see Matthew 3:9; John 8:39). But their religious rituals and spiritual “pedigree” were not enough to please God. The only way for sinners to enter a relationship with God is through genuine repentance and faith. These religious leaders should have been setting an example and taking the lead. Instead, they lived in self-righteous, hypocritical denial of their spiritual condition.
John the Baptist warned, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). The tree represents Israel. If Israel did not repent, it would be cut down and destroyed (see Luke 13:6–10). Only those who genuinely repented and began to produce good fruit would be prepared for the coming of Jesus Christ.
Luke’s gospel gives further insight into what it means to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. John told the people, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones’” (Luke 3:8, NLT). John’s baptism of repentance was meant to be the start of a brand new, continuous life of producing fruit in keeping with righteousness. Our family tree won’t earn us a place in heaven or give us an automatic claim to God’s promises. John told the Sadducees and Pharisees who took pride in their lineage to take a more humble view: just as God had made Adam from the dust of the ground, God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones of the wilderness.
At John’s preaching, the people began to ask, “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10). In other words, “What is the fruit in keeping with repentance?” “John answered, ‘Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same’” (Luke 3:11). He told the tax collectors in the crowd, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to” (verse 13). He told the soldiers, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay” (verse 14). Such actions were the “fruit” of repentance in that they showed the genuineness of the change of heart.
When the apostle Paul began his preaching ministry, he, too, spoke of good deeds as proof of genuine repentance: “I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do” (Acts 26:20, NLT).
The believer’s spiritual life and growth are often compared to a fruit-bearing tree in Scripture. Just as fruit production is proof of life and health in a tree, so are good actions the evidence of spiritual life in Jesus Christ and the presence of God’s Spirit dwelling within a person. Jesus said, “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:17–20, NLT).
Fruit in keeping with repentance represents the good deeds and changed behaviors that naturally flow from a truly repentant and transformed heart. In James 2:14–26, James teaches extensively on the subject, explaining that “faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (verse 17, NLT). James concludes, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works (verse 26, NLT).
Paul prays for the Philippians to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:11). He gives examples of good spiritual fruit: “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23, NLT; see also Ephesians 5:9; Colossians 1:10; James 3:17).
The believer’s ability to produce fruit in keeping with repentance depends wholly on our intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, who said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5, NLT). The root will naturally produce fruit. Fruit in keeping with repentance is the evidence (as well as a result) of a changed mind, transformed life, and ongoing communion with Jesus.
The true gospel is the good news that God saves sinners. Man is by nature sinful and separated from God with no hope of remedying that situation. But God, by His power, provided the means of man’s redemption in the death, burial and resurrection of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
The word “gospel” literally means “good news.” But to truly comprehend how good this news is, we must first understand the bad news. As a result of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6), every part of man—his mind, will, emotions and flesh—have been corrupted by sin. Because of man’s sinful nature, he does not and cannot seek God. He has no desire to come to God and, in fact, his mind is hostile toward God (Romans 8:7). God has declared that man’s sin dooms him to an eternity in hell, separated from God. It is in hell that man pays the penalty of sin against a holy and righteous God. This would be bad news indeed if there were no remedy.
But in the gospel, God, in His mercy, has provided that remedy, a substitute for us—Jesus Christ—who came to pay the penalty for our sin by His sacrifice on the cross. This is the essence of the gospel which Paul preached to the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 15:2-4, he explains the three elements of the gospel—the death, burial and resurrection of Christ on our behalf. Our old nature died with Christ on the cross and was buried with Him. Then we were resurrected with Him to a new life (Romans 6:4-8). Paul tells us to “hold firmly” to this true gospel, the only one which saves. Believing in any other gospel is to believe in vain. In Romans 1:16-17, Paul also declares that the true gospel is the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” by which he means that salvation is not achieved by man’s efforts, but by the grace of God through the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Because of the gospel, through the power of God, those who believe in Christ (Romans 10:9) are not just saved from hell. We are, in fact, given a completely new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a changed heart and a new desire, will, and attitude that are manifested in good works. This is the fruit the Holy Spirit produces in us by His power. Works are never the means of salvation, but they are the proof of it (Ephesians 2:10). Those who are saved by the power of God will always show the evidence of salvation by a changed life.
In Hebrews 11, we learn about faith from the Bible’s Old Testament heroes. One crucial detail stands out in their lives: they placed their whole confidence in God, entrusting themselves into His hands. The actions and accomplishments of these men and women proved that faith pleases God, and He rewards those who seek Him: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
The author of the book of Hebrews points out two critical convictions of believers. First, “anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists.” Those who desire to draw near to God must have a deep-rooted belief that He is real. Such belief is not mere intellectual knowledge but a wholehearted devotion to His presence and participation in every part of one’s life. Without a genuine conviction that God exists, it is impossible to have an intimate relationship with Him. Second, the Lord’s followers must believe “that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This aspect of faith trusts in the character of God as a good, loving, generous, gracious, and merciful Father (James 1:17; Psalm 84:11; Lamentations 3:22–23). These two certainties are the groundwork of saving faith—a faith that pleases God.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because faith is the avenue by which we come to God and trust Him for our salvation. In His infinite goodness, God provides the very thing we need to draw near to Him: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). God gives us the faith required to please Him.
Hebrews 11:1 gives a definition, or at least a good description, of the faith that pleases God: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” “Confidence” is the translation of a Greek word that means “foundation.” Faith is the foundation that undergirds our hope. It is not a blind grasping in the dark, but an absolute conviction that comes from experiencing God’s love and the faithfulness of His Word. The term translated “assurance” is also translated as “evidence” or “proof.” With our natural eyes, we cannot see the realities of God’s kingdom, but by faith we receive the evidence or proof that they exist.
We’ve established that without faith it is impossible to come to God. It is also impossible to live for God—to follow and serve Him daily and persevere until the end—without faith. The entire Christian life is lived out by faith: “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:17; see also Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). The apostle Paul affirmed, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Scripture refers explicitly to Enoch’s faith as pleasing to God: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—‘he disappeared, because God took him.’ For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5, NLT; cf. Genesis 5:24). How did Enoch please God? Through living by faith. Enoch walked by faith in God. He obeyed the Word that had been revealed up to that point and lived in the light of its truth. Walking by faith means consistently living according to God’s Word (John 14:15). Without faith, it is impossible to believe God’s Word and obey it.
Scripture says that it is impossible to please God through works of the flesh: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8, ESV). We can’t earn God’s approval through good works. Only based on what Jesus Christ has done for us can we become holy and able to live a life pleasing to God (1 Corinthians 1:30). Christ’s life in us produces the righteousness that pleases God (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:13; 3:9).
Without faith, it is impossible to please God; in fact, we cannot even begin to approach the Lord and experience a personal relationship with Him without it. Faith is the atmosphere in which the believer’s life is lived. We are called “believers” because we are continually putting our faith, trust, and confidence in God. By faith the Christian life begins, and by faith it perseveres until the end.
The champions of the Old Testament like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Joseph, Rahab, Gideon, and David all lived by faith. As they looked toward their future hope, they relied on God to fulfill His promises (Hebrews 11:13–16). And they obeyed God’s Word even when they did not understand it. This kind of walking by faith—accepting as truth the things we cannot yet touch, feel, or see, and then acting on them in obedience—is the prescription for living a life that pleases God. We may not see ourselves right now as God does—holy and made righteous by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But when we accept the evidence in God’s Word (Romans 10:17) and reach out in response to experience
fellowship with Him, then we begin to live by faith, and that pleases God.
Several times in his instruction to Timothy, Paul introduces content as “a trustworthy statement” (1 Timothy 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11). The “trustworthy” designation highlights what follows as an important and reliable principle. Shortly after such an introduction, Paul remarks that God cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).
In 2 Timothy 2:11 Paul introduces what reads like a poetic verse from a hymn that includes four couplets. The words may have already been familiar to Timothy, or Paul may have been simply providing new content. Literally rendered, the passage reads like this: “Since together we died, also together we will live;
since we are enduring, also together we will reign;
if we will deny, He will also deny us;
if we are not faithful, He remains faithful, for to deny Himself He cannot” (2 Timothy 2:11–13).
In the first couplet (2 Timothy 2:11), Paul acknowledges that, because we have died together with Christ (as in Colossians 2:20 and 3:3), we will live together with Him. We will enjoy life everlasting with Christ. Paul states this as fact (using the first class condition in the Greek)—this is not merely an “if” but a “since.” It is a fact that we have died together (Paul uses the aorist tense, denoting the action is completed), and it is a certainty that in the future we will live together with Christ.
Next, Paul encourages believers that, since we are enduring (also assumed as fact, using the first class conditional), then we will reign together with Him and each other (2 Timothy 2:12a). As John explained it in Revelation, believers overcome through Christ who has Himself overcome (compare Revelation 2:7, 11; 3:5; 21:7, etc., with Revelation 5:5). This is an encouragement for believers to persevere—and, assuming their endurance, reminding that there is a future of reward and meaningful activity in store.
The third couplet (2 Timothy 2:12b) changes the tense of the (protasis) action from present (as was used on the first two couplets) to future, rendering the first part of the couplet, “if we deny in the future.” If there is such a denial, then He will also deny us. Jesus used similar terminology when He explained that, if people denied Him before men, He would deny them before the Father (Matthew 10:33). It is important to note that Jesus was talking to His twelve disciples (Matthew 10:5; 11:1). He explains that the Spirit would be speaking through them (Matthew 10:20), and He warns them of the need to be faithful in confessing Him before men and not denying Him—He is challenging them to be faithful messengers for Him. There was reward for confessing Him before men (Matthew 10:32) and consequences for denying Him before men (Matthew 10:33).
In 2 Timothy 2, Paul is challenging Timothy to endure and fulfill his ministry, which included doing the work of a good-news proclaimer, or evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). Paul challenges Timothy with the importance of confessing and not denying Jesus.
When Paul says that Jesus will deny us, he is not talking about loss of salvation or change in positional standing before God. Much like Jesus warned His twelve disciples, Paul reminds Timothy that there are consequences to unfaithfulness in ministry. Paul had explained earlier in this context the importance of engaging like a good soldier, an athlete competing according to the rules, and a hard-working farmer (2 Timothy 2:3–6).
Paul had elsewhere explained that he was working hard to be faithful so he would not be disqualified from ministry (1 Corinthians 9:23–27). He refers to faithfulness in practice, not loss of salvation—as he explains after the fourth couplet in 2 Timothy 2:13: God “cannot deny Himself” (NKJV). To ensure that people rightly understood the rewards and consequences of faithfulness in the Christian life, Paul told the Corinthians that the works of all believers would one day be assessed at Christ’s judgment seat. If those works stand the test, the believer will be rewarded (1 Corinthians 3:14). If the works are burned up, then the believer will lose out on the reward, but he would not lose salvation (1 Corinthians 3:15). Paul’s warning to Timothy that Jesus would deny those who deny Him has nothing to do with their position in Christ, as we see in the fourth couplet: “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is” (2 Timothy 2:13, NLT).
Even if we are unfaithful, or lacking faith, faithful He remains, for God cannot deny Himself. Once a person is in Christ (by belief in Him), God remains faithful to that person—He keeps His word. The one who believes has eternal life from the moment of faith (e.g., John 6:47; Romans 8:29–31). Nothing can separate a child of God from the love of God (Romans 8:38–39), because He is faithful to keep His promise.
God cannot deny Himself. If He were to break His promise to those who have believed in Him, that would be a denial of Himself and His righteous character. To those who fear that God is standing over them waiting to cast them out if they deny Him or if they fail to have enough belief or if they are unfaithful in their ministries, Paul says that God always remains faithful. His faithfulness is a matter of His own character—God cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).
Scripture doesn’t ever manipulate us to action based on the potential loss of our position in Christ. Instead, we are exhorted to act because God is faithful and the promises He makes are certain.
Throughout the Bible, the harvest carries spiritual significance. It is used in parables (Luke 8:4–8) and as a metaphor for spiritual growth and health (2 Corinthians 9:10; James 3:18). The harvest has always been a beautiful and important part of life on earth, the time when the year’s work bears fruit and the people are fed. It is symbolic of bounty, health and abundance. Israel celebrated the time of the harvest with a feast, appropriately called the Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16).
Jesus spoke of a spiritual harvest waiting to be reaped. As Jesus traveled, “he saw the crowds, [and] he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’” (Matthew 9:36–38). Here, Jesus referred to the many souls needing to be brought to repentance and faith as a harvest waiting to be realized.
Jesus used the same metaphor of a spiritual harvest in Samaria. After talking to the woman at the well, Jesus told His disciples, “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (John 4:35). In the days following this statement, many of the Samaritans became believers in Christ (verse 41). Jesus saw the spiritual harvest of souls awaiting in that village.
A spiritual harvest is the result of God’s work in the heart of man. It is clear from the parable of the seed and the sower that some people’s hearts are good soil; when the Word of God is sown there, the person accepts it and continues to mature (Luke 8:9–15). There is nothing we can do to change the soil—that is God’s job (Ezekiel 36:26). However, we can be faithful to sow the seed, help the plants to grow, or reap the harvest. The process of spiritual growth and maturity, from the heart’s regeneration to the recognition of faith, is often a long journey. In fact, the Bible indicates that the sower, the tender, and the reaper are likely to be different people at different times (John 4:35–38; 1 Corinthians 3:6–9).
Just like the physical growth of a field, the spiritual growth of people is a natural, organic process, overseen by God Himself. If we don’t see anyone getting saved, it can be discouraging, but we need to remember that sowing is just as important as reaping. Some of us are sowers and may never see the result of our labor. That is why our focus should be on pleasing the One who sent us into the field rather than on controlling the rate of growth or the amount we reap.
God’s laborers in the spiritual harvest of souls are promised great reward for their faith and perseverance (James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 11). This applies to all aspects of our spiritual lives, including witnessing and seeing people saved and growing in the Lord, which is the spiritual harvest we all long to see. Sometimes we don’t see it. Nonetheless, believers are exhorted with these words: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9) and “A harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18) and “Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them” (Psalm 126:6).
Jesus told us to pray to the Lord of the harvest for more laborers (Matthew 9:38). We should pray about all aspects of the spiritual harvest process, including the preparation of the soil. We can ask God to change people’s hearts. “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24–25). God will use us in His fields, each according to our gifts and the need of the moment, as we trust Him.
Jesus asked a lot of questions. Query was one of His favorite teaching tools. One of the questions Jesus put to the disciples was “Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20). This question drew out a response that is instructive to all of us.
The context of Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” is important: “Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’
“They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’
“‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’
“Peter answered, ‘God’s Messiah’” (Luke 9:18–20). Parallel accounts are found in Matthew 16 and Mark 8.
Matthew relates that Peter did more than just identify Jesus as the Christ; he also proclaimed Jesus’ divine nature: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
Jesus’ question “Who do you say I am?” was not a sign of ignorance; He knew all things, including what was on the disciples’ minds. The question was also not motivated by some type of self-conceit or vanity; Jesus did not preen, and He had no desire to fish for compliments. Rather, His question was aimed at provoking the disciples to consider their level of faith. The immediate results of His question make it clear why He asked them what He did.
Jesus began the conversation by asking a related question: “Who do the crowds say I am?” (Luke 9:18). In response, the disciples related the various things they had heard: the opinions included several personages come back to life, pointing to the fact that the crowds viewed Jesus as someone special. But the crowds’ guesses were all wrong. So Jesus directs the question to the disciples themselves: “Who do you say that I am?” In other words, are you following the crowd? Are you sticking with the conventional wisdom about Me? Or do you have another, more insightful answer? What do you really think?
Peter then speaks up. In answer to the question, Peter affirms his belief that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and, more than that, the Son of God. By this time, the disciples had seen many miracles, including the raising of a widow’s son in Nain, the calming of a storm, the casting out of many demons from a man in the Gerasenes, and the feeding of 5,000. The disciples knew that Jesus was more than a prophet; He was absolutely unique; He was, in fact, God in the flesh.
In response to Peter’s declaration, Jesus expresses the blessedness of his faith: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). God, in His grace, had opened the disciples’ eyes to see Jesus for who He truly was.
So Jesus asks the question “Who do you say that I am?” and He receives the correct (divinely inspired) response from Peter. This marks a turning point in Jesus’ teaching ministry with His disciples. Starting then, the Lord gives His disciples additional information, as shocking as it was for them to hear: “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21).
Jesus had refrained from telling His disciples about His death and resurrection until they had reached an important milestone: namely, that their faith had grown to the extent that they could express their conviction that Jesus was the Son of God. How the disciples handled the additional information of Jesus’ death would depend on who they believed Jesus to be. Knowing that He is the Son of God, they should be able to trust Him—even to the point of accepting His death (and resurrection) without being shaken.
Unfortunately, the disciples had a hard time processing what Jesus was now telling them, as evidenced in Peter’s response (Matthew 16:22–23). Even having faith in Jesus as the divine Son of God, the disciples were thrown into confusion at the prediction of Jesus’ death and resurrection (see Mark 9:32).
Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” is a good example of one of His teaching methods. Asking a question demands engagement, promotes thinking, and draws out a considered response. Jesus’ question and subsequent teaching also illustrate the progressive nature of God’s revelation and our need for growing in faith. Throughout history, God has revealed His message gradually, starting in Genesis and continuing through the close of the canon. He did not reveal any more than mankind needed or was capable of receiving at any given time. Also, Jesus’ delay in introducing the subject of His death and resurrection suggests that the disciples’ faith needed to mature to the point that they could hear and understand. All of us are called to grow in our faith. There is always more to know of Christ. “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity” (Hebrews 6:1).
Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in John 17. In verse 16 the Lord says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it,” and this is before His request: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (verse 17). In Christian theology, sanctification is a state of separation unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30, ESV). The sanctification mentioned in this verse is a once-for-ever separation of believers unto God. It is a work God performs, an integral part of our salvation and our connection with Christ (Hebrews 10:10). Theologians sometimes refer to this state of holiness before God as “positional” sanctification; it is related to justification.
While we are positionally holy (“set free from every sin” by the blood of Christ, Acts 13:39), we know that we still sin (1 John 1:10). That’s why the Bible also refers to sanctification as a practical experience of our separation unto God. “Progressive” or “experiential” sanctification, as it is sometimes called, is the effect of obedience to the Word of God in one’s life. It is the same as growing in the Lord (2 Peter 3:18) or spiritual maturity. God started the work of making us like Christ, and He is continuing it (Philippians 1:6). This type of sanctification is to be pursued by the believer earnestly (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14) and is effected by the application of the Word (John 17:17). Progressive sanctification has in view the setting apart of believers for the purpose for which they are sent into the world: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:18–19). That Jesus set Himself apart for God’s purpose is both the basis and the condition of our being set apart (see John 10:36). We are sanctified and sent because Jesus was. Our Lord’s sanctification is the pattern of and power for our own. The sending and the sanctifying are inseparable. On this account we are called “saints” (hagioi in the Greek), or “sanctified ones.” Prior to salvation, our behavior bore witness to our standing in the world in separation from God, but now our behavior should bear witness to our standing before God in separation from the world. Little by little, every day, “those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14, ESV) are becoming more like Christ.
There is a third sense in which the word sanctification is used in Scripture—a “complete” or “ultimate” sanctification. This is the same as glorification. Paul prays in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV). Paul speaks of Christ as “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and links the glorious appearing of Christ to our personal glorification: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). This glorified state will be our ultimate separation from sin, a total sanctification in every regard. “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
To summarize, “sanctification” is a translation of the Greek word hagiasmos, meaning “holiness” or “a separation.” In the past, God granted us justification, a once-for-all, positional holiness in Christ. In the present, God guides us to maturity, a practical, progressive holiness. In the future, God will give us glorification, a permanent, ultimate holiness. These three phases of sanctification separate the believer from the penalty of sin (justification), the power of sin (maturity), and the presence of sin (glorification).
Several places in the Bible speak of being crucified with Christ or having died with Christ: for example, Colossians 2:20; 3:3; and 2 Timothy 2:11. An extended discussion on the subject is found in Romans 6:3–14. Since no believer was literally crucified with Christ, the phrase crucified with Christ is symbolic for a spiritual truth.
Galatians 2:20 is a key passage: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
The context of Galatians 2 is how the believer is made right with God. False teachers were telling the Galatian churches that faith in Christ was not enough. To be saved, they said, believers must also be circumcised and become “Jewish.” Only then would they be wholly right with God. In Galatians 2:15–16 Paul counters that idea: “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”
Paul says, “Through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God” (Galatians 2:19). While Paul was trying to please God by keeping the Law, he was not really living for God. The more he tried to keep the Law, the more he saw how much he failed. It was only when he gave up trying to achieve righteousness on his own and accepted the righteousness of God by faith in Christ that he truly began living for God. Justification by faith actually makes it possible to live for God.
Being crucified with Christ means that we are no longer under the penalty of the Law. That penalty was paid by Christ on our behalf. When Christ was crucified, it was as if we were crucified with Him. The penalty was fully paid—just as surely as if we had been crucified for our own sins. When Christ rose from the dead, we rose, too. Now the risen Christ empowers us to live for Him in a way that pleases God. We used to seek life through our own works, but now we “live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20).
Being crucified with Christ means that we are new creations. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old life is dead and gone. We walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
Being crucified with Christ means that we have a new love. The lusts of the flesh and the love of the things of this world have been crucified (Galatians 5:24). Now we love Christ, though we have not seen Him (1 Peter 1:8).
Being crucified with Christ means that we have a new commitment. We are dedicated to the service and glory of the Lord, and that dedication destroys selfishness and surpasses ties to family and friends. We have taken up our cross to follow Him (Matthew 10:38).
Being crucified with Christ means that we have a new way of life. At one time we “followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2). But that way of life was nailed to the cross. Now we follow Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and we seek to please Him in every way (Hebrews 12:2).
The idea of being crucified with Christ emphasizes our union with Him and His death on our behalf. We trust in Christ’s crucifixion as payment for our sin penalty, and we rely on His power to live in a way that pleases God. The emphasis is on what He has done for us, not what we have to do for God. Too often, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is Christ who lives in me” becomes “I need to crucify my sinful desires and try harder to live for God.” When this becomes our perspective, we have slipped out of grace-living and back into law-living, and we minimize the power of Christ’s death for us. We are relying less upon the power of Christ and more upon our own power—and that will never work out well!
In short, Galatians 2:20 tells us how we escaped the penalty of sin to live a life that pleases God. Knowing that we are “crucified with Christ” should give us great encouragement in our Christian walk. We have the power to say “no” to sin and “yes” to God.
In Matthew 16, Jesus asks what good it is for a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul (Matthew 16:26). To gain the whole world is to receive all the world has to offer—money, fame, pleasure, power, prestige, etc. To lose one’s soul is to die without a right relationship with Christ and spend an eternity in the lake of fire.
In the context of His rhetorical question, the Lord was predicting His suffering and death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21). When Peter resisted His teaching, Jesus rebuked him and said, “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (verse 23). Jesus then spoke to the crowd and reminded them that there was nothing worth more than one’s own eternal soul. Rejecting Christ might mean temporary, earthly gains, but it comes at the worst possible price.
The Jewish people had been waiting for a Promised One for many centuries. Most expected that this Messiah would be a military leader or a king like David or Solomon. Jesus’ disciples recognized that He was the One whom the prophets had predicted. However, Jesus did not speak about conquering with an army or by taking over the government. Instead, Jesus taught that the Messiah would suffer and die at the hands of men.
Just before He asks, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Jesus says that, in order to truly follow Christ, people must be willing to “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). To take up one’s cross is a reference to being condemned to die. Jesus’ statement is symbolic of a total, final commitment.
In other words, one needs to be willing to give up everything in order to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Worldly suffering shouldn’t be a deterrent. This is the context of Jesus’ question, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” If a person rejects Jesus and becomes the richest, most powerful person on earth, he has still made a poor decision. Sooner or later, earthly things will fade away. And that person will have lost the only part of himself that lasts forever. The day of reckoning is coming: “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done” (Matthew 16:27).
There is nothing more valuable than a person’s soul. To trade that away is the epitome of foolishness. When a person chooses to embrace this world instead of heaven, he is forfeiting his soul. If a person rejects Christ for the sake of anything in this life, he will lose his soul. Esau despised his birthright, choosing stew instead; Judas sold the Savior for a few pieces of silver; Demas loved this present world and forsook the ministry. All three men thought they were gaining something but actually lost everything.
To understand Jesus’ response to the rich young ruler’s question—“What must I do to be saved?”—we must consider three things: the background of the rich young ruler, the purpose of his question, and the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The young man had asked Jesus, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). Jesus responded, “If you want to enter life, keep the commandments” (verse 17). At first glance, it appears that Jesus is saying that the young man and, by extension, all people must obey the commandments in order to be saved. But is that really what He was saying? Since the essence of the salvation message is that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), why would Jesus offer the rich young ruler an “alternative plan”?
The story of the rich young ruler is found in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew 19:16–23, Mark 10:17–22, and Luke 18:18–23. The man is described as a “ruler,” which means he was a prince or magistrate of some sort. Since no Roman ruler would address Jesus as “teacher” or “master,” it is assumed that this man was a Jewish ruler in the local synagogue. This man also had “great wealth” (Matthew 19:22), and Jesus later used His conversation with this man to teach the detrimental effect money can have on one’s desire for eternal life (verses 23–24). The lesson Jesus draws from this incident concerns money, not salvation by works.
The first thing Jesus says to the man’s greeting, “Good teacher,” is to remind him that no one is good except God (Matthew 19:17). Jesus was not denying His own divinity. Rather, Jesus was immediately getting the man to think about what “good” really means—since only God is good, then what we normally call human goodness might be something else entirely This truth comes into play later in the conversation. When the man asked Jesus to specify which commandments he should keep, Jesus recited six of the commandments, including “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19). The man replies, “All these I have kept. . . . What do I still lack?” (verse 20), and that is a key statement. The young man was obviously religious and sincere in his pursuit of righteousness. His problem was that he considered himself to be faultless concerning the Law. And this is the point that Jesus challenges.
Jesus tells the man, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). The young man decided that Jesus was asking too much. “He went away sad, because he had great wealth” (verse 22). Rather than obey Jesus’ instructions, he turned his back on the Lord and walked away. The man’s choice undoubtedly saddened Jesus as well, because Jesus loved him (Mark 10:21).
In telling the young man to keep the commandments, Jesus was not saying that he could be saved by obeying the commandments; rather, Jesus was emphasizing the Law as God’s perfect standard. If you can keep the Law perfectly, then you can escape sin’s penalty—but that’s a big if. When the man responded that he met the Law’s standard, Jesus simply touched on one issue that proved the man did not measure up to God’s holiness. The man was not willing to follow the Lord, if that meant he must give up his wealth. Thus, the man was breaking the two greatest commands; he did not love the Lord with all his heart, and he did not love his neighbor as himself. He loved himself (and his money) more. Far from keeping “all” the commandments, as he had claimed, the man was a sinner like everyone else. The Law proved it.
If the man had loved God and other people more than he did his property, he would have been willing to give up his wealth to the service of God and man. But that was not the case. He had made an idol of his wealth, and he loved it more than God. With surgical precision, Jesus exposes the greed in the man’s heart—greed the man did not even suspect he had. Jesus’ statement that only God is good (Matthew 19:18) is proved in the young man’s response to Jesus’ command.
In His conversation with the rich young ruler, Christ did not teach that we are saved by the works of the Law. The Bible’s message is that salvation is by grace through faith (Romans 3:20, 28; 4:6; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:9; 2 Timothy 1:9). Rather, Jesus used the man’s love of money to show how the man fell short of God’s holy standard—as do we all. The rich young ruler needed the Savior, and so do we.
We need the righteousness of Christ imputed to us because we have no righteousness of our own. We are sinners by nature, and we cannot make ourselves righteous—we cannot place ourselves in right standing with God. We need Christ’s righteousness imputed to us—meaning, we need His holiness before God credited to our account.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes our need for imputed righteousness plain. He says, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). This comes after Jesus had just corrected His listeners’ misunderstanding of the law. In Matthew 5:20, Jesus says that, if His hearers want to enter into the kingdom of heaven, their righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees, who were the experts in the knowledge of the law.
Then, in Matthew 5:21–47, Jesus radically redefines obedience to the law from mere outward conformity, which characterized the “righteousness” of the Pharisees, to an obedience of both outward and inward conformity. Six times in this passage, He says, “You have heard that it was said . . . but I tell you.” In this way, Jesus differentiated the requirements of the law as the people had been taught from its actual requirements. Obeying the law is more than simply abstaining from murder or adultery, for example. It’s also not getting angry with your brother and not lusting in your heart. At the end of this section of the sermon, Jesus says we must “be perfect” (verse 48).
At this point, the natural response is, “But I can’t be perfect,” which is absolutely true. In another place in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus summarizes the Law of God with two commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37–40). These commands also condemn us, because has anyone ever loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength and loved his neighbor as himself? Everything we do, say, and think must be done, said, and thought from love for God and love for neighbor. We have never achieved that level of spirituality. We are not righteous.
Sin affects us to the very core of our being, and no matter how good we try to be, we will never meet God’s standard of perfection on our own. The Bible says that all our righteous deeds are like a “polluted garment” (Isaiah 64:6). Our own attempts at goodness are simply not good enough. We need an imputed righteousness, and for that we look to Christ.
On the cross, Jesus took our sin upon Himself and purchased our salvation. We have “been justified by his blood” (Romans 5:9), and part of that justification is an imputation of His own righteousness. Paul puts it this way: “For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus is righteous by virtue of His very nature—He is the Son of God. By God’s grace, “through faith in Jesus Christ,” that righteousness is given “to all who believe” (Romans 3:22). That’s imputation: the giving of Christ’s righteousness to sinners.
Having Christ’s righteousness imputed to us does not mean we automatically do what is right—that will come through the process of sanctification. What it does mean is that we are positionally righteous; even though we still sin, we are forensically or legally righteous. God has credited the righteousness of Christ to our account, and He did this when He saved us. In grace, the holiness of Jesus Christ is ascribed to us. Christ “has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
By having the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, we can be seen as sinless, as Jesus is sinless. This is amazing grace! We are not righteous in ourselves; rather, we possess Christ’s righteousness applied to our account. It is not our perfection but Christ’s that God sees when He brings us into fellowship with Himself. We are still sinners in practice, but the grace of God has declared us to have righteous standing before the law.
A wonderful illustration of Christ’s imputed righteousness is found in Jesus’ parable of the wedding banquet. Guests are invited to the king’s celebration from every street corner, and they are brought in, “the bad as well as the good” (Matthew 22:10). All the guests have something in common: they are each given a wedding garment. They are not to wear their street clothes in the banquet hall but are to be dressed in the garment of the king’s providing. They are covered in a gracious gift. In a similar way, we, as guests invited into God’s house, have been given the pure white robe of Christ’s righteousness. We receive this gift of God’s grace by faith.
For all have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God
thus says St Paul in
Romans 3:23
Yes, each one of us has sinned and we know how often we have fallen. But the fact that we are all sinners does not mean we can continue satisfying our sinful desires by committing one sin after the other; nor does it mean that we feel hopeless and abandon God’s call to live a life of holiness (1 Peter 1:15). Going to both these extremes will ultimately lead to our spiritual death.
As St. Paul writes in Romans 6:23 – For sin pays its wage – death. But the sentence is not complete. He further goes on to add… but God’s free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23b). In other words, St. Paul is saying that although we have all sinned, God our Heavenly Father has still made it possible for us to be saved.
The offer of eternal life is made freely available to us through His Son Jesus who has already suffered the consequences of all our sins on the cross. All that is left for us to do is to accept this free gift.
Repent and Turn to GodAccepting the free gift of eternal life begins with repentance. Repentance is nothing but feeling sorry for what we have done. In Acts 3:19 St. Peter says: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.” (Acts 3:19). Kindly note, Peter uses the word then; it means we have to know what was spoken in the previous lines. *”He was holy and good, but you rejected Him… You killed the one who leads to life…” (Acts 3:14-15)
All of us are responsible for the death of Jesus. In a way, we have killed Him by the various sins that we have committed till today and those which we will be committing in the future. Repentance therefore, is feeling sorry for going against the holiness and goodness of Jesus, who has come to lead us to life. In spite of all that we have done to Jesus, God Our Father is willing to forgive all our sins and give us the free gift of eternal life.
Repentance calls for humility where we acknowledge our faults before God.
When the prophet Nathan pointed out to David the serious offences he had committed against God, David admitted that he had sinned. “I have sinned against the LORD,” David said. Nathan replied, “The LORD forgives you; you will not die. (2 Samuel 12:13).
Forgiveness followed instantly. That is what happens when we humble ourselves. In the Psalm of repentance that David wrote, he says: My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart. (Psalms 51:17)
Going back to the incident where Peter invited the people to repent, we are told that Many who heard the message believed (Acts 4:4). These are the ones who acknowledged their fault in humility and repented for their sins. There is no doubt that God forgave their sins. Therefore, when we confess our sins with a humble and repentant heart, God forgives our sins by means of His Son Jesus.
The apostle John writes *But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep his promise and do what is right: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. (1 John 1:9).
And Christ Himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone (1 John 2:2).
St. Paul, who at one time was persecuting the Christians mercilessly, repented for what he had done after coming to know Jesus. He acknowledges thus: This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them, but God was merciful to me in order that Christ Jesus might show his full patience in dealing with me, the worst of sinners, as an example for all those who would later believe in him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:15-16)
Live for Him alone as His peopleRepent, then, and turn to God…”. Repentance is followed by turning to God, which is nothing but living for Jesus alone. The same Paul, who at one time was responsible for persecuting Christians, dedicated his entire life to Jesus and to proclaiming the Gospel. He writes about this saying: He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but only for Him who died and was raised to life for their sake (2 Corinthians 5:15).Thus, living only for Jesus becomes the sole purpose of life of a person who has repented sincerely.
The life of a person who is
living for Jesus alone
is characterized by two things:
1) He wants to know Jesus more and more and
2) At all times he wants to do what God requires of him.
That was how Paul began his journey with Christ. The two questions that he asked Jesus in Acts 22:8,10 at the time of his conversion characterize the life of a true Christian: ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ‘What shall I do, Lord?’. He writes in his letter to the Philippians: All I want is to know Christ. My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more. (Philippians 3:10, 1:20-21).
Living for Jesus alone ultimately brings about a change of heart and mind. We become God’s children, we become His people. We become new beings as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17- Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. The new way of life that we live is one that is different from that of the world. As St. Paul writes in Romans 12:2 – Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to Him and is perfect. St. John writes in 1 John 3:9 – Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God’s very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin.
Living as His People by the Power of the Holy SpiritIn Acts 2:38 St. Peter says – Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Why was the Holy Spirit promised to us? God could have simply stopped at forgiving our sins because of our belief in Jesus. But He gave us the Holy Spirit as well. Why?
The Holy Spirit is given to us to help us obey the Word of Christ so that we become God’s children; we become new beings. That is why, in John 14:26 Jesus calls Him the Helper
Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we cannot become God’s children.
St. Paul says in Galatians 4:6- To show that you are his children, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, ‘Father, my Father.’ Again, without the Holy Spirit, we cannot become new beings.
It is the Holy Spirit who produces in us the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control as enlisted in Galatians 5:22-23). All these are characteristics of a new being.
Therefore, having repented sincerely for our sins, let us then live our life by the power of the Holy Spirit, keeping in step with Him all the time as it is said in Galatians 5:25).
The Lord Holy Spirit
will help us
live for God as His people
Spiritual adultery
is
unfaithfulness to God
It is having an undue
fondness for the things of the world.
Spiritual adultery
is analogous to the unfaithfulness of one’s spouse:
“‘But like a woman faithless to her lover,
even so have
you been faithless to me,
O house of Israel,’ says the LORD”
Jeremiah 3:20; see also Isaiah 1:21; 57:8; Ezekiel 16:30
The Bible tells us that people who choose to be friends with the world are an “adulterous people” having “enmity against God” (James 4:4–5). The “world” here is the system of evil under Satan’s control (John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19). The world system, with its contrived and deceitful scheme of phony values, worthless pursuits, and unnatural affections, is designed to lure us away from a pure relationship with God. Spiritual adultery, then, is the forsaking of God’s love and the embracing of the world’s values and desires
(Romans 8:7–8; 2 Timothy 4:10; 1 John 2:15–17).
Spiritual adultery includes any form of idolatry. In the Old Testament, the children of Israel tried to mix the worship of other gods such as Baal with that of God (Judges 3:7; 1 Kings 16:31–33; Jeremiah 19:5). In doing so, Israel became like an adulterous wife who wanted both a husband and another lover (Jeremiah 9:2; Ezekiel 6:9; 16:32). In the New Testament, James defines spiritual adultery as claiming to love God while cultivating friendship with the world (James 4:4–5). The person who commits spiritual adultery is one who professes to be a Christian yet finds his real love and pleasure in the things that Satan offers. For believers, the love of the world and the love of God are direct opposites. Believers committing spiritual adultery may claim to love the Lord, but, in reality, they are captivated by the pleasures of this world, its influence, comforts, financial security, and so-called freedoms.
The concept of spiritual adultery against God is a major theme throughout the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 16:15–19). This theme is illustrated especially well in the book of Hosea. The prophet’s wife, Gomer, symbolizes the infidelity of the children of Israel (Hosea 2:2–5; 3:1–5; 9:1).
Hosea’s commitment to Gomer symbolizes
God’s faithful,
patient love with His erring people.
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). The Bible exhorts us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:15–16). Believers must echo the words of the old hymn: “The world behind me, the cross before me; no turning back.”
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:14–16). Spiritual adultery is like trying to straddle the fence with one foot in the world and the other in heaven. We cannot have both. As Jesus warned the church in Laodicea, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15–16).
The love of the world is primarily
an attitude of one’s heart, and we can cast away
worldliness by cultivating a new affection.
To avoid spiritual adultery,
“set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth”
Colossians 3:2
During Jesus’ trial before
Pontius Pilate,
the Roman governor asked the Lord, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
(John 18:33
Jesus answered,
"My kingdom
is
not of this world.
If my kingdom were of
this world,
my servants
would have been fighting,
that I might not
be delivered over to the Jews.
But my
kingdom is not from the world”
John 18:36
As Roman governor in Judea, Pilate’s primary responsibility was to maintain peace and order. The Jewish high council wanted to put Jesus to death, so they sent Him to Pilate because he alone held the power to pronounce a death sentence (John 19:10). The high priest Caiaphas had to convince Pilate that Jesus was a troublemaker and a threat to Roman stability. He accused Christ of claiming to be a king—a charge that would insinuate Jesus in the crime of recruiting rebel forces to launch a revolution against Roman authority (Luke 23:2–5). Caiaphas hoped that, to avoid a rebellion, Pilate would determine to put Jesus to death.
When Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world,” He was, in essence, telling Pilate that He needed no earthly defense because His kingdom wasn’t from the world. Christ admitted He was head of an empire, but not one that Rome needed to fear as a political rival. If His kingdom were of this world, His servants would have been fighting to defend Him. But Jesus had restrained His disciples from preventing His arrest (John 18:10–11).
Pilate realized that Jesus had no interest in stirring up a rebellion. He posed no threat to Rome. Directly following this conversation, Pilate told the Jewish leaders, “I find no basis for a charge against him” (John 18:38).
“My kingdom” refers to a spiritual kingdom of truth where Jesus reigns as Lord over the lives of His people. Jesus told Pilate, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true” (John 18:37). Jesus did not come to earth to rule over a mortal empire. He came to bear witness to the truth of who He is—the Messiah, Savior of the world. Everyone who loves and recognizes this truth is a citizen of Christ’s kingdom.
The Jewish high council wanted Pilate to condemn Jesus under the pretense that He was raising a rebellion against Rome and proclaiming Himself “king of the Jews.” But that scenario was inaccurate, and Jesus cleared up the distortion, saying, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The Lord hit on the word truth as if to say, “The real truth is this, Pilate: they want me dead because they are horrified by the truth of my claim—that I am ‘I Am,’ the promised Jewish Messiah.”
Jesus offers the truth of intimate fellowship with the only true God. He was born into this world for this purpose: “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (John 17:3, NLT). His kingdom presents the opportunity to know the truth that sets us free from sin and death (Romans 8:2; John 8:32). Only those who are born again can see Christ’s kingdom (John 3:3). And only those who are born of water and spirit can enter His kingdom (John 3:5).
Once, Jesus told the Pharisees, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23). To His disciples, the Lord explained that the world and the “prince of this world” held no power over Him (John 14:22–30). The world hates Christ and His followers, “for they are not of the world” (John 17:14, 16).
The statement, “My kingdom is not of this world,” relates to the origin and nature of Christ’s kingdom, not the location. The authority and power of Christ’s kingdom are drawn from a source outside of this world—from God, our heavenly Father. Christ’s headship is not of human origin but divine.
Christ’s kingdom is unlike any on this earth: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Other kingdoms are rooted in the realm of this world, but Christ’s is unique. His kingship is spiritual. It comes down to us from heaven and gives life to the world (John 6:33).
While not of this world, the Lord’s kingdom is most certainly in this world, exercising authority over this world and impacting this world. Jesus Christ and all of His disciples take orders from above, not from below. We are to set our minds “on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). When it comes to obeying the law, the apostle Peter said, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29, NLT).
As believers in Jesus, we are subjects of Christ’s kingdom. This world is not our home (Hebrews 13:14; Philippians 3:20; 1 John 2:15–17). We are citizens of heaven, and we owe our highest allegiance to our ultimate authority—King Jesus. Just as He declared, we, too, can say, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Sovereign grace
combines two of God’s attributes,
His sovereignty and His graciousness. Both of these characteristics of God are so vast that many volumes have been written about each. Briefly though, the doctrine of sovereign grace is the melding of the two into a thrilling truth that gives us a glimpse into the mind and heart of our great God. The sovereignty of God is His total control of all things past, present, and future. Nothing happens beyond His knowledge and control. All things are either caused by Him or allowed by Him for His own purposes and in accordance with His perfect will and timing (Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6).
He is the only absolute and omnipotent ruler of the universe and is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption.
The other half of sovereign grace is grace. The grace of God is His unmerited favor toward those who have not earned it. It is undeserved favor. There are numerous examples of God’s grace in the Bible, both to His people and to those who reject Him. Mary found grace in the eyes of the Lord who bestowed upon her the privilege of bearing the Savior of mankind (Luke 1:28). She may have been a godly young woman, but nothing she could have done would have made her worthy of such a blessing. She was the recipient of God’s grace, and He sovereignly chose her for the task—sovereign grace. The apostle Paul admits that he was a servant of God only by grace and it was by grace that he labored effectively for the cause of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:10). Sovereign grace chose to save Paul on the Damascus Road, and sovereign grace showered him with untold blessings.
As Christians we, too, benefit from God’s sovereign grace. “For by grace are you saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). Our very salvation and position in Christ is due to His grace through the faith that He gives us (Hebrews 12:2). Even those who hate God receive His grace. Every breath God allows them to take is a product of His common grace to all creation: “He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Even the atheist enjoys the effects of God’s sovereign grace through God’s beautiful creation and His provision of the resources necessary for food, clothing, and housing. God doesn’t owe these things to us, but He sovereignly provides them to exhibit His grace.
The sovereign grace of God is noted most often by theologians in the matter of election. We see it best explained in Ephesians 1:5–6: “He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Here, in the same sentence, we have a reference to predestination (God’s sovereignty) and God’s glorious grace—sovereign grace. God sovereignly chose those He would save through His gracious act of sending His Son to die on the cross for their salvation. Sinners were unable to save themselves or, like Mary, to merit God’s favor because of their transgression of His Law. “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). Therefore, Christians are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
God in His sovereign grace has chosen to save those on whom He has set His love (Romans 9:8–13). They are picked out of the stream of helpless men and women cascading into hell. This is a humbling truth and should result in immense gratitude on our part. Why did God bestow His sovereign grace on believers? Not because we deserve salvation but to demonstrate “the riches of His glory” (Romans 9:14–23). Our only proper response is to proclaim, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
In John 16:8, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit: “When [the Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (ESV). In this verse, we see a three-fold ministry the Spirit will perform in relation to the unsaved world. He will “convict” the world; that is, He will reprove it or show it to be wrong. This reproof will target three areas in which the world needs admonishing: sin, righteousness, and judgment.
Jesus went on to explain: “Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:9–11, ESV).
The world is a sinful place, and one of the Holy Spirit’s tasks is to convict the world of its sin. No amount of preaching, pleading, or pointing of fingers will bring about the conviction of sin, unless the Holy Spirit is at work in the sinner’s heart. It is the Spirit’s job to convict. And what is the most basic sin of which the world is guilty? Jesus specifies it as unbelief. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit is at work in the world “because they believe not in [Christ].” Once a person responds to the Spirit’s conviction and turns to faith in Christ, the other sins he practiced will be taken care of. It is the sin of unbelief—a refusal to trust in Jesus—that is primary.
The world must also be convicted of righteousness, and this, too, is something the Holy Spirit does. There is a righteous standard we are all held to, despite the world’s stubborn denial of absolute truth. And who is the standard-bearer of righteousness? Jesus points to Himself as that standard: “Because I go to the Father.” There is only one Person who came down from heaven, lived a life of sinless perfection, and who ascended back to heaven—the Son of Man, who lives to be our Intercessor (John 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:5). The righteousness that the world tries to deny is found demonstrated in Christ. Everything He ever said and did was the consummate expression of God the Father (John 8:28; Colossians 2:9). He is righteousness personified, and none can measure up to Him (Romans 3:23).
The world is facing judgment, and the Holy Spirit also convicts them of this truth. There is a day of reckoning scheduled—a day in which the holy God will mete out justice and rid His creation of sin. In fact, this judgment has already begun. With whom did it begin? Jesus identifies Satan as the one on whom judgment fell: “Because the ruler of this world is cast out.” Jesus had earlier indicated that His death on the cross was when “the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31). It was on the cross that Jesus redeemed sinners for God and utterly vanquished Satan. “That by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, showing to all the world that Satan’s rule has been overthrown. All who reject Christ and remain in their sin will be condemned along with Satan, and this is the warning that the Holy Spirit sounds in the hearts of the unsaved.
The influence of the Holy Spirit in an unsaved person’s life will lead that person to the realization that he is guilty, that God is just, and that all sinners are deserving of judgment. Once a sinner has been awakened to his soul’s great need, the Spirit will point him to Christ, the one and only Savior and Refuge from judgment (John 16:14). In all of this, the Spirit uses His “sword,” the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), and the result is a regenerated heart. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17).
The dictionary definition of self-righteousness is “confidence in one’s own righteousness, especially when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.” Biblically speaking, self-righteousness, which is related to legalism, is the idea that we can somehow generate within ourselves a righteousness that will be acceptable to God (Romans 3:10). Although any serious Christian would recognize the error of this thought, because of our sin nature, it is a constant temptation to all of us to believe we are, or can be, righteous in and of ourselves. In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostle Paul came down particularly hard on those who attempted to live in self-righteousness.
Jesus’ condemnation of self-righteousness was especially harsh in His treatment of the Jewish leadership of the time. Six times in Matthew 23, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for rigidly adhering to their legalistic traditions in order to make themselves look better to others. The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector was specifically told by Jesus to “some who trusted in themselves, that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (Luke 18:9–14). The Pharisee assumed his acceptance with God based on his own actions, whereas the tax collector recognized that there was nothing in himself that would cause God to approve of him. Over and over again in the Gospels, Jesus clashes with the Pharisees and scribes about true righteousness. At the same time, He spends a great deal of time and energy warning His disciples about the dangers of self-righteousness, making it clear that, without Him, they could do nothing (John 15:5).
Paul’s treatment of self-righteousness is no less scathing than Jesus’ was. He began his great argument in Romans for the grace of God by condemning the Jews’ self-righteous trust in circumcision (Romans 2:17–24). He follows that up in chapter 10, saying that the Jews tried to gain acceptance with God based on their own righteousness, demonstrating ignorance of the true righteousness of God (Romans 10:3). His conclusion is that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, not man (verse 4).
Paul’s letter to the Galatian church also addressed this issue. These believers were being told that they had to do certain things to be acceptable to God, specifically, to be circumcised. Paul goes so far as to say that this is another gospel and calls those who advocate it “accursed” (Galatians 1:8–9). More tellingly, he tells his readers that, if righteousness could come from their own actions, then Jesus died “for no purpose” (Galatians 2:21), and that righteousness could come “by the law” (Galatians 3:21). Paul’s conclusion about the Galatian believers was that they had been foolish in their attempt to be perfected by the flesh (Galatians 3:1–3).
It would be an understatement to say that every believer is plagued by this attitude. It is in our sin nature to try to do something to merit our salvation. The costly freedom of grace, bought for us by the blood of Jesus with no contribution from us, is difficult for our prideful hearts to understand or appreciate. It is far easier to compare ourselves with one another than it is to recognize that we cannot measure up to the standards of a holy God. However, in Christ we can know true righteousness. In Christ, we can know the forgiveness of sin that comes to us throughy grace. Because He stood in our place, we benefit from both His sinless life and His sin-bearing death (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because of His sacrifice, we can face our sin and bring it to the cross, rather than try somehow to be good enough for God. Only in the cross can we see the grace that covers all our sin and defeat the constant tendency toward self-righteousness in our hearts.
Many of the principles of God’s kingdom are paradoxes. When the apostle Paul pleaded with God to remove his affliction—one he called a “thorn in the flesh”—the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:8–9, NKJV). The New Living Translation says, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” God’s strength is made perfect in weakness because He delights in taking situations where human strength is lacking to demonstrate the greatness of His power.
God’s denial of Paul’s request for healing turned out to be a blessing in the apostle’s life. One commentary explains that the thorn “kept Paul from imagining himself as a spiritual superman, and revealed to him the reality of his human mortality and weakness despite his extraordinary revelations. The ‘thorn’ also kept Paul pinned close to the Lord, in trust and confidence” (Barnett, P., The Message of 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, InterVarsity Press, 1988, p. 178).
Paul stopped protesting his situation and began to boast and even take pleasure in his weakness so that the power of Christ could work through him: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul expressed the paradox of his condition—that in his frailty, he was strong because his strength came from Christ.
The words made perfect in 2 Corinthians 12:9 mean “fully or entirely accomplished or made complete.” Christ’s power is made complete—it is able to fully accomplish its purpose—when His people are weak and depend on Him for strength. When we, like Paul, stop resisting and complaining and let the power of Christ rest on us, we make room to receive countless unexpected blessings from the Lord. By allowing God’s strength to be made perfect in our weakness, we have the opportunity to display God’s glory flawlessly. “The grace and power of God interlock with human lives at the point of mortal weakness,” writes Barnett (op. cit., p. 179).
Over and over, the Bible gives examples of God’s strength manifesting when His people are weak. Moses, the great leader of Israel, was deeply aware of his human shortcomings (Exodus 4:10). When the Lord called him to go to Pharaoh, Moses cried, “I’m not adequate. Please send someone else!” But God replied, “Go anyway, Moses, because I will be with you” (see Exodus 4:12–15).
Gideon’s story proves that God can accomplish great things through people who forget about their human weaknesses, trust in God’s strength, and obey His guidance (Judges 6:14–16). And, of course, our most notable biblical example, Jesus Christ, was “crucified in weakness” but “now lives by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4, NLT).
First Corinthians 1:27 teaches, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” We must never shrink away from God because of our weakness but run to Him, letting Him equip and empower us to accomplish His will. We must remember His promise: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:29–31).
When we are in a position of need, it allows us to see how much we need God (2 Corinthians 1:9; 3:5; 13:4). The more aware we are of our weakness, the more God can reveal His power through us: “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT).
God’s strength is made perfect in weakness when we put our faith and trust in Him. The Lord’s presence is all we need in times of weakness. His great power and sufficiency rest on us as we find our strength in Him, and He is glorified. We can say with the psalmist, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26).
As part of an apologetic for his own apostleship, Paul describes some of the incredible ways God had communicated with and used him, and he emphasizes that he would boast in his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9) rather than in his own strength or greatness. In this way, Paul affirms his apostleship but expresses that it is not for his own sake that he magnifies his ministry. Rather, he boasts in the strength of God.
After describing some of the many remarkable events in his ministry (2 Corinthians 11:1–29), Paul notes that he will boast in what pertains to his weakness (2 Corinthians 11:30). His humility is not a false humility, as he could have had much to boast about. He considers some of his “visions and revelations of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 12:1), noting that boasting is necessary but not profitable. As he is seeking to defend his apostleship from those who would question his authenticity, Paul recognizes he needs to mention these things. At the same time, he is not doing so in order to glorify himself. He recognizes the necessity of recounting these things, while emphasizing that he boasts in his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), not in his strength.
Paul recounts in the third person how “a man” (2 Corinthians 12:2) was caught up into the third heaven, into paradise (2 Corinthians 12:2, 4), and heard inexpressible things. Such a man could boast, as the experiences were certainly boast-worthy (2 Corinthians 12:5). Despite the incredible experience Paul had, he explains that he wants people to take his ministry at face value; he doesn’t want to have to defend it by citing his experiences (2 Corinthians 12:6). Nonetheless, because he had been given great revelations—experiences that might cause one to boast—he was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, “to keep me from exalting myself” (2 Corinthians 12:7, NASB). While Paul offers no specifics about this thorn, he adds that the severity was so great that he pleaded with God to remove it (2 Corinthians 12:8). God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NASB). Because God’s power was demonstrated through Paul’s weakness, Paul is glad to boast of his weakness to show the power of Christ dwelling in him (2 Corinthians 12:9). He can be content, recognizing that “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Paul’s strength is found not in himself but in God, who shows Himself to be strong even in the midst of human weakness.
Paul understands the principle that our strength is not in ourselves but in Christ. When we are weak, we are strong because of Him who works in us. Paul had to defend his apostleship, but he didn’t want to spotlight his own strength in doing so. Rather, he put the focus on the greatness of God. If people focused on Paul’s greatness, then Paul’s entire ministry would be misdirected. He was an apostle—a “sent one”—to testify of Jesus Christ. Like John the Baptist once said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). Paul was following a similar strategy in recognizing the glory of God as the focus.
Paul provides an excellent example to follow in demonstrating that, like Paul, we can boast in our weakness. When we appear strong, people focus on our strength, but when we are weak, God’s strength is evident. Paul boasts in his weakness, and we can boast in ours because, in our limitations, God is seen to be limitless.
In Mark 11:23, Jesus makes an astonishing statement: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (NKJV). Does this mean we can move mountains with our words? Is it true that we can have whatever we wish simply by speaking it into existence?
First of all, no, Jesus is not teaching that our words of faith can move actual mountains or that we can have whatever we want if we just believe. Rather, Jesus is teaching an important lesson on faith and prayer and the power of God.
Let’s back up and take a look at the context. The day before His statement about “whoever says to this mountain,” Jesus had approached a fig tree, expecting to find fruit. To His dismay, the tree had no figs (Mark 11:13). Jesus cursed the fig tree, saying, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (Mark 11:14). The next day, as they were passing the same fig tree, the disciples “saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!’” (Mark 11:20–21). The disciples were amazed by two things: the power of Jesus’ word and the speed of the withering.
It’s at this juncture that Jesus says, “Have faith in God. . . . Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:22–24).
Is this passage applicable to the believer in Christ today? Yes, all of Mark 11 is applicable to believers today. In Mark 11:24 and again in verse 25, Jesus makes clear that He is speaking of prayer, and we are all to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17). In this passage following the fig tree lesson, Jesus teaches two things about prayer:
1) We are to pray believing, without doubting, a truth taught elsewhere, too: “When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:6–8). Our prayers should be wholehearted.
2) We are to pray boldly; we are to be courageous, even when the situation seems impossible. God is the God of the impossible (Luke 1:37), and nothing stands in His way.
The mountain referenced in Jesus’ words is the Mount of Olives. The imagery Jesus uses, of a mountain uprooting itself and casting itself into the sea, is hyperbolic, but there is more to it than that. The phrase mover of mountains seems to have been a commonplace idiom at one time. Rabbah Bar Nachmani was called “a remover of mountains” because of his great learning and ability to overcome great doctrinal difficulties (Lightfoot, J., The Harmony, Chronicle, and Order of the New Testament, 1655, § LXXIV, p. 57). Interestingly, the Mount of Olives is the site of Jesus’ future return, at which time the mountain will literally move: “The Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south” (Zechariah 14:4).
We do not think Jesus meant that mountains will literally throw themselves into the sea at our bidding. The Matterhorn is safe from the whims of larky Christians. The Mount of Olives that Jesus pointed out was representative of huge obstacles and impossible situations. We seek spiritual applications. Matthew Henry has a good word on this: “Christ taught them from hence to pray in faith. It may be applied to that mighty faith with which all true Christians are endued, and which does wonders in spiritual things. It justifies us, and so removes mountains of guilt, never to rise up in judgment against us. It purifies the heart, and so removes mountains of corruption, and makes them plain before the grace of God” (Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1706, entry for Mark 11:19–26).
In forming doctrine and establishing practice, we draw on the whole of the Bible’s teaching on any subject. Concerning the doctrine of prayer, we look at all of Scripture and we find that we pray to the Father (Matthew 6:9), in the authority of the Son (John 16:24), for good and needful things (Matthew 7:11; Philippians 4:19), from a righteous and grateful heart (James 5:16; Philippians 4:6), persistently (Luke 18:1), unselfishly (James 4:3), in faith (James 1:6), and according to the will of God (1 John 5:14). Scripture makes evident the fact that prayer is not just wanting something done and expecting it to be done according to our wishes and words.
How should the believer apply the truth of this passage today? We apply the truth of Mark 11:23 every time we pray for an errant son or daughter who is living in rebellion. Every time we pray for the salvation of the curmudgeonly atheist down the street. Every time we pray for the gospel to make inroads into a historically resistant community. Every time we pray for hard hearts to be softened, closed minds to be opened, and wagging tongues to be stilled. Jesus’ words are not a guarantee that our prayers will remove cancer, prevent tornadoes, or give us riches. But, if God wants the mountain to be moved, it will move. We should pray boldly, in faith.
Word of Faith teachers sometimes latch on to Mark 11:23 to claim a special power in their words. This is a twisting of the passage. According to Word of Faith doctrine, what we believe ultimately controls all things that happen. Faith is a force that shapes our reality, and our words possess miraculous power. According to biblical doctrine, God controls what will happen. Faith in Him and His sovereign plan gives us confidence even when we are faced with seemingly impossible situations.
Other than our Lord Jesus, Paul is probably the most prominent character in the New Testament. Born in Tarsus shortly after the birth of Jesus, Paul, then known as Saul, was a Benjamite brought up in the strict manner of the Pharisees. Early in life, he demonstrated a keen intellect and a zeal for the traditions of Judaism. Though afforded the rights of a Roman citizen, Paul was an ardent Jewish nationalist who despised the ways of the Gentiles. Prior to his dramatic conversion during a journey to Damascus, Saul was a fiery persecutor of the church. After his conversion, he became the New Testament’s most prolific writer and Christianity’s most tireless missionary.
Paul speaks of the message he proclaimed as “my gospel” in Romans 2:16 and 16:25. What, then, is the “gospel of Paul”? Does it differ from the true gospel, the gospel the other apostles preached? Or does he call it “my gospel” for a different reason?
During his long ministry, Paul’s apostolic authority was repeatedly questioned (1 Corinthians 9:2; 2 Corinthians 11) despite his acceptance by the church (Acts 9:19–25; Galatians 1:18–20). Even today, there are cultic groups that deny the legitimacy of Paul’s ministry. Those who question Paul’s apostolic authority ignore the testimony of Peter, James, and John, recognized apostles of Christ and pillars of the early church, who extended “the right hand of fellowship” to Paul and his companion Barnabas (Galatians 2:9). Let us set aside any foolish belief that Paul was a counterfeit apostle who preached a spurious message, for the plain teachings of Scripture proves otherwise.
The gospel of Paul was not a different or a counterfeit gospel; the “good news” or “good announcement” he preached conformed in every way to the teachings of the Old Testament writers, the other apostles of the faith, and, most importantly, to the gospel message according to Jesus Christ. If there is a difference in the apostle Paul’s treatment of the gospel, it is not in the essence of the message but in the meticulous detail of the gospel. Indeed, most notably in Romans and Galatians, the apostle Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, delves into the lofty heights and unfathomable depths of the gospel unlike any other New Testament writer. Even Peter, the Apostle to the Jews, was moved by the “weightiness” of Paul’s writings (2 Peter 3:15–18).
With that said, let us explore the question “What is the gospel of Paul?”
Whose gospel is this?
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1–6, ESV)
Is this Paul’s gospel? By his own words,
• the message he preached is the gospel of God (verse 1)
• the good news Paul preached, the gospel of God, was foretold by the holy prophets long before Paul lived (verse 2)
• the gospel message focuses on Christ Jesus, a descendant of King David according to the Scriptures (verse 3)
• though born of a woman and, thus, being fully man, Jesus was also fully God and divine in nature; His Sonship was indisputably established by the Holy Spirit through His bodily resurrection (verse 4)
• Paul’s authority as an apostle, being called to preach the gospel of God, was granted to him by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ (verse 5)
• those called of God, having heard and believed the gospel of God, now belong to the Lord Jesus (verse 6)
The gospel focuses on the Lord Jesus (Romans 1:9) and His sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). Paul unashamedly devoted himself to broadcasting this thrilling message, for the gospel reveals the power of God—a mighty force capable of transforming sinners into saints (Romans 1:16). Knowing we are incapable of saving ourselves, we trust the gospel, which reveals the righteousness of God, who saves all who simply believe (Romans 1:17).
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. (1 Corinthians 15:1–4, ESV)
According to this passage,• there is only one gospel: it is the gospel of God that Paul preached and in which the redeemed have taken their stand (verse 1)
• this is the gospel that saves, the gospel Paul delivered, and the gospel that must never be forgotten or discarded (verse 2)
• according to the Scriptures, the Lord Jesus died for our sins. His sacrifice paid our sin debt (verse 3)
• after His lifeless body was taken from the cross and laid to rest in a borrowed tomb, Jesus miraculously walked away from where He lay, as foretold by the holy prophets, proving His absolute power over sin and death (verse 4)
How can this be? Dead men do not rise from their graves. A jeering mob had witnessed our Lord’s mangled body hanging lifeless on a cruel Roman cross. To counter those who would say the Lord’s bodily resurrection is no more than a fanciful tale, He appeared to His disciples and to a company of more than five hundred eyewitnesses. The resurrection did not take place in a dark, hidden corner; the evidence of Jesus’ bodily resurrection is a verifiable fact beyond dispute (1 Corinthians 15:5–8).
The Gospel of Antiquity
The gospel did not originate with Paul, nor did Paul preach a new or novel message that was hitherto unknown:
And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you. (1 Peter 1:17–20, ESV, emphasis added)
In His perfect knowledge, God knew, even before He spoke the earth into existence, that mankind would need a redeemer. It is rightfully said Christ was slain before the foundation of the world.
The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:14–15, ESV, emphasis added)
The gospel was first preached by God in the Garden of Eden; the future Messiah, called the “Seed” of the woman (NKJV), would suffer an injury by the hand of Satan, but, in the end, our conquering Savior would deliver a fatal blow to our infernal enemy. As our Savior suffered on the cross, it appeared victory belonged to Satan, but the victory was short-lived. Jesus conquered death and, in doing so, set the stage for Satan’s ultimate doom (Revelation 20:10).
The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and was glad.” (John 8:48–56, ESV, emphasis added).
High atop a mountain in the land of Moriah, Abraham told his son Isaac that God would provide the sacrificial lamb (Genesis 22:8). Though Abraham lived some two millennia before the Lord Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, the patriarch was well familiar with the gospel message, and, in fulfillment of Abraham’s prophetic utterance, God indeed provided the perfect, unblemished sacrificial Lamb (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:17–20; Revelation 5:8–10).
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4–6, ESV)
Eight hundred years before Roman guards nailed iron spikes into the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus, Isaiah peered into the future and foretold of the Messiah’s sacrificial death, which is foundational to the gospel. The gospel according to the prophet Isaiah is the same gospel preached by the apostle Paul, who wrote, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14, ESV).
The New Testament Gospel
Pulling back the curtain of time, the Holy Spirit allowed the prophets and patriarchs of old to see the future coming of the Messiah; then, in the fullness of time, the Son of God clothed Himself in human flesh to fulfill His role as Redeemer (John 1:14; Luke 19:10).
The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’” (John 1:29–30, ESV)
John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the long-awaited sacrificial Lamb sent by God according to the words of the holy prophets. To fulfill this role, Jesus had to be sinless and willing to die for the sin of the world. Had Jesus been born with a sin nature, there would be no gospel message.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16–18, ESV)
This most familiar passage gives us the essence of the gospel. God sent His Son, the One who shared in His divine nature, to save a lost world. Those who receive Him by faith are granted everlasting life. Conversely, those who reject Him are already condemned. Later, the apostle Paul wrote, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, 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 coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:4–9, ESV). It is obvious the message of Paul agrees with the gospel according to Jesus.
Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost,
“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:29–38, ESV)
From Peter’s powerful sermon, we learn• Christ Jesus was a descendant of King David (verse 30)
• Christ Jesus was raised from the dead (verse 31)
• Peter and many others were eye-witnesses of our Lord’s bodily resurrection (verse 32)
• now that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit of God begins His ministry (verse 33)
• God the Father promises God the Son that His enemies will be defeated (verses 34–35)
• the One crucified is both Lord and Christ (verse 36)
Convicted by the Holy Spirit, Peter’s audience asked what they were to do. By faith, they believed Peter’s gospel message, so what was next? Peter instructed his audience to repent, that is, to renounce the rites and rituals of mere religion by turning to the living Savior. Repentance involves a change of heart and a change in direction. Peter also instructed the new believers to publicly acknowledge their newfound faith through water baptism. Believers are not saved by the ordinance of baptism, but believers willingly choose to be baptized because they have been saved.
Again, the gospel focuses on the person of Jesus and His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus is the unique, unblemished, and uncompromised Anointed One, fully God and fully man, who overcame death and the grave so that all who believe in Him will receive the gift of everlasting life. This is in accordance with the inspired teachings of both the Old and New Testament writers.
Warning against counterfeit gospel messages
Just as our Lord Jesus warned against false christs (Matthew 24:23–24), the apostle Paul warned against perversions of the gospel. Satan understands that false christs and false gospel messages are incapable of saving lost sinners, so for two thousand years, our enemy has been counterfeiting phony messiahs and advancing spurious gospel messages.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6–9, ESV)
Paul’s warning to the church in Galatia says• those who follow a different gospel have, in truth, deserted our Lord Jesus and have turned their backs on His loving grace (verse 6)
• there is only one gospel, and all others are worthless distortions of the truth (verse 7)
• those who preach counterfeit gospel messages are heretics worthy of damnation (verses 8–9)
Obviously, those who proclaim there are many ways to God are the false teachers Paul warned against.
Conclusion
Despite the false charges levied against Paul, his gospel teachings are in harmony with the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets, his New Testament contemporaries, and, most importantly, the teachings of Jesus. Those who accuse Paul of having strayed from the gospel stand on shaky ground; Scripture proves that, rather than teaching a “different gospel,” he gave the church greater insight into the only true gospel, the gospel of God (Romans 1:1). The following passage gives ample evidence that Paul’s prime motive was not in making a name for himself, but in furthering the cause of Christ:
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (1 Corinthians 1:10–17, ESV)
What is the gospel of Paul? Quite simply, the gospel Paul preached is the same gospel proclaimed by the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and the Lord Jesus. The gospel of Paul is the gospel of God. He refers to it as “my gospel” because it was the message he had devoted his life to proclaiming.
One of the most often quoted and deeply treasured New Testament Bible verses is Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28, NLT).
Sometimes when life gets messy, when we struggle through hardship or suffering, we can start to feel spiritually adrift. We continue to deal with temptations, evil, calamities, pressures, and fears in this fallen world. For this reason, we must reinforce who we are and understand what’s happening to us. In Romans 8:18–30, the apostle Paul encourages believers to hold onto hope and the promises of God in these times. Remember that God is operating ceaselessly in the lives of those who love Him, sovereignly working out His redemptive plan. The Christian life is not a random, unintentional, haphazard existence. As God’s children, believers are beckoned to a new life of realizing His good purposes for them.
The word translated here as “called” specifies a summoning in the original Greek. It identifies someone whose involvement or presence has been officially requested, especially a summoning to which refusal is not an option, as in a subpoena. Many Bible passages speak of the believer’s calling: “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9; see also 1 Corinthians 7:17; Galatians 1:15; Ephesians 4:1, 4). Paul explains to Timothy that God “has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9).
Even before He created the world, “God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:4–5, NLT). God has called us into a relationship with Jesus Christ for the purpose of being “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). God’s purpose in calling us is twofold: for our good and His glory (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14; 1 Peter 2:9).
The noun purpose in Romans 8:28 means “intention; an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides planned actions.” In the Christian life, God’s purpose is the guiding force, the most critical reality. Sometimes God’s purpose includes suffering and frustration (Romans 8:17). Nevertheless, Paul assures that “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
We can rest assured that God is sovereign. He is acting in every circumstance of life. His will and purpose control everything in His eternal plan (Ephesians 1:11; 3:11). Those who love God and are called according to His purpose can know that not one thing in this life escapes Him. When we belong to Jesus, nothing can happen to us outside God’s plan for our good.
God is continuously working in the hearts and lives of people who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The Lord is causing everything to fit together for our good and His glory. Standing on this solid truth reframes our difficulties. We can face them with confidence, trusting that every challenge is part of God’s ultimate plan to transform our old nature into what He has purposed for us to be: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18; see also Ephesians 4:22–24; Colossians 3:9–10).
Timothy had incredible advantages. He was taught the Word of God by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5), and he was discipled by Paul and served with Paul in ministry for years. Timothy knew the Word of God and was well-equipped. Even still, Paul tells Timothy that he needed to be diligent in the study of the Word and in rightly dividing the Word of truth. Without that continuing diligence in the Word, Timothy would not be able to stand firm, and he would not be able to maintain sound teaching. Paul warned Timothy to pay attention to himself and to his teaching (1 Timothy 4:16). Because all Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness, it is exactly what we need in order to be equipped for every good work God intends for us (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
Paul encourages Timothy to be diligent to present himself as a workman approved by God who would not need to be ashamed because he was rightly dividing or accurately handling the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). First, Paul’s instruction makes it clear that the study of the Bible is work. It takes effort. It takes diligence. We need to be committed to doing that work if we desire to be equipped for what God intends us to do in life. Second, Paul helps us to focus on the idea that this work in the Word is not about the approval of other people. Rather, it is God who is assessing how we handle His Word, and so we are studying His Word for Him. Also, we understand that, if we are diligent, we will not need to be ashamed because we will have been faithful with the remarkable stewardship of His Word. Sometimes we may take for granted that we have His completed Word—the Bible. We may be unaware of how many people suffered and died to provide us the freedom and opportunity to own our own Bibles and read them in our own language. How sad would it be if we took this—one of the very greatest of freedoms—and were not diligent to make the most of it?
Paul’s final comment in 2 Timothy 2:15 is helpful because it tells us what success looks like in the study of the Word: to be “rightly dividing” the Word of truth (NKJV). The Greek word translated as “rightly dividing” is orthotomounta--ortho means “right or proper,” and tomounta means “to cut.” Literally, success in handling the Word is to cut it properly or correctly. This is farming imagery, as a farmer who is plowing a field would seek to cut straight furrows in order to plant rows of seed. When plowing, a farmer would look at a point on the other side of the field and focus on that point to ensure the line cut in the dirt was straight. This is what the good student of the Word is doing, as well: remaining focused on the goal or outcome and being diligent to handle the Word of God properly. To rightly divide the Word of truth is to “cut it straight.”
Ultimately, in studying the Word, we are trying to understand what the Author has said and not allow our own opinions or views to cloud the meaning of what He has written. When we are diligent to “cut straight”—to rightly divide the Word of truth—we can understand what He has communicated in His Word and be well-equipped for what He would have us to do and how He would have us to think.
Paul, in his prayers “for saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1, ESV), asks that God “may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (verse 17).
Prior to his prayer for the spirit of wisdom and revelation, Paul reminds the Ephesian believers of the blessings God has bestowed upon them (Ephesians 1:3), their adoption as children through Christ (verse 4), the wisdom and insight they have been given (verse 8), and “the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ” (verse 9). He also reminds them that they have been “marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (verses 13–14). Now he desires for them to be given the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Since Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (John 14:17), the spirit of wisdom and revelation that Paul prays for cannot refer to the initial gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s reference could easily be to an attitude or frame of mind (although the NIV and ESV capitalize Spirit, other translations such as the NASB and BSB translate it as “a spirit,” and the NLT simply has “spiritual wisdom and insight”). If not the Holy Spirit, then what does Paul ask for in his request for “the spirit of wisdom and revelation”? The key is in the phrase that follows, “in the knowledge of him” (ESV), or “so that you may know him better” (NIV).
Paul had commended the Ephesians for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love toward all the saints (Ephesians 1:15), but now he is asking God to give them a deeper and greater understanding of the mysteries of His character and will, to know Him more thoroughly and intimately. Now that they have the Holy Spirit in their hearts, Paul desires Him to grant them more understanding and greater insight. The “wisdom” is a better understanding of the doctrines of God, and the “revelation” is a clearer picture of the divine character and will. In the NLT, the prayer is that believers would have “spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.” The AMP translation has Paul asking that God “may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him.”
God is infinite, and He can never be fully known by finite creatures. We all need wisdom from above. No matter how far we may advance in our understanding of God, there is an unfathomed depth of knowledge that remains to be explored. Scripture is full of admonitions to grow in our knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 2:2; Ephesians 4:15).
Paul outlines some of the mysteries he wants the Ephesians to understand through this spirit of wisdom and revelation. He desires them to grasp “the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance” (Ephesians 1:18). This is the hope of eternal life, which Paul refers to as the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14, ESV). We inherit the riches of eternal life through Him who saved us and called us to holiness in Christ before time began (2 Timothy 1:9). Paul also prays the Spirit will reveal God’s “incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:19)—power so great it raised Jesus from the dead. It’s a power that we can only comprehend as we possess the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
The spirit of wisdom and revelation is not some mysterious blessing given to a special few, and it is not the ability to speak as a prophet. Rather, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to help the people of God understand the things of God more fully and completely.
The phrase earthly treasures originates from Matthew 6:19, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (ESV). That command is linked to the one in the next verse, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Jesus contrasts earthly treasures with their heavenly counterpart, clearly stating that the latter is more important. Heavenly treasures are eternal, while earthly treasures are temporary and can be destroyed.
The term earthly treasures refers to material wealth and possessions. Treasures encompass anything of significant value, and in the context of Matthew 6:19, it includes riches and assets on earth. Houses, cars, and even clothes fall under earthly treasures. In ancient times, the wealthy prized items like clothing, gold, silver, raiment, etc. Modern definitions of wealth may vary slightly from the ancient priorities, but there is an overlap.
Jesus’ teaching on earthly treasures is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This series of teachings continues to captivate both Christians and non-Christians today, just as it did the initial listeners (Matthew 7:28–29). At the beginning of Matthew 6, Jesus demonstrates how to properly carry out righteous practices like giving, fasting and prayer. He then turns His attention to the subject of money.
The warning against storing earthly treasures seems clear enough, but it raises numerous questions. Is it wrong to save and invest? Is Jesus saying we shouldn’t build wealth? What about financial instruments like a 401(k) or IRA?
Other parts of Scripture suggest the wisdom of proper financial management and savings (Proverbs 13:11, 22; Genesis 41:25–36; Matthew 25:14–30). Prudence and responsible planning are good Christian values. We should exercise caution when using Matthew 6:19 to endorse poverty theology or even Christian minimalism.
Jesus is concerned about our priorities and warns against hoarding—that is, amassing earthly treasures for the sake of it. Many people hoard wealth out of fear of losing it, for social status, or to gain approval. The question is not whether we should manage our money wisely but, rather, why do we save? We should also note the fleeting nature of money and possessions. As the modern saying goes, “You can't take it with you.”
Instead of hoarding money and endlessly acquiring earthly possessions, our focus should be on what God considers most important. After all, our heart is where our treasure lies (Matthew 6:21). Righteousness, wisdom, justice, peace, love, and good deeds have more eternal value than appearing on the Forbes list. We store up heavenly treasures by channeling our resources toward godly concerns. For example, affluent Christians can invest in missionary trips or charity work instead of purchasing unnecessary cars or boats or summer homes.
The principle in Matthew 6:19 can also apply to how much time and energy we allocate to spiritual matters vis-à-vis making money. Being a workaholic is not a Christian trait and can hinder spiritual growth. We should allocate proper time to activities such as Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship of the brethren.
Several biblical passages support Jesus’ teachings on earthly treasures. In his instruction to Timothy, Paul writes,
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17–19).
The writer of Hebrews also exhorts us to live a life free from the love of money (Hebrews 13:5). Paul refers to this love as “a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), while Solomon regards it as vanity (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
To Jesus, our perspective on earthly treasures matters. He told parables about the rich fool (Luke 12:16–21), the talents (Matthew 25:14–30), and the unjust steward (Luke 16:1–13), all of which deal with the fleeting nature of money, the dangers of materialism, and the importance of responsible stewardship. We are to serve God, not money (Matthew 6:24).
Pleasing God is, or should be, the goal of all believers—all who call upon the name of Christ for salvation. The requirements for all who want to please God are that they must seek God by faith, walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh, and walk worthy of our calling in obedience and submission to the will of God. These things may seem impossible to do, but God wants us to please Him, and He makes it possible for us to please Him. We do these things by the power of His Spirit who lives in our hearts.
Paul reminds the believers in Rome that “they who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). So the first step in pleasing God is to accept the sacrifice for sin that He provided in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Only then are we “in the Spirit” and not “in the flesh.” We do this by faith because “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
In Romans 8, Paul explains the difference between the sinful nature and the nature of those regenerated by the Spirit. Those who are still in their sin have their minds set on sinful desires, whereas the ones regenerated by Christ have a completely new mind that is controlled by the Spirit and desire to live in accordance with Him. “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so” (Romans 8:6-7). So the first step for believers in pleasing God is to be sure we are walking in the Spirit, not in the flesh.
Furthermore, we must live by faith (Hebrews 10:38). God cannot be pleased with those who “shrink back” from Him because they have no confidence in Him or they doubt the truth of His declarations and promises, or who do not believe that His ways are right and holy and perfect. The requirement of faith and confidence in God is not unreasonable; it is just what we require of our children and spouses, and it is an indispensable condition of our being pleased with them. So it is with God.
Therefore, pleasing God is a matter of living according to His precepts, commandments, and doing so in love. We always want to please those we love, and the New Testament is full of exhortations to righteous living and loving Christ by obeying His commandments. Jesus made this very plain: “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). The Epistles are God’s plan for believers and are filled with exhortations to display throughout our lives the behavior that is pleasing to God: “For the rest, then, my brothers, we beseech you and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you have received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and more” (1Thessalonians 4:1).
The apostle Paul wrote a warning for the church: “The time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3).
The Greek word translated “itching” literally means “to itch, rub, scratch, or tickle.” To want one’s ears “tickled” is to desire massages rather than messages—sermons that charm rather than challenge, entertain rather than edify, and please rather than preach. The people Paul warns about will have, as one commentator put it, “ears which have to be continually titillated with novelties.”
“Itching ears” is a figure of speech that refers to people’s desires, felt needs, or wants. It is these desires that impel a person to believe whatever he wants to believe rather than the actual truth itself. When people have “itching ears,” they decide for themselves what is right or wrong, and they seek out others to support their notions. “Itching ears” are concerned with what feels good or comfortable, not with the truth—after all, truth is often uncomfortable. Paul’s warning is that the church would one day contain those who only opened their ears to those who would scratch their “itch.”
Those with “itching ears” only want teachers who will assure them that all is well, teachers who say, “Peace, peace . . . when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Where there is a demand for something, the suppliers are not far away. Paul says that not only will there be great demand for watered-down, personalized messages, but there will be “a great number of teachers” willing to provide such pap and steer people away from “sound doctrine.”
Evidence today of people having “itching ears” includes the popularity of messages that people are not required to change, as if repentance were outmoded; that people are basically good; that God is too loving to judge anyone; that the cross, with all its blood, is not really necessary; and that God wants His children to be healthy, wealthy, and content in this world. As people turn their backs on the truth about sin and condemnation, they disregard their need for repentance and forgiveness. And a craving for “new” and “fresher” ideas grows—even though there is “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9–10)—accompanied by a longing to feel good about who they are and where they’re going. Messages that tickle ears can fill a lot of churches, sell a lot of books, and buy a lot of time on cable tv.
Some of the early followers of Jesus complained about some of the Lord’s words: “Many of his disciples said, ʻThis is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ . . . From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:60, 66). Walking away from hard truth is easy to do.
In today’s postmodern church, we see many walking away from the hard truth. Some churches that once preached sound doctrine now teach as acceptable the very evils the Bible condemns. Some pastors are afraid to preach on certain passages of the Bible. “Christian feminists” deny God as a heavenly Father, calling Him a “she.” “Gay Christians” are not only welcomed without repentance into church fellowship but into the pulpit, as well.
The church’s remedy for those who have “itching ears” is found in the same passage of 2 Timothy: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). It is a solemn charge, made “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom” (verse 1). And it contains all the elements needed to combat the temptation to tickle ears: preach, correct, rebuke, and encourage. The content of preaching must be the written Word of God, and it must be preached when convenient and when inconvenient. This takes “great patience and careful instruction,” but sound doctrine is worth it.
The church’s quest to manage the comfort level of its audience must never take priority over preaching the Word. The fear of offending people’s sensibilities can never supersede the fear of offending God. Rather, the church should follow the example of the apostles: “We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2).
The church today, more than ever, needs to re-examine the teachings it endorses. We need to ask ourselves the following questions:
• Are our teachings truly from God or simply itches we want to scratch?
• Are we standing on solid biblical grounds, or have we allowed the world to influence our thinking?
• Have we guarded ourselves from the schemes of Satan (Ephesians 6:11)?
• Are we keeping ourselves “blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)?
The truth is, God is not concerned with scratching our itches but in transforming us into the image of His Son (Romans 12:2;
In his second letter, Peter explains that Christians do not just believe cunningly devised fables: “We did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16, NKJV). Peter and the other disciples didn’t concoct fables or myths; rather, they recorded what they saw and heard. Peter points out that they were actually there on the mountain when Christ was transfigured (or glorified), and they heard the Father affirm Christ, saying, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17–18, ESV).
Peter could lean on his own personal experience, as could the other disciples, to confidently say that Christians are not simply believing cunningly devised fables. However, Peter appeals to something even more reliable than their experience. Peter adds that the prophetic message is even more certain (2 Peter 1:19). God’s revelation in Scripture is an even more reliable and trustworthy way to know the truth about God. As reliable as Peter’s experience was, the written Word of God is even more trustworthy.
As Peter points out the certainty of prophecy in Scripture, he reminds his readers that the prophets themselves relied on God, not their own understanding (2 Peter 1:20). Peter explains that the prophecies were made not by human will, but by the Holy Spirit moving the writers. The prophets accurately recorded the Word of God (2 Peter 1:21).
Christians believe in actual historical events involving actual historical persons. They do not just believe cunningly devised fables. Peter helps us understand an important principle about interpreting the Bible. Readers don’t determine the meaning of the Bible; the Author does. Often people ask, “What does the text mean to me?” but Peter gives us a better question to ask: “What did God say?” The meaning of a passage isn’t different for one reader than for another, because it is from the Holy Spirit and recorded by the men He chose to speak through. Certainly, there are different applications based on a reader’s situation, but the meaning doesn’t change. It means what it says.
Because of the certainty and reliability of the Bible, Christians can have confidence that the Scriptures will accurately guide them (see Psalm 119:105). What they read in those pages is not a collection of cunningly devised fables. Jesus really did heal the sick, teach the multitudes, die, and rise again. These are facts of history.
Peter also reminds us that, even when we may be unsure of or doubt our experience, we can be sure of what God has said. We ought to shape our beliefs and understanding by what the Scriptures say. Without the certainty the Bible provides, we would not have a standard for discerning the truth from cunningly devised fables. As it is, we have “something completely reliable, and [we] will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in [our] hearts” (2 Peter 1:19). That message, Peter says, is even more reliable than our own experience.
In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays to His Father, saying, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). In this verse, Jesus communicates two important facts: God’s Word is truth—God’s Word equals truth—and it’s by that truth that God sanctifies us, or sets us apart for holy service to Himself.
In the same prayer, Jesus prays for His disciples and all who will believe in Him through the gospel (John 17:20). Believers accept God’s words (John 17:6) and accept Jesus as God’s Word (John 17:8). God is truth, and His truth brings salvation to all who accept it (Titus 2:11). Further, God’s written and living Word will sustain believers as they are in the world (John 17:14).
In the High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus confirms that He brought the message of salvation to the world: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Jesus’ mission of bringing the truth has been accomplished (John 17:4), and He turns the focus of His prayer to God working through the disciples and other believers. He confirms that believers will be rejected by the world for believing “Your word is truth,” but believers are also assured joy, God’s protection from the evil one, and sanctification by God’s Word (John 17:13–19).
The Old and New Testaments both affirm that the words recorded in the Bible are God’s words and that they are true. Since God cannot lie, His Word is truth: “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless” (Psalm 18:30). Since God is eternal and unchanging, His Word is always the same: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35; cf. Isaiah 40:8). Jesus uses the Word as He rebukes the devil who was tempting Him: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4; cf. Deuteronomy 8:3).
If we want to know truth, we will look in God’s written Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17) and look to Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:3). John refers to Jesus Christ in John 1:1–2, saying, “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The Word is God’s total message, and Jesus embodied that full message, which is why He is called the “Logos,” or “Word,” of God (Colossians 1:19; 2:9). God is truth. His Word is truth. Salvation comes by accepting Jesus and agreeing that “Your word is truth.”
Jesus said, “Your word is truth.” When we look at the Bible, we see truth. The Bible does not merely contain the truth; it is the truth. Every word is truth, in every part of the Bible. “The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6). This is the doctrine of the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture.
How we respond to God’s written Word and the Word made flesh has an eternal impact on us. Since God’s Word is truth, rejecting the Bible and rejecting Jesus is rejecting God Himself. Believing, cherishing, studying, and obeying God’s Word is the key to salvation, understanding God, and living abundantly (John 10:10). No matter what we may face in this world, we are sustained by the truth prayed over us in Jesus’ prayer: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
The apostle Paul combatted those who taught a false gospel in Galatians 1:6–9: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” An issue in the Galatian churches was the teaching that believers in Christ must follow the Old Testament Law (specifically concerning circumcision) in order to be saved. Paul’s unequivocal pronouncement is that a “gospel” of grace plus works is false.
Salvation is provided in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8–9). No person is perfect, and no human action can make a person right before a sinless, holy God. No one can earn or merit salvation, no matter how “religious” he or she is or how meritorious the work seems to be.
There are many genuine Christians who have a misunderstanding of the gospel of grace. This was true even in Paul’s time. Some of those who expected Gentile believers (non-Jewish Christians) to follow Jewish legal customs were true believers (Acts 15). They were Christians, but they misunderstood the free gift of the gospel to some extent. At the Jerusalem Council, the church’s early leaders encouraged Gentile Christians in the grace of God and noted only a few important guidelines for them to follow to promote peace within the church.
The problem of trying to mix grace plus works continues today. There are many Christians who have come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ who still believe they must also perform certain works to make sure they do not go to hell, as if the grace of God in Christ were not enough. While such teaching should be confronted and corrected—we must trust Christ, not ourselves—this does not mean the person is unsaved or has lost his or her salvation.
According to Galatians 1, those who teach the false gospel of grace-plus-works are “anathema”; that is, they are condemned by God. Other New Testament passages speak against teaching a false gospel. For example, Jude wanted to write his epistle about the common salvation he shared with his readers, yet he found it necessary to change topics: “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 1:3). In the next verse, he refers to those with another gospel as “ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God.”
This is perhaps the best way to describe such teaching. A person can misunderstand the issue of salvation by grace versus works and still truly believe in Christ. However, there are also ungodly people who do not know the Lord and who preach a false gospel. These ungodly individuals are called cursed, as they knowingly pervert the true message of Jesus.
Jesus suffered severely throughout His trials, torture, and crucifixion (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19). His suffering was physical: Isaiah 52:14 declares, “There were many who were appalled at Him—His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness.” His suffering was emotional: “All the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). His suffering was spiritual: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had the weight of the sins of the entire world on Him (1 John 2:2). It was sin that caused Jesus to cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus’ brutal physical suffering was augmented by His having to bear the guilt of our sins and die to pay our penalty (Romans 5:8).
Isaiah predicted Jesus’ suffering: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:3, 5). This passage specifies the reason for Jesus’ suffering: “for our transgressions,” for our healing, and to bring us peace.
Jesus told His disciples that His suffering was certain: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Luke 9:22; cf. 17:25). Note the word must—He must suffer, and He must be killed. The suffering of Christ was God’s plan for the salvation of the world.
Psalm 22:14–18 details some of the suffering of the Messiah: “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” In order for this and other prophecies to be fulfilled, Jesus had to suffer.
Why did Jesus have to suffer so badly? The principle of the innocent dying for the guilty was established in the garden of Eden: Adam and Eve received garments of animal skin to cover their shame (Genesis 3:21)—thus, blood was shed in Eden. Later, this principle was set in the Mosaic Law: “It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Leviticus 17:11; cf. Hebrews 9:22). Jesus had to suffer because suffering is part of sacrifice, and Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus’ physical torture was part of the payment required for our sins. We are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19).
Jesus’ suffering on the cross showed the devastating nature of sin, the wrath of God, the cruelty of humanity, and the hatred of Satan. At Calvary, mankind was allowed to do his worst to the Son of Man as He became the Redeemer of mankind. Satan may have thought he had won a great victory, but it was through the cross that the Son of God triumphed over Satan, sin, and death. “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31; cf. Colossians 2:15).
Jesus suffered and died in order to secure salvation for all who would believe. The night of His arrest, as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, He committed His all to the task: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The cup of suffering was not taken from Christ; He drank it all for us. There was no other way for us to be saved.
A bondservant is a slave. In some Bibles the word bondservant is the translation of the Greek word doulos, which means “one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of, his master; a slave.” Other translations use the word slave or servant.
In Roman times, the term bondservant or slave could refer to someone who voluntarily served others. But it usually referred to one who was held in a permanent position of servitude. Under Roman law, a bondservant was considered the owner’s personal property. Slaves essentially had no rights and could even be killed with impunity by their owners.
The Hebrew word for “bondservant,” ‘ebed, had a similar connotation. However, the Mosaic Law allowed an indentured servant to become a bondservant voluntarily: “If the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life” (Exodus 21:5-6).
Many prominent men of the Old Testament were referred to as servants. God spoke of Abraham as His servant (Genesis 26:24; Numbers 12:7). Joshua is called the servant of the Lord (Joshua 24:29), as are David (2 Samuel 7:5) and Isaiah (Isaiah 20:3). Even the Messiah is called God’s Servant (Isaiah 53:11). In all of these instances, the term servant carries the idea of humble nobility. Being God’s servant is an honorable position.
During the time of Jesus and the first-century church, as much as one third of the Roman population were slaves, and another third had been slaves earlier in life. It was common for freeborn men and women to work side-by-side with slaves as street sweepers, dockworkers, doctors, teachers, and business managers. Convicted criminals became bondservants of the state and usually died working in the mines or on galleys.
Historical records reveal that it was not unusual for Jews to own slaves during the New Testament period. Because slavery was a familiar part of the culture, Jesus sometimes referred to slaves and owners in His parables (e.g., Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 12:41-48). Also, Jesus taught that the greatest in God’s kingdom would have to become “the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Such a concept was unthinkable to a Roman citizen, who prided himself in his freedom and would never identify himself as a bondservant. But Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and the selfish values of earth are of no consequence in heaven.
Throughout the New Testament, the word bondservant, slave, or servant is applied metaphorically to someone absolutely devoted to Jesus. Paul, Timothy, James, Peter, and Jude all describe themselves as “bondservants of Christ” (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1, NKJV).
Believers today should still consider themselves bondservants or slaves of Christ (1 Corinthians 7:22; Ephesians 6:6; 2 Timothy 2:24). He is our Lord, and our allegiance is due to Him alone. As bondservants, we renounce other masters (Matthew 6:24) and give ourselves totally to Him (Matthew 16:24).
Being a bondservant of Christ is not drudgery. His “burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Also, we have this promise: “Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (Romans 6:22).
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NASB).
With those few words—“from glory to glory”—Paul sums up our entire Christian life, from redemption and sanctification on earth, to our glorious eternal welcome into heaven. There is a great deal of content packed into those few words. It’s all so important that Paul labors at great length, from 2 Corinthians 2:14 through the end of chapter 5, to open his readers’ eyes to a great truth. Let’s see why that truth matters so much.
The same Greek word for “glory” is used twice in the phrase from glory to glory, yet each usage refers to something different. The first “glory” is that of the Old Covenant—the Law of Moses—while the second is that of the New Covenant, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both have astonishing splendor.
The Old Covenant was given to Moses directly from God, written by God’s own finger (Exodus 31:18). That root of our Christian faith is glorious indeed; it’s the glory we’re coming “from.” Yet the New Covenant, the glory we’re going “to,” far surpasses that of the Old.
The transformation is from the glory of the Law. Like the stone it was written on, the Law was inflexible and absolute, applying to all Israelites without much regard for individual circumstances (Hebrews 10:28). Though holy, good, and righteous in itself (Romans 7:12), the Law was, for us sinners, the letter that kills us (2 Corinthians 3:6). The Law was an external force to control behavior. In addition, stone, despite its strength, is earthly and will eventually wear away. The Law was merely a temporary guardian (Galatians 3:23–25) until something better came along.
The transformation is to the glory of the New Covenant, which far surpasses the Old in every way. It forgives us of our sin and gives us sinners life (John 6:63). It is written on believers’ hearts by the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 31:33; 2 Corinthians 3:3), so our obedience to God springs up from within us by God-given desires rather than by threats of legal punishment. In place of a cold set of writings as a guide for pleasing God, we now have Father, Son and Holy Spirit making their home with us, fellowshipping in loving intimacy, teaching us everything we must know and do (John 14:23; 16:13). That position in Christ is as permanent, eternal, and spiritual as God Himself, rather than temporary and earthly.
Paul is intent on directing Christians to focus on the spiritual glory of the New Covenant rather than physical glory of the Old, as many Jews in his day refused to do. He compared the two types of glory by recalling how Moses absorbed and reflected God’s glory for a time after being in his presence (2 Corinthians 3:7–11, 13; cf. Exodus 34:29–35). Though Moses’ glow had a spiritual cause, there was nothing spiritual about the effect—any person, regardless of his relationship with God, could see the glow on Moses’ face, which he covered with a veil.
Not so the glory of the New Covenant. That can be seen only with a believer’s spiritual eyes—what Paul is doing his best to open, so that we discern the gospel’s glory. So he writes, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
But, as we move from glory to glory, there’s something even more important about the glory of the New Covenant that Christians must understand: its supernatural power to transform us. And that brings us to God’s ultimate purpose and destination for every believer, to transform us into the image of his own beloved Son (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:28–30; Philippians 3:20–21).
Before he finishes with the topic of being transformed from glory to glory, Paul presents yet one more astonishing claim: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This is the invitation the Lord makes to all Christians, to have our lives radically transformed here and now, by opening our eyes to see the glorious journey He is taking us on “from glory to glory.”
Jesus stated plainly that the mark of a true disciple of Christ is that he remains faithful to His teachings. He told the Jews who believed in Him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32, ESV).
The word know in John 8:32 is translated from a Greek verb that means “to know experientially.” Understanding something with the mind or intellect, often called “head knowledge,” is different than knowing something experientially. We can know that something is bad for us yet still do it. But when we take Jesus at His word and practice “the truth that comes from him,” then we will “throw off [our] old sinful nature and [our] former way of life” and “let the Spirit renew [our] thoughts and attitudes” so that the truth we live by sets us free “to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:20–24).
We shall know the truth in a way that sets us free from our old sinful way of life when we know Jesus experientially, in word, deed, and truth (see Colossians 3:17; 1 John 3:18). “Our actions will show that we belong to the truth” (1 John 3:19, NLT).
Knowing the truth means experiencing Jesus Christ by accepting His teachings as absolute truth and then living in faithful obedienceto them. We receive the message of the gospel and the teachings of Christ, and then we abide by them. The apostle John often framed the concept of true discipleship as knowing the truth of Christ experientially: “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments” (1 John 2:3, NLT; see also 1 John 2:29; 3:16, 24).
Knowing the truth is a rock-steady way of life. John 8:32 upholds the biblical concept that truth is the only dependable foundation for constructing one’s life (see also Psalm 26:3). Jesus taught, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash” (Matthew 7:24–27, NLT). If we plant our feet firmly on Christ’s truth and follow the path of His teachings, nothing can shake, derail, or destroy us.
Jesus is the personification of truth (John 14:6). Only He embodies the truth that sets us free (Galatians 5:1; Romans 6:18; John 8:36). Those who know the truth are born-again believers who live in fellowship with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ: “And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life” (1 John 5:20, NLT).
You will know the truth also expresses the moral commitment of genuine disciples to do the will of God (John 7:17; 14:21, 23; James 1:25). We know the truth in the person of Jesus Christ, who prayed to the Father for us to be “made holy” by His truth and gave His own life as the sacrifice that made it possible for us to live out that truth (see John 17:14–19). Moreover, Jesus asked the Father to send us “the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth” (John 14:16–17, NLT; see also Ephesians 1:13).
When Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,” He was telling His followers that obedience to God is the only way to experience true liberation—spiritual freedom from sin. The freedom Jesus offers is restored fellowship with the Father, who is the source of all true life. And the mark of one who has received this life is to remain faithful to His teachings.
righteousness of God (dikaiosynē theou) and by the term righteousnesswhen he uses these expressions to refer to God’s saving righteousness. Paul often uses the noun righteousness to denote ethical righteousness—the kind of behavior that pleases God (e.g., Rom. 6:13, 16, 18, 19, 20; 2 Cor. 6:7, 14; 9:9; 11:15; Eph. 4:24; 5:9; 6:14; Phil. 1:11; 3:6; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22; 3:16; 4:8; Titus 3:5). Everyone agrees that Paul often uses the word righteousness to denote a life that is pleasing to God. But the intention here is to understand what God’s righteousness means when Paul uses it in theologically weighty passages—in texts where he speaks of God’s gift of righteousness.
Some scholars have maintained that God’s righteousness refers to his transforming righteousness.
First, God’s righteousness is said to be “revealed” (Rom. 1:17) and “manifested” (Rom. 3:21). Hence, it is argued that God’s righteousness is an effective work of God that cannot be limited to a mere declaration, for it includes the entire creation and not just the individual. What God declares becomes a reality since he is redeemer and creator.
Second, the parallelism between God’s “power” (Rom. 1:16), his “righteousness” (Rom. 1:17), and his “wrath” (Rom. 1:18) is also set forward to defend a transformative view. All of these are understood as genitives of source, indicating God’s activity unleashed in the world. His righteousness is not merely a static pronouncement but represents the unleashing of his power in an active way. In the same way God’s wrath is effective, judging people for their sin of failing to worship and praise God (Rom. 1:18–32).
Third, God’s righteousness in the Old Testament is often parallel to his salvation, truth, and mercy (see question 18). This background demonstrates that God’s righteousness is his saving action on behalf of his people and should not be limited to a forensic declaration. God’s gift and God’s power cannot be separated from one another.
Fourth, in Romans 3:24 God’s righteousness is “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Redemption signifies the freedom and liberation from sin through Jesus Christ, finding its precedent in God’s liberation of his people from Egypt. If righteousness becomes ours through the liberation from sin effected by Jesus Christ, then righteousness must include the idea of freedom from sin. Righteousness, then, includes the notion of God’s transforming power.
Fifth, Paul speaks of grace reigning through righteousness (Rom. 5:21), of the service of righteousness (Rom. 6:18–19; 2 Cor. 3:9), and of submitting to God’s righteousness (Rom. 10:3). Therefore, justification cannot be limited to legal categories. God transforms those whom he declares to be in the right. The same point is argued from 2 Corinthians 3:8–9. Those who benefit from the “ministry of righteousness” also enjoy the “ministry of the Spirit.” The effective work of the Spirit is part and parcel of the righteousness of God.
Jesus is described as the author and perfecter, or finisher, of our faith in Hebrews 12:2. An author is an originator or creator, as of a theory or plan. The Greek word translated “author” in Hebrews 12:2 can also mean “captain,” “chief leader” or “prince.” Acts 3:15 uses the same word: “And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (KJV), while the NIV and ESV use the word “author” instead of “prince.” From this we can deduce that Christ is the originator of our faith in that He begins it, as well as the captain and prince or our faith. This indicates that Jesus controls our faith, steers it as a captain steers a ship, and presides over it and cares for it as a monarch presides over and cares for his people.
The Greek word translated “perfecter” in Hebrews 12:2 appears only this one time in the New Testament. It means literally “completer” or “finisher” and speaks of bringing something to its conclusion. Putting the two words together, we see that Jesus, as God, both creates and sustains our faith. We know that saving faith is a gift from God, not something we come up with on our own (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that gift comes from Christ, its creator. He is also the sustainer of our faith, meaning that true saving faith cannot be lost, taken away or given away. This is a source of great comfort to believers, especially in times of doubt and spiritual struggles. Christ has created our faith and He will watch over it, care for it, and sustain it.
It is important for us to understand that God in Christ is not only the creator and sustainer of our saving faith, but He is also the sustainer of our daily walk and the finisher of our spiritual journey. For if God in Christ is not the author of our new life, and if Christ is not the finisher and perfecter of our faith through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power, then we are neither born again nor are we a true follower of Christ. “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.” “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).
Romans 12:1–2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” As followers of Christ, we are not to be conformed to this world’s pattern.
In Romans 12:2, Paul has a “don’t” follow by a “do.” The negative command is to not conform to the pattern of this world. As the J. B. Phillips Bible translates it, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould,” which is what the Greek term for “conform”--syschēmatizō—means: “to form according to a pattern or mold.”
The same term is found in only one other place in the New Testament, which is 1 Peter 1:14: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance.”
What exactly do Paul and Peter mean by telling Christians to not conform to the world? The Christian and the world are not to be “like-shaped.” That is, we should not allow ourselves to be pressed into following the corrupt customs, ungodly principles, or evil plans of action promoted by worldly men. The blessed man, according to Psalm 1:1, resists being conformed to the pattern of the world:
“Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers.”
Just as a boat is in the water, but not of the water, the Christian is in the world, but not of the world. Followers of Christ pattern their lives after their Lord (see 1 Peter 2:21), not according to the principles of the world, which the Bible says is controlled by the devil, the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
The reference to “world” is not the physical world, but rather the aion or age. The Bible says that Christians are delivered from this present evil age (Galatians 1:4), which Satan oversees and which is marked by idolatry, fleshly lusts, and rebellion. The believer lives by the powers of the age to come (Hebrews 6:5), even while residing in this world.
The key to escaping the world’s grip of conformity is the metamorphosis (rendered “transformed” in Romans 12:2) of the Christian’s mind. This is accomplished through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit who is working to change believers’ hearts and minds from within, so that their obedience to God might be natural and immediate (see Romans 7:6; 8:5–9; Jeremiah 31:31–34; 2 Corinthians 3:6–7; Ephesians 4:22–24).
An unrepentant person knows that he or she has sinned and refuses to ask God for forgiveness or turn away from the sin. The unrepentant show no remorse for their wrongdoing and don’t feel the need to change. Unrepentance is the sin of willfully remaining sinful.
Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. Repentance leads to life (Acts 11:18), and it is a necessary part of salvation. God commands everyone to repent and have faith in Christ (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 20:21). Unrepentance is therefore a serious sin with dire consequences. The unrepentant live in a state of disobedience to God, unheeding of His gracious call. The unrepentant remain unsaved until they turn from their sin and embrace Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote, “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). To be stiff-necked is to have a stubborn, obstinate spirit that makes one unresponsive to God’s guidance or correction. The stiff-necked are, by definition, unrepentant.
The apostle Paul warned of the consequences of unrepentance: “Because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil” (Romans 2:5–9; cf. Psalm 62:12). There is a judgment coming. The results of righteousness will be beautiful, but the consequences of unrepentance will be harsh.
The book of Revelation shows how inured to sin the sinner can be. During the tribulation, after three different judgments of God, the wicked will remain unrepentant, despite their great suffering (Revelation 9:20–21; 16:8–11). The tragedy is that, even as some people are experiencing the horrendous consequences of their sin, they will continue in their state of unrepentance.
Is there such a thing as an unrepentant Christian? Biblically, to become a Christian, one must repent and believe; a believer in Christ is one who has repented of sin. What, then, of professed believers who live in unrepentant sin? Most likely, they are not saved; they are mere professors, with no work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. The apostle John states it bluntly: “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:6). The other possibility is that people claiming to be saved yet living in unrepentant sin are saved but acting in disobedience—in which case their unrepentance is a temporary hardness of heart, and God will discipline them (Hebrews 12:4–13). There is a sin unto death for the believer (1 John 5:16; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:29–31), but, barring that extreme circumstance, God will eventually restore His disobedient child to fellowship (see 1 Corinthians 5:1–5).
The unrepentant sinner needs to hear the good news of God’s salvation. God’s goodness leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4), and He is a God of forbearance and longsuffering. Christians should confess their own sins, pray for the unrepentant, and evangelize the unsaved: “Opponents [of the truth] must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25–26).
Psalm 1 seems to present a choice that every person must make. There is a fork in the road of life: one route is the way of the righteous, which leads to blessings; the other is the “path of sinners,” and it ends in destruction. A prerequisite for experiencing a blessed life is described in the opening verses:
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1–2, NKJV).
The blessed man does not walk “in the counsel of the ungodly.” In the original Hebrew, the word translated “counsel” is a noun meaning “something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action.” The “ungodly” are wicked people, sinners, and those characterized by godlessness.
To walk not in the counsel of the ungodly means to reject any advice from the wicked. It includes avoiding any guiding influence that might shape or direct one’s way of life toward godlessness. Walking involves progress; thus, the verse instructs, “Don’t walk in the counsel, don’t stand in the path, don’t sit in the seat” of the ungodly. The apparent progression presents a picture of someone walking next to sin, then stopping to stand and take it all in, and then finally sitting right down in sin’s seat “to enjoy the fleeting pleasures” of it (Hebrews 11:25).
Not walking, standing, or sitting with the ungodly implies steering clear of sin by avoiding participation in every aspect of the sinner’s way of life. The apostle Paul warned, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared,” cautions Proverbs 22:24–25.
A Christian cannot expect to make forward progress if he seeks counsel from sinners or makes plans with unbelievers: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
The person who chooses the righteous way of life avoids thinking like the ungodly, behaving like the wicked, and associating with the godless. Instead, he will “walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20).
A believer who “walks not in the counsel of the ungodly” will apply biblical truth to his daily life, letting God’s Word be a lamp to guide his feet and a light for his path (Psalm 119:105). His “delight is in the law of the Lord,” and he “meditates on his law day and night,” says Psalm 1:2. Such a person will grow in faith and spiritual maturity (Romans 10:17).
God blesses the route of the righteous because they “fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands” (Psalm 112:1). Rather than taking pleasure in sin and the things of the world, they “live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people” (Philippians 2:15, NLT).
Loving God and obeying His Word will result in abundant blessings (Joshua 1:8; Luke 11:28; John 14:21). As we read the Scriptures daily, study them, memorize them, and meditate on them night and day, our thinking changes. We no longer love the world or the things in it (1 John 2:15–17). We no longer walk in the counsel of the ungodly. We “don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world”; instead, God transforms us by changing how we think. Then we can experience God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2, NLT).
People who walk in the counsel of the ungodly listen to worldly advice, make plans with the wicked, and willfully participate in the sinner’s way of life. Romans 8:5–7 describes these people as those “who live according to the flesh” and “have their minds set on what the flesh desires.” By contrast, “those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”
God calls His children to choose the way of righteousness—to be set apart, holy. He calls us out of darkness to walk in His light (1 Peter 1:15–16; 2:9). That is the path to the blessings of life and peace.
Discernment is defined as “the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure; an act of perceiving something; a power to see what is not evident to the average mind.” The definition also stresses accuracy, as in “the ability to see the truth.” Spiritual discernment is the ability to tell the difference between truth and error. It is basic to having wisdom.
Arguments and debates surround spiritual truth because it is obscure. Jesus, speaking to His disciples about the Pharisees, said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matthew 13:11). Satan has “blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4), so God must shed light on the human mind to enable us to understand truth. It is impossible to attain wisdom without God. He gives discernment or takes it away (Job 12:19-21).
Some have mistakenly defined spiritual discernment as a God-given awareness of evil or good spiritual presences—the ability to tell if a demon is in the room. While some people may possess this capability, it is not the biblical meaning of discernment. Spiritual discernment ultimately has to do with wisdom and the ability to distinguish truth from error.
Wisdom is personified in Proverbs 1 and described as someone that we can “get to know” (vv. 20-33). The Bible says that Jesus Christ is “wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Therefore, wisdom, or spiritual discernment, is something that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. The world’s way of getting wisdom is different from God’s way. The learned of the world gain knowledge and apply reason to knowledge to solve problems, construct buildings and create philosophies. But God does not make the knowledge of Himself available by those means. First Corinthians 1:18-31 says the “wisdom of the wise” is frustrated by God who delivers wisdom to the “foolish” and the “weak” by way of a relationship with Jesus Christ. That way, “no human being can boast in His presence” (verse 29). We learn to be spiritually discerning by knowing Him.
It is not wrong to possess knowledge or have an education, and it is not wrong to use reason and logic to solve problems. However, spiritual discernment cannot be attained that way. It must be given by the revelation of Jesus Christ to the believer, and then developed by way of training in righteousness (Hebrews 5:14) and prayer (Philippians 1:9). Hebrews 5:11-14 shows how spiritual discernment is developed. The writer speaks to those who had become “dull of hearing,” meaning they had fallen out of practice discerning spiritually. The writer of Hebrews tells them that everyone who lives on “milk” (rather than the “solid food” desired by the mature) is unskilled in the word of righteousness; however, the mature Christian has been “trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” The keys, according to this passage, are becoming skilled in the Word of God (by which we define righteousness) and “constant practice” (through which we gain experience).
So, how does one increase spiritual discernment? First, recognizing that God is the only one who can increase wisdom, pray for it (James 1:5; Philippians 1:9). Then, knowing the wisdom to distinguish good from evil comes by training and practice, go to the Bible to learn the truth and, by meditation on the Word, reinforce the truth.
When a bank hires an employee, he is trained to recognize counterfeit bills. One would think that the best way to recognize a counterfeit would be to study various counterfeits. The problem is that new counterfeits are being created every day. The best way to recognize a counterfeit bill is to have an intimate knowledge of the real thing. Having studied authentic bills, bank cashiers are not fooled when a counterfeit comes along. A knowledge of the true helps them identify the false.
This is what Christians must do to develop spiritual discernment. We must know the authentic so well that, when the false appears, we can recognize it. By knowing and obeying the Word of God, we will be “trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” We will know God’s character and will. This is the heart of spiritual discernment – being able to distinguish the voice of the world from the voice of God, to have a sense that “this is right” or “this is wrong.” Spiritual discernment fends off temptation and allows us to “hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9).
The overall lesson about worshiping the Lord in spirit and truth is that worship of God is not to be confined to a single geographical location or necessarily regulated by the temporary provisions of Old Testament law. With the coming of Christ, the separation between Jew and Gentile was no longer relevant, nor was the centrality of the temple in worship. With the coming of Christ, all of God’s children gained equal access to God through Him. Worship became a matter of the heart, not external actions, and directed by truth rather than ceremony.
In Deuteronomy 6:4, Moses sets down for the Israelites how they are to love their God: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Our worship of God is directed by our love for Him; as we love, so we worship. Because the idea of “might” in Hebrew indicates totality, Jesus expanded this expression to “mind” and “strength” (Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). To worship God in spirit and truth necessarily involves loving Him with heart, soul, mind and strength.
True worship must be “in spirit,” that is, engaging the whole heart. Unless there’s a real passion for God, there is no worship in spirit. At the same time, worship must be “in truth,” that is, properly informed. Unless we have knowledge of the God we worship, there is no worship in truth. Both are necessary for God-honoring worship. Spirit without truth leads to a shallow, overly emotional experience that could be compared to a high. As soon as the emotion is over, when the fervor cools, the worship ends. Truth without spirit can result in a dry, passionless encounter that can easily lead to a form of joyless legalism. The best combination of both aspects of worship results in a joyous appreciation of God informed by Scripture. The more we know about God, the more we appreciate Him. The more we appreciate, the deeper our worship. The deeper our worship, the more God is glorified.
This melding of spirit and truth in worship is summed up well by Jonathan Edwards, the 18th-century American pastor and theologian. He said, “I should think myself in the way of my duty to raise the affections [emotions] of my hearers as high as possibly I can, provided that they are affected with nothing but truth.” Edwards recognized that truth and only truth can properly influence the emotions in a way that brings honor to God. The truth of God, being of infinite value, is worthy of infinite passion.
Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm of David presenting Jesus Christ as the Savior who laid down His life. The psalm begins by portraying the rejection and abandonment Christ suffered on the cross (Psalm 22:1–2; cf. Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). Yet, immediately, the suffering Messiah makes a strong declaration of trust in God: “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3, KJV).
As the bearer of humanity’s sins, Christ was destined to experience untold pain and anguish (Isaiah 53:4–6, 10; 2 Corinthians 5:21). In the seemingly endless silence in which God does not answer—perhaps the worst moment of torment Christ would ever know—the Son reminds Himself of God’s sovereign position: “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3, ESV). The word enthroned here describes the circumstance of sitting, remaining, or dwelling somewhere. (The phrasing God inhabits the praise of His people comes from the King James Version of Psalm 22:3.)
When the Messiah declared, “God inhabits the praise of His people” in Psalm 22:3, He expressed His absolute trust in God. No matter what was happening at that moment or how alone He felt, the Messiah knew that God was present and in control, ruling over His hour of greatest need (see 1 Peter 2:23). God the Father had not abandoned Him. God was working out His sovereign plan, and the Messiah would soon be delivered (see Psalm 22:4–5).
Many examples of God’s enthronement exist in Scripture. The psalmist urged, “Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!” (Psalm 9:11, ESV; see also Psalm 29:10; 102:12). “Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high” (Psalm 113:5). When Isaiah saw the Lord “high and exalted, seated on a throne” over all creation in heaven and earth “and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1–6), the prophet was utterly undone by God’s presence.
The idea behind God inhabiting the praise of His people could be that God’s throne—His dwelling place—was the tabernacle, the place where praise was continually offered to Him. In Psalm 22, the Messiah in His suffering remembers the place and people of praise. He is not among those congregants, but He expresses with confidence that their praises are appropriate. Even in the extremity of His distress, the Messiah trusts that God is holy and worthy of praise.
Heaven is a place where God is surrounded by praise, and it is described in the Bible as God’s temple (Psalm 11:4; Habakkuk 2:20). Yet the ultimate dwelling place for God is with His people: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3; see also Revelation 21:22). Jesus Christ revealed that He is the Lord’s temple (John 2:19–21), and God’s presence now inhabits His body—the church (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).
Scripture repeatedly affirms that individual believers are “the temple of the living God” and “temples of the Holy Spirit” where God’s presence dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16). The whole church “is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord . . . built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit,” explains the apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:21–22. The church fits together like “living stones” being built into “a spiritual house” that offers “spiritual sacrifices” of praise to God (1 Peter 2:5).
The writer of Hebrews counsels, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15). The apostle Peter explains, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
God still inhabits the praises of His people. No matter what our circumstances, we know that God is holy and does all things right. We can worship the Lord even in our distress.
The prophet Joel delivers a warning to the people of Judah, but his message transcends his time to speak to people of all time—past, current, and future. He tells of God’s looming judgment of sin and urges people everywhere to repent and return to God. Joel foresees the day when God’s Spirit becomes available to every believer: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. . . . And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved” (Joel 2:28–32).
The apostle Peter quotes this entire passage from Joel in Acts 2:14–21 to illustrate the manifestation of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost: “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:2–4).
Peter sees this post-resurrection outpouring of the Spirit as part of the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. With its breathtaking signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth, the complete prophecy will not be fulfilled until the last days. But God’s Spirit was poured out on Pentecost in a fresh way and remains available to all who call on the name of the Lord.
Calling on the name of the Lord expresses familiarity and connection, as in knowing God by name. The phrase signifies identification as a member of God’s family. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord claims Yahweh as one’s own God. This concept goes back to the beginning of time when “people began to call on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:26; see also Genesis 12:8). God has always sought a people, including representatives from all nations, to devote themselves to Him.
The apostle Paul cites Joel to back his claim that the message of salvation in Jesus Christ is for all people: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:12–13). Jews and Gentiles and people from every nation receive God’s promise of salvation on the same basis—through faith in Jesus Christ. No one is excluded. Everyone has an opportunity to call on the name of the Lord and be delivered from sin, forgiven, and saved (Acts 10:43).
Paul emphasizes calling on the name of the Lord out loud but also in one’s heart: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Calling on the name of the Lord involves admitting our own powerlessness and need for God, believing in His power to save us, and desperately crying out to God from the heart for His salvation (Isaiah 43:11; Acts 4:12; Hebrews 12:14; Romans 3:10–18, 23). Those who call on the name of the Lord put their “hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10). God’s children cry out from a sense of inadequacy, dependence, and the genuine conviction that only He can be relied on to save.
Whoever trusts in Jesus Christ by believing in Him shall be saved (Acts 16:31). There’s nothing complicated about the plan of salvation: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16–17).
The Bible plainly teaches that we don’t have to do any work to be saved (Ephesians 2:8–9). Calling on the name of the Lord is not an act that saves us. God’s grace saves us through faith. We can’t earn salvation by any means. The grace of God is the source of our salvation, and we receive that grace through faith. We call on God as an expression of faith (Romans 5:1). And, as new creatures in Christ, we will call on the name of our Lord and Savior as long as we live (Psalm 116:2).
Jesus came to the nation of Israel proclaiming the good news that the kingdom of the heavens was at hand (Matthew 4:17), because the King (Jesus) had come. He came teaching them about the eternal kingdom of God that was in the heavens and that would one day change addresses, moving to earth in fulfilment of God’s promises. Jesus used many examples and illustrations, and in one instance He challenged His listeners that it was important to “first clean the inside of the cup and dish” (Matthew 23:26).
As Jesus proclaimed the coming kingdom, He urged the people to repent, or to change their mind about how they could enter that kingdom. In part because of the teachings of the Pharisees and scribes, many of the people thought that they could enter the kingdom of God based on their lineage or based on their external obedience to the Law of Moses. Jesus strongly contradicted that thought, challenging them especially in His Sermon on the Mount(Matthew 5—7) that external obedience to the law did not constitute righteousness. They needed internal righteousness, and they did not have that internal righteousness. Their righteousness had to be greater than what the Pharisees and scribes were prescribing, or else they could never enter the kingdom (Matthew 5:20). Instead of pursuing their current course of simply trying to look like they had righteousness, Jesus wanted them to look to Him to provide them with the true righteousness that they needed. It was important to cleanse the inside of the cup (Matthew 23:26), Jesus would later explain. First cleaning the inside of the cup was so important, in fact, that Jesus compared those who thought they would enter the kingdom through external obedience to a man who built a house on the sand. Those who looked to Jesus and discovered true righteousness were like a man who built a house on the rock. When the inevitable storm came, the house built on the sand fell, but the house built on the rock stood fast (Matthew 7:24–27).
The Pharisees and scribes thought they were righteous, but Jesus called them hypocrites who did not have righteousness and who were misleading others down a path of false righteousness (Matthew 23:13). He exposed their hypocrisy, saying that they were stealing the houses of widows while offering long public prayers to make themselves look holy (Matthew 23:14). He pronounced woe on them for making disciples of themselves and their error, instead of following Jesus as they ought to have done (Matthew 23:15). They were claiming to be guides, but they themselves were blind. They were misrepresenting God and His path to righteousness (Matthew 23:16–22). They were tithing, bringing glory to themselves, but were neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23).
Jesus illustrates the spiritual bankruptcy of the religious leaders by saying that they focused on cleaning the outside of the cup and dish but were full of robbery and pursuit of self-interest (Matthew 23:25). Jesus says they should first focus on cleansing the inside of the cup and dish (Matthew 23:26). If they do that, the outside would be clean as well. Jesus further illustrates the problem of hypocrisy by calling them whitewashed tombs—they were pretty on the outside, but they were full of death and decay on the inside (Matthew 23:27–28).
Jesus’ message is consistent. To make a cup truly clean, it is important to cleanse the inside of the cup (Matthew 23:26). That is, it is necessary to have authentic, inner righteousness that only Christ can provide. The Pharisees and scribes were pursuing righteousness by their own efforts, but they failed to recognize that even our most righteous deeds are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We have nothing to offer God that would make us righteous. The only way we can be righteous is faith in Him. This has always been the recipe, as evidenced by the early example of Abraham, who was declared righteous when he believed in God who was speaking to Him (Genesis 15:6). In the same way, we are justified (declared righteous by God) through faith in Him and now have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Because of this we are citizens of His kingdom (Colossians 1:13) and will one day see Him in all the glory of that kingdom (Revelation 19—20). It was true when Jesus first said it—it is important to cleanse the inside of the cup—and it is still true today. Righteousness is on the inside by faith in Jesus.
When David prays, “Create in me a clean heart,” he is asking God for forgiveness. The subtitle to Psalm 51clarifies the situation: “A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.”
Second Samuel 11 tells the sordid tale. King David saw Bathsheba, a married woman, and lusted after her. He summoned her to fulfill his desires. Some time later, she notified him that she was pregnant with his child. David first tried a cover up, and, when that did not work, he arranged for the murder of Bathsheba’s husband. David then married her.
Obviously, David did not have a clean heart after this. He had committed adultery and possibly rape, as the language used in this case is also used of rape; his summoning of and sleeping with Bathsheba was certainly an abuse of royal authority. He then engaged in deception and finally in murder, corrupting others in the process. When it was all done, he thought he had succeeded in covering it up and destroying all the evidence. The last sentence of 2 Samuel 11 tells us, “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord” (verse 27).
In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan confronts David. He does so using a parable that David could relate to. He told of a rich man who took advantage of a poor man by stealing his only lamb, a pet, which he killed to feed to his guests. David was overcome with anger and exclaimed, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity” (2 Samuel 12:5–6).
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). Although David had tried to hide his sin, it was eating away at him inside, as he records in Psalm 32:3–4: “When I kept silent [about my sin], my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” David admitted to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). He knew he needed a clean heart.
When David was through trying to hide his sin, he confessed it freely. Psalm 51 is that confession and plea for forgiveness. His request “create in me a clean heart” is simply another way of asking for forgiveness and spiritual cleansing. Psalm 51:1–10 is filled with poetic descriptions of forgiveness and cleansing, identified in italics below:
“Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
“For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Even though David suffered consequences for his sin, which are outlined in 2 Samuel 12, he was forgiven and restored to spiritual fellowship with God. Psalm 32 tells of the great relief that David felt when he confessed, and in this psalm he encourages others to confess their sins as well:
“Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
“When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
“Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, ‘I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD.’
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
“Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
“Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!”
Paul uses Psalm 32 as an example of salvation apart from works (Romans 4:6–8). David was forgiven not because of any works he did to earn forgiveness, but simply because he asked in faith. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, any sinner can ask God for forgiveness, that is, for a clean heart, and he will receive it. The apostle John also tells us, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1: 8–9). In spite of all that David did, and all that we do, God is willing to forgive because Jesus paid the penalty that we deserve. No matter how dirty we are, God can create in us a clean heart.
Purity is important to God because God is pure. Purity is freedom from anything that contaminates, debases, or pollutes. A pure life characterizes believers: sin no longer determines the choices we make. Instead, God’s purity has cleansed us from our sins, and we strive to live for Him. The believer becomes pure in Christ, and to the pure all things are pure. This purity is not that which appears to be pure on the outside, but that which is truly pure from the inside out.
In his epistle to Titus, Paul chastises “the rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group” (Titus 1:10). These people were not “sound in the faith” (verse 13) and instead proclaimed “merely human commands of those who reject the truth” (verse 14). They emphasized their own purity laws. Those who elevate their own standard of purity above God’s, however, are not pure; they are “corrupted,” and “they claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him” (verses 15–16). In the context of Paul rebuking these false teachers, he says, “To the pure all things are pure” (verse 15).
When Paul writes that “to the pure all things are pure” (Titus 1:15), he does not mean that a sinful thing becomes right to a pure-minded person. No, a pure person has a singleness of heart toward God and lives by an uncompromising desire to please God in all things. He is not interested in an external purity gained by following man-made rules but an inward purity that comes from knowing and loving God. Such a person can, in good conscience, partake of things that others, whose hearts have not been purified by faith, would condemn.
When Paul wrote this letter, the Jews emphasized external purity. They had thousands of rules and regulations, deeming many things impure that were not, in and of themselves, impure. By elevating their own laws above God’s, they could not live out the principle that to the pure all things are pure because their hearts were actually impure. Their additions nullified the Word of God for the sake of their own tradition (Matthew 15:6). They appeared to honor God with their lips and external actions, but, as Jesus revealed, “their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules” (Matthew 15:8–9). The emphasis of their own laws revealed that they did not trust God’s Word; they lived as if it were not sufficient. Their hearts were impure.
In contrast to all things being pure to those whose hearts are pure, Paul writes that “to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure” (Titus 1:15). Unbelievers have corrupted consciences that cannot truly discern or value what is pure. In Ephesians, Paul taught that before salvation, our thoughts were “full of darkness” (Ephesians 5:8). Our minds were darkened in our understanding because we were far from Him (Ephesians 4:18). The only hope for a darkened, impure mind is the blood of Christ, which alone can cleanse defiled consciences “from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14).
Our consciences must be purified by the Word of God (Psalm 12:6; 119:9). The Christian’s entire way of life ought to be characterized by staying pure, “for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4). We must hide the purity of God’s Word securely in our hearts to keep from sinning against God (Psalm 119:11). When we do this, we can see and avoid impurity for what it is and live out the principle that to the pure all things are pure: disputable matters can be left to discernment and Christian freedom. We are free to pursue the things of God not merely externally but from the heart.
Some would say, “You can’t eat that! It will make you impure!” But to the pure all things are pure, and the believer, whose conscience is purified by faith, may eat it knowing that “food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do” (1 Corinthians 8:8). And so it is with a myriad of other man-made rules.
To the pure all things are pure in that believers who have been purified by Christ’s sacrifice can truly pursue that purity from the heart. When our hearts are not pure, no amount of external rule-following or self-righteousness will purify us. Jesus said it is what is on the inside that defiles us: “It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart” (Mark 7:15). May we cry out as the psalmist, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
Romans has the theme of faith (Romans 1:16–17). Paul addresses the process by which faith is produced in the heart in Romans 10:17: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
The first eight chapters of Romans contends with the ideas of positional salvation through faith (Romans 1:18—5:21), the process of growing in holiness through faith (Romans 6:1—8:17), and the future glorification Christians will receive because of faith (Romans 8:18–39). Chapters 9—11 of Romans works from the implied question, “Has God then failed to fulfill His promises to Israel?”
It is within this context that Paul gives the reason for the Israelites’ lack of salvation; namely, they lack faith (Romans 9:32; 10:4). The Israelites are saved through faith in Christ, just like the Gentiles. Eternal salvation does not distinguish between Gentile or Jew but is received through belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Galatians 3:23–29).
In the lead-up to the statement that faith comes by hearing, Romans 10:14–16 explains the requirements for a series of actions to take place. In order for one to “call on the name of the Lord,” he or she must believe. In order to believe, one must hear (or receive the report). In order for one to hear, another has to give the report. And that other won’t give the report unless he or she is sent.
Paul continues in Romans 10:17 to summarize the argument thus far: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (NASB).
“Faith” is translated from the Greek word pistis, which means “belief, trust, or confidence in someone or something.” It is key to the book of Romans and is used 40 times in the book—three of those occurrences appearing in chapter 10. The verb form of the word is also used 21 times within the book and most often translated as “believe.”
If faith comes by hearing, then what does Paul mean by “hearing”? In this context, it is not simply the physical receiving of sounds by the ear as most English speakers would understand the term. “Hearing” seems to designate something more—the receiving or acceptance of a report. Note the use of the word, translated “message” in Romans 10:16, as Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1: “Lord, who has believed our message?” In Isaiah’s day, the Lord had provided Israel with a message, but the prophet laments that few actually received it. The “hearing” was not attached to simple sounds but to a message or report given. In Romans 10, Paul makes the point that the good news has been given and the people of Israel have heard (Romans 10:18).
The nature of the gospel is a report: a report of God saving people from the wrath they deserve. In order to believe the report, one must receive the report! Faith comes by hearing. It is not a guarantee that the report will result in faith, as Paul makes clear in Romans 10:16. For just as the Israelites refused to believe the message of Isaiah, every human today can refuse to believe the message of the gospel.
The nature of “hearing” also does not require the physical act of hearing with the ear. The report simply needs to be received. For instance, someone could read the gospel through GotQuestions.org and receive it by faith, without an audible word being spoken. As long as the message can be received fully, the medium does not affect the outcome. The content of the message must be “the word about Christ.” As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5, the message is “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (NASB). Faith that leads to eternal salvation comes after “hearing”; that is, after receiving this message concerning Christ.
The phrase “unequally yoked” comes from 2 Corinthians 6:14 in the King James Version: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” The New American Standard Version says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
A yoke is a wooden bar that joins two oxen to each other and to the burden they pull. An “unequally yoked” team has one stronger ox and one weaker, or one taller and one shorter. The weaker or shorter ox would walk more slowly than the taller, stronger one, causing the load to go around in circles. When oxen are unequally yoked, they cannot perform the task set before them. Instead of working together, they are at odds with one another.
Paul’s admonition in 2 Corinthians 6:14 is part of a larger discourse to the church at Corinth on the Christian life. He discouraged them from being in an unequal partnership with unbelievers because believers and unbelievers are opposites, just as light and darkness are opposites. They simply have nothing in common, just as Christ has nothing in common with “Belial,” a Hebrew word meaning “worthlessness” (verse 15). Here Paul uses it to refer to Satan. The idea is that the pagan, wicked, unbelieving world is governed by the principles of Satan and that Christians should be separate from that wicked world, just as Christ was separate from all the methods, purposes, and plans of Satan. He had no participation in them; He formed no union with them, and so it should be with the followers of the one in relation to the followers of the other. Attempting to live a Christian life with a non-Christian for our close friend and ally will only cause us to go around in circles.
The “unequal yoke” is often applied to business relationships. For a Christian to enter into a partnership with an unbeliever is to court disaster. Unbelievers have opposite worldviews and morals, and business decisions made daily will reflect the worldview of one partner or the other. For the relationship to work, one or the other must abandon his moral center and move toward that of the other. More often than not, it is the believer who finds himself pressured to leave his Christian principles behind for the sake of profit and the growth of the business.
Of course, the closest alliance one person can have with another is found in marriage, and this is how the passage is usually interpreted. God’s plan is for a man and a woman to become “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), a relationship so intimate that one literally and figuratively becomes part of the other. Uniting a believer with an unbeliever is essentially uniting opposites, which makes for a very difficult marriage relationship.
The Bible teaches the importance and appropriateness of churches providing financial support to Christian ministers who admirably serve their congregations. In 1 Timothy 5:18, the apostle Paul cites two passages to back up his claim that church bodies must honor and care for hard-working pastors to prevent them from becoming overworked and underpaid. The first is “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” (NIV). The second is “The laborer is worthy of his hire” (ASV 1901).
In the first instance, Paul cites Deuteronomy 25:4. He reasons that, if God in His law expressed concern for hard-working animals to be fed and cared for, church members ought to show proper consideration for their pastors, teachers, and spiritual leaders, supplying them with a decent wage. It’s good to feed the cow; it’s better to feed your pastor. Paul’s second reference, “The laborer is worthy of his hire” (ASV) or “The laborer deserves his wages” (ESV), is most likely a recitation of Christ’s words: “For the laborer deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7, ESV). Jesus said this to His disciples when He sent them ahead of Him as “laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2, ESV), encouraging them to accept hospitality and food from people who would receive them (Luke 10:7–8). Significantly, 1 Timothy 5:18 calls the Gospel of Luke “Scripture.”
In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul explains further: “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” A study of the term double honor reveals that it refers to both respect and remuneration. The phrase emphasizes generosity. Paul expects the church to provide reasonable pay for a job well done, and failure to do so indicates a shortage of respect and honor for one’s spiritual leaders.
In the Old Testament, the priests and Levites who ministered in worship were supported by the community of believers so that they “could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 31:4; cf. 1 Corinthians 9:13). Thus, it stands to reason in the New Testament church that those who devote their lives to the work of the gospel should likewise be supported by the congregations they serve.
To the church in Galatia, Paul wrote, “Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them” (Galatians 6:6, NLT). He informed the believers in Corinth, “In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it” (1 Corinthians 9:14, NLT).
It’s true that Paul earned his own living, supporting his ministry work through tentmaking (Acts 18:3; 1 Corinthians 9:3–18; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8). But Paul explained in detail that his case was an exception for a particular purpose (1 Corinthians 9:4–27).
It’s interesting to note that neither of Paul’s scriptural parallels is particularly complimentary. He first compares Christian ministers to oxen, beasts of burden. Second, he likens them to farmhands. Paul’s illustrations are appropriately chosen, not to demean but to stress that the gospel ministry is hard work. Those who serve well deserve to be honored, appreciated, and paid a fair wage.
Just as it is right for farmers to feed their livestock and employers to pay laborers worthy of their hire, it is proper and essential for the local church to provide adequate financial support to its dedicated Christian ministers.
James offers much practical counsel in his letter, including this stern warning: “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1, NKJV). The reason that not many should become teachers is that those who teach incur a stricter judgment. Those who teach ought to know better than those who don’t. Teachers are claiming to know the information and ideally to have mastered it, so they are especially accountable for the content they are teaching.
The scribes and Pharisees were not righteous (Matthew 5:20), even though they were claiming to be and teaching about righteousness. Jesus chastised them for being blind guides (Matthew 15:14). One of the Pharisees, Nicodemus, came to discuss things with Jesus, and Jesus held him accountable as a teacher of Israel. When Nicodemus couldn’t understand what Jesus meant by saying that Nicodemus needed to be born again, Jesus chastised him. Jesus questioned how Nicodemus could be a teacher of Israel and not understand the things about which Jesus was talking (John 3:10). A teacher of spiritual truth should know spiritual truth. This is why James warns his readers that not many should become teachers (James 3:1). Those who teach are held accountable for what they are teaching. If a teacher is teaching incorrectly, then he is causing his listeners to stumble. If a teacher fails to walk in a manner worthy of his teaching, then he is a hypocrite and worthy of further judgment.
James understood that we all stumble in many ways, particularly when it comes to controlling what we say (James 3:2). This is another reason why not many should become teachers—teachers say a lot. He explains the power of the tongue with two illustrations: a bit is small in the mouth of a horse yet directs the whole horse, and a rudder is a small part of the ship but directs the whole ship. In the same way, the tongue is a small but supremely influential part of the body (James 3:3–5). No one can tame the tongue(James 3:8). Because we all stumble in many areas—in the use of our tongues, for example—we all have to be cautious about teaching others, lest we be guilty of hypocrisy.
Paul challenged all believers to be teaching each other, but he recognized that, in order to do that, we need to let the word of Christdwell richly in us (Colossians 3:16). Only then can we teach well. Paul reminded that we should do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17). That is how we avoid being hypocritical in our lives and in our teaching. In James’ warning to not let many of you become teachers, we find a reminder that we need to be who God designed us to be. We need to walk according to His design before we think about telling others how they should walk.
In another context Paul challenged his readers who had confidence in their ability to guide others. He spoke to those who were confident that they could light the way and guide the blind (Romans 2:19) and to those who believed themselves to be correctors of the foolish and teachers of the immature (Romans 2:20). Did those who teach others also teach themselves, Paul asked, and did those who preached against stealing actually steal from others (Romans 2:21)? Those who spoke against committing adultery—did they commit adultery (Romans 2:22)? Did those who boasted in the law dishonor the Lord by breaking the law (Romans 2:23)? Paul was showing in this context how everyone is guilty in one way or another. James makes a similar point. All are guilty, and there is a stricter judgment for teachers.
Teaching is a serious business, and we need to be careful what we are teaching and even more careful of how we are living. Like Paul cautioned Timothy, guard yourself and your teaching (1 Timothy 4:16).
In Philippians 2:5, Paul sets Jesus before us as the example of the type of attitude we should have: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (NKJV). Or, as the NIV has it, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”
Paul writes his letter to the Philippians to encourage them to rejoice even in difficult circumstances. Paul was in prison, and he encourages the Philippians that, even though he was imprisoned, they should rejoicebecause God was still working (Philippians 1). The church at Philippi was commendable for several reasons; however, they were also dealing with some disunity (Philippians 4:2). Paul asks them to make his joy complete—to provide him joy even in his difficulty—by “being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (Philippians 2:2). The Philippians could help Paul in his difficult time by simply showing the maturity that they should show in the first place. Paul explains how they can do that. They shouldn’t do anything out of selfishness or pride, but, instead, with humility in their thinking they should consider the other person as more important than themselves (Philippians 2:3). They shouldn’t be simply concerned about their own interests, but also the interests of others (Philippians 2:4). After these exhortations, Paul gives them a supreme example to consider: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
The idea of “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) is to have the same mindset or thinking that Christ had. Specifically, Paul is talking about how Jesus as God was willing to give up His glory (Philippians 2:6) and to humble Himself to become a man and to die on a cross (Philippians 2:7–8). Jesus gave Himself up as an expression of love and was willing to lower Himself to express that love. He is the supreme example of love and humility—as Jesus Himself put it, no one has greater love than to give his life for another (John 15:13). Paul is challenging his readers to think like that—to be willing to lower themselves for the benefit of the other. That is how they could be of the same mind, maintaining the same love, and intent on one purpose (Philippians 2:2)—by being willing to make their own interests and purposes subservient for the good of the other person.
Humility is a basic and necessary aspect of the Christian life, and we have the perfect model of how to be humble in Jesus Christ. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Further, as James recounted, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6, ESV). God sees when people respond to Him and to each other with humility, and He is gracious. Peter adds that we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and at the right time He will exalt us (1 Peter 5:6). Any anxieties we might have about the implications of humility we can cast upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). This is one facet of God’s grace for the humble.
Paul challenged Euodia and Syntyche to live in harmony (Philippians 4:2), and that same challenge is applicable for us today. We need to “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” and treat each other with humility and honor so that we are valuing each other as God values us and as He intends for us to value each other.
Second Corinthians 3:6 says, “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” With these words, Paul summarizes the key difference between the Old and New Testaments: the first covenant was based on obedience to the written law (the “letter”), but the second covenant is based on the blood of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
There are two parts to this answer, as we look at both the letter and the Spirit.
First, what does Paul mean by “the letter kills”? Simply that the Old Testament Law, which is good and perfect (Psalm 19:7), reveals all people as law-breakers (Galatians 3:10). The law “kills” in that the penalty for breaking God’s law is eternal death in hell (Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8). As God told Moses the lawgiver, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book” (Exodus 32:33). Even if you sin only once in your whole life, it’s the same as breaking all of God’s laws (James 2:10), just as breaking only one link in a chain breaks the whole chain.
The written law—“the letter”—was chiseled in stone by the finger of God and is the unchanging standard by which all are judged. The law cannot give us righteousness or eternal life in heaven (Galatians 2:16). It can only condemn us as sinners, and the sentence is death. Heaven is where perfection is required (Matthew 5:20, 48; 19:16–21), and “the law made nothing perfect” (Hebrews 7:19).
Second, what does Paul mean by “the Spirit gives life”? Simply that the Holy Spirit rescues us from our hopeless situation. God saves us from death and grants us eternal life when we are born again through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6), and, later, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are Spirit and they are life” (John 6:63).
The Holy Spirit was active in the Incarnation of our Savior (Luke 1:35). It was through the Holy Spirit that Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice to God for our sins (Hebrews 9:14). The Spirit is the cause of the new birth (John 3:3–8). It is the Spirit who lives in believers (John 14:17), seals them (Ephesians 1:13), and sanctifies them (Romans 15:16).
Jesus came to give us an abundant life, or life “to the full” (John 10:10). The Holy Spirit living in believers is how Jesus fulfills that promise. The abundant Christian life is marked by the fruit of the Spirit, which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). The Old Testament Law could not produce any of that fruit; only the Holy Spirit can, as He lives in us.
The Spirit gives life in that He enables us to reach God’s ultimate goal for us, to be transformed into the glorious image of God’s own Son (2 Corinthians 3:18; also see Romans 8:28–30). Until the day that we see Christ, the Spirit intercedes with God on our behalf, ensuring our continued forgiveness and preserving the promise of God (Romans 8:26–27).
“The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Elsewhere, Paul teaches the same truth: “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6).
The phrase unsearchable riches of Christ comes from Ephesians 3:8–9: “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things” (ESV). The Greek for “unsearchable riches” is translated “boundless riches” in the NIV.
The Greek word translated “unsearchable” describes something that cannot be fully comprehended or explored. In other words, there is no limit to the riches of Christ; they are past finding out. Try as we might, we can never plumb the depths of Christ’s worth. Paul delineates some of these riches in Ephesians 1:7–14: redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, the knowledge of the mystery of His will, the message of truth, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, and the guarantee of our inheritance. These are spiritual riches with eternal benefits, and we cannot fully comprehend them.
Jesus taught two short parables that emphasize the value of eternal life and the kingdom of God: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:44–46). Like a hidden treasure or a pearl of great price, admission to the kingdom is of incalculable worth—and it is Jesus Christ who grants the admission. The unsearchable riches of Christ are on display in every believer’s heart.
The unsearchable riches of Christ cannot be fully traced out. “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9), so the riches of Christ include all that God is. The unsearchable riches of Christ are the Glory of God, the Truth of God, the Wisdom of God, the Life of God, and the Love of God. In Christ, God “has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3). In Christ are hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). In Christ, God “has given us everything we need for a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3).
In Ephesians 3:8 Paul refers to himself as “less than the least of all the Lord’s people.” This humble statement is then contrasted with “the boundless riches of Christ.” Paul describes himself as the lowest of believers while lifting Jesus up as the greatest of all. Every believer, in like humility, acknowledges the all-surpassing goodness and grace of God: “The LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Psalm 84:11).
Christ’s riches that He makes available to us are not material but spiritual. The unsearchable riches of Christ provide salvation to everyone who believes (John 3:16; Romans 1:16). We may be the worst of sinners, yet Jesus can forgive us and transform our lives (Romans 12:1–2). It is the gift that truly keeps on giving, as we are changed, by God’s Spirit, into “loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled” people (Galatians 5:22–23, CEV).
King Solomon was a man of great riches and wisdom, and his fame spread throughout the known world. Dignitaries from other countries came to hear his wisdom and see his lavish display of wealth (1 Kings 10:24). Scripture says that Solomon had no equal in the earth at that time: “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth” (verse 23). Yet, for all that, Solomon’s riches were not unsearchable. They could be quantified; the gold bars could be counted, and he had no inexhaustible supply of silver. Besides that, Solomon’s riches were only the temporal treasures of this world. Jesus is “greater than Solomon” (Luke 11:31). The treasures of Christ are inexhaustible, they are unsearchable, and they are forever.
In 1 Peter 3:8, Peter exhorts believers to “be of one mind” (NKJV). This unity is important because all Christians are on the same team, especially those in a local body. A team falls apart and loses its aim when it is not of one mind. When we treat believers as Christ has called us to, we can be of one mind in what we believe and in our actions to glorify God.
To be of one mind is to be like-minded or united in intent and purpose. In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prayed, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity” (John 17:22–23). The purpose of Christian unityis that “the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (verses 21, 23).
Romans 15:5–6 gives another reason why being of one mind is important: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV). All believers are called to be of one mind so they can glorify God in unison and accurately reflect Jesus to the world and extend His offer of salvation (2 Corinthians 5:20).
When we are saved, we are united with Christ and become part of the family of God (1 John 3:1). When a family is of one mind, they can love each other well, and others take notice. Believers are also described as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Ephesians 5:30). Different parts of the body cannot work in rebellion to the other parts. The body works as a synergistic whole. We need to live out the truth that we are one body and one family in Christ.
The way we treat each other impacts our unity. Peter continues the exhortation to be of one mind by calling believers to have “compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing” (1 Peter 3:8–9). What we believe affects how we live. If we believe we are united in Christ, then we will be of one mind.
Selfish actions and haughty thoughts cause disunity. Paul counters such sins in Philippians 2:1–3: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Our union to Christ reminds us that we are all sinners saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. Salvation leads us to being “completely humble and gentle” and being “patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). Being of one mind involves treating each other with love and selflessness.
Being of one mind does not mean pursuing unity simply for the sake of unity. We are united in Christ, and teachings that deny Christ must be excluded. Thus, we are of one mind in the essentials of the faith. We are to separate from those who teach false doctrine (Matthew 7:15; Romans 16:17; Revelation 2:14–15), and we are not to unite with people who claim to be Christians yet who live in continued, unrepentant sin (Matthew 18:15–17; 1 Corinthians 5:1–2). Being of one mind also does not mean that all differences between churches and denominations need to be abolished. We can hold distinct biblical convictions while still upholding unity and loving our other brothers and sisters in Christ who hold different convictions. Ultimately, it is Christ who unites us, and His Word and Spirit must convict us of where we are not representing Him well.
It takes work for a team to be of one mind, and each person who is part of it must work with his or her teammates to accomplish the team’s aim. Believers are called to be one body and one family in Christ. Our unity in Christ will transform how we treat each other and help us in our mission to glorify God and reflect Him to the world around us.
The apostle Paul compares the ministry of the gospel to a “treasure in jars of clay.” In Paul’s metaphor, God stores the priceless gospel ministry in fragile, everyday human vessels. Then Paul lists some of the real hardships he and other ministers encounter: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9).
Jars of clay are common, earthenware containers, but the ministry of the gospel is the most valuable treasure on earth. The New Living Translation makes Paul’s meaning evident: “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:7–10, NLT).
Paul cites four contrasts to show the lives of gospel ministers are like ordinary jars of clay containing a precious possession. First, he describes the hardships they experience. Then he explains how God’s power sustains them through times of adversity.
We are pressed but not crushed is the first hardship and corresponding display of God’s power. The word for “pressed,” in the original Greek, means “afflicted, to be brought into difficulties, trouble, distress, or suffering.” The term translated “crushed” is similar but speaks of being afflicted or distressed to the point of total hopelessness. It describes being in a situation without any hope of escape or survival. Paul asserts that, even when placed under the most severe pressure and strain, the jar of clay—the frail human minister in a perishing body made of dust—will not be broken or smashed to the point of hopelessness and despair because of the great treasure held within—the gospel of Jesus Christ or the grace and truth of God.
We are pressed but not crushed means that, even though we suffer tremendous affliction, we will not be overcome by it because of God’s sustaining power. We have the treasure of Christ within us and the message of the gospel, which is the power of God (Romans 1:16).
Paul often spoke of suffering as part of the Christian experience, especially for ministers of the gospel (Galatians 6:17; Philippians 3:10–11). “If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering” (Romans 8:17, NLT). We should not be surprised or give up when we experience hardships, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:16–17, NLT). Although we may feel hard pressed on every side, the power of God working within us will never leave us without hope (Psalm 94:14; Hebrews 13:5 Matthew 28:20).
We have hope in this life because we know that the difficulties we endure as believers will give way to future glory in the world to come. Our suffering has an eternal purpose: “Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:11, NLT). The life of Christ is displayed through what God does in our weakened earthen vessels. Our sufferings give opportunity for God’s power to be revealed, but they also bear witness to the death of Jesus and His resurrection life (2 Timothy 2:11).
Paul never sugar-coated the Christian experience, and neither should we. If we are to speak honestly about what it means to be a sold-out minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, like Paul, we won’t cover up the gritty and sometimes harsh realities. At times we will feel hard pressed on every side by troubles, but we will not be completely crushed. We can admit when our circumstances are perplexing, but they will never reach the point of hopelessness and despair. We may sometimes feel hunted down, but God will never abandon us. Even if we get knocked down, with God’s power in us, we will never be destroyed. The priceless treasure hidden deep within assures us “that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself” (2 Corinthians 5:1, NLT).
In Philippians 4:7 we have a wonderful promise:
“The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It is important to note the context of this promise, because that’s where we find the condition: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (verse 6). God’s peace is promised to guard those who pray—with thanksgiving—about everything. This peace will transcend our ability to understand it.
There are other gifts of God that are not fully comprehensible to us. The gift of salvation is “indescribable” (2 Corinthians 9:15). The complexity and wisdom of God’s plan is inscrutable (Isaiah 55:8–9). According to Ephesians 3:19, the love of Christ is something else so great we will never fully understand it. Likewise, human reasoning is incapable of fully comprehending the peace of God.
The believer who places his or her full confidence in a loving God and is thankful in every circumstance will possess a supernatural peace. An inner calm will dominate the heart. The faithful believer will know peace—his heart and mind are “guarded” by it—despite the tempest raging without. No one, especially those outside of Christ, will be able to fathom that peace. To most, it will remain a mystery how someone can be so serene in the midst of turmoil.
The peace that comes from being in a right relationship with God is not the peace of this world. The world’s peace depends on having favorable circumstances: if things are going well, then we feel peaceful; when things go awry, the peace quickly dissipates. Jesus made the distinction between His peace and the world’s vacillating peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27).
God’s supernatural peace surpasses natural understanding.
A cancer patient who experiences a remission of the disease may proclaim, “I am so thankful to God!” That is praise. A cancer patient who is dying and in pain may calmly say, “Everything is all right. I claim Romans 8:28, and I have peace in my heart.” That is “the peace that passes all understanding.”
…Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another.
They exchangedthe truth of God for a lie, and worshiped andserved the creature rather than the Creator, who isforever worthy of praise! Amen. For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.…
Prosperity is a popular theme that has woven itself into the Christian message. Because it sounds so encouraging, and there are Bible verses that seem to support prosperity, many popular teachers have substituted prosperity teaching for the sound doctrines of repentance, the cross, and the reality of hell. Our desire to be prosperous is so strong that we are drawn to this teaching like a moth to a flame. The promise of prosperity, wedded to spirituality, offers hope, financial help, and a relationship with God all at once. Preachers of prosperity also tell us what we want to believe. The premise of prosperity preaching or Word of Faith teaching is that, because God is good, He wills that His children should prosper in health, wealth, and happiness. And because He is rich, He can make it happen. It can become difficult to separate biblical fact from man-made fiction. What does the Bible actually teach about prosperity?
We must start with the recognition that all creation belongs to God (Psalm 50:12). He owns everything, and it is His decision what He does with it (Isaiah 45:9; Jeremiah 18:6–10). We also know that He is good and desires to give us good things (1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 100:5). The greatest gift God has already given: His own Son, Jesus (2 Corinthians 9:15; John 3:16–18). When we have received that gift and accepted the high honor of being adopted into God’s family, the Creator becomes our Father (Romans 8:15). He loves us as His own dear children. Just as an earthly father wants his children to prosper in many ways, so does God. Just as earthly fathers love to give their children good gifts, so does our heavenly Father love to give us good gifts (Matthew 7:11). As His children we can expect Him to take care of us (Philippians 4:19).
It’s true that God wants His children to be prosperous, but in what ways? The popular understanding of prosperity reaches beyond what the Bible teaches. Prosperity teachers focus primarily on the here and now, seeking wealth as “proof” of God’s blessing. They attach a couple of out-of-context Bible verses to their hype and call it biblical teaching. However, God’s desire for us to prosper may not include material wealth at all. First Timothy 6:9 warns, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” There are different types of prosperity, of which material or financial prosperity is only one. Other types of prosperity may be far more important in God’s eyes.
Many times, God cannot trust us with material prosperity because we would make an idol out of it. Jesus said, “How difficult it is for the rich to inherit the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24). Wealth quickly takes hold of us and promises a security it cannot deliver. Prosperity can become a substitute for the real goal of pursuing God and His righteousness (see Matthew 6:33). As a good Father, God may withhold what we clamor for, choosing instead to give us what we truly need. He has our eternal benefit in mind, not our short-term comfort (Luke 12:33–34).
Prosperity teaching also goes wrong in that it includes the idea that the cross of Christ took care of all our physical and mental ailments. If Jesus’ atonement provides for physical healing and prosperity now, then we should expect to live long, prosperous lives free from all sickness, infirmity, and disease. But it’s not earthly, physical prosperity that’s provided by the atonement of Christ; it’s heavenly, spiritual prosperity. Some of God’s most loyal servants suffered physical ailments that were not miraculously healed (Philippians 2:24–28; 1 Timothy 5:23). And many believers throughout history were imprisoned, tortured, and eventually killed. “They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated. . . . They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground” (Hebrews 11:37–38). The early church knew nothing of today’s popular prosperity teaching. They may not have been prosperous in riches and lands, but they prospered in generosity, in love, and in fellowship with Christ and each other (1 Corinthians 1:5; 2 Corinthians 6:10; 9:11).
God’s ideal for this world was perfection (Genesis 1:31). He created it perfect, desired that we enjoy perfect lives and perfect fellowship with Him, and intended that prosperity would be a way of life. But sin corrupted that perfect plan, and now prosperity, health, and a trouble-free existence are impossible for many and fleeting for the rest (Romans 5:12; Genesis 3). God does offer to prosper us beyond explanation, but it may not come during our short earthly stay. For many, the full realization of God’s restoration will be experienced only when we leave this world behind and enter His presence for eternity. Hebrews 11 lists dozens of faithful servants of the Lord who one might expect to have lived prosperously because of their faithfulness. Yet verses 39 and 40 say this: “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” Every child of God, bought with the blood of Jesus Christ, will experience prosperity beyond our wildest imaginations for all of eternity (1 Corinthians 2:9). Until then, we walk by faith.
Romans 8:17–18 promises this: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Being co-heirs with Christ means that forever we will enjoy everything God owns. No earthly prosperity can compare with that.
An alarming epidemic of spiritual adultery and “friendship with the world” ran rampant in the early church (James 4:4). James passionately told his readers to repent from their wicked ways and return to the Lord: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8, ESV).
God desires His followers’ wholehearted loyalty and devotion (Exodus 34:14; Mark 12:29–31). Believers who stray from the Lord must submit themselves to God and draw near to Him again through repentance.
“Purify your hearts, you double-minded” was James’ clear and distinct call to inner purification—to recognize and confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness. His language closely resembles that of the psalmist: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god” (Psalm 24:3–4).
James branded the believers “double-minded” because they continued to live with one foot in the world while claiming to love and worship God. Their vacillating was dividing their loyalties. A similar charge was issued against the people of Isaiah’s time: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). Earlier, James noted that double-minded people are “unstable in all they do” (James 1:8).
The apostle John acknowledged that the true children of God who look forward to Christ’s return “purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). The Lord Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). The term purehere indicates the absence of impurity, contamination, or filth. It suggests a single-mindedness of purpose that is free of distractions.
Double-minded people lack purity of heart. The Lord desires His followers to be laser-focused in heart, mind, and purpose (Matthew 6:33). The greatest commandment, Jesus said, is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
The apostle Paul explained that God looks for servants who commit their entire being to Him: “If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:21–22, NLT).
Anything that distracts us or has a contaminating influence on our lives will divide our loyalties and soil our hearts, rendering us ineffective kingdom servants. A pure heart is evidenced by openness, clarity, and an uncompromising desire to please the Lord in everything we think, say, and do. Purity goes beyond just cleaning up our outward behavior (“cleanse your hands”) to the internal purification of heart, mind, and soul (“purify your hearts”).
In reality, humans are incapable of purifying their own hearts. David prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). God is the only one who can make us pure in heart and single in mind. It is the shed blood of Jesus Christ His Son that “purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7) and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that cleanses our lives (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 Peter 1:2). Christ provided the necessary sacrifice for sin so that we could receive God’s forgiveness (John 1:29; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12–22; 1 Peter 1:18–19).
God’s Word commands us: “Purify your hearts, you double-minded.” And God’s Word—the Logos, who is Jesus Christ—makes the command possible. Since we can enter God’s presence “by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19–22, ESV).
There are five verses in the Bible that refer to a “seal of God” or an object or person sealed by God (John 6:27; 2 Timothy 2:19; Revelation 6:9; 7:2; and 9:4). The word sealed in the New Testament comes from a Greek word that means “to stamp with a private mark” in the interest of keeping something secret or protecting or preserving the sealed object. Seals were used for official business: a Roman centurion, for instance, might have sealed a document that was meant only for the eyes of his superior. If the seal were broken, the one receiving the document would know that the letter had been tampered with or read by someone other than the sealer.
Revelation 7:3–4 and 9:4 refer to group of people who have the seal of God, and thus His protection, during the tribulation. During the fifth trumpet judgment, locusts from the Abyss attack the people of the earth with “power like that of scorpions” (Revelation 9:3). However, these demonic locusts are limited in what they can harm: “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:4). The individuals who are marked by God are preserved. The seal of God during the tribulation is the direct opposite of the mark of the beast, which identifies people as followers of Satan (Revelation 13:16–18).
Paul speaks of the seal of God in the context of foundational truth. He tells Timothy that false doctrines are circulating and some people are trying to destroy the faith of believers. Then he offers this encouragement: “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness’” (2 Timothy 2:19). The picture is of a building’s foundation that has been inscribed with two statements giving the purpose of the building. The church’s foundation has been laid (Ephesians 2:20), and the eternal “seal” or inscription sums up the two aspects of faith—trust in God and departure from sin (see Mark 1:15). The passage goes on to describe the contents of the great house so inscribed: vessels for honorable use and those for dishonorable use. “If anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21, ESV).
Jesus Christ bore the seal of God: “On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval” (John 6:27). Those who trust in Jesus also possess the seal of God, which is the Holy Spirit: “You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession” (Ephesians 1:13–14). It is good to know that God’s children are sealed, secure, and sustained amid the wickedness of this transitory world.
In Matthew 23 Jesus pronounces “woes” on the scribes and Pharisees, the religious elite of the day. The word woe is an exclamation of grief, denunciation, or distress. This was not the first time Jesus had some harsh words for the religious leaders of His day. Why did Jesus rebuke them so harshly here? Looking at each woe gives some insight.
Before pronouncing the woes, Jesus told His listeners to respect the scribes and Pharisees due to their position of authority but not to emulate them, “for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for people to see” (Matthew 23:3–5). The scribes and Pharisees were supposed to know God and help others know Him and follow His ways. Instead, the religious leaders added to God’s Law, making it a cumbersome and onerous burden. And they did not follow God with a pure heart. Their religion was not true worship of God; rather, it was rooted in a prideful heart. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount emphasizes the true intent of the Law over the letter of the Law. The scribes and Pharisees emphasized the letter, completely missing its spirit.
The first woe is, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matthew 23:13). Jesus cares for people. He desires for them to know Him and to enter into His kingdom (John 3:16–17; 10:10, 17; 2 Peter 3:9). After rebuking the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus lamented over rebellious Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37–39). Clearly, His heart is for people to find life in Him. It stands to reason, then, that He would have harsh words for those who prevented people from finding salvation. The teachers of the Law and Pharisees were not truly seeking after God, though they acted as if they were. Their religion was empty, and it was preventing others from following the Messiah.
In the second woe, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for making strenuous efforts to win converts and then leading those converts to be “twice as much” children of hell as the scribes and Pharisees were (Matthew 13:15). In other words, they were more intent on spreading their religion than on maintaining the truth.
The third woe Jesus pronounces against the scribes and Pharisees calls the religious leaders “blind guides” and “blind fools” (Matthew 23:16–17). Specifically, Jesus points out, they nit-picked about which oaths were binding and which were not, ignoring the sacred nature of all oaths and significance of the temple and God’s holiness (verses 15–22).
The fourth woe calls out the scribes and Pharisees for their practice of diligently paying the tithe while neglecting to actually care for people. While they were counting their mint leaves to make sure they gave one tenth to the temple, they “neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23). Once again, they focused on the letter of the Law and obeyed it with pride, but they missed the weightier things of God. Their religion was external; their hearts were not transformed.
Jesus elaborates on their hypocrisy in the fifth woe. He tells the religious leaders they appear clean on the outside, but they have neglected the inside. They perform religious acts but do not have God-honoring hearts. It does no good, Jesus says, to clean up the outside when the inside is “full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). The Pharisees and scribes are blind and do not recognize that, when the inside is changed, the outside, too, will be transformed.
In the sixth woe, Jesus claims the scribes and Pharisees are “like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean” (Matthew 23:27). The deadness inside of tombs is likened to the “hypocrisy and wickedness” inside the religious leaders (verse 28). Once again, they appear to obey God, but their hearts are far from Him (see Matthew 15:7–9 and Isaiah 29:13).
Jesus concludes His seven-fold rebuke by telling the religious leaders that they are just like their fathers, who persecuted the prophets of old. In building monuments to the prophets, they testify against themselves, openly admitting that it was their ancestors who killed the prophets (Matthew 23:29–31). Although they arrogantly claim that they would not have done so, they are the ones who will soon plot the murder of the Son of God Himself (Matthew 26:4).
Jesus’ words are harsh because there was so much at stake. Those who followed the Pharisees and scribes were being kept from following God. So much of the teaching in Jesus’ day was in direct contradiction of God’s Word (see Matthew 15:6). The religious leaders made a mockery out of following God. They did not truly understand God’s ways, and they led others away from God. Jesus’ desire was that people would come to know God and be reconciled with Him. In Matthew 11:28–30 Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Unlike the burdens the scribes and Pharisees laid on the people in a human effort to gain reconciliation with God, Jesus gives true rest. The religious leaders spread lies covered in a veneer of godliness (John 8:44); Jesus spoke harshly against them because He came to bring life (John 10:10).
Also, the word woe carries with it a tinge of sorrow. There is an element of imprecation, to be sure, but with it an element of compassionate sadness. The seven woes that Jesus pronounces on the religious leaders are solemn declarations of future misery. The stubbornness of the sinners to whom He speaks is bringing a judgment to be feared. The scribes and Pharisees are calling down God’s wrath upon themselves, and they are to be pitied.
Immediately after Jesus’ rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees, we see Jesus’ compassion. He asks, “How will you escape being condemned to hell?” (Matthew 23:33). Jesus then expresses His desire to gather the people of Israel to Himself for safety, if only they were willing (verse 37). God longs for His people to come to Him and find forgiveness. Jesus was not harsh to be mean. He was not having a temper tantrum. Rather, love guided His actions. Jesus spoke firmly against the deception of Satan out of a desire for people to know truth and find life in Him.
Many of the familiar expressions we use today originated in the Bible. One such idiom, “the blind leading the blind,” comes from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 15:14: “Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (see also Luke 6:39).
As Jesus traveled around ministering in Galilee, He attracted crowds from places near and far, including Jerusalem—the authoritative center of Judaism at the time. The Gospel of Matthew records a scene in which a group of Pharisees and scribes travel from Jerusalem to confront Jesus. These religious leaders were the representatives of Judaism in that day. They were entrusted with studying the Scriptures and guiding God’s people in the ways of the Lord.
Without a doubt, these Jewish leaders were receiving reports of miracles and unconventional activities surrounding Jesus’ ministry. They became alarmed that their many regulations, laws, and age-old “traditions of the elders” (Matthew 15:2, ESV) were not being kept. Specifically, they had come to question why Jesus’ disciples were breaking the tradition of ceremonial handwashing before meals. According to their procedures—which, in reality, were human-made regulations and not part of God’s Word—Jesus and His disciples were behaving in a way that made them ritually unclean. These so-called spiritual leaders had elevated their legalistic traditions to the point of equality with the commands of God in Scripture, a transgression Jesus was now compelled to confront.
Leading up to His description of the religious leaders as blind leaders of the blind, Jesus pointed out how the Pharisees had broken God’s commandments (Matthew 15:3–9). First, He established their hypocrisy—they regularly broke the laws of God while demanding that others follow their human-made traditions. They displayed outward piety but lacked true devotion to God and His Word in their hearts. They were rebellious toward God and blind to their spiritual emptiness.
In Matthew 15:10–14, Jesus returns to their question about handwashing. Instead of addressing the Pharisees and scribes directly, He shared a parable with the crowd. The teaching upended the Pharisee’s tradition, revealing that it’s not what is outside of a person that causes defilement. What makes a person unclean, Jesus taught, originates from inside the individual: “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them” (verse 11). Christ wasn’t refuting the idea that people can become unacceptable before God, only how it happens. Handwashing can’t make a person clean if his or her heart is tarnished. And the human heart can be deceitfully wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).
Employing a second parable, Jesus calls the Pharisees “blind guides” (Matthew 15:14). He repeats this characterization in Matthew 23:16: “Woe to you, blind guides!” And again in verse 24: “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”
When Jesus said of the Pharisees, “The blind lead the blind,” He was emphasizing the foolishness of the situation. Only a person who can see ought to lead a blind person. To be a successful guide to others, one must be able to see where he or she is going. If the blind lead the blind, those leaders are arrogant, overconfident, and in serious denial about their own sightless condition. Jesus knew this was true of the scribes and Pharisees who had come to confront Him. “Guide for the blind” was a common title for Jewish teachers of that day (Romans 2:19). Jesus wasn’t about to let His detractors continue claiming this title when, in truth, they needed someone to lead them.
After Christ called the Pharisees “blind leaders of the blind,” He said to “leave them” in Matthew 15:14. By this, He meant for His disciples to ignore the Pharisees, to let them alone and not to try to please them. These religious leaders thought they were experts in God’s law, but they were blind and ignorant of the law’s true meaning. Christ revealed that they were contradicting the very laws they claimed to understand. Instead of leading their students along the right path that leads to life, they were guiding themselves and their followers straight to disaster: “Both will fall into a pit.”
Christ’s parable of the blind leading the blind is just as relevant today as in Jesus’ day. The tendency to elevate human interpretation of Scripture and tradition to a place of equal authority with God’s Word is a blindness that has afflicted people of every generation. The inclination Jesus confronted in the Pharisees is no different from the legalistic traditions and unwritten rules that many churches, denominations, spiritual leaders, and individual believers try to enforce today.
When we allow human rules and regulations to take priority over God’s laws, we lead people astray from “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3, NKJV). If we become blind leaders of the blind, we heap God’s judgment on ourselves: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matthew 23:13; see also Matthew 18:6).
We must be careful not to let arrogance and denial blind us to our spiritual condition. We must make sure that our vision is clear enough to guide others in their spiritual walk. Likewise, we do well to choose our leaders wisely, being careful not to follow blind guides who will lead us away from the straight and narrow path of God’s Word.
The apostle Paul challenged himself and all Christians to keep moving forward in the Christian walk of faith: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14, NKJV).
When Paul said he was “forgetting those things which are behind,” he referred to not looking back at past relationships, memories, failures, temptations, or anything that might distract from a single-minded focus on “the upward call of God in Christ.” To inspire his audience, Paul drew on the image of an athlete running a race with uncompromising determination to reach the finish line and win the prize. The New Living Translation renders the passage like this: “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
The word forgetting in Philippians 3:13 means “dismissing from the mind or paying no attention to.” To “forget” in this way is to stop dwelling on something. To win the race, a runner must dismiss every distraction from his mind. He must not rehash every early misstep or dwell on the mistakes along his course.
“Forgetting what is behind” is Paul’s way of saying, “Don’t look back! Stop dwelling on the past. Don’t let anything behind you interfere with your present progress or future efforts.” Personal growth as a believer was a constant priority in Paul’s life. He strained with every fiber of his being to keep moving forward to win the prize for which God had called him.
In 1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul compared an athlete’s crown to the believer’s eternal prize: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” Paul kept his eyes trained on the finish line because his whole goal and purpose in life was gaining Christ: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7–8).
When it comes to forward motion, our bodies tend to move automatically toward the place where our eyes are directed. A runner who keeps turning back to see what is behind him will lose his race. Understanding this phenomenon, Paul urged believers to stop looking back at the past and stay focused on the future goal. Paul himself was determined to “forget” or “dismiss from his mind” the former way of life when he violently persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it (Galatians 1:13). He quit dwelling on the hindrances and hurdles of persecution, imprisonment, and abandonment in his past (2 Corinthians 4:8–9; Acts 16:22–40; 23:10; 25:1–12; 28:17–31; 2 Timothy 1:15). Instead, he stretched toward what was ahead of him. He looked forward to heaven, the resurrection of his body, and meeting his Savior face-to-face: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20–21).
How do things which are behind us hinder our progress in spiritual growth?
Holding onto emotions like bitterness and unforgiveness can slow us down and even keep us locked in the past. Rehearsing conflicts and rehashing hurtful episodes will only open old wounds. Peter urged us to be done with these things: “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment” (1 Peter 2:1–2, NLT). Guilt and despair over past sins may also keep us chained to the past. But God does not hold our past sins against us, and neither should we (1 John 1:7–9).
After God delivered Israel from the oppression of slavery, the people looked back longingly to Egypt, but it got them nowhere (Numbers 11:18). “Forgetting those things which are behind” means throwing aside “every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up” and running “with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1–2, NLT).
The Christian life is lived with our eyes facing forward on Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate priority that makes our lives worth living. Our highest goal is to know Him better, as Paul said: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10).
Christians often talk about the need to “speak the truth in love,” a command found in Ephesians 4:15. Many times what they mean is the need to share difficult truths in a gentle, kind, inoffensive manner. From a practical standpoint, we know that difficult things are best heard when our defenses are not up. In a loving, non-threatening environment, hard truths are more readily received. So it is biblical to share hard truths with others “in love,” in the manner that the phrase is commonly used. Looking at the context of Ephesians 4:15, however, gives us deeper insight on what it means to “speak the truth in love.”
In the verses prior to the command to speak the truth in love, Paul writes about unity in the body of Christ. He urges the Ephesians, and all Christians by extension, to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). He describes this life as one in which we are humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, and making efforts toward unity. Paul reminds his readers that we all serve the same Lord and are part of the same body. He talks about Christ giving apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12–13). Having reached maturity, we will not be spiritual infants, easily deceived, and tossed to and fro “by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).
In this context—of church unity and spiritual maturity—Paul writes, “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Rather than be spiritually immature and easily deceived, we are to speak the truth to one another, with love, so that we can all grow in maturity. We are to train one another in truth—the foundational gospel truths, truths about who God is and what He has called us to do, hard truths of correction, etc.—and our motivation to do so is love.
The “love” referred to in this verse is agape love, a self-sacrificial love that works for the benefit of the loved one. We speak truth in order to build up. Several verses later Paul writes, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Our words should be beneficial to the hearers of those words. We should speak truth in love.
Paul also counsels “to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of you minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:22–25). As members of the same body, we should not deceive one another. We cannot defraud each other through lies. Nor should we attempt to hide things about ourselves out of shame or in an effort to manage our images. Rather, as those who are part of the same body intended for the same purpose and united by the same love, we should be characterized by honesty. Those who love must speak the truth: “Love . . . rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Dishonesty is unloving and abusive.
Speaking the truth in love is not as much about having a gentle demeanor as it is about the way truth and love go hand-in-hand. Because we love one another, we must speak the truth. Because we know the truth, we must be people characterized by love (John 13:34–35; 15:1–17). Jesus “came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). As His followers who are being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), we should also be characterized by grace and truth.
Importantly, we are also called to love those who do not know Christ. The best way we can show love is to share with them the truth of the gospel. Apart from Christ, people are dead in their sins and destined for an eternity in hell (John 3:16–18; Romans 6:23). But in Christ they can receive new life and eternal salvation (Romans 10:9–15; 2 Corinthians 5:17). This is a message we must share. Peter wrote, “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). We share the gospel because we love the people for whom Christ died. We speak God’s truth because of His love and in a way that clearly and unapologetically communicates both truth and love (1 John 4:10–12).
After explaining that God has blessed believers in Jesus with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), Paul catalogs what those blessings are and how they came to be (Ephesians 1—3). After praying that the Ephesian believers would truly understand Christ and what they had been given in Him (Ephesians 1:14–23 and Ephesians 3:14–21), Paul exhorts believers to walk in a manner worthy of their incredible calling (Ephesians 4:1). Paul explains that Jesus led captivity captive and gave gifts to men (Ephesians 4:8) and that Jesus’ gifting was an expression of His grace toward those who have believed in Him.
As Paul encourages believers to walk in a manner worthy of their calling (Ephesians 4:1), he challenges them to show tolerance to one another in love (Ephesians 4:2), preserving the peace that they had been given (Ephesians 4:3). Reminding his readers of the basis for their peace with God and with one another, Paul adds that it is based on their oneness and God’s singular provision for them (Ephesians 4:3–4) and on the fact that there is one God and Lord over them (Ephesians 4:5–6). Even in unity, there were differences and different roles for believers. All had been given a measure of grace by God, as Christ had given of Himself (Ephesians 4:7). Paul elaborates on Jesus’ gift, alluding to Psalm 68:18 and noting that, when Jesus ascended on high, He led captivity (or captives) captive and gave gifts to men (Ephesians 4:8).
Psalm 68:18 records David speaking to God, saying that God had ascended on high, led captive captives, and received gifts among men. Paul observes that, similarly, Jesus also had ascended on high and led captivity (or captives) captive, so Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 and then adds that Jesus gave gifts to men. Paul explains that Jesus had first descended at His death and burial (Ephesians 4:9) and that He then ascended far above all (Ephesians 4:10). By leading captives out of captivity, He demonstrated His authority over death and His authority to give gifts.
It may be that Paul uses the phrase led captivity captive to refer to those who had died before and who awaited Jesus’ sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sin to have access to heaven. If that is Paul’s meaning, then, after Jesus descended to the grave (Sheol), Jesus would have led those who had been in captivity to death into the promised freedom of life with God. Because the text doesn’t specify this as Paul’s meaning, we can’t be dogmatic that this is what Paul is alluding to. Still, as Paul is certainly referencing (at least) Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, Paul is reminding his readers that Jesus is qualified to deliver and to give gifts.
Paul further explains that, when Jesus led captivity captive and gave gifts to men (Ephesians 4:8), those gifts were specifically the gifts (to the church) of 1) apostles, 2) prophets, 3) evangelists, and 4) pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). These four gifts were not gifts given to individuals; rather, they were people who filled these roles and were given to the church so that it might be built up properly as God designed (Ephesians 4:12). While the New Testament speaks of several other kinds of gifts (see Romans 12:6ff, 1 Corinthians 12:4ff, 1 Peter 4:10–11), the gifts in this context are given to the church. The gifts listed in the various lists are given to individuals (1 Corinthians 12:7). The gifts in Ephesians 4:8 are specifically described as being given by Christ, who led captivity captive and gave gifts to men (Ephesians 4:8).
The Church believes
that God’s Son, who was to come into the
world through Mary’s consent, was himself her
savior. Mary,
as a member of the human race,
was in need of salvation.
But her salvation was “singular” (unique).
In order to help us understand Mary’s need for salvation, theologians distinguish between a “liberative salvation” and a “preservative salvation.” Every member of the human race, with the
exception of Mary, was liberated from sin and eternal damnation by the Cross of Jesus. In virtue of the Cross of Jesus, Mary was preserved from sin and eternal damnation.
Two illustrations
might be helpful in coming to
understand
the significance of this distinction.
If you are wounded by a bullet and I remove it and help you to heal the wound, you might correctly call me your “savior.” However, would I not be more properly your “savior” if I had preserved you from being shot in the first place?
Again, I might save you from being burned to death in a fire. I could liberate you from the flames and save your life. Would I be any less your “savior” if I preserved you from even falling into the destructive flames?
Every member of the human race, except Mary, is wounded by the sin of Adam. We are liberated from Adam’s sin by the grace of Jesus Christ. Mary, also by Christ’s grace, was preserved from being wounded by the sin of the race in her conception. In this way, Jesus saved her from sin and the effects of sin. You and I and all mankind are liberated from the “fire” of sin and eternal death in hell through the saving grace of Our Lord Jesus. We receive this grace in baptism and (if we fall into mortal sin) through sacramental confession. Baptism, so to speak, “pulls us out of the fire.” When we deliberately fall into the fire again through our deliberate mortal sins, the Lord rescues us through Confession.
Mary, by Jesus’ grace, was preserved from ever falling into that fire.
The Catholic Church does not deny that the Virgin Mary needed redemption, for she was a child of Adam together with the rest of humanity. However, her redemption was effected in another, “more sublime manner,” namely, “redemption by preemption.”
Consequently, in reference to Mary, the Church strongly affirms these Scriptural truths: Mary is indeed saved from sin, and Jesus is her savior!
The Immaculate Conception has always been the belief of the Church, being implicitly contained in the Church’s teaching of the Virgin Mary’s absolute purity and sinlessness. Just as Our Lord “grew in grace and wisdom,” that is, manifested increasing signs of wisdom as he increased in age, so the Church, which possesses the wisdom of God from her origin, manifests it only according to the order of Providence and her children’s needs.
In the centuries before 1854, popes and councils made continuous and explicit references to the Immaculate Conception in their pronouncements:
- Pope St. Martin I, Lateran Council (649), Canon 3 on the Trinity
- Pope Sixtus IV, Constitutions Cum Praeexcelsa (1476); Grave Nimis (1483)
- Pope Paul III, Council of Trent (1546), Decree on Original Sin
- Pope St. Pius V, Bull Ex Omnibus Afflictionibus, (1567)
- Pope Alexander VII, Bull Sollicitudo Omnium Eccl. (1661)
The Church
finds support for the doctrine
of the Immaculate Conception in the
words of the
Angel Gabriel to the
Virgin Mary:
“Hail, full of grace, the
Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women”
(Luke 1:28).
She, who was to conceive the Son of God,
the Holy of holies, must herself be supremely holy,
and therefore be preserved, not only
from actual sin, but also
from all stain of Original Sin.
The angel’s words
would not have been entirely
truthful had the Virgin Mary,
for even one instant, been deprived of grace.
The Church, furthermore, asserts that God,
immediately after Adam’s fall,
cursed Satan and said (Genesis 3:15):
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head.It was by the Virgin Mary’s seed, that is, Jesus Christ, that the kingdom of Satan was demolished. It was not fitting that she, who was to co-operate in the defeat of Satan, should ever be infected by his breath or a slave to his kingdom of sin. The enmitybetween the Virgin Mary and the serpent placed by God was her triumph over sin, her Immaculate Conception.
The writings of the Fathers of the Church on Mary’s purity,
as cited in the Catholic Encyclopedia, abound:
- The Fathers call Mary the tabernacle exempt from defilement and corruption (Hippolytus, “Ontt. in illud, Dominus pascit me”);
- Origen calls her worthy of God, immaculate of the immaculate, most complete sanctity, perfect justice, neither deceived by the persuasion of the serpent, nor infected with his poisonous breathings (“Horn. i in diversa”);
- Ambrose says she is incorrupt, a virgin immune through grace from every stain of sin (“Sermo xxii in Ps. cxviii”);
- Maximus of Turin calls her a dwelling fit for Christ, not because of her habit of body, but because of original grace (“Nom. viii de Natali Domini”);
- Theodotus of Ancyra terms her a virgin innocent, without spot, void of culpability, holy in body and in soul, a lily springing among thorns, untaught the ills of Eve, nor was there any communion in her of light with darkness, and, when not yet born, she was consecrated to God (“Oral, in S. Dei Genitr”)
- In refuting Pelagius, St. Augustine declares that all the just have truly known of sin “except the Holy Virgin Mary, of whom, for the honour of the Lord, I will have no question whatever where sin is concerned” (On Nature and Grace 36).
- It is evident that Mary was pure from eternity, exempt from every defect (Typicon S. Sabae);
- She was formed without any stain (St. Proclus, “Laudatio in S. Dei Gen. ort,” I, 3);
- She was created in a condition more sublime and glorious than all other natures
(Theodoras of Jerusalem in Mansi, XII, 1140); - When the Virgin Mother of God was to be born of Anne, nature did not dare to anticipate the germ of grace, but remained devoid of fruit (John Damascene, “Hom, i in B. V. Nativ.,” ii).
- To St. Ephraem, Mary was as innocent as Eve before her fall, a virgin most estranged from every stain of sin, more holy than the Seraphim, the sealed fountain of the Holy Spirit, the pure seed of God, ever in body and in mind intact and immaculate (“Carmina Nisibena”).
The sinlessness of Mary, the Church holds, is total and without exception. Beginning with her conception — by the foreseen merits of Christ — she was preserved free from the stain and effects of original sin, so that never for a moment of her earthly existence did she come under the dominion of the devil. All other human beings inherit the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve and come into this world separated from God until restored to his friendship through the sacrament of baptism. Hence, as the poet Wordsworth so beautifully puts it, Mary is “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.”
The gospel is the “good news” because it contains the exceedingly wonderful message of God’s redemption of sinful humanity through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. The gospel is the heart, the central core of Christian preaching.
The English noun gospel comes from the Anglo-Saxon term godspell, meaning “glad tidings.” It is translated from the Greek evangelion, which means “good message.” Originally, the word was related to news of military triumph. But when the New Testament was recorded, its writers assigned the term gospel to the “good news” of salvation in Jesus Christ.
The gospel encompasses the entire communication of redemption and salvation to humans as preached by Jesus Christ and His followers (Matthew 4:23; Romans 10:15). Later, the term gospel was also applied to the four historical records of Jesus Christ’s life written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These four men are the original “evangelists,” or writers of the evangelion.
The announcing of good news began with an angel heralding John the Baptist’s birth to his father, Zechariah: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news” (Luke 1:19). John the Baptist was the first to preach the gospel (Mark 1:1–4). After John baptized Jesus, God’s Spirit and anointing rested on the Lord “to bring Good News to the poor . . . to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free” (Luke 4:18, NLT) and to “proclaim the good news of God” (Mark 1:14).
“The time has come,” Jesus began. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). The gospel Jesus proclaimed focused on the arrival of God’s kingdom (Luke 10:9; 17:21). Through Christ’s coming to earth, God’s rule would be completed (Matthew 6:10), His righteousness established (Isaiah 9:7; 32:1), and His people glorified (Romans 8:17–18; Colossians 1:27). After Christ’s resurrection, the gospel was preached by those who had witnessed His life (Acts 5:42; 8:4–5, 35; Romans 1:1–4, 9), and today it continues to be preached throughout the world by His followers.
The gospel is good news because in it we find God’s promise of forgiveness from sin. John testified that Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29; see also Luke 24:46–47; Isaiah 53:4–6; Acts 13:38; Hebrews 9:28). Through the gospel, we receive God’s power to live a new life in the righteousness of Jesus Christ: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last” (Romans 1:16–17; see also Romans 3:21–26).
According to the gospel, sin separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 4:18). But when Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price and canceled the debt of sin for all who would believe in Him. He was “pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him” (Isaiah 53:5; see also Colossians 1:20). The gospel is good news because, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are reconciled to God and brought near to Him in fellowship: “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1, NLT).
The gospel is good news because “to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12–13). Everyone who believes in the gospel and submits to its demands receives new life in Jesus Christ. We are adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:14–17; Galatians 3:26). We are “born of the Spirit” (John 3:5–8) and receive the “gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38; see also John 7:37–39), who guarantees our heavenly inheritance (Ephesians 1:13–14).
The gospel is the greatest love story ever told (John 15:13). What could be more excellent news than its promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ?: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16–17; see also John 11:25).
Isaiah 44:20
He feeds on ashes. His deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?"
Jeremiah 10:14
Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a fraud, and there is no breath in them.
Jeremiah 13:25
This is your lot, the portion I have measured to you," declares the LORD, "because you have forgotten Me and trusted in falsehood.
Jeremiah 16:19
O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, "Our fathers inherited nothing but lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.
Romans 9:5
Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.
2 Corinthians 11:31
The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not lying.
Treasury of ScriptureWho changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
changed.
Romans 1:23
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
the truth.
Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
1 Thessalonians 1:9
For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
into a lie.
Isaiah 44:20
He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
Jeremiah 10:14,15
Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them…
Jeremiah 13:25
This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.
the creature.
Romans 1:23
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Matthew 6:24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 10:37
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
more.
Romans 9:5
Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Psalm 72:19
And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
Psalm 145:1,2
David's Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever…
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Romans 1
1. Paul commends his calling to the Romans;
9. and his desire to come to them.
16. What his gospel is.
18. God is angry with sin.
21. What were the sins of mankind.
How can I have the mind of Christ?
ANSWER
In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13 and then makes a statement concerning all believers: “We have the mind of Christ.” Having the mind of Christ means sharing the plan, purpose, and perspective of Christ, and it is something that all believers possess.
Having the mind of Christ means we understand God’s plan in the world—to bring glory to Himself, restore creation to its original splendor, and provide salvation for sinners. It means we identify with Christ’s purpose “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). It means we share Jesus’ perspective of humility and obedience (Philippians 2:5-8), compassion (Matthew 9:36), and prayerful dependence on God (Luke 5:16).
In the verses leading up to 1 Corinthians 2:16, we note some truths concerning the mind of Christ:
1) The mind of Christ stands in sharp contrast to the wisdom of man (verses 5-6).
2) The mind of Christ involves wisdom from God, once hidden but now revealed (verse 7).
3) The mind of Christ is given to believers through the Spirit of God (verses 10-12).
4) The mind of Christ cannot be understood by those without the Spirit (verse 14).
5) The mind of Christ gives believers discernment in spiritual matters (verse 15).
In order to have the mind of Christ, one must first have saving faith in Christ (John 1:12; 1 John 5:12). After salvation, the believer lives a life under God’s influence. The Holy Spirit indwells and enlightens the believer, infusing him with wisdom—the mind of Christ. The believer bears a responsibility to yield to the Spirit’s leading (Ephesians 4:30) and to allow the Spirit to transform and renew his mind (Romans 12:1-2).