To trespass
is to go beyond one’s right
by
violating a boundary or a law.
When we trespass
on someone’s property, we violate
the physical
boundaries they have in place.
In a similar way,
we trespass
when we violate
God’s moral law
or the
rights of other people.
Ephesians 2:1 shows how serious it is to trespass against God’s commands:
'You were dead in your trespasses and sins.”
The words trespass and sin can be used interchangeably, and it is possible that Paul uses both terms here for emphasis’ sake or to refer to all sorts of sins. It could also be that the thought in Ephesians 2:1 is that, while all are guilty of inherited sin through Adam (Romans 5:12), we are also guilty of individual trespasses against God’s law. However we interpret it, Scripture says we are all trespassers.
The Greek word
most often translated “trespass” in
the
New Testament
literally means
“a false step.”
It implies a
falling away after being
close beside
It is a tripping up, a deviation
of course,
a stumble away from
the truth,
or a falling over of some kind.
Trespasses can be intentional or non-intentional.
The trespass offering
(or guilt offering)
in the
Old Testament was offered by
those who
realized they had inadvertently
committed a sin
against the sanctified items of
the tabernacle
(Leviticus 5)
“We all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). We all trespass. A husband can trespass against his wife by dealing harshly with her, causing her to pull away (Colossians 3:19). A friend can trespass against another friend by breaking a trust or betraying a confidence (Proverbs 18:19).
Trespasses have a way of catching us as if in a trap
(Galatians 6:1).
Jesus taught us how to deal with trespasses and offenses in Matthew 18:15–17. He also taught that we are to forgive those who trespass against us so that our Father will forgive us (Matthew 6:12; 18:23–35).
We all trespass against God because we are all sinful (Romans 3:23).
God posted His “No Trespassing” signs,
and we violated His boundaries.
But God is willing to forgive our trespasses
when we confess
them to Him and place our
faith in Christ
(1 John 1:9; Acts 3:19)
Jesus took
our trespasses upon Himself
on the cross
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
His death and resurrection
removed the
barrier that our trespasses and sins
created
between us and God
(Colossians 2:14)
When we repent of our sin and
receive Christ by faith,
His blood cancels our trespasses,
and
God pronounces us righteous.
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). 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.
Many times in Scripture,
God’s people
are encouraged to
seek
The face of God
A familiar verse declares, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). If we can’t see God’s face, how do we seek God’s face?
The Hebrew word for “face” in the Old Testament is often translated “presence.” When we seek the face of God, we are seeking His presence. The call to seek God’s face was issued to His people because they had abandoned Him and needed to return to Him.
A person’s face reveals much about his or her character and personality.
We see the inward emotions of a person expressed outwardly on the face. We recognize a person by looking at his or her face. In a sense, one’s face represents the whole person. For the writers of the Bible, the human face could represent the entire person.
In Psalm 105:4, God’s faithful ones were called to “seek his face always.” Even if we have not abandoned God, there are times when we neglect to pursue Him. God’s face, His holy character, is often obscured by our human condition and fleshly desires. That is why the Lord urges us to seek His face continually. The Lord desires to be our constant companion in every experience of life. He wants us to know Him through and through.
If we draw close to Him,
God will draw close to us:
“Come close to God,
and God will come close to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners;
purify your hearts,
for your
loyalty is divided between God
and the world”
(James 4:8, NLT).
When we approach God in prayer, we are seeking His face: “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. They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob”
(Psalm 24:3–6).
The true
nature of worship is to seek God’s face.
The Christian walk
is a life devoted to seeking
God’s presence and favor.
The Lord
wants us to humbly and trustingly
seek His face
in our prayers and in our times
in His Word.
It requires
intimacy to look intently into someone’s face.
Pursuing God’s face
is equivalent to developing
an
intimate relationship
with Him:
“O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you in this parched
and weary land where there is no water.
I have seen you in your sanctuary and
gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!”
(Psalm 63:1–3, NLT)
Having God’s face smile on us
is an expression of
His blessing, love, and favor:
“May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you”
(Numbers 6:25, NLT; see also Psalm 80:3, 7, 19).
When we draw close to God,
we are blessed with His shining favor.
We do not pursue Him only
to give Him a list of
wants and needs because we know
God is
already aware of what we need
(Matthew 6:7–8, 32–33).
We trust that He will take care of us.
Seeking God’s face means desiring
to know
His character and wanting Him--
His presence—more than any other thing
He can give us.
“If my people who are called by my
name
humble themselves,
and pray and seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways,
then
I will hear from heaven and
will forgive
their sin and heal their land”
(2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV).
The key
to understanding any verse of Scripture
is context
There is the immediate context—the verses before and after it, as well as the larger context of Scripture—how the verse fits into the overall story. There is also the historical and cultural context—how the verse was understood by its original audience in light of their history and culture. Because context is so important, a verse whose meaning and application seem straightforward when quoted in isolation may mean something significantly different when it is taken in context.
When approaching 2 Chronicles 7:14, one must first consider the immediate context. After Solomon dedicated the temple, the Lord appeared to him and gave him some warnings and reassurances. “The Lord appeared to him at night and said: ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.’ When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:12–14).
The immediate context of 2 Chronicles 7:14 shows that the verse is tied up with Israel and the temple and the fact that from time to time God might send judgment upon the land in the form of drought, locusts, or pestilence.
A few verses later God says this: “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them’” (2 Chronicles 7:19–22).
No doubt Solomon would have recognized this warning as a reiteration of Deuteronomy 28. God had entered into a covenant with Israel and promised to take care of them and cause them to prosper as long as they obeyed Him. He also promised to bring curses upon them if they failed to obey. Because of the covenant relationship, there was a direct correspondence between their obedience and their prosperity, and their disobedience and their hardship. Deuteronomy 28 spells out the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience.
Again, divine blessing and divine punishment on Israel
were conditional on
their obedience or disobedience.
We see this blessing and cursing under the Law play out in the book of Judges. Judges chapter 2 is often referred to as “The Cycle of the Judges.” Israel would fall into sin. God would send another nation to judge them. Israel would repent and call upon the Lord. The Lord would raise up a judge to deliver them. They would serve the Lord for a while and then fall back into sin again. And the cycle would continue.
In 2 Chronicles 7, the Lord simply reminds Solomon of the previous agreement. If Israel obeys, they will be blessed. If they disobey, they will be judged. The judgment is meant to bring Israel to repentance, and God assures Solomon that, if they will be humble, pray, and repent, then God will deliver them from the judgment.
In context, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a promise to ancient Israel (and perhaps even modern-day Israel) that, if they will repent and return to the Lord, He will rescue them. However, many Christians in the United States have taken this verse as a rallying cry for America. (Perhaps Christians in other countries have done so as well.) In this interpretation, Christians are the people who are called by God’s name. If Christians will humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face, and repent, then God will heal their land—often a moral and political healing is in view as well as economic healing. The question is whether or not this is a proper interpretation/application.
The first problem that the modern-day, “Westernized” interpretation encounters is that the United States does not have the same covenant relationship with God that ancient Israel enjoyed. The covenant with Israel was unique and exclusive. The terms that applied to Israel simply did not apply to any other nation, and it is improper for these terms to be co-opted and applied to a different nation.
Some might object that Christians are still called by God’s name and in some ways have inherited the covenant with Israel—and this may be true to some extent. Certainly, if a nation is in trouble, a prayerful and repentant response by Christians in that nation is always appropriate. However, there is another issue that is often overlooked.
When ancient Israel repented and sought the Lord, they were doing so en masse. The nation as a whole repented. Obviously, not every single Israelite repented and prayed, but still it was national repentance. There was never any indication that a small minority of the nation (a righteous remnant) could repent and pray and that the fate of the entire nation would change. God promised deliverance when the entire nation repented.
When 2 Chronicles 7:14 is applied to Christians in the U.S. or any other modern nation, it is usually with the understanding that the Christians in that nation—the true believers in Jesus Christ who have been born again by the Spirit of God—will comprise the righteous remnant. God never promised that if a righteous remnant repents and prays for their nation, that the nation will be saved. Perhaps if national repentance occurred, then God would spare a modern nation as He spared Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah (see Jonah 3)—but that is a different issue.
Having said that, it is never wrong to confess our sins and pray—in fact, it is our duty as believers to continuously confess and forsake our sins so that they will not hinder us (Hebrews 12:1) and to pray for our nation and those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–2). It may be that God in His grace will bless our nation as a result—but there is no guarantee of national deliverance. Even if God did use our efforts to bring about national repentance and revival, there is no guarantee that the nation would be politically or economically saved. As believers, we are guaranteed personal salvation in Christ (Romans 8:1), and we are also guaranteed that God will use us to accomplish His purposes, whatever they may be. It is our duty as believers to live holy lives, seek God, pray, and share the gospel knowing that all who believe will be saved, but the Bible does not guarantee the political, cultural, or economic salvation of our nation.
Matthew 7 is part of what is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. It’s a description of the truly righteous life, an outlining of “the law of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:21, ESV). When Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you,” continual prayer is in view (Matthew 7:7a). Prayer is how we communicate our needs and desires to God. Of course, God, being omniscient, knows what Christians need whether they ask or not, but prayer is the means God has chosen to bring about those answers (James 4:2b).
Jesus is not saying that believers always get what they ask for—wrong motives, for example, will hinder answers to prayer (James 4:3). However, the more time a Christian spends in communion with God, the more he or she will know what to ask for in accordance with God’s will. Prayer, in and of itself, does not produce sanctification (an increasing holiness in a believer’s life), but it does show a dependence on God for needs that can be met no other way. God is always pleased with such displays of faith. It is only faith in what God can do, and what Christ has done, that brings about true sanctification, not an artificial self-righteousness (Hebrews 11:6).
Jesus went on to say, “Seek, and you will find” (Matthew 7:7b). What is it believers ought to be seeking? It is God Himself! “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek’” (Psalm 27:8). “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10). “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (Psalm 105:4). “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart” (Psalm 119:2). God is not hiding from His children. His heart’s desire is for us to persistently and passionately look for Him all around us, and when we do, He promises He will be found (Proverbs 8:17). Seeking is a matter of paying attention with an engaged mind and acute awareness.
Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Seeking God’s kingdom means putting God’s plan before our own; seeking God’s righteousness means setting a priority on personal holiness and desiring to be sanctified.
Jesus then said, “Knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7c). Here, the Lord uses a metaphor for the action a desire produces. If a person needs something from someone behind a door, the most natural thing to do is knock—and keep knocking until the door is opened and the desire is met. In the same way, a believer should pray in faith for God’s provision and be persistent in prayer (see Luke 18:1).
Ask, seek, knock. Notice the three different senses being considered here. Asking is verbal; Christians are to use their mouths and petition God for their needs and desires. And believers are to seek with their minds—this is more than asking; it is a setting of priorities and a focusing of the heart. To knock involves physical movement, one in which the Christian takes action. Although asking and seeking are of great importance, they would be incomplete without knocking. The apostle John said Christians ought not to love in word alone but with actions also (1 John 3:18). In the same way, it’s good to pray and seek God, but if one does not also act in ways that are pleasing to God, all is for naught. It’s no accident that Jesus said believers should love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27).
The commands are followed by promises: “Everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:8). God delights in the prayer of faith, and He promises to give us what we need.
Isaiah 22:22
In the modern world, the "key to the city" is sometimes given out as an honorary award by some mayors.
This symbolizes the idea that the person has earned such respect that
the entire town welcomes them.
Such ceremonies usually use an oversized, decorative key which doesn't open any actual lock. Nor does the ceremony truly bestow special rights.
Yet here, Isaiah is not referring to an honor in title only.
This new leader was given management over crucial aspects of Jerusalem's resources.
The Lord
declares His intention to grant
authority to Eliakim:
the new steward of the king's court.
This man of God and father-figure to the nation will wear the key to the house of David.
As with the modern ceremony, this may have involved a physical item representing authority. The gates of a city were its most important point of security and commerce. A man with power over those had the authority to decide who will be allowed to have an audience with the king and who will be excluded.
The king's decision to give the key to Eliakim, by the Lord's will,
is a sign of great respect and trust.
The one who carried this responsibility exercised authority
in the name of the king.
Eliakim was the final word on whether
the gates remained open or closed.
The key of David, and the authority that comes to the key-bearer,
is mentioned again in Revelation in the context of spiritual doors:
"The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David,
who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens"
(Revelation 3:7).
Chapter 22:15–25 concludes Isaiah's oracle against Jerusalem
with a focus on two men.
Shebna is the steward of the king's household.
The Lord condemns him for carving his elaborate tomb,
with the enemy at the gates,
instead of seeking the Lord or serving the king.
The Lord gives this steward's authority and position to Eliakim. Eliakim serves with such strength, faithfulness, and integrity that he becomes a father figure to the people. However, he also falls away eventually.
The church at Philadelphia was one of seven churches addressed in Revelation 2—3. The others are the churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, and Laodicea. Of the seven only Smyrna and Philadelphia are not rebuked for any shortcomings.
Philadelphia is commended most strongly, and Jesus says to the church at Philadelphia,
“Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut”
(Revelation 3:8, ESV).
The opening to Philadelphia’s letter includes an identification
of the
Author as holy, true, and having
the key of David.
He is the One who opens and closes when no one else has that authority (Revelation 3:7). This reference is an affirmation of the Messiah’s identity, first spoken of in Isaiah 22:22, and initially referencing the authority of Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who temporarily had that power. The Messiah would possess the authority permanently. The Messiah says to the church of Philadelphia that He knows their deeds, and He has put before them an open door that no one can shut. Jesus explains why He opens that door: they had a little power, they had kept His word, and they had not denied His name. There is no explanation in the context regarding what door Jesus referenced. But there is biblical precedent for understanding what that open door referred to.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, we find Yahweh granting the authority to open doors
(for example, in Isaiah 22:22 to Eliakim and in Isaiah 45:1 to Cyrus).
By introducing Himself as the One who opens doors in Revelation 3:7, Jesus affirms His authority. He has the authority to provide the church of Philadelphia the opportunities He desires them to have. The specific door may be a chance for unbelievers in Philadelphia to come to the church and acknowledge that God has loved the believers in Philadelphia (Revelation 3:9). Jesus also references keeping the Philadelphians from the coming hour of testing that was coming to the whole world (Revelation 3:10). Each of these statements presents interpretive challenges, but, in any case, it is evident that the Philadelphian believers’ faithfulness resulted in their receiving some special opportunities given from the One who had the authority to bestow those privileges.
In the New Testament, God provided open doors, as well. In Acts 14:27 the churches gather at Antioch to celebrate God’s opened door of faith for the Gentiles. If the Revelation 3:8 context is related to the Antiochene reference, then perhaps
the open door granted was for the proclaiming
of the
Word of God in Philadelphia.
While we cannot say dogmatically what it means when Jesus says, “I have set before you and open door” to the church at Philadelphia, we can have confidence that the One making the statement has the authority to make it, and that it is likely that the believers in Philadelphia understood the open door before them.
The obvious implication for the believers at Philadelphia was to make the most of the opportunity that open door would provide, and we today ought also to be alert to the stewardships and opportunities that God provides us. We should not waste the open doors that Jesus has opened. We should appreciate that they have come from the One who has authority to provide those opportunities. Because the Lord has provided them, they are important. Let’s make the most of them!
Light expels darkness
Creation
is full of powerful metaphors
deliberately
designed by our Creator
The fact that light
is
stronger than darkness
and is hard
to
hide is one of them.
Jesus warns us not to
hide our light,
but to
let it shine for all to see.
This Hanukkah season we’re calling on
all who will hear:
Be bold!
It’s time to shine! Let people
see who
The Messiah really is!
“‘While you have the Light,
believe in the Light, so that
you may
become sons of Light.’
These things Jesus spoke,
and He went
away and hid Himself from
them.
But though He had
performed
so many signs before them,
yet they
were not believing in Him”
(John 12:36-37)
John 12
marks a major transition in the
Gospel of John,
from a public demonstration
of signs
to the nation of Israel
(John 1-12)
to a deeply personal ministry to his disciples and
to all those who
receive him and become the children of God
(John 13-21; see 1:11-12).
This passage signifies the moment in Jewish history when
Yeshua “hid Himself from them.”
It is important to note, however, that this hiddenness is not because of his absence from the pages of the Hebrew Bible or from the fabric of our holidays, traditions, and history as a people.
It is a hiddenness of national
spiritual blindness.
He was always there for those who had
eyes to see
Yet the testimony of every Jewish believer is the same: once we see him looking back at us from the pages of our sacred book, our beloved holidays, and even in the darkest moments of our history,
we cannot “unsee him” ever again
He is literally everywhere and we wonder to ourselves why we hadn’t seen his loving eyes
looking back at us before.
He is the Light by which we see the present, and he is also the Light by which we see that future day when our people will also recognize him looking back at them from this mysterious hiddenness and realize that
Yeshua
was, is, and forevermore
will be “Immanuel,”
God with us!
Whether you’re new or old to the
Jewish Festival of Hanukkah,
there are a few things you should know:
It takes courage to display
your light!
It is traditional for Jewish households to display Hanukkah menorahs in the window for all to see. There have been times in history when it has been a courageous thing to do. Despite the danger, some defied all odds, defiantly putting the hanukkiah up anyway.
Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum has the actual Hanukkah menorah and tells the accompanying story: On Hanukkah 1932, just one month before Hitler came to power, Rachel Posner, wife of Rabbi Dr. Akiva Posner, took a photo of the family Hanukkah menorah from the window ledge of the family home looking out on to the building across the road decorated with Nazi flags. On the back of the photograph, Rachel Posner wrote in German (translated here):
Chanukah 5692 (1932)
“Death to Judah” So the flag says
“Judah will live forever” So the light answers.
But even in some parts of America, it can take courage to make your Jewishness so evident. During Hanukkah 1993, the Schnitzer family was horrified to find that a cinder block had been hurled through their five-year-old son’s window in an anti-Semitic attack. Amazingly, the appalled residents of their town in Billings, Montana, all decided to put Jewish Hanukkiahs in their windows in solidarity.
The attacks by the KKK soon stopped. It took courage for people to stand with their Jewish neighbors, knowing that they were making themselves a target too, but what a great example to us all.
Don’t hide your light this Hanukkah time, come what may. You don’t need to have a hanukkiah to take your stand against the darkness – just let your light SHINE!
Click here to read more!!
https://www.oneforisrael.org/.../6-things-christians.../
Can one person who lives faithfully for God make a difference?
Previously, we saw that Joseph was sold into slavery and ended up in Egypt. His ability to interpret dreams brought him out of jail and into a position of power. He was second only to Pharaoh. This is a great example of how God “causes all things to work together for good to those who love him,” as it says in Romans 8:28. This theme dominates these chapters of Genesis.
But while Joseph prospered, his family suffered because the famine hit the land of Canaan as well as Egypt. Jacob sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy grain; only Benjamin stayed at home with him. In Egypt, the ten sons met Joseph. He recognized them, but they had no idea that this Egyptian leader was their long-lost brother. Joseph then accused them of being spies and commanded them to bring Benjamin, who was special to him since they were both children of Rachel, as proof that they were telling the truth. But still the brothers did not recognize Joseph.
God was setting the stage for a later victory. Before the brothers left Egypt, Joseph had engineered a plan to bring Benjamin to Egypt. The brothers went back to Canaan and told Jacob everything that had happened. As the events of these chapters unfold, the brothers become increasingly aware of their sin. In Genesis 42:21 we read, “Then they said to one another, ‘In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.’”
Joseph was not out for revenge. He wanted justice. He wanted his brothers to fully turn back to God. Joseph was a righteous man, and his life impacted many people, even the Pharaoh, who had asked his servants,
“Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
(Gen 41:38).
This is a remarkable statement. The emphasis on God’s spirit in the life of his people will dominate the later writings of the prophets. But, here in Genesis, only Joseph is described in this way. His godliness influenced everyone from the Egyptians to his own brothers.
This is reminiscent of the words of Yeshua in Matthew 5:14-16,
when he said,
“You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Indeed, one person who lives righteously can make a difference.
The Truth
About Itown Church
প্রাইভেট গ্রুপ
·
705 জন সদস্য
Church Harm due to Itown Church
I created this private group
for people who have experienced
"church harm" due to Itown Church.
My goal was to allow
people to find support, encouragement and
to know that they are not alone.
It is a safe space with no victim blaming
and no drama. It is not a place to debate whether
Itown is a good
"church"
or if
Dave and Kate Sumrall
are good
"pastors"
Thank you to everyone who has been brave enough to share, so far.
If you have a story, feel free to share it here.
You are welcome to use the Anonymous Feature if you like.
In 2011, I was a single mom raising my teenage daughter. I allowed her to begin attending Itown. I thought,
what better place for my daughter to be while I was working than at a church.
I blindly trusted
Dave Sumrall, Kate Sumrall and Itown
with my 14 year old daughter.
It was the biggest mistake of my life.
I had no idea of the manipulation and control that
was happening to her behind my back.
13 years later she is still under their control 100%
. I have not been allowed to see or speak to my daughter in 4 years.
Yet, they are often on stage,
online, on tv
and now on billboards
professing to be Christian Pastors
and that
they are "all about family".
I came out publicly
with my complete story of devastation
at the hands of Itown Church
in an interview
with Investigative Reporter Roberta Blevins .
The official release date
for my interview was on 3/31/2024.
You can now listen here:
https://player.fm/series/life-after-mlm/episode-230-sandy-rusk
Isaiah 5:20-21
King James Version (KJV)
Woe unto them
that call
evil good, and good evil;
that put
darkness for light,
and
light for darkness;
that put bitter
for
sweet, and sweet for bitter!
After relating various visions,
the
Book of Revelation
offers a
final call to action,
including a statement about
those
who are outside of the
gates
in
Revelation 22:15:
“Outside are the DOGS,
those
who practice
MAGIC ARTS,
the
sexually immoral,
the
murderers,
the
idolaters and everyone
who
loves and practices
FALSEHOOD”
The angel who was speaking
to John
told him
not to seal up the book
because the time was
near
(Revelation 22:10).
It seems the angel
also adds the exhortation that
those who do
wrong and those who do right
will continue in their paths
(Revelation 22:11).
John then records the words of Jesus, who asserts that
He will come
suddenly and judge all according to their deeds
(Revelation 22:12).
Some will be able to enter the gates of the city
(the New Jerusalem),
and some will be judged and
remain
outside of the gates
(Revelation 22:15).
Jesus affirms His identity
as the
Alpha and Omega,
the
first and the last
(Revelation 22:13, referencing Isaiah 48:12)
He adds that there is
a blessing
for those who wash their
robes,
for they will have
access to the tree of life
and be able
to enter
by the gates of the city
(Revelation 22:14)
But there will be others who are outside
of the gates.
He calls them the dogs, sorcerers,
immoral persons,
murderers, idolaters, and those who
love and practice lying
(Revelation 22:15).
All these will be kept outside of the
gates of the city.
The ones who wash their robes are the
ones who take
the water of life without cost
(Revelation 22:17).
They are the ones who
believe in Jesus
(John 4:14; Revelation 7:17; and 21:6).
As for those who do not
believe in Him,
their
names are not written in
the book of life,
and they
will be judged according
to their deeds
(Revelation 20:12, 15).
They will not be allowed to
enter the city--
the
New Jerusalem that descends from heaven
(Revelation 21:2, 8)
Only those whose names
are
written in the book of life--
who have
believed in
Jesus—will enter the city.
Those who have not
been cleansed by belief in Jesus
and who
continue in their sins will not enter
(Revelation 21:27)
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that
Jesus died outside the gates
of the city of Jerusalem to pay for sins
(Hebrews 13:12).
He died as a substitute,
and all who believe in Him
are able to look forward
to a lasting city
that will come in the future
(Hebrews 13:14).
Because of what Jesus accomplished by
His own righteousness,
all who
believe in Him are made righteous
(Romans 4:20–25)
and are able to be in the city
where Jesus will
rule in His kingdom on earth.
Those who are
outside the gates are those
who have refused to
acknowledge Jesus and who remain
unrighteous.
They will be judged
based on their deeds, which,
of course,
are not good enough merit
eternal life.
All have sinned and have fallen short
of
the glory of God
(Romans 3:23).
All are in need of Christ’s righteousness,
which can only
be received by grace through faith
(Ephesians 2:8–9).
Those who refuse
to receive His grace by faith will
be outside the gates
and will not dwell in the city
where Jesus is.
Readers of the
book of Revelation
are encouraged
to “come”
and take the water of life
without cost.
The invitation is extended.
All who believe may come into the gates
and not
remain tragically outside.
The River of Life
1Then the angel showed me
a river of the
water of life, as clear as crystal,
flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb 2down
the middle of
the main street of the city.
On either side
of the river stood
a tree of life,
bearing twelve kinds
of fruit
and yielding a fresh
crop
for each month.
And the
leaves of the tree are for
the
healing of the nations.
3No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him. 4They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.
Jesus Is Coming
6Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soona take place.”
7“Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.
8And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book.
Worship God!”
10Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near. 11Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.”
12“Behold, I am coming soon,
and My reward is with Me,
to give
to each one according to what
he has done.
13I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.”
14Blessed are those who
wash their robes,
so that they may have the right to
the tree of life
and may enter the city
by its gates.
15But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers,
the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
I, Jesus, have sent My angel
to give you
this testimony for the churches.
I am the Root
and the
Offspring of David,
the
bright Morning Star.”
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”
Let the one who hears say, “Come!”
And let the one who is thirsty come,
and the one who
desires the water of life drink freely.
Nothing May Be Added
or Removed
18I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this book.
20He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21The grace of the Lord Jesusd be with all the saints.
Amen.
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1 Peter 1:23 says,
"For you have been
born again,
not of perishable seed,
but of imperishable,
through the
living and enduring
word of God".
This verse means that
anew life
comes from
the living word of God
and will last forever
The new life is different from the old life, which came
from mortal seed
The Greek word for imperishable
in this verse is aphthartos,
which means
uncorrupted
and
not liable to decay
The incorruptible
seed
is a term in the Bible
that refers to the
word of God,
which is pure
and
cannot be
damaged
by
external conditions.
The Greek word
for
incorruptible means something
is not liable to
decay, destruction, or
defilement.
The Bible says that everyone
is born
from corruptible seed,
which means that human flesh
is perishable
and subject to decay and death.
However, the Bible also says that
people are
born again
through the word of God,
which is
incorruptible and imperishable.
This new life is eternal
and comes from
the
word of God that
lives forever
To plant the
incorruptible seed, one can:
Believe it,
Confess it with their mouth,
Plant it in their heart,
and
Watch it produce a harvest.
“When the Son of Man
comes in his glory,
and all
the angels with him,
then he
will sit on his glorious throne.
To the one who is
victorious,
I will give the right
to sit
with me on my throne,
just as I was victorious
and
sat down with my Father on his throne.
The Sheep and the Goats
30And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness,
where there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and
all the angels with Him,
He will sit on His glorious throne.
32All the nations will be gathered before Him,
and
He will separate the people one from another,
as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.…
Daniel 7:13-14
In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. / And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Revelation 20:11-12
Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. / And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And books were opened, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
1 Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.
Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
Acts 1:11
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels / in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. / They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might, ...
John 5:22-27
Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, / so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. / Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life. ...
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, / that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, / and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
1 Peter 4:5
But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Isaiah 66:15-16
For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire. / For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.
Zechariah 14:5
You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.
Joel 3:12-16
Let the nations be roused and advance to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge all the nations on every side. / Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great. / Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. ...
Psalm 96:13
before the LORD, for He is coming—He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.
Psalm 98:9
before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
Matthew 25:6
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Matthew 16:27
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Matthew 19:28
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Psalm 9:7
But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
Revelation 3:21
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 20:11
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Matthew 25
1. The parable of the ten virgins,
14. and of the talents.
31. Also the description of the last judgment.
To the Church in Sardis
To the angel
of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of the
One
who holds
the
seven spirits of God
and
the seven stars
I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead. 2Wake up and strengthen what remains, which is about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God. 3Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.
4But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. 5Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot outb his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Philadelphia
7To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.
8I know your deeds. Behold, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. I know that you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name. 9As for those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead, I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
10Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11I am coming soon.d Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.
13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Laodicea
(Colossians 2:1–5)
14To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originatore of God’s creation.
15I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! 16So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!
17You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. 21To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
To the Church in Sardis
1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of the One who holds the seven spiritsa of God and the seven stars.
I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead. 2Wake up and strengthen what remains, which is about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God. 3Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.
4But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. 5Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot outb his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Philadelphia
7To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of the
One who is
holy and true,
who holds
the key of David.
What He opens no one can shut,
and what
He shuts no one can open.
8I know your deeds. Behold, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut.
I know that you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
9As for those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead, I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
10Because you have kept My command to persevere,
I will also keep you from
the hour of
testing that is about to come upon
the whole world,
to test those who dwell on
the earth.
11I am coming soon
Hold fast to
what you have,
so that no one will take
your crown.
12The one who overcomes I will make
a pillar in the
temple of My God,
and he will never again leave it
Upon him I will
write the name of My God,
and
the name of the city
of My God
(the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God),
and My new name
13He who has an ear,
let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Laodicea
(Colossians 2:1–5)
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originatore of God’s creation.
15I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! 16So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!
17You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19Those I love I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. 21To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
In the Bible,
Zion
has multiple meanings, including:
- The afterlife: The name Zion refers to the Jewish understanding of the afterlife, known as "the World to Come"
- A sacred place: A place of worship and refuge, and a "city of holiness" where the Lord protects his people
- The city of Jerusalem: The name Zion is used to refer to the city of Jerusalem in the Old Testament, appearing 152 times
- The Land of Israel: The name Zion is used to refer to the Land of Israel in the Hebrew Bible
- Mount Zion: The name Zion refers to Mount Zion, a hill in Jerusalem where the Jebusite fortress was located
- The Temple Mount: The name Zion refers to the Temple Mount, which was built on Mount Moriah
the
“keys of the kingdom”
is
Matthew 16:19
Jesus had asked His disciples who people thought He was. After hearing several of the more popular opinions, Jesus aimed His question directly at His disciples. Peter, responding for the twelve, acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. After this great confession, Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”
(Matthew 16:17–19).
Keys are used to lock or unlock doors. The specific doors Jesus has in mind in this passage are the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is laying the foundation of His church (Ephesians 2:20). The disciples will be the leaders of this new institution, and Jesus is giving them the authority to, as it were, open the doors to heaven and invite the world to enter. At this point it is important to understand how, biblically speaking, one enters the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus said that, unless one is born again, he will not see the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3). One is born again as the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God to bring about new life in a dead sinner. The content of the message is the substitutionary death of Christ and His subsequent resurrection (Romans 10:9–10).
So the faithful preaching
of the gospel
is the
key to the kingdom
In Matthew 16:19, Jesus is specifically addressing Peter, so it is significant that, in the book of Acts, Peter figures prominently in the “opening of doors” to three different groups of people so they can enter the Kingdom. In Acts 2, it is Peter who preaches in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost; about three thousand Jewish people are saved that day. Peter’s preaching had “unlocked the door” of heaven for the Jews. Later, in Acts 8, the Samaritans believe the gospel and receive the Holy Spirit; again, Peter (and John) was present for this event. Peter had “unlocked the door” for the Samaritans. Then, in Acts 10, Peter brings the gospel to a Roman centurion’s household, and they, too, receive the Holy Spirit. Peter had “unlocked the door” for the Gentiles. The “keys” that Jesus had given him worked in each case.
Of course, keys can be used to lock doors as well as open them. Part of the gospel message is that faith is necessary. Without faith in Christ, the door to heaven is shut and barred (see John 3:18). As the apostles preached the gospel, those who responded in faith and repentance were granted access to the Kingdom of Heaven; yet those who continued to harden their hearts and reject the gospel of God’s saving grace were shut out of the Kingdom
(Acts 8:23)
The context of Matthew 16
also refers to
a “binding and loosing.”
To better understand this concept, we turn to Matthew 18:15–20, where Jesus gives the guidelines for church discipline, using the same “binding and loosing” language we find in Matthew 16. The apostles were not to usurp Christ’s authority over individual believers and their eternal destiny, but they were to exercise authority to discipline erring believers and, if necessary, excommunicate disobedient church members. Based on God’s Word, believers today can declare an unrepentant sinner to be unsaved (“bound”) and a repentant believer in Jesus Christ to be saved (“loosed”). The binding or loosing, based on one’s rejection or acceptance of the gospel, reflects heaven’s perspective on the matter. In heaven, Christ ratifies what is done in His name and in obedience to His Word on earth.
God’s will is that sinners be granted access to heaven through the righteousness of Christ. Consider Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in” (Matthew 23:13). If the gospel message is distorted or ignored, or if unrepentant sin is not adequately disciplined, the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven are being shut in people’s faces.
The Key of David
is a term found in
Revelation and Isaiah.
A key indicates control or authority; therefore, having
the Key of David
would give one control of David’s domain, i.e.,
Jerusalem,
the City of David,
and the kingdom of Israel.
The fact that, in Revelation 3:7,
Jesus holds this key
shows that He is the
fulfillment of the
Davidic Covenant,
the ruler
of the New Jerusalem,
and the
Lord of the kingdom of heaven
Scriptural Usage
The Key of David
is most directly referenced
in Revelation 3:7,
"To the angel
of the church in Philadelphia
write:
these are the words of him
who is holy and true,
who holds
the key of David.”
The Old Testament reference
is Isaiah 22:22.
There, the prophet tells
the palace secretary Shebna that
he will be
replaced by Eliakim, for God
“will place on his
shoulder the key to the house of David”
(Isaiah 22:22).
The one who holds the keys
has the authority.
Thus, the “key of David” implies control
of David’s domain,
which was promised to
the Messiah
in both the Old and New Testaments
(Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:32).
.
Paul told Timothy to avoid “myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith” (1 Timothy 1:4). There is no “special knowledge” beyond the gospel itself that will aid salvation. Any claim beyond faith in the work of Jesus tears out the heart of the good news: that the just will live by faith (Romans 1:17). There is no great vision, special knowledge,
or
Jewish lineage needed,
only
faith in Christ
Salvation by grace through faith
is at the
heart of the Christian religion.
“For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith
and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God--
not by works, so that no one can boast”
(Ephesians 2:8–9).
The statement has three parts— salvation, grace, and faith—and they are equally important.
The three together constitute a basic tenet of Christianity.
The word salvation is defined as “the act of being delivered, redeemed, or rescued.” The Bible tells us that, since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, each person is born in sin inherited from Adam: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Sin is what causes all of us to die. Sin separates us from God, and sin destines each person to eternal separation from Him in hell. What each of us needs is to be delivered from that fate. In other words, we need salvation from sin and its penalty.
How are we saved from sin? Most religions throughout history have taught that salvation is achieved by good works. Others teach that acts of contrition (saying we are sorry) along with living a moral life is the way to atone for our sin. Sorrow over sin is certainly valuable and necessary, but that alone will not save us from sin. We may repent of our sins, also valuable and necessary, and determine to never sin again, but salvation is not the result of good intentions. The road to hell, as the saying goes, is paved with good intentions. We may fill our lives with good works, but even one sin makes us a sinner in practice, and we are already sinners by nature. No matter how well-intentioned or “good” we may be, the fact is that we simply do not have the power or the goodness to overcome the sin nature we have inherited from Adam. We need something more powerful, and this is where grace comes in.
The grace of God is His undeserved favor bestowed on those He has called to salvation through His love (Ephesians 2:4–5). It is His grace that saves us from sin. We are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Being justified, we are vindicated and determined to be sinless in the eyes of God. Our sin no longer separates us from Him and no longer sentences us to hell. Grace is not earned by any effort on our part; otherwise, it could not be called grace. Grace is free. If our good works earned salvation, then God would be obligated to pay us our due. But no one can earn heaven, and God’s blessings are not His obligation; they flow from His goodness and love. No matter how diligently we pursue works to earn God’s favor, we will fail. Our sin trips us up every time. “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20, NKJV).
The means God has chosen to bestow His grace upon us is through faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Salvation is obtained by faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, in what He has done—specifically, His death on the cross and His resurrection. But even faith is not something we generate on our own. Faith, as well as grace, is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). He bestows saving faith and saving grace upon us in order to redeem us from sin and deliver us from its consequences. So God saves us by His grace through the faith He gives us. Both grace and faith are gifts. “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8, ESV).
By grace, we receive the faith that enables us to believe that He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and provide the salvation we cannot achieve on our own. Jesus, as God in flesh, is the “author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Just like the author of a book creates it from scratch, Jesus Christ wrote the story of our redemption from beginning to end. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 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” (Ephesians 1:4–6). The Lord died for our sins and rose for our justification, and He forgives, freely and fully, those who accept His gift of grace in Christ—and that acceptance comes through faith. This is the meaning of salvation by grace through faith.
Jesus told us to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20).
He linked this command to the desire of our hearts: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
(Matthew 6:21; see also verses 10–20).
The Bible mentions rewards that await the believer who serves the Lord faithfully in this world (Matthew 10:41). A “great” reward is promised to those who are persecuted for Jesus’ sake. Various crowns are mentioned (in 2 Timothy 4:8, e.g.). Jesus says that He will bring rewards with Him when He returns (Revelation 22:12).
We are to treasure the Lord Jesus most of all. When Jesus is our treasure, we will commit our resources—our money, our time, our talents—to His work in this world. Our motivation for what we do is important (1 Corinthians 10:31). Paul encourages servants that God has an eternal reward for those who are motivated to serve Christ: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23–24).
When we live sacrificially for Jesus’ sake or serve Him by serving the body of Christ, we store up treasure in heaven. Even seemingly small acts of service do not go unnoticed by God. “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward” (Matthew 10:42).
Everyone, but especially those with more visible gifts such as teaching, singing, or playing a musical instrument, might be tempted to use their gift for their own glory. Another temptation they face is finding their identity in others’ acknowledgement of their gift. Those who use their talents or spiritual gifts coveting the praise of men rather than seeking God’s glory receive their “payment” in full here and now. The applause of men was the extent of the Pharisees’ reward (Matthew 6:16). Why should we work for worldly plaudits, however, when we can have so much more in heaven?
The Lord will be faithful to reward us for the service we give Him (Hebrews 6:10). Our ministries may differ, but the Lord we serve is the same. “The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:8).
The rich young man loved his money more than God, a fact that Jesus incisively pointed out (Matthew 19:16–30). The issue wasn’t that the young man was rich but that he “treasured” his riches and did not “treasure” what he could have in Christ. Jesus told the man to sell his possessions and give to the poor, “and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (verse 21). The young man left Jesus sad, because he was very rich. He chose this world’s treasure and so did not lay up treasure in heaven. He was unwilling to make Jesus his treasure. The young man was religious, but Jesus exposed his heart of greed.
We are warned not to lose
our full reward
by following after false teachers
(2 John 1:8).
This is why it is so important to be in God’s Word daily
(2 Timothy 2:15).
That way we can recognize false teaching
when we hear it.
The treasures that await the child of God will far outweigh any trouble, inconvenience, or persecution we may face (Romans 8:18).
We can serve the Lord wholeheartedly, knowing that God is the One keeping score, and His reward will be abundantly gracious. “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain”
(1 Corinthians 15:58).
Paul, writing “to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people” (Romans 1:7), says that his purpose is to preach the gospel, for in it “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’” (verse 17). He goes on to compare the righteous saints with the unrighteous Gentiles, upon whom the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven. He lists the works of the unrighteous who have incurred God’s wrath and then says that “God gave them over” to three things:
• “God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them” (verse 24, NASB).
• “God gave them over to degrading passions” (verse 26, NASB).
• “God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” (verse 28, NASB).
Of the most popular English versions in use today, only the New International Version and New American Standard Bible use the phrase God gave them over. Most modern Bible versions say, “God gave them up” (e.g., ESV, NKJV). The Greek word translated “gave over” or “gave up” means “surrendered, yielded up, entrusted, or transmitted.” In this context, it refers to the act of God completely abandoning the unrighteous. As the wicked deserted God, God in turn deserted them, no longer giving them divine direction or restraint, but allowing them to corrupt themselves as they wished. Because they would not honor Him, He let them do what they pleased to dishonor themselves. Being given over or yielded up to one’s sinful desires is a judgment from God.
Who was it that God gave over? The ungodly and unrighteous: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18). These are the godless and wicked, those who reject the truths that God makes plain to them about Himself. They know God exists, and they are “without excuse” in their active suppression of the truth (verse 20). They do not acknowledge or honor God, nor are they grateful to Him. Their thinking becomes futile; they cannot reason, and their hearts become dark, lacking the light of God (verse 21). They claim to be wise but are actually fools (verse 22). They worship the creature rather than God the Creator (verse 23).
What was it God gave them over to? Paul specifies three things to which God surrendered the wicked: 1) “To sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another” (verse 24). Giving their hearts’ sinful desires free rein, the wicked degraded themselves in sexual immorality. 2) “To shameful lusts” (verse 26). Both men and women abandoned the natural sexual functions and committed homosexual acts. 3) “To a depraved mind” (verse 28). The result is that “they do what ought not to be done.” The depraved mind without the light of God will naturally run to evil and, unless divinely checked, will work out the full extent of its depravity.
Why did God give them over? “God gave them over” to these things because of a choice they made to reject the knowledge of God in creation; to refuse to draw obvious conclusions from the evidence all around them of God’s existence and attributes; to decline to give God thanks; and to exchange “the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:23). All through history foolish men have attempted to bring God down to their level, portraying Him in various images and worshiping created things rather than the Creator. It’s a direct violation of the first two of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–5). Their minds rejected the proof they had of the divine nature, so, as a just punishment, God abandoned them to minds incapable of grasping the truth (Romans 1:19–20).
What’s the result of God’s having given them over? “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:29–32). In the outworking of the depravity of the human heart, the contrast between light and darkness become more apparent: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). As the Gentiles refused to keep God in their knowledge, they committed crimes against reason and against their own welfare, and God gave them over.
The sad fact is that sometimes God gives us what we want. God allowed the Israelites who rebelled to reap the natural consequences of their choice: “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices” (Psalm 81:11–12). In Romans 1, Paul shows how the wicked made a choice to reject God, and that choice set them on a downward spiral of increasing darkness and decreasing hope. As the godless run farther and farther from God, God intervenes less and less. The Spirit’s restraint of sin is a blessing, and if that restraint is removed, all wickedness follows.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. 4But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
11Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’
12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
13Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.a
The Parable of the Talents
(Luke 19:11–27)
14For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. 15To one he gave five talents,b to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.
16The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to workc and gained five more. 17Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
19After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’
22The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’
23His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’
24Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’
26‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.
28Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Sheep and the Goats
31When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
34Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, 36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
37Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’
40And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
41Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’
44And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’
46And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Jesus and Zacchaeus
(Numbers 5:5–10)
1Then Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who was very wealthy. 3He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd because he was small in stature. 4So he ran on ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus was about to pass that way.
5When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.”
6So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully. 7And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”
8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
The Parable of the Ten Minas
(Matthew 25:14–30)
11While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently. 12So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return. 13Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.a ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said.
14But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’
15When he returned from procuring his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what each one had earned.
16The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’
17His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
18The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’
19And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’
20Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth.b 21For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’
22His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’
24Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”
The Triumphal Entry
(Zechariah 9:9–13; Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:1–11; John 12:12–19)
28After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32So those who were sent went out and found it just as Jesus had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34“The Lord needs it,” they answered. 35Then they led the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over it, and put Jesus on it.
36As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road. 37And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:
38“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”c
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”d
39But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”
40“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
(Isaiah 29:1–16)
41As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it 42and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. 44They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.e”
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
(Matthew 21:12–17; Mark 11:15–19; John 2:12–25)
45Then Jesus entered the temple courtsf and began to drive out those who were selling there. 46He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’g But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’h”
47Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him. 48Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.
The story of Peter’s threefold denial of Christ is found in all four Gospel accounts: Matthew 26:69–74, Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:55–62, and John 18:15–18, 25–27. But why would the chief of the disciples deny even knowing Him? There were two main reasons why Peter denied Jesus: weakness and fear.
Peter’s denial was based partially on weakness, the weakness born of human frailty. After the Last Supper, Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to await His arrest. He told them to stay awake and pray while He went off to pray alone. When He returned to them, He found them sleeping. He warned Peter to stay awake and pray because, although his spirit might be willing, his flesh was weak. But he fell asleep again, and, by the time the soldiers had come to arrest Jesus, it was too late to pray for the strength to endure the ordeal to come. No doubt his failure to appropriate the only means to shore up his own weakness—prayer—occurred to him as he was weeping bitterly after his denials. But Peter learned his lesson about being watchful, and he exhorts us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be on the alert, because your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Peter’s weakness had caused him to be “devoured” momentarily as he denied his Lord because he hadn’t been prepared through prayer and he underestimated his own weakness.
A second reason for Peter’s failure was fear. To his credit, although all the others had fled (Mark 14:50), Peter still followed Jesus after His arrest, but he kept his distance so as not to be identified with Him (Mark 14:54). There’s no question that fear gripped him. From the courtyard, he watched Jesus being falsely accused, beaten, and insulted (Mark 14:57–66). Peter was afraid Jesus would die, and he was fearful for his own life as well. The world hated Jesus, and Peter found that he was not prepared to face the ridicule and persecution that Jesus was suffering. Earlier, Jesus had warned His disciples as well as us today, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18; cf. Matthew 24:9). Peter quickly found he wasn’t nearly as bold and courageous as he had proclaimed, and in fear he denied the One who had loved him.
We might well wonder why Jesus allowed Peter to fail so miserably and deny his Lord three times that night. Jesus revealed to Peter that Satan had asked for permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31). Jesus could have easily protected Peter and not allowed Satan to sift him, but Jesus had a higher goal. He was equipping Peter to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). Not only did Peter strengthen the other disciples, but he became the pillar of the early church in Jerusalem, exhorting and training others to follow the Lord Jesus (Acts 2). And he continues to this day to strengthen us through his epistles, 1 and 2 Peter. As with all our failures, God used Peter’s many failures, including his three denials of Christ, to turn him from Simon, a common man with a common name, into Peter, the Rock.
About a week before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus went into the temple and cleared it out of “all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves” (Matthew 21:12). Jesus then spoke to the startled crowds: “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (verse 22, KJV). The same incident is recorded in Mark 11 and Luke 19. John 2 records similar actions of Jesus at the beginning of His ministry.
In speaking of a “house of prayer” and a “den of thieves” (the NIV has “den of robbers”), Jesus cited two passages from the Tanakh. In Isaiah 56:7 God says, “These [faithful foreigners] I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Twice in this verse, God’s temple is called “a house of prayer.” God’s design was for His house in Jerusalem to be a gathering place for worshipers from all nations, a place where prayers would rise like incense from the hearts of the faithful to the presence of the living God.
The phrase den of thieves comes from Jeremiah 7:11, where God says, “Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.” The prophet Jeremiah was rebuking the temple leaders for their abuses. Even as they continued going through the motions of their religion, they were oppressing the needy and violently taking what was not theirs. God saw through their pretense, however, and promised to deal with the thieves in His sanctified house.
Jesus takes these two verses from the Old Testament and applies them to His day. One verse was full of purity and promise: God’s temple would be an inviting house of prayer. The other verse was full of conviction and warning: people had perverted God’s right purposes for their own gain. In the courts of the temple, people were being taken financial advantage of, being cheated through exorbitant exchange rates and being compelled to buy “temple-approved” animals for sacrifice, on the pretext that their own animals were unworthy. Jesus denounced such greedy goings-on and physically put a stop to the corruption. In His righteous indignation, He quoted Isaiah and Jeremiah to show that He had biblical warrant for His actions. What should have been a sanctuary for the righteous had become a refuge for the wicked, and the Son of God was not going to put up with it. God’s design for the temple was that it be a house of prayer, a place to meet with God and worship Him. But when Jesus stepped into its courts, He found not prayer but avarice, extortion, and oppression.
It’s always good to remember the Lord’s purpose for what He makes. Whether it’s the temple, the church, marriage, the family, or life itself, we should follow God’s design and seek to honor Him. Any twisting or perverting of God’s design for selfish purposes will draw the Lord’s righteous anger.
As Jesus readied His twelve disciples to go out and minister, first He gave detailed guidelines for their early mission (Matthew 10:5–15), and then He prepared them for opposition and persecution: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16, ESV).
Jesus knew that His messengers would encounter fierce resistance, so He immediately dismissed any idealistic notion of what it meant to be His servant. He told them that persecution and betrayal would come from unexpected places and all kinds of people, even family and friends (Matthew 10:21–22, 34–36). Jesus also knew that many would respond to the disciples’ message, so they had to go. To be as “sheep amidst the wolves” is the Lord’s fitting imagery portraying how we obey His call and take the message of salvation to receptive souls scattered amid a crowd of hostile challengers.
Reflecting the character of meek and gentle sheep, our message is one of love and compassion. Luke 10:3 uses the language of “lambs among wolves,” emphasizing the dedicated vulnerability that ought to exemplify Christ’s servants, messengers, missionaries, and evangelists. We are to go out clothed with grace, mercy, kindness, and humility—“innocent as doves”—but also with wisdom, truth, and integrity—“wise as serpents.” We keep our attitude and actions pure and harmless and our eyes wide open, “alert and of sober mind” because our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The future peaceful reality of sheep and wolves living together in harmony (Isaiah 11:6; 65:25) is not yet our reality. The apostle Paul testified to church leaders, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock” (Acts 20:29). To His disciple Timothy, Paul wrote, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Jesus desires that we be fully prepared to be hated and treated poorly just as He was (Matthew 10:25). Yet we can find comfort and encouragement in our struggles, knowing such ill-treatment is a sign of our close fellowship with Jesus (Acts 5:41; 2 Corinthians 11:16–33; 12:1–10; Philippians 3:10–11).
Sheep are defenseless animals. Unless they stay near their shepherd, these animals have no hope of surviving against a pack of wolves. Jesus, who is “the great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20), assured His disciples repeatedly that He would care for His sheep, leading, guiding, protecting, and laying down His life for them (John 10:1–16, 26–30).
Even though we will face persecution in our mission to follow and obey Christ, He encourages us not to fear: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:28–31).
Matthew 10:16 was not the disciples’ first exhortation to expect persecution as servants of God’s kingdom. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10–12). Honor in God’s kingdom is a blessing reserved for those who actively seek to advance His righteousness and serve the King.
Initially, the “wolves” in Jesus’ analogy included the Pharisees and Jewish religious teachers who violently persecuted the early church. But the caution to be like sheep amidst the wolves is relevant to believers in every age who must live as Christ’s ambassadors in a dark and unreceptive world. Without our Shepherd, we are defenseless and in danger. But with Jesus, we are promised protection and peace (John 14:27; 16:33; Psalm 3:5–6; Matthew 6:25–34; 11:28; Romans 8:28, 35–39).
Jesus alerts us to “watch out for false prophets” in Matthew 7:15. He compares these false prophets to wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus also tells us how to identify these false prophets: we will recognize them by their fruit (Matthew 7:20).
Throughout the Bible, people are warned about false prophets (Ezekiel 13, Matthew 24:23–27, 2 Peter 3:3). False prophets claim to speak for God, but they speak falsehood. To gain a hearing, they come to people “in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). No matter how innocent and harmless these teachers appear on the outside, they have the nature of wolves—they are intent on destroying faith, causing spiritual carnage in the church, and enriching themselves. They “secretly introduce destructive heresies,” “bring the way of truth into disrepute,” and “exploit you with fabricated stories” (2 Peter 2:1–3).
The false teachers wear “sheep’s clothing” so they can mingle with the sheep without arousing suspicion. They usually are not up front about what they believe; rather, they mix in some truth with their falsehood and carefully choose their words to sound orthodox. In reality, they “follow their own ungodly desires” (Jude 1:17–18), and “they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed” (2 Peter 2:14).
By contrast, a true prophet teaches God’s Word fully (Deuteronomy 18:20). Wolves in sheep’s clothing twist God’s Word to deceive or influence the audience for their own purposes. Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15).
The best way to guard against wolves in sheep’s clothing is to heed the warnings of Scripture and know the truth. A believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and carefully studies the Bible will be able to identify false prophets. Christians must judge all teaching against what Scripture says. Believers will also be able to identify false prophets by their fruit—their words, actions, and lifestyles. Jesus said, “A tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33; cf. Matthew 7:20). Peter described false teachers as having “depraved conduct” and who “carouse” as “slaves of depravity” (2 Peter 2:2, 13, 19). If a teacher in the church does not live according to God’s Word, he is one of those wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Here are three specific questions to identify false prophets, or wolves in sheep’s clothing:
1) What does the teacher say about Jesus? In John 10:30, Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” The Jews understood Jesus’ statement as a claim to be God and wanted to stone him (John 10:33). Anyone who denies Jesus as Lord (1 John 4:1–3) is a false prophet.
2) Does the teacher preach the biblical gospel? Anyone who teaches an incomplete or unbiblical gospel is to be eternally condemned (Galatians 1:9). Any gospel apart from what the Bible tells us (1 Corinthians 15:1–4) is not the true good news.
3) Does this teacher exhibit godly character qualities? Jesus said to beware of teachers whose moral behavior does not match what the Bible says. He says we will know wolves in sheep’s clothing by their fruits (Matthew 7:15–20)
It doesn’t matter how large a church a preacher has, how many books he has sold, or how many people applaud him. If he “teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,” then he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing (1 Timothy 6:3).
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.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 had just finished explaining to the disciples the meaning of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, and these two short parables are a continuance of His discussion of the “kingdom of heaven.” He expressed truths about the kingdom in three pairs of parables in Matthew 13: the seed and the sower (vv. 3-23) and the weeds in the field (vv. 24-30); the mustard seed (vv. 31-32) and the leaven (v. 33); and the hidden treasure (v. 44) and the pearl of great price (vv. 45-46).
The similarities of these two short parables make it clear they teach the same lesson—the kingdom of heaven is of inestimable value. Both parables involve a man who sold all he had to possess the kingdom. The treasure and the pearl represent Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers. And while we cannot pay for salvation by selling all our worldly goods, once we have found the prize, we are willing to give up everything to possess it. But what is attained in exchange is so much more valuable that it is comparable to trading an ounce of trash for a ton of diamonds (Philippians 3:7-9).
In both parables, the treasures are hidden, indicating that spiritual truth is missed by many and cannot be found by intelligence or power or worldly wisdom. Matthew 13:11-17 and 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, 14 make it clear that the mysteries of the kingdom are hidden from some who are unable to hear, see, and comprehend these truths. The disobedient reap the natural consequences of their unbelief—spiritual blindness. Those whose eyes are opened by the Spirit do discern spiritual truth, and they, like the men in the parable, understand its great value.
Notice that the merchant stopped seeking pearls when he found the pearl of great price. Eternal life, the incorruptible inheritance, and the love of God through Christ constitute the pearl which, once found, makes further searching unnecessary. Christ fulfills our greatest needs, satisfies our longings, makes us whole and clean before God, calms and quiets our hearts, and gives us hope for the future. The “great price,” of course, is that which was paid by Christ for our redemption. He emptied Himself of His glory, came to earth in the form of a lowly man and shed His precious blood on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
As with all parables, the purpose of the Parable of the Mustard Seed is to teach a concept or “big idea” using various narrative elements or details that are common, easily recognized, and usually representational of something else. While the elements themselves do have importance, an overemphasis on the details or literal focus on an element usually leads to interpretive errors and missing the main point of the parable.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is a short one: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” (Matthew 13:31–32).
One of the possible practical reasons that Jesus used parables such as this is that, by depicting concepts in word pictures, the message is not readily lost to changes in word usage, technology, cultural context, or the passage of time. Literal, detailed narratives are more susceptible to becoming archaic or obsolescent. Two thousand years later, the imagery is still vivid. We can still understand the concept of a growing seed. Jesus’ parables are brilliant in their simplicity. This storytelling approach also promotes practicing principles rather than inflexible adherence to laws.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is contained in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 13:31–32; Mark 4:30–32; Luke 13:18–19). In this parable, Jesus predicts the amazing growth of the kingdom of heaven. The mustard seed is quite small, but it grows into a large shrub—up to ten feet in height—and Jesus says this is a picture of kingdom growth. The point of the Parable of the Mustard Seed is that something big and blessed—the kingdom of God—had humble beginnings. How significant could the short ministry of Christ be? He had but a handful of followers, He was a man of no rank and without means, and He lived in what everyone considered a backwater region of the world. The life and death of Christ did not catch the world’s attention any more than a mustard seed would lying on the ground by the road. But this was a work of God. What seemed inconsequential at first grew into a movement of worldwide influence, and no one could stop it (see Acts 5:38–39). The influence of the kingdom in this world would be such that everyone associated with it would find a benefit—pictured as the birds perched on the branches of the mature mustard plant.
Elsewhere in Scripture, the kingdom of God is also pictured as a tree. A passage in Ezekiel, for example, parallels the Parable of the Mustard Seed in many ways. In this prophecy, the Lord God promises to plant a shoot “on a high and lofty mountain” (Ezekiel 17:22). This small sprig “will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches” (Ezekiel 17:23). This messianic prophecy foretells the growth of Christ’s kingdom from very small beginnings to a sizable, sheltering place.
Some have wondered why, in the Parable of the Mustard Seed, Jesus calls the mustard seed the “smallest” of seeds and the mature mustard plant the “largest” of plants in the garden, when there were smaller seeds and larger plants. The answer is that Jesus is using rhetorical hyperbole—an exaggeration to make a point. He is not speaking botanically but proverbially. Jesus’ emphasis is on the change of size—from small to large—and the surprising nature of the growth.
The history of the church has shown Jesus’ Parable of the Mustard Seed to be true. The church has experienced an explosive rate of growth through the centuries. It is found worldwide and is a source of sustenance and shelter for all who seek its blessing. In spite of persecution and repeated attempts to stamp it out, the church has flourished. And it’s only a small picture of the ultimate manifestation of the kingdom of God, when Jesus returns to earth to rule and reign from Zion.
The Parable of the Sower (also known as the Parable of the Four Soils) is found in Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9; and Luke 8:4-8. After presenting this parable to the multitude, Jesus interprets it for His disciples in Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; and Luke 8:11-15.
The Parable of the Sower concerns a sower who scatters seed, which falls on four different types of ground. The hard ground “by the way side” prevents the seed from sprouting at all, and the seed becomes nothing more than bird food. The stony ground provides enough soil for the seeds to germinate and begin to grow, but because there is “no deepness of earth,” the plants do not take root and are soon withered in the sun. The thorny ground allows the seed to grow, but the competing thorns choke the life out of the beneficial plants. The good ground receives the seed and produces much fruit.
Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower highlights four different responses to the gospel. The seed is “the word of the kingdom.” The hard ground represents someone who is hardened by sin; he hears but does not understand the Word, and Satan plucks the message away, keeping the heart dull and preventing the Word from making an impression. The stony ground pictures a man who professes delight with the Word; however, his heart is not changed, and when trouble arises, his so-called faith quickly disappears. The thorny ground depicts one who seems to receive the Word, but whose heart is full of riches, pleasures, and lusts; the things of this world take his time and attention away from the Word, and he ends up having no time for it. The good ground portrays the one who hears, understands, and receives the Word—and then allows the Word to accomplish its result in his life. The man represented by the “good ground” is the only one of the four who is truly saved, because salvation’s proof is fruit (Matthew 3:7-8; 7:15-20).
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Sower: “A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.” A secondary lesson would be “Salvation is more than a superficial, albeit joyful, hearing of the gospel. Someone who is truly saved will go on to prove it.” May our faith and our lives exemplify the "good soil" in the Parable of the Sower.
It has been said that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The Lord Jesus frequently used parables as a means of illustrating profound, divine truths. Stories such as these are easily remembered, the characters bold, and the symbolism rich in meaning. Parables were a common form of teaching in Judaism. Before a certain point in His ministry, Jesus had employed many graphic analogies using common things that would be familiar to everyone (salt, bread, sheep, etc.) and their meaning was fairly clear in the context of His teaching. Parables required more explanation, and at one point in His ministry, Jesus began to teach using parables exclusively
The question is why Jesus would let most people wonder about the meaning of His parables. The first instance of this is in His telling the parable of the seed and the soils. Before He interpreted this parable, He drew His disciples away from the crowd. They said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it" (Matthew 13:10-17).
From this point on in Jesus’ ministry, when He spoke in parables, He explained them only to His disciples. But those who had continually rejected His message were left in their spiritual blindness to wonder as to His meaning. He made a clear distinction between those who had been given “ears to hear” and those who persisted in unbelief—ever hearing, but never actually perceiving and “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). The disciples had been given the gift of spiritual discernment by which things of the spirit were made clear to them. Because they accepted truth from Jesus, they were given more and more truth. The same is true today of believers who have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He has opened our eyes to the light of truth and our ears to the sweet words of eternal life.
Our Lord Jesus understood that truth is not sweet music to all ears. Simply put, there are those who have neither interest in nor regard for the deep things of God. So why, then, did He speak in parables? To those with a genuine hunger for God, the parable is both an effective and memorable vehicle for the conveyance of divine truths. Our Lord’s parables contain great volumes of truth in very few words—and His parables, rich in imagery, are not easily forgotten. So, then, the parable is a blessing to those with willing ears. But to those with dull hearts and ears that are slow to hear, the parable is also an instrument of both judgment and mercy.
The idea of “circumcision of the heart” is found in Romans 2:29. It refers to having a pure heart, separated unto God. Paul writes, “A Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.” These words conclude a sometimes confusing passage of Scripture regarding circumcision and the Christian. Verses 25-29 provide context:
“For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”
Paul is discussing the role of the Old Testament Law as it relates to Christianity. He argues that Jewish circumcision is only an outward sign of being set apart to God. However, if the heart is sinful, then physical circumcision is of no avail. A circumcised body and a sinful heart are at odds with each other. Rather than focus on external rites, Paul focuses on the condition of the heart. Using circumcision as a metaphor, he says that only the Holy Spirit can purify a heart and set us apart to God. Ultimately, circumcision cannot make a person right with God; the Law is not enough. A person’s heart must change. Paul calls this change “circumcision of the heart.”
This concept was not original with the apostle Paul. As a Jew trained in the Law of Moses, he was certainly aware of this discussion from Deuteronomy 30. There, the Lord used the same metaphor to communicate His desire for a holy people: “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). Physical circumcision was a sign of Israel’s covenant with God; circumcision of the heart, therefore, would indicate Israel’s being set apart to love God fully, inside and out.
John the Baptist warned the Pharisees against taking pride in their physical heritage and boasting in their circumcision: “Do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9).
True “children of Abraham” are those who follow Abraham’s example of believing God (Genesis 15:6). Physical circumcision does not make one a child of God; faith does. Believers in Jesus Christ can truly say they are children of “Father Abraham.” “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
God has always wanted more from His people than just external conformity to a set of rules. He has always wanted them to possess a heart to love, know, and follow Him. That’s why God is not concerned with a circumcision of the flesh. Even in the Old Testament, God’s priority was a spiritual circumcision of the heart: “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done” (Jeremiah 4:4).
Both Testaments focus on the need for repentance and inward change in order to be right with God. In Jesus, the Law has been fulfilled (Matthew 5:17). Through Him, a person can be made right with God and receive eternal life (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). As Paul said, true circumcision is a matter of the heart, performed by the Spirit of God.
In speaking to His disciples about a coming time of great destruction, Jesus mentioned what happened to Lot’s wife and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Remember Lot’s wife!” He said. “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it” (Luke 17:32–33).
The story of Lot and his wife is found in Genesis 19. God had determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness (Genesis 18:16–33), and two angels warned Abraham’s nephew Lot to evacuate the city so he and his family would not be destroyed. In Genesis 19 we read, The two [angels in the form of] men said to Lot, ‘Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it’” (verses 12–13).
At dawn the next day, the angels hurried Lot and his family out of Sodom so they would not be destroyed with the city. When Lot hesitated, “the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, ‘Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!’” (Genesis 19:16–17).
When the family arrived in Zoar, “the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens” (Genesis 19:24). But, then, in disobedience to the angel’s command, “Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (verse 26).
Lot’s wife lost her life because she “looked back.” This was more than just a glance over the shoulder; it was a look of longing that indicated reluctance to leave or a desire to return. Whatever the case, the point is she was called to desert everything to save her life, but she could not let go, and she paid for it with her life. In Judaism, Lot’s wife became a symbol for a rebellious unbeliever.
Jesus cites this story in Luke 17, as He describes a future event: “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it” (verses 28–33).
When “the Son of Man is revealed,” it will be time for people to flee. There will be no time to take anything along. If you see the sign when you are on the roof (a rooftop deck with exterior stairs was a common feature of houses at the time), you should not even take time to go into the house to gather up your possessions. You need to get out and “don’t look back.” Lot’s wife is the example of what will happen if you do. If you try to save your life (that is, your things that your life is made up of), you will lose everything. Leave it all to save your life.
The scenario is similar to a person who wakes up in the middle of the night to find the house in flames. That person might be tempted to run around and gather up valuable items, but the delay might prevent escape—all the things will be lost, as well as the person’s life. It is better to leave it all behind and get out with your life. The principle is clear, but the exact referent is more difficult to discern.
The revelation of the Son of Man is the event in view in Luke 17. Mark 13:14–16 records much the same message without the mention of Lot’s wife. There, the sign is “the abomination that causes desolation” (see also Matthew 24:15–18). Finally, Jesus mentions a similar situation in Luke 21:20–21: “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.”
The above passages are open to several different approaches to interpretation, centered on when this will take place. If we are correct that all of these passages describe roughly the same event(s), it would seem that “the day the Son of Man is revealed,” “the abomination that causes desolation,” and “Jerusalem surrounded by armies” all refer to the signal that it is time to flee.
Outside of Luke 17, the warnings to flee are found in the context of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (see Luke 21:5–7 and Mark 13:1–4). In Matthew 24:1–3, Jesus also deals with the destruction of the temple, except there the disciples also ask specifically about “the sign of your coming and the end of the age.” So, at least some of the prophecy was fulfilled in the first century with the destruction of the temple, but that does not preclude a future, fuller fulfillment at the second coming. The wording in Luke 17, in which Jesus speaks of the revelation of the Son of Man, certainly seems to suggest the second coming (see Colossians 3:4).
Jewish believers in the first century faced persecution from Rome, often at Jewish instigation. As long as Christians were considered a sect of Judaism, they enjoyed religious freedom as Jews. However, as they were denounced by Jewish leaders and no longer considered part of Judaism, the full force of Roman expectations applied to them, including the requirement to affirm the creed “Caesar is Lord” and offer sacrifices to Caesar. If Christians failed to do this, they could be punished, imprisoned, or even killed. As a result, believing Jews faced continual pressure to “go back to the temple.” The book of Hebrews encourages believing Jews to remain true to Christ and not return to the Old Covenant system of the temple, priests, and sacrifices. Hebrews explains that the Old Covenant has passed.
There may have been some believing Jews in Judea who still had some attachment to the temple. In Luke 17, Jesus warns that there will come a time when they see a symbol of impending judgment, and they will need to get out of the area as quickly as possible. Just as God rained down wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah, He will judge Jerusalem. The coming wrath is no time for divided loyalties. While many believed that God would never allow the temple to be destroyed, Jewish Christians knew that the usefulness of the temple had passed and its days were numbered. They could stay on in Jerusalem and witness of the resurrected Christ, but when they saw that judgment was about to fall, they knew to get out. Eusebius in his Church History records that they did escape. By abandoning everything and getting out of the city, the Christians not only saved their lives but also gave testimony to the fact that the Old Covenant had been replaced by the New.
A similar sentiment is expressed by Jesus in other contexts, although Lot’s wife is not mentioned. Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In context, Jesus is talking about people who want to follow Him but are hindered by their concern for other things. It is not just that they look back, but they have divided loyalties, like Lot’s wife.
Jesus also used the statement “whoever wants to save his life shall lose it” in a number of different contexts (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24; 17:33). Regardless of the specifics of the context, following Jesus requires turning our backs on the “life” that this world offers. Attempting to “save your life” is the same as “looking back.” Attachment to our “old life” will cause us to lose our lives, and Lot’s wife is the illustration and example that we would do well to remember.
Jesus told the Parable of the Fig Tree--Luke 13:6-9—immediately after reminding His listeners of a tower over the pool of Siloam (John 9:7) which unexpectedly fell and killed eighteen people. The moral of that story is found in Luke 13:3: “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.” To reiterate this moral, Jesus tells the story of the fig tree, the vineyard owner, and the gardener who took care of the vineyard.
The three entities in the story all have clear symbolic significance. The vineyard owner represents God, the one who rightly expects to see fruit on His tree and who justly decides to destroy it when He finds none. The gardener, or vineyard keeper who cares for the trees, watering and fertilizing them to bring them to their peak of fruitfulness, represents Jesus, who feeds His people and gives them living water. The tree itself has two symbolic meanings: the nation of Israel and the individual.
As the story unfolds, we see the vineyard owner expressing his disappointment at the fruitless tree. He has looked for fruit for three years from this tree, but has found none. The three-year period is significant because for three years John the Baptist and Jesus had been preaching the message of repentance throughout Israel. But the fruits of repentance were not forthcoming. John the Baptist warned the people about the Messiah coming and told them to bring forth fruits fit for repentance because the ax was already laid at the root of the tree (Luke 3:8-9). But the Jews were offended by the idea they needed to repent, and they rejected their Messiah because He demanded repentance from them. After all, they had the revelation of God, the prophets, the Scriptures, the covenants, and the adoption (Romans 9:4-5). They had it all, but they were already apostate. They had departed from the true faith and the true and living God and created a system of works-righteousness that was an abomination to God. He, as the vineyard owner, was perfectly justified in tearing down the tree that had no fruit. The Lord’s ax was already poised over the root of the tree, and it was ready to fall.
However, we see the gardener pleading here for a little more time. There were a few months before the crucifixion, and more miracles to come, especially the incredible miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, which would astound many and perhaps cause the Jews to repent. As it turned out, Israel as a nation still did not believe, but individuals certainly did (John 12:10-11). The compassionate gardener intercedes for more time to water and fertilize the fruitless tree, and the gracious Lord of the vineyard responds in patience.
The lesson for the individual is that borrowed time is not permanent. God’s patience has a limit. In the parable, the vineyard owner grants another year of life to the tree. In the same way, God in His mercy grants us another day, another hour, another breath. Christ stands at the door of each man’s heart knocking and seeking to gain entrance and requiring repentance from sin. But if there is no fruit, no repentance, His patience will come to an end, and the fruitless, unrepentant individual will be cut down. We all live on borrowed time; judgment is near. That is why the prophet Isaiah wrote, "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7).
Matthew 13:12 conveys a spiritual principle: “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” In context, the disciples had questioned Jesus about His increased use of parables. The same idea is reiterated in Matthew 25:29 at the conclusion of the parable about the talents. Some might take this to be a general life principle, as we observe the rich getting richer. However, in this context, Jesus is not discussing financial prosperity but the fact of judgment on unbelief.
In Matthew 13:12, Jesus explained that He used parables so the disciples could grasp the secrets of the kingdom while others could not. The “secrets” here are simply the facts of the kingdom just then being brought to light through Jesus’ teaching. The disciples were committed to Jesus as Messiah, which resulted in their receiving more knowledge of the kingdom. In contrast, the Jews who rejected the Messiah received progressively less information. The truth was being hidden from them, and Jesus’ use of parables without explanations underscored this point. Parables served a two-pronged purpose as teaching tools and as obscuring screens, much like riddles. Those who rejected Christ did not have the privilege of understanding the secrets of the kingdom, but the disciples were granted that privilege.
Matthew 25:29 comes at the end of the Parable of the Talents. The master in the parable did not distribute an equal amount of money to each servant but expected them all to be productive. The first two servants were faithful and productive for the kingdom. The third servant, through his inaction, proved to be unfaithful and wicked; he should have at least put forth a minimal effort (Matthew 25:27). At the end of the story, the master says, “Take the bag of gold from [the wicked servant] and give it to the one who has ten bags” (verse 28). So, the servant with the most talents receives even more.
So, what does it mean that to those who have more will be given? John MacArthur explains it this way: “The recipients of divine grace inherit immeasurable blessings in addition to eternal life and the favor of God (cf. Rom. 8:32). But those who despise the riches of God’s goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering (Rom. 2:4), burying them in the ground and clinging instead to the paltry and transient goods of the world, will ultimately lose everything they have (cf. Matt. 6:19; John 12:25)” (The MacArthur Study Bible, ESV, Crossway, 2010, p. 1,407). God multiplies His blessings on those who believe in Christ.
The Dead Sea is a large body of salt water on the southern end of the Jordan River. Cited sixteen times in the Bible, the Dead Sea is mentioned primarily to describe the borders of the Promised Land.
The Dead Sea is known by a few different names in the Bible, including the Salt Sea (Genesis 14:3; Numbers 34:3, 12; Deuteronomy 3:17; Joshua 3:16; 12:3), the Sea of the Arabah (Deuteronomy 3:17; 4:49; Joshua 3:16; 2 Kings 14:25), and the Eastern Sea (Ezekiel 47:18; Zechariah 14:8). It was called the Salt Sea for its unusually high salinity. The name Sea of the Arabah was given for its location in the Arabah Valley. In Hebrew, arabah means “a wasteland” or “barren district.” And the name Eastern Sea originated from the Dead Sea’s position on the eastern boundary of the land of Israel.
Only in Genesis 14:3 is the Dead Sea referred to as a location. In all other instances, it is used to designate a border for the land of Israel. Thus, the Dead Sea was likely considered more of a territorial boundary line than a destination for the people of the Bible. Nevertheless, several noteworthy biblical settlements were positioned on the shores of the Dead Sea, including Masada, En Gedi, and Qumran.
The Dead Sea is located 16 miles directly east of Jerusalem. A long and narrow oblong, the sea, in Bible times, measured a little over 50 miles from north to south and about 11 miles wide at its broadest point. The Dead Sea lies within the great trough of the Jordan Valley, also known as the Rift Valley, which forms part of the longest and deepest crack in the earth’s crust. At approximately 1,300 feet (400 meters) below sea level, the Dead Sea sits at the lowest point of the earth’s surface.
Fed mainly by the Jordan River and a few smaller streams and rivers, the Dead Sea receives an average of six or seven million tons of daily inflow with no outlet for the water except through evaporation. The extreme heat and dry conditions of the region produce an exceptionally high rate of evaporation. Even with no outflow of water, the Dead Sea’s surface rises no more than 10 to 15 feet a day.
The waters that feed the Dead Sea contain an unusually high salt content (approximately 26 percent), making it the world’s most saline body of water, with almost five times the level of salt concentration of the ocean (on average 3.5 percent). With such high salinity, no marine life can live in the Dead Sea.
Even with its inability to sustain life, the Dead Sea provided a valuable commodity for trading in ancient times—salt. The sea was also known for producing bitumen, a natural petroleum product similar to asphalt, prized for its waterproofing properties. Historians have suggested that Cleopatra’s ambition to rule the Dead Sea region was motivated by her desire to control the bitumen trade.
Biblical archaeologists believe the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18—19 took place in the vicinity of the Dead Sea. Some believe that Sodom and Gomorrah lie underneath the Dead Sea. Exactly how God destroyed these cities is still debated. Some theorize God used a volcanic eruption or a spontaneous explosion of subsurface pockets of bituminous soil. Curiously, at the southeast corner of the Dead Sea is a salt rock plug known today as Mount Sodom. On its slopes, which are formed by a combination of gypsum, salt, limestone, and chalk, can be seen strange formations of salt, like pillars. These pillars are often pointed out to tourists by the nickname “Lot’s wife” (see Genesis 19:26).
When David fled from King Saul, he found a place of refuge on the western shore of the Dead Sea in the town of En Gedi. In contrast to the lifeless nature of the Dead Sea, En Gedi is an oasis full of fresh flowing springs, fine dates, aromatic and medicinal plants, and semitropical vegetation.
The prophet Ezekiel foresaw a time when the Dead Sea’s toxic waters would be transformed into a fresh River of Life flowing from the throne of God: “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. . . . Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing” (Ezekiel 47:8–12).
In recent times the Dead Sea has been shrinking because its waters are evaporating faster than the inflow from the Jordan and other streams can replenish. In the last 40 years or so, the sea has lost about 30 percent of its area and has divided into two basins. The shallow southern basin is used primarily for the mining of Dead Sea minerals.
Jesus used the concepts of salt and light a number of different times to refer to the role of His followers in the world. One example is found in Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Salt had two purposes in the Middle East of the first century. Because of the lack of refrigeration, salt was used to preserve food, especially meat, which would quickly spoil in the desert environment. Believers in Christ are preservatives to the world, preserving it from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly men whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin (Psalm 14:3; Romans 8:8).
Second, salt was used then, as now, as a flavor enhancer. In the same way that salt enhances the flavor of the food it seasons, the followers of Christ stand out as those who “enhance” the flavor of life in this world. Christians, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, will inevitably influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons. Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up wounds, and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil (Luke 6:35).
In the analogy of light to the world, the good works of Christ’s followers are to shine for all to see. The following verses in Matthew 5 highlight this truth: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, NASB). The idea here is similar—the presence of light in darkness is something that is unmistakable. The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man (John 1:1-10), but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. And indeed, our deeds will be evident if they are performed in accordance with the other principles that Jesus mentions in this passage, such as the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11. Notice especially that the concern is not that Christians would stand out for their own sake, but that those who looked on might “glorify your Father who is in heaven” (v. 16, KJV).
In view of these verses, what sorts of things can hinder or prevent the Christian from fulfilling his or her role as salt and light in the world? The passage clearly states that the difference between the Christian and the world must be preserved; therefore, any choice on our part that blurs the distinction between us and the rest of the world is a step in the wrong direction. This can happen either through a choice to accept the ways of the world for the sake of comfort or convenience or to contravene the law of obedience to Christ.
Mark 9:50 suggests that saltiness can be lost specifically through a lack of peace with one another; this follows from the command to “have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” And in Luke 14:34-35, we find a reference to the metaphor of salt once again, this time in the context of obedient discipleship to Jesus Christ. The loss of saltiness occurs in the failure of the Christian to daily take up the cross and follow Christ wholeheartedly.
It seems, then, that the role of the Christian as salt and light in the world may be hindered or prevented through any choice to compromise or settle for that which is more convenient or comfortable, rather than that which is truly best and pleasing to the Lord. Moreover, the status of salt and light is something that follows naturally from the Christian’s humble obedience to the commandments of Christ. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred and our testimony is hindered. Only by remaining focused on Christ and being obedient to Him can we expect to remain salt and light in the world.
The story of the golden calf is found in Exodus 32:1–6. The children of Israel had been in bondage in Egypt for over two hundred years. God called Moses, the deliverer, and told him that He had heard their cries and was about to deliver them (Exodus 3:6–8). During their time in Egypt, the Israelites had apparently begun to doubt the existence of the God their fathers worshiped (Exodus 3:13). To help Moses prove the existence and power of God, he was given a number of miraculous signs to help the Israelites believe. After all of these miracles were done, including the ten plagues on the Egyptians, the Israelites came out of Egypt with a renewed belief in the God of their fathers. They passed through the Red Sea on dry land, while the Egyptian army was drowned, and they were brought to the mountain of God to receive His laws.
The people of the Middle East were very religious, but they also worshiped many gods. The ten plagues God brought on the Egyptians were judgments against specific gods they worshiped and showed that the Lord was greater than all of them. Even Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, who was the priest of Midian and a worshiper of the true God, was impacted by the religious pluralism of the people around him. When Moses and the people arrived at Mount Sinai, and Jethro heard of all God’s works, he replied, “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people” (Exodus 18:11). When God gave His laws to the Israelites, He began by addressing this religious pluralism. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:2–5).
While Moses was up on the mountain receiving God’s laws, the people were getting anxious down on the plain. Moses spent forty days (Exodus 24:18) up on the mountain with God, and by the end of that time, the people were beginning to think Moses had died or left them. The people urged Aaron, their temporary leader, to make gods for them to follow. Since they were accustomed to having visual representations of gods, this was the natural (but sinful) result of their thinking. Aaron took their gold earrings, which they had brought from Egypt, and melted them down to make a golden idol. The idol he crafted for them was a calf, but Aaron maintained the name of the Lord in connection with it (Exodus 32:5). He was merging the pagan practices they were familiar with and the worship of the God they were just beginning to be re-acquainted with. Aaron called the people together and told them that the golden calf was the god who delivered them from Egypt. The people offered sacrifices and then engaged in pagan rituals, including orgies (Exodus 32:25) to worship this new god.
Why did Aaron do this? Scripture doesn’t give us the full answer, but we can put certain clues together and get a fairly good picture. First, the people’s long familiarity with idol worship would incline them to follow that method in the absence of clear direction otherwise. Second, they were already in the habit of merging their beliefs with those of the people around them, a practice that would continue to plague them throughout the kingdom years. Third, Aaron was faced with an unruly crowd that placed a demand on him. The solution of making an idol and calling it by God’s name seemed fairly reasonable.
Why did he choose a calf/bull? His lame excuse to Moses—“It just came out of the fire like this!” Exodus 32:24)—was just a feeble attempt to dodge blame. He fashioned it with a graving tool (Exodus 32:4) and took great care to form it that way. Some have tried to show that the bull represented one of the gods of Egypt, but that doesn’t fit the text, because Aaron called a feast to the Lord (Yahweh) and said that it was the god(s) which brought them out of the land of Egypt.
The bull was a symbol of strength and fertility, and the people were already familiar with bull gods from Egypt. Bulls were also typical animals of sacrifice, so to use their image as a symbol of the god being worshiped was a natural connection. Aaron’s bull was a mixture of the powerful God who delivered the people through mighty works and the pagan methods of worship that were borrowed from the people around them.
Even though there are reasonable explanations for why Aaron and the people began to worship the golden calf, those explanations do not excuse the sin. God certainly held the people accountable for their corruption (Exodus 32:7–10) and was ready to destroy them for their sin. Moses’ personal intercession on behalf of his people saved them. Moses indicated that Aaron at least should have known that his actions were sinful (Exodus 32:21) and didn’t let him off the hook. As with any other sin, the punishment is death, and the only proper response is repentance. Moses called for those who were on the Lord’s side to come stand with him (Exodus 32:26). The Levites stood with him and were commanded to go through the camp and kill anyone who persisted in the idolatry. Three thousand men were killed that day.
The next day, Moses went up and confessed the people’s sins before God, asking for His forgiveness. God declared that the guilty ones would yet pay with their own deaths and be blotted out of His book. These were the same ones who, on the verge of entering the Promised Land, would deny God’s promises and be sent into the wilderness to die for their sins. Their children would be the ones to receive God’s promised blessings.
Their experiences are a lesson to us today. Even though we might justify our actions through reason or logic, if we are violating God’s clear commands, we are sinning against Him, and He will hold us accountable for those sins. God is not to be worshiped with images, because any image we make will draw more attention to the work of our hands than the God who made all things. Also, there is no way we can ever fully represent the holiness and awesomeness of God through an image. To attempt to do so will always fall short. On top of this, God is a spirit (John 4:24), and we cannot form an image of a spirit. We worship God by believing His Word, obeying it, and declaring His greatness to others.
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.
The Seal of God
is a concept in the Bible that
refers
to the Holy Spirit
marking
believers as God's children.
It is a sign of
God's ownership of believers,
and is a symbol
of their
relationship with God
and
inner transformation
The Seal of God
is not a physical mark, but rather
a spiritual presence
in the heart of believers.
The Greek word for "seal" is sphragis,
which means
"the impression of a signet ring or a seal"
The Seal of God
is also
described in the Bible in other ways:
- The foundation of the church
The church's foundation is sealed with the inscription, "The Lord knows those who are his" and "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness".
- The name of Jesus Christ
In Revelation 7:3, it is said that the 144,000 witnesses will have the name of Jesus Christ and the name of God the Father on their foreheads.
- Circumcision
- In the case of Abraham, circumcision was
- an outward sign of
- God's reward
- of Abraham's inward faith.
The Seal of Solomon, also known as the Ring of Solomon,
is a legendary signet ring
that is said to have belonged
to King Solomon.
The seal is often depicted as a
pentagram or hexagram,
which is similar
to the Star of David.
The Seal of Solomon
is believed to have magical powers
and is
used in Jewish, Islamic, and Western occultism.
The legend of the ring is told in the Testament of Solomon, a text that some claim was written by Solomon himself. The legend goes that Solomon used the ring to control demons and spirits, with the brass part of the ring used for good spirits and the iron part for evil spirits.
The Seal of Solomon is often found in amulets, prayer books, and talismanic shirts. Some believe that wearing the Seal of Solomon can give people a sense of ancient knowledge and power, and can help them improve their quality of life.
exagram, which is similar to the Star of David.
Other uses
The Seals of Solomon are also used
in spells
. Two passages in the New Testament
make it clear that
the
head of the church is Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:17–18a teaches,
“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church.”
This passage makes a brief comparison
between
the human body and the church.
The church is the body, and
Jesus is the head.
Jesus
was before all things and holds
all things together.
This includes the church
as well.
In Matthew 16:18
Jesus announces to Peter and the other disciples that “on this rock”
He would build His church.
Peter understood that Jesus was the rock on which the church would be built.
Peter also recognized that Jesus was referencing Isaiah 8:14,
and that
Jesus was the Messiah, the rock of offense
(1 Peter 2:8).
And Peter also understood that the psalmist had indicated that the Messiah would be the cornerstone
(1 Peter 2:7).
Paul uses this same imagery when he explains that the church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, saying that believers are “fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone”
(Ephesians 2:19–20).
The Hebrew prophets had
illustrated the Messiah’s role
using an architectural word picture.
While the Messiah
would be the rock over which
the nation
of Israel would stumble
(Isaiah 8:14),
He would also be the cornerstone of something new
(Psalm 118:2).
God would do something significant to fulfill
His promise to Abraham
that in
Abraham all the peoples of the earth would be blessed
(Genesis 12:3b).
One of the ways God
would fulfill that promise
was
by Jesus building His church
and
serving as its cornerstone.
In construction,
the cornerstone was the
first stone laid
by
which the entire building
had a point of reference
and could base its structure.
After the cornerstone was placed, the
foundation was laid.
Paul explains that
the
church was built on
the
foundation of the apostles and prophets
(Ephesians 2:20).
God’s household
(Ephesians 2:19),
which is made up of
Jews and Gentiles--
people from
every tribe, tongue, and nation
(Revelation 5:9)--
is built on the foundation of
the apostles and prophets,
with
Christ Himself being the cornerstone.
In the building up of the church,
God gave
apostles and prophets.
Their message gave the church a
solid foundation.
Jesus chose
the apostles and commissioned them.
They were empowered by the
Holy Spirit
who guided them into all
truth,
helping them to
remember all that Jesus had spoken to them
(John 16:13).
Peter explains that the Holy Spirit moved these men, and they spoke from God (2 Peter 1:21).
Jesus also gave prophets to the early church. Though their ministry was temporary
(1 Corinthians 13:8),
it was a way that God communicated with the church in those early, foundational days
(see also 2 Peter 1:20–21).
Ephesians 5:22–25 speaks of the relationship between husband and wife and includes
the teaching of Jesus as head of the church:
“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
In this passage, wives are to submit to their husbands as the church submits to Christ, and husbands are to sacrificially love their wives in the way Christ was willing to die for the church. In this context,
Jesus is called
the “head of the church, his body.”
He is also called its Savior.
What does it mean to be the
head
of the church?
Both Colossians 1 and Ephesians 5
emphasize the
leadership of Christ and His power.
In Colossians,
Christ is head because He holds all things together.
In Ephesians,
Christ is head
because He is Savior.
The implications of this teaching
are profound.
First, church leaders
are to
surrender ultimate
leadership
to the
Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the One who leads and
determines the
teachings and practices
of the church.
Church members are to follow Christ first
and
earthly leaders second,
as those
leaders emulate Christ
(see 1 Corinthians 11:1 and 1 Peter 5:3–4).
Second, the love Jesus has for the church is expressed in His desire that we also love the church. The church is not a building or organization but a group of people who know and worship Jesus. Christians are taught, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24–25). Regular connection with other believers honors the Lord, encourages us personally as believers, and allows us to encourage and serve others.
While every church will have its own local leaders, the ultimate leader of any church is the Lord Jesus.
He said, “I will build my church”
(Matthew 16:18, emphasis added);
it belongs to Him.
He is the head
of the body and the only One
with the power
to adequately lead and love
the church.
Since ancient times, builders have used cornerstones in their construction projects. A cornerstone was the principal stone, usually placed at the corner of an edifice, to guide the workers in their course. The cornerstone was usually one of the largest, the most solid, and the most carefully constructed of any in the edifice. The Bible describes Jesus as the cornerstone that His church would be built upon. He is foundational. Once the cornerstone was set, it became the basis for determining every measurement in the remaining construction; everything was aligned to it. As the cornerstone of the building of the church, Jesus is our standard of measure and alignment.
The book of Isaiah has many references to the Messiah to come. In several places the Messiah is referred to as “the cornerstone,” such as in this prophecy: “So this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line’” (Isaiah 28:16–17). In context, God speaks to the scoffers and boasters of Judah, and He promises to send the cornerstone—His precious Son—who will provide the firm foundation for their lives, if they would but trust in Him.
In the New Testament, the cornerstone metaphor is continued. The apostle Paul desires for the Ephesian Christians to know Christ better: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:19– 21). Furthermore, in 1 Peter 2:6, what Isaiah said centuries before is affirmed in exactly the same words.
Peter says that Jesus, as
our cornerstone,
is “chosen by God and precious to him”
(1 Peter 2:4).
The Cornerstone is also reliable,
and
“the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame”
(verse 6).
Unfortunately,
not everyone aligns with
the cornerstone.
Some accept Christ; some reject Him.
Jesus is the “stone the builders rejected”
(Mark 12:10; cf. Psalm 118:22).
When news of the
Messiah’s arrival came to the magi in the East,
they determined to
bring Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
But when that same
news came to King Herod in Jerusalem,
his response
was to attempt to kill Him.
From the very beginning,
Jesus was
“a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall”
(1 Peter 2:8).
How can people reject God’s chosen, precious cornerstone?
Simply put,
they want to build something different from
what God is building.
Just as the people
building the tower of Babel rebelled
against God
and pursued their own project,
those who reject Christ
disregard God’s plan in favor of their own.
Judgment
is promised to
all those who reject Christ:
“Anyone who falls on this stone will be
broken to pieces;
anyone on whom it falls will be crushed”
(Matthew 21:44)
In architecture, the capstone is the rock or stone
placed on top of a wall.
Unlike the cornerstone,
which is the base of the structure and
an important stone of the foundation,
the capstone is the final stone
placed on top
that helps hold the structure together.
The capstone,
like the cornerstone, is an important metaphor for
Jesus and
His prominence as Head of the church
and
the kingdom of God.
In the Old Testament, Psalm 118:22 and Zechariah 4:7 mention a capstone. Zechariah correlates the word with the completion of the temple as Zerubbabel sets the capstone (Zechariah 4:7).
The Lord tells Zechariah, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it”
(Zechariah 4:9, ESV).
In Psalm 118:22,
the word could be translated as
either
“cornerstone” or “capstone.”
This is the verse that Jesus
quotes in
His parable of the vineyard
As in Psalm 118:22, the word for “cornerstone” in Matthew 21:42, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, and 1 Peter 2:7 could technically be translated as either “capstone” or “cornerstone.”
The word in Greek can mean “head, chief, or cornerstone,” but the word carries a connotation similar to that of capstone. For instance, in the 2001 edition of the New International Version, Matthew 21:42 states, “The Stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” with a note indicating that the word in question could also be translated as “cornerstone.” Similarly, in the same version, the word in Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:7 is translated as “capstone.”
A cornerstone and a capstone are different stones with different functions, so how can the words be interchangeable? A verse that helps clarify the confusion is Luke 20:18, in which
Jesus states,
“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces,
and when it falls on anyone,
it will crush him” (ESV).
Someone could fall on a cornerstone, given its location at the base of a building. In contrast, a capstone could fall on someone since it crowns a building.
It is likely that Jesus indirectly refers to Himself as both the capstone and cornerstone here.
When Peter stated that “Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone,’” he meant that, although Israel had rejected the Messiah, Jesus is still God’s choice. Jesus is supreme because salvation is only found in Him (Acts 4:11–12). In Ephesians 2:20, Jesus is described as the “chief cornerstone” of the church, but He can also be seen as the capstone since “in him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21). Jesus is the foundation of the church but also the capstone that holds everything together (Colossians 1:17).
Christ is both the cornerstone and capstone. He is the foundation of our salvation, what we believe, and our future hope (see Hebrews 6:18). He is also the capstone, holding all things together and keeping our salvation secure (John 10:28). He is the beginning represented by the cornerstone and the end represented by the capstone (see Revelation 22:13). Using architectural terms such as capstone and cornerstone provides helpful images to describe Christ and the salvation and security He provides.
In Matthew 21:44, Jesus says, "He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." The key to understanding this statement lies in the context of the verse and the larger conversation Jesus was having.
Jesus was teaching in the temple courts when the chief priests and elders
approached Him and demanded
to know
the source of His authority.
In response, Jesus asked them about John the Baptist—was he a prophet of God or not?
The religious leaders, fearing the people’s response, refused to reveal their true opinion on the matter. In turn, Jesus refused to reveal the source of His authority (Matthew 21:23-27). In doing so, Jesus made it clear that the Jewish leaders themselves had no authority to judge Him.
Jesus then related two parables concerning vineyards. In the first, Jesus told of two sons who were told by their father to go work in the vineyard. The first son initially refused but later changed his mind and went to work. The second son promised to work, but he never went to the vineyard. Jesus applied this to the religious leaders of Israel, who were like the second son—they expressed agreement with the Father but, in the final analysis, were disobedient. The sinners who responded to John the Baptist’s message were like the first son—they seemed unlikely candidates for heaven, but they repented and thus will enter the kingdom (verses 28-32).
In the second parable, Jesus tells of a landowner who, at harvest time, sent some servants to his vineyard to collect the fruit. However, the farmers who were tending the vineyard were a wicked lot, and when the servants arrived, the farmers beat some of them and killed others. Finally, the landowner sent his own son to collect the fruit, expecting that the farmers would show him respect. But the farmers treated the son worst of all, throwing him out of the vineyard and killing him (Matthew 21:33-39).
Jesus then asks a question: "When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" (Matthew 21:40). The chief priests and elders respond, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end" (Matthew 21:41). Jesus then presses His point home with a quotation from Psalm 118: "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes" (Matthew 21:42). After a warning that the religious leaders will not inherit the kingdom (Matthew 21:43), we come to the statement in question, which is the culmination of a series of dire pronouncements aimed at the chief priests and elders.
Jesus begins with a question about John the Baptist
in Matthew 21:25,
but by the end of the conversation,
Jesus is plainly speaking of Himself,
referring to a "father" sending his "son"
who was killed
(Matthew 21:37).
He then immediately quotes a Messianic prophecy (Matthew 21:42),
in effect claiming to be the long-awaited Messiah.
The progression is logical:
a rejection of John leads one naturally to a rejection of Christ,
to whom John pointed
(John 1:29, 3:30)
The stone which "the builders rejected" in verse 42 is Jesus. Although rejected, He nevertheless becomes the "chief cornerstone" (NKJV). See also Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; and 1 Peter 2:6-8. The builders’ rejection of the stone is a reference to Christ’s crucifixion. The Lord’s choice of the stone to be the cornerstone is a reference to Christ’s resurrection. God chose His Son, despised and rejected by the world, to be the foundation of His church (1 Corinthians 3:11). "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation" (Isaiah 28:16).
Now, there are consequences for coming into contact with a stone. If you trip over the edge of a rock and fall on it, you may break some bones. If a large enough rock falls on top of you, you may be killed. Jesus uses these truths to deliver a warning to the Jewish leaders.
The stone in verse 44 is also Jesus. In saying that those who fall on this stone "will be broken to pieces," Jesus is warning against opposing Him. Defying Jesus is like beating one’s head against a solid rock—a foolish action. In saying that those upon whom the stone falls "will be crushed," Jesus is warning against ignoring Him or trivializing Him. Apathy towards Jesus is like standing in the way of a falling rock—another foolish action. "I am here to do God’s work," Jesus essentially says. "The foundation for the church will be laid.
It is unwise to oppose Me because God’s work is not inconsequential."
Rejection of the Savior is fatal.
Unfortunately, many do reject Him.
"He will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall"
(Isaiah 8:14).
To persistently reject the Savior is to court
judgment so severe
that the only thing left will be dust.
The prophet Daniel gives a similar picture
of the Messiah,
likening Him to a rock
"cut out, but not by human hands,"
which
smashes into the nations of the world
and
completely obliterates them
(Daniel 2:31-45).
Matthew 21:44 is a call to faith, an appeal to open one’s eyes and see that Jesus is indeed the Son of God sent into the world.
The verse is also a strict warning against rejecting Jesus Christ. He is the sure Rock of salvation for those who believe, but an immovable stumbling stone for those who do not.
The term living stones in 1 Peter 2:5 is used as a metaphor to illustrate the secure and intimate relationship believers have with Jesus, who is described in the previous verse as the “living Stone” (1 Peter 2:4).
Together, these two verses picture how Christ and His followers are joined by God Himself: “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4–5).
The foundation of God’s building is
His Son, Jesus Christ, the “living Stone.”
The “living stones,” in turn, are believers
who come to Jesus and place their lives upon this foundation.
The living Stone is “precious” to those who believe (1 Peter 2:7), but some men reject the living Stone in order to build their lives their own way, not God’s way (see Psalm 118:22 and Luke 6:46–49). Unbelievers cast this living Stone aside, not caring that Jesus is the only true foundation upon which they can build securely (1 Corinthians 3:11).
In a metaphor much like that of the living Stone, Jesus is described as the chief cornerstone in Ephesians 2:19–22. Peter references Jesus as the cornerstone in Acts 4:11–12, stating that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” God accepts no one who refuses to become a part of His building. And God is just like all builders—He has a foundation upon which all workers must build (Matthew 7:24–27).
Believers, then, are the “living stones” of the church that Jesus promised to build (Matthew 16:18). As living stones, we have new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As integral parts of the building of God, we have security in Christ (John 6:37). As the Master Builder, God places His living stones just where He wants us to be (1 Corinthians 12:18). As living stones, we are connected to one another in the body of Christ (Romans 12:5). Our Lord, the foundation Stone, is alive forevermore and will never crumble. He will support us eternally.
Peter goes on to describe the function of the living stones: to “declare the praises” of Him who called us out of the darkness of sin into the light of life and glory (1 Peter 2:9). This is the “job description” of a living stone: a speaker of praise, a declarer of truth and love and light. The spiritual house God is building is designed for His glory, and we, the living stones, glorify the Lord in all we do (1 Corinthians 10:31).
The story of the wise man who built his house upon a rock is found in Matthew 7:24–27. It is one of the parables of Jesus. During His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told a story about two men: one who built his house upon a rock and another who built his house upon sand. The house built upon a rock weathered the storm, and the builder is called wise; but the house built on the sand collapsed during the storm, and the builder is called foolish.
The meaning of this parable is quite obvious: proper foundations are necessary. With a literal house, it is unwise to build on sand, because the foundation will be unsteady and the house will eventually suffer some kind of damage. This will waste resources, and all the time and work put into building the house in the first place will have gone for nothing. In contrast, it is wise to build one’s house on a sure foundation; anchoring to bedrock makes a building withstand the test.
But Jesus’ sermon was not concerned with house construction
or building code violations.
The spiritual meaning of the parable is
found in Matthew 7:24:
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and
puts them into practice is
like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
We are each building a life.
The proper foundation for a life is Jesus’ words—not just the hearing of them, but the doing of them, too
(see James 1:22).
It seems at times that everything in the world is set up to make us turn away from God’s words. And often, our own feelings pull us toward doing the exact opposite of what the Bible says. But a wise man will follow the words of God despite these pressures—not as a way to “show off” or earn salvation, but because he trusts God. All through the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presented Himself as the final authority on and fulfiller of the Law; He ends the sermon with a call to heed His message and, in fact, find one’s security in Him (see 1 Corinthians 3:11).
As we follow the Lord, learning to trust and obey Him, we receive a reward: our “house” is steady and solid, unshaken by circumstances. The wise man is the believer whose life is built upon the Rock of Christ; in this world he has faith and hope, and in the next everlasting life and love (see 1 Corinthians 13:13). The wise man is like the tree planted by the riverside, whose leaf does not wither (Psalm 1:1–3).
The messianic age or messianic kingdom is the future period of time when the Messiah will reign and bring universal peace to the earth. Christians believe the Messiah is Jesus Christ who came to earth previously, lived a perfect life, died for the sins of the world, and rose again. Many Jews believe that the Messiah has yet to be revealed but will certainly make Himself known to all the world in the future.
The messianic age will be ruled by the Lord Jesus. Peter the apostle tells us about Jesus, “Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets”
(Acts 3:21)
Before Jesus
was born,
the angel Gabriel told
His mother
of her
Son’s future kingdom:
“The Lord God
will give him the throne of
his father David,
and he will reign over
Jacob’s descendants forever; his
kingdom will never end”
(Luke 1:32–33).
Jesus spoke of the time
“when the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him, [and]
he will sit on his glorious throne”
(Matthew 25:31)
Jesus is the King of kings (Revelation 19:16)
who will rule the nations “with an iron scepter” (Revelation 19:15; cf. Psalm 2:9).
The messianic age will feature a worldwide kingdom.
In Psalm 2,
the Messiah King will be enthroned in Zion
(verse 6),
but all the nations of the earth are
His inheritance, “the ends of the earth [His] possession” (verse 8).
The prophet Daniel pictured the
kingdom of the Messiah as “a huge mountain [that] filled the whole earth”
(Daniel 2:35).
The messianic age will be a time of unparalleled blessing. The Bible predicts that the Messiah’s rule will usher in worldwide peace (Isaiah 11:6–7; Micah 4:3), justice (Isaiah 11:3–4), unity (Isaiah 11:10), abundance (Isaiah 35:1–2), healing (Isaiah 35:5–6), righteousness (Isaiah 35:8), and joy (Isaiah 55:12).
The meek will be protected and honored (Matthew 5:5; Psalm 37:11).
People will know and honor the Lord:
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”
(Isaiah 11:9).
Sin and rebellion against the King will be punished promptly and with perfect justice
(Isaiah 11:3–5; Zechariah 14:16–19).
The messianic age
will be a time of the earth’s physical
restoration.
The curse on the earth will be lifted during
the Messiah’s rule,
and prosperity and beauty
will spread:
“The desert and the parched land
will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it
will rejoice
greatly and shout for joy”
(Isaiah 35:1–2; cf. 11:6–9; 35:7).
During the messianic kingdom, Paul’s words will come true: “All Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). Israel will be regathered to the Promised Land, which will finally reach the geographic boundaries prophesied long ago (Jeremiah 31:1–14; Amos 9:11–15; Joshua 1:4). Israel will experience a revived Davidic kingdom, bigger and grander than ever, “never again to be uprooted” (Amos 9:15). The division of Israel and Judah will be gone, and the nation will be united (Jeremiah 3:18). The people of Israel will enjoy a spiritual restoration and true fellowship with God (Isaiah 2:3; 45:17; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:3–4
The worship of the Lord will be pure in the messianic age.
Ezekiel 40—46 describes a temple whose dimensions are larger than any temple yet seen in Jerusalem, and we believe this is the center of worship during the messianic kingdom. Isaiah points to this temple as a destination for all the nations of the world:
“In the last days the mountain
of
the Lord’s temple
will be established as the
highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above
the hills,
and
all nations will stream to it”
(Isaiah 2:2).
The worshipers
will sincerely seek the Lord,
saying,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain
of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that
we may walk in his paths”
(Isaiah 2:3).
Ezekiel’s prophecy
also indicates that sacrifices will be offered in this millennial temple
(Ezekiel 43:13–27);
these will differ from the Mosaic sacrifices in that
they will memorialize
the death of Christ rather than anticipate it.
The Bible is full of prophecies pointing to
Jesus as the promised Messiah.
In addition, it gives hope of a future time on earth when
Jesus will set things right and rule in righteousness and peace.
The enemy of our souls, Satan, will be unable to act during that time.
The Lord Jesus will do what no king, ruler, or government has ever been able to do: bring peace on earth
(see Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 2:14).
In the beginning was
the Word,
and the Word was
with God,
and the
Word was God.
He was in the beginning
with God.
All things
were made through him,
and without him was
not any thing
made that was made.
In him was life,
and the life was
the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the
darkness has not overcome it.
(John 1:1-5)
This is what Israel needs right now: we need Jesus the Messiah, the light of the world. The temple menorah is a symbol of Jesus: Emmanuel, God with us, dwelling among us. As His followers, we have His light and love in our lives, and we can share this life with others. There are hundreds of thousands of Israelis helping in various ways: opening their homes, making meals, taking provisions to those in need… it’s been all hands on deck, and those in the body of Messiah have been quick to help in numerous different ways. Here are a couple of examples. There’s a Jewish pastor whose niece was brutally murdered at the music festival, and within a week he decided to start distributing very expensive first-aid bags to Arab churches all over Israel. Specifically Arab churches, taking a stand against the darkness of Jewish/Arab hatred. Similarly, there are Arab believers in key positions helping in many different ways. One of those providing desperately needed gear to soldiers all over the country is an Arab believer, choosing not only to help, but to help the army of Israel. By refusing to hate and instead bring love, the light pushes back the darkness.
Just as the Maccabees had to cleanse and restore God’s house, we need to get back to worshiping the one true God of Israel and throw out all idols. Misplaced trust in the army or leadership of the country has been shaken and Israelis are starting to turn to God more and more, praying, repenting, and seeking His face in this great darkness of war. Mi kamocha b’elim Adonai, “Who among the gods is like you, O Adonai?” We need to rededicate ourselves again to God. As a nation we will start to light the little Hanukkah candles each day in increasing number until all nine are shining brightly together. Each of these little candles make a difference, but when they shine together, there is way more light to drive out the darkness. And darkness will not overcome it.
https://www.oneforisrael.org/.../the-light-of.../...
In a letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul discusses the ministry of reconciliation, and he uses the term “ambassadors” for Christ: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, emphasis added).
Generally speaking, an ambassador is a respected official acting as a representative of a nation. Sent to a foreign land, the ambassador’s role is to reflect the official position of the sovereign body that gave him authority. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul likens his own calling to that of an ambassador, and he urges all Christians to consider themselves ambassadors for Christ. The gospel of reconciliation was always at the heart of Paul’s preaching: “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:17).
Our reconciliation with God is possible only because Christ went to the cross and received the punishment due for our sin. When our Savior cried out, “It is finished,” the barrier between sinful man and Holy God was removed, making all those who trust in Him “holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22). Our reconciliation is based on the salvation Jesus provides, and it is accepted by faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).
Christians are God’s ambassadors in that they have been “approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). As we go through this world, we represent another Kingdom (John 18:36), and it is our responsibility to reflect the “official position” of heaven. We are in this world, but not of it (John 17:16). God’s ambassadors are to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we must take the message of our King to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), imploring men and women everywhere to be reconciled to God.
false prophets
The word “testimony” is used in few different ways. One common usage is when a person is brought into a courtroom and placed under oath to tell, attest to, or give witness to his or her personal knowledge or experience with reference to the case that is being heard. To link the word “Christian” to the word “testimony” is to narrow the focus of the testimony and who can give it. Only a Christian can give a Christian testimony, and a Christian is one who has received forgiveness for sin by trusting alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ for that forgiveness.
A Christian testimony is given when Christians relate how we came to know the God of the Bible through the moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Most commonly, we are sharing how we became Christians by God’s miraculous intervention and work in our lives through specific events. Often we can only see that in hindsight, but sharing that experience is vital. Also, when giving this testimony, a sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is always a necessity. Though we can include specific information about how we came to accept Christ as Savior, those details should not be the focus of the testimony. The focus should be about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
A Christian testimony should not end with the conversion experience, but should also include the ways in which the Lord has worked in our lives to sanctify us for His service. As an example, a testimony could include how He brought us through a difficult time in our life (such as a loss or some sort or a severe illness) and built our faith in Him through that experience. We should also be able to describe the continual process by which the Spirit who now indwells us leads, guides, molds and shapes us into mature Christians. Again, the focus should be on the Lord and His faithfulness, and should include at least one verse that speaks of that faithfulness (Psalm 18:2, 6).
The “testimony for Jesus” in view here would be a lifestyle and words that openly acknowledge our personal experience of following Jesus Christ. A testimony must be public because its purpose is to tell others what has taken place. In the Christian experience, our regeneration should be a testament (evidence) to other people that Jesus is alive and is changing lives. We testify by our words and actions. If our lives are a testimony for Jesus Christ, then they should be reflections of Christ as we “follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
In Acts 4:33, the apostles give their testimony in words: “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” The apostles, testifying of the resurrection, were telling others what they had seen with their own eyes, heard with their own ears, and touched with their own hands—they gave a personal, eyewitness account of Christ’s resurrection. In the same way, believers today are commanded to tell others of what they have witnessed firsthand. We haven’t had a face-to-face experience with Jesus as the apostles did, but our conversion experience is no less genuine and no less proof of God’s supernatural work in our lives. We should eagerly share with boldness and humility the change that has taken place in our hearts.
Revelation 12:11 says that believers “triumphed over [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Notice the “word” of their testimony, meaning these triumphant ones spoke verbally, without shame or fear. Some believe that Christians ought not verbalize their testimony but should simply live it out in their daily lives. But it’s not an either-or proposition. Living the gospel message is important, but it’s no more important than our verbal testimony, since God has chosen “hearing” the Word as the means of producing faith (Romans 10:17; see also John 4:39).
A life dedicated to Christ is a powerful testimony. Paul describes such a life in 2 Corinthians 1:12, “We have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.” When our actions of godly living match the words coming from our lips, our testimony will be seen as true.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus provided a list of those who are blessed: “the poor in spirit . . . those who mourn [over their sin] . . . the meek . . . those who hunger and thirst for righteousness . . . the merciful . . . the pure in heart . . . the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:3–9). Jesus summed up a godly life with two commands: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37–38). A Christian who wants to live his life as a testimony for Jesus will love God above all else and love others above himself. When a believer shares what Jesus has done in his life and serves God and others in tangible ways, he will increasingly reflect the life-giving power of Christ into a dark and dismal world.
Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23-27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 17-18). The best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth. To spot a counterfeit, study the real thing. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine. For example, a believer who has read the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17 will immediately question any doctrine that denies the Trinity. Therefore, step one is to study the Bible and judge all teaching by what the Scripture says.
Jesus said “a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). When looking for “fruit,” here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:
1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called “blessed.” In 2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus’ humanity. First John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”
2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).
3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 11 says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).
For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.
Freemasonry has infiltrated the
Christian Church
and creeped in secretly among so called pastors
introducing destructive heresies, seducing the weak
false teachers and apostasy cults
Completely Void of the Holy Spirit
who are wolves disguised in sheeps clothing
Our Christian witness requires exclusive allegiance to Jesus. All other loyalties to family, friends, or country must proceed from our allegiance to Jesus as the Lord of lords and King of kings. Costly discipleship requires that we abstain from and renounce all alliances compromising our Christian witness to the world. For fifteen years, I was in bondage to the false religion of Freemasonry. Following the Second Great Awakening, Freemasonry became prevalent in parts of mainline Methodism. It remains prevalent within some congregations, especially in a rural context. If our churches are to have a Spirit-filled witness to the world, we must walk in the power, authority, and true godliness only available in a life consecrated wholly to Jesus.
Many non-Christian alliances and spiritual experiences such as Christian nationalism, the occult, astrology, and other new-age practices might seem innocent, with participants simply seeking to better themselves, their community, and their country. Ultimately, however, these entanglements ally people with the enemy of our souls. Such alliances have eternal consequences for the advancement of the kingdom on earth. I will propose legislation for the Global Methodist Church to prohibit involvement in Freemasonry because I believe it imperative that we address conflicts that negate our surrender to Jesus as Lord. If we are to be a people who proclaim freedom in Christ (Luke 4:18-19), then we must lay aside everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1). Scripture clearly instructs us not to be yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Freemasonry and similar groups place Christians in spiritual union with people who are connected to every world religion except atheism. In sharing my testimony of how Jesus delivered me from darkness into true light and abundant life, I pray that others will hear Christ’s invitation to true freedom in surrender and devotion to only him.
On Sunday, May 24, 2020, after thirty-five years of active church membership and involvement, I met the risen Christ and accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow. That day, the Father gifted me a birthday in the Spirit, which I share with John Wesley. A friend gave me a copy of Robert Tuttle’s John Wesley: His Life and Theology. I grew up Presbyterian, but having read the story of Wesley and the Wesleyan revival, I was convinced that Jesus would move in power and love in our day. I knew he was calling me to join him as he restores his church and spreads scriptural holiness across the land. My conviction was born from experiencing God’s power, presence, and love. In that first encounter, Christ set me free from depression, anxiety, and a twenty-three-year addiction to pornography. Even as the power of a great affection captured me, it was seven months before I was liberated from a fifteen-year bondage to the false religion of Freemasonry, and my Redeemer continues to heal and restore me. On the surface, the Freemasons and other secret societies appear to be good-natured civic groups. Still, ultimately, these alliances and vain oaths are from the evil one, who seeks to separate people from a dependence on God. Freemasonry is darkness disguised as light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Freemasonry presents itself as a fraternity that is spiritual in nature but not a religion. A cursory look at it demonstrates the marks of religion, with spiritual initiation rituals, funeral ceremonies, and prayer to a deity for men of all world religions that leads them from darkness to masonic light. In this false religion of Freemasonry, men are united under the authority of a god frequently referred to in prayers as the Great Architect of the Universe. Within the ceremonies of the Freemasons, men who worship Yahweh call their God by the same name as a Muslim who worships Allah, a Wiccan who worships Mother Earth, or a Buddhist who worships a pantheon of divine beings. The first masonic charge, Concerning God and Religion, states that a mason is to be of “that Religion in which all Men agree, leaving their particular Opinions to themselves.” This is deism and universalism veiled as tolerance, birthed in the milieu of the Enlightenment, which has deeply impacted our Western culture. The fraternity forbids all sectarian discussion within its spaces in the name of tolerance, creating a space in which Christ is not welcomed. In Freemasonry, cornerstone dedications and graveside services provide a ritual context for underlying deceptive beliefs prevalent in American society. Yet this fraternity repeatedly claims it is not a religion.
I spent years in the midst of this false worship, and repeatedly explained to others that Freemasonry is not a religion. I knew Freemasonry’s peculiar rituals and ceremonies were inherited from ancient mystery cults and other world religions. I was aware that biblical passages are used to teach masonic allegory, which differs from Christian teaching, yet I was blinded. An example from the first degree in Freemasonry instructs the initiate, “…[W]e as Free and Accepted Masons are taught to make use of it [the common gavel] for the more noble and glorious purposes of divesting our minds and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life, thereby fitting ourselves as living stones for that spiritual building, that house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.” In this example, the masonic ritual references 1 Peter 2:5 but omits the sanctifying power of the gospel, instead offering a plan of self-improvement without any mention of Christ. It implies that those of any religion can be sanctified by hammering away vices and superfluities in their strength. Without remaining awake and vigilant, people like me are easily deceived and lulled into false worship under the guise of moralism, instead of receiving the transformative power of the gospel.
Christ dramatically transformed my life on May 24, 2020, and while I no longer had the same desire to remain active in Freemasonry, I did not believe I could leave. I had made over fifty binding oaths and vows in the countless degrees and associated rituals. These oaths explicitly described curses over my life should I ever violate those obligations. I had sworn unwavering allegiance to men I dearly loved and cared for, so how could I violate my word? At the time of my departure from Freemasonry, I served as the presiding officer of a Masonic lodge and the presiding officer of another masonic organization. I was also the ritual instructor for an appointed geographic area in Texas and an elected officer in three other masonic organizations. Despite my powerful encounter, I remained entrenched in Freemasonry. So I continued in the fraternity, envisioning it as a mission field, but Christ had other plans.
In light of my level of commitment to Freemasonry, I only hoped to make a slow, inconspicuous exit, but the Spirit at work within me was waging war against the powers of darkness to which I had sworn my life. I was reminded of the countless Masons from my hometown whom I held in high esteem, I was reminded of the Masons who were my friends throughout young adulthood, and I was torn deeply in my soul as to how I should proceed. Freemasonry was my life, but I knew that Jesus must be my life. I felt convicted about my involvement but could not see a way out.
On Epiphany Sunday, January 3, 2021, Jesus answered my prayer clearly, and I was cut to the heart. As our pastor read from Ezekiel 28:11-19 earlier in the day, I came under conviction. This passage, which some believe refers to the fall of Satan, struck me partly because the King of Tyre has a prominent role in the Masonic ritual. Later in the day, as I continued in prayer, I inquired of the Lord whether there was anything else for which I must repent regarding my involvement with Freemasonry. At that moment, a vision from heaven impressed upon my heart that I must leave now, not sometime in the future, but now. This required countless letters of resignation sent to the numerous masonic organizations in which I held active leadership roles. Later that week, a friend came at my request and hauled away tens of thousands of dollars of masonic books and paraphernalia to be destroyed in a bonfire (Acts 19:18-20). I was relieved to have those items physically gone from my home. While I would require months of spiritual healing, the Lord brought countless confirmations that, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). The following Sunday morning, January 10, the Spirit awakened me to the singing of “Blessed Assurance” and the thickest coating of white snow that I had ever seen across the Texas landscape. At that moment, I knew my sins had been forgiven. Although they were like scarlet, Christ had washed them as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).
It would be over a year later before I explicitly renounced all of my involvement (Titus 2:11-14). After renouncing those ties, I began to experience a greater freedom in Christ and a deeper filling of the Holy Spirit. This culminated a season of grief, pain, confusion, and much spiritual opposition as the Lord was preparing our family for the next steps of faith.
Since January 2021, Jesus has spoken to me extensively about his desire for people to walk free from bondage to Freemasonry.
In the fall of 2020, I participated in a masonic graveside service for the last time. At the service, we spoke words of eternal assurance to the family of a masonic brother in the absence of any Christian burial. We expressed words of false hope in a Platonic immortality of the soul rather than a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). The members of this family needed true consolation and comfort in Christ Jesus. They did not need a masonic allegory of their loved one passing upward to a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens simply because he had been pronounced a just and upright Mason by members of the Masonic Lodge.
The self-improvement model of Freemasonry is contradictory to the human flourishing we receive through the power of the gospel. This pattern exists in other non-Christian alliances and experiences incompatible with biblical Christianity. At the time of my deliverance from Freemasonry, I did not recognize that the binding oaths I had taken were not to Yahweh. Our Lord would never come into agreement with what is contradictory to Scripture. I now recognize that I had bound myself to countless spiritual powers of darkness, masquerading as the light (2 Corinthians 11:14), but Jesus set me free. Jesus will save us to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25) if we let him. As a church, will we let Christ save us to the uttermost? Will we make Spirit-filled disciples who walk in freedom?
The Bible indicates that there will be a great apostasy during the end times. The “great apostasy” is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The KJV calls it the “falling away,” while the NIV and ESV call it “the rebellion.” And that’s what an apostasy is: a rebellion, an abandonment of the truth. The end times will include a wholesale rejection of God’s revelation, a further “falling away” of an already fallen world.
The occasion of Paul’s writing to the Thessalonians was to correct some of the errors concerning the end times that the believers had heard from false teachers. Among the falsehoods was that “the day of the Lord has already come” (2 Thessalonians 2:2). The Christians in Thessalonica were afraid that Jesus had already come, they had missed the rapture, and they were now in the tribulation. Paul had already explained the rapture to them in his first letter (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). Paul writes his second letter to assure them that, contrary to what they had heard, and despite the persecution they were enduring, the “day of Christ” had not yet come.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul makes it clear that the day of the Lord, a time of worldwide judgment (Isaiah 13:6; Obadiah 1:15), will not transpire until two things happen. First, the falling away, or great apostasy, must occur. Second, the “man of lawlessness” must be revealed, he who is called the “son of perdition,” also known as the Antichrist. Once this person makes himself known, the end times will indeed have come. Numerous speculations about the identity of the man of sin, beginning in the first century, have included Caligula, Caius Caesar, Mohammed, Napoleon, and any number of Roman popes. None of them were the Antichrist.
The man of lawlessness, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:4, is the one who “will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Clearly, this has not yet happened; no one since Paul’s time has set himself up as God in the Jewish temple. Two thousand years have passed since the epistle was written, and the “day of the Lord” has not yet come. Paul assures us that it will not come until the falling away comes first.
The Greek word translated “rebellion” or “falling away” in verse 3 is apostasia, from which we get the English word apostasy. It refers to a general defection from the true God, the Bible, and the Christian faith. Every age has its defectors, but the falling away at the end times will be complete and worldwide. The whole planet will be in rebellion against God and His Christ. Every coup requires a leader, and into this global apostasy will step the Antichrist. We believe this takes place after the church has been raptured from the earth.
Jesus warned the disciples concerning the final days in Matthew 24:10–12: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” These are the characteristics of the great apostasy of the end times.
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).
The Bible makes it clear why God is sending a strong delusion in the end times: “They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Simply put, God sends a strong delusion to those who choose not to believe the gospel of Christ. Those who take delight in mocking and rejecting Him, He will condemn.
It is a person’s choice whether to accept and believe the truth of Jesus Christ as presented in the Scriptures. To receive the truth and the love God offers is in keeping with its teachings, “This is love for God: to obey His commands” (1 John 5:3). Conversely, to know the truth and not obey it is to face the wrath of God: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18). Frankly speaking, there is no more dangerous condition for man than to know the truth and refuse to obey it. To do so is to harden the heart and make God’s condemnation sure.
When one knows the truth and refuses to obey it, he is subject to any lie, any deception, any untruth that humanity can conjure up. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him 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” (Romans 1:21-22). Paul goes on in the next few verses to describe the mindset and behaviors of those who disbelieve (see Romans 1:29-31). As a result of human foolishness and arrogant disdain of the things of God, “God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done” (Romans 1:28). And correspondingly, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).
Isaiah puts it succinctly: “They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations; so I [God] also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring upon them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in My sight and chose what displeases Me” (Isaiah 66:3-4).
When people know the truth and refuse to receive it, when they refuse to obey it and hold it in unrighteousness, “they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT).
“God is love” (1 John 4:16). He is not some cruel monster who deliberately and inwardly delights in preparing people for everlasting condemnation. But He earnestly and lovingly proclaims the gospel of Christ, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Throughout the Scriptures, God urges people to accept the truth. But when people reject Him and spurn His message, then—and not until then—God hardens them and turns them over to a deluded mind to wallow in their wickedness to their eternal damnation. This is what the Lord says about those who choose to reject the truth: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; He will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins” (Jeremiah 14:10).
The main passage in the Bible that mentions the “mark of the beast” is Revelation 13:15-18. Other references can be found in Revelation 14:9, 11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, and 20:4. This mark acts as a seal for the followers of the Antichrist and the false prophet (the spokesperson for the Antichrist). The false prophet (the second beast) is the one who causes people to take this mark. The mark is literally placed in the hand or forehead and is not simply a card someone carries.
The recent breakthroughs in medical implant chip and RFID technologies have increased interest in the mark of the beast spoken of in Revelation chapter 13. It is possible that the technology we are seeing today represents the beginning stages of what may eventually be used as the mark of the beast. It is important to realize that a medical implant chip is not the mark of the beast. The mark of the beast will be something given only to those who worship the Antichrist. Having a medical or financial microchip inserted into your right hand or forehead is not the mark of the beast. The mark of the beast will be an end-times identification required by the Antichrist in order to buy or sell, and it will be given only to those who worship the Antichrist.
Many good expositors of Revelation differ widely as to the exact nature of the mark of the beast. Besides the implanted chip view, other speculations include an ID card, a microchip, a barcode that is tattooed into the skin, or simply a mark that identifies someone as being faithful to the Antichrist’s kingdom. This last view requires the least speculation, since it does not add any more information to what the Bible gives us. In other words, any of these things are possible, but at the same time they are all speculations. We should not spend a lot of time speculating on the precise details.
The meaning of 666 is a mystery as well. Some speculated that there was a connection to June 6, 2006—06/06/06. However, in Revelation chapter 13, the number 666 identifies a person, not a date. Revelation 13:18 tells us, “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” Somehow, the number 666 will identify the Antichrist. For centuries Bible interpreters have been trying to identify certain individuals with 666. Nothing is conclusive. That is why Revelation 13:18 says the number requires wisdom. When the Antichrist is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), it will be clear who he is and how the number 666 identifies him.
The decision to accept or reject Jesus as Savior is the ultimate life decision. Why do many people choose to reject Jesus as Savior? There are perhaps as many different reasons for rejecting Christ as there are people who reject Him, but the following four reasons can serve as general categories:
1) Some people do not think they need a savior. These people consider themselves to be “basically good” and do not realize that they, like all people, are sinners who cannot come to God on their own terms. But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Those who reject Christ will not be able to stand before God and successfully plead their own case on their own merits.
2) The fear of social rejection or persecution deters some people from receiving Christ as Savior. The unbelievers in John 12:42-43 would not confess Christ because they were more concerned with their status among their peers than doing God’s will. These were the Pharisees whose love of position and the esteem of others blinded them, “for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
3) For some people, the things that the present world has to offer are more appealing than eternal things. We read the story of such a man in Matthew 19:16-23. This man was not willing to lose his earthly possessions in order to gain an eternal relationship with Jesus (see also 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
4) Many people are simply resisting the Holy Spirit’s attempts to draw them to faith in Christ. Stephen, a leader in the early church, told those who were about to murder him, “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!” (Acts 7:51). The apostle Paul made a similar statement to a group of gospel rejecters in Acts 28:23-27.
Whatever the reasons why people reject Jesus Christ, their rejection has disastrous eternal consequences. “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” than the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12), and those who reject Him, for whatever reason, face an eternity in the “outer darkness” of hell where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30).
Doctrine is “a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true.” Biblical doctrine refers to teachings that align with the revealed Word of God, the Bible. False doctrine is any idea that adds to, takes away from, contradicts, or nullifies the doctrine given in God’s Word. For example, any teaching about Jesus that denies His virgin birth is a false doctrine, because it contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture (Matthew 1:18).
As early as the first century AD, false doctrine was already infiltrating the church, and many of the letters in the New Testament were written to address those errors (Galatians 1:6–9; Colossians 2:20–23; Titus 1:10–11). Paul exhorted his protégé Timothy to guard against those who were peddling heresies and confusing the flock: “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing” (1 Timothy 6:3–4).
As followers of Christ, we have no excuse for remaining ignorant of theology because we have the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) available to us—the Bible is complete. As we “study to show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15), we are less likely to be taken in by smooth talkers and false prophets. When we know God’s Word, “we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).
It is important to point out the difference between false doctrine and denominational disagreements. Different congregational groups see secondary issues in Scripture differently. These differences are not always due to false doctrine on anyone’s part. Church policies, governmental decisions, style of worship, etc., are all open for discussion, since they are not directly addressed in Scripture. Even those issues that are addressed in Scripture are often debated by equally sincere disciples of Christ. Differences in interpretation or practice do not necessarily qualify as false doctrine, nor should they divide the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10).
False doctrine is that which opposes some fundamental truth or that which is necessary for salvation. The following are some examples of false doctrine:
• The erasing of hell. The Bible describes hell as a real place of eternal torment, the destination for every unregenerate soul (Revelation 20:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:8). A denial of hell directly contradicts Jesus’ own words (Matthew 10:28; 25:46) and is therefore a false doctrine.
• The idea that there are “many paths to God.” This philosophy has become popular recently under the guise of tolerance. This false doctrine claims that, since God is love, He will accept any religious effort as long as the practitioner is sincere. Such relativism flies in the face of the entire Bible and effectively eliminates any need for the Son of God to take on flesh and be crucified for us (Jeremiah 12:17; John 3:15–18). It also contradicts Jesus’ direct words that He is the only way to God (John 14:6).
• Any teaching that redefines the person of Jesus Christ. Doctrine that denies the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, His sinless nature, His actual death, or His physical resurrection is false doctrine. A group’s errant Christology readily identifies it as a sect or cult that may claim to be Christian but is actually teaching false doctrine. Even many mainline denominations have begun the rapid slide into apostasy by declaring that they no longer hold to a literal interpretation of Scripture or the deity of Christ. First John 4:1–3 makes it clear that a denial of biblical Christology is “anti-Christ.” Jesus described false teachers within the church as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15).
• Teaching that adds human religious works to Christ’s finished work on the cross as necessary ingredients for salvation. This teaching may pay lip service to salvation by faith alone but insists that a religious ritual (such as water baptism) is salvific. Some groups even legislate hairstyles, clothing options, and food consumption. Romans 11:6 warns against attempts to mix grace with works. Ephesians 2:8–9 says we are saved by the grace of God, through faith, and nothing we do can add to or take away from it. Galatians 1:6–9 pronounces a curse on anyone who changes the good news of salvation by grace.
• The teaching that presents grace as a license to sin. Sometimes called “easy-believism,” this false doctrine implies that all one must do for right standing with God is to believe the facts about Jesus, pray a prayer at some point, and then resume control of one’s life with the assurance of heaven at the end. Paul dealt with this thinking in Romans 6. In Matthew 7:21–23, Jesus warned those who adopt this doctrine that they did not know Him at all. Second Corinthians 5:17 states that those who are “in Christ” become “new creatures.” That transformation, in response to a believer’s faith in Christ, changes the outward behaviors. To know and love Christ is to obey Him (Luke 6:46).
Satan has been confusing and perverting the Word of God since the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1–4; Matthew 4:6). False teachers, the servants of Satan, try to appear as “servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15), but they will be known by their fruits (Matthew 7:16). A charlatan promoting false doctrine will show signs of pride, greed, and rebellion (see Jude 1:11) and will often promote or engage in sexual immorality (2 Peter 2:14; Revelation 2:20).
We are wise to recognize how vulnerable we are to heresy and make it our habit to do as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11: “They . . . examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” When we make it our goal to follow the lead of the first church, we will go far in avoiding the pitfalls of false doctrine. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Such devotion will protect us and ensure that we are on the path Jesus set for us.
On the night before
his
great sacrifice,
Yeshua and his disciples
sang a hymn
and left the upper room
where they had celebrated
the Passover.
They walked through
the
streets of Jerusalem
under the waning
light
of the moon.
The disciples followed Yeshua across the Kidron Valley (John 18:1)—\
or the Valley of Jehoshaphat
—up to a small hillside covered with
olive trees.
This place was called Gethsemane,
a name
derived from two Hebrew/Aramaic words, Gat Shemanei, which means
“oil press.”
It was a garden or grove on the western slope of the Mount of Olives, a ridge east of Jerusalem.
The Mount of Olives has a rich scriptural history, as it was the scene of King David’s flight from his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15:13-30), King Solomon’s idolatry (1 Kings 11:7-8), and several prophecies about the end times (Zechariah 14:1-9; Acts 1:9-12).
Yeshua left eight disciples at the entrance of the garden and took Peter, James, and John with him deeper into the grove, these three being his inner circle. Yeshua often came here to pray (Luke 21:37), but this night was different. He felt a heavy burden of sorrow and anguish as he faced the ordeal ahead of him, so he told the three disciples to watch and pray.
Then he went a little farther in, alone. When he found a suitably isolated spot, he fell on his face and poured out his heart to the Most High.
42“Father, if it is
your will,
take this cup away
from me.
Nevertheless not my will,
but yours,
be done.”—Luke 22:42
What was this cup Yeshua dreaded so much?
It wasn’t just the physical pain and death he would endure on the tree or the shame and rejection he would face from his enemies and friends. The cup included the weight of the sins of all his servants, which he would bear as our substitute. It was also filled with the wrath of Yah Elohim, which he would drink to the dregs as our sin-bearer.
Scripture often uses the image of a cup to represent Yah’s judgment on sin (Job 21:20; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15; Eze. 23:28-34; Hab. 2:16; John 18:10, 11; Rev. 14:9, 10).
Yah, down to his very essence and nature is love. But he is also the Elohim of purity and justice.
He hates sin and evil and must deal with those negative forces according to his righteous law.
To save us from their eternal consequence, Yeshua had to drink the cup of Yah’s wrath in the place of those who would receive him. He had to suffer the full separation from the Father that sin causes, and he had to endure the darkness and despair of the second death for us.
This was a great weight for Yeshua to bear. He loved his Father with his all and had always enjoyed perfect fellowship with him before his sojourn on this earth (John 17:5).
Now he had to face the horror of being forsaken by the Most High.
Thus, he pleaded with the Father to
spare him from this dreadful cup if there was any other way.
As Yeshua prayed,
his agony
was so intense
that he
began to sweat blood.
Luke, who was a physician,
recorded this detail in his eponymous book (Luke 22:44).
Today, something akin to this is
a rare medical
condition called hematohidrosis,
which can result in blood pushing
through the walls of
blood vessels and entering the skin.
It can stem
from multiple underlying causes,
such as high levels
of stress
or excessive physical activity.
Additionally, the location of the events in the “Oil Press” garden, also known as “Gat Shemanei,” has a deep Hebraic and Scriptural significance as it relates to the process of making olive oil.
The process of crushing olives into pulp to make oil involved the use of an olive crusher, which was a stone basin.
A millstone was rolled by a horizontal beam that was pushed by a donkey. The ripe olives were placed in a large, round basin and crushed into a pulp. To improve the efficiency of oil production, olive crushers were often placed in caves where the temperature was moderate.
Olives that had already been crushed in an olive crusher were placed under heavy stone slabs with increasing weights. Over time, each weight gradually squeezed the olive oil out of the pulp, causing the oil to flow into a pit. The oil was then collected in clay jars.
There were four stages of pressure, each yielding a different quality of oil.
- The first and purest oil was used for anointing in the Temple.
- The second was for cooking,
- The third was for lighting, and
- The fourth was for cleaning.
In ancient times, olives were also crushed underfoot by someone wearing wooden sandals. Armed with this historical background, we can better comprehend and appreciate the suffering of Yeshua as he accepted his Father’s will. By going through the oil press experience, he was, in a sense, trodden underfoot.
This is not unlike the winepress trodding analogy
in Lamentations: “...
Yah has trodden as in a winepress
the virgin daughter of Judah”
(Lam. 1:15).
Or the analogy of the nations
being trodden
in
Yah’s anger and wrath:
I have trodden
the
winepress alone,
and from
the peoples
no one was with me;
I trod them in my anger and trampled
them in my wrath;
their lifeblood spattered on my garments,
and stained all my apparel.—Isaiah 63:3
Revelation 14:19-20 bears similar language, but it all points to those among Israel and the nations who will go through the millennial experience, being from the final harvest period that requires trampling—the plan of redemption accounts for them as well, as pictured in Gethsemane.
While Yeshua endured this agony, Peter, James, and John were sleeping nearby. They didn’t understand what he was going through and couldn’t stay awake to support him. Yeshua came to them three times and found them asleep. He gently rebuked them and urged them to pray lest they fall into temptation.
Yeshua’s agony reached its climax on the tree when he cried out in a loud voice,
46“My El, my El, why have you forsaken Me?”—Matthew 27:46
He was quoting the first verse of Psalm 22, a prophetic psalm that described his suffering in detail (Psalm 22:14-18). There was also comfort and hope in this psalm, as it assured that Yah Elohim does not abandon his faithful ones (Psalm 22:3-5). The closing verses (Psalm 22:24-31) also demonstrate that Yeshua’s sacrifice would accomplish the ultimate salvation plan for those of true Israel and the nations joined to them.
Let us never forget
what Yeshua did for us
at
Gethsemane and Golgotha
(Gulgoleth).
And let us always
respond with gratitude, worship,
and obedience to him
who loved us and gave himself for us.
Revelation 6
begins with the vision of
The 4 Horsemen of
The Apocalypse.
These symbols represent forms of spiritual warfare which the Christian Church is facing.
The horsemen depict the first four of the seven seals.
They show the Church apostasy
in the Middle Ages. In Revelation 6:5-6 we find the 3rd Seal:
A Black Horse which describes the Corrupt Church.
Black is the color of darkness and error.
The “balances” used for measuring
“wheat” and “barley” are a symbol of
the buying and selling
- salvation and forgiveness was available for a price.
The “wheat” and “barley” was 8 to 16 times more expensive than normal indicating scarcity and famine. The Church, during this time, entered a period of moral and doctrinal error, substituting pagan beliefs and practices for the Bible truth, and the commercialization of the Gospel. Thus, they caused a scarcity of the bread of life.
God said, “Hurt not the oil and the wine,” which symbolize the Holy Spirit
(Zechariah 4:3, 6)
and the blood of Jesus (Matt 26:26-29).
Even though the Church was in darkness,
God preserved
His true Gospel of salvation.
The olive press
is a symbol of
Jesus' suffering
in the
Garden of Gethsemane,
which means
"place of the olive press":
- The symbolism
The olive press symbolizes the immense pressure Jesus endured. The process of crushing olives three times to extract all the oil is symbolic of Jesus asking his disciples to stay with him in prayer three times. Each time, more oil is squeezed out, representing Jesus feeling more of the weight of sin.
- The location
The Garden of Gethsemane is located on the slope of the Mount of Olives, where Jesus spent time with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion
- The process
In Jesus' time, olives were crushed under heavy stone slabs to extract oil. The process involved multiple steps, with each step producing a different quality of oil:- Crush the olives
- Place the crushed olives in baskets and stack them on top of each other
- Place a beam on top of the baskets to apply pressure
- Add weights to the beam to create maximum pressure
The garden at Gethsemane, a place whose name literally means “oil press,” is located on a slope of the Mount of Olives just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. A garden of ancient olive trees stands there to this day. Jesus frequently went to Gethsemane with His disciples to pray (John 18:2). The most famous events at Gethsemane occurred on the night before His crucifixion when Jesus was betrayed. Each of the Gospel writers describes the events of that night with slight variations, so reading the four accounts (Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 14:32-52, Luke 22:40-53 and John 18:1-11) will give an accurate picture of that momentous night in its entirety.
As the evening began, after Jesus and His disciples had celebrated the Passover, they came to the garden. At some point, Jesus took three of them—Peter, James and John— to a place separated from the rest. Here Jesus asked them to watch with Him and pray so they would not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41), but they fell asleep. Twice, Jesus had to wake them and remind them to pray so that they would not fall into temptation. This was especially poignant because Peter did indeed fall into temptation later that very night when three times he denied even knowing Jesus. Jesus moved a little way from the three men to pray, and twice He asked His Father to remove the cup of wrath He was about to drink, but each time He submitted to the Father’s will. He was “exceedingly sorrowful unto death,” but God sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43).
After this, Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, arrived with a “multitude” of soldiers, high priests, Pharisees, and servants to arrest Jesus. Judas identified Him by the prearranged signal of a kiss which he gave to Jesus. Trying to protect Jesus, Peter took a sword and attacked a man named Malchus, the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Jesus rebuked Peter and miraculously healed the man’s ear. It’s surprising that witnessing this amazing miracle of healing had no effect on the multitude. Neither were they shaken by His awesome display of power as described in John 18:5-6, where either at the majesty of His looks, or at the power of His words, or both, they became like dead men, falling to the ground. Nevertheless, they arrested Him and took Him to Pontius Pilate, while the disciples scattered in fear for their lives.
The events that occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane have reverberated down through the centuries. The passion Jesus displayed on that momentous night has been depicted in music, books, and films for centuries. From the 16th century, when Bach wrote two magnificent oratorios based on the gospel accounts of Matthew and John, to the present day with the film The Passion of the Christ, the story of this extraordinary night has been told again and again. Even our language has been affected by these events, giving us such phrases as “he who lives by the sword dies by the sword” (Matthew 26:52); “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38); and “sweating drops of blood” (Luke 22:44). Of course, the most important impact of this night was the willingness of our Savior to die on the cross in our place in order to pay the penalty for our sins. God “made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Mount of Olives, sometimes referred to as “Olivet” in the KJV (2 Samuel 15:30; Acts 1:12) or “the mount facing Jerusalem” (1 Kings 11:7), is a ridge running along the east side of Jerusalem, separated from the city walls by a ravine and the Brook Kidron. The Mount of Olives was the site of many events in the Bible and will be the site of a yet-future fulfillment of prophecy.
In the Old Testament, the Mount of Olives is mentioned once in relation to King David. When David’s son Absalom wrested control of Jerusalem, David and his loyal followers fled the city via an eastern route: “David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up” (2 Samuel 15:30). Later, King Solomon used the Mount of Olives for idol worship: “On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites” (1 Kings 11:7). In one of Ezekiel’s visions, the prophet sees the glory of the Lord depart from Jerusalem and come to rest “above the mountain east of it” (Ezekiel 11:23).
Jesus made many visits to the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37). In fact, it was “usual” for Him to go there when in the vicinity of Jerusalem (Luke 22:39). Every time Jesus visited Lazarus and Mary and Martha, He was on the Mount of Olives, for their village of Bethany was situated on the eastern slope. The road from Bethany to Jerusalem lay over Olivet.
The Bible records Jesus’ visiting the Mount of Olives three times in the last week of His earthly life, and each time something of significance happened. The first visit is what we call the triumphal entry. The donkey Jesus rode that day was found in the area of Bethany and Bethphage, on the east side of the Mount of Olives (Luke 19:29–30). Then, “when he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen” (verse 37). While still on the Mount of Olives, Jesus looked at the vista in front of Him, wept over the city, and pronounced a judgment against it (verses 41–44).
Jesus’ second visit was to deliver what has come to be known as the Olivet Discourse, recorded in Matthew 24:1 —25:46. Parallel passages are found in Mark 13:1–37 and Luke 21:5–36. The content of the Olivet Discourse is Jesus’ response to His disciples’ question “When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24—25 primarily concerns the coming destruction of Jerusalem, the future tribulation period, and the second coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation. The Discourse includes parables about those who wait for the Master’s coming—the wise and faithful servant (Matthew 24:45–51), the five wise virgins (Matthew 25:1–13), and the good servant who uses his resources wisely (Matthew 25:14–30).
Jesus’ third visit during the week of His passion was on the night He was betrayed. That evening began with the Last Supper in Jerusalem and ended in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. During that last Passover meal, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and then revealed Judas as the betrayer (John 13:1–30). At the conclusion of the meal, Jesus established the New Covenant and instituted the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26–29; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26). Then He took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane (literally, “Garden of the Oil-press”) located on the western slope of the Mount of Olives. There Jesus prayed in agony as He contemplated the day to come. So overcome by the horror of what He was to experience in the crucifixion the following day, His sweat was “like drops of blood” (Luke 22:44) and God sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43).
After Jesus prayed, Judas Iscariot arrived with a multitude of soldiers, high priests, Pharisees, and servants to arrest Jesus. Judas identified Jesus by the prearranged signal of a kiss, which he gave to Jesus. Trying to protect Jesus, Peter drew a sword and attacked a man named Malchus, the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Jesus rebuked Peter and healed the man’s ear, displaying the miraculous power of God (Luke 22:51). Nevertheless, the mob arrested Jesus and took Him to face trial, while the disciples scattered in fear for their lives.
After the trials, crucifixion, and resurrection, Jesus once again stood on the Mount of Olives. During His final post-resurrection appearance, Jesus led His disciples “out to the vicinity of Bethany, [and] he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:50–52). Acts 1:12 specifies that “the vicinity of Bethany” was indeed the Mount of Olives.
Immediately following Jesus’ ascension, two angels told the disciples on the Mount of Olives that “this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). According to the prophet Zechariah, Jesus will return not only in the same way, but to the same place. In a prophecy related to the end times, Zechariah declares, “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and 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). The very location where David wept in defeat and where Jesus was betrayed and rejected will be the place where Jesus returns in triumph over all His enemies.
Anointing oil, mentioned 20 times in Scripture, was used in the Old Testament for pouring on the head of the high priest and his descendants and sprinkling the tabernacle and its furnishings to mark them as holy and set apart to the Lord (Exodus 25:6; Leviticus 8:30; Numbers 4:16). Three times it is called the "holy, anointing oil," and the Jews were strictly forbidden from reproducing it for personal use (Exodus 30:32-33). The recipe for anointing oil is found in Exodus 30:23-24; it contained myrrh, cinnamon and other natural ingredients. There is no indication that the oil or the ingredients had any supernatural power. Rather, the strictness of the guidelines for creating the oil was a test of the obedience of the Israelites and a demonstration of the absolute holiness of God.
A few New Testament passages refer to the practice of anointing with oil, and none of them offer an explanation for its use. We can draw our conclusions from context. In Matthew 6:17 Jesus mentions the everyday practice of anointing oneself with oil. In Mark 6:13 the disciples anoint the sick and heal them. In all four Gospels, a woman anoints Jesus as a sacrificial act of worship (Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8). In James 5:14 the church elders anoint the sick with oil for healing. In Hebrews 1:8–9 God says to Christ as He returns triumphantly to heaven, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,” and God anoints Jesus “with the oil of gladness.”
Should Christians use anointing oil today? There is nothing in Scripture that commands or even suggests that we should use similar oil today, but neither is there anything to forbid it. Oil is often used as a symbol for the Holy Spirit in the Bible as in the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Christians have the Spirit who leads us into all truth and “anoints” us continually with His grace and comfort. “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2:20).
The olive tree is mentioned frequently in the Bible, from as early as the time of the flood when the dove from the ark brought an olive branch back to Noah, to Revelation 11:4, where the two witnesses are represented as two olive trees. As one of the most highly valued and useful trees known to the ancient Jews, the olive tree is significant for several reasons in the Bible. Its importance in Israel is expressed in the parable of Jotham in Judges 9:8–9: “One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’ But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’”
Rather common in the Holy Land, the olive tree is a multi-branched evergreen with a knotted trunk, smooth, ash-colored bark, and oblong, leathery leaves that are silvery green. Mature, cultivated olive trees grow to 20 or more feet in height and produce small flowers of yellow or white around the first of May. When the blooms begin to fall, olives, the fruit of the tree, start to form. At first, the fruit is green but turns to a deep, blue-black or dark green color when the olives are fully ripened and harvested in early fall.
In the ancient Near East, olive trees were an essential source of food (Nehemiah 9:25), lamp oil (Exodus 27:20), medicine (Isaiah 1:6; Luke 10:34), anointing oil (1 Samuel 10:1; 2 Kings 9:3), sacrificial oil (Leviticus 2:4; Genesis 28:18), and wood for furniture (1 Kings 6:23, 31–33).
An extremely slow-growing plant, the olive tree requires years of patient labor to reach full fruitfulness. Being well-suited to grow in the Mediterranean climate, the olive tree played a significant role in the region’s economy. The outer, fleshy part of the oval-shaped fruit is what yields the highly valuable commodity of olive oil. Still today, olive oil is considered good for health.
The olive tree and olive branch have been symbols of peace and reconciliation ever since the account of Noah’s flood. When the dove brought Noah “a plucked olive leaf in its beak,” the olive branch represented new life sprouting on the earth (Genesis 8:11). The olive tree was alive and growing. The promise of the dove’s olive branch was a new beginning for humanity, peace and reconciliation with God, renewal, and revival. The slow and hearty growth of the olive tree also implies establishment and peace. Some of the oldest olive trees in the world still grow today in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.
The flowering olive tree is a symbol of beauty and abundance in the Bible. The tree’s fruitfulness and ability to thrive suggests the model of a righteous person (Psalm 52:8; Hosea 14:6), whose children are described as “vigorous young olive trees” (Psalm 128:3, NLT). Olive oil was also used in the anointing and coronation of kings, making it an emblem of sovereignty.
Olive tree oil is symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, as it was used as the carrier for a mixture of spices that made up the holy anointing oil. In Zechariah 4, the prophet has a vision of two olive trees standing on either side of a solid gold lampstand. The olive trees supply the oil that fuels the lamps. The two olive trees represent Zerubbabel and Joshua, the governor and high priest. The Lord encourages them not to trust in financial or military resources, but in the power of God’s Holy Spirit working through them (verse 6). As in other Old Testament analogies, God’s Holy Spirit is represented by the oil of the olive tree.
The process by which olives are beaten and crushed to produce olive oil contains spiritual significance as well. Jesus Christ was beaten and crushed on the cross so that His Holy Spirit would be poured out on the church after His ascension to heaven. In essence, Jesus Christ is God’s olive tree, and the Holy Spirit, His olive oil. It is not mere coincidence that Christ’s agonized prayer, just before His arrest, occured in Gethsemane, a place of many olive trees and whose name means “olive press.”
God uses the imagery of an olive tree in Jeremiah 11:16–17 to remind His people of the covenant relationship He has with them. God’s people (the nation of Israel) are depicted as an olive tree and God as the farmer. He planted them as a beautiful olive tree but warned He would cut them down if they disobeyed His laws and worshiped false gods. The apostle Paul makes use of this imagery to teach a lesson to Gentile believers in Romans 11:17–24. Paul chooses the cultivated olive tree to portray Israel and the wild olive tree to represent Gentile believers. The cultivated olive tree is pruned and nurtured so that it bears much fruit. The fruitless, ineffective branches are trimmed and discarded, but the root remains intact. God has preserved the holy root of Israel and pruned off the worthless branches.
The Gentiles, represented by the wild olive tree in Romans 11, have been grafted into the cultivated olive root. As a wild olive tree, their root was weak. Their branches were incapable of bearing fruit until they were grafted into the nourishing, life-sustaining root of the cultivated olive tree. Gentile believers now share in Israel’s blessings, but Paul warns, “Do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you” (CSB). Paul wants Gentile believers to understand that they have not replaced Israel. God has done a beautiful thing for the Gentiles, but Israel is still God’s chosen nation and the source of the riches of salvation that the Gentiles now enjoy.
Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah, is the root of Jesse, or the root of the cultivated olive tree. From Him, Israel and the Church draw their life.
nustazó
While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for "nustazó," the concept of spiritual slumber can be related to Hebrew words like "רָדַם" (radam), meaning "to be in a heavy sleep," as seen in passages like Jonah 1:5.
The verb "nustazó" is used in the New Testament to describe a state of drowsiness or sleepiness, often in a metaphorical sense to indicate spiritual lethargy or lack of vigilance. It implies a temporary lapse in alertness or readiness, which can lead to missing important events or failing to fulfill responsibilities.
In the ancient world, sleep was often used metaphorically to describe a lack of awareness or preparedness. In the context of the New Testament, the concept of spiritual wakefulness was crucial, as early Christians were encouraged to remain vigilant in their faith and watchful for the return of Christ. The metaphor of sleep versus wakefulness was a common teaching tool to emphasize the importance of spiritual readiness.
In the Bible olive oil is mentioned several times as the oil used for lighting lamps (Leviticus 24:2; Exodus 27:20). Olive oil was also used for anointing oil (Exodus 30:23–25) and as part of the grain offerings (Leviticus 2:1–10). Kings were anointed with olive oil as a sign that they were chosen by God to rule (1 Samuel 16:1). As an important ingredient in the recipe for anointing oil, olive oil was used to sanctify priests (Exodus 29:7), the tabernacle, and all its furnishings (Exodus 40:9). Olive oil was also used in cooking. Olive trees grew in Israel (Deuteronomy 8:7–8), and the people in that region used the oil from pressed olives as people in other cultures might have used butter or animal fats.
Olive oil was an important part of Jewish culture because of its many uses. Because of its centrality to much of Jewish life, olive oil was sometimes used as a symbol of richness, joy, and health (Jeremiah 31:12; Hebrews 1:9). Times of judgment were described as a season when “the olive oil fails” (Joel 1:10).
Olive oil can also be seen as a symbol of the Holy Spirit (or possibly of faith) in Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13). The five wise virgins in the wedding party had made sure they had olive oil for their lamps as they waited for the bridegroom to come. The five foolish virgins did not think ahead and had brought no oil. As the bridegroom drew near, the five foolish virgins begged the wise ones for some of their oil. But the wise virgins could not spare any. While the foolish virgins were out buying more oil, the bridegroom came, and their chance to join the wedding celebration was gone forever.
Jesus gave the point of the parable: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13). At the end of the age, when Jesus comes back, some will be ready for His arrival (illustrated by the wise virgins who had olive oil); others will not be ready (symbolized by the foolish virgins who had no oil). Considering the olive oil as a symbol of the Holy Spirit (or of faith), we could say that only those who have the Spirit (or faith in Christ) are truly ready for Jesus’ second coming.
Not every reference to olive oil in the Bible is symbolic, of course. But there are passages in which olive oil can be a picture of the Holy Spirit, the One who sanctifies us, fills us, readies us to see Christ, and brings us light, joy, and spiritual health.
As we take a good look at the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1–13), we must acknowledge up front that there has been much debate as to the meaning of these words of our Savior. At least one aspect of this parable can be known with absolute certainty. The bridegroom is Jesus Christ, and this parable describes His return. In the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:4–6; 62:4-5; Hosea 2:19), God pictures Himself as the “husband” of Israel, and in the New Testament (John 3:27–30; Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19–20), Christ is pictured as the bridegroom of the Church. The Church is described in Scripture as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25–32).
The ten virgins may be bridesmaids who have been assisting the bride; and they expect to meet the groom as he comes from the bride’s house…Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or even brigands. The festivities, which might last several days, would formally get under way at the groom’s house.” The torch was either a lamp with a small oil tank and wick or a stick with a rag soaked in oil on the end of it which would require occasional re-soaking to maintain the flame.
Of interpretive significance is which return of Christ is this? Is it His return for the rapture of the Church, or is it His return to set up the Millennial Kingdom at the end of the Tribulation? Dispensational scholars divide over this issue, and no attempt will be made to answer that question here. Regardless of which return it is, the lessons to be learned are relevant to both.
The overall and easily seen thrust of the parable is that Christ will return at an unknown hour and that His people must be ready. Being ready means preparing for whatever contingency arises in our lives and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus at all times while we eagerly await His coming. As seen in the fact that all the virgins were sleeping when the call came indicates that it doesn’t matter what we are doing when Christ returns. We may be working, eating, sleeping, or pursuing leisure activities. Whatever it is, we must be doing it in such a way that we don’t have to “make things right” (get more oil) when He comes. This would apply to either the coming of Christ for His Church or for the Tribulation saints as they await His second coming.
Being ready for Christ’s return ultimately involves one major thing which manifests itself in several areas of our lives. If we would be ready for Christ’s return, we must be born again through saving faith in Jesus Christ…His death, burial and literal resurrection from the dead (John 3:16; 14:6; Romans 10:9 and 10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:1-10). Saving faith in Jesus Christ will manifest itself in every aspect of our lives. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) will begin to show. A desire for greater holiness and less sin will be apparent. And a consistent looking for His coming will mark our lives. One of the best passages articulating what saving grace and faith look like in a believer’s life is Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 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 glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
The five virgins who have the extra oil represent the truly born again who are looking with eagerness to the coming of Christ. They have saving faith and have determined that, whatever occurs, be it lengthy time or adverse circumstances, when Jesus returns, they will be looking with eagerness. The five virgins without the oil represent false believers who enjoy the benefits of the Christian community without true love for Christ. They are more concerned about the party than about longing to see the bridegroom. Their hope is that their association with true believers (“give us some of your oil” of verse 8) will bring them into the kingdom at the end. This, of course, is never the case. One person’s faith in Jesus cannot save another. The “Lord, lord” and “I do not know you” of verses 11 and 12 fit very well with Jesus’ condemnation of the false believers of Matthew 7:21-23,
“Not everyone who says to Me,
‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter
the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will
of My Father
who is in heaven will enter.
Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in Your name,
and in Your name
cast out demons, and in Your name perform
many miracles?’
And then I will declare to them,
‘I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness.’”
May we not be found
“going away to make the purchase” (v. 10)
when Christ returns.
Take the time now to fill your lamp with oil
and take extra along.
Keep waiting and watching
with joy and anticipation.
The Plot to Kill Jesus
(Mark 14:1–2; Luke 22:1–2; John 11:45–57)
1When Jesus had finished saying all these things, He told His disciples, 2“You know that the Passover is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him. 5“But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
(Mark 14:3–9; Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8)
6While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,a 7a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He reclined at the table.
8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and asked, “Why this waste? 9This perfume could have been sold at a high price, and the money given to the poor.”
10Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed to Me. 11The poor you will always have with you,b but you will not always have Me. 12By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial. 13Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
(Mark 14:10–11; Luke 22:3–6)
14Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16So from then on Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
Preparing the Passover
(Mark 14:12–16; Luke 22:7–13)
17On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,c the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
18He answered, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.’” 19So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
The Last Supper
(Mark 14:17–26; Luke 22:14–23; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34)
20When evening came, Jesus was reclining with the twelve disciples.d 21And while they were eating, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”
22They were deeply grieved and began to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”
23Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. 24The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
25Then Judas, who would betray Him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said it yourself.”
26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”
27Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28This is My blood of the covenant,e which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
30And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
(Zechariah 13:7–9; Mark 14:27–31; Luke 22:31–38; John 13:36–38)
31Then Jesus said to them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written:
‘I will strike the Shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’f
32But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
33Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.”
34“Truly I tell you,” Jesus declared, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the other disciples said the same thing.
Jesus Prays at Gethsemane
(Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46)
36Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”
39Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
40Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. 41“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
42A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” 43And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
44So He left them and went away once more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing. 45Then He returned to the disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! See, My betrayer is approaching!”
The Betrayal of Jesus
(Mark 14:43–52; Luke 22:47–53; John 18:1–14)
47While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him.” 49Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
50“Friend,” Jesus replied, “do what you came for.”g
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested Him. 51At this, one of Jesus’ companions drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
52“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
55At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in the temple courts,h and you did not arrest Me. 56But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
(Mark 14:53–65; Luke 22:66–71; John 18:19–24)
57Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered. 58But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
59Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrini were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death. 60But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward 61and declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62So the high priest stood up and asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?”
63But Jesus remained silent.
Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64“You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Powerj and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66What do you think?”
“He deserves to die,” they answered.
67Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him 68and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?”
Peter Denies Jesus
(Mark 14:66–72; Luke 22:54–62; John 18:15–18)
69Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.
70But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.”
71When Peter had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man!”
73After a little while, those standing nearby came up to Peter. “Surely you are one of them,” they said, “for your accent gives you away.”
74At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!”
And immediately a rooster crowed.
75Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
The Day of the Lord
(Zephaniah 1:7–18; Malachi 4:1–6; 2 Peter 3:8–13)
1Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you. 2For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. 5For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.
9For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. 11Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.
Christian Living
12But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13In love, hold them in highest regard because of their work. Live in peace with one another.
14And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.
15Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.
16Rejoice at all times. 17Pray without ceasing. 18Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19Do not extinguish the Spirit. 20Do not treat prophecies with contempt, 21but test all things. Hold fast to what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.
Final Blessings and Instructions
23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blamelessa at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.
25Brothers, pray for us as well.
26Greet all the brothers with
a holy kiss.
27I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.b
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a
hill cannot be hidden;
nor does anyone light a lamp
and put it under
a basket, but on the lampstand,
and it gives
light to all who are in the house.
Let your light shine
before men in such a way that
they may see your good works,
and glorify your
Father who is in heaven"
(Matt 5:14-16).
I'm not sure if it's a sin to say (but I will say it anyway): I am proud of the Messianic believers in Israel.
While the people of Israel witnessed the very worst of humanity on October 7th, I can say that the people of Israel have also witnessed the incredible beauty of Yeshua's disciples since October 8th.
All across the country, churches and Messianic organizations have rolled up their sleeves, donating their time and their resources to help this hurting country—providing meals, opening their homes, volunteering for guard duty, channeling tens of millions of shekels from generous believers from around the world to shattered communities here in Israel,
all in the name of Yeshua!
Two people in particular have caught my attention since the start of the war. "R" provided desperately needed items to soldiers all over the country. While many other believers in Israel have done the same, what is most attention-grabbing about "R" is the fact that he is an Arab follower of the Jewish Messiah who is actively loving Israel's soldiers in Yeshua's name. On October 7th, "G's" niece was savagely murdered at the music festival. Within a week, "G" (a Jewish pastor from the north) began distributing very expensive first-aid bags to Arab churches all over Israel. "G" decided to respond with healing to his unimaginable hurt.
"R" and "G" are living proof that the gospel not only saves us from sin; it also empowers us to love. Yeshua says we are the light of the world. So for all those outside the country who want to know how the church in Israel is doing since October 7th, I can respond in just one word: Shining! "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day"
(Prov 4:18)
https://narconnections.com/robert-morris-3/
Witchcraft chants
are a core practice in modern
magical-religious witchcraft.
Witchcraft chants
are a core practice in modern
magical-religious witchcraft.
https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/2024-november-motion-night
AND THE CHURCH AGREES
AND THE CHURCH AGREES
AND THE CHURCH AGREES
https://porchwaylodge7027.co.uk/masonic-glossary-of-terms/
https://imhf.org/2020-annual-all-indiana-freemason-and-shrine-golf-outing/
https://soul-grown.com/baggy-pants-golf-the-alabama-based-brand/
https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/2024-november-motion-night
”
In the Bible,
prophets
are often described
as
God's mouthpieces.
Prophets speak God's message,
which can be
about the present, future, past,
or doctrinal truth.
The Bible describes
prophets
as God's spokespersons
for a
specific time and place.
For example, in Jeremiah 15:19-20,
YAHWEH
says to Jeremiah, "
”If you separate the precious from
the worthless,
you will be my mouthpiece
Dark and Light
Wheat and Tares
True and False Prophets
. In the story of Moses, God reminded
Moses that
He would help him speak, and would "be with his mouth
As God’s representative, a prophet is
God’s mouthpiece:
he speaks for
God and gives His message.
Sometimes that message is regarding the future.
At other times,
it concerns the present, even the past.
Occasionally, the message is simply about
doctrinal truth.
Regardless of what the message is,
it is always
God’s message spoken forth –
His true and perfect
Word
that will surely bestows
the
favor of the Almighty
Thus, the urgent call for us, as it was in the times
of King Jehoshaphat,
is to
“Have faith in the LORD
your God
and you will be upheld;
have faith
in his prophets
and you will be successful.”
This is the perfect time
for complete
obedience to this command
of our
Almighty God
for He has ordained
true prophets
who will speak
forth prophetic declarations
for our nation,
to
whom God has sent
to reveal His Word to us.
At this historic point,
as we are
surrounded by the various notable
events that have
perturbed the entire humanity,
we are all the
more urged to conscientiously
listen to the prophets of God,
recognizing our privilege
to receive
His crucial and timely revelation.
Revelation 19:10
makes a bold statement
regarding
the relationship between
prophecy and Jesus
Christ:
“The testimony of Jesus
is the
spirit of prophecy”
(NKJV).
The book of Revelation
is a
book of prophecy
given by
Jesus Christ
to His servant
John
(Revelation 1:1).
The term revelation refers
to a
revealing or the making
known
of
something that was previously
unknown.
Revelation is like pulling back
a veil
to show what’s behind it
or
unwrapping a present
to
see what’s inside
What is prophecy, then?
Simply put,
prophecy is communication
from
God to mankind.
Some prophecy can be speaking of future events,
and
other prophecy might not be.
Prophets were utilized as a mouthpiece
for God--
they listened to God
and then conveyed
God’s message to the masses.
Some examples of prophets
are
Elijah, Isaiah, Moses, and Jonah.
In the context of
Revelation 19:10,
John has seen the fall
of the
evil world system
called
Babylon the Great
Revelation 18
A great multitude in
heaven
is celebrating
and singing praise
to God
because of that judgment
(Revelation 19:1–3)
and because it is now time
for the
wedding supper of the Lamb
(verses 6–8).
An angel says to John,
“Blessed
are
those who are invited
to the
wedding supper
of the
Lamb!”
Rev 19:9
For the testimony
of Jesus
is
“the spirit of prophecy”
(Revelation 19:10, NKJV).
1. Jesus is the substance of all prophecy, or,
put another way,
Jesus is the common theme among
all prophecy.
2. All true prophecy bears
witness about Jesus.
Therefore, all prophecy
should cause us to worship Him alone.
3. The message or testimony
given by Jesus
is the
essence of true prophecy.
Jesus is the Word,
and no
prophecy comes to us except
through Him,
ultimately pointing
to God as the
source
of all
true prophecy
The NIV translates the
angel’s statement
as
“It is the Spirit of prophecy
who bears
testimony to Jesus.”
While God has
made
many
beautiful things,
such as angels,
He is alone
worthy
of our praise
(cf. John 17:3; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15; 1 Samuel 7:4).
Isaiah 55:10–11 says,
“As the rain
cometh down, and the snow
from heaven, . . .
So shall my word
be that goeth forth out
of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void”
(KJV).
The word void means
“empty.”
The remainder of verse 11 explains
what it means
to “not return void,”
saying that
God’s Word
“will accomplish
what I desire
and
achieve the purpose
for
which I sent it.”
Rain and snow are part of
a cyclical
water process.
Precipitation comes upon
the earth,
drains into the land,
and produces great benefit
in the
growth of CROPS
the
refreshment of souls,
and
the sustaining of life.
Rain and snow come from
ABOVE
and
do not return back above
without
accomplishing their PURPOSE
God compares
His Word
to the rain and snow because,
like the precipitation,
God’s Word
always
fulfills His good purposes.
When God says that
His Word
will not return to
Him VOID,,
we can KNOW
that He has
an
INTENTION for His Word.
God’s Word is from ABOVE
He “breathed out”
His words to us,
and they were recorded in
the Bible
(2 Timothy 3:16).
Every word He gave humanity
is purposeful
and was given for a reason.
Like the rain and snow,
God’s words bring forth life
(John 6:63)
and
produce good fruit in our lives.
Through His Word,
we know
that
God loves us and that
Jesus died
to free us
from sin and death;
we also learn how to
live in
light of those truths
When God says
that His Word will not
return to Him void,
we are encouraged to abide
in His Word,
allowing it to absorb into our
lives,
soaking it up as the ground soaks
up the
rain and snow.
The truth
will not return void as our
hearts
are changed.
God’s Word
rebukes us and corrects us
when we are wrong,
and it
trains us in godly living
(2 Timothy 3:16–17)
. His Word is
a light
guiding us in this dark world
(Psalm 119:105).
It is relevant to
every pressing and practical problem.
God’s Word
will always accomplish what
He desires,
whether it is teaching,
correcting, training, leading us to Him,
revealing our sin,
or some other good and profitable end
When God says that His Word will not return
to Him void,
we understand that
God is sovereign.
The promise is that God’s Word will accomplish
what He wants it to,
not
necessarily what we want it to.
We may share the
Word with the purpose of changing
someone’s mind—and
the person’s mind doesn’t change.
God’s Word void?
No, but our personal goals may have been
different from God’s.
Like the wind that
“blows wherever it pleases,”
the Holy Spirit
moves
in mysterious ways
John 3:8
And God may use
His Word
in surprising ways,
at
surprising times,
and
in surprising people.
We can’t predict exactly
how
God will use His Word
any more than meteorologists
can predict
with certitude
the rainfall and snowfall.
God’s Word
will not return void. It is
too powerful.
When God said,
“Let there be light,”
the immediate result was that
“there was light
” (Genesis 1:3).
When Jesus said,
“Peace! Be still!”
the wind
ceased and the sea calmed
(Mark 4:39).
God’s Word will always prosper;
God
will succeed, and those
who
receive His Word will be
as well
(1 John 5:4).
“In the beginning God
created the
heavens and the earth.
The earth
was without form, and
void;
and darkness
was on
the face of the deep.”
Genesis 1:1–2
Zechariah 4:1-14
The burning lights and the olive trees
1 The angel that talked with me before woke me. I, Zechariah, was like a man who wakes out of his sleep. 2 The angel said to me, ‘What do you see?’ I said, ‘I see a lampstand that is made from gold. It has seven lamps and a bowl on top which contains oil. And it has seven branches that take the oil to each lamp. 3 And two olive trees are standing by the lampstand. One tree is on the right and one tree is on the left.’
4 I, Zechariah, said to the angel that talked with me, ‘What does this light mean, my lord?’
5 He said, ‘Do you not know what these are?’
I said, ‘No, my lord.’
6 Then the angel said to me, ‘The Lord said this to Zerubbabel: “You will need my Spirit.
You yourself are too weak. And you do not have enough power.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: 7 “Big mountain, you are no problem. You will become flat ground in front of Zerubbabel. Then he will bring out the last and biggest stone of my house. The people will shout, ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ” ’
8 Then the Lord's message came to me, Zechariah. He said, 9 ‘Zerubbabel has put down the first stone of my house. He will also finish it.’ Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.
10 Everyone should know that the day of small things is important.
Men will see Zerubbabel. Then they will sing and they will be happy.
They will see him
with a line
in his hand to measure the walls.
The Lord sees
everything
in the whole earth.
(The seven lights are the seven eyes of the Lord.)
11 Then I said to the angel,
“What are these
two olive trees that stand on the
RIGHT
and on the left of the
lampstand?’
12 A second time I spoke to the angel,
‘What are these
two branches of the olive trees?
They are next to the gold pipes and oil comes
from those pipes.’
13 The angel replied, ‘Do you not know what
these
olive trees mean?’
‘No, my lord,’ I said.
14 So the angel said,
‘These are the
two men
that the Lord of all the earth
has
chosen to be his servants.’
- The Law (Torah)
The first five books of the Bible, which are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy - The Prophets (Nevi'im)
Includes the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings) and the Latter Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets) - The Writings (Kethuvim)
Includes Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles -
What does Revelation 11:4 mean?
Prior verses indicated that these two witnesses
would
prophesy for 1,260 days.
The witnesses are referred
to here as the
two olive trees and the two lampstands
that stand
before the Lord of the earth.
The reference is appropriate.
The Old Testament prophet Zechariah
received
a vision of a gold lampstand
and
two olive trees,
one on
each side of the lampstand.
The lampstand
had a bowl and lamps into which the
olive trees poured oil.
Olive oil
was used in Bible times
as fuel for lamps.
The angel who gave the
vision
told Zechariah:
“Not by might, nor by power,
but by
my Spirit,
says the LORD of hosts"
(Zechariah 4:6),
and he identified the lampstands
as
“the two anointed ones who
stand
by the Lord
of
the whole earth"
(Zechariah 4:14).
Jesus told a parable about
ten virgins.
Five of them were
wise;
they took flasks of oil with
their lamps.
The other five were foolish;
they took no oil for their lamps
(Matthew 25:1–4)
One can see the
oil
in Matthew 25 as the
Holy Spirit,
and the 2 olive trees in Zechariah
as the
witnesses of Revelation.
Based on that,
God's two witnesses
during the second half of
the tribulation
will be empowered by the
Holy Spirit to shine
God's light
into a dark world.
In the Bible, olive trees and
are
used as symbols in
Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11:
Zechariah 4
In Zechariah 4, an angel describes a vision of a gold lampstand with seven lamps, a bowl of oil, and two olive trees on either side. The angel explains that the olive trees symbolize two people who have been chosen to serve the Lord of the earth. The lampstand with oil from the olive trees represents Zerubbabel receiving the Spirit's anointing for his task. The placement of the olive tree on the right side of the bowl suggests a position of honor and divine favor.
- Revelation 11
- In Revelation 11:4, the two olive trees and two lampstands are described as standing before the Lord of the earth. The symbolism of the two lampstands and olive trees depicts the Holy Spirit's central role in providing divine messages in the Old and New Testaments.
Olive wood, branches,
and oil
are mentioned many times in the Bible and
often signify:
purity, power, fertility, glory, wisdom, and peace.
The Ark
of the
Covenant
is a
religious relic and storage
chest
that is considered the
most
sacred object
in
Judaism and Christianity
"New Eve"
is a devotional
Title for Mary,
The mother of Jesus,
that has been
used by
Eastern and Western
Church fathers
since the second century.
The title compares
Mary
to the biblical concept of
the New Adam,
and highlights
Mary's role in salvation.
Here are some reasons why
Mary is referred to as the New Eve:
- Mother of the Church
Mary is the Mother of the Church, and the faithful are formed from the side of Christ, just as Eve was formed from the side of Adam
- Immaculate Conception
Mary was preserved immune from original sin and remained sinless throughout her life.- Faith
Mary's faith at the annunciation of the archangel Gabriel was essential to the incarnation of Jesus Christ and human redemption.
- Obedience
Mary's obedience to God's- will repaired the damage done by Eve's disobedience
- in Eden.
The early Church Fathers compared
Mary to the moon,
saying that she reflects the
LIGHT of the SUN
but has no light of her own.
This analogy shows that
Mary's GLORY
comes from her participation
in
HER SONS GLORY
and
never takes away from
HIM
What does it mean to proclaim
Mary as the New Eve?
Second-century Christian writers readily
proclaimed
“death through Eve, life through Mary”
(Read Sts. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus).
In Genesis 3:15,
we have what the tradition has come to know as the protoevangelium
(“first gospel”),
where God responds to the Serpent,
hinting at his first promise of redemption after the
fall of Adam and Eve:
“I will put enmity between
you and the woman and between
your seed and her seed;
he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel.”
This hints at the cosmic struggle
that will ensue,
resulting in the
Serpent’s ultimate defeat through
the seed of the Woman--
though her seed will also suffer through
this victory
(“you shall bruise his heel”).
The Christian tradition
sees
this ultimately as a cryptic prophecy
of
Jesus’ victory over the devil on the Cross.
Further, Eve is also described
as “the mother of all the living”
(Genesis 3:20).
Through grace—in Christ--Mary
becomes our mother;
she
becomes the mother of all the living
not in the order of nature,
but in the order of
supernatural grace.
Eve was created in a state of grace,
without sin;
if Mary is to exhibit this total
“enmity”
between her and the Serpent
(as mentioned in the above passage),
it would seem that her graced state
must rise
at least to the level of Eve.
Here, we can see a
hint of
Mary’s Immaculate Conception:
this is not a doctrine implying Mary does
not need a savior,
but rather one referring to the
unique and special way
in which she is saved by
her son.
Most of us are drowning in sin
and
Jesus pulls us out;
the
Immaculate Conception
means
that Jesus saved
her before she fell into sin
What’s the biblical evidence for
seeing
Mary as the New Eve?
For the most part, it comes from the writings of St. John—likely not a coincidence since he was the one who took Mary in after Jesus’ death. Surely, John must have asked the Blessed Mother what Jesus was like when he was just two? In other words, it’s not an accident that
St. John’s writings give us some of the most exalted theological writing in the New Testament—after all, he was able to contemplate these mysteries with the Blessed Mother by his side.
Let’s begin with the Gospel.
John opens with clear allusions
to Genesis:
“In the beginning was the Word … ”
(John 1:1; see Genesis 1:1).
John continues to refer to “light” and “life”—again, clear allusions to Genesis 1 (see John 1:4). If we follow the text carefully, John then proceeds to lay out a series of days, using the recurring phrase “the next day.” He does this three times (John 1:29, 35, 43), suggesting a series of four days (the first “next day” would be the second day, then the third, and then the fourth).
In this context, we have a marriage which is said to take place “on the third day” (2:1). Well, the third day from what? Perhaps from the fourth day—in which case the “third day” would be the seventh day. In other words, especially in light of the way John began his Gospel with clear allusions to Genesis 1, he seems here to be subtly setting up a new creation week.
This is the setting for Jesus’ reply
to Mary: “Woman … my hour has not yet come” (2:4).
Despite the way it sounds to our ears, this is not a disrespectful rebuke for a couple of reasons:
(1) Jesus is the God-man—surely he’s not breaking the fourth commandment here; and
(2) Mary’s response is itself indicative: she doesn’t cower away, saying, “Gosh, Jesus, do you have to be so mean—in public!” Rather,
Mary turns directly to the servants saying,
“Do whatever he tells you” (2:5).
In other words,
Mary’s response suggests an enthusiastic eagerness--
as if she’s joyfully saying, “Jesus is going to help us!”
If Jesus is not giving Mary a rebuke,
then what’s he doing—and why does
John recount the narrative the way he does?
Given the Genesis allusions with which
John began his Gospel--
and then the subtle creation week he develops by recourse to the phrase the “next day” and then the “third day”—it seems that there may be a certain “woman” in my mind, to which Jesus is alluding:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman”
(Genesis 3:15).
In other words, Jesus is proclaiming
Mary to be the New Eve--
the woman who bears the
seed
who brings
about this ultimate victory
(see John 12:31-32).
In fact,
John never refers to
Mary by name--
rather, he always refers to her
as “woman”
(see John 2:4; 19:26; cf. Revelation 12:1).
On the Cross, in John’s Gospel, Jesus looks down and sees his mother and John the beloved disciple and Jesus says: “Woman, behold your son … behold, your mother” (19:26-27). Here, John takes Mary as his spiritual mother, and Mary takes John as her spiritual son.
Why does John call himself the beloved disciple?Well, are you beloved? Am I beloved? John here sees himself as embodying the relationship granted to all disciples. His taking Mary as his spiritual mother refers not just to him, but to the relationship all Christians now have with the Blessed Mother.
In entrusting John and Mary
to each other in this way, Jesus has entrusted the
Blessed Mother to all of us.
Mary becomes our spiritual mother
who constantly brings our needs to her son--
just as she did at the
Wedding at Cana;
and she continually says to all of us,
just as she did then: “Do whatever he tells you” (2:5).
In other words,
Mary always takes us
to Jesus--
the closer we get
to her,
the closer we get
to him.
We have similar material in
Revelation 12,
where we have
a “woman”
who is both the mother
of
the Messiah
(see 12:1, 5) and the mother of all Christians—her other children are described as
“those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus”
(12:17).
The early Church knew that Mary is the New Eve, the new mother of all the living and therefore our mother in Christ. As the early Church Fathers liked to say, Mary is like the moon: she has no light of herself, but she radiantly reflects the light of the sun. This analogy is important because it shows that
Mary’s glory is always
a participation
in that of her son;
that is,
it’s never in competition
with Jesus--
it never takes away from Jesus,
but only
serves to show his power.
Both Eve and Mary were approached by an angel (with Eve, a fallen angel); doubt crept into Eve’s heart, whereas Mary’s faith was steadfast (see Luke 1:45). Eve participated in the downfall of the first Adam, just as Mary participates in the victory of her Son, the New Adam (see Luke 2:34-35).
In the words of the early Fathers, “the knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s faith.”
In God’s Providence, it was Mary’s fiat that prepared the way for the new creation, made manifest in Christ’s resurrection. Her “yes”—in one of her great titles—became the “cause of our salvation.”
Mary’s fiat became humanity’s yes to the
divine wedding proposal.
How can we get closer to Mary,
and thereby
draw closer to her son?
For Mary’s deepest desire
is to
unite us to her son.
Ark of the Covenent;
Mary and the Second Coming
Why is Jesus the
Incarnated Word of God?
The answer to this question is found by first understanding the reason
why John wrote his gospel.
We find his purpose clearly stated in John 20:30-31. “Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
but these have been
written
that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God;
and that believing you may have
life in His name.”
Once we understand that
John’s purpose was to introduce
the readers of
his gospel to Jesus Christ,
establishing
Who Jesus is (God in the flesh)
and what He did,
all with the sole aim of leading them
to embrace
the saving work of Christ in faith,
we will be better able to understand
why John introduces
Jesus as “The Word” in John 1:1.
By starting out his gospel stating, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John is introducing Jesus with a word or a term that both his Jewish and Gentile readers would have been familiar with.
The Greek word translated “Word” in this passage is Logos, and it was common in both Greek philosophy and Jewish thought of that day. For example, in the Old Testament the “word” of God is often personified as an instrument for the execution of God’s will
(Psalm 33:6; 107:20; 119:89; 147:15-18).
So, for his Jewish readers, by introducing Jesus as the “Word,” John is in a sense pointing them back to the Old Testament where the Logos or “Word” of God is associated with the personification of God’s revelation. And in Greek philosophy, the term Logos was used to describe the intermediate agency by which God created material things and communicated with them. In the Greek worldview, the Logos was thought of as a bridge between the transcendent God and the material universe. Therefore, for his Greek readers the use of the term Logos would have likely brought forth the idea of a mediating principle between God and the world.
So, essentially, what John is doing by introducing Jesus as the Logos is drawing upon a familiar word and concept that both Jews and Gentiles of his day would have been familiar with and using that as the starting point from which he introduces them to Jesus Christ. But John goes beyond the familiar concept of Logos that his Jewish and Gentile readers would have had and presents Jesus Christ not as a mere mediating principle like the Greeks perceived, but as a personal being, fully divine, yet fully human. Also, Christ was not simply a personification of God’s revelation as the Jews thought, but was indeed God’s perfect revelation of Himself in the flesh, so much so that John would record Jesus’ own words to Philip: "Jesus said unto him, 'Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how do you say, "Show us the Father"?'" (John 14:9). By using the term Logos or “Word” in John 1:1, John is amplifying and applying a concept with which his audience was familiar and using that to introduce his readers to the true Logos of God in Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, fully God and yet fully man, who came to reveal God to man and redeem all who believe in Him from their sin.
The biblical passage that makes reference to the “keys of the kingdom” is Matthew 16:19. Jesus had asked His disciples who people thought He was. After hearing several of the more popular opinions, Jesus aimed His question directly at His disciples. Peter, responding for the twelve, acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. After this great confession, Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17–19).
Keys are used to lock or unlock doors. The specific doors Jesus has in mind in this passage are the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is laying the foundation of His church (Ephesians 2:20). The disciples will be the leaders of this new institution, and Jesus is giving them the authority to, as it were, open the doors to heaven and invite the world to enter. At this point it is important to understand how, biblically speaking, one enters the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus said that, unless one is born again, he will not see the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3).
One is born again as the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God to bring about new life in a dead sinner. The content of the message is the substitutionary death of Christ and His subsequent resurrection (Romans 10:9–10).
So the
faithful
preaching
of
the gospel
is the key
to
the kingdom
In Matthew 16:19, Jesus is specifically addressing Peter, so it is significant that, in the book of Acts, Peter figures prominently in the “opening of doors” to three different groups of people so they can enter the Kingdom. In Acts 2, it is Peter who preaches in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost; about three thousand Jewish people are saved that day. Peter’s preaching had “unlocked the door” of heaven for the Jews. Later, in Acts 8, the Samaritans believe the gospel and receive the Holy Spirit; again, Peter (and John) was present for this event. Peter had “unlocked the door” for the Samaritans. Then, in Acts 10, Peter brings the gospel to a Roman centurion’s household, and they, too, receive the Holy Spirit. Peter had “unlocked the door” for the Gentiles. The “keys” that Jesus had given him worked in each case.
Of course, keys can be used to lock doors as well as open them. Part of the gospel message is that faith is necessary. Without faith in Christ, the door to heaven is shut and barred (see John 3:18).
As the apostles preached
the gospel,
those who
responded in faith and repentance
were granted access
to the Kingdom of Heaven;
yet those who
continued to harden their hearts
and reject
the gospel of God’s saving grace
were
shut out of the Kingdom
(Acts 8:23).
The context of Matthew 16 also refers to a “binding and loosing.” To better understand this concept, we turn to Matthew 18:15–20, where Jesus gives the guidelines for church discipline, using the same “binding and loosing” language we find in Matthew 16.
The apostles were not to usurp Christ’s authority over individual believers and their eternal destiny, but they were to exercise authority to discipline erring believers and, if necessary, excommunicate disobedient church members. Based on God’s Word, believers today can declare an unrepentant sinner to be unsaved (“bound”) and a repentant believer in Jesus Christ to be saved (“loosed”).
The binding or loosing, based on one’s rejection or acceptance of the gospel, reflects heaven’s perspective on the matter. In heaven, Christ ratifies what is done in His name and in obedience to His Word on earth.
God’s will is that sinners be granted access to heaven through the righteousness of Christ. Consider Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in” (Matthew 23:13). If the gospel message is distorted or ignored, or if unrepentant sin is not adequately disciplined, the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven are being shut in people’s faces.
During the first century of the church, there was an office of apostle and there was a spiritual gift of apostle. The office or position of apostle was held by the 12 disciples of Jesus plus Matthias, who took Judas’ place, and Paul. Those who held the office or position of apostle were chosen specifically by Christ (Mark 3:16-19).
The replacement for Judas is seen in Acts 1:20-26. Note in this passage that Judas' position was called an office.
It should also be noted that Paul was chosen by Christ (1 Corinthians 15:8-9; Galatians 1:1; 2:6-9). These men were given the task of setting up the foundation of the church. It should be understood that it was for the universal church that these men were a part of the foundation (Ephesians 2:20). The foundation of the church (universal church) was laid in the first century. This is why the office of apostle is no longer functioning.
There was also a spiritual gift of apostle (this is not to be confused with the office—they are separate). Among those who had the spiritual gift were James (1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 1:19), Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14; 1 Corinthians 9:6), Andronicus and Junias (Romans 16:7), possibly Silas and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:7), and Apollos (1 Corinthians 4:6, 9). This latter group had the gift of apostleship but not the apostolic "office" conferred upon the Twelve and Paul. Those who had the gift of apostle, then, were those who carried the gospel message with God’s authority. The word "apostle" means "one sent as an authoritative delegate." This was true of those who held the office of Apostle (like Paul) and those who had the spiritual gift (like Apollos). Though there are men like this today, men who are sent by God to spread the gospel, it is best NOT to refer to them as apostles because of the confusion this causes since many are not aware of the two different uses of the term apostle.
The gift of prophet was a temporary gift given by the Christ for the laying of the foundation of the universal church. Prophets also were foundational to the universal church (Ephesians 2:20). The prophet proclaimed a message from the Lord for the believers of the first century. These believers did not have the advantage we have of having a complete Bible. The last book of the New Testament (Revelation) was not completed until late in the first century. So the Lord provided gifted men called prophets who proclaimed messages from God to the people until the canon of Scripture was complete.
It should be noted that the current teaching of the restoration of prophet and the office of apostle is far from what Scripture describes of the men who held the gift of prophet and the office of apostle. Those who teach the restoration of the office teach that the men who claim to be apostles and prophets should never be spoken against, should never be questioned, because the person who speaks against them is speaking against God. Yet, the Apostle Paul commended the people of Berea for checking what he said against the Word of God to make sure he spoke the truth (Acts 17:10-11).
The Apostle Paul also stated to those in Galatia that if anyone, including himself, should teach another Gospel, that person should be "accursed" (Galatians 1:8-9). In everything, Paul kept pointing people to the Bible as the final authority. The men who claim to be apostles and prophets today make themselves the final authority, something Paul and the Twelve never did.
It should also be noted that Scripture refers to these men in the past tense. 2 Peter 3:2 and also Jude 3-4, state that the people should not stray from the message the apostles gave (past tense). Hebrews 2:3-4 also speaks in the past tense of the those who performed (in the past) signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:25–27 uses Christ’s unique role as the one who sanctifies the church as a model for how a husband should love and care for his wife. These verses say that “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (NKJV).
Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians to help them understand better the greatness of Christ, their new position in Christ, and the expectations God has for them. Paul summarizes much about Christ in the statement that in Christ all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Colossians 1:19).
For believers to truly understand the riches they have in Christ, they need to understand more about who He really is. Paul explains that in Christ we have forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14). Christ is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15a), or, as Matthew Henry put it, “the visible discovery of the invisible God” (Commentary, Col. 1:15–23). Christ has sovereign rights over all creation (Colossians 1:15b). In fact, Christ is the Creator of all—everything that exists was created “in him . . . through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). If you want to see God, look at Jesus, “for God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (Colossians 1:19).
After explaining the preeminence of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:17–18), Paul adds that it is the Father’s pleasure that all the fullness of deity dwell in Christ (Colossians 1:19)—Jesus isn’t usurping anything that doesn’t belong to Him. He is God. Because Jesus is Deity, He has the qualification and authority to bring redemption and reconciliation with God to humanity (Colossians 1:20).
As John put it, Jesus has revealed and explained the Father to us (John 1:18). No one else was qualified to do this because no one had even seen the Father; only Christ could communicate the Father to humanity. Paul adds that Jesus is God’s mystery revealed (Colossians 2:2). Jesus is the revelation of God, and it is in Him that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge can be found (Colossians 2:3). Because of Jesus’ intimate relationship with the Father and how He reveals the Father to humanity, we can trust in Him as sufficient for providing reconciliation or peace with the Father through His shed blood on the cross (Colossians 2:20).
Just as the Colossians had received Christ, they were to walk in Him (Colossians 2:6). They were also to beware of philosophies, traditions, and basic principles that were not of Christ (Colossians 2:8), because only in Christ does the fullness of the Godhead dwell bodily. If a system of thought is rooted in anything other than Christ, then it can deceive and take someone captive. On the other hand, if the Colossians would acknowledge the philosophy (or system of ideas) that is according to Christ, then they would be able to put the principles into practice that God had designed for them. If Jesus is the physical person of God (both fully God and fully man), then we can be confident that following Him is following the truth. Believers should avoid falsehood, hold fast to Jesus as “the head,” and understand that their growth in God comes from Him (Colossians 2:19). We no longer live according to the elementary principles of a world that denies Christ (Colossians 2:20)—those principles are powerless to help us.
Because in Christ the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9), believers can have confidence that one day, when He is revealed in glory, we will also appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4). Our future is certain, based on the person and work of Jesus Christ. Believers need to focus on seeking the things that matter to Christ, who is in heaven and who will return one day (Colossians 3:1–3).
We have a new position in Christ and new life through belief in Him, and we should prioritize what is important to Him, knowing that in Christ the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Colossians 1:19). Because of who He is, He can and will deliver on His promises.
In marriage, a husband should sacrificially love his wife, as Christ loved the church. Unlike marriage, however, husbands do not “sanctify” or “wash” their wives. But this is something that Christ does for His church. In this context, to sanctify is to set apart for God’s purpose and purify from sin. Through faith in the finished work of Christ, believers are set apart as holy and dedicated to God’s service (see Romans 12:1–2; 1 Peter 1:15–16).
In Ephesians 5:26, the expression washing of water is linked to water baptism, as mentioned in Romans 6:3–4. According to Paul, baptism symbolizes the believer’s death to sin and new life in Christ. The reality is that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV). Water for cleansing also played a part in a bride’s preparation for her wedding day.
There may also be a link between
Ezekiel 16:1–13 and Ephesians 5:26–27.
In the Ezekiel passage,
Israel
is portrayed as an abandoned girl
who becomes a queen.
This passage prefigures the New Testament
concept of
the church as the bride of Christ,
who is sanctified and cleansed for Him.
The metaphor is further enriched by
Ezekiel 36:25,
where God promises to
“sprinkle clean water on you,
and you shall
be clean from all your uncleanness,
and from
all your idols I will cleanse you”
(ESV).
In Christ, we are thoroughly cleansed.
The culmination of Christ’s
sanctifying work
is
beautifully illustrated
in the
eschatological visions
of
Revelation 19:7–9 and 21:2, 9–11.
In these passages,
the apostle John
describes the
marriage supper of the Lamb,
an event that represents the
final consummation of Christ’s relationship with His church.
This future event is not only a celebration but a
fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan,
where
Christ presents
“the church
to himself in splendor,
without
spot or wrinkle or any
such thing,
that she might be
holy
and without blemish”
(Ephesians 5:27, ESV)
Ephesians 5:26
also specifies the agency through
which
Christ accomplishes
His “washing” of the church:
it is done
“through the word.”
In His High Priestly Prayer,
Jesus said,
“Sanctify them [the disciples] by the truth; your word
is truth.”
The means by which God justifies,
saves, and sanctifies
His people is the Word of God
(see also John 15:3; James 1:18).
It is by the Word
that God accomplishes
His purpose
“to prepare and equip his people
to do
every good work”
(2 Timothy 3:17, NLT)
While the focus of Ephesians 5:26–27 is on
Christ’s role,
there are practical implications for believers.
Because we have been
“sanctified” and “washed,”
God expects us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV). Such a “walk,” or lifestyle, is not about earning salvation; rather, it is about responding to God’s grace with reverence and obedience.
The church, as the collective body of believers, plays an important role in the sanctification process. This communal aspect of sanctification is emphasized in Hebrews 10:24–25, which encourages believers “to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (ESV).
The sanctification process is both personal and communal.
Individually, believers are called to engage with Scripture, allowing the Word of God to cleanse them from sin and transform their hearts and minds (Psalm 119:105; James 1:22–25). Collectively, the church reflects the holiness and purity of Christ, given to the church through what He accomplished on the cross.
Ephesians 5:26–27 presents
profound insights into Christ’s role
in the
sanctification of His church,
drawing from Old Testament allegories and culminating in our future union with Him.
Not only does this passage reveal the depth of Christ’s love and sacrifice, but it also calls us to a life of holiness and dedication to God’s service. Let us, then, live out the fulness of our spiritual cleansing, demonstrating to everyone that we belong to Christ, who sanctifies us “by the washing with water through the word.”
In a discussion about marriage using Christ and the church as a metaphor, Paul writes of Christ’s sacrifice in Ephesians 5:25. He then explains the purpose of Christ’s death on behalf of the church: “He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault” (verse 27, NLT).
Ephesians 5:27 is part of broader instructions given to husbands, who are directed to love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church—with a self-sacrificing love (verse 25). Paul explains that Christ’s sacrifice was intended to “make her [the church] holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word” (verse 26).
Having been cleansed, the church will be “glorious . . ., without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish”
(verse 26, NLT).
When Scripture
states that the church should be
without spot,
wrinkle, or blemish, it signifies the church’s
complete holiness,
as the remainder of Ephesians 5:27 shows:
“She will be holy and without fault”
(NLT).
Here, spots, wrinkles, and blemishes symbolize impurity--
not a physical deformity,
but a spiritual impurity caused by sin.
The church
is already positionally holy
through
Christ’s perfect sacrifice.
She is presently being
sanctified,
progressively set apart from the
power and practice of sin,
and in
eternity she will be freed from
the presence of sin.
All these
transformative processes
are achieved
through Christ
It is evident in Ephesians 5 that the church holds a special place in Christ’s heart. Regardless of the mishaps and imperfections of the church, Christ’s work of sanctification remains steadfast. Those who are concerned about the many issues faced by the church today should recognize that Christ continues to work, even in the chaos.
He intimately knows His bride
and
is committed to
completing the work He has started.
Christ’s sanctifying work also has implications at the individual level. As children of God, we are positionally sanctified. We are currently being transformed to become more like Jesus, and we must remember this as we engage in spiritual disciplines such as prayer and feeding on the Word. We can be confident that the Son lavishes unconditional love on His bride. Just as a devoted husband would not dream of abandoning his wife, Jesus will not forsake His bride or the promises He made to her.
This assurance provides us with ample
motivation to
lead a holy life,
knowing that God
is actively
working in us to conform
us to His image
(Philippians 2:13)
The love that Christ has for His church
and
His commitment to cleanse her
of spots and blemishes should
serve
as a model
for our marriages, especially for husbands.
The husband loves his wife
with the
aim
of “sanctifying” her.
He should care for her,
keep her
best interests in mind,
and be genuinely concerned
about her growth in all aspects,
including
her spiritual well-being
Colossians 1:27 is a powerful verse: “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Let’s start by clarifying that the apostle Paul is writing to believers in Jesus Christ—the “you” whom he addresses. He calls them “the Lord’s people” in the previous verse (Colossians 1:26). The “Gentiles” are non-Jewish people. A “mystery” in the New Testament is simply something that was hidden in times past but has now been revealed by God. The former mystery, now understood, is that Christ in us is the hope of our future glory.
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon certain people to empower them for service, but then He would leave again. New Testament believers have a different experience, as the Spirit indwells us permanently. The permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit given to New Testament believers was a “mystery” to the Old Testament saints. After Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us, never to leave (John 14:16–17; 16:7). Jesus told His disciples, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father . . . and I am in you” (John 14:20).
The Holy Spirit seals us for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). In other words, the Spirit’s presence in our hearts guarantees our ultimate salvation. Though we are in this world, we are not of it (John 17:16). God will continue to work in us until He is finished perfecting us (see Philippians 1:6).
This forward-looking
guarantee of perfection
is what is meant by
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
The J. B. Phillips translation of Colossians 1:27 puts it this way:
“The secret is
simply this: Christ in you!
Yes, Christ in you
bringing with him the hope
of all
glorious things to come.”
The hope of glory
is the
fulfillment of God’s promise
to restore
us and all creation
(see Romans 8:19–21 and 1 Peter 5:10). This hope is not a wishful thought,
but the confident, expectant, joyful
knowledge
that we are being changed by God
and will one day see Christ
face to face,
having been conformed to
His image
(Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2).
The hope of glory includes our resurrection: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who
raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11).
It includes a heavenly inheritance:
“In his great mercy he has given us
new birth
into a living hope
through the
resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead,
and into an
inheritance
that can never perish, spoil or fade.
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you”
(1 Peter 1:3–4).
The Spirit of Christ within us
is the
“deposit guaranteeing our inheritance”
(Ephesians 1:14)
Christ’s presence in us is the
hope of glory,
and this truth
is full of “glorious riches.”
Our once dead, darkened spirits are made
alive.
Christ is in our hearts,
and we
know that there is life beyond
this earthly existence--
a life that will be
glorious beyond all imagination
The apostle Paul repeatedly underscores the person and work of Jesus Christ in his letter to the Colossians. Concluding a section of teaching devoted to maintaining a holy lifestyle and keeping unity within the church (Colossians 3:12–17), Paul urges believers to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (verse 15, ESV) and “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (verse 16, ESV).
In this passage, Paul introduces the unique phrase word of Christ (it occurs only here) rather than his earlier usage of “word of God” (see Colossians 1:25). Bible scholars are split into three camps regarding the meaning of word of Christ in Colossians 3:16. Some, such as Warren Wiersbe, interpret the expression to mean the Word of God: “The Word will transform our lives if we will but permit it to ‘dwell’ in us richly.
The word dwell
means ‘to feel at home.’
If we have experienced
the
grace and the peace
of Christ,
then the Word of Christ
will feel
at home in our hearts.
We will discover
how
rich the Word is
with
spiritual treasures
that
give value to our lives”
(The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2, Victor Books, 1996, p. 139–140).
Others believe the word of Christ
refers to the actual
words that Jesus Christ uttered--
His teachings
and messages that came
directly from His mouth
or were spoken by the Spirit of Christ.
A third camp proposes that
the word of Christ
denotes the message about
Jesus Christ
—“the word of the truth, the gospel”
(Colossians 1:5; Ephesians 1:13 ESV),
“the message of the gospel”
(Acts 15:7),
or “the word of the Lord”
(see 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Acts 8:25, ESV).
None of these interpretations conflict with the others.
The words that
Jesus,
God the Son, spoke
were given to Him
by
God the Father.
Jesus told His disciples,
“And remember, my words are
not my own.
What I am telling you
is from the Father
who sent me”
(John 14:24, NLT).
Jesus and the Father are one
(John 10:30; 17:11);
therefore, the word of Christ is the Word of God.
Likewise,
the message of the gospel is the Word of God
(Mark 1:14; 1 Peter 1:25).
Earlier in his greeting, Paul testified
that
“the word of the truth”
or “the gospel,”
which the Colossians had
received,
was“bearing fruit and increasing”
since the day they first heard
and understood
“the grace of God in truth”
(Colossians 1:5–6, ESV).
Holiness and unity,
both
individually and in the
body of Christ,
are cultivated when
we let
the word of Christ make
its home in us--
when we give the truth of God’s Word ample, comfortable space in our hearts and lives through teachings and Bible study, counseling one another with its wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16), and meditating on it day and night (Psalm 1:1–2).
Another way we might understand
the word of Christ
is as the
sum of Christian doctrine,
or the gospel
in its broadest sense as presented by
Jesus Christ and the Spirit of Christ.
Paul clarified,
“I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that the gospel
I preached is not of
human origin”
(Galatians 1:11; see also Hebrews 2:3; 1 Corinthians 7:10).
The gospel Paul preached was the word of Christ delivered by the Spirit of Christ.
God’s Word is meant to permeate our lives so profoundly that it takes up permanent residence. This abiding infilling is made possible through the indwelling Holy Spirit, who reminds us of everything Jesus said and did (John 14:26; 16:13). As we let the word of Christ dwell in us richly and are filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18–20), we become living representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ for God’s glory in whatever we say and do (see Colossians 3:17, 23; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians 6:16). The life of a born-again believer, fully submitted to God and occupied by Christ, “will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God . . . and that word is the Good News that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:23–25, NLT).
Romans 10:17 states, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (NKJV). The English Standard Version puts it this way: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” In the context of Romans, the phrase word of God is synonymous with word of Christ.
This “word” refers to
the gospel,
which is known
as
“the Good News about Christ,”
as mentioned in
The New Living Translation of Romans 10:17.
Romans 10 continues the discussion from the previous chapter, where Paul addresses the salvation of the Jews, God’s chosen people. He acknowledges the zeal of many Jews (Romans 10:2) but points out that their zeal is misdirected as they reject the salvation offered through Christ. Instead, they seek righteousness through the law (verse 3). Paul then contrasts obedience to the law with faith, highlighting the simplicity of the latter. The emphasis is that Christ and His message are readily available to everyone, requiring confession and belief (verses 6–13). However, this message must first be heard, and those who preach it have “beautiful feet” (verse 15; cf. Isaiah 52:7). Paul then summarizes the point introduced at the beginning of the chapter by saying,
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”
(Romans 10:17, NKJV).
Hearing
Shema Yisrael
Shema Israel or Sh'ma Yisrael;
Hebrew:
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl,
"Hear, O Israel"
"Hear, O Israel: YHWH our God, YHWH is one"
Hebrew
: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד׃
found in Deuteronomy 6:4
through the Word of God is important
because faith
cannot come unless there
is a message to be believed--
and that
message is contained in the
Word of God.
Hearing by
the
Word of God leads to
saving faith
when we place
our
trust in the good news
Christ, the Son of God, came to redeem sinners and reconcile us with the Father. When we place our faith in Christ, God declares us as righteous (Romans 3:22).
Paul enforces both the concept of
salvation
by
grace through faith
and
the significance of
spreading
the
message that people
need to hear
At this point, skeptics and curious believers may wonder about the fate of those who have never heard the gospel. First, we must acknowledge that no one is entirely ignorant of God because His general revelation is evident to all (Romans 1:19–20). Even people in unfamiliar tribes have a sense of the divine. Additionally, God promises a fair judgment, giving everyone what they deserve (see Romans 2:5–10; Revelation 20:11–15). Unfortunately, humanity often rejects this general revelation, choosing to rebel against God or attempting to achieve righteousness through our own efforts.
It would be fair for God to judge us based on our rebellion against His general revelation and the laws we have broken. We cannot accuse God of being unfair when He judges those who have not heard the gospel. In reading the story of Cornelius in Acts 10, we can reasonably conclude that God has ways of reaching anyone. As Christians, our role is to offer what humans do not deserve: the gift of grace. We should fulfill our part, making our feet “beautiful” by spreading the gospel. There is no nuance or complexity beyond God’s wisdom.
Believers also need to hear the Word of God daily to strengthen their faith. While the gospel, in its narrow sense, pertains to salvation, in a broader sense, it encompasses the entire Scripture. The metanarrative goes from creation to the fall all the way to redemption and restoration. Consequently, the principle of Romans 10:17 can be applied by Christians who consistently engage with Scriptures. As we are reminded of God and His actions and promises, our confidence grows.
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.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.
To counter the false teachers who were misapplying and undermining the truth of God’s Word, the apostle Paul urged Timothy to work hard and study diligently to be sure that he had God’s approval when handling the Scriptures: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV).
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God” is antiquated language that challenges the understanding of current-day Bible readers. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved” (NIV) and “work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval” (NLT) are more modern renderings that bring transparency to the original text for today’s readers of the Bible.
False teachers were a problem in the early church, just as they are now. Pastors and church leaders are charged with the responsibility of keeping God’s people safe from gangrenous teachings that spread and choke out the truth of Scripture and lead to ungodly living (2 Timothy 2:16–17). Paul tells Timothy to warn God’s people “before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen” (2 Timothy 2:14). Timothy was to command the people in the presence of God to stop fighting over words and stop listening to those who were stirring up trouble with their pointless, hair-splitting debates. The result of getting caught up in such ideas—building theological mountains out of mere foolish talk—would be spiritual ruin.
Show thyself approved means to present yourself to God in such a way that you receive His approval. Followers of Jesus Christ and especially pastors and teachers are to work persistently to understand and explain the truth of God’s Word correctly. In the original language, the word rendered “approved” in 2 Timothy 2:15 carries the idea of being “tried and true,” or tested and proven genuine. Receiving God’s approval seems to suggest having passed a vetting process (see 1 Thessalonians 2:4).
God’s approved workers handle the word of truth correctly. Rightly dividing literally means “cutting straight” in the original Greek. Pastors and teachers are to be skilled workmen of God’s Word who carefully and thoroughly search the revelation of God in Scripture, not deviating from or distorting its message in any way (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:5–6; Revelation 22:18–19). They cut straight lines and help build a stable foundation that will stand the test of time (2 Timothy 2:19). The approved worker is like the Bereans who “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). He studies God’s Word and then seeks to apply it to his own life.
The unapproved worker swerves from the truth, cutting crooked lines with meaningless talk, godless chatter, false knowledge, and departures from the faith (1 Timothy 1:6; 6:20; 2 Timothy 2:16–18). He involves himself “in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or in quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. These things are useless and a waste of time” (Titus 3:9, NLT). Paul describes the unapproved worker as “arrogant” and someone who “lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions” (1 Timothy 6:4, NLT).
Christian teachers who have proven themselves and received God’s approval have no reason to be ashamed. Paul’s target as a minister of Jesus Christ was to “never be ashamed, but . . . continue to be bold for Christ” and “bring honor to Christ” for the rest of his life (Philippians 1:20, NLT).
Paul’s directive to Timothy to “show thyself approved” echoes in his unapologetic commendation of himself before God as his witness: “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, 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 everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:1–2).
Paul was a highly educated,
brilliantly
qualified teacher of
the law,
yet he did not depend
on his
own competence in his ministry
as an
apostle of Jesus Christ:
“And we have such trust through Christ toward God.
Not that we are sufficient
of ourselves to think
of anything
as being from ourselves,
but our sufficiency is from God,
who also made us
sufficient as ministers of the new covenant”
(2 Corinthians 3:4–6, NKJV).
Genuine ministers of Christ can have rock-solid confidence, but only as they
depend wholly on the Lord and His grace.
In 2 Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul confronts the ideas and practices of legalistic false teachers who brag about their “letters of commendation” (2 Corinthians 3:1).
These powerful, self-reliant men were challenging Paul’s authority and apostleship. They thought Paul lacked the necessary credentials and resources to be a competent minister. Paul asserts that we (he and all genuine Christian ministers) don’t need to depend on human-supplied credentials because our sufficiency comes from God.
In 2 Corinthians 3:5,
the Greek noun translated
“sufficiency” means “the quality
of being able
to meet a need satisfactorily,
or being fit enough,
capable, competent, or adequate
for the job.”
In a similar warning to the Philippians about false teachers, Paul explains that, perhaps more than anyone, he has good reason to trust in his own competency: “Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church.
And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault” (Philippians 3:4–6, NLT).
Humanly speaking, Paul was overqualified for the job. Nevertheless, he puts “no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). He does not rely on his rich heritage, religious zeal, theological training, or natural ability. Everything that defined and qualified Paul as an apostle was credited to God and His grace: “For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace” (1 Corinthians 15:9–10, NLT).
Paul claims no credit and takes no glory for himself but gives it all to God and the power of His marvelous grace.
“Our sufficiency is of God” is not a declaration of false humility. Instead, it is a pronouncement of confidence in God’s competence, acknowledging that there is only one source to draw from as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ—the unlimited supply of grace poured into us through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, the apostles recognized that their “great power” to “testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” came from “God’s grace,” which was “powerfully at work in them all” (Acts 4:33). God’s grace is the only letter of recommendation we need (Acts 14:26; Romans 15:15–16). Paul admits that in all his dealings he “depended on God’s grace” and not on his own “human wisdom” (2 Corinthians 1:12, NLT; see also 1 Corinthians 2:1–5).
Our sufficiency is of God means that none of us are fit, capable, or satisfactorily qualified by our human efforts or aptitudes to minister to the hearts of lost people. Only God can enable us or make “us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6, ESV). Our success in ministry comes from God alone, as Paul eloquently illustrates throughout his letter: “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. . . . 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. . . . We live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. . . . All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory” (2 Corinthians 4:7–15, NLT; see also 2 Corinthians 5:18). Our sufficiency is of God, and His grace is all we need (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
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).
In Romans 10:4, the apostle Paul writes, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (ESV). The Greek word translated as “end” means “aim or purpose.” Christ is the aim and purpose of the law not because He abolished it but because He fulfilled it: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, ESV). By fulfilling the law, Christ guarantees the imputation of His righteousness to everyone who believes.
Apart from Christ, no one is righteous (Romans 3:10). The prophet Isaiah bluntly says, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isaiah 64:6, ESV). Unfortunately, Israel had deluded itself into believing that righteousness could be obtained through the law. Paul argues, however, that the law cannot make us righteous. He says, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
For by the works
of the
law no human being
will be
justified in his sight,
since through the
law
comes knowledge of sin”
(Romans 3:19–20, ESV).
The law effectively reveals our sinfulness,
but it cannot justify
or make us right before God.
Elsewhere, Paul says, “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:23–24, ESV). The law, then, was a promise of things to come. Nay, it was a promise of the One to come. Christ, in perfect obedience to the Father’s will (John 8:29), fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law and became the end of the law. Those who trust in Christ have received His righteousness; not because we have earned it, but because of His grace: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:23–25, ESV). Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Israel should have known that the law pointed to Christ: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39, ESV). However, they were “ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (Romans 10:3, ESV). Here, we have a biblical definition of sin. It is failure to submit to God’s righteousness. This is a spiritual and moral failure rather than an intellectual one (see John 3:19–21). To overcome this failure, God “gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). In Christ, we graciously receive His righteousness, a righteousness that could not be obtained through our own law-keeping (2 Corinthians 5:21). In this way, Christ is the end of the law.
An exposition of Romans 10:4, which says: "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes," will help in understanding what it means that Christians are not under the law. The apostle Paul clarifies the effects of original sin in Romans 2:12, stating, "All who sin apart from the law will perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law." All men stand condemned before God, whether they are Jews or not, or to put it another way, whether they have the Law of God or not. Paul also states, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
If we are without Christ, we are justly condemned in God’s sight by the Law that was given to His servant Moses. However, we might argue that those who are not Jewish and therefore do not benefit from the knowledge of the Mosaic Law (including the moral and ceremonial laws), should not be condemned in the same way. This is dealt with by the Apostle in Romans 2:14-15, where he states that the Gentiles have the essence of God’s legal requirements already ingrained and so are just as much without excuse.
The Law is the issue that has to be dealt with in order to bring us into a right relationship with God. "Know that a man is not justified by observing 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 observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified" (Galatians 2:16). This passage reveals that the Law cannot justify or make righteous any man in God’s sight, which is why God sent His Son to completely fulfill the requirements of the Law for all those who would ever believe in Him.
Christ Jesus redeemed us from the curse that has been brought through the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). He substituted Himself in our place and upon the cross took the punishment that is justly ours so that we are no longer under the curse of the Law. In doing so, He fulfilled and upheld the requirements of the Law. This does not mean that Christians are to be lawless, as some advocate today—a teaching called antinomianism. Rather, it means that we are free from the Mosaic Law and instead under the law of Christ, which is to love God with all of our being and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
Christ became the end of the Law by virtue of what He did on earth through His sinless life and His sacrifice on the cross. So, the Law no longer has any bearing over us because its demands have been fully met in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ who satisfied the righteous demands of the Law restores us into a pleasing relationship with God and keeps us there. No longer under the penalty of the Law, we now live under the law of grace in the love of God.
First Corinthians 13 is one of the most famous passages in the New Testament. It is often referred to as the “Love Chapter” because it illustrates a biblical understanding of love. It’s in this chapter that Paul speaks of a time when “we shall see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
In 1 Corinthians 13:1–3, Paul argues that love surpasses all spiritual gifts. Even the greatest spiritual gift is worthless without love.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, Paul describes the characteristics of love. These characteristics emphasize the importance of putting the interests of others above our own (cf. John 15:13; Philippians 2:14).
In 1 Corinthians 13:8–12, Paul speaks to the temporary nature of spiritual gifts and the hope that Christians have for a full, complete, and intimate knowledge of God in the future. This section reminds us that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues and prophesying are not eternal. Love, however, is eternal and will never fail (verse 8 and verse 13). Therefore, love is what truly matters.
This section also speaks to the limitations of human understanding. Because of sin and human finitude, we can only know and prophesy in part (1 Corinthians 13:9). Currently, we cannot understand God’s ways (Romans 11:33), nor can we fathom the depths of His love (Ephesians 3:17–19). But when Christ returns, sin will disappear and we will finally see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).
The expression face to face appears in 1 Corinthians 13:12. The full verse reads, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” The event described in this verse is often referred to as the “Beatific Vision” (to see God as He is), promised to Christians when Christ returns: “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). In our present state, however, we only have an indirect and imperfect knowledge of God’s infinite wisdom, glory, and love. Thus, we cannot see God as He is.
Paul compares our present knowledge of divine things to a dark reflection in a mirror. In New Testament times, a mirror was formed from polished metal, which could only reflect a dim and imperfect image. Yet Paul promises that God will exchange our dim images for a face-to-face encounter with Himself. On that glorious day, the light of God will shine upon us, and we will be free from all darkness. imperfection, and error. We will know Him fully, even as we are fully known by Him. This mutual recognition and understanding is the epitome of a deeply intimate relationship.
The beatific vision has roots in the Old Testament (Genesis 32:20; Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10). In Exodus 33:18–23, Moses asks to see God’s glory, but God tells Moses that no one can see His glory and live. However, God allows Moses to see His back, but not Him in His entirety (that is, in His full glory).
In Matthew 5:8, Jesus promises that the pure in heart will see God. Jesus can make this promise because He is the only one who has seen the Father (John 1:18), and whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 14:9). Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (Hebrews 1:3). And when He returns, we will behold the fullness of God’s glory. On that day, we will see God as He truly is.
This hope for a face-to-face encounter with God gives Christians peace and comfort, even in difficult circumstances. When this life comes to an end, we will see and be seen by the One who loved us enough to die for us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8).
In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul contrasts the letter and the Spirit as he argues for the legitimacy of his apostleship. At the end of the section, he characterizes all who believe in Jesus as having an “unveiled face”: “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 by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV). The significance of having an unveiled face is unveiled as the chapter unfolds.
Paul explains that the Corinthians themselves are Paul and Timothy’s letter of commendation (2 Corinthians 3:2). Their new life and fruitfulness are evidence of the veracity of the ministry of Paul and Timothy. The letters sent to the Corinthians were not written with ink or on stone but were written by Christ and by the Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 3:3). Their having an “unveiled face” was evidence of that (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Paul and Timothy had confidence in God and recognized that their adequacy came from God
(2 Corinthians 3:4).
They knew that the fruit borne
in the
Corinthians’ lives was from
God
and that the ministry God
had
entrusted them with was reliable.
God had made Paul and Timothy
servants
or ministers of a new covenant
(2 Corinthians 3:6).
It is important to note that Paul never suggested that the New Covenant was being fulfilled in the church or among the Corinthians—that covenant was made exclusively with Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:31). If God keeps His word, then He would have to keep that commitment with ethnic Israel and Judah in a literal sense. Paul explained elsewhere that he thought his ministry was important in part because God’s message of salvation would ultimately make Israel jealous for their Messiah, and they would one day call upon Him and be saved (Romans 11:11–12). When that happens, the New Covenant will be fulfilled. Paul’s proclaiming of the gospel to the Gentiles (which many of the Corinthians were) was all part of that plan to ultimately bring the fulfillment of God’s word and His New Covenant. That the Corinthians had unveiled faces was important for them and also for the big picture of Paul’s ministry.
Paul contrasts the letter and the Spirit, observing that the letter kills but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6b). When referring to the letter, Paul was talking about the Mosaic Law, which did not bring life but rather was a ministry to expose death (2 Corinthians 3:7). Paul notes that, if the messenger of that ministry (Moses) had glory or a face that shone (2 Corinthians 3:7), how much more the ministry of the Spirit would be associated with glory (2 Corinthians 3:8). Paul compares the glory of the two ministries (death and life, and the two covenants for Israel) and asserts that the ministry of the Spirit comes with greater and lasting glory, while the glory associated with the Law of Moses faded away.
Paul reminds his readers that Moses wore a veil not to cover the glory that shone on his face but to cover the fading of that glory (2 Corinthians 3:13). Paul adds that those original hearers of the Mosaic Law had a similar veil over their hearts and had hardened minds so as not to acknowledge their need for God’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 3:14–15). But when a person turns to the Lord, that veil is lifted, and Paul describes believers as having an unveiled face (2 Corinthians 3:16–18).
Paul rounds out the contrast by making it clear that the letter referred to the Mosaic Law and the Spirit referred to Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17). Jesus has a superior and everlasting ministry, bringing life, while the Law of Moses was designed to expose sin and death and direct a person to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Because Paul and Timothy were able to serve such a great ministry, they had confidence and would not lose heart (2 Corinthians 4:1).
Because believers in Christ all have unveiled faces, we can likewise take heart. We can have confidence in the One who renews us and will raise us up with Christ one day (2 Corinthians 3:14–18).In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul contrasts the letter and the Spirit as he argues for the legitimacy of his apostleship.
At the end of the section, he characterizes all who believe in Jesus as having an “unveiled face”: “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 by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV).
The significance of having an unveiled face is unveiled as the chapter unfolds.
Paul explains that the Corinthians themselves are Paul and Timothy’s letter of commendation (2 Corinthians 3:2). Their new life and fruitfulness are evidence of the veracity of the ministry of Paul and Timothy. The letters sent to the Corinthians were not written with ink or on stone but were written by Christ and by the Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 3:3). Their having an “unveiled face” was evidence of that (2 Corinthians 3:18). Paul and Timothy had confidence in God and recognized that their adequacy came from God (2 Corinthians 3:4).
They knew that the fruit borne in the Corinthians’ lives was from God and that the ministry God had entrusted them with was reliable.
God had made Paul and Timothy servants or ministers of a new covenant (2 Corinthians 3:6). It is important to note that Paul never suggested that the New Covenant was being fulfilled in the church or among the Corinthians—that covenant was made exclusively with Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 31:31). If God keeps His word, then He would have to keep that commitment with ethnic Israel and Judah in a literal sense.
Paul explained elsewhere that he thought his ministry was important in part because God’s message of salvation would ultimately make Israel jealous for their Messiah, and they would one day call upon Him and be saved (Romans 11:11–12).
When that happens, the New Covenant will be fulfilled. Paul’s proclaiming of the gospel to the Gentiles (which many of the Corinthians were) was all part of that plan to ultimately bring the fulfillment of God’s word and His New Covenant. That the Corinthians had unveiled faces was important for them and also for the big picture of Paul’s ministry.
Paul contrasts the letter and the Spirit, observing that the letter kills but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6b). When referring to the letter, Paul was talking about the Mosaic Law, which did not bring life but rather was a ministry to expose death (2 Corinthians 3:7).
Paul notes that, if the messenger of that ministry (Moses) had glory or a face that shone (2 Corinthians 3:7), how much more the ministry of the Spirit would be associated with glory (2 Corinthians 3:8).
Paul compares the glory of the two ministries
(death and life, and the two covenants for Israel)
and
asserts that the ministry
of the Spirit
comes with greater and
lasting glory,
while the glory associated with the Law of Moses
faded away.
Paul reminds his readers that Moses wore a veil not to cover the glory that shone on his face but to cover the fading of that glory (2 Corinthians 3:13).
Paul adds that those original hearers of the Mosaic Law had a similar veil over their hearts and had hardened minds so as not to acknowledge their need for God’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 3:14–15). But when a person turns to the Lord, that veil is lifted, and Paul describes believers as having an unveiled face (2 Corinthians 3:16–18).
Paul rounds out the contrast by making it clear that the letter referred to the Mosaic Law and the Spirit referred to Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17). Jesus has a superior and everlasting ministry, bringing life, while the Law of Moses was designed to expose sin and death and direct a person to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Because Paul and Timothy were able to serve such a great ministry, they had confidence and would not lose heart (2 Corinthians 4:1). Because believers in Christ all have unveiled faces, we can likewise take heart. We can have confidence in the One who renews us and will raise us up with Christ one day (2 Corinthians 3:14–18).
To better understand the causes and solutions for a hardened heart, it’s important to understand the broad biblical meaning of the word “heart.” The Bible considers the heart to be the hub of human personality, producing the things we would ordinarily ascribe to the “mind.” For example, Scripture informs us that grief (John 14:1); desires (Matthew 5:28); joy (Ephesians 5:19); understanding (Isaiah 6:10; Matthew 13:15); thoughts and reasoning (Genesis 6:5; Hebrews 4:12; Mark 2:8); and, most importantly, faith and belief (Hebrews 3:12; Romans 10:10; Mark 11:23) are all products of the heart. Also, Jesus tells us that the heart is a repository for good and evil and that what comes out of our mouth – good or bad – begins in the heart (Luke 6:43–45).
Considering this, it’s easy to see how a hardened heart can dull a person’s ability to perceive and understand. Anyone’s heart can harden, even faithful Christians’. In fact, in Mark 8:17–19 we see Jesus’ own disciples suffering from this malady. The disciples were concerned with their meager bread supply, and it was clear that each of them had forgotten how Jesus had just fed thousands with only a few loaves. Questioning them as to the hardness of their hearts, Christ spells out for us the characteristics of this spiritual heart condition as an inability to see, understand, hear, and remember. Regarding this last criterion, too often we forget how God has blessed us and what He has done for us. Similar to the disciples in this instance or the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, when a new calamity arises in our lives, our hearts often fill with fear and concern. Sadly, this simply reveals to God the little faith we have in His promise to take care of us (Matthew 6:32–33; Philippians 4:19). We need to remember not only the many times God has graciously provided for us in our time of need, but also what He has told us: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5).
Sin causes hearts to grow hard, especially continual and unrepentant sin. Now we know that “if we confess our sins, [Jesus] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). However, if we don’t confess our sins, they have a cumulative and desensitizing effect on the conscience, making it difficult to even distinguish right from wrong. And this sinful and hardened heart is tantamount to the “seared conscience” Paul speaks of in 1 Timothy 4:1–2. Scripture makes it clear that if we relentlessly continue to engage in sin, there will come a time when God will give us over to our “debased mind” and let us have it our way. The apostle Paul writes about God’s wrath of abandonment in his letter to the Romans where we see that godless and wicked “men who suppress the truth” are eventually given over to the sinful desires of their hardened hearts (Romans 1:18–24).
Pride will also cause our hearts to harden. The “pride of your heart has deceived you . . . you who say to yourself, ‘who can bring me down to the ground’ . . . I will bring you down declares the LORD” (Obadiah verses 3-4). Also, the root of Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness was his pride and arrogance. Even in the face of tremendous proofs and witnessing God’s powerful hand at work, Pharaoh’s hardened heart caused him to deny the sovereignty of the one, true God. And when King Nebuchadnezzar’s “heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory . . . until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone He wishes” (Daniel 5:20–21). Accordingly, when we’re inclined to do it our way, thinking we can “go it on our own,” it would be wise to recall what King Solomon taught us in Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
So, what then is the antidote for a heart condition such as this? First and foremost, we have to recognize the effect that this spiritual disease has on us. And God will help us to see our heart’s condition when we ask Him: “Search me O God, and know my heart…see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24). God can heal any heart once we recognize our disobedience and repent of our sins. But true repentance is more than simply a resolute feeling of steadfast determination. Repentance manifests itself in a changed life.
After repenting of our sins, hard hearts begin to be cured when we study God’s Word. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart. . . . I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9–11). The Bible is our manual for living as it is “God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). If we are to live life to the fullest as God intended, we need to study and obey God’s written Word, which not only keeps a heart soft and pure but allows us to be “blessed” in whatever we do (Joshua 1:8; James 1:25).
Hearts can also become hardened when we suffer setbacks and disappointments in life. No one is immune to trials here on earth. Yet, just as steel is forged by a blacksmith’s hammer, so, too, can our faith be strengthened by the trials we encounter in the valleys of life.
As Paul encouraged the Romans: “But we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us”
(Romans 5:3–5).
Second Peter 3:18 tells us to
“grow in the grace and knowledge
of
the Lord Jesus Christ.”
To grow in grace is to mature
as a Christian.
We are saved by grace through faith
(Ephesians 2:8–9),
and we mature
and are
sanctified by grace alone.
We know that grace is
a blessing that we don’t deserve.
It is God’s grace that justifies us,
sanctifies us, and
eventually glorifies us
in heaven.
The sanctification process,
becoming more like Christ,
is synonymous with growing
in grace.
We grow in grace
by reading God’s Word
and
letting it “dwell in us richly”
(Colossians 3:16)
and by praying. Those actions by themselves don’t mature us, but God uses these spiritual disciplines to help us grow. Therefore, maturing in our Christian life is not about what we do, but about what God does in us, by His grace. Understanding and applying God’s grace in our lives is important. We are not to impair it by being proud, because God says that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Grace is that attribute of God that enables us to break free of our sinful nature and follow Him. It gives us strength and protects us. Without God’s grace, His favor, we would be hopelessly lost in this world. The more grace we have and ask God for, the more mature as Christians we will be.
To grow in grace does not mean gaining more grace from God. God’s grace never increases; it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less. He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should be saved (John 3:16). How much more grace could there possibly be than that? But to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given. The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.
Peter also confirms that we need to grow in our knowledge of Jesus and to have that intimate relationship with Him because the more we know of Him, the more of Him will be seen in our lives. Paul said in Colossians 3:1–4: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
The Scriptures contain all the knowledge we will ever need to learn of God, His Son, and His Spirit, at least in this life. God`s desire for those He has saved is their sanctification and transformation. He wants us to become more holy like Himself. He wants to transform us into the image of His Son. The way to do this is by meditating on the Scriptures and applying their principles to our lives as we yield to the conviction and power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Then we will prove 2 Corinthians 3:18: “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord.”
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.
In Romans 13, the apostle Paul is teaching believers what it means to live the Christian life of sacrifice. First, he speaks of living in submission to those in authority. Then, shifting to the theme of loving one’s fellow human, Paul makes this declaration: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). Similarly, in Galatians 5:14, Paul states, “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
The law Paul is talking about in these verses is the Law of Moses, which was given by God to Israel (Exodus 20—40; Leviticus 1–7; 23). The law included the Ten Commandments and all the moral, ceremonial, and civil regulations that governed the life of the people of Israel in their covenant relationship with God. Paul indicates that the entire law can be summed up in one operative word—love. Believers can fulfill every demand of the Mosaic Law by loving others. The only legitimate debt and the one debt Christians can never fully repay is the ongoing obligation to love one another: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Paul illuminates the truth that love is at the core of the law. The love command—“love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18)—is at the heart of the law of Christ: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2; see also 1 Corinthians 9:20–21). James calls the command to love your neighbor as yourself the royal law: “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right” (James 2:8).
The law has always pointed to Jesus Christ: “For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God” (Romans 10:4, NLT). The Law of Moses is something humans are incapable of keeping (Galatians 3:10). We cannot meet the demands of the law in our own power (Galatians 3:24; Romans 8:4; 10:4). Our Savior, the Lord Jesus, fulfilled the law perfectly and provided His righteousness in exchange for our sin (see Matthew 5:17).
By faith we believe and accept that Jesus Christ bore the curse of the law when He died on the cross. And through Him we receive the Holy Spirit, who enables us to keep the divine law of love: “Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:10, NLT). Now, instead of worrying about what we can never do, namely, keeping the law, we are free to yield to the Spirit and allow Him to love through us.
One day when Jesus was teaching the crowds, a Pharisee asked Him, “What is the greatest commandment of the law?” Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40). Christians now satisfy all the demands of the law by loving God first and then loving others.
It is impossible to love God and not love people. God’s heart, His very nature, is love. If the Spirit of God dwells in us, His love will flow through us to others (1 John 3:10, 14, 16; 4:2–20).
Our love for God will cause us to see people as God sees them and love them as God does.
Finally, it’s vital to understand what the Scriptures mean by “love” in these verses. Love that fulfills the law is agape love. This love is not based on emotions, but an act of the will. It is self-sacrificing, deliberate, active love. To love someone with God’s love is to promote that person’s best interests—to actively work not to harm but to bring good to that person.
This love is directed not only toward fellow believers but to all people, even our enemies. Regardless of our emotional response to another person, agape love will act for his or her good, regardless of the cost.
That is the kind of love
Scripture speaks of when it says to
love your neighbor as yourself.
That kind of love is the fulfillment
of the law.
The end of the age
(“end of the world” in the KJV) refers to the end of this
present era and the commencement of the next dispensation.
It is the period that precedes
the
second coming of the
Son of Man
as the
Righteous Judge.
The end of the age
includes the rapture,
the
tribulation, the second coming,
and the
judgment of the nations,
all of
which help usher in the age to come.
Jesus refers
to “the end of the age” a couple times
in Matthew 13,
as He explains
the meaning of some parables.
In the
parable of the wheat and the tares,
Jesus warns
of a
judgment
to come in which
“the weeds are pulled up
and
burned in the fire”
(Matthew 13:40).
This will happen, Jesus says,
“at the end of the age”
(verses 39–40).
Later,
Jesus likens the
kingdom of heaven
to a
dragnet that
brings up all sorts
of fish.
Then the sorting comes:
“They sat down and collected
the
good fish in baskets,
but threw the bad away.
This is how
it will be at the end of the age”
(verses 48–49).
In both parables, the end of the age is associated
with a separation, a sorting,
and a burning fire
(verses 40 and 50).
Jesus used the phrase the
end of the age
to refer to that time in the
future when
the
kingdom of God is established,
true justice reigns,
and the
wicked are judged.
In Matthew 24,
Jesus’ disciples
come to
Him with a question
about the end of the age:
“What will be the sign of your coming
and
of the end of the age?”
(Matthew 24:3).
What follows is
the
Olivet Discourse,
Jesus’
summary of end times’
events
as they relate to Israel.
The disciples
thus understood the
end of the age
to mean
“the final judgment
that
accompanies Jesus’ second coming.”
The end of the
age will be a great
calamity for those
who persist in their
rejection of Christ.
Judgment will fall swiftly
and with finality.
For the children of God alive during
that time,
the end of the age will be
a time
of salvation and fulfilled hope.
One “age” or era leads to another.
Jesus spoke of both “this age” and “the age to come”
(Matthew 12:32).
The current age, the one in which we live,
is the age of grace,
which we also call the church age.
In this dispensation, all mankind is called
to repent of their
sin and
turn to Christ for salvation.
This age has lasted for 2,000 years
because God “
is patient with you,
not wanting anyone to perish,
but
everyone to come to repentance”
(2 Peter 3:9).
But this age must eventually come to an end.
At the end of the age
(literally, the consummation of the age),
the age of grace will be complete,
and a far more
glorious age will be ushered in.
Until then,
“now is the time of God’s favor,
now is the day of salvation”
(2 Corinthians 6:2)--
repentance should not be delayed.
Christians have the Lord’s promise that
He will never forsake us in this world,
no matter what happens:
“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”
(Matthew 28:20).
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.
The Bible nowhere presents an instance where lying is considered to be the right thing to do. The ninth commandment prohibits bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16). Proverbs 6:16-19 lists “a lying tongue” and “a false witness who pours out lies” as two of the seven abominations to the Lord. Love “rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). For other Scriptures that speak negatively of lying, see Psalm 119:29, 163; 120:2; Proverbs 12:22; 13:5; Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9; and Revelation 21:8. There are many examples of liars in Scripture, from Jacob’s deceit in Genesis 27 to the pretense of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. Time after time, we see that falsehood leads to misery, loss, and judgment.
There are at least two instances in the Bible where lying produced a favorable result. For example, the lie the Hebrew midwives tell Pharaoh seems to result in the Lord’s blessing on them (Exodus 1:15-21), and it probably saved the lives of many Hebrew babies. Another example is Rahab’s lie to protect the Israelite spies in Joshua 2:5. It is important to note, however, that God never condones these lies. Despite the positive outcome of these lies, the Bible nowhere praises the lies themselves. The Bible nowhere states that there are instances where lying is the right thing to do. At the same time, the Bible does not declare that there is no possible instance in which lying is an acceptable option.
The question then remains: is there ever a time when lying is the right thing to do?
The most common illustration of this dilemma comes from the life of Corrie ten Boom in Nazi-occupied Holland. Essentially, the story is this: Corrie ten Boom is hiding Jews in her home to protect them from the Nazis. Nazi soldiers come to her home and ask her if she knows where any Jews are hiding. What is she to do? Should she tell the truth and allow the Nazis to capture the Jews she was trying to protect? Or, should she lie and deny that she knows anything about them?
In an instance such as this, where lying may be the only possible way to prevent a horrible evil, perhaps lying would be the best of the available options. Such an instance would be somewhat similar to the lies of the Hebrew midwives and Rahab. In an evil world, and in a desperate situation, it may be the right thing to commit a lesser evil, lying, in order to prevent a much greater evil. However, it must be noted that such instances are extremely rare. And, even in those situations, lying would still be a sin, because it would still be violating the character of the God of truth (Hebrews 6:18). The vast majority of lies are due to people seeking to protect themselves, promote themselves, or harm someone else.
That is why the Bible so clearly,
strongly, and
consistently condemns lying
as a sin.
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).
Before the birth of Jesus,
an angel appeared to Joseph
and
revealed that his fiancée,
Mary,
had conceived a child
through
the Holy Spirit
(Matthew 1:20–21).
Mary would give birth to a Son,
and they were to name Him Jesus.
Then Matthew, quoting from Isaiah 7:14,
provided this inspired revelation:
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘
The virgin will conceive and give
birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel’
(which means ‘God with us’)”
(Matthew 1:22–23)
Seven hundred years earlier,
the prophet Isaiah
foresaw the virgin birth
of the
promised MESSIAH
He prophesied that
His NAME would be
Immanuel,
which means “God with us.”
By referencing the words of Isaiah, Matthew
recognized
Jesus as Immanuel.
The NAME Immanuel expresses
the
miracle of the Incarnation:
Jesus is God with us!
God had been
with
His people always--
in the pillar
of cloud
above the tabernacle,
in the voice
of the prophets, in the
ARK
of the covenant--
but never was
God so clearly
present with His people
as
He was through
His virgin-born Son, Jesus,
the
Messiah of Israel.
In the Old Testament, the presence of God with His people was most evident when His glory filled the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8; 40:34–35) and the temple (1 Kings 8:10–11). But that glory was far surpassed by the personal presence of God the Son, God with us in person.
Perhaps the most significant passage in the Bible on the Incarnation of Jesus is John 1:1–14. John states that “the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (verses 1–2).
John uses the term logos, or “the Word,” as a clear reference to God.
John declares in verse 14,
“The Word became flesh and made his
dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory,
the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the
Father, full of grace and truth.”
On the night of
His arrest,
Jesus was teaching
His disciples.
Philip had a request:
“Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
It was a perfectly natural yearning.
But Jesus replied,
“Philip,
I have been with you all this time,
and still
you do not know Me?
Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father”
(John 14:8–9, BSB).
Jesus had been showing them the Father
all along.
He was truly “God with us.”
Whenever Jesus spoke, He spoke the Father’s words.
Whatever Jesus did,
He did exactly as the Father would do.
God took upon
Himself human flesh and blood
(1 Timothy 3:16).
This is the meaning of incarnation.
The Son of God literally
“tabernacled”
among us as one of us;
He “set up His tent” in our camp
(John 1:14).
God showed us His glory and offered us
His grace and truth.
Under the Old Covenant,
the tabernacle
represented the presence of God, but now,
under the New Covenant,
Jesus Christ is God with us. He is not merely
a symbol of God with us;
Jesus is God with us in person.
Jesus is not a partial revelation of God;
He is God with us in all His fullness:
“For in Christ lives
all the fullness of God in a human body”
(Colossians 2:9, NLT).
God makes Himself fully
known to
us through Jesus Christ.
He reveals
Himself as our Redeemer
(1 Peter 1:18–19). Jesus is God with us as Reconciler. Once we were separated from God through sin (Isaiah 59:2), but when Jesus Christ came, He brought God to us: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19, NLT; see also Romans 8:3).
Jesus is not only God with us but also God in us. God comes to live in us through Jesus Christ when we are born again: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”
(Galatians 2:20, NLT).
The Spirit of God lives in us,
and we are
His dwelling place:
“For we are
the temple of the living God.
As God said:
‘I will live in them and walk
among them.
I will be their God,
and they
will be my people’”
(2 Corinthians 6:16, NLT).
Jesus is
not
God with us temporarily,
but eternally.
God the Son,
never ceasing for a moment
to be divine,
took on a
fully human nature and
became
‘God with us’ forever: “
And surely
I AM
with you always,
to the
very end of the age”
(Matthew 28:20; see also Hebrews 13:5).
When it was time for
Jesus to return to the
Father,
He told His disciples,
“I will ask the Father,
and he will
give you another
Helper,
to be
with you forever”
(John 14:16, ESV).
Jesus was speaking
of the
Holy Spirit,
the third
Person of the Godhead,
who would continue to
bring the
presence of God to
dwell
in the
lives of believers.
The Holy Spirit carries on
the role
of
Jesus as teacher,
revealer
of truth, encourager,
comforter,
intercessor, and God
with us.
Before the birth of Jesus,
an angel
appeared
to Joseph and revealed
that his fiancée,
Mary, had conceived
a child
through the Holy Spirit
(Matthew 1:20–21).
Mary would give
birth to a Son, and they were
to name Him Jesus.
Then Matthew,
quoting from Isaiah 7:14,
provided this inspired revelation:
“All this took place to
fulfill
what the Lord
had said through the
prophet:
‘The virgin will conceive
and give birth
to a son, and they
will call
him Immanuel’
(which means ‘God with us’)” (Matthew 1:22–23).
Seven hundred years earlier,
the prophet
Isaiah foresaw the
virgin birth
of the
Promised Messiah
He prophesied that His name would be Immanuel, which
means “God with us.”
By referencing the words of Isaiah, Matthew recognized
Jesus as Immanuel.
The name Immanuel expresses the
miracle of the Incarnation:
Jesus is God with us! God had been with
His people always—in the pillar of cloud
above the tabernacle,
in the voice of the prophets,
in the
ark of the covenant--
but never was God
so clearly
present with His people
as He was through
His virgin-born Son,
Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.
In the Old Testament,
the presence of God with
His people
was most evident
when
His glory filled the tabernacle
(Exodus 25:8; 40:34–35)
and the temple
(1 Kings 8:10–11).
But that glory was far
surpassed by the
personal presence of God the Son,
God with us in person.
Perhaps the most significant passage
in the Bible
on the Incarnation of Jesus
is John 1:1–14.
John states that
“the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning”
(verses 1–2).
John
uses the term logos, or “the Word,”
as a clear
reference to God.
John declares in verse 14,
“The Word became flesh
and made
his dwelling among us.
We have seen
his glory,
the glory of the one and
only Son,
who came from the Father,
full of grace and truth.”
On the night of His arrest, Jesus was teaching His disciples. Philip had a request: “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” It was a perfectly natural yearning.
But Jesus replied,
“Philip,
I have been with
you
all this time, and STILL
you
do not KNOW Me?
Anyone who
has seen
Me has seen the Father”
(John 14:8–9, BSB).
Jesus had been showing them the Father
all along.
He was truly “God with us.”
Whenever Jesus spoke,
He spoke the Father’s words.
Whatever Jesus did,
He did exactly
as the
Father would do.
God took upon
Himself
human flesh and blood
(1 Timothy 3:16).
This is the meaning of incarnation.
The Son of God literally “tabernacled” among us as one of us; He “set up His tent” in our camp (John 1:14).
God showed us His glory and offered us His grace and truth. Under the Old Covenant, the tabernacle represented the presence of God, but now, under the New Covenant,
Jesus Christ is God with us.
He is not
merely a symbol of God with us;
Jesus is God with us in person.
Jesus is not a partial revelation
of God;
He is God with us in all His fullness:
“For in Christ lives
all the
fullness of God in a human body”
(Colossians 2:9, NLT).
God makes Himself fully known to us
through Jesus Christ.
He reveals Himself as our Redeemer
(1 Peter 1:18–19).
Jesus is God with us as Reconciler.
Once we were
separated from God through sin
(Isaiah 59:2),
but when
Jesus Christ came, He brought God to us:
“For God was in Christ,
reconciling
the world to himself,
no longer
counting
people’s sins against them”
(2 Corinthians 5:19, NLT; see also Romans 8:3).
Jesus is not only
God with us but also God in us. God
comes to live in us
through
Jesus Christ when we are born again:
“My old self has been
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I
who live, but Christ lives in me.
So I live in this earthly body by trusting
in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me”
(Galatians 2:20, NLT).
The Spirit of God lives in us,
and we are
His dwelling place:
“For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: ‘I will live in them and walk among them.
I will be their God, and they will be my people’”
(2 Corinthians 6:16, NLT).
Jesus is not God with us temporarily, but eternally. God the Son, never ceasing for a moment to be divine, took on a fully human nature and became ‘God with us’ forever: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20; see also Hebrews 13:5).
When it was time for Jesus to return to the Father, He told His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16, ESV). Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, who would continue to bring the presence of God to dwell in the lives of believers.
The Holy Spirit carries on the role of Jesus as teacher, revealer of truth, encourager, comforter, intercessor, and God with us.
Before the birth of Jesus, an angel appeared to Joseph and revealed that his fiancée, Mary, had conceived a child through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20–21).
Mary would give birth
to a Son,
and they were
to name Him Jesus.
Then Matthew, quoting from Isaiah 7:14, provided this inspired revelation: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’)” (Matthew 1:22–23).
Seven hundred years earlier, the prophet Isaiah foresaw the virgin birth of the promised Messiah. He prophesied that His name would be Immanuel, which means “God with us.” By referencing the words of Isaiah, Matthew recognized Jesus as Immanuel. The name Immanuel expresses the miracle of the Incarnation: Jesus is God with us! God had been with His people always—in the pillar of cloud above the tabernacle, in the voice of the prophets, in the ark of the covenant—but never was God so clearly present with His people as He was through His virgin-born Son, Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.
In the Old Testament, the presence of God with His people was most evident when His glory filled the tabernacle (Exodus 25:8; 40:34–35) and the temple (1 Kings 8:10–11). But that glory was far surpassed by the personal presence of God the Son, God with us in person.
Perhaps the most significant passage in the Bible on the Incarnation of Jesus is John 1:1–14. John states that “the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (verses 1–2). John uses the term logos, or “the Word,” as a clear reference to God. John declares in verse 14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
On the night of His arrest, Jesus was teaching His disciples. Philip had a request: “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” It was a perfectly natural yearning. But Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:8–9, BSB). Jesus had been showing them the Father all along. He was truly “God with us.” Whenever Jesus spoke, He spoke the Father’s words. Whatever Jesus did, He did exactly as the Father would do.
God took upon Himself human flesh and blood (1 Timothy 3:16). This is the meaning of incarnation. The Son of God literally “tabernacled” among us as one of us; He “set up His tent” in our camp (John 1:14). God showed us His glory and offered us His grace and truth. Under the Old Covenant, the tabernacle represented the presence of God, but now, under the New Covenant, Jesus Christ is God with us. He is not merely a symbol of God with us; Jesus is God with us in person. Jesus is not a partial revelation of God; He is God with us in all His fullness: “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body” (Colossians 2:9, NLT).
God makes Himself fully known to us through Jesus Christ. He reveals Himself as our Redeemer (1 Peter 1:18–19). Jesus is God with us as Reconciler. Once we were separated from God through sin (Isaiah 59:2), but when Jesus Christ came, He brought God to us: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19, NLT; see also Romans 8:3).
Jesus is not only God with us but also God in us. God comes to live in us through Jesus Christ when we are born again: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, NLT). The Spirit of God lives in us, and we are His dwelling place: “For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: ‘I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (2 Corinthians 6:16, NLT).
Jesus is not God with us temporarily, but eternally. God the Son, never ceasing for a moment to be divine, took on a fully human nature and became ‘God with us’ forever: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20; see also Hebrews 13:5).
When it was time for Jesus to return to the Father, He told His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16, ESV). Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, who would continue to bring the presence of God to dwell in the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit carries on the role of Jesus as teacher, revealer of truth, encourager, comforter, intercessor, and God with us.
We all know that the Old Testament is full of stories, people, and historical events. A type is a person, thing, or event in the Old Testament that foreshadows something in the New Testament. It is like a taste or a hint of something that will be fulfilled or realized. Types are like pictures that come alive in a new and exciting way when seen through the eyes of Christ’s revelation. Augustine said that “the Old Testament is the New concealed, but the New Testament is the Old revealed” (Catechizing of the Uninstructed 4:8).
The idea of typology is not new. Paul says that Adam was a type of the one who was to come—Christ (Rom 5:14). Early Christians understood that the Old Testament was full of types or pictures that were fulfilled or realized in the New Testament.
Here are a few more examples of biblical typology:
- Peter uses Noah’s ark as a type of Christian baptism (1 Pt 3:18-22).
- Paul explains that circumcision foreshadowed Christian baptism (Col 2:11-12).
- Jesus uses the bronze serpent as a type of his Crucifixion (Jn 3:14; cf. Nm 21:8-9).
- The Passover lamb prefigures the sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor 5:7).
- Paul says that Abraham “considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Heb 11:19).
God loved his people and wanted
to be close to them.
He chose to do so in a very special way.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The prayer of the people of God flourished in the shadow of the dwelling place of God’s presence on earth, the ark of the covenant and the temple, under the guidance of their shepherds, especially King David, and of the prophets” (CCC 2594). God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle surrounded by heavy curtains (cf. Ex 25-27). Within the tabernacle he was to place an ark made of acacia wood covered with gold inside and out. Within the Ark of the Covenant was placed a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant (cf. Heb 9:4).
When the ark was completed, the glory cloud of the Lord (the Shekinah Glory) covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Ex 40:34-35; Nm 9:18, 22). The verb for “to cover” or “to overshadow” and the metaphor of a cloud are used in the Bible to represent the presence and glory of God. The Catechism explains:
In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the transcendence of his glory—with Moses on Mount Sinai, at the tent of meeting, and during the wandering in the desert, and with Solomon at the dedication of the temple.
In the Holy Spirit,
Christ
fulfills these figures.
The Spirit
comes upon the Virgin Mary
and “overshadows” her,
so that she
might conceive and give
birth to Jesus.
On the mountain of Transfiguration,
the Spirit in the
“cloud came and overshadowed”
Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James
and John,
and
“a voice came out of the cloud, saying,
‘This is my Son,
my
Chosen;
listen to him!’”
Finally,
the cloud took Jesus out
of the
sight of the disciples
on the
day of his Ascension
and will
reveal him as
Son of Man
in glory
on the day of his
final coming
The glory of the Lord
“overshadowed”
the ark
and
filled the tabernacle.
(CCC 697)
It’s easy to miss the parallel between the Holy Spirit overshadowing the ark and the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, between the Ark of the Old Covenant as the dwelling place of God
and Mary
as the
new dwelling place
of God.
The Catholic Faith Holds Claim
to the
Ark of the New Covenent,
the
assumption and corontation
of Mary
the Fully Revealed Word of God
from the
Apostles and Prophets
Why do Catholics call Mary the Ark of the New Covenant?
Answering that question will take us on
a thrilling journey through the
Ages of Grace Dispension Pointing to the Second Coming of Christ
The Spiritual Seed of Abraham
Bringing Christs heavenly Kingdom Realm to the Earthly Realm
For example, Luke wove some marvelous things into his Gospel that only a knowledgeable Jew would have understood—a Jew who knew Jewish Scripture and had eyes to see and ears to hear. One of the things he would have understood is typology.
We all know that the Old Testament is full of stories, people, and historical events. A type is a person, thing, or event in the Old Testament that foreshadows something in the New Testament. It is like a taste or a hint of something that will be fulfilled or realized. Types are like pictures that come alive in a new and exciting way when seen through the eyes of Christ’s revelation. Augustine said that “the Old Testament is the New concealed, but the New Testament is the Old revealed” (Catechizing of the Uninstructed 4:8).
The idea of typology is not new. Paul says that Adam was a type of the one who was to come—Christ (Rom 5:14). Early Christians understood that the Old Testament was full of types or pictures that were fulfilled or realized in the New Testament.
Here are a few more examples of biblical typology:
- Peter uses Noah’s ark as a type of Christian baptism (1 Pt 3:18-22).
- Paul explains that circumcision foreshadowed Christian baptism (Col 2:11-12).
- Jesus uses the bronze serpent as a type of his Crucifixion (Jn 3:14; cf. Nm 21:8-9).
- The Passover lamb prefigures the sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor 5:7).
- Paul says that Abraham “considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence,
- figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Heb 11:19).
- The Ark of the Old CovenantGod loved his people and wanted to be close to them. He chose to do so in a very special way. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The prayer of the people of God flourished in the shadow of the dwelling place of God’s presence on earth, the ark of the covenant and the temple, under the guidance of their shepherds, especially King David, and of the prophets” (CCC 2594). God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle surrounded by heavy curtains (cf. Ex 25-27).
- Within the tabernacle he was to place an ark made of acacia wood covered with gold inside and out.
- Within the Ark of the Covenant was placed a golden jar holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded,
- and the stone tablets of the covenant (cf. Heb 9:4).
ark
was completed,
the glory
cloud of the Lord
(the Shekinah Glory)
covered the tent of meeting,
and the
glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle
(Ex 40:34-35; Nm 9:18, 22).
The verb for
“to cover” or “to overshadow”
and the metaphor of a cloud
are used in the Bible to represent the
presence and glory of God.
The Catechism explains:
In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous,
reveals the living and
saving God,
while veiling the transcendence of
his glory--
with Moses on Mount Sinai,
at the tent of meeting, and during the
wandering in the desert,
and with Solomon at the dedication
of the temple.
In the Holy Spirit,
Christ fulfills these figures.
The Spirit comes upon the
Virgin Mary
and
“overshadows” her,
so that she might conceive
and
give birth to Jesus
On the
mountain of Transfiguration,
the Spirit in
the “cloud came and overshadowed”
Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John,
and
“a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘
This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’”
Finally, the cloud took Jesus
out of the sight
of the
disciples on the day of his Ascension
and will
reveal him as Son of Man
in glory
on the day of his final coming.
The glory of the Lord
“overshadowed”
the ark
and filled the tabernacle.
(CCC 697)
It’s easy to miss the parallel between the
Holy Spirit
overshadowing the
ark and the
Holy Spirit overshadowing
Mary,
between the
Ark of the Old Covenant
as the dwelling place
of God and Mary
as the
new dwelling place
of God.
God was very specific
about
every exact detail of the ark
(Ex 25-30).
It was a place where God himself
would dwell
(Ex 25:8).
God wanted
his words—inscribed on stone--
housed
in a perfect container
covered with
pure
gold within and without.
How much more would
he want
his Word—Jesus—to
have a
perfect dwelling place!
If the only begotten Son
were to
take up residence in
the womb
of a human girl,
would he not make her
flawless?
The Virgin Mary is the living
shrine
of the Word of God,
the Ark of the
New and Eternal Covenant.
In fact, St. Luke’s
account of the Annunciation
of the angel to Mary
nicely incorporates the images
of the
tent of meeting
with
God in Sinai and
of
the temple of Zion
Just as the cloud
covered the people of God marching
in the desert
(cf. Nm 10:34; Dt 33:12; Ps 91:4)
and just as the same cloud,
as a sign
of the
divine mystery
present
in the midst of Israel,
hovered over the
Ark of the Covenant
(cf. Ex 40:35),
so now the shadow
of the
Most High
envelops and penetrates
the
tabernacle
of the New Covenant
that is
the womb of Mary
(cf. Lk 1:35).
(Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, The Shrine:
Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God)
King David and Elizabeth
Luke
weaves additional parallels into the
story of Mary—types
that could be overlooked if one is unfamiliar with
the Old Testament.
After Moses died,
Joshua led the Israelites across
the Jordan River
into the Promised Land.
Joshua established
the
Ark of the Covenant
in Shiloh,
where it stayed for more than 200 years.
One day the
Israelites were losing a battle
with the Philistines,
so they
snatched the ark and rushed
it to the front lines.
The Philistines captured
the ark,
but it caused them great problems,
so they sent
it back to Israel
(1 Sm 5:1-6:12).
David went out to retrieve the ark
(1 Sm 6:1-2).
After a man named Uzzah was
struck dead
when he touched the
ark,
David was afraid and said,
“How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
He left the ark
in the hill country of Judea
for three months.
We are also told that David danced and leapt
in front of the ark
and everyone shouted for joy.
The house of Obed-edom, which
had housed
the ark, was blessed,
and then
David took the ark to Jerusalem
(2 Sm 6:9-14).
Compare David and
the ark
to Luke’s account
of
the Visitation:
In those days Mary arose
and went
with haste into the hill country,
to a city of Judah,
and she
entered the house of Zechariah and
greeted Elizabeth.
And when Elizabeth heard the
greeting of Mary,
the babe leaped in her womb;
and Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Spirit
and she exclaimed with a
loud cry,
“Blessed are
you among women,
and
blessed
is the fruit of your womb!
And why is this granted me,
that the mother
of my Lord should come
to me?
For behold,
when the voice
of your greeting came
to my ears,
the babe
in my womb leaped
for joy.
And
blessed is she who believed
that there
would be a fulfillment
of what
was spoken to her from
the Lord.”
(Lk 1:39-45)
- Mary arose and went to the hill country of Judea. I have been to both Ein Kerem (where Elizabeth lived) and Abu Ghosh (where the ark resided), and they are only a short walk apart. Mary and the ark were both on a journey to the same hill country of Judea.
- When David saw the ark he rejoiced and said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” Elizabeth uses almost the same words: “Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke is telling us something—drawing our minds back to the Old Testament, showing us a parallel.
- When David approached the ark he shouted out and danced and leapt in front of the ark. He was wearing an ephod, the clothing of a priest. When Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, approached Elizabeth, John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb—and John was from the priestly line of Aaron. Both leapt and danced in the presence of the ark. The Ark of the Old Covenant remained in the house of Obed-edom for three months, and Mary remained in the house of Elizabeth for three months. The place that housed the ark for three months was blessed, and in the short paragraph in Luke, Elizabeth uses the word blessed three times. Her home was certainly blessed by the presence of the ark and the Lord within
- When the Old Testament ark arrived—as when Mary arrived—they were both greeted with shouts of joy. The word for the cry of Elizabeth’s greeting is a rare Greek word used in connection with Old Testament liturgical ceremonies that were centered around the ark and worship (cf. Word Biblical Commentary, 67). This word would flip on the light switch for any knowledgeable Jew.
- The ark returns to its home and ends up in Jerusalem, where God’s presence and glory is revealed in the temple (2 Sm 6:12; 1 Kgs 8:9-11). Mary returns home and eventually ends up in Jerusalem, where she presents God incarnate in the temple (Lk 1:56; 2:21-22).
The Old Testament tells us that one item was placed inside the Ark of the Old Covenant while in the Sinai wilderness: God told Moses to put the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments inside the ark (Dt 10:3-5). Hebrews 9:4 informs us that two additional items were placed in the Ark: “a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded.” Notice the amazing parallels: In the ark was the law of God inscribed in stone; in Mary’s womb was the Word of God in flesh. In the ark was the urn of manna, the bread from heaven that kept God’s people alive in the wilderness; in Mary’s womb is the Bread of Life come down from heaven that brings eternal life. In the ark was the rod of Aaron, the proof of true priesthood; in Mary’s womb is the true priest. In the third century, St. Gregory the Wonder Worker said that Mary is truly an ark—”gold within and gold without, and she has received in her womb all the treasures of the sanctuary.”
While the apostle John was exiled on the island of Patmos, he wrote something that would have shocked any first-century Jew. The ark of the Old Covenant had been lost for centuries—no one had seen it for about 600 years. But in Revelation 11:19, John makes a surprising announcement: “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple.”
At this point chapter 11 ends and chapter 12 begins. But the Bible was not written with chapter divisions—they were added in the 12th century. When John penned these words, there was no division between chapters 11 and 12; it was a continuing narrative.
What did John say immediately after seeing the Ark of the Covenant in heaven? “And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child” (Rv 12:1-2). The woman is Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, revealed by God to John. She was seen bearing the child who would rule the world with a rod of iron (Rv 12:5). Mary was seen as the ark and as a queen.
But does this passage really refer to Mary? Some say the woman represents Israel or the Church, and certainly she does. John’s use of rich symbolism is well known, but it is obvious from the Bible itself that the woman is Mary. The Bible begins with a real man (Adam), a real woman (Eve), and a real serpent (the devil)—and it also ends with a real man (Jesus, the Last Adam [1 Cor 15:45]), a real woman (Mary, the New Eve [Rv 11:19-12:2]), and a real serpent (the devil of old). All of this was foretold in Genesis 3:15.
John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote about this passage in Revelation:
What I would maintain is this, that the Holy Apostle would not have spoken of the Church under this particular image unless there had existed a Blessed Virgin Mary, who was exalted on high and the object of veneration to all the faithful. No one doubts that the “man-child” spoken of is an allusion to our Lord; why then is not “the Woman” an allusion to his mother? (On the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Later in the same chapter we read that the devil went out to persecute the woman’s other offspring—Christians—which certainly seems to indicate that Mary is somehow the mother of the Church (Rev. 12:17).
Even if someone rejects Catholic teaching regarding Mary, he cannot deny that Catholics have scriptural foundations for it. And it is a teaching that has been taught by Christians from ancient times. Here are a few representative quotations from the early Church—some written well before the New Testament books were officially compiled into the final New Testament canon:
Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373) was the main defender of the deity of Christ against the second-century heretics. He wrote: “O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all O [Ark of the] Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which divinity resides” (Homily of the Papyrus of Turin).
Gregory the Wonder Worker (c. 213–c. 270) wrote: “Let us chant the melody that has been taught us by the inspired harp of David, and say, ‘Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy sanctuary.’ For the Holy Virgin is in truth an ark, wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary”
(Homily on the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin Mary).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church echoes the words from the earliest centuries:
“Mary, in whom
the Lord himself has just made
his dwelling,
is the daughter of Zion
in person,
the Ark of the Covenant,
the place
where the glory of the Lord
dwells.
She is ‘the dwelling of God . .
. with men’”
(CCC 2676).
The early Christians taught the same thing
that the
Catholic Church teaches today
about
Mary, including her being
the
Ark of the New Covenant.
Mary,
the Ark
As Revealed in
Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth
GOLDEN BOX
Ark of the Old Covenant
Mary:
Ark of the New Covenant
The ARK
traveled to the house
of Obed-
in the hill country of Judea
(2 Sam. 6:1-11).
Mary
traveled to the house of Elizabeth
and
Zechariah in the hill country
of Judea
(Luke 1:39)
.Dressed as a priest,
David
danced and leapt in front
of the ark
(2 Sam. 6:14)
.John the Baptist – of priestly lineage –
leapt in
his mother’s womb
at the
approach of Mary
(Luke 1:41)
.David asks, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” (2 Sam. 6:9).
Elizabeth asks, “Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43)
.David shouts in the presence of the ark (2 Sam. 6:15).
Elizabeth “exclaimed with a loud cry” in the presence of Mary (Luke 1:42).
The ark remained in the house of Obed-edom for three months (2 Sam. 6:11).
Mary remained in the house of Elizabeth for three months
(Luke 1:56).
The house of Obed-edom was blessed by the presence of the ark
(2 Sam. 6:11).The word blessed is used three times; surely the house was blessed by God
(Luke 1:39-45).
The ark returns
to its home and ends up
in Jerusalem,
where God’s presence and glory is revealed
in the temple
(2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Kgs. 8:9-11)
.Mary returns home and eventually ends up
in Jerusalem,
where she presents God incarnate in the temple
(Luke 1:56; 2:21-22).
Mary as the Ark Revealed
by
Items inside the Ark
Inside the Ark of the Old CovenantInside Mary,
Ark of the New Covenant
the stone tablets of the law –
the word of God inscribed
on stone
The body of Jesus Christ –
the word of God in the flesh
The urn filled
with
manna from the wilderness –
the miraculous bread come
down
from heaven
The womb containing Jesus,
the bread of life
come down from heaven
(John 6:41)
The ROD of Aaron
that
BUDDED
to
PROVE and defend
the
true high priest
The actual and eternal
High Priest
A type is a person, thing, or event in the Old Testament that foreshadows something in the New Testament. It is like a taste or a hint of something that will be fulfilled or realized. Types are like pictures that come alive in a new and exciting way when seen through the eyes of Christ’s revelation. Augustine said that “the Old Testament is the New concealed, but the New Testament is the Old revealed” (Catechizing of the Uninstructed 4:8).
The idea of typology is not new. Paul says that Adam was a type of the one who was to come—Christ (Rom 5:14). Early Christians understood that the Old Testament was full of types or pictures that were fulfilled or realized in the New Testament.
Here are a few more examples of biblical typology:
- Peter uses Noah’s ark as a type of Christian baptism (1 Pt 3:18-22).
- Paul explains that circumcision foreshadowed Christian baptism (Col 2:11-12).
- Jesus uses the bronze serpent as a type of his Crucifixion (Jn 3:14; cf. Nm 21:8-9).
- The Passover lamb prefigures the sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor 5:7).
- Paul says that Abraham “considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Heb 11
When the ark was completed, the glory cloud of the Lord (the Shekinah Glory) covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Ex 40:34-35; Nm 9:18, 22). The verb for “to cover” or “to overshadow” and the metaphor of a cloud are used in the Bible to represent the presence and glory of God. The Catechism explains:
In the theophanies of the Old Testament, the cloud, now obscure, now luminous, reveals the living and saving God, while veiling the transcendence of his glory—with Moses on Mount Sinai, at the tent of meeting, and during the wandering in the desert, and with Solomon at the dedication of the temple. In the Holy Spirit, Christ fulfills these figures. The Spirit comes upon the Virgin Mary and “overshadows” her, so that she might conceive and give birth to Jesus. On the mountain of Transfiguration, the Spirit in the “cloud came and overshadowed” Jesus, Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John, and “a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’” Finally, the cloud took Jesus out of the sight of the disciples on the day of his Ascension and will reveal him as Son of Man in glory on the day of his final coming. The glory of the Lord “overshadowed” the ark and filled the tabernacle. (CCC 697)
It’s easy to miss the parallel between the Holy Spirit overshadowing the ark and the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, between the Ark of the Old Covenant as the dwelling place of God and Mary as the new dwelling place of God.
God was very specific about every exact detail of the ark (Ex 25-30).It was a place where God himself would dwell (Ex 25:8). God wanted his words—inscribed on stone—housed in a perfect container covered with pure gold within and without. How much more would he want his Word—Jesus—to have a perfect dwelling place! If the only begotten Son were to take up residence in the womb of a human girl, would he not make her flawless?
The Virgin Mary is the living shrine of the Word of God, the Ark of the New and Eternal Covenant. In fact, St. Luke’s account of the Annunciation of the angel to Mary nicely incorporates the images of the tent of meeting with God in Sinai and of the temple of Zion. Just as the cloud covered the people of God marching in the desert (cf. Nm 10:34; Dt 33:12; Ps 91:4) and just as the same cloud, as a sign of the divine mystery present in the midst of Israel, hovered over the Ark of the Covenant (cf. Ex 40:35), so now the shadow of the Most High envelops and penetrates the tabernacle of the New Covenant that is the womb of Mary (cf. Lk 1:35). (Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, The Shrine: Memory, Presence and Prophecy of the Living God)
King David and ElizabethLuke weaves additional parallels into the story of Mary—types that could be overlooked if one is unfamiliar with the Old Testament. After Moses died, Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Joshua established the Ark of the Covenant in Shiloh, where it stayed for more than 200 years. One day the Israelites were losing a battle with the Philistines, so they snatched the ark and rushed it to the front lines. The Philistines captured the ark, but it caused them great problems, so they sent it back to Israel (1 Sm 5:1-6:12).
David went out to retrieve the ark (1 Sm 6:1-2). After a man named Uzzah was struck dead when he touched the ark, David was afraid and said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” He left the ark in the hill country of Judea for three months. We are also told that David danced and leapt in front of the ark and everyone shouted for joy. The house of Obed-edom, which had housed the ark, was blessed, and then David took the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sm 6:9-14).
Compare David and the ark to Luke’s account of the Visitation:
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Lk 1:39-45)
- Mary arose and went to the hill country of Judea. I have been to both Ein Kerem (where Elizabeth lived) and Abu Ghosh (where the ark resided), and they are only a short walk apart. Mary and the ark were both on a journey to the same hill country of Judea.
- When David saw the ark he rejoiced and said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” Elizabeth uses almost the same words: “Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke is telling us something—drawing our minds back to the Old Testament, showing us a parallel.
- When David approached the ark he shouted out and danced and leapt in front of the ark. He was wearing an ephod, the clothing of a priest. When Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, approached Elizabeth, John the Baptist leapt in his mother’s womb—and John was from the priestly line of Aaron. Both leapt and danced in the presence of the ark. The Ark of the Old Covenant remained in the house of Obed-edom for three months, and Mary remained in the house of Elizabeth for three months. The place that housed the ark for three months was blessed, and in the short paragraph in Luke, Elizabeth uses the word blessed three times. Her home was certainly blessed by the presence of the ark and the Lord within.
- When the Old Testament ark arrived—as when Mary arrived—they were both greeted with shouts of joy. The word for the cry of Elizabeth’s greeting is a rare Greek word used in connection with Old Testament liturgical ceremonies that were centered around the ark and worship (cf. Word Biblical Commentary, 67). This word would flip on the light switch for any knowledgeable Jew.
- The ark returns to its home and ends up in Jerusalem, where God’s presence and glory is revealed in the temple (2 Sm 6:12; 1 Kgs 8:9-11). Mary returns home and eventually ends up in Jerusalem, where she presents God incarnate in the temple (Lk 1:56; 2:21-22).
It seems clear that Luke
has used typology to reveal something about the
place of Mary in salvation history.
In the Ark
of the Old Covenant, God came to his people with
a spiritual presence, but in Mary,
the Ark of the New Covenant,
God comes to dwell with his people not only spiritually
but physically,
in the womb of a specially prepared Jewish girl.
The Old Testament tells us that one item was placed inside the Ark of the Old Covenant while in the Sinai wilderness: God told Moses to put the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments inside the ark (Dt 10:3-5). Hebrews 9:4 informs us that two additional items were placed in the Ark: “a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded.” Notice the amazing parallels: In the ark was the law of God inscribed in stone; in Mary’s womb was the Word of God in flesh. In the ark was the urn of manna, the bread from heaven that kept God’s people alive in the wilderness; in Mary’s womb is the Bread of Life come down from heaven that brings eternal life. In the ark was the rod of Aaron, the proof of true priesthood; in Mary’s womb is the true priest. In the third century, St. Gregory the Wonder Worker said that Mary is truly an ark—”gold within and gold without, and she has received in her womb all the treasures of the sanctuary.”
While the apostle John was exiled on the island of Patmos, he wrote something that would have shocked any first-century Jew. The ark of the Old Covenant had been lost for centuries—no one had seen it for about 600 years. But in Revelation 11:19, John makes a surprising announcement: “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple.”
At this point chapter 11 ends and chapter 12 begins. But the Bible was not written with chapter divisions—they were added in the 12th century. When John penned these words, there was no division between chapters 11 and 12; it was a continuing narrative.
What did John say immediately after seeing the Ark of the Covenant in heaven? “And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child” (Rv 12:1-2). The woman is Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, revealed by God to John. She was seen bearing the child who would rule the world with a rod of iron (Rv 12:5). Mary was seen as the ark and as a queen.
But does this passage really refer to Mary? Some say the woman represents Israel or the Church, and certainly she does. John’s use of rich symbolism is well known, but it is obvious from the Bible itself that the woman is Mary. The Bible begins with a real man (Adam), a real woman (Eve), and a real serpent (the devil)—and it also ends with a real man (Jesus, the Last Adam [1 Cor 15:45]), a real woman (Mary, the New Eve [Rv 11:19-12:2]), and a real serpent (the devil of old). All of this was foretold in Genesis 3:15.
John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote about this passage in Revelation:
What I would maintain is this, that the Holy Apostle would not have spoken of the Church under this particular image unless there had existed a Blessed Virgin Mary, who was exalted on high and the object of veneration to all the faithful. No one doubts that the “man-child” spoken of is an allusion to our Lord; why then is not “the Woman” an allusion to his mother? (On the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Later in the same chapter we read that the devil went out to persecute the woman’s other offspring—Christians—which certainly seems to indicate that Mary is somehow the mother of the Church (Rev. 12:17).
Even if someone rejects Catholic teaching regarding Mary, he cannot deny that Catholics have scriptural foundations for it. And it is a teaching that has been taught by Christians from ancient times. Here are a few representative quotations from the early Church—some written well before the New Testament books were officially compiled into the final New Testament canon:
Mary, the Ark As Revealed in Mary’s
Visit to Elizabeth
Golden Box:
Ark of the Old Covenant
Mary:
Ark of the New Covenant
The ark traveled to the house
of Obed-edom in the hill country of Judea
(2 Sam. 6:1-11).
Mary traveled to the house of Elizabeth and Zechariah in the hill country of Judea
(Luke 1:39)
.Dressed as a priest, David danced and leapt in front of the ark (2 Sam. 6:14)
.John the Baptist – of priestly lineage –
leapt in his mother’s womb at the approach of Mary
(Luke 1:41)
.David asks, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” (2 Sam. 6:9).Elizabeth asks, “Why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43).David shouts in the presence of the ark (2 Sam. 6:15).Elizabeth “exclaimed with a loud cry” in the presence of Mary (Luke 1:42).The ark remained in the house of Obed-edom for three months (2 Sam. 6:11).Mary remained in the house of Elizabeth for three months (Luke 1:56).
The house of Obed-edom was blessed by the presence of the ark (2 Sam. 6:11).The word blessed is used three times; surely the house was blessed by God (Luke 1:39-45).The ark returns to its home and ends up in Jerusalem, where God’s presence and glory is revealed in the temple (2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Kgs. 8:9-11).Mary returns home and eventually ends up in Jerusalem, where she presents God incarnate in the temple
(Luke 1:56; 2:21-22)
.Mary as the Ark Revealed by Items
inside the Ark
Inside the Ark of the Old CovenantInside
Mary,
Ark of the New Covenant
The stone tablets of the law – the word of God inscribed on stoneT
The body of Jesus Christ – the word of God in the flesh
The urn filled
with
manna from the wilderness –
the miraculous
bread
come down from heaven
The womb containing Jesus,
the bread
of life come down from heaven
(John 6:41)
The rod
of Aaron that budded to
prove and defend
the true high priest
The actual and eternal
High Priest
he Bible writer Luke tells us that immediately
after Jesus’ resurrection,
He appeared to His disciples
and
spoke to them about
the evidence found in the Hebrew Scriptures
about Him:
“Then He said to them,
‘These are the words
which I spoke to you while I was still
with you,
that all things must be
fulfilled which were written
in the
Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms
concerning Me’”
(Luke 24:44).
In so doing, Jesus defined the Hebrew Scriptures as comprising three major sections. Today the Jewish faith knows them as the Tanakh, from the first letters of the Hebrew Torah (the Law), Nevi’im (the Prophets) and Kethuvim (the Writings, which begin with the book of Psalms). In other words, Jesus told His followers that His coming had been prophesied throughout the ancient Scriptures that would form the basis of New Testament belief and practice. It is helpful to note that the word torah carries the additional meaning of “instruction” or “teaching” and is not limited to “law”; though the section of the Scriptures known as the Law contains much that relates to the regulation of life, including the Ten Commandments and the rules for living in a land-based economy, it comprises several books that do not contain much law but a great deal of narrative and instruction.
Moses is traditionally thought to be the compiler of the majority of the five books. Though nothing is said directly to support this, there are indications of his authorship in places.
The books that make up the three-part division of Scripture were ordered differently from what we see in today’s Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant Bibles.
The Tanakh order is the one that will be followed in this series.
The order of the
books of
the Hebrew Scriptures,
as Christ
would have
known them,
was according to the tripartite division:
the
Law, the Prophets, the Writings.
The Law (Torah)
The Law includes the five books of the Pentateuch
(Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy).
The Prophets (Nevi’im)
The Prophets comprises the Former Prophets
(Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel
[counted as one book], 1 and 2 Kings [counted as one book])
and the Latter Prophets
(Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the Twelve Minor Prophets
[counted as one book])
The Writings (Kethuvim)
The Writings consists of Psalms,
Proverbs, Job,
the Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations,
Ecclesiastes,
Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah (counted as one book),
1 and 2 Chronicles
(counted as one book)—24 books in total.
In the Beginning
Its said that if you don’t know where you have come from, you can’t know where you’re going.
Deceptively simple, profoundly true.
The book of Genesis contains much about the origins of the planet we inhabit, of humankind and human society. Yet it has been relegated by most to the realm of myth in the sense of being fanciful or not true. While some would say that myths amount to little in a world largely given over to scientific truths, others emphasize that they teach us important truths with a basis in ancient belief.
In this exploration of the first book of the Bible, we’ll find that Genesis illuminates and informs modern life beyond the use of myth in either sense of the word. For example, it addresses the origins of the heavens and the earth; of chaos; of plant, animal and human life; of marriage, family and destiny; of good and evil; of violence and murder; of society and civilization; and of nations and languages, to name a few.
The rest of the Bible quotes Genesis or mentions its content more than it does any other book. Of the 165 passages quoted or referred to in the New Testament, about 100 are taken from chapters 1 to 11—the section that many want to downplay as unreliable. Yet Jesus mentioned Genesis several times, demonstrating His stand on its content and relevance.
Jesus and GenesisDuring His ministry, Jesus quoted the book of Genesis and made mention of its content numerous times. With regard to elements of early human history contained in chapters 1 through 11:9, Jesus referred to details found in six of those chapters.
He mentioned the creation of the first man and woman (Matthew 19:4/Genesis 1:27; 5:2), the Sabbath (Mark 2:27/Genesis 2:1–3), the marriage of Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:5/Genesis 2:24), the murder of Abel (Matthew 23:35/Genesis 4:8), the existence of Noah (Matthew 24:37/Genesis 5:28–29), marriage before the Flood (Matthew 24:38/Genesis 6:2), the Flood and human destruction (Matthew 24:39/Genesis 6:17; 7:1–24).
Jesus referred to the second half of Genesis (chapters 11:10 through 50) by mentioning Abraham (John 8:31–58/Genesis 12–25), and Lot and the destruction of Sodom (Luke 17:28–32/Genesis 18–19).
The book opens with the well-known statement, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
It’s a sentence rich in underlying meaning, especially when we look into some of the Hebrew terms.
Bereshit bara Elohim (“In the beginning God created”): “In the beginning” does not necessarily mean the beginning of the creation we know but the origins of the heavens and the earth at an even earlier time.
This will become clear as we continue. Elohim—“God”—is a masculine plural noun connected to a singular form of the verb “created” (bara). Some scholars have proposed that the plural is used to indicate majesty or might (perhaps something like the royal “we”).
But a related passage in the
New Testament
describes
Christ as the
Word of God
(from the Greek word Logos)
and the
companion of the Father:
“In the beginning was the Word,
and the
Word was with God,
and the
Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God.
All things were made through Him,
and without Him
nothing was made that was made”
(John 1:1–3).
This shows us
that
more than one member
of the God “family”
was involved
in the
Creation of everything
Consistent with the plural Elohim, Genesis 1:26 records
God as saying,
“Let us make man in Our image,
according
to Our likeness.”
These two beings, then,
were responsible for perfectly
creating
the heavens and the earth.
Here is the point
of origin of all that follows
“Simply and powerfully,
the author
first establishes the doctrine that
God created the world.
No statement in the cosmogonies of other peoples approaches this first statement in the Bible.”
Hermann Gunkel, Genesis (1997)
Without Form and VoidVerse 2 describes a world very different from the perfection indicated by bara, a verb form that is only ever used of God’s creative acts, never of those of human beings. As the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament notes, “This distinctive use of the word is especially appropriate to the concept of creation by divine fiat.”
Yet verse 2 speaks of the planet as waste, empty and dark: “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” The Hebrew translated as “without form, and void” is tohu va vohu. But surely what God creates cannot be confused and chaotic. Indeed, the prophet Isaiah tells us that God “did not create [the earth] in vain [or empty, tohu]” (Isaiah 45:18). The apostle Paul wrote, “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
A clue may be found in the verb translated as “was”; scholars point out that the Hebrew verb can also read “became” (there are several examples elsewhere in Genesis). Thus the earth became formless and empty. This indicates a gap in time of unknown length between the creation of verse 1 and the desolation of verse 2. In other words, there was an intervening event that caused the earth to be reduced to desolation.
While there are two other major explanations of this section of Genesis, each dependent on differing views of the grammar, this so-called gap theory resolves many questions. It allows that the desolate earth of verse 2 is not speaking of the original creation, since verse 1 establishes the earth’s origin (“In the beginning”).
Further, it allows that the first word of verse 2, ve--part of the compound ve-ha-aretz (“and the earth”)—be translated “now” rather than “and.” Interestingly, many Bibles do not translate the word ve at all. Yet the Masoretic Text provides a notation that the word is disjunctive rather than conjunctive.
That is to say, the thoughts expressed are not to be construed as joined together; verse 2 is not the result of verse 1. This is certainly not something to ignore. According to this grammatical point, it should read, “Now the earth was [or became] waste and void.”
Fallen AngelsIn Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 we read the details of what caused Satan to rebel against God.
What could have caused this condition? It is accepted by some scholars that this is a reference to the result of Satan’s rebellion against God before the creation of humankind, as described in Isaiah 14:12–15 and Ezekiel 28:12–19. The destruction was the result of divine judgment against Satan and his fallen angelic followers. Satan (Hebrew for “adversary”) was previously known as Day Star (in Hebrew, Heylel), an archangel whose role was guardian of the original earth and who sinned by attempting to overthrow God.
When it comes to the origins of various aspects of the world we now inhabit, this gap theory—or understanding--has great explanatory power. It sheds light on many other scriptures in both Old and New Testaments.
“In the ancient Near Eastern world in which Israel emerged, beginnings were deemed to be crucial, for the origins of things were thought to disclose their character and purpose.”
Jon D. Levenson, “Genesis,” in The Jewish Study Bible (2004)
Verse 2 concludes,
“And the Spirit of God
was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Nothing is said here,
nor in John 1, about the Spirit as a person.
Indeed, here the Spirit is
compared to a protective bird that
hovers or flutters
(in Hebrew, merachephet),
waiting for her eggs to hatch
At this point re-creation has
not yet begun.
But the Spirit or power of God
will be utilized,
as we read in Psalms:
“You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
and
You renew the face of the earth”
(Psalm 104:30).
The Creation Week
What is popularly thought
of as the
biblical creation story
begins,
then, not with verses 1 and 2 but verse 3:
“Then God said,
“LET THERE BE LIGHT
and
there was light.”
Here are three steps:
God speaking, God’s words, the outcome.
Four more steps follow in this particular
creative process
evaluation, further action, naming, finalizing:
”“And God saw the
light,
that it was good;
and God divided
the
light
from the darkness.
God called the light Day,
and
the darkness
He called Night.
So the evening and the morning were the first day”
(verses 4–5).
In contrast to the desolation of verse 2, what
God does
in the creation week is often pronounced
“good”
(verses 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25), and
finally, “very good” (verse 31).
This seven-step pattern continues with slight variation
through the six days of creation.
Here we need not enter the debate over creation through eons of time but simply observe
that the language indicates that days are days as we know them.
This is apparent in the reference to each day being numbered and comprising
“evening and morning” (from sunset to sunset),
and on the fourth day the mention
of “signs and seasons, and . . . days and years.”
Finally, on the seventh day,
God established
“the Sabbath”
—another calendar term
by resting
(Genesis 2:2–3).
The system of time as we know it is in process.
What we can note with respect to
geologic eras is that the gap in time between
verses 1 and 2 allows for billions of years.
But there is more to be learned from the description
of those first few days.
The creative act of
the first day
in fact resolves one aspect of the
confusion and emptiness
mentioned in verse 2
by
letting light shine
and
separating darkness
from light
Two other acts of resolution
by separation
on sequential days include
the revealing
of the
expanse we know
as the
sky (“the firmament”)
by
dividing the earth’s waters
below
from the
atmosphere’s waters above;
and the revealing of land,
along with plant life,
by
dividing it from sea.
In parallel, the fourth, fifth and
sixth days
see the enriching of the creative acts
of the first
three days by the addition
of light and life.
On the fourth day,
the sun,
moon and stars become
visible,
filling the sky; next,
marine life and
birds fill the seas and atmosphere;
and on the sixth day,
animal and human life fills the land.
When the first human beings are
created
(Genesis 1:26–27),
God makes it clear
that this is a distinct and different creation.
First, as we have
seen,
mankind (in Hebrew, adam) is made in
God’s image and likeness.
This is not said of any other part
of creation.
It is a unique
aspect of human origins
and speaks not only
to the
present but also to human
destiny.
Human beings, male and female,
were
created of physical material
(Genesis 2:7, 21–22),
limited by time,
but
with the potential of
receiving
eternal spiritual life
from God.
“Humanity exists in community, as one beside the other,
and there can only be anything like humanity and
human relations where the human species exists in twos.”
Claus Westermann, A Continental Commentary: Genesis 1–11 (1994)
They were also given a position of dominance over
the rest of creation
(Genesis 1:28).
But they were to nurture and
care for
the creation around them in
the
Garden of Eden
We learn this in chapter 2, which provides further detail
about the origins of humanity.
It’s significant that this foundational book has a statement about how
humans should relate to the natural world around.
The Hebrew words for dress
(abad)
and keep (shamar)
indicate
working and guarding,
cultivating and protecting.
Certainly there is
no suggestion of exploiting and ruining.
Recall that this chapter begins
with the establishment of the
Sabbath rest,
time made holy by God’s cessation
from work.
It provided the first
humans with an example to follow
of taking time to rest
and recuperate once a week as
they focused on the Creator
and
His work.
Jesus
would later explain that the Sabbath
was created
as a benefit for humanity
and not a
burden as some had made it.
He said,
“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath”
(Mark 2:27).
Genesis
continues with a
backward glance at
the
creation of Adam and Eve
on the preceding
day and forward with
the entry of evil.
The intrusion of Satan into human
history
occurs in Eden.
He was dominant on earth
as the
guardian angelic power
until his opposition
to God
brought his downfall.
Now the object of his deception
became
Adam and Eve, the potential
new rulers
of the
domain he once protected.
Hanukkah and Christmas will both
land
on
December 25 this year,
almost prophetically
speaking of the union
between
Jew and Gentile.
This is a union
made in the
Messiah,
the Prince of Peace
Here’s how Paul puts it in
Ephesians:
“For he himself is our peace,
who has made
us both one and has
broken
down in his flesh
the dividing wall of hostility by
abolishing the law
of commandments expressed
in ordinances,
that he might create in himself
one new man
in place of the two, so making peace,
and
might reconcile us both
to God
in one body
through the cross,
thereby killing the hostility.
And he came and preached peace
to you
who were far off and peace to
those who were near.
For through him we both have access in
one Spirit to the Father.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but
you are fellow citizens with
the saints and members of the household of God,
built on the foundation
of the
apostles and prophets,
Christ Jesus himself being
the cornerstone,
in whom the whole structure,
being joined together,
grows into
a holy temple in the Lord.
In him you also
are being built together
into a
dwelling place for God
by the Spirit"
(Ephesians 2:14-22)
This structure Paul speaks of,
this temple
with the cornerstone
being Jesus, is us!
We are now the temple of God, the
dwelling place of His Spirit
(see also 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 2 Corinthians 6:16).
We are the temple that has been purified, and now
the light of God can live in us.
The temple menorah, of course, represents Jesus.
The reason for the season,
whether you’re talking about
Christmas,
Hanukkah, or even Sukkot,
is Jesus.
This picture of two olive trees
is linked to
Pauls words in Romans 11 about
Jewish and Gentile believers.
Zechariah’s message
is packed full of symbolism
with oil, olives, and light.
The message is a reminder that
God is the One
who accomplishes our salvation,
our purification,
and our unity with one another.
And would you look at that:
there’s a menorah bang in the middle of the scene.
From our
Jewish and Arab team united in
the Messiah,
we wish you
Merry Christmakkah and a Happy New Year!
As we draw
closer
to this year's end, we
reflect
on all God has done for us!
From protecting
his people, defeating our enemies,
and helping us share
His good news in record numbers,
it all comes to a
crescendo with the celebration of
His greatest gift for us,
His son!
Join us for this
unique and touching
rendition
of
"For Unto Us A Child is Born"
from Handel's Messiah reimagined
in
Hebrew and English.
Happy Holidays from
all
of us at
One For Israel!!!
How spiritually resilient am I?
How to Build Spiritual Resilience | Pastor Nick Scheske
Matthew 26:36-37 NKJV
Then Jesus came with them to
a place called
Gethsemane and said
to the disciples,
“Sit here while I go and pray over there.”
And He took with Him
Peter
and the two sons of Zebedee,
and
He began to be
sorrowful and deeply distressed.
Jesus knew what was coming
his way, so he
goes to Gethsemane...
a grove of Olive trees,
in Hebrew
“Gat Shamnei” the “place of pressing.”
Place where they
grew and crushed olives
for oil,
Matthew 26:38-39 NKJV
“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful,
even to death.
Stay here and watch with Me.”
He went a little farther and,
fell on His face, and prayed, saying,
“O My Father,
if it is possible,
let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless,
not as
I will, but as You will.”
“God is not a figure to be studied but a Father to be
known.”
Matthew 26:40-41 NKJV
Then He came
to the
disciples and found them
sleeping,
and said to Peter,
“What! Could you not watch
with Me
one hour?
As the Christian world
celebrates Christmas,
the wonderful prophecy of
Isaiah 9:6
“Unto us a son is born”,
comes into
focus once again.
But perhaps less familiar to many is the
treasure
just two verses before it,
in 9:4:
“For the yoke of his burden,
and the
staff for his shoulder,
the rod
of his oppressor,
you have broken
as on
the day of Midian.”
It’s easy for Christians to gloss over
texts
which have war and battle in them,
thinking that they are rather
primitive and brutal, irrelevant to us
in the
twenty-first century.
And brutal they may be, but no
word of Scripture
will ever become irrelevant.
It is eternal,
true,
and cannot be
broken.
And often there is treasure buried in these
unlikely places,
if we steady ourselves to gaze on the
less comfortable,
the confusing, and seemingly contradictory texts.
The Day of Midian, it turns out, has everything to do with
the coming and birth of Yeshua!
It’s worth taking a look at that verse in Isaiah 9 again in context.
Yes, Yeshua came into this fallen world,
weak and vulnerable as a baby,
brought God’s light
and salvation
to all who call upon him.
The incarnation,
the Son that was given,
is like the Day of Midian,
in that God is telling us we cannot do it ourselves.
He delights to save us in our weakness as we trust and lean into him for salvation.
“The Lord said to Gideon,
“The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into
their hand,
lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.”
Judges 7:2
God’s glory is insulted when we think we can do it all by ourselves.
A reference to the Day of Midian in a passage about
the incarnation of Yeshua our Messiah is entirely fitting.
No word in the Bible is out of place.
As we rejoice in the miracle of Yeshua,
the true light
coming into the world to save us,
let us also remember the glorious day of Midian
when God just wanted to
clearly make it known to Israel that they could not save themselves.
We desperately need a savior.
Praise God for sending Yeshua, our salvation.
Click here to read more! https://www.oneforisrael.org/holidays/the-day-of-midian/
The number 7
is quite significant
in the Bible,
appearing over 700 times throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
In biblical numerology,
7 symbolizes completion or perfection.
It is said that God created
the world in 6 days and
rested on the 7th.
Additionally, there are
seven churches
in the Book of Revelation,
seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls.
The number 7 is
also
associated with important biblical
figures,
such as the seven deacons
chosen by
the
apostles and the seven
spirits of God
mentioned in Revelation
Some scholars believe that the number
7 represents divine intervention
or
spiritual completeness.
Overall, the number 7
holds significant meaning in the Bible
and
continues to be studied and analyzed
by
theologians and scholars today.
The Bible
was originally divided
into
seven major divisions.
The Divisions were
1) the Law;
2) the Prophets;
3) the Writings or Psalms;
4) the Gospels and Acts;
5) the General Epistles;
6) the Epistles of Paul, and
7) the book of Revelation.
Initially, the total number of books in
the Bible
was forty-nine,
which is 7 x 7,
further illustrating the
integration of seven
into the
Word of God
Darkness and light
are metaphors for
evil and good.
If anyone sees an
angel of light,
it will automatically
SEEM
to be a good being,
for the
correlation of evil with darkness,
and
of good with light,
is a powerful
archetype
in human history.
In the Bible, LIGHT is a spiritual metaphor
for TRUTH
and
God’s unchanging nature
(James 1:17).
It is repeatedly used in the Bible to help us understand that
God is wholly good
and
TRUTHFUL
(1 John 1:5).
When we are
“in the light,” we are with Him
(1 Peter 2:9).
He exhorts us to join Him in the light
(1 John 1:7),
for giving us light was His purpose
(John 12:46)
Light is the place
where love dwells and is comfortable
(1 John 2:9-10).
God has created light
(Genesis 1:3),
dwells in the light
(1 Timothy 6:16)
and puts the light in human hearts
so that we
can see and know Him and
understand truth
(2 Corinthians 4:6)
So, when 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light,” it means that Satan capitalizes on our love of the light in order to deceive. He wants us to think that he is good, truthful, loving, and powerful – all the things that God is. To portray himself as a dark, devilish being with horns would not be very appealing to the majority of people. Most people are not drawn to darkness,
but to light.
Therefore, Satan appears as a creature of light to draw us to himself and his lies.
How can we discern
which light
is of God and which light
is of Satan?
Our minds and hearts are easily confused by conflicting messages. How can we make sure we are on the right path? Psalm 119 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (verse 105) and “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple” (verse 130).
The words of God have
power.
Just as God’s voice
spoke physical
light
into existence,
it can speak
SPIRITUAL LIGHT into our HEARTS
Exposure to His voice – in His Word –
will help us
recognize the difference
between the
GOOD LIGHT of God
and
that which is counterfeit.
Satan presents sin to us as something pleasing and beautiful to be desired, and he presents false teaching as enlightening and life-changing. Millions follow his deceptions simply because they do not know God’s truth. Isaiah 8:20-22 describes the darkness that results from ignoring the Word. The people of Israel have been seeking truth by consulting mediums, deceived by Satan’s lie. Isaiah says, “To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.”
Darkness is a result of attempting
to find truth
without the Word of God.
Sadly, as Isaiah says, when people do not have the “dawn,” they wander in darkness and often become angry at God, refusing to come to Him for help. This is why Satan’s masquerade as an angel of light is so effective. It turns white to black and black to white and gets us believing that God is the liar, that God is the source of darkness. Then, in our distress, we focus our hatred towards the only One who can save us.
Throughout the Bible, light is contrasted with darkness. God is light (1 John 1:5), and living in the light metaphorically refers to living in God’s truth, goodness, and wisdom. On the other hand, living in darkness metaphorically describes living in sin or living a life apart from God. Light came into the world (John 8:12), but, sadly, people loved darkness rather than light (John 3:19). Those who trust in God for salvation come to the light and receive abundant life; those who love darkness will face eternal separation from God in “blackest darkness” (Jude 1:4–13).
John 3:18–19 says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” People naturally love the darkness—they love their sin—and this keeps them from coming to Christ: “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed” (John 3:20).
As a result of sin, all people are born in a state of spiritual darkness that separates them from God. Sin blinds people to the truth and darkens their understanding of reality: “Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him” (Ephesians 4:18, NLT).
Despite people loving darkness rather than light, God made the way to rescue them from sin and its consequences. Isaiah described the Messiah as a great light who would come into “the land of deep darkness” (Isaiah 9:2). Jesus referred to Himself as the light of the world (John 8:12), thereby connecting Himself to the prophesied Messiah who would bring true light into the world (John 1:9). He is the “light of all mankind” (John 1:4) and the light and salvation for those who trust in Him (Psalm 27:1).
The One who opened blinded eyes
can bring us out of spiritual darkness and
into His marvelous light
(1 Peter 2:9).
John 3:21 describes a believer
as one who
“lives by truth [and] comes into
the light,
so that it may be seen plainly that
what they have done
has been done in the sight of God.”
Believers “live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)” (Ephesians 5:8–9).
Having been rescued from the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13), believers no longer hide in the darkness of sin. They live in the light (1 Thessalonians 5:5–6; 1 John 1:7). Believers will not reach perfection on this earth, but they do not continue to actively live in sin (1 John 3:6; 5:18).
They allow God’s light
to shine in and through them
as they are transformed
by God’s love and truth and
reflect
His character
Jesus told believers,
“You are the light of the world. . . .
Let your light shine before others,
that they
may see your good deeds
and
glorify your Father in heaven”
(Matthew 5:14, 16).
We are no longer the people who loved darkness rather than light.
Instead, we
are “children of the light and children of the day”
(1 Thessalonians 5:5).
We allow
the light of God’s truth and
love
to shine in our lives
and
out into the dark world
around us.
The Catholic Church
has long prohibited Catholics
from
joining Freemasonry
because it believes that the two
are
IRRECONCILABLE
- Secret society
Freemasonry is a secret society, and its initiates subscribe to secret blood oaths that are contrary to Christian morals.
- Principles and rituals
The Catholic Church teaches that Masonic principles and rituals are incompatible with Catholic doctrine. For example, Freemasonry involves rituals that are inimical to Catholicism, such as the initiation rite where the candidate - expresses a desire to seek
- "light".
- Anti-Catholicism
Freemasonry has a strong anti-Catholicism, and historically one of its primary objectives has been the destruction of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church first prohibited Catholics from joining Masonic organizations in 1738. Since then, at least eleven popes have made pronouncements about the incompatibility of Catholic doctrines and Freemasonry.
In November 2023, the Vatican reaffirmed its prohibition on Catholics joining Freemasonry. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document signed by Pope Francis and DDF Prefect Cardinal Victor Fernández. The document was issued in response to a query from Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete in the Philippines.
The Catholic Church teaches
that for a
Catholic to belong to Freemasonry
is a "grave sin"
that
automatically
disqualifies
them from
RECEIVING
HOLY COMMUNION
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 groups 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.
Revelation chapter 13, the number 666 identifies a person, not a date. Revelation 13:18 tells us, “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” Somehow, the number 666 will identify the Antichrist. For centuries Bible interpreters have been trying to identify certain individuals with 666. Nothing is conclusive. That is why Revelation 13:18 says the number requires wisdom. When the Antichrist is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), it will be clear who he is and how the number 666 identifies him.
Mark of the Beast and
the
Mark of God
In 2 Corinthians 2:17—7:4, the apostle Paul sets forth a defense of his apostolic ministry. In verses 4:1–6, he focuses on the transparency of his ministry. Paul renounces secret and underhanded methods, stating that he does not “try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this” (2 Corinthians 4:2, NLT). Paul contends that, if the message of the gospel seems hidden, it is not because he has tried to hide anything. Rather, it is obscured to those who are perishing (verse 3) because
“the god of this age
has blinded the minds of
unbelievers,
so
that they cannot
see the light of
the
gospel that displays
the
glory of Christ,
who is the image of God”
(2 Corinthians 4:4).
Who is the “god of this age”?
We can
eliminate the possibility that
Paul is
referring to the
ONE TRUE GOD
This “god” is blinding minds and keeping people from Christ and His gospel. So, the god of this age must be an evil being.
One clue as to the identity of the god of this age is that his rule is temporary. The exact phrase god of this age is found nowhere else in the New Testament. The original Greek word (aiōn) in 2 Corinthians 4:4, translated as “age” (NIV, CSB, NKJV) or “world” (ESV, NLT, NASB, KJV), means “an era of time or an epoch.” This god’s reign has a limited span.
Another clue on the identity of the god of this age is the use of similar titles in the Bible. Ephesians 2:2 speaks of “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” and “the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” In John 14:20, Jesus refers to “the prince of this world.” If all these appellations point to the same being, we have a ruler who wields temporary authority over the ungodly and blinds their minds to God’s plan of salvation. The obvious identity of the god of this age is the devil, or Satan.
As the god of this age, Satan maintains a significant influence on the values, thoughts, beliefs, and objectives of the unsaved people of the world. Satan himself claimed to rule the world in one of his temptations of Jesus (Matthew 4:8–9). But Satan does not control this present world completely. He is not the ultimate authority. God is still the sovereign Lord of the universe. Satan is only a “god” in the sense that he controls the lives of unbelievers and blinds their minds to truth. The unredeemed serve and worship Satan (even if they don’t realize it) as if he is their divine master.
As the god of this age, Satan possesses a powerful dominion over this present, fallen, dark world of sin and death (Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:13; 1 John 5:19). From a biblical perspective, this evil age began with Adam’s fall, not with the creation of the world. Humanity’s rebellion against God was initiated by Satan (1 John 3:8; John 8:44), and people got “caught up in the cosmic and supernatural uprising of Satan against the one true and living God” (Barnett, P., The Message of 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, the Bible Speaks Today, InterVarsity Press, 1988, p. 82).
The Bible teaches that, before salvation, we “were dead in [our] transgressions and sins, in which [we] used to live when [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. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts” (Ephesians 2:1–3). Blinded as unbelievers, we served and followed Satan, the god of this age. But through God’s mercy and grace, we received the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Our Lord died on the cross “for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:4). The redeemed become partakers of God’s heavenly kingdom (Hebrews 6:5). In the age to come, God’s kingdom will be fully revealed, and every wrong of this present age will be made right (Luke 18:30).
In predicting His death, Jesus said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31), and He assured His disciples that “the prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:11). Jesus is the King of kings, and He came into this world “to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).
Until the final judgment, Satan has been allotted an “hour—when darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53).
But his time is limited.
As the god of this age,
Satan’s greatest superpower
is deceit
(Revelation 12:9).
He blinds people’s minds to spiritual truth (John 3:19–20; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:17–19; 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10). Jesus stated that Satan “has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, NLT). Thankfully, God has made His light shine in the hearts of believers so that they are no longer blind to His truth (2 Corinthians 4:6). Nevertheless, Christians must stay firmly rooted in the Word of God (John 17:17; Psalm 119:11; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 1:23) and put on all of God’s armor so that they can stand firm against Satan’s deceptive strategies (Ephesians 6:11).
The phrase god of this world (or god of this age) indicates that Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, and views of the majority of people. His influence encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce.
When people live as if there is no God, they by default follow the god of this world.
The unholy
thoughts, destructive ideas,
wild speculations, and
false religions
of this world have
sprung from
Satan’s lies and deceptions.
Satan is also called
the “prince of the power of the air”
in Ephesians 2:2.
He is the “ruler of this world” in John 12:31. These titles and many more signify Satan’s capabilities.
He wields a certain amount of authority and power in this world. He is not a king, but a prince, a ruler of some sort. In some way he rules over the world and the people in it: “The whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
This is not to say that Satan rules the world completely; God is still sovereign. Satan is not God—capital G—he is a god—small g. God, in His infinite, inscrutable wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate in this world within the boundaries God has set for him. Satan’s limits are clearly seen in Job 1 and 2. There, Satan must give an account of himself to God, and it seems he must have God’s permission to carry out his plans. At no time can Satan do all he wants, for God restricts his actions.
Satan may be the god of this world, but his domain is limited to unbelievers. Born-again children of God are no longer under the rule of Satan. God the Father “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13). The apostle Paul was sent by God to turn people “from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). Unbelievers, however free they may think they are, are caught “in the snare of the devil” (2 Timothy 2:26) and lie in the “power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
As the god of this world, Satan exercises his power over the unbelieving world to keep them from Jesus. Second Corinthians 4:4 indicates that he is responsible for the spiritual blindness of people without Christ: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” Satan snatches the gospel from people’s hearts (Matthew 13:19). He promotes false philosophies and “doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1, NKJV). Satan’s philosophies are the fortresses in which people are imprisoned, and they must be set free by Christ.
The beginning of chapter 4 transitions from Paul's personal and church policy, which was the focus of chapters 1–3, to the issue of false teachers. Verses 1 through 5 focus on the various dangers presented by these deceivers.
The opening phrase "the Spirit expressly says" is often met with confusion. There is no specific quotation in Scripture which matches this wording. Some believe that Paul was referring to information given directly to Paul in a special revelation. Others believe this might be a reference to some other, non-biblical work. However, the most likely interpretation is also the simplest. This idea that false teachers would arise to deceive Christians is a clear doctrine of Jesus (Mark 13:22), and is seen in other parts of the Bible. So, while the specific words in 1 Timothy 4:1 are not found elsewhere in the Bible, they reflect a truth which the Holy Spirit has "expressly" taught.
Paul's reference to "later times" is similar to that of 2 Timothy 3:1. Paul certainly has in mind the time he actually wrote this letter, since he spoke of these actions as taking place in Ephesus. However, this is a general forward-looking statement, incorporating all time until the eventual return of Christ.
Paul's prediction is that certain people associated with the Christian church will "depart." This verse, in and of itself, gives no specific indication whether these people are true believers who were deceived, or unbelievers. In either case, they were part of the church family, but later separate themselves from the faith. The motivation for their departure will be spiritual deception. This might involve actual spirit worship, common in the ancient world. Or, this may be a vague reference to false teachings (1 Timothy 4:3).
Paul often notes that
any doctrines which contradict the gospel are inherently evil
(Galatians 1:8–9).
Saying that these are the
teachings of "demons" is a potent
way of declaring that their
claims are contrary to
the "sound doctrine" which was
given by Christ
(James 3:15).
To be spiritually blind is not to
see Christ,
and not to see Christ is not
to see God
(Colossians 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:6).
Spiritual blindness
is a grievous condition
experienced
by those who do not
believe in God,
Jesus Christ, and His Word
(Romans 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:12).
Those who reject Christ are the lost (John 6:68-69). Being spiritually blind, they are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Revelation 3:17). They choose not to accept the teachings of Christ and His authority in their lives (Matthew 28:18). They are blind to the manifestations of God as revealed throughout His Word and Jesus Christ (John 1:1; Acts 28:26-27). They are described as those who “do not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Peter spoke of such people as “scoffers [who] will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires” (2 Peter 3:3; see also Proverbs 21:24; Jude 1:18). Those who reject Christ and His Word are spiritually blind and cannot understand the truth of the Scriptures. The truth sounds foolish to them (Isaiah 37:23; 1 Corinthians 1:18). The Bible describes those denying God as fools (Psalm 14:1; Matthew 7:26). Because of their blindness and rejection of God and His Word, they are in a perilous, unsaved condition (John 12:48; Hebrews 2:2-4).
The spiritually blind are simply unable to understand God’s Word (Matthew 13:13; Deuteronomy 29:4). Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 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” (John 14:15-17). Paul echoed this when he told the believers in Rome, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:8-9). Those outside of Christ are not of God because their lives are steeped in the things of the world with all its passions, their eyes blind to the Spirit of God. The Apostle John said, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” but that person’s love “is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
The cause of spiritual blindness is made quite clear in the Scriptures: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul refers to Satan as the “god of this world.” Extraordinarily evil (John 8:44), Satan destroys the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5), masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and is the cause of all temptations (Luke 4:2; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Corinthians 7:5). He revels in scheming against and trapping the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:26). Satan’s goal is to devour the weak who fall prey to temptation, fear, loneliness, worry, depression, and persecution (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Without God and left to ourselves, we easily succumb to the devil’s schemes. We can become so mired in the affairs of this world and its moral darkness that, in the end, God turns us over to spiritual blindness and eternal condemnation (John 12:40; Romans 1:24-32).
As believers, we have the Spirit of God reigning in our lives to ward off the debilitating effects of Satan’s power and the world’s influence (1 John 4:13). John tells us, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15). Satan wars within and without us. His weapons are deceitful and crafty schemes to make us doubt and stumble (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 4:14). Yet God has provided us with powerful weapons to ward off his flaming arrows (Ephesians 6:10-18). As believers we can overcome the evil one and remain in the Light and never become spiritually blind. For, in truth, Jesus has given us His wonderful promise: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
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.
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Second Corinthians 2:15 says,
“For we are to God
the
pleasing aroma of Christ
among
those who are being saved
and
those who are perishing.”
To understand what the apostle Paul meant
when he said that
Christians are the
“aroma of Christ,”
we must look at the verses immediately surrounding the expression:
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?”
(verses 14–16).
For Jewish people, the apostle Paul’s analogy of “the pleasing aroma of Christ” would present an immediate association. In the Old Testament, the scent of burnt offerings was described as “an aroma pleasing to the Lord” (Genesis 8:20–21; Leviticus 23:18; Numbers 28:27). For the Gentiles, this phrase would suggest the scent of incense being burned as an offering to the gods. However, Paul had a more specific picture in mind.
The apostle was speaking to the Corinthians about recent events in his ministry of evangelism.
Despite all the difficulties and disappointments he’d faced while traveling from city to city spreading the gospel, Paul was able to reflect on God’s goodness with thanksgiving. The apostle then compared this ministry of evangelism to the triumphal military parades that were common at that time in the Roman world.
Paul’s metaphor would be readily understood by his audience, with the apostle and his co-laborers portrayed as victorious soldiers in a triumphal procession. During these Roman military parades, captives of war would be marched through the streets as garlands of flowers were carried and incense was burned to the gods.
The aromatic perfumes wafted on the air as spectators and those in the procession breathed in their fragrance. At the parade’s finale, many prisoners would be put to death. Thus, the aromas were pleasing and life-giving to the victors, but they were the smell of death to those who had been defeated.
In Paul’s analogy, he separates humanity into two groups: those on the path of salvation and those on the road to destruction. The aroma spread everywhere by the ministry of evangelism was the knowledge of God as victor. Christians who spread the gospel are members of God’s victorious army led by Jesus Christ. Believers are like the aroma or fragrance spread during the victory processions. Both the victors and those perishing smell the aroma; however, it has a different meaning for the two groups.
For the victorious army and its peoples, the aroma would relate to the joy of triumph. But for the prisoners of war, the fragrance would be associated with defeat, slavery, and death.
This brilliant metaphor contrasts Christian and non-Christian responses to hearing the gospel. To non-Christians, those on the road to destruction, believers who preach the gospel spread the smell of death, as it were.
To Christians, those on the path to salvation, they produce the fragrance of life.
Overwhelmed by the extreme importance of this ministry of spreading the gospel, Paul exclaimed, “And who is equal to such a task?”
The implication is that no one is worthy. Paul was astounded that God would appoint humans to share in this task. Later, in 2 Corinthians 3:5–6, Paul affirms that our ability rests solely on God: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
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.”
All four gospels present an account of
Jesus being anointed
by a woman
with a costly jar of perfume
(Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8).
Matthew and Mark relate the same event but do
not give the woman’s name;
Luke tells of a different woman, also anonymous, on an earlier occasion; and, in yet another event,
the woman in John is identified as Mary of Bethany (John 11:2), sister to Martha and Lazarus.
To understand the significance of Jesus being anointed on these three occasions, we’ll look at each account separately and then compare and contrast them in conclusion.
The anointing of Jesus in Matthew takes place two days before Passover in the town of Bethany
at Simon the leper’s home:
“Now when Jesus was at Bethany
in the
house of Simon the leper,
a woman came up
to him
with an alabaster flask
of very
expensive ointment,
and
she poured it on his head as
he reclined at table”
(Matthew 26:6–7, ESV)
Matthew focuses on the anointing of Jesus as a teaching episode for the disciples, who react with
anger because of the woman’s wasteful extravagance.
But Jesus defends her, saying,
“She has done a beautiful thing to me”
(Matthew 26:10).
Christ explains that the
anointing
is to prepare His body
for burial
and that
the woman’s act of love
will forever
be remembered wherever
the
good news is preached
Mark tells the same story in similar terms, with an anonymous woman with an alabaster box interrupting a meal in Simon the leper’s home to anoint the head of Jesus with expensive perfume.
Again, the woman’s critics describe her gift as excessive, complaining that it could have been sold for more than a year’s wages
(Mark 14:5).
But Jesus receives the woman’s gift as a selfless act of love and devotion—an appropriate way to honor the Messiah. Jesus reveals that He will not be with them much longer, which references His impending death and burial.
Both Matthew and Mark’s accounts emphasize the prophetic significance of the anointing of Jesus, alluding to His death and burial. There may also be an implication of Jesus’ kingship, since, in the Old Testament, the anointing of the head was often associated with the dedication of kings (1 Samuel 9:15—10:1; 16:12–13; 1 Kings 1:38–40).
In Luke’s account of a similar, yet different, instance, Jesus uses the occasion of being anointed to tell a parable about forgiveness (Luke 7:39–50).
About a year before His death, Jesus was dining in the home of Simon the Pharisee, who had arrogantly neglected to extend the customary respect and hospitality to his guest, while a sinful woman anoints Jesus’ feet, lavishing her love and gratefulness upon Jesus.
In John’s gospel, Lazarus’ sister Mary is the woman who anoints Jesus with a high-priced perfume at a dinner in Bethany. The story is similar to those in the other gospels, although this anointing takes place six days before Passover, and Judas is named as the disciple who objects to the “waste.”
On this occasion, “Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair”(John 12:3, NLT).
Jesus defends Mary from Judas’s criticism
by pointing
out the unique opportunity
Mary had:
“You will always have the poor among you,
but you will not always have me”
(John 12:8).
Mary’s anointing again
points to
Christ’s identity as Messiah-King,
but it also points
to His
humble position as Servant-King.
When Mary anoints Jesus’ feet
and then
wipes them with her hair,
she foreshadows
Jesus’ actions at the upcoming
Last Supper when the Lord
washes the
disciples’ feet and teaches them
how to love one another
through
sacrificial, humble service
(John 13:1–20).
In each account, a woman
pours out
a precious and costly
perfume in an extravagant
act of worship.
The three women who
anointed Jesus
recognized
Christ’s unequaled value
and expressed their
gratitude with
unreserved love and devotion.
Two anointings of Jesus happen during the week of Passover and are linked with His imminent death and burial. The earlier anointing, in Luke’s account, is in the middle of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and draws a different lesson on forgiveness and love.
In each case, the woman’s actions
signal more than she knows.
But, although she may
not fully comprehend the
messianic
significance of her
anointing,
each woman had
come to
appreciate Christ’s worth
more than
anyone else at
the table
Jesus Christ is God’s anointed
Messiah.
The word
Messiah means
“anointed one”
and derives
directly from the Hebrew word
for “anointed.”
Christ
comes from the Greek word
Christos,
also meaning
“anointed one.”
Thus, Christ
is the Greek equivalent
to Messiah.
When Jesus receives the Holy Spirit at His baptism,
He is “anointed” by God in
preparation
for His life’s work
(Luke 3:22; cf. Acts 10:38; Luke 4:18).
On three separate occasions,
Jesus is anointed
with
fragrant ointment
in
His work as the Savior,
the
King of heaven
who was in preparation
to die
to save His people.
The Man of Lawlessness
…The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan,
with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,
and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing,
because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.
For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,…
John 8:
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
Romans 1:18-32
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. / For 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 His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. ...
2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
1 John 4:1-6
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. / By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, / and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time. ...
Revelation 13:14
Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.
1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
Ephesians 4:18
They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.
2 Peter 2:1-3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. / Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. / In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
1 John 2:18-19
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. / They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.
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 9:6
You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.
Ezekiel 13:19
You have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have died and spared those who should not have lived.
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Isaiah 30:10
They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.
Treasury of ScriptureAnd with all delusion of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
deceivableness.
Romans 16:18
For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
2 Corinthians 2:17
For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:2
But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
in them.
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
2 Corinthians 2:15
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
2 Corinthians 4:3
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
they received.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 2:1-6
My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; …
Proverbs 4:5,6
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth…
that they.
John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 5:34
But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
Romans 10:1
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
1. Paul urges them to continue stedfast in the truth received;
3. shows that there shall be a departure from the faith,
9. and a discovery of Antichrist, before the day of the Lord comes;
15. repeats his exhortation to stand firm, and prays for them.
Paul Greets the Saints in Rome
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
5Through Him and on behalf of His name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Unashamed of the Gospel
8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all over the world. 9God, whom I serve with my spirita in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you. 11For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, how often I planned to come to you (but have been prevented from visitingb until now), in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. 14I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks,c both to the wise and the foolish.
15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
I am not ashamed of the gospel,
because it is the power of God
for salvation to everyone who believes,
first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
For the gospel reveals the righteousness
of God that
comes by faith from start to finish,
just as it is written:
“The righteous will live by faith.”
God’s Wrath against Sin
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature
rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise!
Amen.
26For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. 31They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless.
32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.
Jeremiah 2:11
Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.
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?”
2 Kings 17:15
They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.
Psalm 106:20
They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox.
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.
Isaiah 44:9-10
All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. / Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing?
1 Thessalonians 1:9
For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, / in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.
Deuteronomy 4:19
When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
Isaiah 40:18-20
To whom will you liken God? To what image will you compare Him? / To an idol that a craftsman casts and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains? / One lacking such an offering chooses wood that will not rot. He seeks a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.
1 Corinthians 12:2
You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
Galatians 4:8
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
Exodus 20:3-5
You shall have no other gods before Me. / You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. / You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Isaiah 42:8
I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.
1 John 5:21
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
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…
God's Wrath against Sin
17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.…
Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
Colossians 3:6
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. / For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, / in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.
Hebrews 3:12
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.
2 Peter 2:1-3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. / Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. / In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
2 Peter 3:7
And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Revelation 19:15
And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
Isaiah 26:21
For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
Jeremiah 44:22
So the LORD could no longer endure the evil deeds and detestable acts you committed, and your land became a desolation, a horror, and an object of cursing, without inhabitant, as it is this day.
Ezekiel 7:8-9
Very soon I will pour out My wrath upon you and vent My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and repay you for all your abominations. / I will not look on you with pity, nor will I spare you, but I will punish you for your ways and for the abominations among you. Then you will know that it is I, the LORD, who strikes the blow.
Romans 4:15
Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
ungodliness.
Romans 5:6
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
unrighteousness.
Romans 6:13
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
who hold.
Romans 1:19,28,32
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them…
Romans 2:3,15-23
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? …
Luke 12:46,47
The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers…
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.
New Living Translation
While you did all this, I remained silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you.
English Standard Version
These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
Berean Standard Bible
You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.
King James Bible
These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
New King James Version
These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes.
New American Standard Bible
“These things you have done and I kept silent; You thought that I was just like you; I will rebuke you and present the case before your eyes.
NASB 1995
“These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.
NASB 1977
“These things you have done, and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you, and state the case in order before your eyes.
Legacy Standard Bible
These things you have done and I kept silent; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.
Amplified Bible
“These things you have done and I kept silent; You thought that I was just like you. Now I will reprimand and denounce you and state the case in order before your eyes.
Christian Standard Bible
You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you.
Holman Christian Standard Bible
You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But I will rebuke you and lay out the case before you.”
American Standard Version
These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself: But I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
Contemporary English Version
When you did all this, I didn't say a word, and you thought, "God is just like us!" But now I will accuse you.
English Revised Version
These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
GOD'S WORD® Translation
When you did these things, I remained silent. [That] made you think I was like you. I will argue my point with you and lay it all out for you to see.
Good News Translation
You have done all this, and I have said nothing, so you thought that I am like you. But now I reprimand you and make the matter plain to you.
International Standard Version
These things you did, and I kept silent, because you assumed that I was like you. But now I am going to rebuke you, and I will set forth my case before your very own eyes."
Majority Standard Bible
You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.
NET Bible
When you did these things, I was silent, so you thought I was exactly like you. But now I will condemn you and state my case against you!
New Heart English Bible
You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes.
Webster's Bible Translation
These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
World English Bible
You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
These you did, and I kept silent, "" You have thought that I am like you, "" I reprove you, and set in array before your eyes.
Young's Literal Translation
These thou didst, and I kept silent, Thou hast thought that I am like thee, I reprove thee, and set in array before thine eyes.
Smith's Literal Translation
These things thou didst and I was silent; thou thoughtest, being, I shall be like to thee: I will reprove thee, and I will set it in order before thine eyes.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
these things hast thou done, and I was silent. Thou thoughtest unjustly that I should be like to thee: but I will reprove thee, and set before thy face.
Catholic Public Domain Version
These things you have done, and I was silent. You thought, unjustly, that I ought to be like you. But I will reprove you, and I will set myself against your face.
New American Bible
When you do these things should I be silent? Do you think that I am like you? I accuse you, I lay out the matter before your eyes.
New Revised Standard Version
These things you have done and I have been silent; you thought that I was one just like yourself. But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
All of these things have you done, and I kept silence; you thought that I was wicked like you; but I will reprove you, and correct these sins before your eyes.
Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You have done all these things and I have been silent to you; you had hoped that I would be evil like you, but I shall rebuke you and I shall set them in order before your eyes.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
These things hast thou done, and should I have kept silence? Thou hadst thought that I was altogether such a one as thyself; But I will reprove thee, and set the cause before thine eyes.
Brenton Septuagint Translation
These things thou didst, and I kept silence: thou thoughtest wickedly that I should be like thee, but I will reprove thee, and set thine offences before thee.
In Hebrew, the title "God Almighty" is written as El Shaddai and probably means “God, the All-powerful One” or “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5), although there is a question among most Bible scholars as to its precise meaning. The title speaks to God’s ultimate power over all. He has all might and power. We are first introduced to this name in Genesis 17:1, when God appeared to Abram and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.”
God has many names and attributes. He is the Almighty (Genesis 49:25), the Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 14:19), Builder of everything (Hebrews 3:4), the King of heaven (Daniel 4:37),
God of all mankind (Jeremiah 32:27), and the Eternal King. (Jeremiah 10:10). He is the only God (Jude 1:25), the Eternal God (Genesis 21:33), the Everlasting God (Isaiah 40:28), and Maker of all things (Ecclesiastes 11:5). He is able to do more things than we can ask or even imagine (Ephesians 3:20). He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed and miracles that cannot be counted (Job 9:10).
God’s power is unlimited. He can do anything He wants, whenever He wants (Psalm 115:3). He spoke the universe into existence (Genesis 1:3).
Furthermore, He answers to no one as to His plans and purposes: “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’"
(Daniel 4:35).
When we see God as the Almighty, we are struck by His power and by the fact that He is indeed a great, mighty, and awesome God (Deuteronomy 10:17). The identity of God as Almighty serves to establish the sense of awe and wonder we have toward Him and the realization that He is God above all things without limitation. This is important in view of how He is described next in the Bible. In Exodus 6:2-3, God said to Moses, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.” How is this significant? It is significant because God, whom we previously knew only as God Almighty, has now given a new, more personal and intimate name to Moses (and Israel). This desire on God’s part for a more personal relationship with mankind would culminate later when God Almighty sent His only Son to earth--God in flesh--to die on the cross so that a way for forgiveness of our sins could be provided. The fact that God Almighty would humble Himself in this way for us makes His name all the more remarkable.
The Mighty One Calls
…20You sit and malign your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. 21You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face. 22Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:…
Isaiah 57:11
Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lied and failed to remember Me or take this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear Me?
Ecclesiastes 8:11
When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil.
Romans 2:4
Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
Malachi 3:15
So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”
Job 22:13-14
Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness? / Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us as He traverses the vault of heaven.’
Jeremiah 7:9-11
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known, / and then come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue with all these abominations’? / Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Yes, I too have seen it, declares the LORD.
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Isaiah 42:14
“I have kept silent from ages past; I have remained quiet and restrained. But now I will groan like a woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
Amos 5:12
For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.
Matthew 25:41-46
Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. / For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, / I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’ ...
Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.
Romans 2:5
But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
Ezekiel 8:12
“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are saying, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’”
Luke 12:45-46
But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk. / The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
SILENT NIGHT | From Nazareth | Hebrew - Arabic - English
We produced a series of music videos to celebrate the
Birth of our
Messiah Yeshua
No matter when you celebrate, our passion is to point
people to the narrative of
salvation and find unity in worshiping
our King Messiah
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It’s Christmakkah!
Occasionally, Hanukkah and Christmas collide. Many think of these holidays like oil and water—from two completely different faith traditions that cannot be mixed. Even if they love Jesus, many who celebrate Hanukkah will struggle with Christmas. Similarly, many Christians mistakenly think Hanukkah has nothing to do with them. But there is a common denominator to these holidays, as you might have already guessed.
Jesus powerfully connects Christmas, Hanukkah, and Sukkot. Unlike in the nativity story, where there was no room at the inn, there’s plenty of room for all God’s children, and His arms are open wide to those who light candles and decorate trees.
This is something we’ve got used to here at ONE FOR ISRAEL. As a team of Jewish and Arab believers, with our Bible college training both Arab and Jewish students, we’ve learned to embrace one another’s traditions and enjoy the special time together. It hasn’t always been a smooth ride, as for some Messianic Jewish believers, the idea of Christmas ruffles feathers and causes discomfort. Similarly, some Christian Arabs struggle to understand why Jewish believers aren’t more excited about the birth of Jesus and the entirely biblical story of His first coming. Over the years, we have grown to accept and embrace all these expressions of our love for Jesus and the faith that joins us to be one new man in Him.
So Hanukkah, the Jewish Feast of Dedication, goes back to this particular celebration of Sukkot on Nehemiah’s day, held at an unusual time of year, to consecrate and dedicate the second temple – and the people themselves. And the purity of the oil for the temple menorah is a key part of the Hanukkah story.
The Messiah
came in the flesh,
just as the
prophets said they would,
by
miraculous virgin birth
The Hanukkah message of dedicating His house and preparing His place for holy purposes helps us remember this season, not just cakes and presents. God's coming to dwell with man is an excellent and holy business. He came to bring joy to the earth and peace among men.
https://www.oneforisrael.org/.../christmakkah-the.../
Seal of God
Messianic Seal
Marked
There is No Peace
One World Religion
Yes, according to the historical context, the "Magi" were considered magicians or sorcerers,
as the word "magus" (singular of Magi) is directly translated as "magician" in most contexts,
including other parts of the Bible where the term appears; however, in the Bible story of
the Nativity, they are often referred to as "wise men" due to the
translation choice in the Gospel of Matthew, where they are described
as studying the stars and interpreting signs,
which aligns with ancient astrological practices associated with the Magi
Alchemy was a form of speculative thought that, among other aims,
tried to transform base metals such as lead or copper into silver or gold.
It also sought to discover cures for diseases and a way of extending life
THE LODGE
opens $4.5 million
‘pastoral recovery’ center.
What is it?
magi k
Freemason seal of solomon
star of david
hexagon
witchcraft
sorcery
secret seal of solomon
little g
solomons temple
illuminati symbolism
egypt pyramid
gnosticm
kabbala
tree of life jacobs ladder
man thinks hes god
heresy
evil
man is not the light of creation
only god is
666
antichrist
man
6 pointed star
tripple 6
MAN
In Revelation
chapter 12,
John sees a vision
of a woman
"clothed with the sun,
and the
moon under her feet,
and on her
head
A crown of twelve stars"
(Revelation 12:1)
Note the similarity
between
this description and the description
that
Joseph
gave of his
father Jacob
(Israel)
and his
mother and their children
(Genesis 37:9-11).
The twelve stars
refer to the
twelve tribes of Israel
So the woman
in
Revelation 12
is Israel
Additional
evidence for this interpretation
is that Revelation 12:2-5
speaks of the
woman
being with child
and
GIVING BIRTH
While it is TRUE
that
Mary gave birth
to Jesus,
it is also TRUE that
Jesus,
the
son of David
from the
tribe of Judah,
came from
Israel
In a sense,
Israel gave birth—or brought forth—Christ Jesus
Verse 5 says that the woman’s
child was
"a male child, who is to rule
all the nations with a rod of iron;
and her child was
caught up
to God and to His throne."
Clearly, this is describing
Jesus
Jesus ascended to heaven
(Acts 1:9-11)
and will one day
establish
His kingdom on earth
(Revelation 20:4-6),
and
He will rule it with perfect judgment
(the “rod of iron”; see Psalm 2:7-9)
The woman’s flight
into the
wilderness for
1,260 days
refers to the future TIME
called
The Great Tribulation.
Twelve hundred, sixty days is 42 months
(of 30 days each),
which is the same as 3 1/2 years.
Halfway
through the Tribulation period,
the Beast (the Antichrist)
will set an image of himself up
in the temple
that will be built in
Jerusalem
This is the abomination
that Jesus spoke of
in
Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14.
When the Beast does this,
he breaks the
peace
pact he had made with
Israel,
and the nation has to flee for safety
possibly to Petra
(also see Matthew 24; Daniel 9:27)
This escape
of the Jews is pictured
as the
woman fleeing into
the wilderness
Revelation 12:12-17 speaks of how
the devil
will make war against
Israel,
trying to destroy her
(Satan knows his time is short, relatively speaking—see Revelation 20:1-3, 10)
It also reveals that God
will protect
Israel in the wilderness.
Revelation 12:14 says Israel
will be
protected from the devil
for
"a time, times, and half a time
(“a time” = 1 year; “times” = 2 years; “half a time” = one-half year; in other words, 3 1/2 years).
The opening verses of
John’s Gospel
Give us One
of the most theologically
rich and vivid glimpses
into
the nature of
Jesus Christ:
“In the beginning was the Word,
and the
Word was with God,
and the
Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made;
without him
nothing was made that has been made”
(John 1:1–3).
With these statements,
John
deliberately lays out
the
foundational doctrine upon
which his
entire message would stand--
the
Deity
of
Jesus Christ
The fact that Jesus
was in
the beginning with God
proves several key points:
Jesus Christ is God
He is divine;
He existed
in the
beginning because
Jesus is eternal;
He was not
created
in the beginning
but
is co-Creator
He was with God,
distinct in
personhood from the Father
and a
member of the triune Godhead.
Jesus Christ Is God
“The Word”
(Logos in Greek)
is an
undeniable reference
to
Jesus Christ,
as
The Word was made flesh
(John 1:14)
John would emphasize the deity of Christ throughout his Gospel
(John 1:14; 5:17–18; 10:30, 36–38; 12:45; 14:7, 9–11)
In the book of Revelation,
John reintroduces Jesus as the
“Word of God”
(Revelation 19:13)
Jesus Christ Is Eternal
John describes Jesus as pre-existent. Jesus was in the beginning with God means He was already present in Genesis 1:1 when the universe began. He has always existed (John 8:58).
The writer of Hebrews applies Psalm 102:25–27 to Jesus:
“In the beginning, Lord,
you laid the foundation of
the earth
and made the heavens with
your hands.
They will perish, but you remain forever.
They will wear out like old clothing.
You will fold them up
like a cloak and discard them
like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
you will live forever”
(Hebrews 1:10–12, NLT).
Jesus Himself
revealed in prayer
that
He shares in God’s eternality
“And now, Father,
glorify me in your presence
with the glory
I had with you before the world
began”
(John 17:5; see also John 17:24).
Again, in
the book of Revelation,
Jesus declares,
“I am the
Alpha and the Omega--
the
beginning and the end. . . .
I am the one who is,
who always was,
and
who is still to come--
the
Almighty One”
(Revelation 1:8, NLT).
Jesus Christ Is Creator
Jesus was in the beginning
with God
means that Jesus was
not a
created being
but an
active co-Creator with God
The term for “with” in the original Greek expresses
a living,
dynamic union in the
closest,
most intimate sense
John could not state it any more precisely:
“God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him”
(John 1:3, NLT; see also John 1:10).
The apostle Paul confirms,
“For through him God created everything
in the
heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see--
such as thrones,
kingdoms, rulers, and authorities
in the unseen world.
Everything was
created
through him and for him”
(Colossians 1:16, NLT)
Jesus Christ Is God the Son
Jesus
was in the beginning with God
also supports the
doctrine of the Trinity
Jesus is God, yet He was
“with God.”
Jesus is
distinct in His personhood from
God the Father;
He is God the Son.
They are One
but
not identical.
They
interact with one another.
The world was created
by God
through Jesus:
“There is one God, the Father,
by whom
all things were created,
and for whom we live.
And there is one Lord,
Jesus Christ,
through
whom all things
were created,
and through whom
we live”
(1 Corinthians 8:6, NLT)
As members of the
Trinity,
the
Father and Son
act
distinctly but in
close
collaboration with
one another
(Genesis 1:1–3; cf. John 1:1–3).
The apostle Paul
further describes this collaborative action
in 2 Corinthians 4:6:
“For God, who said,
‘Let there be light in the darkness,’
has made this
light
shine in our hearts
so we could
know
the glory of God
that is seen in the face
of
Jesus Christ”
(NLT)
Jesus reveals
“the visible image of the invisible God”
(Colossians 1:15–17, NLT)
“The Son radiates God’s own
GLORY
and
expresses the very character
of God,
and he
sustains everything
by the
mighty power
of
his command”
(Hebrews 1:3, NLT).
The twelve tribes of Israel
came from the
twelve sons of Israel
“Israel”
is the name
that God gave Jacob
(Genesis 32:28)
His twelve sons are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin (Genesis 35:23-26; Exodus 1:1–4; 1 Chronicles 2:1–2). When the tribes inherited the Promised Land, Levi’s descendants did not receive a territory for themselves (Joshua 13:14). Instead, they became priests and had several cities scattered throughout all of Israel. Joseph’s tribe was divided in two—Jacob had adopted Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, essentially giving Joseph a double portion for his faithfulness in saving the family from famine (Genesis 47:11–12). This means the tribes who received territory in the Promised Land were Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. In some places in Scripture, the tribe of Ephraim is referred to as the tribe of Joseph (Numbers 1:32–33).
After King Solomon died, Israel split into two kingdoms. Judah, to the south, included the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The other tribes combined to make the kingdom of Israel in the north. In the ensuing years, many Israelites in the north emigrated to Judah in the south to flee the apostasy in their homeland (see 2 Chronicles 11:16; 15:9). Eventually, Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians, and most of the Israelites were either killed or deported; the Israelites who remained most likely integrated with Judah as many of the faithful before them had.
Jesus was from Judah, Paul was from Benjamin, and John the Baptist was a Levite, but, since the diaspora in A.D. 70, identifying the tribe of a modern Jew is a little more difficult. That doesn’t mean that the tribal divisions are irrelevant. During the tribulation, when most of the world has abandoned God and is following the Antichrist, 144,000 Jews will be sealed by God. This number comprises 12,000 from each tribe. So, even if we don’t know who is in what tribe, God has kept track. The tribes are listed again in Revelation 7:5-8, but they are not the same tribes that were given land in Joshua. Manasseh is there, and Ephraim (under Joseph’s name). But instead of Dan, Levi is included. No explanation is given as to why.
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 groups 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.
The opening verses of
John’s Gospel
introduce us to
Jesus Christ
as the incarnation
of God.
John wants his readers to know that Jesus is fully God in human form. John then reveals the purpose of God coming to earth as a human: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4–5). Jesus Christ came to bring the light of God’s life into a spiritually dark and dying world.
In Genesis, the creation of light was God’s first creative move (Genesis 1:3). In the process of generating life, light was God’s initial instrument for illuminating the dark and formless void. It was the inaugural instance of God shining light in the darkness.
When John spoke of the Incarnation, he was echoing the creation account. Scripture tells us over and again that God is the source of life and light: “For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see” (Psalm 36:9, NLT; see also Acts 17:28; Psalm 27:1). “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Jesus Christ is God’s light sent down to earth to pierce through the darkness. That light is God’s life, both physical and eternal. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25; see also John 14:6). The life within Christ is the life of God: “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself” (John 5:26).
The Bible tells us that the life of Christ serves as a light to all people. That life is the light of truth—the message of Christ’s salvation and eternal life with God: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11). The brilliance of Christ’s life and truth shine like a light into the darkness of this world.
In the New Testament, light and darkness are common symbols of good and evil. It’s clear that light in John 1:5represents life, and ultimately, eternal life with God in His heavenly kingdom. Darkness is the absence of light—the lack of God. It represents the power of evil, sin, and unbelief in this world, all of which lead to eternal death (John 3:19; Job 10:22; 38:15; 1 Samuel 2:9).
John continues to focus on the theme of light and darkness throughout his gospel. In John 8:12, Jesus proclaims to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (NLT). John 1:5 says the darkness “has not overcome” the light because evil cannot overpower Jesus Christ, who states, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:46).
Jesus declared that those who believe in the light become sons and daughters of the light: “Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light” (John 12:36, NLT). According to the apostle Paul, Christians have passed from darkness into light: “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!” (Ephesians 5:8, NLT).
By loving one another, believers shine light into the darkness: “Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them” (1 John 2:8–11).
The nature of light is to shine, and darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. Just as a bright street lamp discourages criminal mischief at night, so the light of Christ dispels the darkness of sin in the world. Just as the first rays of dawn pierce the blackness of night, God’s light and truth carry spiritual awakening to darkened hearts.
The light shines in the darkness means Jesus Christ has come into the world, bringing the good news of God’s salvation to every person. As Isaiah foretold, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2). The life of Jesus, which is the life of the Creator God Himself, is the light of the world. No power of darkness can defeat or snuff out this light (Matthew 16:18; John 16:33).
Jesus is the giver of life and bearer of light. The Son of God continues to shine His light to humankind through His church, the body of Christ (Philippians 2:15). Whoever believes in Him receives eternal life (John 3:15; see also Psalm 112:4).
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I AM
The TRUE Vine
(John 15:1)
is the last of seven
“I am”
declarations of Jesus recorded
only in
John’s Gospel
These “I AM”
proclamations point to
His unique divine
identity
and purpose.
Jesus said,
“I am the True Vine”
to closest friends
gathered around
Him
It was only a short time
before
Judas would betray Him;
in fact, Judas
had already left
to do his
infamous deed
(John 13:30)
Jesus was preparing
the eleven men left for
His pending crucifixion,
His resurrection,
and His
subsequent departure for heaven.
He had just told them that He would be leaving them
(John 14:2).
Knowing
how disturbed they would feel, He gave them
this lovely metaphor of
the TRUE VINE
as one
of His encouragements.
Jesus
wanted His friends,
not only those eleven,
but those of all time,
to know
that He was
not going to desert them,
even though they
would no longer
enjoy
His physical presence.
His living energy—His spiritual reality--
would continue
to nourish and sustain them
just as the roots
and trunk of a
grape vine
produce the energy
that nourishes
and sustains its branches
while they develop their
fruit.
Jesus
wanted us to know that,
even though we cannot see Him,
we are
as closely connected to Him
as the branches
of a
vine are connected
to its stem
Our desire to know and
love Him
and the energy to
serve Him
will keep flowing
into and
through us as long as
we “abide” in Him
Jesus went
on to remove any misunderstanding
about what He meant
(John 15:4).
He said that no branch can even live,
let alone
produce leaves and fruit, by itself.
Cut off
from the trunk,
a branch is
dead.
Just as a vine’s branches
rely on
being connected
to the trunk
from which they receive
their
energy to bear fruit,
Jesus’ disciples
depend
on being connected
to Him
for their spiritual life
and the
ability to serve Him
effectively
Our source of life and
spiritual fruit
is not in
ourselves; it is outside us, in
Christ Jesus
We can live, live RIGHTLY,
and
SERVE Him
effectively
ONLY if
we are RIGHTLY
CONNECTED to HIM
in a
faith/love relationship
Then Jesus underscored
His point
even more strongly by saying,
“Apart from me you can do nothing”
(John 15:5).
This illustration of the
vine and branches
is no thoughtless generality or
careless simile.
It is absolute, stark reality.
No believer can achieve anything of
spiritual value
independently of
Christ Jesus
He also reminds us that there are some
who are
“in” Him
who bear no fruit.
But these are not, as some would suppose,
true branches
that just happen to be fruitless
All true branches bear
fruit.
Just as we know a healthy,
living tree
by the
good fruit it produces,
so do we
recognize fruitless branches
as having
no connection to the
True Vine
This is why
Jesus tells us,
“By their fruit you will know them”
(Matthew 7:16–20).
Those who do
NOT
produce good fruit
are CUT
away and BURNED
The reference here is to
apostates,
those who profess to know Christ
but whose
relationship to Him is insincere.
He neither called them
nor elected them
nor saved them
nor sustains them.
Eventually,
the fruitless branches
are identified as
not
belonging
to
The Vine
and are removed
for the sake of
TRUTH
and
the
benefit of
the
OTHER BRANCHES
So, we depend on
Jesus
for everything, starting
with our very life--
“For IN HIM we LIVE and MOVE
and
have our BEING”
(Acts 17:28)
and including our
reconciliation with
God
through HIM
(Romans 5:10).
No one can SERVE God
effectively
until
he is CONNECTED
with
JESUS CHRIST by FAITH
Jesus is our ONLY
connection
with the God
who gave LIFE
and who
PRODUCES
in us
a
FRUITFUL LIFE
of
RIGHTEOUSNESS and SERVICE
The lake of fire
is a term used
in only a few verses
near
the end in the
book of Revelation
(Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8).
Jesus refers to Gehenna/hell several times
(Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5),
as well as an “outer darkness”
(Matthew 8:12; 22:13).
These all seem to be different references to the same thing.
Hell, the lake of fire,
and
outer darkness are all terms
describing the final
destination of those
who reject Christ.
This is a state of complete separation
from God,
never-ending and inescapable.
According to the Bible,
the
lake of fire
is the
“second death.”
This is the ultimate
CONSEQUENCE
of sin,
which is to be
totally
CUT OFF
from God
The lake of fire will be
a place of
perpetual suffering and misery.
Scripture
indicates that every person whose
NAME
is not in the
book of life
will be
CAST INTO THE LAKE
OF FIRE
(Revelation 20:15).
The
LAKE OF FIRE
will also be the
fate of the
BEAST and FALSE PROPHET
from
the end times
(Revelation 19:20),
as well as Satan himself
(Revelation 20:10).
The Bible indicates that
both
death and Hades--
the temporary destination of
the unsaved dead--
will also be cast into
the lake of fire
(Revelation 20:14).
Even though HELL
is described
using terminology such
as
FIRE and FLAME,
it is not meant
to be thought of as only a physical place.
Hell is described as
a place of
“torment,” not “torture,”
initially intended for
purely
spiritual beings
(Matthew 25:41).
In fact, the worst aspect of hell
is an eternity of
conscious, guilty, shameful separation
from God
and all forms of goodness.
In that sense, hell is far worse than
a literal inferno;
a purely physical hell
is actually not as terrible as what
the Bible describes.
In other words, the Bible tells us what
hell is “like,”
using symbols such
as the lake of fire.
But Scripture does not tell us too much
about
what hell “is,”
in direct terms.
FIRE
is often used as a symbol of
GODS JUDGEMENT
The symbolism
stems
from real-life examples of
God’s use of FIRE
to
Punish the
WICKED—the OVERTHROW
of
Sodom and Gomorrah
(Genesis 19:24),
for example, and
the
destruction of Elijah’s enemies
(2 Kings 1:12).
Prophets associated God
or His throne
with a stream of fire,
a symbol
of His holy punishment
of sin
(e.g., Daniel 7:10; Isaiah 30:33).
The fact that the destiny
of those
who reject God is pictured
as a
“LAKE of FIRE”
speaks to how
SERIOUS the JUDGEMENT IS
When God finally abolishes
sin and death,
all
sinners will be condemned
to the
worst possible fate,
described in the Bible using the
MOST HORRIFIC TERMS
DEAD SEA
Jesus told the Parable
of the
Wedding Feast
in
Matthew 22:1-14
This parable is similar in some ways
to the
Parable of the Great Banquet
(Luke 14:15-24),
but the occasion is different, and it has some important distinctions. To better understand the context of this story, it is important to know some basic facts about weddings in Jesus’ day.
In Jewish society, the parents of the betrothed generally drew up the marriage contract.
The bride and groom would meet, perhaps for the first time, when this contract was signed. The couple was considered married at this point, but they would separate until the actual time of the ceremony. The bride would remain with her parents, and the groom would leave to prepare their home. This could take quite a while. When the home was all was ready, the groom would return for his bride without notice. The marriage ceremony would then take place, and the wedding banquet would follow.
The wedding banquet was one of the most joyous occasions in Jewish life and could last for up to a week. In His parable, Jesus compares heaven to a wedding banquet that a king had prepared for his son (Matthew 22:2).
Many people had been invited, but when the time for the banquet came and the table was set, those invited refused to come (verses 4-5).
In fact, the king’s servants
who brought
the joyful message
were mistreated and even
killed
(verse 6)
The king, enraged at the response of those who had been invited, sent his army to avenge the death of his servants (verse 7).
He then
sent invitations
to
anyone his servants could
find,
with the result
that the
wedding hall was
FILLED
(verses 8-10).
During the feast the king noticed a man “who was not wearing wedding clothes” (verse 11). When asked how he came to be there without the furnished attire, the man had no answer and was promptly ejected from the feast “outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (verses 12-13). Jesus then ends the parable with this statement: “For many are invited, but few are chosen” (verse 14).
The king is God the Father, and the son who is being honored at the banquet is Jesus Christ, who “came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). Israel held the invitation to the kingdom, but when the time actually came for the kingdom to appear (see Matthew 3:1), they refused to believe it. Many prophets, including John the Baptist, had been murdered (Matthew 14:10). The king’s reprisal against the murderers can be interpreted as a prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction in A.D. 70 at the hands of the Romans (cf. Luke 21:5). More broadly, the king’s vengeance speaks of the desolation mentioned in the book of Revelation. God is patient, but He will not tolerate wickedness forever (Obadiah 1:15). His judgment will come upon those who reject His offer of salvation. Considering what that salvation cost Jesus, is not this judgment well deserved (see Hebrews 10:29-31)?
Note that it is not because the invited guests could not come to the wedding feast, but that they would notcome (see Luke 13:34). Everyone had an excuse. How tragic, and how indicative of human nature, to be offered the blessings of God and to refuse them because of the draw of mundane things!
The wedding invitation is extended to anyone and everyone, total strangers, both good and bad. This refers to the gospel being taken to the Gentiles. This portion of the parable is a foreshadowing of the Jews’ rejection of the gospel in Acts 13. Paul and Barnabas were in Pisidian Antioch, where the Jewish leaders strongly opposed them. The apostle’s words echo the king’s estimation that those invited to the wedding “did not deserve to come”: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). The gospel message, Jesus taught, would be made available to everyone.
The matter of the wedding garment is instructive. It would be a gross insult to the king to refuse to wear the garment provided to the guests. The man who was caught wearing his old clothing learned what an offense it was as he was removed from the celebration.
This was Jesus’ way of teaching the inadequacy of self-righteousness. From the very beginning, God has provided a “covering” for our sin. To insist on covering ourselves is to be clad in “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Adam and Eve tried to cover their shame, but they found their fig leaves to be woefully scant. God took away their handmade clothes and replaced them with skins of (sacrificed) animals (Genesis 3:7, 21). In the book of Revelation, we see those in heaven wearing “white robes” (Revelation 7:9), and we learn that the whiteness of the robes is due to their being washed in the blood of the Lamb (verse 14). We trust in God’s righteousness, not our own (Philippians 3:9).
Just as the king provided wedding garments for his guests, God provides salvation for mankind. Our wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ, and unless we have it, we will miss the wedding feast. When the religions of the world are stripped down to their basic tenets, we either find man working his way toward God, or we find the cross of Christ. The cross is the only way to salvation (John 14:6).
For his crime against the king, the improperly attired guest is thrown out into the darkness. For their crimes against God, there will be many who will be consigned to “outer darkness”—existence without God for eternity. Christ concludes the parable with the sad fact that “many are invited, but few are chosen.” In other words, many people hear the call of God, but only a few heed it.
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Wedding Feast, God sent His Son into the world, and the very people who should have celebrated His coming rejected Him, bringing judgment upon themselves. As a result, the kingdom of heaven was opened up to anyone who will set aside his own righteousness and by faith accept the righteousness God provides in Christ. Those who spurn the gift of salvation and cling instead to their own “good” works will spend eternity in hell.
The self-righteous Pharisees who heard this parable did not miss Jesus’ point. In the very next verse, “the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words” (Matthew 22:15). The Parable of the Wedding Feast is also a warning to us, to make sure we are relying on God’s provision of salvation, not on our own good works or religious service.
Isaiah 55:10–11 says, “As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, . . . So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void” (KJV). The word void means “empty.” The remainder of verse 11 explains what it means to “not return void,” saying that God’s Word “will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Rain and snow are part of a cyclical water process. Precipitation comes upon the earth, drains into the land, and produces great benefit in the growth of crops, the refreshment of souls, and the sustaining of life. Rain and snow come from above and do not return back above without accomplishing their purpose. God compares His Word to the rain and snow because, like the precipitation, God’s Word always fulfills His good purposes.
When God says that His Word will not return to Him void, we can know that He has an intention for His Word. God’s Word is from above. He “breathed out” His words to us, and they were recorded in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16). Every word He gave humanity is purposeful and was given for a reason. Like the rain and snow, God’s words bring forth life (John 6:63) and produce good fruit in our lives. Through His Word, we know that God loves us and that Jesus died to free us from sin and death; we also learn how to live in light of those truths.
When God says that His Word will not return to Him void, we are encouraged to abide in His Word, allowing it to absorb into our lives, soaking it up as the ground soaks up the rain and snow. The truth will not return void as our hearts are changed. God’s Word rebukes us and corrects us when we are wrong, and it trains us in godly living (2 Timothy 3:16–17). His Word is a light guiding us in this dark world (Psalm 119:105). It is relevant to every pressing and practical problem. God’s Word will always accomplish what He desires, whether it is teaching, correcting, training, leading us to Him, revealing our sin, or some other good and profitable end.
When God says that His Word will not return to Him void, we understand that God is sovereign. The promise is that God’s Word will accomplish what He wants it to, not necessarily what we want it to. We may share the Word with the purpose of changing someone’s mind—and the person’s mind doesn’t change. Was God’s Word void? No, but our personal goals may have been different from God’s. Like the wind that “blows wherever it pleases,” the Holy Spirit moves in mysterious ways (John 3:8). And God may use His Word in surprising ways, at surprising times, and in surprising people. We can’t predict exactly how God will use His Word any more than meteorologists can predict with certitude the rainfall and snowfall.
God’s Word will not return void. It is too powerful. When God said, “Let there be light,” the immediate result was that “there was light” (Genesis 1:3). When Jesus said, “Peace! Be still!” the wind ceased and the sea calmed (Mark 4:39). God’s Word will always prosper; God will succeed, and those who receive His Word will be overcomers as well (1 John 5:4).
Jesus told the Parable of the Fig Tree--Luke 13:6-9—immediately after reminding His listeners of a tower over the pool of Siloam (John 9:7) which unexpectedly fell and killed eighteen people. The moral of that story is found in Luke 13:3: “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.” To reiterate this moral, Jesus tells the story of the fig tree, the vineyard owner, and the gardener who took care of the vineyard.
The three entities in the story all have clear symbolic significance.
The VINEYARD
owner represents
God,
THE ONE
who RIGHTLY expects
to see
FRUIT on His TREE
and who JUSTLY
decides
to
destroy it when He
FINDS NONE
The gardener, or vineyard keeper who cares for the trees, watering and fertilizing them to bring them to their peak of fruitfulness, represents Jesus, who feeds His people and gives them living water. The tree itself has two symbolic meanings: the nation of Israel and the individual.
As the story unfolds, we see the vineyard owner expressing his disappointment at the fruitless tree. He has looked for fruit for three years from this tree, but has found none. The three-year period is significant because for three years John the Baptist and Jesus had been preaching the message of repentance throughout Israel. But the fruits of repentance were not forthcoming. John the Baptist warned the people about the Messiah coming and told them to bring forth fruits fit for repentance because the ax was already laid at the root of the tree (Luke 3:8-9). But the Jews were offended by the idea they needed to repent, and they rejected their Messiah because He demanded repentance from them. After all, they had the revelation of God, the prophets, the Scriptures, the covenants, and the adoption (Romans 9:4-5). They had it all, but they were already apostate. They had departed from the true faith and the true and living God and created a system of works-righteousness that was an abomination to God. He, as the vineyard owner, was perfectly justified in tearing down the tree that had no fruit. The Lord’s ax was already poised over the root of the tree, and it was ready to fall.
However, we see the gardener pleading here for a little more time. There were a few months before the crucifixion, and more miracles to come, especially the incredible miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, which would astound many and perhaps cause the Jews to repent. As it turned out, Israel as a nation still did not believe, but individuals certainly did (John 12:10-11). The compassionate gardener intercedes for more time to water and fertilize the fruitless tree, and the gracious Lord of the vineyard responds in patience.
The lesson for the individual is that borrowed time is not permanent. God’s patience has a limit. In the parable, the vineyard owner grants another year of life to the tree. In the same way, God in His mercy grants us another day, another hour, another breath. Christ stands at the door of each man’s heart knocking and seeking to gain entrance and requiring repentance from sin. But if there is no fruit, no repentance, His patience will come to an end, and the fruitless, unrepentant individual will be cut down. We all live on borrowed time; judgment is near. That is why the prophet Isaiah wrote, "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7).
The presence of a fruitful fig tree was considered to be a symbol of blessing and prosperity for the nation of Israel. Likewise, the absence or death of a fig tree would symbolize judgment and rejection. Symbolically, the fig tree represented the spiritual deadness of Israel, who while very religious outwardly with all the sacrifices and ceremonies, were spiritually barren because of their sins. By cleansing the Temple and cursing the fig tree, causing it to wither and die, Jesus was pronouncing His coming judgment of Israel and demonstrating His power to carry it out. It also teaches the principle that religious profession and observance are not enough to guarantee salvation, unless there is the fruit of genuine salvation evidenced in the life of the person. James would later echo this truth when he wrote that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). The lesson of the fig tree is that we should bear spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), not just give an appearance of religiosity.
God judges fruitlessness, and expects
that those who have
a relationship with Him will
“bear much fruit”
(John 15:5-8).
The statement
“you will know them by their
fruit”
(Matthew 7:16)
is part of Jesus’ teaching about recognizing true followers and avoiding false prophets. Beginning with verse 15, we read this context: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15–20).
The seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew is a gold mine of teaching from the popular verse 1 to the well-known parable about the wise man building his house upon the rock (verses 24–27). In verses 21–23, Jesus makes a chilling announcement to many who assumed they belonged to Him. He warned them that on Judgment Day they will hear Him say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” Just before that warning, Jesus had indicted those who pretended to follow Him but whose lives indicated something else. He told His followers that the “fruit” of their lives proved what was inside their hearts (cf. Mark 7:20–23).
When Jesus says, “You will know them by their fruit,” what does “fruit” mean? Jesus gave the illustration of grape vines and fig trees. When we see grape vines, we expect them to contain grapes in season. We also expect fig trees to produce figs. A produce farmer who notices one of his fruit trees not bearing any fruit will cut it down. It is useless. Likewise, we would not come to a field of thistles and expect to harvest fruit. Thistles and thorn bushes can never produce fruit because of their nature. It is impossible. They have no capacity to produce anything but thorns (Matthew 12:33).
In our lives, every word and every action is fruit from our hearts. Sinners sin because that’s what is in their hearts. Thieves steal, rapists attack, and adulterers cheat because those sins are the fruit being produced from an evil heart. Bad hearts produce bad fruit. When Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit” concerning false teachers, He was giving us a guide for identifying them. False prophets, speakers of lies, will have actions that correspond to their errant message. Just as their message is anti-God, so will be their works. They will stray from the path of righteousness.
When we repent of our sin and receive Jesus as Lord of our lives (John 1:12; Acts 2:38), He changes our hearts (2 Corinthians 5:17). Now the fruit that is produced is good fruit. Galatians 5:22 lists some of the fruit produced by a heart in tune with God. Our attitudes, actions, words, and perspectives change as we walk in fellowship with the Holy Spirit (1 John 1:6–7). When our hearts change, our fruit changes.
Many false prophets have come and gone, and many of them lived in blatant sin while preaching their message. Jim Jones openly engaged in adultery, drug use, and profanity. David Koresh had child “wives” as young as 11. False teachers might display the “fruit” of sexual immorality, greed, materialism, gluttony, and other sins while justifying their behavior and lifting themselves up as something holy. Unfortunately, many people through the years have been duped into following such characters and joining them in justifying the sin. If only they had heeded Jesus’ warning that “you will know them by their fruit.” No matter how good or convincing someone sounds, if he is bearing bad fruit, his message should be avoided.
Godly teachers will display good “fruit” such as making disciples (Matthew 28:19), using their gifts to benefit others (Romans 12:4–8), leading lost people to Jesus (James 5:20), loving their fellow believers (1 John 3:14), and seeking humble ways to do good everywhere (Jeremiah 29:7). All of these things are indications of a good heart.
Often, people profess faith in Jesus as Savior, but it is a mere profession with no real faith. Some religious groups encourage baptism, confirmation, or other religious rites that are supposed to ensure one’s future in heaven. But as time goes on, the fruit being produced in such a life looks nothing like what is clearly prescribed in the Bible (1 Peter 1:16). Some attend church services but spend the rest of their time living entirely for themselves. Some may rise to prominence, even teaching or preaching, writing books, or dominating the media, but the fruit of their lives belies their words (Matthew 24:24). Greed, deception, immorality, pride, or dishonesty defines them, making them false prophets by Jesus’ standards (2 Peter 2:1–3).
While we can never know anyone else’s heart, we can make wise assessments about other people by observing the regular fruit of their lives. All of us stumble from time to time, and we may go through seasons of bearing little fruit (1 John 1:8). But 1 John 3:4–10 makes it clear that those who know God will not continue a lifestyle of bearing bad fruit. We have been transformed, and the fruit of our lives is evidence of that transformation. Apple trees don’t produce bananas, and strawberry plants don’t produce figs. This fact of nature is also true in the spiritual realm. We can identify those whose hearts have been redeemed by the fruit we see in their lives.
The
Lord’s Prayer,
recorded in Matthew 6,
begins with,
“Our Father in
heaven,
hallowed be
YOUR NAME”
(Matthew 6:9).
To hallow something
is to make
it holy or separate it
or
sanctify it.
Jesus taught
His followers to pray
that
God the Father
would “hallow” His
NAME
Significantly,
this request comes first. It is of primary
importance for
God to hallow
His Name
In what way do we
want
God to hallow
His NAME?
In what
way is His name
to be
SET APART
or made
HOLY?
One writer explains it this way: “When Jesus petitions God to hallow his name, he is asking that God act in such a way that he visibly demonstrates his holiness and his glory” (Albert Mohler in The Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down: The Lord’s Prayer as a Manifesto for Revolution, p. 61). God demonstrates His holiness in the world by creating a holy people who will call on His name, proclaim the gospel, and accomplish good works (Ephesians 2:10).
No one likes to have his or her name forgotten, misspelled, or mispronounced. Our names are part of our identity and individual worth. We value having a “good name,” that is, a blameless reputation. In a similar way, God’s name speaks of His identity, His character, and His actions. When David says, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake,” he is referring to God’s action of hallowing His name in the way He guides us (Psalm 23:3; cf. Isaiah 48:9–11 and Ezekiel 20:14). God’s name—His character and reputation—must be set apart as holy in this world, and that is what Jesus teaches us to pray for.
The request “hallowed be your name” comes first in the Lord’s Prayer. Right away, Jesus removes the focus from us and turns our attention to God. It’s about Him, His holiness, and His work in the world. Jesus taught us to begin our prayers by recognizing the God to whom we pray. He is a loving Father who invites us into His presence. He genuinely cares for us. God is holy and worthy of all honor, and our first priority is to pray that the world would see how holy and glorious He is.
On a different occasion, Jesus prayed for His followers: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 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 17:15–19). The word sanctify in Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer is a translation of the same Greek word translated “hallowed” in Matthew 6:9. Jesus prayed this specifically for His disciples, but also for those who would believe in Him through their message—meaning all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ (John 17:20). As children of God (John 1:12), we are called to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16).
First Peter 3:15 tells us to “in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.” Revere in this verse is another translation of the Greek word for “hallowed.” One of the ways in which we hallow God’s name is to recognize Jesus as Lord and live our lives to honor God. We incline our hearts toward Him, put our hope in Him, obey Him, and share about Him with others.
May we follow
Jesus’ model prayer,
and may
“hallowed be your
NAME”
be the TRUE desire
of
OUR HEARTS
The definition of
idolatry,
according to Webster, is
“the worship of idols
or excessive devotion to,
or reverence for some
person or thing.”
An idol
is anything that replaces the
one, true God
The most prevalent form of
idolatry
in Bible
times was the worship
of images
that were thought to
embody the various
pagan deities.
From the beginning,
God’s covenant with
Israel
was based on
exclusive worship of
Him alone
(Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7)
The Israelites were not even
to mention the
NAMES
of
false gods
(Exodus 23:13)
because to do so would acknowledge their existence and give credence to their power and influence over the people. Israel was forbidden to intermarry with other cultures who embraced false gods, because God knew this would lead to compromise. The book of Hosea uses the imagery of adultery to describe Israel’s continual chasing after other gods, like an unfaithful wife chases after other men. The history of Israel is a sad chronicle of idol worship, punishment, restoration and forgiveness, followed by a return to idolatry. The books of 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles reveal this destructive pattern. The Old Testament prophets endlessly prophesied dire consequences for Israel if they continued in their idolatry. Mostly, they were ignored until it was too late and God’s wrath against idol-worship was poured out on the nation. But ours is a merciful God, and He never failed to forgive and restore them when they repented and sought His forgiveness.
In reality, idols are impotent blocks of stone or wood, and their power exists only in the minds of the worshipers. The idol of the god Dagon was twice knocked to the floor by God to show the Philistines just who was God and who wasn’t (1 Samuel 5:1-5). The “contest” between God and His prophet Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel is a dramatic example of the power of the true God and the impotence of false gods (1 Kings 18:19-40). The testimony of Scripture is that God alone is worthy of worship. Idol worship robs God of the glory that is rightfully His, and that is something He will not tolerate (Isaiah 42:8).
Even today there are religions that bow before statues and icons, a practice forbidden by God’s Word. The significance God places upon it is reflected in the fact that the first of the Ten Commandments refers to idolatry: “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:3-5).
Idolatry extends beyond the worship of idols and images and false gods. Our modern idols are many and varied. Even for those who do not bow physically before a statue, idolatry is a matter of the heart—pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions and ultimately rebellion against God.
Is it any
wonder that
God
HATES it?
Fornication
is a term used in the Bible for
any
sexual misconduct or impure sexual activity
that occurs outside
of the
bounds
of a
marriage covenant
Fornication
is also applied
symbolically in the Bible to
the SINS
of
idolatry and apostasy,
or the
abandoning of God
The word fornication comes from the Greek term porneia (from which we get our English word pornography) and is often linked with adultery in the Bible. It is a general term for sexual immorality. Fornication includes adultery, which is the act of a married person engaging in sexual intercourse with someone other than his or her spouse. But fornication also involves engaging in any kind of sexual relations before marriage or between two people who are not married. For instance, in the King James Version of 1 Corinthians 5:1, fornication is used twice to describe a sexual sin that was being tolerated by the church: a man was sleeping with his father’s wife.
In a list of horrendous sins in Romans 1:29, the apostle Paul includes fornication, referring to all kinds of sexual immorality. Jesus mentions fornication in a list of corrupting sins that come from within a person’s heart: “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality [fornication], theft, lying, and slander” (Matthew 15:19, NLT; see also Mark 7:21).
The sin of fornication violates the seventh commandment (Exodus 20:14), which was intended to safeguard the integrity of the family and the marriage union. God designed sex for marriage, and marriage to be a holy, prized, and honored institution. The Bible calls husbands and wives to keep themselves exclusively for one another or face God’s judgment: “Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers” (Hebrews 13:4, CSB). Condemnation of sexual immorality is unanimous in Scripture. Those who persistently indulge in fornication will not inherit the kingdom of heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9).
Abstaining from fornication was one of four conditions required of the Gentiles to be accepted into the early church by the Jerusalem conference: “Abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well” (Acts 15:29, KJV).
The Bible instructs believers to run from every kind of sexual sin, including fornication: “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people” (Ephesians 5:3, NLT; see also 1 Corinthians 7:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3).
According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:18, sexual sin is unique in that it is a sin against one’s own body. This idea is linked to the teaching established in the previous verses—that believers are members of the body of Christ(verses 12–17). An immoral sexual union violates the believer’s mystical “one flesh” union with Jesus Christ (verse 15). We don’t have the right to use our bodies any way we wish because we belong to the Lord. Fornication runs contrary to our new nature and identity as members of Jesus Christ’s body. Paul goes on to explain that a Christian’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, a holy place that belongs to Jesus Christ (verse 19). We have been redeemed by God for good and righteous works and not for sin (Ephesians 2:10).
In both the Old and New Testaments, Scripture uses fornication in a figurative sense to describe the corruption of God’s people with the sin of idolatry and unfaithfulness. Both Israel and the church are depicted as the Lord’s wife, or the Bride of Christ. When God’s people engage in idolatry and unfaithfulness, He calls this sin “fornication” (Jeremiah 2:20–36; Ezekiel 16:15–43; Revelation 2:14, 20–22; 17:1–18; 18:2–9).
There is no direct mention of pedophilia in the Bible. But, there are numerous biblical principles that definitely apply to this sin. One such principle is the Bible’s view of the sin of fornication. The word translated “fornication” has the same idea in both the Hebrew and the Greek. The Greek word is porneia, from which we get the English words porno and pornography. The word in Scripture refers to any illicit sexual activity, and this would have to include the abhorrent acts of a pedophile—including the gathering and trading of obscene or indecent pictures of young children. People who use this type of pornography usually graduate from looking to actually doing, bringing great harm to children. Fornication is among the “lusts of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16–21) and among the evil things that come from the heart of a man apart from God (Mark 7:21–23).
Pedophiles share the characteristic of being “without natural affection” (Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:2). The phrase “without natural affection” is translated from one Greek word, which means “inhuman, unloving, and unsociable.” One without natural affection acts in ways that are against the social norm. This would certainly describe a pedophile.
In addition, there is a principle found in Jesus’ words about children. Jesus used a child to teach His disciples that childlike faith is necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. At the same time, He said that the Father has concern for all of His “little ones” (Matthew 18:1–14). In that passage, Jesus says, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6, KJV). The word offend in the Greek means “to cause one to stumble, to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, to entice to sin, or to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey.”
These definitions of the word offend can easily be applied to the actions of a pedophile. Of course, the principle of not harming a child can be applied to a wide range of child-abusive actions, and Matthew 18:10 makes the case against anyone who would bring any type of harm to a child.
Porneia is a Greek word that essentially means “illicit sexual activity.” It is a general, inclusive word for any kind of sexual immorality and occurs about 25 times in the New Testament. The NASB consistently translates it “fornication.” The NIV translates it “sexual immorality” or on a few occasions simply “immorality.” It is often included in lists with other sinful activities without any further definition or explanation (Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21; Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25; Romans 1:29; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Colossians 3:5; Revelation 9:21). The word does not specify which kinds of sexual activity are immoral; however, since the rest of Scripture defines any sexual activity outside of marriage as off-limits, it would all be considered porneia. The English word pornography is from the word porneia. Even though pornography is not mentioned in the New Testament, it seems reasonable to include it in the category of porneia, as it is essentially sexual in nature and focuses sexual energy and desire on someone other than one’s spouse. Jesus did call lust adultery (Matthew 5:28), and adultery is a type of porneia.
The New Testament consistently warns against porneia:
“The body is not meant for porneia but for the Lord” (1 Corinthians 6:13).
“Flee from porneia. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18).
“But among you there must not be even a hint of porneia, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people” (Ephesians 5:3).
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid porneia” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
Porneia on the part of a spouse is noted by Jesus as a legitimate reason for divorce (Matthew 19:9).
Figuratively, porneia can refer to spiritual unfaithfulness or “spiritual adultery.” In Revelation, “Babylon the Great” is pictured as a prostitute committing spiritual adultery. “A second angel followed and said, ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her porneia’” (Revelation 14:8). “With her the kings of the earth committed porneia, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her porneia” (Revelation 17:2). “The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her porneia. The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:4–5). “For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her porneia. The kings of the earth committed porneia with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries” (Revelation 18:3). “He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her porneia” (Revelation 19:2).
This condemnation of Babylon is reminiscent of the Old Testament condemnation of Israel as a prostitute and an unfaithful wife: “How languishing is your heart . . . while you do all these things, the actions of a bold-faced harlot. When you built your shrine at the beginning of every street and made your high place in every square, in disdaining money, you were not like a harlot. You adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband! Men give gifts to all harlots, but you give your gifts to all your lovers to bribe them to come to you from every direction for your harlotries. Thus you are different from those women in your harlotries, in that no one plays the harlot as you do, because you give money and no money is given you; thus you are different” (Ezekiel 16:30–43). When sexual lust is gratified, porneia is the sin that results.
Note – In New Testament Greek, there are multiple different person and case combinations, resulting in various word forms with different endings and/or spellings. In this article, we have transliterated all forms of porneia as porneia for simplicity’s sake.
If you have not already, please read our article on pedophilia. While the Bible does not contain a detailed ranking of the wickedness of various sins, child molestation is surely near the top of the list. There is perhaps no more cruel, perverted, and loathsome sin than child molestation. Jesus consistently expressed compassion for children and anger toward anyone who would harm them (Matthew 19:14; Luke 17:1-2). While no sin is unforgivable, the evil of child molestation can only come from a warped and debauched heart and mind.
But the question at hand is what is the cause of the recent plague of child molestation incidents. Sadly and disturbingly, it does seem that child molestation is becoming more common. Given scandals involving Roman Catholic priests, Protestant leaders, man-boy love societies, and incidents involving parents, teachers, pastors, coaches, etc., the word “plague” is an apt description. While there is no way to give a conclusive answer or find a universal cause of this child molestation plague, there are definitely biblical principles which apply.
First, modern society is increasingly accepting of behaviors that the Bible declares to be sinful, immoral, and unnatural. While there is an enormous difference between child molestation and sexual acts involving consenting adults, the fact that society accepts behavior such as homosexuality allows people to consider far worse perversions of what God intended sex to be. And that leads to another question: why is society increasingly tolerant of aberrant behavior?
Child molestation and other perversions are becoming increasingly accepted because society has, for the most part, rejected the Christian worldview. The conventional wisdom is that humanity is not created in the image of God. Rather, humanity is the result of billions of years of the random processes of evolution. God is not the objective standard of morality. Rather, God is supposedly the invention of weak-minded people who are unable to accept the fact that everything in this world is meaningless.
There is also the possibility of demon possession as an explanation in some cases. Perhaps a sin so evil and twisted could only come from the minds of the most evil creatures, Satan and his horde of demons. Satan knows the damage that—apart from the miraculous healing of God—molestation does to a child. If Satan can destroy someone’s life during childhood, there is simply less work for him and his demons to do later. Satan desires to “devour” (1 Peter 5:8) and “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). What better way than by attacking the most vulnerable and impressionable of people?
The rejection of the Christian
worldview and the acceptance of a secular, naturalistic worldview leaves us with no absolute standard by which to declare child molestation to be evil. For generations, we have told people they are nothing but animals, so we should not be surprised if they begin to act like animals. If there is no absolute moral standard, then the “boundaries” people push are imaginary ones. Ultimately, child molestation is a result of people denying God and living their lives however they want.
The Bible speaks of godless individuals who “suppress the truth,” saying, “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. . . . 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. . . . Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. . . . They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil . . . they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:18-32).
There are some supporters of the homosexual movement who are interested in finding biblical justification for homosexuality. One tactic used to try to justify homosexuality is to claim that the Bible doesn't actually condemn homosexuality and that passages often interpreted as critical of homosexuality are in truth denouncing pedophilia. The claim is not supported by a careful reading of the Bible.
One passage usually cited in the argument that the Bible's references to homosexuality actually refer to pedophilia is Leviticus 18:22: "Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable." The specific claim, made by some apologists for homosexual behavior, is that the word translated "man" should be translated "boy." The "detestable" act, then, is having sexual relations with a boy, not with an adult male.
The Hebrew word in question is zakar. Strong's defines this word as "male, man, the gender of a species that is not female, with no focus on the age or stage in life." In other words, the focus of the word is the gender (male), irrespective of age. Zakar refers to any male, young or old. To choose the definition of "boy" instead of "man" or "male" reveals an interpretive bias. There's nothing in the context that would demand limiting the word to refer to a youth. The clear meaning of Leviticus 18:22 is that God forbids sexual relations with those of one's own gender—the age of the participants has no bearing on the command—and that's the way the verse has always been understood.
Another passage cited in regards to this issue is Leviticus 20:13: "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." Again, some claim that the word translated "man" in the phrase with a man is more correctly translated "boy," making the "detestable" thing pedophilia.
In Leviticus 20:13, there are two different Hebrew words translated "man." The first is ish, the most common Hebrew word for "man"; and the second is zakar, which emphasizes the specific idea of gender (male, as opposed to female). We could put it this way: "If a man (ish) has sex with another male (zakar). . . ." As in the case of Leviticus 18:22, there is nothing in the context that would narrow the meaning of zakar to "underage male."
Reading the whole of Leviticus 20:13, we do have good reason for insisting that zakar is rightly translated "man," as in "an adult male." Here is the verse in the CSB translation: "If a man sleeps with a man as with a woman, they have both committed a detestable act. They must be put to death; their death is their own fault" (emphasis added). Note that the detestable act is committed by "both" men. Both are equally guilty, and the punishment for both is the same. This is clearly not a case of an adult preying upon a child; these are two consenting adults (both of whom are males) who are having sex with each other.
A careful reading of the entire Bible shows unity on the issue of homosexuality (along with other sexual sins, like adultery). It is wrong. See 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 and Romans 1:22–26; in neither passage can the practice of homosexuality be referring to pedophilia. To keep everything in perspective, we are no longer under the Mosaic Law. Sin is still sin, but Christ has died for sinners, and for the one who confesses his sin and turns to Christ, redemption is promised. "Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11, NLT).
Why is the love of money a root of all kinds of evil? To help us answer this, we must look at the passage in its greater context. Near the end of the letter (1 Timothy 6:2–10), Paul is exhorting Timothy regarding the need to “teach and urge these things” to his congregation, “these things” referring back to earlier material in the epistle. Paul then warns Timothy about false teachers who will seek to warp and pervert the content of sound doctrine for their own greedy gain (verses 3–5). Now notice what the apostle says at the end of verse 5: “Imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” These false teachers do what they do for the fame and notoriety they achieve, along with the financial rewards it brings.
Paul wants to steer Timothy away from that trap. In doing so, he tells him the real source of “great gain;” namely, godliness with true contentment (verse 6). Contentment, in a biblical sense, is the recognition that we come into the world with nothing and that everything we have is a gift from God’s hands (verses 7–8). Yet those who desire to be rich (i.e., those who have the “love of money”) are the ones who are led into temptation and fall into a snare (verse 9). Paul concludes the passage by telling Timothy that the love of money leads to all sorts of sin and evil.
In Revelation 5, John has a vision of the heavenly throne room. It is time for the judgment of the earth but no one is found worthy to execute the judgment, and John begins weeping. In Revelation 5:5 we read, “Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’”
The scroll with its seven seals is the scroll of God’s judgment. The elder who speaks to John identifies the one person who has the moral authority and legal right to open the scroll—that is, the only one who can rightly judge the world. That person is Jesus, who triumphed over temptation and sin and is capable of executing judgment (see John 5:22). Jesus is given two titles in Revelation 5:5: Lion of the tribe of Judah and Root of David. The Root of David is a reference to His connection with David (who was also from the tribe of Judah) and His rule as king.
When King David reigned, the Lord established a covenant with him, promising that David’s throne would “be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). The covenant was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, the Root of David. A root is a source and founding support of something. Jesus is the source, the origin, of David and his tribe of Judah.
Jesus is introduced in the Gospel of Matthew as “Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1), fulfilling the Jewish expectation that the Messiah would come from the lineage of David. But how could the Messiah be both the Root of David and the Son of David, or the Branch, as Isaiah 11:1 had prophesied? The answer is found in Jesus’ dual nature.
As per Jesus’ human nature, Jesus was the Son of David, a branch from David’s family tree. But, touching His divine nature, Jesus was the Root of David: He was the originator of David and the source of all David’s blessings. We see the same human-divine duality expressed in Revelation 22:16, where
Jesus declares that He
is
“the Root
and the
Offspring of David.”
Jesus also alludes to His connection
to David
in Matthew 22:41–45.
There, the Pharisees
affirm that the
Messiah is the Son of David
(verse 4).
In response, Jesus says, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
“‘The
Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my
right hand
until I put your
enemies
under your feet”’”
(Matthew 22:43–44, quoting Psalm 110:1).
Jesus then brings it home with this piercing question: “If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” (verse 45). The answer is that the Messiah is not only David’s Son, but He is also the Root of David. Jesus is indeed David’s Lord. He is the Son of God and the Source of all things, including David.
The Bible indicates that
there will be a
great apostasy
during
the end times
The “great apostasy”
is mentioned
in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The KJV
calls it the
“falling away,”
while the NIV and ESV call it
“the rebellion.”
And that’s what an apostasy is: a rebellion,
an abandonment of the
TRUTH
The end times will include a
wholesale
rejection of God’s revelation,
a further
“falling away”
of an already fallen world.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3,
Paul makes it clear
that the
day of the Lord,
a time of
worldwide judgment
(Isaiah 13:6; Obadiah 1:15),
will not transpire until two things happen.
First, the
falling away, or great apostasy,
must occur.
Second, the
“man of lawlessness”
must be revealed,
he
who is called the
“son of perdition,”
also known as the
Antichrist
Once this person makes himself known, the end times will indeed have come. Numerous speculations about the identity of the man of sin, beginning in the first century, have included Caligula, Caius Caesar, Mohammed, Napoleon, and any number of Roman popes. None of them were the Antichrist.
The man of lawlessness, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:4, is the one who “will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Clearly, this has not yet happened; no one since Paul’s time has set himself up as God in the Jewish temple. Two thousand years have passed since the epistle was written, and the “day of the Lord” has not yet come. Paul assures us that it will not come until the falling away comes first.
The Greek word translated “rebellion” or “falling away” in verse 3 is apostasia, from which we get the English word apostasy. It refers to a general defection from the true God, the Bible, and the Christian faith. Every age has its defectors, but the falling away at the end times will be complete and worldwide. The whole planet will be in rebellion against God and His Christ. Every coup requires a leader, and into this global apostasy will step the Antichrist. We believe this takes place after the church has been raptured from the earth.
Jesus warned the disciples concerning the final days in Matthew 24:10–12: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” These are the characteristics of the great apostasy of the end times.
The main passage in the Bible that mentions the “mark of the beast” is Revelation 13:15-18. Other references can be found in Revelation 14:9, 11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, and 20:4. This mark acts as a seal for the followers of the Antichrist and the false prophet (the spokesperson for the Antichrist). The false prophet (the second beast) is the one who causes people to take this mark. The mark is literally placed in the hand or forehead
and is not simply a card someone carries.
.
Revelation 13:18tells us, “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” Somehow, the number 666 will identify the Antichrist. For centuries Bible interpreters have been trying to identify certain individuals with 666. Nothing is conclusive. That is why Revelation 13:18 says the number requires wisdom. When the Antichrist is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), it will be clear who he is and how the number 666 identifies him.
In his apocalyptic vision in the book of Revelation, the apostle John sees the “beast,” whom we identify as the Antichrist, rising out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 13:1). Comparing this vision to Daniel’s similar one (Daniel 7:16–24), we can conclude that some sort of world governance system will be inaugurated by the beast, the most powerful “horn,” who will “wage war against God’s holy people and . . . conquer them” (Revelation 13:7). The ten-nation confederacy is also seen in the statue of Daniel 2:41–42, where the final world government consists of ten entities represented by the statue’s ten toes. Whoever the ten nations are and however they come to unite, Scripture is clear that the beast will subdue three of them (Daniel 7:8), and the rest will do his bidding.
John describes the ruler of this vast empire as having power and great authority, given to him by Satan himself (Revelation 13:2). This ruler receives worship from “all the world” (Revelation 13:3–4) and will have authority over “every tribe, people, language and nation” (Revelation 13:7). This person will truly be the leader of a one-world government that is recognized as sovereign over all other governments. We see nations today willing to give up some of their sovereignty to combat climate change; it’s easy to imagine that the disasters and plagues described in Revelation 6—11 would create such a monumental crisis that the nations of the world will embrace anything and anyone who promises a solution.
Once entrenched in power, the beast (the Antichrist) and the power behind him (Satan) will move to establish absolute control. In demanding worship, Satan edges toward his goal of being like God (see Isaiah 14:12–14). To truly control people, commerce must be controlled. Revelation 13 describes how this will happen. Everyone, “great and small, rich and poor, free and slave,” will be forced to receive some type of mark “on their right hands or on their foreheads” in order to buy and sell (Revelation 13:16). No doubt the majority of people in the world will receive the mark simply to survive. This new system of commerce will be universal, it will be compulsory, and it will be associated with the worship of the beast (Revelation 13:15). There is a great deal of speculation as to what form this mark will take and how it will be affixed, but the technologies available right now could accomplish it easily
Those who are left behind
after the
rapture of the church
will be faced
with an
excruciating choice—accept
the mark of the beast
or face
starvation and horrific persecution
by the
Antichrist and his followers.
But those who come to
Christ
during that time,
those whose
NAMES
are written in the
LAMBS
Book of Life
(Revelation 13:8),
will choose to endure, even through martyrdom
The name of God, as revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures, is YHWH (the closest English equivalents to the Hebrew letters). Ancient Hebrew did not have vowels, so the exact pronunciation of YHWH is uncertain. The majority of Hebrew and Christian scholars believe the name to be Yahweh, pronounced /ˈyä-wā/, with Yehowah, pronounced /yi-ˈhō-və/, being the second most popular possibility.
There are movements that strongly emphasize using God’s name in the context of prayer and worship (and, of course, only the name of God that they believe to be correct). However, there is no biblical command that limits our vocabulary to Yahwehwhen addressing God. Anyone who says that God must be addressed only by the name YHWH is speaking without biblical warrant.
Moses himself refers to God as “Elohim” in Exodus 3:15. Later, in Exodus 4:13, Moses addresses God directly as “Adonai.” So, God’s personal name, or His covenant name, is not the only acceptable way to refer to Him or to address Him. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God inspired the human authors of Scripture to refer to Him using generic terms for “God” and “Lord.” Beyond YHWH, God chose to reveal Himself using many other names and titles. Clearly, using God’s personal, covenant name is not required in every context.
YHWH is as close to a personal name as God has revealed to us. The Divine Name was revealed to Moses and was unknown before his time: “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord [YHWH] I did not make myself fully known to them” (Exodus 6:3). The name YHWH seems to refer to God’s self-existence, being linked to I AM THAT I AM in Exodus 3:14.
God told Moses that “this is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation” (Exodus 3:15; cf. Exodus 15:3). This name would distinguish Israel’s God from all false gods. It is the unique name of Israel’s God throughout Jewish history. Israel was not to be tricked into thinking that God’s name might actually be Molech or Dagon or Baal Peor.
All other “names” for God, such as Elohim, Adonai, El-Gibhor, and Our Father, are probably best viewed as titles, rather than personal names, per se. It is quite proper to address God by His titles, as they in no way supplant His personal name, YHWH. References to “the name of our God” (in Psalm 44:20, for example), are oblique references to God’s personal name, YHWH.
It is a clear violation of the third commandment to use God’s name in a vain and meaningless way (Exodus 20:7). It’s a sin. With that in mind, the profane use of God’s name should be treated like any other sin. Using God’s name as a curse word shows a heart that doesn’t have a proper fear of God, but it is not any worse than other sins.
Although many people believe taking the Lord’s name in vain refers to using the Lord’s name as a swear word, there is much more involved with a vain use of God’s name. To understand the severity of taking the Lord’s name in vain, we must first see the Lord’s name from His perspective as outlined in Scripture. The God of Israel was known by many names and titles, but the concept embodied in God’s name plays an important and unique role in the Bible. God’s nature and attributes, the totality of His being, and especially His glory are reflected in His name (Psalm 8:1). Psalm 111:9 tells us His name is “holy and awesome,” and the Lord’s prayer begins by addressing God with the phrase “hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9), an indication that a reverence for God and His name should be foremost in our prayers. Too often we barge into God’s presence with presumptuous “to-do lists” for Him, without being mindful of His holiness, His awesomeness, and the vast chasm that separates our nature from His. That we are even allowed to come before His throne is due only to His gracious, merciful love for His own (Hebrews 4:16). We must never take that grace for granted.
Because of the greatness of the name of God, any use of God’s name that brings dishonor on Him or on His character is taking His name in vain. The third of the Ten Commandments forbids taking or using the Lord’s name in an irreverent manner because that would indicate a lack of respect for God Himself. A person who misuses God’s name will not be held “guiltless” by the Lord (Exodus 20:7). In the Old Testament, bringing dishonor on God’s name was done by failing to perform an oath or vow taken in His name (Leviticus 19:12). The man who used God’s name to legitimize his oath, and then broke his promise, would indicate his lack of reverence for God as well as a lack of fear of His holy retribution. It was essentially the same as denying God’s existence. For believers, however, there is no need to use God’s name to legitimize an oath as we are not to take oaths in the first place, letting our “yes be yes” and our “no be no” (Matthew 5:33-37).
There is a larger sense in which people today take the Lord’s name in vain. Those who name the name of Christ, who pray in His name, and who take His name as part of their identity, but who deliberately and continually disobey His commands, are taking His name in vain. Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, at which every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:9-10), and when we take the name “Christian” upon ourselves, we must do so with an understanding of all that signifies. If we profess to be Christians, but act, think, and speak in a worldly or profane manner, we take His name in vain. When we misrepresent Christ, either intentionally or through ignorance of the Christian faith as proclaimed in Scripture, we take the Lord’s name in vain. When we say we love Him, but do not do what He commands (Luke 6:46), we take His name in vain and are possibly identifying ourselves to be among those to whom Christ will say, “I never knew you. Away from me” in the day of judgment (Matthew 7:21-23).
The name of the Lord is holy, as He is holy. The name of the Lord is a representation of His glory, His majesty, and His supreme deity. We are to esteem and honor His name as we revere and glorify God Himself. To do any less is to take His name in vain.
There are a number of passages in the Bible where
God announces His purpose for what He is doing.
Perhaps the most succinct of those references is Isaiah 48:11, where
God declares that
“for My own sake,
for My own sake,
I will do it; For how
should My
NAME be PROFANED?
And I will NOT
give
MY GLORY
to another”
(NKJV).
Some have referred to this as
God’s doxological purpose,
or
God’s purpose to demonstrate
His own glory
It is evident that everything
God does
is for the demonstration
or expression of
His own glory
In Ephesians 1, for example, Paul explains why God provides salvation: the Father predestines, the Son redeems, and the Spirit seals, all for the praise of His glory and the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). David explains that God created the heavens as a declaration of His glory (Psalm 19:1). God is glorified by the salvation of Israel (Isaiah 60:21) and by the mercy He has shown to the Gentiles (Romans 15:9). Jesus glorified the Father (John 17:4), the Father glorified Jesus (John 17:5), and the Spirit glorifies the Son as well (John 16:14). God is glorified when Jesus’ disciples bear much fruit (John 15:8). The beasts of the field glorify God (Isaiah 43:20). God will glorify Himself in the culmination of all things (Ezekiel 39:13). One day Jesus will return and be glorified among the people (2 Thessalonians 1:10). Ultimately, because God has bought us, we are to glorify God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20). In all these ways (and many more), God will be glorified, and He said, “I will not give my glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11).
God’s glory—His magnitude or worthiness—is great, and it belongs to Him. He expresses His muchness (to borrow a term from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland) in His handiwork, and because these things are the expression of His own character, the praise and glory are due Him. Any of His created beings that seek to praise themselves are seeking to steal from God what is rightfully His. This is why God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)--
because God has said, “I will not give my glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11).
God will not allow another
to take credit
for His
character or handiwork.
In similar fashion, the work of a renowned artist is recognizable as the work of that artist, and attempts to copy that work are considered forgeries. Just as we acknowledge copyrights or the ownership of one’s intellectual property, we must acknowledge that God is the sovereign Creator and Owner of everything. His revealed purpose is the demonstration of His own character and magnitude (glory).
Because God has said, “My glory I will not give to another,” human responsibility includes walking humbly before our God (Micah 6:8). This is why Solomon refers to the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7)—we need the proper perspective of God, recognizing He is the fearsome Creator who has communicated graciously with His creation. Then we can begin to understand His design and purpose in our own lives, and we can understand what He desires from us.
If we begin by exalting the Lord
and
recognizing our relative
lowliness,
we can begin to see from
His perspective
as He has
revealed it to us in Scripture,
and we can avoid the
error
of
trying to take for ourselves
that which belongs
only
to Him.
He has said,
“I will not give my glory to another”
(Isaiah 48:11).
EL-GIBHOR
[el-ghee-bohr]:
“Mighty God”
(Isaiah 9:6)
– the name describing the
Messiah, Christ Jesus,
in this
prophetic portion
of Isaiah
As a powerful and
mighty warrior,
the
Messiah,
the
Mighty God,
will accomplish
the
destruction of God’s enemies
and
rule with a rod of iron
(Revelation 19:15)
The Lord’s Prayer, recorded in Matthew 6, begins with, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). To hallow something is to make it holy or separate it or sanctify it. Jesus taught His followers to pray that God the Father would “hallow” His name. Significantly, this request comes first. It is of primary importance for God to hallow His name.
In what way do we want God to hallow His name? In what way is His name to be set apart or made holy? One writer explains it this way: “When Jesus petitions God to hallow his name, he is asking that God act in such a way that he visibly demonstrates his holiness and his glory” (Albert Mohler in The Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down: The Lord’s Prayer as a Manifesto for Revolution, p. 61). God demonstrates His holiness in the world by creating a holy people who will call on His name, proclaim the gospel, and accomplish good works (Ephesians 2:10).
No one likes to have his or
her name
forgotten,
misspelled, or mispronounced.
Our names are part of our identity and individual worth. We value having a “good name,” that is, a blameless reputation. In a similar way, God’s name speaks of His identity, His character, and His actions. When David says, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake,” he is referring to God’s action of hallowing His name in the way He guides us (Psalm 23:3; cf. Isaiah 48:9–11 and Ezekiel 20:14).
God’s name
His character and reputation
must
be set apart as holy
in this world,
and that is what
Jesus teaches us to pray for
The request “hallowed be your name” comes first in the Lord’s Prayer. Right away, Jesus removes the focus from us and turns our attention to God. It’s about Him, His holiness, and His work in the world. Jesus taught us to begin our prayers by recognizing the God to whom we pray. He is a loving Father who invites us into His presence. He genuinely cares for us. God is holy and worthy of all honor, and our first priority is to pray that the world would see how holy and glorious He is.
On a different occasion, Jesus prayed for His followers: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 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 17:15–19). The word sanctify in Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer is a translation of the same Greek word translated “hallowed” in Matthew 6:9. Jesus prayed this specifically for His disciples, but also for those who would believe in Him through their message—meaning all who have put their faith in Jesus Christ (John 17:20). As children of God (John 1:12), we are called to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16).
First Peter 3:15 tells us to
“in your hearts
revere
Christ as Lord.”
Revere in this verse is another translation of the Greek word for “hallowed.” One of the ways in which we hallow God’s name is to recognize Jesus as Lord and live our lives to honor God. We incline our hearts toward Him, put our hope in Him, obey Him, and share about Him with others. May we follow Jesus’ model prayer, and may “hallowed be your name” be the true desire of our hearts.
Hear, O Israel:
The LORD
our God,
the LORD is
ONE
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5). This is known as the Shema, taken from the first word “hear” in Hebrew. Modern Jews consider the recital of the Shema both evening and morning to be one of their most sacred duties. It was cited by Jesus as the “greatest commandment in the Law” (Matthew 22:36–37).
This command seems to be impossible to obey. That’s because, in the natural state of man, it is impossible. There is no greater evidence of the inability of man to obey God’s Law than this one commandment. No human being with a fallen nature can possibly love God with all his heart, soul, and strength 24 hours a day. It’s humanly impossible. But to disobey any commandment of God is sin. Therefore, even without considering the sins we commit daily, we are all condemned by our inability to fulfill this one commandment. This is the reason Jesus continually reminded the Pharisees of their inability to keep the Law of God. He was trying to get them to see their utter spiritual bankruptcy and their need for a Savior. Without the cleansing of sin that He provides, and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit who lives in the hearts of the redeemed, loving God to any degree is impossible.
But, as Christians, we have been cleansed from sin and we do have the Spirit. So how do we begin to love God the way we should? Just as the man in Mark 9:24 asked God to help his unbelief, so too we can ask God to help us in areas where we don’t love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is His power that we need to do the impossible, and we begin by seeking and appropriating that power.
In most cases, our love and affection for God grows more intense as time goes by. Certainly, young Christians newly saved are very much aware of the love of God and their love for Him. But it is through the witness of God’s faithfulness during times of struggle and trial that a deep love for God grows and grows. Over time, we witness His compassion, mercy, grace, and love for us, as well as His hatred for sin, His holiness, and His righteousness. We cannot love someone we don’t know, so knowing Him should be our first priority. Those who pursue God and His righteousness, who take seriously the command to love Him above all else, are those who are consumed with the things of God.
They are eager to
study God’s Word, eager to pray,
eager to obey and
honor
God in all things, and eager
to share
Jesus Christ with others.
It is through
these spiritual disciplines that
The love for God
Grows
and Matures
to the
Glory of God
Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad
BEWARE
of
false prophets,
who come
to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly
they are ravenous wolves.
You will know them by their
fruits
Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them." - Matthew 7:15-20
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.
In many places, Scripture
warns us
against false doctrine.
One such place is 1 Timothy 4:1:
The Spirit
explicitly says
that in
later times some
will fall away from the
faith,
paying attention to
deceitful spirits
and
doctrines of demons”
(NASB).
The KJV words it as “seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” A doctrine is a teaching or a set of principles. The “doctrines of demons,” then, are things that demons teach.
There can be good and bad doctrines. The word doctrine can refer to the biblical teachings of a church or a pastor. Or, in the case of 1 Timothy 4:1, the ungodly teachings of Satan. Those who follow the doctrines of demons “will fall away from the faith.” That is, heeding the doctrine of demons is a serious matter because it involves a departure from the truth of Christ’s gospel.
How are the doctrines of demons promulgated? They are delivered through human instructors: “Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). These false teachers are hypocritical; that is, their lives do not evidence the holiness they seemingly espouse. They are liars; that is, they deal in falsehood and knowingly lead others into apostasy. And they are beyond the reach of conscience; that is, they have found a way, in their own minds, to justify their lies. These false teachers may be personable, charming, and persuasive, but they do not receive their message from the Holy Spirit; rather, they spout the suggestions of evil spirits, whose work it is to lead people astray.
What exactly are the doctrines of demons? The immediate context gives an idea of the teachings to look out for: “They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:2–5). According to this passage, we should not follow any person or group that forbids marriage or that places restrictions on certain foods. Any person or group that says holiness comes through a select diet or complete sexual abstinence is lying.
In the Garden of Eden, Eve encountered the doctrines of demons as the serpent spoke to her: “He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’” (Genesis 3:1). At the beginning of the conversation, Satan questioned the teaching of God, and, as they continued to talk, he substituted his own teaching for God’s. Satan has continued to use deception, doubt, and subtlety to lead people astray. Satan is the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44), and the doctrines taught by his demons through the agency of willing human accomplices continue to separate people from God and His blessing.
Satan knows how to manipulate us, and that is why the doctrines of demons are so effective. We can identify the doctrines of demons by immersing ourselves in the truth. We must read and study our Bibles. When we know what God says on any given subject, then any deviation from that teaching will send up a red flag. When we are in tune with God’s Word, aberrations from that keynote will ring hollow and off-key.
The unpardonable/unforgivable sin or “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” is mentioned in Mark 3:22–30 and Matthew 12:22–32. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter” (Mark 3:28), but then He gives one exception: “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin” (verse 29).
According to Jesus,
the
unpardonable
or
unforgivable sin
is unique.
It is the one INEQUITY
that will
NEVER be forgiven
(“NEVER”
is the meaning of “either in this age or in the age to come”
in Matthew 12:32).
The unforgivable sin is blasphemy (“defiant irreverence”) of the Holy Spirit in the context of the Spirit’s work in the world through Christ. In other words, the particular case of blasphemy seen in Matthew 12 and Mark 3 is unique. The guilty party, a group of Pharisees, had witnessed irrefutable evidence that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they claimed that He was possessed by the prince of demons, Beelzebul (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:30).
The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day committed the unpardonable sin by accusing Jesus Christ (in person, on earth) of being demon-possessed. They had no excuse for such an action. They were not speaking out of ignorance or misunderstanding. The Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God to save Israel. They knew the prophecies were being fulfilled. They saw Jesus’ wonderful works, and they heard His clear presentation of truth. Yet they deliberately chose to deny the truth and slander the Holy Spirit. Standing before the Light of the World, bathed in His glory, they defiantly closed their eyes and became willfully blind. Jesus pronounced that sin to be unforgivable.
The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specific as it was to the Pharisees’ situation, cannot be duplicated today. Jesus Christ is not on earth, and no one can personally see Jesus perform a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, convicting the unsaved of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). If a person resists that conviction and remains unrepentant, then he is choosing hell over heaven. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and the object of faith is Jesus (Acts 16:31). There is no forgiveness for someone who dies without faith in Christ.
God has provided for our salvation in His Son (John 3:16). Forgiveness is found exclusively in Jesus (John 14:6). To reject the only Savior is to be left with no means of salvation; to reject the only pardon is, obviously, unpardonable.
Many people fear they have committed some sin that God cannot or will not forgive, and they feel there is no hope for them, no matter what they do. Satan would like nothing more than to keep people laboring under that misconception. God gives encouragement to the sinner who is convicted of his sin: “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20). And the testimony of Paul is proof positive that God can and will save anyone who comes to Him in faith (1 Timothy 1:12–17). If you are suffering under a load of guilt today, rest assured that you have not committed the unpardonable sin. God is waiting with open arms. Jesus’ promise is that “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25). Our Lord will never fail. “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2).
In 2 Corinthians 2:17—7:4, the apostle Paul sets forth a defense of his apostolic ministry. In verses 4:1–6, he focuses on the transparency of his ministry. Paul renounces secret and underhanded methods, stating that he does not “try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this” (2 Corinthians 4:2, NLT). Paul contends that, if the message of the gospel seems hidden, it is not because he has tried to hide anything. Rather, it is obscured to those who are perishing (verse 3) because “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Who is the “god of this age”? We can eliminate the possibility that Paul is referring to the one true God here. This “god” is blinding minds and keeping people from Christ and His gospel. So, the god of this age must be an evil being.
One clue as to the identity of the god of this age is that his rule is temporary. The exact phrase god of this age is found nowhere else in the New Testament. The original Greek word (aiōn) in 2 Corinthians 4:4, translated as “age” (NIV, CSB, NKJV) or “world” (ESV, NLT, NASB, KJV), means “an era of time or an epoch.” This god’s reign has a limited span.
Another clue on the identity of the god of this age is the use of similar titles in the Bible. Ephesians 2:2 speaks of “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” and “the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” In John 14:20, Jesus refers to “the prince of this world.” If all these appellations point to the same being, we have a ruler who wields temporary authority over the ungodly and blinds their minds to God’s plan of salvation. The obvious identity of the god of this age is the devil, or Satan.
As the god of this age, Satan maintains a significant influence on the values, thoughts, beliefs, and objectives of the unsaved people of the world. Satan himself claimed to rule the world in one of his temptations of Jesus (Matthew 4:8–9). But Satan does not control this present world completely. He is not the ultimate authority. God is still the sovereign Lord of the universe. Satan is only a “god” in the sense that he controls the lives of unbelievers and blinds their minds to truth. The unredeemed serve and worship Satan (even if they don’t realize it) as if he is their divine master.
As the god of this age, Satan possesses a powerful dominion over this present, fallen, dark world of sin and death (Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:13; 1 John 5:19). From a biblical perspective, this evil age began with Adam’s fall, not with the creation of the world. Humanity’s rebellion against God was initiated by Satan (1 John 3:8; John 8:44), and people got “caught up in the cosmic and supernatural uprising of Satan against the one true and living God” (Barnett, P., The Message of 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, the Bible Speaks Today, InterVarsity Press, 1988, p. 82).
The Bible teaches that, before salvation, we “were dead in [our] transgressions and sins, in which [we] used to live when [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. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts” (Ephesians 2:1–3). Blinded as unbelievers, we served and followed Satan, the god of this age. But through God’s mercy and grace, we received the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Our Lord died on the cross “for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:4). The redeemed become partakers of God’s heavenly kingdom (Hebrews 6:5). In the age to come, God’s kingdom will be fully revealed, and every wrong of this present age will be made right (Luke 18:30).
In predicting His death, Jesus said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31), and He assured His disciples that “the prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:11). Jesus is the King of kings, and He came into this world “to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). Until the final judgment, Satan has been allotted an “hour—when darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53). But his time is limited.
As the god of this age, Satan’s greatest superpower is deceit (Revelation 12:9). He blinds people’s minds to spiritual truth (John 3:19–20; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:17–19; 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10). Jesus stated that Satan “has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, NLT). Thankfully, God has made His light shine in the hearts of believers so that they are no longer blind to His truth (2 Corinthians 4:6). Nevertheless, Christians must stay firmly rooted in the Word of God (John 17:17; Psalm 119:11; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 1:23) and put on all of God’s armor so that they can stand firm against Satan’s deceptive strategies (Ephesians 6:11).
To be spiritually blind is not to see Christ, and not to see Christ is not to see God (Colossians 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:6). Spiritual blindness is a grievous condition experienced by those who do not believe in God, Jesus Christ, and His Word (Romans 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:12). Those who reject Christ are the lost (John 6:68-69). Being spiritually blind, they are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Revelation 3:17). They choose not to accept the teachings of Christ and His authority in their lives (Matthew 28:18). They are blind to the manifestations of God as revealed throughout His Word and Jesus Christ (John 1:1; Acts 28:26-27). They are described as those who “do not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Peter spoke of such people as “scoffers [who] will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires” (2 Peter 3:3; see also Proverbs 21:24; Jude 1:18). Those who reject Christ and His Word are spiritually blind and cannot understand the truth of the Scriptures. The truth sounds foolish to them (Isaiah 37:23; 1 Corinthians 1:18). The Bible describes those denying God as fools (Psalm 14:1; Matthew 7:26). Because of their blindness and rejection of God and His Word, they are in a perilous, unsaved condition (John 12:48; Hebrews 2:2-4).
The spiritually blind are simply unable to understand God’s Word (Matthew 13:13; Deuteronomy 29:4). Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 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” (John 14:15-17). Paul echoed this when he told the believers in Rome, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:8-9). Those outside of Christ are not of God because their lives are steeped in the things of the world with all its passions, their eyes blind to the Spirit of God. The Apostle John said, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” but that person’s love “is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
The cause of spiritual blindness is made quite clear in the Scriptures: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul refers to Satan as the “god of this world.” Extraordinarily evil (John 8:44), Satan destroys the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5), masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and is the cause of all temptations (Luke 4:2; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Corinthians 7:5). He revels in scheming against and trapping the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:26). Satan’s goal is to devour the weak who fall prey to temptation, fear, loneliness, worry, depression, and persecution (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Without God and left to ourselves, we easily succumb to the devil’s schemes. We can become so mired in the affairs of this world and its moral darkness that, in the end, God turns us over to spiritual blindness and eternal condemnation (John 12:40; Romans 1:24-32).
As believers, we have the Spirit of God reigning in our lives to ward off the debilitating effects of Satan’s power and the world’s influence (1 John 4:13). John tells us, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15). Satan wars within and without us. His weapons are deceitful and crafty schemes to make us doubt and stumble (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 4:14). Yet God has provided us with powerful weapons to ward off his flaming arrows (Ephesians 6:10-18). As believers we can overcome the evil one and remain in the Light and never become spiritually blind. For, in truth, Jesus has given us His wonderful promise: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Evil is usually thought of as that which is morally wrong, sinful, or wicked; however, the word evil can also refer to anything that causes harm, with or without the moral dimension. The word is used both ways in the Bible. Anything that contradicts the holy nature of God is evil (see Psalm 51:4). On the flip side, any disaster, tragedy, or calamity can also be called an “evil” (see 1 Kings 17:20, KJV).
Evil behavior includes sin committed against other people (murder, theft, adultery) and evil committed against God (unbelief, idolatry, blasphemy). From the disobedience in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9) to the wickedness of Babylon the Great (Revelation 18:2), the Bible speaks of the fact of evil, and man is held responsible for the evil he commits: “The one who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:20).
Essentially, evil is a lack of goodness. Moral evil is not a physical thing; it is a lack or privation of a good thing. As Christian philosopher J. P. Moreland has noted, “Evil is a lack of goodness. It is goodness spoiled. You can have good without evil, but you cannot have evil without good.” Or as Christian apologist Greg Koukl has said, “Human freedom was used in such a way as to diminish goodness in the world, and that diminution, that lack of goodness, that is what we call evil.”
God is love (1 John 4:8); the absence of love in a person is un-God-like and therefore evil. And an absence of love manifests itself in unloving behavior. The same can be said concerning God’s mercy, justice, patience, etc. The lack of these godly qualities in anyone constitutes evil. That evil then manifests itself in behavior that is unmerciful, unjust, impatient, etc., bringing more harm into the good world that God has made. As it turns out, we lack a lot: “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one’” (Romans 3:10).
Moral evil is wrong done to others, and it can exist even when unaccompanied by external action. Murder is an evil action, but it has its start with the moral evil of hatred in the heart (Matthew 5:21–22). Committing adultery is evil, but so is the moral evil of lust in the heart (Matthew 5:27–28). Jesus said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person” (Mark 7:20–23).
Those who fall into evil behavior usually start slowly. Paul shows the tragic progression into more and more evil in Romans 1. It starts with refusing to glorify God or give thanks to Him (Romans 1:21), and it ends with God giving them over to a “depraved mind” and allowing them to be “filled with every kind of wickedness” (verses 28–29).
Those who practice evil are in Satan’s trap and are slaves to sin: “Opponents [of the Lord’s servant] 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; see also John 8:34). Only by the grace of God can we be set free.
Physical evil is the trouble that befalls people in the world, and it may or may not be linked to moral evil or divine judgment. Ecclesiastes 11:2 counsels us to diversify our investments, for this reason: “thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth” (KJV). The word evil in this case means “disaster,” “misfortune,” or “calamity,” and that’s how other translations word it. Sometimes, physical evil is simply the result of an accident or causes unknown, with no known moral cause; examples would include injuries, car wrecks, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Other times, physical evil is God’s retribution for the sins of an individual or group. Sodom and the surrounding cities were destroyed for their sins (Genesis 19), and God “made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6). Many times, God warned Israel of the calamities that awaited them if they rebelled: “[The LORD] also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity” (Isaiah 31:2, KJV). In all cases, God works through the situation to bring about His good purpose (Romans 8:28).
God is not the author of moral evil; rather, it is His holiness that defines it. Created in God’s image, we bear the responsibility to make moral choices that please God and conform to His will. He wills our sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and does not wish us to sin (James 1:13). In repentance and faith in Christ, we have forgiveness of sin and a reversal of the moral evil within us (Acts 3:19). As God’s children, we walk according to this command: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
The concept of “blasphemy against the Spirit” is mentioned in Mark 3:22–30 and Matthew 12:22–32. Jesus has just performed a miracle. A demon-possessed man was brought to Jesus, and the Lord cast the demon out, healing the man of blindness and muteness. The eyewitnesses to this exorcism began to wonder if Jesus was indeed the Messiah they had been waiting for. A group of Pharisees, hearing the talk of the Messiah, quickly quashed any budding faith in the crowd: “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons,” they said (Matthew 12:24).
Jesus rebuts the Pharisees with some logical arguments for why He is not casting out demons in the power of Satan (Matthew 12:25–29). Then He speaks of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (verses 31–32).
The term blasphemy may be generally defined as “defiant irreverence.” The term can be applied to such sins as cursing God or willfully degrading things relating to God. Blasphemy is also attributing some evil to God or denying Him some good that we should attribute to Him. This particular case of blasphemy, however, is called “the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” in Matthew 12:31. The Pharisees, having witnessed irrefutable proof that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, claimed instead that the Lord was possessed by a demon (Matthew 12:24). Notice in Mark 3:30 Jesus is very specific about what the Pharisees did to commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “He said this because they were saying, ‘He has an impure spirit.’”
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has to do with accusing Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. This particular type of blasphemy cannot be duplicated today in the same manner as in Jesus’ day. The Pharisees were in a unique moment in history: they had the Law and the Prophets, they had the Holy Spirit stirring their hearts, they had the Son of God Himself standing right in front of them, and they saw with their own eyes the miracles He did. Never before in the history of the world (and never since) had so much divine light been granted to men; if anyone should have recognized Jesus for who He was, it was the Pharisees. Yet they chose defiance. They purposely attributed the work of the Spirit to the devil, even though they knew the truth and had the proof. Jesus declared their willful blindness to be unpardonable. Their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was their final rejection of God’s grace. They had set their course, and God was going to let them sail into perdition unhindered.
Jesus told the crowd that the Pharisees’ blasphemy against the Holy Spirit “will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32). This is another way of saying that their sin would never be forgiven, ever. Not now, not in eternity. As Mark 3:29 puts it, “They are guilty of an eternal sin.”
The immediate result of the Pharisees’ public rejection of Christ (and God’s rejection of them) is seen in the next chapter. Jesus, for the first time, “told them many things in parables” (Matthew 13:3; cf. Mark 4:2). The disciples were puzzled at Jesus’ change of teaching method, and Jesus explained His use of parables: “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. . . . Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:11, 13). Jesus began to veil the truth with parables and metaphors as a direct result of the Jewish leaders’ official denunciation of Him.
Jesus Christ is not on earth—He is seated at the right hand of God.
No one can personally witness Jesus performing a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit.
The unpardonable sin today
is the
state of continued unbelief.
The Spirit currently convicts the unsaved world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). To resist that conviction and willfully remain unrepentant is to “blaspheme” the Spirit. There is no pardon, either in this age or in the age to come, for a person who rejects the Spirit’s promptings to trust in Jesus Christ and then dies in unbelief. The love of God is evident: “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” (John 3:16). And the choice is clear: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).
The phrase “holy, holy, holy” appears twice in the Bible, once in the Old Testament (Isaiah 6:3) and once in the New (Revelation 4:8). Both times, the phrase is spoken or sung by heavenly creatures, and both times it occurs in the vision of a man who was transported to the throne of God: first by the prophet Isaiah and then by the apostle John. Before addressing the three-fold repetition of God’s holiness, it’s important to understand what exactly is meant by God’s holiness.
The holiness of God is the most difficult of all God’s attributes to explain, partly because it is one of His essential attributes that is not shared, inherently, by man. We are created in God’s image, and we can share many of His attributes, to a much lesser extent, of course—love, mercy, faithfulness, etc. But some of God’s attributes, such as omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence, will never be shared by created beings. Similarly, holiness is not something that we will possess as an inherent part of our nature; we only become holy in relationship to Christ. It is an imputed holiness. Only in Christ do we “become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God’s holiness is what separates Him from all other beings, what makes Him separate and distinct from everything else. God’s holiness is more than just His perfection or sinless purity; it is the essence of His “other-ness,” His transcendence. God’s holiness embodies the mystery of His awesomeness and causes us to gaze in wonder at Him as we begin to comprehend just a little of His majesty.
Isaiah was a firsthand witness of God’s holiness in his vision described in Isaiah 6. Even though Isaiah was a prophet of God and a righteous man, his reaction to the vision of God’s holiness was to be aware of his own sinfulness and to despair for his life (Isaiah 6:5). Even the angels in God’s presence, those who were crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty,” covered their faces and feet with four of their six wings. Covering the face and feet no doubt denotes the reverence and awe inspired by the immediate presence of God (Exodus 3:4–5). The seraphim stood covered, as if concealing themselves as much as possible, in recognition of their unworthiness in the presence of the Holy One. And if the pure and holy seraphim exhibit such reverence in the presence of the Lord, with what profound awe should we, polluted and sinful creatures, presume to draw near to Him! The reverence shown to God by the angels should remind us of our own presumption when we rush thoughtlessly and irreverently into His presence, as we often do because we do not understand His holiness.
John’s vision of the throne of God in Revelation 4 was similar to that of Isaiah. Again, there were living creatures around the throne crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8) in reverence and awe of the Holy One. John goes on to describe these creatures giving glory and honor and reverence to God continually around His throne. Interestingly, John’s reaction to the vision of God in His throne is different from Isaiah’s. There is no record of John falling down in terror and awareness of his own sinful state, perhaps because John had already encountered the risen Christ at the beginning of his vision (Revelation 1:17). Christ had placed His hand upon John and told him not to be afraid. In the same way, we can approach the throne of grace if we have the hand of Christ upon us in the form of His righteousness, exchanged for our sin at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21).
But why the three-fold repetition “holy, holy, holy” (called the trihagion)? The repetition of a name or an expression three times was quite common among the Jews. In Jeremiah 7:4, the Jews are represented by the prophet as saying, “The temple of the Lord” three times, expressing their intense confidence in their own worship, even though it was hypocritical and corrupt. Jeremiah 22:29, Ezekiel 21:27, and 2 Samuel 18:33 contain similar three-fold expressions of intensity. Therefore, when the angels around the throne call or cry to one another, “Holy, holy, holy,” they are expressing with force and passion the truth of the supreme holiness of God, that essential characteristic which expresses His awesome and majestic nature.
In addition, the trihagion expresses the triune nature of God, the three Persons of the Godhead, each equal in holiness and majesty. Jesus Christ is the Holy One who would not “see decay” in the grave, but would be resurrected to be exalted at the right hand of God (Acts 2:26; 13:33-35). Jesus is the “Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14) whose death on the cross allows us to stand before the throne of our holy God unashamed. The third Person of the trinity—the Holy Spirit—by His very name denotes the importance of holiness in the essence of the Godhead.
Finally, the two visions of the angels around the throne crying, “Holy, holy, holy,” clearly indicates that God is the same in both testaments. Often we think of the God of the Old Testament as a God of wrath and the God of the New Testament as a God of love. But Isaiah and John present a unified picture of our holy, majestic, awesome God who does not change (Malachi 3:6), who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and “with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning” (James 1:17). God’s holiness is eternal, just as He is eternal.
Reverence is honor and respect that is deeply felt and outwardly demonstrated. Because of the Lord God’s awesome power and majesty, He is deserving of the highest level of reverence (Leviticus 19:30). The Bible records reverence as the automatic response of everyone who encounters the awesome grandeur of the Lord God Almighty (Numbers 20:6; Judges 13:20; 1 Chronicles 21:16).
The idea of reverence for God started with God. In the Old Testament, God taught the Israelites how to show proper reverence by giving them hundreds of laws related to purity, holiness, and worship (Deuteronomy 5). Sinful humanity does not know how to worship a holy God with reverence and awe, so He spelled it out for us. His presence dwelt with Israel in the Ark of the Covenant, and they were not to touch it as a matter of reverence. The Holy of Holies inside the tabernacle also required the highest level of reverence (Leviticus 16:2). Whoever disobeyed God’s command about entering the Holy of Holies died instantly (Leviticus 22:9; Numbers 4:20; 1 Chronicles 13:9–10). The purpose of such strict rules was to define holiness and impress upon mankind the necessity for reverence in the presence the Lord. God is not to be trifled with.
In New Testament Christianity, reverence for God is demonstrated by our willingness to voluntarily die to self and obey His commands (Galatians 2:20; 5:13; James 2:12). Jesus reminded us that we must properly reverence God. He taught the disciples to begin their prayers with “Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9–13). Hallowed means “set apart as holy.” We are to treat the name of God with reverence. It is common to hear people, even professing Christians, use God’s name as an exclamation. OMG is tossed about as though it was of no more significance than the word wow. We may not intend to be irreverent, but when we invoke His name in casual chatter, we are being just that.
Another way we demonstrate reverence for God is by the way we live. Those with a right understanding of God’s nature also understand His wrath. We show reverence by taking seriously His hatred of sin and the coming judgment on those who refuse to repent (Colossians 3:6; Romans 1:18). We pursue holiness because He is holy (1 Peter 1:15–16). Reverent people desire “to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12).
We show reverence for God by learning how to truly worship Him. Jesus said that the Father is seeking people who will learn to worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). True worship is not about our favorite song. It is not confined to an emotional experience and is not synonymous with tingly feelings. True worship is a lifestyle. We worship in spirit when our hearts are abandoned before Lord, willing to obey everything He has said. We worship in truth when our minds are engaged and filled with the biblical understanding of God’s nature. To worship God is to know Him and to serve Him. To worship Him the way He deserves to be worshiped, we must align our hearts with His and seek to obey Him (see Luke 6:46).
Reverence for God is a quality missing in much of what masquerades as Christianity today. Instead of the kind of reverence we see demonstrated throughout the Bible, modern Christianity has adopted a “Jesus-is-my-buddy” attitude that grossly downplays the holiness, power, and righteous wrath of the Sovereign Creator. Reverence does not refer to God as “The Big Guy in the Sky” or “The Man Upstairs.” Once we truly know who God is, we reverence Him in our hearts. Even the thief on the cross, after he realized who Jesus was, rebuked the other thief for his irreverence: “Don’t you fear God?” he said to the other thief; then he turned to Jesus and honored Him as the King (Luke 23:40–42).
Human beings were created to worship God, so reverence is the natural response of a heart that has been transformed by the Holy Spirit. The more we grow in knowledge and understanding, the more reverence we feel toward Him. Proper reverence is not the same as stiff, religious formality. The gift of Jesus to us was God’s invitation to draw near (James 4:8; John 14:9). However, familiarity with God should not breed contempt, but greater reverence.
In order to understand the phrase “strange fire,” we must review the story in Leviticus in which it appears. The first tabernacle had been erected, and Aaron was doing a lot of sacrificing per God’s instructions (Leviticus 8—9). One day, two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, came along and offered incense with “strange fire.” The Hebrew word translated “strange” means “unauthorized, foreign, or profane.” God not only rejected their sacrifice; He found it so offensive that He consumed the two men with fire.
After Nadab and Abihu were killed, Moses explained to Aaron why God had done such a harsh thing: “This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: ‘Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored’” (Leviticus 10:3). The exact nature of the profane fire isn’t known, but, since it was the fire that was unauthorized, it could be that Nadab and Abihu were burning the incense with fire of their own making rather than taking fire from the altar, as specified in Leviticus 16:12. Or it could have been that the two men came into the tabernacle drunk and therefore could not remember what was a violation and what was not (Leviticus 10:8–9). Whatever it was the men did to render the offering profane, it was a sign of their disregard for the utter holiness of God and the need to honor and obey Him in solemn and holy fear. Their carelessness and irreverence were their downfall.
In judging Nadab and Abihu for their strange fire, God was making a point to all the other priests who would serve in His tabernacle—and later, in His temple—and to us, as well. Since this was the first time sacrifices were being offered on the altar and Israel was getting to know the living God better, when Aaron’s sons were disobedient and profane, God displayed His displeasure in no uncertain terms. God was not going to allow the disobedience of Aaron’s sons to set a precedent for future disregard of His Law. A similar story occurs in Acts 5:1–11, during the time of the early church. A husband and wife lie to Peter about some land given to the church, and they are judged with physical death because of their lie. As Peter puts it, “You have not lied just to human beings but to God” (Acts 5:4).
God knows our hearts. He knows what we truly believe and our attitude toward Him. We cannot offer to Him proud “sacrifices” that are unworthy of Him. He seeks those who come to Him in humility, ready to sacrifice their pride and lay before Him humble and contrite hearts grieving for sin (Psalm 51:17). Certainly, there is grace and forgiveness and plenty of “second chances” for those who belong to Him. But God wants us to know that He is serious when it comes to His honor and glory. If there is willful disobedience in the life of a believer, then God disciplines us out of His great love for us (Hebrews 12:7–11). If such disobedience continues, God will take harsher measures until we understand how we are disappointing Him. If we continue in our disobedience even after that, then God has every right to remove us from this earth (see 1 Corinthians 11:29–30).
Sacrilege is irreverence toward a sacred person, place, or thing. Sacrilege occurs when someone purposefully misuses a consecrated object, desecrates a hallowed place, or speaks in an irreverent manner of something related to God or religion. The word has Latin roots: sacer (“sacred”) and legere (“to steal”). At first the term sacrilege likely referred to acts of grave robbers who desecrated tombs but has come to refer to any “stealing” of sacredness from a religious place, object, or person.
King Belshazzar of Babylon committed sacrilege at a banquet when “he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that . . . had [been] taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and . . . as they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” (Daniel 5:3–4). This was one of the last acts of Belshazzar, for he was killed that very night (verse 30).
Nadab and Abihu, two sons of Aaron, committed sacrilege when “they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command” (Leviticus 10:1). The misuse of their holy office resulted in tragedy: “Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord” (verse 2). Obviously, God considers sacrilege to be a serious offense.
The tabernacle (and, later, the temple) in the Old Testament was the place where God would meet with His people. The building and everything contained therein—such as the ark of the covenant—was sprinkled with the blood of a holy sacrifice and therefore set apart for God. Only the priests, who were also consecrated to the Lord for service, were allowed to enter the tabernacle. God struck dead anyone who violated the tabernacle or profaned the sacred articles (Numbers 16:1–40; 2 Samuel 6:6–7). The Holy of Holies was separated from the rest of the tabernacle by a thick veil and could only be entered once a year when the high priest offered a blood sacrifice for the sins of the people. One lesson the tabernacle taught was that God is holy and we are not—and we dare not commit sacrilege against Him.
Jesus warned the Pharisees against their sacrilegious practice of loose oath-taking. In their oaths, the Pharisees tried to make distinctions between the temple and the gold in the temple treasury (the latter being more holy in their eyes) and between the altar and the gift on the altar (the latter being more holy in their eyes). Jesus taught that the temple and everything associated with it was ultimately consecrated to God, so any oath made on any part of the temple was binding before God (Matthew 23:16–22).
One of the most common forms of sacrilege today is the profaning of God’s holy name and the name of our Lord Jesus. This is in direct violation of Exodus 20:7, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (cf. Psalm 139:20). The New Testament prohibits “unwholesome talk” (Ephesians 4:29), which certainly includes using God’s name as a swear word.
Though some churches today have saints and “holy” elements, there is no biblical reason to lift up one person, place, or item as more “sacred” than another. All believers, not just a select few, “are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). The Old Testament temple is gone, and now we are “God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Paul asks believers, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (verse 16). If someone today spray paints blasphemies on the side of a church building, it is indeed an act of sacrilege, but not because the wood and stone of the building are holy. It is the intent of the blasphemer to disrespect God, and he aims his action at an accessible, tangible representation of God, in his mind. That intent is what makes the vandalism sacrilege, and God sees the heart.
Even religious systems can promote sacrilege, if they “steal” the sanctity of God and apply it to people or things. Churches that canonize biblical characters or historical figures, pray to saints, command the adoration of iconsor relics, or foster reverence toward physical objects are guilty of sacrilege. People whom God has used should be shown respect and learned from, but they are still sinners saved by grace. Physical objects may have historical significance or meaning as religious symbols, but they should never be knelt before, prayed to, or sought out as a means of procuring grace.
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 Phariseesand 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.
Do not cast your pearls before swine” is a portion of the Sermon on the Mount, and, to understand its meaning, we have to understand its context and placement within the sermon. Christ had just finished instructing the crowd on judgment and reproof: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1–2), and “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). Then in verse 6, Christ tempers these admonitions and shows us the difference between “judgment” and “discernment.” We are not to be hypocritical judges, yet we must be able to discern the swine, lest we cast our pearls before them.
Before Jesus says, “Do not cast your pearls before swine,” He says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred.” An analogy mentioning dogs is also used in Proverbs: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). A dual reference to swine and dogs is also found in 2 Peter 2:22, “Of [false teachers] the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.’” In His sermon, Jesus uses dogs and pigs as representative of those who would ridicule, reject, and blaspheme the gospel once it is presented to them. We are not to expose the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have no other purpose than to trample it and return to their own evil ways. Repeatedly sharing the gospel with someone who continually scoffs and ridicules Christ is like casting pearls before swine. We can identify such people through discernment, which is given in some measure to all Christians (1 Corinthians 2:15–16).
The command not to cast your pearls before swine does not mean we refrain from preaching the gospel. Jesus Himself ate with and taught sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10). In essence, the instruction in Matthew 7:6is the same that Jesus gave to His apostles when He said, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town” (Matthew 10:14). We are to share the gospel, but, when it becomes apparent that the gospel is not welcome, we are to move on. We are responsible to share the good news; we are not responsible for people’s response to the good news. Pigs don’t appreciate pearls, and some people don’t appreciate what Christ has done for them. Our job is not to force conversions or cram the gospel down people’s throats; there’s no sense in preaching the value of pearls to swine. Jesus’ instruction to His apostles on how to handle rejection was to simply go elsewhere. There are other people who need to hear the gospel, and they are ready to hear it.
Millions of people worldwide have pet dogs that they care for and love. Yet, in the ancient world, people didn’t have the same fondness for man’s best friend. As the Bible illustrates, people thought dogs were disgusting (Luke 16:21), dumb (Proverbs 26:11), and worthy of disdain (1 Samuel 17:43).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus drew upon the poor reputation of dogs to illustrate an important point to His disciples about preaching the gospel. He said, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you” (Matthew 7:6, ESV).
To start with, we notice that Jesus forbids two foolish acts, which both symbolize the same thing. First, He warns against giving dogs what is holy, as they do not revere sacred items. Second, He cautions against offering pigs what is valuable, because they do not esteem such prized possessions. Neither dogs nor pigs hold such things in high regard; the special quality of valuable items is lost on such animals. In these descriptions, what is holy and valuable represents the proclamation of the gospel, and the animals represent those who have heard the good news and have rejected it.
The disciples shouldn’t offer what is holy (the message of the gospel) to dogs (those who have shown that they consider it worthless). Jesus reiterated this principle in a more straightforward way later in His ministry, saying, “And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town” (Matthew 10:14; cf. Proverbs 9:8).
The context of Matthew 7:6 provides more insight for how Christians can apply the principle today. In the passage, Jesus is teaching about making correct judgments (Matthew 7:1–6). First, He warns His followers not to make hypocritical judgments, instructing them to first take the log out of their own eye before they attempt to help someone else (Matthew 7:3–5). Then, He encourages them to practice discernment, which is a type of judgment. They should not give dogs what is holy (Matthew 7:6). A person guilty of making hypocritical judgments lacks self-awareness and fails to judge correctly. A person guilty of making uncritical judgments lacks discernment and fails to judge at all.
Christians may struggle to determine the right time to persevere in sharing the gospel and the right time to stop. So, how can they know for sure? First, fervent prayer is of great importance and must saturate the process of evangelism from beginning to end. Next, knowing when to stop preaching the gospel to a certain person or group requires wisdom and an understanding of how the hearers are responding to the message.
In the last part of Matthew 7:6, Jesus emphasized that persecution is a key factor in making the decision: “They may . . . turn and tear you to pieces.” When there is a hostile reaction to the gospel message, the hearers have shown their nature. In seeking to harm the messenger, the hardened sinner becomes dog-like in his viciousness. So, it is important to discern when to “shake the dust off” and take the message elsewhere.
Paul made this difficult decision once when persecution arose in response to his proclamation of the gospel in Corinth: “And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles’” (Acts 18:6). Then he left the synagogue and began preaching next door (verse 7). If Paul had continued to preach the gospel of Christ in the Corinthian synagogue, he would have been guilty of giving dogs what is holy.
The Parable
of the
Wheat
and the
WEEDS
or Tares,
is filled
with spiritual significance
and
TRUTH
But, in spite of the clear explanation of the parable that Jesus gave (Matthew 13:36-43), this parable is very often misinterpreted. Many commentaries and sermons have attempted to use this story as an illustration of the condition of the church, noting that there are both true believers (the wheat) and false professors (the weeds) in both the church at large and individual local churches. While this may be true, Jesus distinctly explains that the field is not the church; it is the world (v. 38).
Even if He hadn’t specifically told us the world is the setting of the story, it would still be obvious. The landowner tells the servants not to pull up the weeds in the field, but to leave them until the end of the age. If the field were the church, this command would directly contradict Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18, which tells us how to deal with unrepentant sinners in the church: they are to be put out of the fellowship and treated as unbelievers. Jesus never instructed us to let impenitent sinners remain in our midst until the end of the age. So, Jesus is teaching here about “the kingdom of heaven” (v. 24) in the world.
In the agricultural society of Christ’s time, many farmers depended on the quality of their crops. An enemy sowing weeds would have sabotaged a business. The tares in the parable were likely darnel because that weed, until mature, appears as wheat. Without modern weed killers, what would a wise farmer do in such a dilemma? Instead of tearing out the wheat with the tares, the landowner in this parable wisely waited until the harvest. After harvesting the whole field, the tares could be separated and burned. The wheat would be saved in the barn.
In the explanation of parable, Christ declares that He Himself is the sower. He spreads His redeemed seed, true believers, in the field of the world. Through His grace, these Christians bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). Their presence on earth is the reason the “kingdom of heaven” is like the field of the world. When Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17), He meant the spiritual realm which exists on earth side by side with the realm of the evil one (1 John 5:19). When the kingdom of heaven comes to its fruition, heaven will be a reality and there will be no “weeds” among the “wheat.” But for now, both good and bad seeds mature in the world.
The enemy in the parable is Satan. In opposition to Jesus Christ, the devil tries to destroy Christ’s work by placing false believers and teachers in the world who lead many astray. One has only to look at the latest televangelist scandal to know the world is filled with professing “Christians” whose ungodly actions bring reproach on the name of Christ. But we are not to pursue such people in an effort to destroy them. For one thing, we don’t know if immature and innocent believers might be injured by our efforts. Further, one has only to look at the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, and the reign of “Bloody Mary” in England to see the results of men taking upon themselves the responsibility of separating true believers from false, a task reserved for God alone. Instead of requiring these false believers to be rooted out of the world, and possibly hurting immature believers in the process, Christ allows them to remain until His return. At that time, angels will separate the true from false believers.
In addition, we are not to take it upon ourselves to uproot unbelievers because the difference between true and false believers isn’t always obvious. Tares, especially in the early stages of growth, resemble wheat. Likewise, a false believer may resemble a true believer. In Matthew 7:22, Jesus warned that many profess faith but do not know Him. Thus, each person should examine his own relationship with Christ (2 Corinthians 13:5). First John is an excellent test of salvation.
Jesus Christ
will one day establish
TRUE
righteousness
After He raptures the true church out of this world, God will pour out His righteous wrath on the world. During that tribulation, He will draw others to saving faith in Jesus Christ. At the end of the tribulation, all unbelievers will be judged for their sin and unbelief; then, they will be removed from God’s presence. True followers of Christ will reign with Him. What a glorious hope for the “wheat”!
White magic
is described
as “good” magic,
as opposed to black magic,
which draws upon the
powers of
EVIL BEINGS
Opinions vary as to the
differences between black and white magic, ranging
from the idea that they are two
NAMES
for exactly the same thing, to the belief that they are completely different, especially in goals and intent. The Bible does not differentiate between “good” and “bad” magic. Magic is magic as far as the Bible is concerned.
Scripture doesn’t distinguish whether the magic is supposed to be used for good or for bad;
it’s all forbidden because it appeals to
a SOURCE
of
POWER other
than GOD
Those who practice white magic, also often called Wicca, worship the creation rather than the Creator, and, while they may not call on the devil or evil spirits, they often appeal to “mother earth,” angels, and/or the elements. The central Wiccan theme is, “if it does no harm, do your own will.” Many who dabble in white magic call themselves Wiccans, whether they actually are or not. Although Wicca is fairly open-ended and there are various “denominations” and theological positions within the belief, there are certain beliefs, practices, and traditions that connect adherents of white magic to Wicca.
Whether the intent is to venerate “mother earth,” the elements, or the angels, and even if one intends to do only good, the reality is that, ultimately, there is no distinction between white and black magic because they both worship something other than God. It’s frightening to think that the adherents of white magic are unknowingly praying to and beseeching the same god that adherents of black magic are—Satan.
Throughout Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, all forms of witchcraft are in violation of God’s law and are condemned. (Deuteronomy 18:10–16; Leviticus 19:26, 31; 20:27; Acts 13:8–10). Pharaoh’s magicians used their “secret arts” to try to duplicate the miracles done by Moses and Aaron (Exodus 7:11; 8:7)—secret arts are the ceremonies or rituals sorcerers use to accomplish their magic, involving incantations, spells, magic words, charms, amulets, etc. The apostle Paul condemned Elymas the sorcerer, proclaiming him a “child of the devil” who was full of “all kinds of deceit and trickery” and was “perverting the right ways of the Lord” (Acts 13:10). The apostle Peter likewise condemned Simon the magician in Acts 8:20–23.
Nowhere in the Bible is a practicing
sorcerer or magician
portrayed in a positive light.
A possible exception are the magi who brought gifts to Jesus;
however, in the East the title magi was frequently given to philosophers or learned men who studied the secrets of nature, astronomy, and medicine. Jesus’ visitors were “wise men,” but not necessarily sorcerers.
The Bible shows them worshiping the Lord (Matthew 2:11), not casting spells.
Scripture says that God hates all magic, whether it is white magic or some other kind.
Why?
Because it doesn’t come from God. Satan deceives people by making them think white magic is beneficial. Satan pretends to be an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), but his desire is to ensnare the souls of as many as he can. The Bible warns against him and his evil tricks. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
“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). Real spiritual power only comes from God, from a right relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ, and from the Holy Spirit who lives in the hearts of believers.
Sorcery, the use of spells, divination, or speaking to spirits, is clearly condemned in the Bible. The word sorcery in Scripture is always used in reference to an evil or deceptive practice.
For example, in 2 Chronicles 33:6, King Manasseh is condemned for his many evil practices, including sorcery: “And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.”
The apostle Paul lists sorcery as one of many sinful practices that mark the lives of unbelievers: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife . . . and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
Interestingly, the New Testament Greek word translated “sorcery” is pharmakeia, which is the source of our English word pharmacy. In Paul’s day, the word primarily meant “dealing in poison” or “drug use” and was applied to divination and spell-casting because sorcerers often used drugs along with their incantations and amulets to conjure occult power.
Sorcerers were common in the culture of ancient Egypt (Exodus 7:11; Isaiah 19:3). We also see sorcery in the kingdom of Babylon, especially in association with King Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27:9; Daniel 2:2).
Sorcery is an attempt to bypass God’s wisdom and power and give glory to Satan instead. God has no tolerance for sorcery. In Deuteronomy 18:10-12, sorcery is listed among the sinful practices of the nations surrounding Israel. God calls it an abomination: “There shall not be found among you . . . anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you.”
Malachi also speaks of God’s judgment on those involved in sorcery: “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers” (Malachi 3:5).
Apparently, sorcery will still be practiced in the end times. Spiritual Babylon, representing the false religious system of the last days, will deceive “all nations” with sorcery (Revelation 18:23) before judgment falls.
The book of Revelation says that sorcerers “will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8; see also Revelation 22:15).
Sorcery is clearly sinful and is not to be part of Christian living. There is a wisdom that is “earthly, unspiritual, of the devil” (James 3:15), and this is what sorcery offers. Our wisdom comes from God (James 3:17), not from deceiving spirits. The power of God is much greater than the power of sorcery (1 John 4:4).
The dictionary defines occult as “hidden, secret and mysterious, particularly pertaining to the supernatural.” Examples of occult practices are astrology, witchcraft (Wicca), the black arts, fortune telling, magic (both black and white), Ouija boards, Tarot cards, spiritism, parapsychology, and Satanism. Human beings have always been interested the occult, from ancient times until today. Occult practices and psychic phenomena have captivated millions of people worldwide, and this is not limited to the ignorant or uneducated. There are several factors that make the occult fascinating to everyone, even in our age of technological and scientific advances.
For one thing, occult practices appeal to our natural curiosity. Many people who get involved in the occult begin with “harmless” practices such as playing with a Ouija board out of simple curiosity. Many who have experimented this way have found themselves going deeper and deeper into the occult. Unfortunately, this type of involvement is akin to quicksand—easy to get into and difficult to get out of. Another fascination of the occult is that it appears to offer quick and easy answers to life’s questions. The astrologer gladly charts your future, the Ouija board and Tarot cards give you direction, and the psychic gets you in touch with your Aunt Esther who tells you all is fine in the afterlife. Occult practices are controlled by demons, who offer just enough information to keep their victims intrigued, while exerting more and more control over gullible hearts and minds.
The
DANGER of OCCULT
practices
cannot be overstated
GOD
strictly WARNED
the Israelites
against
being involved with
THE OCCULT
(Leviticus 20:6).
The pagan nations that surrounded Israel were steeped in divination, sorcery, witchcraft, and spiritism, and this is one reason why God gave His people the authority to drive them out of the land (Deuteronomy 18:9–14). The New Testament says that the rise of interest in the occult is a sign of the end of the age: “The [Holy] 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).
How are we to recognize the occult and those who promote it? An incident involving Paul and Barnabas in the early days of the church is a good place to start. They “traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ‘You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery.
Will you never stop
PERVERTING
the
RIGHT
ways of the Lord?’
” (Acts 13:6–10)
In this account, we see several characteristics of those involved in the occult.
They are false prophets
(verse 6)
who deny the basic doctrines
of Christianity:
the deity of Christ, the fall of man into sin, heaven, hell,
salvation and the atoning
work of
Christ on the cross.
Second, they seek to influence other people, particularly those in positions of power, to turn them from the faith (verses 6-7). Third, they do everything in their power to keep the true gospel of Christ from being spread, opposing His ministers at every turn (verse 8). When the truth of the gospel is curtailed, watered down, or flatly rejected, Satan and his demons rejoice.
There is no mistaking the fact that the occult in all its forms should be avoided. We are to “be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Part of being self-controlled and alert is being wise to Satan’s schemes, but not to delve into the details of every occult practice and phenomenon. We are to understand the devil’s ultimate goal—the destruction of our souls—and take the offense by putting on the “full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10–18). Only then can we stand firm and extinguish the “flaming arrows” of the evil one.
We assume that there were three wise men because of the three gifts that were given: gold, incense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). However, the Bible does not say there were only three wise men. There could have been many more. Tradition says that there were three and that their names were Gaspar/Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar/Balthazar, but since the Bible does not say, we have no way of knowing whether the tradition is accurate.
It is a common misconception that the wise men visited Jesus at the stable on the night of His birth. In fact, the wise men came days, months, or possibly even years later. That is why Matthew 2:11 says the wise men visited and worshiped Jesus in a house, not at the stable.
We know that the magi were wise men from "the East," most likely Persia, or modern-day Iran. This means the wise men traveled 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ child. Most likely, the magi knew of the writings of the prophet Daniel, who in time past had been the chief of the court seers in Persia. Daniel 9:24-27 includes a prophecy which gives a timeline for the birth of the Messiah. Also, the magi may have been aware of the prophecy of Balaam (who was from the town of Pethor on the Euphrates River near Persia) in Numbers 24:17. Balaam’s prophecy specifically mentions a “star coming out of Jacob.”
The wise men were guided to look for the King of the Jews by a miraculous stellar event, the “Star of Bethlehem,” which they called “His star” (Matthew 2:2). They came to Jerusalem and asked concerning the birth of Christ, and they were directed to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:4–8). They followed God’s guidance joyfully (Matthew 2:10). When they arrived in Bethlehem, they gave costly gifts to Jesus and worshiped Him. God warned them in a dream against returning to Herod, so, in defiance of the king, they left Judea by another route (Matthew 2:12).
So, the magi were men who 1) read and believed God’s Word, 2) sought Jesus, 3) recognized the worth of Christ, 4) humbled themselves to worship Jesus, and
5) obeyed GOD rather than MAN
They were truly wise men!
Proverbs 16:16 says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” The Bible urges us often to seek wisdom above all things (e.g., Proverbs 4:7). But there are different kinds of wisdom. First Corinthians 3:19 says, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” And verse 20 says, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” There is obviously a difference between godly wisdom and worldly wisdom (see James 3:13–17).
Godly wisdom is, of course, from God and honors God. Godly wisdom starts with the fear of God and results in a holy life. Worldly wisdom, on the other hand, is not concerned with honoring God but with pleasing oneself. With worldly wisdom, we may become educated, street-smart, and have “common sense” that enables us to play the world’s game successfully. Godly wisdom enables us to prepare ourselves for eternity. With godly wisdom, we trade earthly values for biblical values (1 John 2:15–16). We recognize we are citizens of another kingdom, and we make choices that reflect that allegiance (Philippians 1:27; 3:20). Having godly wisdom means we strive to see life from God’s perspective and act accordingly.
The book of Proverbs is part of the Bible known as wisdom literature. Proverbs is full of practical instructions for life. Many proverbs contrast the wise with the foolish and warn against repeating foolish actions (e.g., Proverbs 3:35; 14:24; 15:7; 26:11). Everyone makes mistakes, but the wise learn from their mistakes and take steps to avoid repeating them. The foolish may make the same mistake over and over again and never learn their lesson.
Godly wisdom may look very different from worldly wisdom. Jesus highlighted these differences in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7). For example, He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” Godly wisdom often requires us to do that which is opposite our natural inclinations. Godly wisdom goes against the “conventional wisdom” of the day; it is not focused on self-preservation but on furthering the kingdom of God. We can only live in godly wisdom when we are committed to crucifying our flesh and living in the Spirit (see Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:16, 25).
The primary way we gain godly wisdom is by learning God’s Word (Psalm 119:169). “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). No one is born wise; we must acquire wisdom from God if we are to be truly wise: “Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts” (Psalm 119:98–100).
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Immersion in God’s Word produces a heart of worship and thanksgiving. That heart of worship becomes fertile soil for seeds of wisdom to grow. Jesus prayed to the Father: “Sanctify them by your truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). He wants His followers to be set apart from the world, making godly choices and living godly lives (1 Peter 1:15). We can only do that when His Word lives in us.
We can also develop godly wisdom by carefully selecting those who journey through life with us: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13:20). Paul instructed the Corinthians to “imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1). Those who want godly wisdom will choose for their heroes those who exhibit wisdom in their personal lives.
Scripture tells us to ask for godly wisdom: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). God wants us to have His wisdom. He is delighted to give it to us when our hearts are set to receive it. However, James goes on to say, “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (verses 6–8). God knows the position of our hearts. When we are committed to trusting Him and obeying His Word, He pours out His wisdom on us (see Jeremiah 29:13). But if we want to retain the right to disobey, we are double-minded and may not receive the wisdom we ask for.
Solomon received godly wisdom when he asked the Lord for it (2 Chronicles 1:10–11). He became known for his great wisdom, yet, in his later years, he turned away from following the wisdom he’d been given. He disobeyed the Lord and even began to worship idols (1 Kings 11:1–11). Receiving wisdom did not insure that Solomon would follow the path of wisdom. Sadly, he exchanged his godly wisdom for worldly wisdom, and he suffered for it. The rest of 1 Kings 11 details Solomon’s downfall as the Lord removed His hand of blessing from a man who was once great.
“Indeed,
if you call out for insight
and cry
aloud for understanding,
and if
you look
for it as for silver
and
search for it as for
hidden treasure,
then you will understand
the
fear of the Lord
and find
the
knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth
come
knowledge and understanding”
(Proverbs 2:3–6).
In Proverbs 1:20–33 and Proverbs 8:1—9:12, wisdom is personified as a woman who has much to offer—including “enduring wealth and prosperity” and “life”—to anyone who would heed her words (Proverbs 8:18, 35).
We will look at Proverbs 8 in particular, since it seems to be a jumping-off point for some creative “proof-texting” by cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses to arrive at conclusions with no textual warrant. We will cover the three subjects that are often disregarded when considering these verses—figure of speech, genre, and grammatical gender—to focus on the question, why is Wisdom a she?
Let’s start with figures of speech. These, by definition, should not be taken literally. For example, “And the Lordsaid, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground’” (Genesis 4:10). Did Abel’s blood actually cry out, audibly, from the ground? No. The Lord was using a figure of speech called personification, or prosopopoeia, to help Cain understand the inescapable nature of sin. We realize that Abel’s blood was inanimate, non-articulate, and in no way capable of speech—its “cry” is just a literary figure. We cannot formulate a doctrine that says blood actually speaks after a person dies. This may sound like common sense, but people can and do invent such teachings! We must be alert to figures of speech, because in figure, God’s exact words will not equal His exact meaning.
In Proverbs 9:2 wisdom is not literally a woman who prepares a banquet. Wisdom is an intangible quality, but Solomon describes it as if it were an actual person—personification, again. But why is Wisdom a “she” and not a “he”? As we answer that, let’s consider genre.
Proverbs 8 is poetry—one of the many genres found in the Bible. This is important to consider, for, if we do not know what we are reading, we will not know how we should read it. A reader will always make some sense of the words, but if genre is not considered, the reader will likely miss the author’s intent. For example, if we’re reading Treasure Island, it’s important to understand it as a novel, that is, a work of fiction. This understanding will prevent our seeking out the family history of Jim Hawkins as if he were a real person. When reading the Bible, if we do not understand an author’s intent, then we will not understand God’s intent—which, of course, is what matters when it comes to interpreting His Word.
Proverbs 8 is a specific type of poem called an encomium—a poem of praise. Other encomia in Scripture are found in 1 Corinthians 13 (in praise of love), Hebrews 11 (in praise of faith), and Proverbs 31:10–31 (in praise of the virtuous wife). We cannot interpret the Bible’s poetry in the same way we do its historical narratives, its prophecies, its apocalyptic passages, etc. For instance, we cannot treat “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4) in the same way as “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to Aaron the priest” (Leviticus 13:2). The first passage is effusive, the latter exacting. These are just two examples of types of writings that must be read with sensitivity to their genre, purpose, and context. So, when we read that Wisdom is a “she,” understand that Proverbs is heavily artistic; therefore, we are not reading a technical definition of wisdom.
Finally, let’s talk about gender in language. Except for some personal pronouns, English does not use grammatical gender (classifying words as masculine, feminine, or neuter). However, the Hebrew language (in which Proverbs was written) does use grammatical gender, much like Spanish, French, and many other languages do. Herein is our problem. “She,” as we understand it, is not necessarily “she” as it was intended in Hebrew.
Native English speakers are ambivalent concerning grammatical gender. We naturally think of the noun girl as feminine and the noun boy as masculine, so, when assigning pronouns to these words, we use she/her/hers for girl and he/him/his for boy. When we speak of a ship, which has no actual gender, we use neuter pronouns (it/its). However, these ships are often named after men (such as the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan). The name of the ship does not affect its gender. To compound matters, mariners usually refer to a ship in feminine terms: she is a fine ship, head her into port, etc. Gender is somewhat arbitrary in English usage, but this is not the case in many other languages.
In many languages (including Hebrew) most nouns have a strong gender component—but the gender assignment is grammatical and does not necessarily indicate the physical gender of the object. In Spanish, a guitar (la guitarra) is feminine, and a car (el coche) is masculine. This has nothing to do with literal gender. In fact, the Spanish word masculinidad, which means “masculinity,” is a feminine noun! Therefore, when translating from Hebrew into English, we must distinguish grammatical gender from our notions of sexual gender.
In English, the word wisdom is grammatically neuter, but not so in Hebrew. The Hebrew word is chokmoth, and it is grammatically feminine. In Hebrew, it would have been natural to speak of wisdom as a “she.”
As previously mentioned, Solomon used the literary tool of personification to extol the inanimate and abstract idea of wisdom as if it were a real person. By doing so, Solomon communicated a vivid illustration of the blessings of being wise. In personifying wisdom, it was necessary to use the appropriate pronouns. Since a person is not referred to as an “it,” Wisdom as an antecedent requires feminine personal pronouns. The grammatical construction is an artifact of the process of personification. In other words, since the word wisdomis feminine (in Hebrew grammar), Wisdom personified becomes a “she” to satisfy the demands of diction—not to add information to its object.
There may be a couple other reasons why Solomon portrayed Wisdom as a “she.” In the broader context, Solomon is drawing a careful contrast between wise and foolish choices. Immediately before and after presenting Wisdom as an elegant lady offering riches and satisfaction, Solomon presents a picture of Folly, pictured as a prostitute who promises pleasure but who delivers death (Proverbs 6:24—7:27; 9:13–18). So, the foolishness of immorality is contrasted with the wisdom of virtue. Two parallel illustrations are used, and both involve a virtual woman.
Also, Proverbs shows us Wisdom personified performing activities that are usually associated with a woman (such as preparing a meal, Proverbs 9:2, 5). This description transcends the technical grammar and further necessitates the feminine pronouns applied to Wisdom.
Jesus had just finished explaining to the disciples the meaning of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, and these two short parables are a continuance of His discussion of the “kingdom of heaven.” He expressed truths about the kingdom in three pairs of parables in Matthew 13: the seed and the sower (vv. 3-23) and the weeds in the field (vv. 24-30); the mustard seed (vv. 31-32) and the leaven (v. 33); and the hidden treasure (v. 44) and the pearl of great price (vv. 45-46).
The similarities of these two short parables make it clear they teach the same lesson—the kingdom of heaven is of inestimable value. Both parables involve a man who sold all he had to possess the kingdom. The treasure and the pearl represent Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers. And while we cannot pay for salvation by selling all our worldly goods, once we have found the prize, we are willing to give up everything to possess it. But what is attained in exchange is so much more valuable that it is comparable to trading an ounce of trash for a ton of diamonds (Philippians 3:7-9).
In both parables, the treasures are hidden, indicating that spiritual truth is missed by many and cannot be found by intelligence or power or worldly wisdom. Matthew 13:11-17 and 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, 14 make it clear that the mysteries of the kingdom are hidden from some who are unable to hear, see, and comprehend these truths. The disobedient reap the natural consequences of their unbelief—spiritual blindness. Those whose eyes are opened by the Spirit do discern spiritual truth, and they, like the men in the parable, understand its great value.
Notice that the merchant stopped seeking pearls when he found the pearl of great price. Eternal life, the incorruptible inheritance, and the love of God through Christ constitute the pearl which, once found, makes further searching unnecessary. Christ fulfills our greatest needs, satisfies our longings, makes us whole and clean before God, calms and quiets our hearts, and gives us hope for the future. The “great price,” of course, is that which was paid by Christ for our redemption. He emptied Himself of His glory, came to earth in the form of a lowly man and shed His precious blood on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
Wisdom and knowledge, both recurring themes in the Bible, are related but not synonymous. The dictionary defines wisdom as “the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting.” Knowledge, on the other hand, is “information gained through experience, reasoning, or acquaintance.” Knowledge can exist without wisdom, but not the other way around. One can be knowledgeable without being wise. Knowledge is knowing how to use a gun; wisdom is knowing when to use it and when to keep it holstered.
God wants us to have knowledge of Him and what He expects of us. In order to obey Him, we have to have knowledge of the commands. But as equally important as having knowledge is having wisdom. Knowing facts about God and the Bible is not all there is to wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God. James 1:5 states, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” God blesses us with wisdom in order for us to glorify Him and use the knowledge we have of Him.
The book of Proverbs is perhaps the best place in the Bible to learn of biblical wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 speaks of both biblical knowledge and wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, / but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” To fear the Lord is to start on the path to knowledge, and God can then begin to provide us with wisdom through Christ, who the Bible says is wisdom itself: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Knowledge is what is gathered over time through study of the Scriptures. It can be said that wisdom, in turn, acts properly upon that knowledge. Wisdom is the fitting application of knowledge. Knowledge understands the light has turned red; wisdom applies the brakes. Knowledge sees the quicksand; wisdom walks around it. Knowledge memorizes the Ten Commandments; wisdom obeys them. Knowledge learns of God; wisdom loves Him.
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.
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).
Jesus is Coming
…14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates. 15But outside are the dogs, thesorcerers, the sexually immoral, themurderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”…
Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
Ephesians 5:5
For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Colossians 3:5-6
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. / Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
1 Timothy 1:9-10
We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, / for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching
Romans 1:29-32
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. / They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. ...
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. / For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, / unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, ...
Mark 7:21-23
For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, / greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. / All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”
1 John 3:8-10
The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. / Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. / By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. / Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ / Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: / haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, / a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, ...
Isaiah 57:3-4
“But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! / Whom are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, offspring of deceit,
Jeremiah 9:2-6
If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people. / “They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD. / “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander. ...
Treasury of ScriptureFor without are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loves and makes a lie.
Revelation 9:20,21
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: …
Revelation 21:8,27
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death…
1 Corinthians 6:9,10
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, …
dogs.
Philippians 3:2
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
sorcerers.
Revelation 9:21
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Revelation 18:23
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
Isaiah 47:9,12
But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments…
whoremongers.
Revelation 17:1-6
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: …
whosoever.
Revelation 21:8,27
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death…
1 Kings 22:8,21-23
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so…
Isaiah 9:15,16
The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail…
Apostasy,
from the Greek word apostasia,
means
“a defiance of an
established
system or authority;
a rebellion;
an abandonment
or
breach of faith.”
In the first-century world, apostasy was a technical term for political revolt or defection. Just like in the first century, spiritual apostasy threatens the Body of Christ today.
The Bible warns about people like Arius (c. AD 250—336), a Christian priest from Alexandria, Egypt, who was trained at Antioch in the early fourth century. About AD 318, Arius accused Bishop Alexander of Alexandria of subscribing to Sabellianism, a false teaching that asserted that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were merely roles or modes assumed by God at various times. Arius was determined to emphasize the oneness of God; however, he went too far in his teaching of God’s nature. Arius denied the Trinity and introduced what appeared on the surface to be an inconsequential difference between the Father and Son.
Arius argued that Jesus was not homoousios (“of the same essence”) as the Father, but was rather homoiousios(“of similar essence”). Only one Greek letter—the iota (ι)—separated the two. Arius described his position in this manner: “The Father existed before the Son. There was a time when the Son did not exist. Therefore, the Son was created by the Father. Therefore, although the Son was the highest of all creatures, he was not of the essence of God.”
Arius was clever and did his best to get the people on his side, even going so far as to compose little songs that taught his theology, which he tried to teach to everyone who would listen. His winsome nature, asceticism, and revered position as a preacher also contributed to his cause.
With respect to apostasy, it is critical that all Christians understand two important things: (1) how to recognize apostasy and apostate teachers, and (2) why apostate teaching is so deadly.
The Forms of Apostasy
To fully identify and combat apostasy, Christians should understand its various forms and the traits that characterize its doctrines and teachers. As to the forms of apostasy, there are two main types: (1) a falling away from key and true doctrines of the Bible into heretical teachings that claim to be “the real” Christian doctrine, and (2) a complete renunciation of the Christian faith, which results in a full abandonment of Christ.
Arius represents the first form of apostasy—a denial of key Christian truths (such as the divinity of Christ) that begins a downhill slide into a full departure from the faith, which is the second form of apostasy. The second form almost always begins with the first. A heretical belief becomes a heretical teaching that splinters and grows until it pollutes all aspects of a person’s faith, and then the end goal of Satan is accomplished, which is a complete falling away from Christianity.
The Characteristics of Apostasy and Apostates
Jude was the half brother of Jesus and a leader in the early church. In his New Testament letter, he outlines how to recognize apostasy and strongly urges those in the body of Christ to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 1:3). The Greek word translated “contend earnestly” is a compound verb from which we get the word agonize. It is in the present infinitive form, which means that the struggle will be continuous. In other words, Jude says that there will be a constant fight against false teaching and that Christians should take it so seriously that we “agonize” over the fight in which we are engaged. Moreover, Jude makes it clear that every Christian is called to this fight, not just church leaders, so it is critical that all believers sharpen their discernment skills so that they can recognize and prevent apostasy in their midst.
After urging his readers to contend earnestly for the faith, Jude highlights the reason: “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4). In this one verse, Jude provides Christians with three traits of apostasy and apostate teachers:
First, Jude says that apostasy can be subtle. Apostates have “crept” into the church. In extra-biblical Greek, the term Jude uses describes the cunning craftiness of a lawyer who, through clever argumentation, infiltrates the minds of courtroom officials and corrupts their thinking. The word literally means “slip in sideways; come in stealthily; sneak in.” In other words, Jude says it is rare that apostasy begins in an overt and easily detectable manner. Instead, it looks a lot like Arius’s doctrine—only a single letter, the iota, differentiates the false teaching from the true.
Describing this aspect of apostasy and its underlying danger, A. W. Tozer wrote, “So skilled is error at imitating truth, that the two are constantly being mistaken for each another. It takes a sharp eye these days to know which brother is Cain and which is Abel.” The apostle Paul also speaks to the outwardly pleasing behavior of apostates and their teaching: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13–14). In other words, do not look for apostates to appear bad on the outside or speak dramatic words of heresy at the outset of their teaching. Rather than denying truth outright, apostates will twist it to fit their own agenda, but, as pastor R. C. Lensky has noted, “The worst forms of wickedness consist in perversions of the truth.”
Second, Jude describes apostates as “ungodly” and as those who use God’s grace as a license to commit unrighteous acts. Beginning with “ungodly,” Jude describes eighteen unflattering traits of apostates: they are ungodly (Jude 1:4), morally perverted (verse 4), denying Christ (verse 4), ones who defile the flesh (verse 8), rebellious (verse 8), people who revile angels (verse 8), who are ignorant about God (verse 8), those who proclaim false visions (verse 10), self-destructive (verse 10), grumblers (verse 16), faultfinders (verse 16), self-satisfying (verse 16), people who use arrogant words and false flattery (verse 16), mockers of God (verse 18), those who cause divisions (verse 19), worldly minded (verse 19), and finally (and not surprisingly), devoid of the Spirit/unsaved (verse 19).
Third, Jude says apostates “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” How do apostates do this? Paul tells us in his letter to Titus, “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:15–16). Through their unrighteous behavior, the apostates show their true selves. Unlike an apostate, a true believer is someone who has been delivered from sin to righteousness in Christ and who refuses to continue in sin (Romans 6:1–2).
Ultimately, the sign of an apostate is that he eventually falls away and departs from the truth of God’s Word and His righteousness. The apostle John signifies this is a mark of a false believer: “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).
Ideas Have Consequences
Every New Testament book except Philemon contains warnings about false teaching. Why is this? Simply because ideas have consequences. Right thinking and its fruit produce goodness, whereas wrong thinking and its accompanying action result in undesired penalties. As an example, the Cambodian killing fields in the 1970s were the product of the nihilistic worldview of Jean Paul Sartre and his teaching. The Khmer Rouge’s leader, Pol Pot, lived out Sartre’s philosophy toward the people in a clear and frightening way, which was articulated in this manner: “To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss.”
Satan did not come to the first couple in the Garden with an external armament or visible weapon; instead, he came to them with an idea. And it was that idea, embraced by Adam and Eve, that condemned them and the rest of humankind, with the only remedy being the sacrificial death of God’s Son.
The great tragedy is that, knowingly or unknowingly, the apostate teacher dooms his unsuspecting followers. Speaking to His disciples about the religious leaders of His day, Jesus said, “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14, emphasis added). Alarmingly, it is not only false teachers who go to destruction, but their disciples follow them there. Christian philosopher Søren Kierkegaard put it this way: “For it has never yet been known to fail that one fool, when he goes astray, takes several others with him.”
In AD 325, the Council of Nicea convened primarily to take up the issue of Arius and his teaching. Much to Arius’s dismay, the end result was his excommunication and a statement in the Nicene Creed that affirms Christ’s divinity: “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of his Father, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father.”
Arius may have died centuries ago, but his spiritual children are still with us to this day in the form of cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and others who deny Christ’s true essence and person. Sadly, until Christ returns and every last spiritual enemy has been removed, tares such as these will be present among the wheat (Matthew 13:24–30). In fact, Scripture says apostasy will only get worse as Christ’s return approaches. “At that time [the latter days] many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). Paul told the Thessalonians that a great falling away would precede Christ’s second coming (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and that the end times would be characterized by tribulation and hollow religious charlatans: “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be . . . holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these” (2 Timothy 3:1–2, 5).
It is critical, now more than ever, that every believer pray for discernment, combat apostasy, and contend earnestly for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints.
The Parable
of the
Vineyard
appears
in three of the gospels
(Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19),
with Matthew’s
account being the
most complete.
However, there are additions in the others; hence, it is wise to study all three accounts so as to achieve the greatest understanding. To get the context of what is happening, we need to look at Matthew 21:18. Early in the morning, Jesus goes to the temple courts to teach (21:23). While He is teaching, the chief priest and elders confront Him, wanting to know by what authority He is teaching. Not allowing them to control the conversation, Jesus answers the question by first asking a question (21:24-26). They do not like His question nor His response to their answer; essentially, He has told them that they can’t save face from their obvious attempt to cajole Him and, therefore, He is not obligated to answer their question (21:27). What Jesus told them is that John the Baptist and He received their authority from the same source. This exchange causes the leaders to become angry and puts them in opposition to Jesus. Jesus then further frustrates the priests by telling two parables: the first one is the Parable of the Two Sons, and the second is the Parable of the Vineyard, sometimes called the Parable of the Wicked Tenants.
The first parable Jesus teaches tells the priests that they have claimed to accept the message from God but they have failed to live up to it by being obedient. Outwardly, they are pious and appear to be people of God, but God knows the heart, and there they have failed miserably. The next parable (the Parable of the Vineyard) is like pouring salt on a wound. Just in case they didn’t fully understand (which they did), Jesus gives a much clearer picture of what He means. Obviously, this further infuriates the priests, but it also gives the others who were present an opportunity to hear Jesus fully explain the implications of the disobedience of the Jewish people throughout the ages.
Background: There are 6 main characters in this parable: 1) the landowner—God, 2) the vineyard—Israel, 3) the tenants/farmers—the Jewish religious leadership, 4) the landowner’s servants—the prophets who remained obedient and preached God’s word to the people of Israel, 5) the son—Jesus, and 6) the other tenants—the Gentiles. The imagery used is similar to Isaiah’s parable of the vineyard (it would be prudent to study this also) found in Isaiah chapter 5. The watchtower and the wall mentioned in verse 33 are means of protecting the vineyard and the ripened grapes. The winepress is obviously for stamping out the juice of the grapes to make the wine. The farmer was apparently away at the time of harvest and had rented the vineyard to the tenants. This was customary of the times, and he could expect as much as half of the grapes as payment by the tenants for use of his land.
Explanation: Verses 34-36 tell us the landowner sent his servants to collect his portion of the harvest and how they were cruelly rejected by the tenants; some were beaten, stoned, and even killed. Then he sent even more the second time and they received the same treatment. The servants sent represent the prophets that God had sent to His people/Israel and then were rejected and killed by the very people who were claiming to be of God and obedient to Him. Jeremiah was beaten (Jeremiah 26:7-11; 38:1-28), John the Baptist was killed (Matthew 14:1-12), and others were stoned (2 Chronicles 24:21). In this parable Jesus is not only reminding the religious establishment what they were like, but He was putting in their minds a question: how could they claim obedience as God’s people and still reject His messengers? We don’t know how many servants the owner sent, but that is not what is important; the theme is God’s repeated appeal through His prophets to an unrepentant people. In the next verses (37-39), the situation becomes even more critical. The landowner sends his own son, believing that they will surely respect him. But the tenants see an opportunity here; they believe that if they kill the son they will then receive his inheritance. The law at the time provided that if there were no heirs then the property would pass to those in possession (possession is nine tenths of the law). This amounts to conspiracy to commit murder by the Jewish leadership, and it is prophetic in the sense that Jesus is now telling them what they are going to do to Him (see Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16). After Jesus’ death, Peter would make the same charges against the religious establishment (Acts 4:8-12). The tenants probably thought that the fight for the property was over, but it wasn’t; the owner would now appear on the scene.
Jesus now (vs.40-41) asks the question, what will the owner do to the evil tenants? What He is doing is forcing the religious leaders/priests to declare their own miserable fate: condemnation for their blatant disobedience. This is similar to the question that Nathan put to David (2 Samuel 12:1-7). Up to this point, Jesus has been dealing with the immediate situation of Israel and its past disobedience; now Jesus leaves open the question of what Israel’s leadership is going to do with the Messiah, the Son of God, whom He refers to as the “chief cornerstone” (vs 42). Cornerstones and capstones are used symbolically in Scripture and picture Christ as the main piece of the foundation of the church and the head of the church, respectively. Jesus is the beginning of and is foundational to the church, and He now stands over the church in His rightful position of honor, guiding the church to fulfill its divine destiny. This verse makes clear prophetically how Jesus will be rejected by the religious establishment and ultimately be crucified (see Psalm 118:22-23).
The key to understanding this parable and what it says about the religious leaders is found in verse 43, where Jesus makes their lack of obedience personal. Jesus tells the leaders that because of their disobedience they will be left out of the kingdom of heaven (individually and as a people); that they have let their opportunity for the time being slip away to be given to the Gentiles (see verse 41, “other tenants”). This will be more than they can tolerate, as we will see in verses 45 and 46. He is saying that there will be a new people of God made up of all peoples who will temporarily replace the Jews so that Jesus can establish His church. This will change the way God deals with man, from the old dispensation of the law to a new dispensation of God’s grace. It will usher in a period of time where man will no longer understand forgiveness of sins as man’s work through what he does or doesn’t do or by the sacrifices of animals on the altar, but by the work of Christ on the cross. It will be a time where each individual can have a personal and saving relationship with the One and only God of the universe. The exciting part of the verse is the phrase “who will produce fruit”; this gives authority to the church to share the gospel of Christ to the lost of the world. Up to this time, the Jews felt that they had automatic membership in God’s kingdom because of their relationship to Abraham; this is why they put so much emphasis on genealogies. But the new people of God would truly have what God wanted for Israel all along: a personal and holy relationship that would be honored through the spreading of God’s word to all peoples (see Exodus 19:5-6).
Jesus continues the stone metaphor in verse 44 to show how a stone can be used to build something beautiful, such as His church, or it can be used to crush and destroy, depending on the situation. This could be likened to God’s word: to some it is salvation, peace and comfort. To others it is foolish and disconcerting because of its ability to convict man of his sins (2 Timothy 3:16).
Verses 45 and 46 give us three insights into the psyche of the chief priest of the religious establishment. 1) They are jealous and envious of Jesus’ popularity with the common people. This encroaches on their authority and power to govern. 2) They have come to the realization that Jesus is talking about them. This hurts their pride and embarrasses them in front of the people. 3) They understood the analogy of the son and that Jesus was referring to Himself. This would be blasphemous to them, and they would now seek to kill Jesus. From here the leaders would meet in secrecy to plot how they would get rid of Jesus. Why all the secrecy? The people thought of Jesus as a prophet from God; arresting Him could cause an uprising. An uprising would jeopardize the leaders’ relationship with the Roman authorities, something that the Jews did not want at any cost.
Application: We apply this parable to our lives by asking two questions; first, have you come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior, or have you rejected Him like the Jewish leadership did? The process is simple, as long as you are sincere in seeking a relationship with Christ. You need to recognize your sins, and then accept Christ as the only One who can save you from the penalty of your sins. Second, if you are a believer, what have you done with Jesus? Are you like the bad tenants, rejecting His Word and living a life of disobedience? If you are, you need to study God’s Word and pray for guidance, seeking His will for your life and living out that will as best as you can, moment by moment, day by day.
In his vision
of
judgment upon
the
wicked,
the apostle
John
tells us that Jesus is returning on
a white horse:
“Then
I saw heaven opened,
and behold,
a
white horse!
The one sitting on it
is called
Faithful and True,
and in
righteousness
he judges and makes war”
(Revelation 19:11; see Psalm 45).
Most Bible scholars are of the
opinion that this passage is not referring to the Rapture,
but rather to
Jesus’ coming to
earth
with His saints
at the end
of the
Tribulation
The horse’s white color represents purity or victory (cf. Revelation 7:14-15), for this rider is holy and goes forth to be the triumphant conqueror. During ancient times, victorious Roman generals entered their conquered cities in chariots drawn by white horses. The entire setting of this verse implies victory over Christ’s enemies. As such, the word white indicates triumph, a successful war.
What a vivid contrast we see in Jesus’ return with all His angels (Matthew 25:31), as compared to His entry to Jerusalem upon a donkey (Matthew 21:7-9)! He is no longer riding a humble donkey. Jesus will return on a fiery white charger, bringing judgment, just as He had promised (Matthew 25:31-33).
Also by way of contrast, when He was on earth, Jesus was abandoned by His followers (Mark 14:50). Revelation 19 reveals the armies of heaven following Him in conquest. He is not returning to speak “gracious words” (Luke 4:22) but the words of righteous judgment (Isaiah 11:4). Jesus comes to rule with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:9). He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16).
Hebrews 12:1 says,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Here the writer to the Hebrews exhorts all who profess faith in Jesus Christ, the “author and perfecter of our faith” (v. 2), to do two things. First, we are to remove or put off any burden that keeps us from Christ-likeness, especially sin because sin ensnares us and keeps us in bondage to itself. Second, we are to persevere, patiently enduring all things until we grow and mature in the faith. James reminds us that trials serve to strengthen our faith and bring us to maturity (James 1:2-3). Hebrews 12:1 is reminding us to persevere through those trials, knowing that, by God’s faithfulness, we won’t be overwhelmed by them
(1 Corinthians 10:13).
So who are the “cloud of witnesses,” and how is it they “surround” us?
To understand this, we need to look at the previous chapter, as evidenced by the word therefore beginning chapter 12. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest of the Old Testament believers looked forward with faith to the coming of the Messiah. The author of Hebrews illustrates this eloquently in chapter 11 and then ends the chapter by telling us that the forefathers had faith to guide and direct them, but God had something better planned. Then he begins chapter 12 with a reference to these faithful men and women who paved the way for us. What the Old Testament believers looked forward to in faith—the Messiah—we look back to, having seen the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning His first coming.
We are surrounded by the saints of the past in a unique way. It’s not that the faithful who have gone before us are spectators to the race we run. Rather, it is a figurative representation and means that we ought to act as if they were in sight and cheering us on to the same victory in the life of faith that they obtained. We are to be inspired by the godly examples these saints set during their lives. These are those whose past lives of faith encourage others to live that way, too. That the cloud is referred to as “great” indicates that millions of believers have gone before us, each bearing witness to the life of faith we now live.
The second coming of Jesus Christ is the hope of believers that God is in control of all things, and is faithful to the promises and prophecies in His Word. In His first coming, Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem, just as prophesied. Jesus fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Messiah during His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. However, there are some prophecies regarding the Messiah that Jesus has not yet fulfilled. The second coming of Christ will be the return of Christ to fulfill these remaining prophecies. In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Servant. In His second coming, Jesus will be the conquering King. In His first coming, Jesus arrived in the most humble of circumstances. In His second coming, Jesus will arrive with the armies of heaven at His side.
The Old Testament prophets did not make clearly this distinction between the two comings. This can be seen in Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7 and Zechariah 14:4. As a result of the prophecies seeming to speak of two individuals, many Jewish scholars believed there would be both a suffering Messiah and a conquering Messiah. What they failed to understand is that there is only one Messiah and He would fulfill both roles. Jesus fulfilled the role of the suffering servant (Isaiah chapter 53) in His first coming. Jesus will fulfill the role of Israel’s deliverer and King in His second coming. Zechariah 12:10 and Revelation 1:7, describing the second coming, look back to Jesus being pierced. Israel, and the whole world, will mourn for not having accepted the Messiah the first time He came.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels declared to the apostles, “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:11). Zechariah 14:4 identifies the location of the second coming as the Mount of Olives. Matthew 24:30 declares, “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Titus 2:13 describes the second coming as a “glorious appearing.”
The second coming is spoken of in greatest detail in Revelation 19:11-16, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Coming out of
his mouth is a sharp sword
with which
to strike down the nations
. “He will rule them with an iron scepter
.”He treads
the winepress of the
fury of the
wrath of God Almighty
Revelation 19:15
Psalm 2:9
The Rider on the White Horse
…14The armies of heaven,
dressed in fine linen,
white and pure,
follow Him on white horses.
15And from His mouth proceeds
a sharp sword
with which to strike down
the nations,
and
He will rule them with an
iron scepter.
He treads the
winepress
of the fury
of the wrath of
God the Almighty.
AND He has a
NAME
written
on
His robe and on
His thigh:
KING OF KINGS
AND
LORD OF LORDS.…
The NAME
Faithful and True
expresses the
total
trustworthiness, reliability,
and
constancy of Jesus Christ
The title
reveals His character
and makes known
His words and works
In Revelation 19:11, John sees a vision of Jesus as the exalted King of kings leaving heaven to return to earth: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” This picture of Christ’s second coming at the end of the age shows Jesus no longer as the peaceful, humble servant riding on a lowly donkey (John 12:12–15). Now He is the victorious King, charging forth like a conquering war general, leading His troops into battle (Revelation 19:14).
In this vivid portrayal, John identifies Jesus by four different titles, beginning with Faithful and True. It is the first and only time this name of Jesus appears in Scripture. The second title is unknown to us (Revelation 19:12); the third is the Word of God (verse 13); the fourth is King of kings and Lord of lords (verse 16).
The word for “Faithful” in the original language means “characterized by steadfast affection or allegiance,” and the word translated “True” means “truthful or characterized by expressing the truth.” The nature of Jesus Christ—His whole being—exudes faithfulness and truth. Earlier, in Revelation 3:14, Jesus called Himself the “faithful and true witness” in His letter to the church in Laodicea. Faithful and True is who Jesus Christ is.
In His first coming to earth, Jesus proved Himself to be faithful to the mission and will of God His Father: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4; see also John 5:30; Hebrews 3:6; Luke 4:43). Never once did the Lord give in to the temptation to sin (Hebrews 4:15–16), from the time Satan tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13) until His death on the cross (Matthew 16:21–23; 26:36–44; Mark 8:31–33; 14:32–42; Luke 22:40–46).
From the day Isaiah foretold His coming, Christ’s faithfulness was known (Isaiah 11:5; 42:3). As a young man (Luke 2:49) and throughout His ministry, Jesus was a faithful and obedient servant to His Father God (John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29; 12:27; 14:31). Jesus is consistently the same “yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Others will wear out, change, or perish, but Jesus Christ remains the same for all eternity (Hebrews 1:11–12).
Jesus, who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” is the very embodiment of truth (John 14:6). He came from His Father “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). And His promise of eternal life is true: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24, ESV; see also John 6:47).
Because of the fidelity inherent in His character, Jesus is faithful toward His followers in every circumstance. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself,” declares 2 Timothy 2:13 (see also Matthew 28:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 10:23).
Faithful and True is a fitting title for Jesus Christ our King, and He calls His followers to emulate His faithfulness and truth (Revelation 14:12; Hebrews 10:23). The entire book of Revelation conveys a message to the church of Jesus Christ to be faithful and true, just as He is Faithful and True.
In Revelation 19:11, when John sees the gates of heaven open, the One who has been Faithful and True from ages past appears at the end of time to wage His final battle. Jesus Christ comes with justice to judge and wage war, and He will triumph over the enemies of God! The outcome is sure because He is Faithful and True. He will do what He has promised to do. He shall defeat the devil once and for all. He will destroy the power of death, wiping away every sorrow, tear, and pain from the hearts of His devoted followers (Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:54; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20:14).
Revelation 16:12–16 is the record of what will happen toward the end of the tribulation, when an angel pours out the sixth bowl judgment on the earth. The word Armageddon makes its only appearance in the Bible in this passage:
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. . . . Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”
In Revelation 19:11–20, a final battle occurs at Christ’s second coming as the conquering Christ defeats the forces of the Antichrist. We take this to be a description of the Battle of Armageddon mentioned in Revelation 16:
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
“And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, ‘Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.’
“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.”
The exact location of Armageddon is unclear because there is no mountain called Meggido. However, since Harcan also mean “hill,” the most likely location is the hill country surrounding the plain of Meggido, some sixty miles north of Jerusalem. Throughout history, armies have fought countless battles in that region: Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, and Crusaders fought in Megiddo, as well as the armies of Napoleon. Megiddo was the site of battles during World War I and the Arab-Israeli War of 1948 (Weintraub, P., “Rewriting Tel Megiddo’s Violent History,” Discover, Sep 30, 2015). In the future, the plain of Megiddo and the nearby plain of Esdraelon will also be the focal point for the battle of Armageddon.
The plain of Megiddo, or Armageddon, was famous for two great victories in Israel’s history: 1) Barak’s victory over the Canaanites (Judges 4:15) and 2) Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (Judges 7). Armageddon was also the site of two great tragedies: 1) the death of Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 31:8) and 2) the death of King Josiah (2 Kings 23:29–30; 2 Chronicles 35:22).
According to the futurist interpretation of Revelation, which is our view, the Battle of Armageddon will be a real battle in the future, near the end of the tribulation. Demonic influences will cause the kings of the earth to gather their armies for an all-out assault on Jerusalem. The Antichrist will be leading the charge (Revelation 16:13–16). Jesus Christ will return to earth with the armies of heaven (Matthew 25:31; Revelation 19:14); His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4); He will defeat the forces of evil (Revelation 19:15–16); He will cast the Antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20); He will bind Satan; and He will set up His kingdom on earth for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–6). At Armageddon the Lord Jesus Christ “treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:19), and all things will be made right.
Isaiah 63:2-6
Why are Your clothes red, and Your garments like one who treads the winepress? / “I have trodden the winepress alone, and no one from the nations was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My fury; their blood spattered My garments, and all My clothes were stained. / For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and the year of My redemption had come. ...
Psalm 2:9
You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”
Isaiah 11:4
but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
Joel 3:13
Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.
Revelation 2:27
He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father.
Revelation 12:5
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
Psalm 110:5-6
The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings in the day of His wrath. / He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead; He will crush the leaders far and wide.
Isaiah 34:5-6
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. / The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
Jeremiah 25:30-33
So you are to prophesy all these words against them and say to them: ‘The LORD will roar from on high; He will raise His voice from His holy habitation. He will roar loudly over His pasture; like those who tread the grapes, He will call out with a shout against all the inhabitants of the earth. / The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth because the LORD brings a charge against the nations. He brings judgment on all mankind and puts the wicked to the sword,’” declares the LORD. / This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.” ...
2 Thessalonians 2:8
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Isaiah 49:2
He made My mouth like a sharp sword; He hid Me in the shadow of His hand. He made Me like a polished arrow; He hid Me in His quiver.
Isaiah 66:15-16
For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire. / For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.
Ezekiel 21:9-10
“Son of man, prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord says: ‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished— / it is sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice in the scepter of My son? The sword despises every such stick.
Daniel 7:10-11
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened. / Then I kept watching because of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued to watch, the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.
Revelation 19:21
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Revelation 1:16
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Revelation 2:12,16
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; …
and he shall.
Revelation 2:27
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Revelation 12:5
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Psalm 2:9
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
and he treadeth.
Revelation 14:17-20
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle…
Isaiah 63:2-6
Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? …
Isaiah 66:7-24 KJV
Who hath seen such things???
Shall the earth
be made to bring forth
in one day?
or shall a nation be born at once?
for as
soon as ZION travailed,
she brought forth her children.
Shall I bring to the BIRTH,
and not cause to bring forth?
saith the LORD:
shall I cause to bring forth,
and
Shut the WOMB?
Psalm 87:2–3 says, “The Lord loves the gates of Zion / more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. / Glorious things are said of you, / city of God.” According to this verse, Zion is synonymous with city of God, and it is a place that God loves. Zion is Jerusalem. Mount Zion is the high hill on which David built a citadel. It is on the southeast side of the city.
The word Zion occurs over 150 times in the Bible. It essentially means “fortification” and has the idea of being “raised up” as a “monument.” Zion is described both as the city of David and the city of God. As the Bible progresses, the word Zion expands in scope and takes on an additional, spiritual meaning.
The first mention of Zion in the Bible is 2 Samuel 5:7: “David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.” Zion was originally an ancient Jebusite fortress in the city of Jerusalem. After David’s conquest of the fortress, Jerusalem became a possession of Israel. The royal palace was built there, and Zion/Jerusalem became the seat of power in Israel’s kingdom..
When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the meaning of Zion expanded further to include the temple area (Psalm 2:6; 48:2, 11–12; 132:13). This is the meaning found in the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:6, “Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.” In the Old Testament Zion is used as a name for the city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 40:9), the land of Judah (Jeremiah 31:12), and the nation of Israel as a whole (Zechariah 9:13).
The word Zion is also used in a theological or spiritual sense in Scripture. In the Old Testament Zion refers figuratively to Israel as the people of God (Isaiah 60:14). In the New Testament, Zion refers to God’s spiritual kingdom. We have not come to Mount Sinai, says the apostle, but “to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22). Peter, quoting Isaiah 28:16, refers to Christ as the Cornerstoneof Zion: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6).
Mount Zion as a geographical area is currently the center of much dispute. The Bible is clear that, one day, Zion will be the sole possession of the Lord Jesus, and Zion—the nation and the city—will be restored. “Awake, awake, / Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; / Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, / O Jerusalem, the holy city; / For the uncircumcised and the unclean / Will no longer come into you” (Isaiah 52:1). And “the children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; / all who despise you will bow down at your feet / and will call you the City of the LORD, / Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14).
Genesis 2:23
HEB: וַיֹּאמֶר֮ הָֽאָדָם֒ זֹ֣את הַפַּ֗עַם עֶ֚צֶם
KJV: And Adam said, This [is] now bone
INT: said the man This is now boneGenesis 2:23
HEB: וּבָשָׂ֖ר מִבְּשָׂרִ֑י לְזֹאת֙ יִקָּרֵ֣א אִשָּׁ֔ה
KJV: of my flesh: she shall be called
INT: and flesh of my flesh she shall be called Woman
Genesis 2:23
HEB: מֵאִ֖ישׁ לֻֽקֳחָה־ זֹּֽאת׃
KJV: Woman, because she was taken
INT: of Man was taken she
Genesis 3:13
HEB: לָאִשָּׁ֖ה מַה־ זֹּ֣את עָשִׂ֑ית וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙
INT: to the woman What hast done said
Genesis 3:14
HEB: כִּ֣י עָשִׂ֣יתָ זֹּאת֒ אָר֤וּר אַתָּה֙
INT: Because have done likewise Cursed thou
Genesis 9:12
HEB: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים זֹ֤את אֽוֹת־ הַבְּרִית֙
INT: said God likewise is the sign of the covenant
Genesis 9:17
HEB: אֶל־ נֹ֑חַ זֹ֤את אֽוֹת־ הַבְּרִית֙
INT: to Noah likewise is the sign of the covenant
Genesis 12:7
HEB: אֶת־ הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את וַיִּ֤בֶן שָׁם֙
KJV: will I give this land:
INT: will give land this built there
Genesis 12:12
HEB: וְאָמְר֖וּ אִשְׁתּ֣וֹ זֹ֑את וְהָרְג֥וּ אֹתִ֖י
INT: will say This his wife and they will kill live
Genesis 12:18
HEB: וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַה־ זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לִּ֑י
INT: and said What you have done Why
Genesis 15:7
HEB: אֶת־ הָאָ֥רֶץ הַזֹּ֖את לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃
INT: to give land likewise to possess
Genesis 15:18
HEB: אֶת־ הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את מִנְּהַ֣ר מִצְרַ֔יִם
INT: have given land From the river of Egypt
Genesis 17:10
HEB: זֹ֣את בְּרִיתִ֞י אֲשֶׁ֣ר
INT: likewise is my covenant which
Genesis 19:20
HEB: נָ֠א הָעִ֨יר הַזֹּ֧את קְרֹבָ֛ה לָנ֥וּס
INT: now town likewise is near flee
Genesis 20:5
HEB: כַּפַּ֖י עָשִׂ֥יתִי זֹֽאת׃
INT: of my hands have done likewise
Genesis 20:6
HEB: לְבָבְךָ֙ עָשִׂ֣יתָ זֹּ֔את וָאֶחְשֹׂ֧ךְ גַּם־
INT: of your heart have done likewisekept also
Genesis 21:10
HEB: גָּרֵ֛שׁ הָאָמָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את וְאֶת־ בְּנָ֑הּ
INT: Drive maid likewise son for
Genesis 21:10
HEB: בֶּן־ הָאָמָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את עִם־ בְּנִ֖י
INT: the son maid likewise with my son
Genesis 21:30
HEB: אֶת־ הַבְּאֵ֥ר הַזֹּֽאת׃
INT: dug well likewise
Genesis 24:5
HEB: אֶל־ הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את הֶֽהָשֵׁ֤ב אָשִׁיב֙
INT: to land I take back
Genesis 24:7
HEB: אֶת־ הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֑את ה֗וּא יִשְׁלַ֤ח
INT: will give the land likewise he shall send
Genesis 24:8
HEB: וְנִקִּ֕יתָ מִשְּׁבֻעָתִ֖י זֹ֑את רַ֣ק אֶת־
INT: will be free my oath likewise but my son
Genesis 26:3
HEB: גּ֚וּר בָּאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶֽהְיֶ֥ה עִמְּךָ֖
INT: Sojourn land likewise become you
Genesis 26:10
HEB: אֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ מַה־ זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֑נוּ
INT: Abimelech What you have done easily
Genesis 28:15
HEB: אֶל־ הָאֲדָמָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את כִּ֚י לֹ֣א
INT: into land likewise for I will not
זֹאת pronoun feminine see זֶה.
זבב (√ of following; compare Arabic go hither and thither (of a man); make to dangle, or move to and fro, of a thing suspended in the air; but in this sense perhaps denominative)
זֶה demonstrative pronoun and
adverb; feminine זֹאת, once זֹאתָה, Jeremiah 26:6 Kt (also זֹה and זוֺ, q. v.); common זוּ (q. v.): this, here (the element ז = = is widely diffused in the Semitic languages, as a demonstrative particle, often acquiring, like English that, German der, die, das, the force of a relative. Thus
a. Phoenician זֶ this (e.g. קבר ז this grave), also sometimes זן, feminine זא, comm. אז (see CIS I. i. 1:4; 1:5; 1:6; 1:12; 44:1; 88:2 etc.); Aramaic of Nineveh, Babylon, Têma, Egypt, זי as mark of the Genitive [literally that of] (CIS II. i. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., 65, 69-71, 113, 114, 141, 142, etc.), זנהthis (ib. 113:22; 145 C2), feminine זא 113:15; 145 B5; Aramaic of Zinjirli ז, זן, זנה this, זי which (DHMSendsch. 56); Ethiopic ze, this, feminine z¹, za, who(masculine), also (like זִי, and דִּי, דְּ [see below]) in common use as a mark of the Genitive;
b. Arabic this, feminine , (genitive , accusative , feminine ), possessor of (literally that of . . ., i.e. one who owns), or in the Tayyite dialect, who, which: from , with lo! prefixed, this, feminine , with the pronominal element #NAME? affixed, = this: with 'al (= the article) + a demonstrative element la prefixed, who, which (in origin = Hebrew הַלָּזֶה this, q. v.); Sabean דֿןthis, feminine דֿת, דֿ who, which, feminine דֿת (PräZMG. 1872, 419, DHMZMG. 1883, 338 f., alsoEpigr. Denkm. 65);
c. Biblical Aramaic דִּי which, דֵּךְ, דִּכֵּן, דְּנָה (q. v.) this, feminine דָּא (= זֹאת), דָּךְ; Palmyrene and Nabataean דיwhich, דנה this; ᵑ7 דְּ which, דֵּין, דֵּיכֵּי this, feminine דָּא; with הא lo! prefixed, הָדֵין, הָדָא (Syriac , contracted from ), ; Syriac who, which; Samaritan who, which, this, feminine Mandean ד who, which, דהֿthis (rare), more commonly האדין, האזין (NöMand § 80, 81). Alike in Hebrew and the other dialects, the corresponding plur. is derived from a different source: Hebrew אֵלָּה, Phoenician אל, Ethiopic 'ell¥, 'ell¹, these, 'ella, who, Arabic , these, , owners of, Sabean אלן these, אל, אלי who, which, Aramaic אִלֵּין, with הא lo! prefixed, , Samaritan , Mandean עלין. Only the Arabic forms its own plural . V. further WSG 107 ff.)
Rejoice with Jerusalem
7“Before she was in labor, she gave
birth;
before she was
in pain,
she delivered a boy
8Who has heard of such as this? Who has seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children. 9Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?” says the LORD. “Or will I who deliver close the womb?”
says your God.…
Revelation 12:5
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
Romans 11:26
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
Micah 4:10
Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!
Zechariah 2:11
“On that day many nations will join themselves to the LORD, and they will become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you.
Psalm 22:27-28
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. / For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations.
Jeremiah 30:6-7
Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale? / How awful that day will be! None will be like it! It is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved out of it.
Matthew 24:8
All these are the beginning of birth pains.
John 16:21
A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
Hosea 1:10
Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’
Galatians 4:26
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
Ezekiel 37:21-22
you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. / I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms.
Acts 2:41
Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.
1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. / Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Zephaniah 3:9-10
For then I will restore pure lips to the peoples, that all may call upon the name of the LORD and serve Him shoulder to shoulder. / From beyond the rivers of Cush My worshipers, My scattered people, will bring Me an offering.
Romans 8:22
We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.
Isaiah 64:4
For since the beginning of the world menhave not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
shall a nation
Isaiah 49:20-22
The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell…
Acts 2:41
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Acts 4:4
Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
Heaven Is My Throne
1This is what the LORD says:
“Heaven is My throne,
and earth is My footstool.
What kind of house will you build for Me?
Or where will My place of repose be?
2Has not My hand made all these things?
And so they came into being,”
declares the LORD.
“This is the one I will esteem:
he who is humble and
contrite in spirit,
who trembles at My word.
3Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man;
whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers
pig’s blood;
whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol.
Indeed, they have chosen their own ways
and delighted in their abominations.
4So I will choose their punishment
and I will bring terror upon them,
because I called and no one answered,
I spoke and no one listened.
But they did evil in My sight
and chose that in which I did not delight.”
5You who tremble at His word,
hear the word of the LORD:
“Your brothers who hate you
and exclude you because of
My name
have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified
that we may see your
joy!’
But they will be put to shame.”
6Hear the uproar from the city;
listen to the voice from the temple!
It is the voice of the LORD,
repaying His enemies what they deserve!
Rejoice with Jerusalem
7“Before she was in labor, she gave birth;
before she was in pain, she delivered a boy.
8Who has heard of such as this?
Who has seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation be delivered in an instant?
Yet as soon as Zion was in labor,
she gave birth to her children.
9Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?”
says the LORD.
“Or will I who deliver close the womb?”
says your God.
10Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice over her,
all who love her.
Rejoice greatly with her,
all who mourn over her,
11so that you may nurse and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts;
you may drink deeply and delight yourselves
in her glorious abundance.
12For this is what the LORD says:
“I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm,
and bounced upon her knees.
13As a mother comforts her son,
so will I comfort you,
and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”
14When you see, you will rejoice,
and you will flourish like grass;
then the hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants,
but His wrath will be shown to His enemies.
Final Judgments against the Wicked
15For behold, the LORD will come with fire--
His chariots are like a whirlwind--
to execute His anger with fury
and His rebuke with flames of fire.
16For by fire and by His sword,
the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh,
and many will be slain by the LORD.
17“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.
18“And I, knowing their deeds and thoughts, am comingb to gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.
19I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islandsc far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory.
So they will proclaim My glory among the nations. 20And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a gift to the LORD on horses and chariots and wagons, on mules and camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the Israelites bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.”
21“And I will select some of them as priests and Levites,” says the LORD.
22“For just as the new heavens and the new earth,d
which I will make, will endure before Me,”
declares the LORD,
“so your descendants and your name will endure.
23From one New Moon to another
and from one Sabbath to another,
all mankind will come to worship before Me,”
says the LORD.
24“As they go forth, they will see the corpses
of the men who have rebelled against Me;
for their worm will never die,
their fire will never be quenched,e
and they will be a horror
to all mankind.”
The blessing of Abraham is the gracious heavenly gift that Abraham received as part of God’s plan to create a new nation on earth. The blessing of Abraham is also sometimes misused in prosperity theology to claim that believers today can be just as rich and successful as Abraham was.
First, we’ll take a look at the historical context of Abraham’s blessing. God’s blessing to Abraham is recorded in Genesis 12:1–3: “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“‘I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.’”
Here, Abraham is blessed, and that blessing includes the promise that he will have a great name (reputation) and that he would become a great nation (have many descendants). God will bless those who bless him; furthermore, Abraham will be a blessing. Through Abraham all nations on earth will be blessed. The blessing of Abraham finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the “Seed” of Abraham (Galatians 3:16) and the Redeemer of the world.
The rest of the Bible records how these promises were fulfilled and the blessing of Abraham advanced. In Genesis we see Abraham gaining a great reputation, and we see how his descendants multiplied, even though, at the time the promise was made, he had no hope of ever having any children. By Exodus 1, the children of Abraham, the Israelites, are a great people, and the rest of Exodus through Joshua records how the people became a nation with their own land and law. The books of Judges and 1 and 2 Samuel address the leadership of the nation as a king, and how the dynasty of David was established. However, things began to unravel, and the people broke the law of God and followed other gods. Frequently, the kings did not reign as God’s loyal representatives but often followed their own desires. Prophets who spoke for God warned the nation that judgment was coming and that they were in danger of losing their land. The same prophets also began to hint at other, greater things such as an ideal Davidic ruler who would rule not only Israel but the whole world—and Gentiles would somehow be part of this kingdom (see Isaiah 9).
When Jesus came on the scene, all of the pieces started to fit into place. Jesus is the Davidic Messiah who will not only rule over Israel but over the whole world (Revelation 19:15). Anyone, including Gentiles, who comes to Him in repentance and faith is made part of His kingdom, while those Jews who reject Him will be left out. Paul was the foremost apostle responsible for taking the good news (the gospel) to the Gentiles.
In Galatians, Paul explains the importance of grace as opposed to the keeping of the law. He also points out that in Genesis 15:6 Abraham was justified by faith. Obviously, this was before any law had been given—430 years before, according to Galatians 3:17. In verse 7 Paul explains that it is those who have the kind of faith that Abraham had that are truly children of Abraham, even if they are Gentiles. This is the fulfillment of the blessing of Abraham and God’s promise that through Abraham all peoples (Gentiles) would be blessed.
The blessing of Abraham was a benefit to Abraham himself. In terms of the ancient world, he was a success: he was well-respected, he was healthy, and he had many descendants. However, the blessing Abraham received from God went far beyond those immediate, personal blessings. Through Abraham the whole world was blessed because Jesus is a descendant of Abraham. Because of Jesus any person, Jew or Gentile, can be forgiven and be in His kingdom. In Christ, we receive the spiritual blessing of justification, just as Abraham did: “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
There are some teachers in the Word of Faith movement who claim the blessing of Abraham for themselves, in all of its detail. Since we are “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29), then we can have all that Abraham had—or so the teaching goes. Christ redeemed us from more than just sin and the law; He redeemed us from “poverty” and “sickness,” because those things are supposedly included in the blessing of Abraham.
Some Word of Faith teachers see a three-fold blessing of Abraham available to Christians today: a material, financial blessing; a physical blessing; and a spiritual blessing. Others see a seven-fold blessing of Abraham: 1) I will make you into a great nation, 2) I will bless you, 3) I will make your name great, 4) you will be a blessing, 5) I will bless those who bless you, 6) whoever curses you I will curse, and 7) all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. These promises to Abraham are applied directly to the Christian today. The result is protection, blessing (physical and material), fame and recognition, etc.
Those who twist Scripture and “decree and declare” the blessing of Abraham over themselves believe that 1) God will make me and my family into some type of “great nation”; 2) God will bless me and my family; 3) God will make my name great; 4) My family and I will be a blessing; 5) God will bless those who bless me; 6) whoever curses me God will curse; and 7) everyone on earth will be blessed through me and my family.
The problem with claiming the blessing of Abraham for ourselves, expecting physical, earthly blessings, is that the blessing was given to Abraham, a specific individual in history, for a specific reason. We cannot simply insert ourselves into a biblical text. It’s more than bad hermeneutics; it leads to serious error.
The theme of Galatians 3 is justification by faith. Paul never teaches that a Christian has a “right” to prosperity and ease: “So also Abraham ‘believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (verses 6–9, emphasis added). The faith of Abraham led to his justification, and that is the blessing of Abraham that we share today. As people of faith, we are justified in Christ.
Salvation by grace through faith is at the heart of the Christian religion. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). The statement has three parts— salvation, grace, and faith—and they are equally important. The three together constitute a basic tenet of Christianity.
The word salvation is defined as “the act of being delivered, redeemed, or rescued.” The Bible tells us that, since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, each person is born in sin inherited from Adam: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Sin is what causes all of us to die. Sin separates us from God, and sin destines each person to eternal separation from Him in hell. What each of us needs is to be delivered from that fate. In other words, we need salvation from sin and its penalty.
How are we saved from sin? Most religions throughout history have taught that salvation is achieved by good works. Others teach that acts of contrition (saying we are sorry) along with living a moral life is the way to atone for our sin. Sorrow over sin is certainly valuable and necessary, but that alone will not save us from sin. We may repent of our sins, also valuable and necessary, and determine to never sin again, but salvation is not the result of good intentions. The road to hell, as the saying goes, is paved with good intentions. We may fill our lives with good works, but even one sin makes us a sinner in practice, and we are already sinners by nature. No matter how well-intentioned or “good” we may be, the fact is that we simply do not have the power or the goodness to overcome the sin nature we have inherited from Adam. We need something more powerful, and this is where grace comes in.
The grace of God is His undeserved favor bestowed on those He has called to salvation through His love (Ephesians 2:4–5). It is His grace that saves us from sin. We are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Being justified, we are vindicated and determined to be sinless in the eyes of God. Our sin no longer separates us from Him and no longer sentences us to hell. Grace is not earned by any effort on our part; otherwise, it could not be called grace. Grace is free. If our good works earned salvation, then God would be obligated to pay us our due. But no one can earn heaven, and God’s blessings are not His obligation; they flow from His goodness and love. No matter how diligently we pursue works to earn God’s favor, we will fail. Our sin trips us up every time. “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20, NKJV).
The means God has chosen to bestow His grace upon us is through faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Salvation is obtained by faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, in what He has done—specifically, His death on the cross and His resurrection. But even faith is not something we generate on our own. Faith, as well as grace, is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). He bestows saving faith and saving grace upon us in order to redeem us from sin and deliver us from its consequences. So God saves us by His grace through the faith He gives us. Both grace and faith are gifts. “Salvation belongs to the LORD” (Psalm 3:8, ESV).
By grace, we receive the faith that enables us to believe that He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and provide the salvation we cannot achieve on our own. Jesus, as God in flesh, is the “author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Just like the author of a book creates it from scratch, Jesus Christ wrote the story of our redemption from beginning to end. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 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” (Ephesians 1:4–6). The Lord died for our sins and rose for our justification, and He forgives, freely and fully, those who accept His gift of grace in Christ—and that acceptance comes through faith. This is the meaning of salvation by grace through faith.
Mary the mother of Jesus
was
described by God
as “highly favored”
(Luke 1:28)
The phrase
Highly Favored
comes
from a single Greek word,
which essentially means
“MUCH GRACE.”
Mary received God’s
GRACE
Grace is “unmerited favor”; that is, grace is a blessing we receive despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mary needed grace from God and a Savior, just as the rest of us do. Mary herself understood this fact, as she declared in Luke 1:47, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
The virgin Mary, by God’s grace, recognized that she needed the Savior. The Bible never says that Mary was anyone but an ordinary human whom God chose to use in an extraordinary way. Yes, Mary was a righteous woman and favored (graced) by God (Luke 1:27–28). At the same time, Mary was a sinful human being who needed Jesus Christ as her Savior, just like everyone else (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 John 1:8).
The virgin Mary did not have an “immaculate conception.” The Bible doesn’t suggest Mary’s birth was anything but a normal human birth. Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus (Luke 1:34–38), but she was not a virgin permanently. The idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary is unbiblical. Matthew 1:25, speaking of Joseph, declares, “But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.” The word until clearly indicates that Joseph and Mary did have normal sexual relations after Jesus was born. Mary remained a virgin until the Savior’s birth, but later Joseph and Mary had several children together. Jesus had four half-brothers: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). Jesus also had half-sisters, although they are not named or numbered (Matthew 13:55–56).
God blessed and graced
Mary
by
giving her several children,
which in that culture
was accepted as the clearest indication
of God’s
BLESSING
on a woman
One time when Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd proclaimed, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed” (Luke 11:27). There was never a better opportunity for Jesus to declare that Mary was indeed worthy of praise and adoration. What was Jesus’ response? “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Luke 11:28). According to Jesus, obedience to God’s Word was more important than being the woman who gave birth to the Savior.
Nowhere in Scripture does Jesus or anyone else direct any praise, glory, or adoration toward Mary. Elizabeth, Mary’s relative, praised Mary in Luke 1:42–44, but her praise is based on the blessing of giving birth to the Messiah. It was not based on any inherent glory in Mary. In fact, after this Mary spoke a song of praise to the Lord, extoling His mindfulness to those of humble state and His mercy and faithfulness (Luke 1:46–55).
Many believe that Mary was one of Luke’s sources for the writing of his Gospel (see Luke 1:1–4). Luke records the angel Gabriel visiting Mary and telling her that she would give birth to a son who would be the Savior. Mary was unsure how this could be since she was a virgin. When Gabriel told her that the child would be conceived by the Holy Spirit, Mary answered, "I am the Lord’s servant. . . . May your word to me be fulfilled. Then the angel left her" (Luke 1:38). Mary responded with belief and a willingness to submit to God’s plan. We, too, should have such faith in God and trustingly follow Him.
In describing the events of Jesus’ birth and the response of those who heard the shepherds’ message about Jesus, Luke writes, "But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). When Joseph and Mary presented Jesus at the temple, Simeon recognized that Jesus was the Savior and gave God praise. Joseph and Mary marveled at what Simeon had said. Simeon also told Mary, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34–35).
Another time at the temple, when Jesus was twelve, Mary was upset that Jesus had remained behind when His parents had left for Nazareth. They were distressed in looking for Him. When they found Him, still in the temple, He said He must be in His Father’s house (Luke 2:49). Jesus returned to Nazareth with His earthly parents and submitted to them. We are told, again, that Mary "treasured up all these things in her heart" (Luke 2:51). Raising Jesus must have been a perplexing endeavor yet also filled with precious moments, perhaps memories that became more poignant as Mary came to more fully understand who Jesus is. We, too, can treasure in our hearts the knowledge of God and the memories of His activity in our lives.
It was Mary who requested Jesus’ intervention at the wedding of Cana, where He performed His first miracle and turned water into wine. Even though Jesus seemingly rebuffed her at first, Mary instructed the servants to do what He told them. She had faith in Him (John 2:1–11).
Later in Jesus’ public ministry, His family grew concerned. Mark 3:20–21 records, "The crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, 'He is out of his mind.'" When His family arrived, Jesus proclaimed that it is those who do the will of God who are His family. Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him prior to the crucifixion, but at least two of them did afterward—James and Jude (Judas), the authors of the New Testament books bearing their names.
Mary did seem to believe in Jesus throughout His life. She was present at the cross when Jesus died (John 19:25), no doubt feeling the “sword” that Simeon had prophesied would pierce her soul. It was there at the cross that Jesus asked John to serve as Mary’s son, and John took Mary into his home (John 19:26–27). Mary was also with the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14). However, Mary is never mentioned again after Acts chapter 1.
The apostles did not give Mary a prominent role. Mary’s death is not recorded in the Bible. Nothing is said about Mary ascending to heaven or having an exalted role there. As the earthly mother of Jesus, Mary should be respected, but she is not worthy of our worship or adoration.
The Bible nowhere indicates that Mary can hear our prayers or that she can mediate for us with God. Jesus is our only advocate and mediator in heaven (1 Timothy 2:5). If offered worship, adoration, or prayers, Mary would say the same as the angels: “Worship God!” (see Revelation 19:10; 22:9.) Mary herself sets the example for us, directing her worship, adoration, and praise to God alone: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is His name” (Luke 1:46–49).
What does “until Christ is formed in you” mean
In Galatians 4:8–20, the apostle Paul expresses deep concern over the wayward spiritual condition of the Galatians. The church had come under the influence of Judaizers who preached a false gospel combining God’s grace with human works. As a result, the Galatians had slid back into religious legalism. In a lengthy argument reminding them that righteousness is based on faith in Christ’s work of redemption and not our own works (Galatians 3:1—4:31), Paul conveys the intensity of his love for the Galatians. These converts were the fruit of his evangelistic efforts. He had labored for their salvation, and now he feels like a mother going through labor pains again: “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19).
God’s purpose for every believer is to be transformed into the image and character of Jesus Christ: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29, NLT; see also Ephesians 1:4–11). Paul was eager to see his beloved spiritual children advancing in that purpose, “growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church” (Ephesians 4:15, NLT). Paul would never cease caring and travailing in anguish until the life of Christ was formed in them.
The word translated as “formed” (morphoomai in Greek) in Galatians 4:19 means “to be or become developed into a distinctive entity,” as in the formation of an embryo in the womb. Paul’s illustration stresses their need to begin growing up spiritually. He ached to see the reality of Jesus Christ living in the Galatians.
At salvation, the life of Christ indwells believers. Jesus said, “I am in them” (John 17:23, NLT), and Paul affirmed, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). But the transformation “until Christ is formed in you” is a life-long process (1 John 3:2; Philippians 3:21; 2 Peter 1:4). Paul told the Colossians, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him” (Colossians 3:10). The process of spiritual growth was being hindered in the Galatians through outward religious performance instead of true inward change (see Colossians 2:20–23). Believers don’t become righteous through their own efforts, observing rules and regulations, but by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit: “And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT; see also Ephesians 4:23; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22; Titus 3:4–7).
Paul told the Philippians that nothing is more important in the Christian life than knowing Christ and becoming like Him. We accomplish this not by obeying the law but through faith in Jesus: “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith” (Philippians 3:8–9, NLT).
Christ is formed in you when there is nothing left to see but Him living in you (Romans 8:9–11; Galatians 3:27). Christ is formed in you when He is your everything and all you need (Romans 7:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 4:15; Philippians 4:19; 2 Peter 1:3).
The first chapter of John’s gospel elaborates on the incarnation of Jesus Christ more than any other passage in the Bible. John wanted his readers to know that Jesus was the absolute revelation of God in human form: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, NKJV).
“The Word” is the Logos, Jesus Christ Himself. He became “flesh,” meaning the divine Son of God became human, like us (Romans 8:3; Philippians 2:7; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7). God revealed Himself to the people of the world through His Son, Jesus. Christ showed us God’s glory. “We have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son,” states the New Living Translation. The author of Hebrews further illuminates: “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God” (Hebrews 1:3, NLT).
The statement that “we beheld His glory” links Jesus to the Old Testament wilderness tabernacle. At this earthly tent of meeting, Yahweh’s divine presence and glory dwelled and visibly manifested among the people of Israel. They saw His glory in the fire, pillar of smoke, and cloud (Exodus 40:34). In the New Testament, God’s glorious presence was made visible in the living Word, who was clothed in flesh and “tabernacled” among us in the person of Jesus Christ. John 1:14 actually uses a form of the Greek word for “tabernacle” to describe Jesus’ taking on human flesh.
Jesus revealed His glory for the first time publicly at the wedding in Cana, and, as a result, “his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11, NLT). Mathew and Luke recorded the scene of Christ’s transfiguration when Peter, James, and John beheld a glimpse of His unveiled glory (Matthew 17:2; Luke 9:32). Peter testified firsthand to the transfiguration: “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy’” (2 Peter 1:16–17, NLT).
When John said, “We beheld His glory,” he was giving eyewitness testimony to the incarnation—that God Himself had come to earth embodied in the Son: “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life” (1 John 1:1, NLT).
Not only John, but all the disciples had seen Jesus and beheld His glory with their own eyes. These apostles could all testify that the Father had sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). Other teachers were likely spreading false ideas about Jesus and contradicting the truth of the incarnation. But the teachings of John and the other disciples were trustworthy because these men had firsthand experience hearing, seeing, and touching Jesus (John 19:35).
The miracles of Jesus revealed God’s glory (John 11:4, 40). The word for “glory” in John 1:14 means “a state of high honor.” Those who witnessed Christ’s miracles—those who beheld His glory—saw and understood that God was worthy of the highest honor and praise (John 4:53; 9:38; 20:29). The suffering and death of Jesus also revealed God’s glory (John 17:1, 5; Romans 8:18). Everything Jesus did brought praise and honor to God so that all who beheld His glory and believed in Him received His gift of salvation (John 12:16; 13:31–32; 20:30–31; Philippians 2:9–11; Ephesians 1:12).
Paul taught that Satan blinds the eyes of unbelievers so they cannot behold God’s glory or understand the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. They “are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT). But praise God, who through Jesus Christ our Lord lets His light shine in our hearts so we can “know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6, NLT).
Joseph was the earthly father of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Joseph was a descendant of King David, he lived in Nazareth in Galilee, and he was pledged to be married to Mary (Luke 1:27), the virgin who gave birth to Jesus. The Bible tells us that Mary became pregnant through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18) and not through Joseph. Therefore, Joseph can be understood as Jesus’ earthly, adoptive father but not as His biological father.
The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Joseph. But, given the glimpses into his character we do have, we conclude that he was a humble man who cared deeply about obeying God. For example, the book of Matthew tells us that Joseph was “faithful to the law” (Matthew 1:19). After an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and encouraged him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, Joseph immediately obeyed (Matthew 1:24–25). Later in the book of Matthew, an angel again appears to Joseph and commands him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Again, Joseph immediately obeys the angel’s command and takes his family to Egypt, saving Jesus’ life (Matthew 2:14–15). After Herod died, an angel once again appears to Joseph and commands him to return to Israel, which he does (Matthew 2:19). Joseph presents a pattern of obedience.
The Bible also indicates that Joseph was a kind, self-sacrificing man. Though he had a legal right to divorce Mary when he found out she was pregnant, he intended to do so quietly (Matthew 1:19) because he did not want to bring any public shame or disgrace on Mary or her family. Also, after their marriage, Joseph did not have sex with Mary until after Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25); in this way, Joseph safeguarded the validity of the virgin birth. Following Caesar’s edict, Joseph took Mary to be counted in the census in Bethlehem where his ancestors were from (Luke 2:4–5). Forty days after Jesus was born, Joseph (along with Mary) took Jesus to Jerusalem to have Him dedicated at the temple, as required by the Law of Moses (Luke 2:22–24).
Another incident further shows Joseph’s commitment to keeping the law: “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover” (Luke 2:41). On one such trip, when Jesus was a young boy, Jesus stayed behind at the temple in Jerusalem while His parents began making their way home. When Mary and Joseph realized Jesus wasn’t with their caravan to Galilee, they searched “anxiously” for three days before finding Him sitting among some teachers of the law (Luke 2:48).
When Jesus was an adult, people often referred to Him as the “son of Joseph” (Luke 4:22; John 1:45; 6:42), although the gospel writers were careful to maintain that Jesus’ true Father was God, with Joseph being more of a foster father or stepfather (see Luke 3:23). People also referred to Jesus as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55), suggesting that Joseph worked as a carpenter or some other type of handyman (the Greek word for “carpenter” could also be translated as “stonemason” or “metallurgist”).
Whatever Joseph’s particular
vocation was,
it is evident
that he worked hard
to provide for
his family,
doing what he could to
help
Jesus grow
in
“wisdom and stature”
(Luke 2:52)
Joseph isn’t mentioned in any of the stories of Jesus’ adult ministry, while Mary His mother occasionally is (Mark 3:31; John 2:1; 19:25). The absence of Joseph in the stories of Jesus’ ministry has led many to believe that Joseph died sometime between when Jesus was a young boy (Luke 2:42) and when He launched His public ministry as an adult (Luke 3:23). The fact that Jesus, as He was dying, committed the care of His mother to John gives strong indication that Joseph had indeed passed away by that time (John 19:26–27).
Although the Bible does not give many specifics about who Joseph was as a person—and the Bible records noactual words that Joseph spoke—we know enough to see that he was a humble man who faithfully obeyed God, honored others, took responsibility, and worked hard to provide for his family. These are all godly characteristics that we should seek to replicate.
The supremacy of
Christ
is the doctrine of the
authority of
Jesus
and His
God-nature
In the simplest of terms,
to affirm
the supremacy
of Christ
is to affirm that
Jesus is God
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines supreme as “highest in rank or authority” or “highest in degree or quality.” In essence, there is none better. The supreme of something is its ultimate. Jesus is the ultimate in power, glory, authority, and importance. Jesus’ supremacy over all is developed biblically primarily in Hebrews and Colossians.
A main theme of the book of Hebrews is explaining the work of Jesus in the context of the Old Testament system. Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament Jewish traditions and roles. Another main theme of Hebrews is that Jesus does not simply represent a new way of doing things. Rather, He is supreme. He is the actual fulfillment of the old way of doing things and is therefore greater than those ways. Concerning the temple system under the Mosaic Law, the author of Hebrews writes, “But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). In essence, Jesus is greater than the Old Testament system. He both encompasses and supersedes the old way of doing things. This is evident in the many comparisons of Jesus to Old Testament roles and rituals. For instance, we are told that “but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:24–25). Jesus, therefore, encompasses the Old Testament priesthood and is supreme over it (see here for more on this).
Hebrews explains that Christ is supreme over more than just roles and systems. Hebrews 1:3a says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.”
Similarly, Colossians 2:9 says,
“For in CHRIST
ALL
the fullness
of the
DEITY lives in bodily form.”
Essentially,
Jesus is God
Colossians 1:15–23 is labeled “The Supremacy of Christ” in some Bibles. In this passage, Paul makes it plain that Jesus is over all things. Christ is called “the image of the invisible God” and “the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). The word firstborn may seem confusing. It does not imply that Christ was created (as in the doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses). Instead, the term firstborn refers to a position of authority. To be “firstborn” was to hold an honored position. Paul immediately goes on to explain Jesus’ role in creation: “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). This means that Jesus is not created but is Creator. He is God.
Paul goes on to say, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:17–18). Paul highlights multiple areas in which Christ has authority—over creation, over the Church, over death, and finally “in everything.” Christ is both before all things and encompasses all things (“in Him all things hold together”). Therefore, Christ is supreme.
This doctrine is essential to our view of and worship of Christ. The supremacy of Christ affirms that Jesus is fully God. He is not simply a man greater than the rest but is truly above all creation, as only God can be. This truth is essential for our salvation. God is infinite and, therefore, our sin against Him is an infinite offense. In order to atone for this offense, the sacrifice must be infinite. Jesus, as God, is infinite and thus an able sacrifice.
That Jesus is supreme excludes us from saying that He is only one of many ways to God. He is not just a good moral teacher whom we may choose to follow; rather, He is God, and He is over all. Jesus’ supremacy also makes it evident that we cannot atone for our own sins. In fact, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Jesus both fulfilled and replaced that system. Salvation is not based on works (see Ephesians 2:1–10). And, once we are saved, Jesus’ supremacy shows us that we cannot aspire to be like Him of our own strength. Jesus is unlike any other, supreme over all. Christians are called to be like Jesus, but this is through the work of the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:12–13; Romans 8).
The supremacy of Jesus teaches us that He is not simply a spiritual being above the rest. Paul tells us that through Him all things visible and invisible, in heaven and on earth, i.e., spiritual and physical, were created (see Colossians 1:16). Hebrews 1:4 calls Jesus superior to the angels. This truth negates any tendencies toward angel worship. Jesus created the angels and is above them. We are explicitly told He is greater than they. Therefore, we need only worship Jesus. Similarly, that Jesus created the things of earth means that creation is not worthy of our worship. Jesus is supreme over both the physical and spiritual realms, thus giving both arenas importance while still remaining sovereign over them.
When we understand the supremacy of Christ, we have a more accurate view of Him. We more fully understand the depth of His love; we are more able to receive and to respond to His love. Theologians believe that Colossians was written, in part, to combat heresies rising in Colossae. It seemed fitting to Paul to affirm the supremacy of Christ in order to quash these misled beliefs. He affirmed Christ’s supremacy, His lordship, and His sufficiency for us. Hebrews explains the link between the Old Testament covenant and the new covenant of Jesus. It reveals the old system as a shadow of the ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The supremacy of Christ is central to an accurate view of His Person, His work, our status as believers, and the Kingdom.
Revelation 22:18-19 contains a warning to anyone who tampers with the biblical text: “For I testify together to everyone who hears the Words of the prophecy of this Book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add on him the plagues that have been written in this Book. And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book.” The question is whether these verses refer to the whole Bible or just the Book of Revelation.
This warning is given specifically to those who distort the message of the Book of Revelation. Jesus Himself is the Author of Revelation and the giver of the vision to the apostle John (Revelation 1:1). As such, He concludes the book with a confirmation of His testimony to the finality of the prophecies contained in Revelation. These are His words, and He warns against distorting them in any way, whether through additions, subtractions, falsifications, alterations, or intentional misinterpretations. The warning is explicit and dire. The plagues of Revelation will be visited upon anyone guilty of tampering in any way with the revelations in the book, and those who dare to do so will have no part in eternal life in heaven.
Although the warning in Revelation 22:18-19 is specific to the Book of Revelation, the principle applies to anyone who seeks to intentionally distort God’s Word. Moses gave a similar warning in Deuteronomy 4:1-2, where he cautioned the Israelites that they must listen to and obey the commandments of the Lord, neither adding to nor taking away from His revealed Word. Proverbs 30:5-6 contains a similar admonition to anyone who would add to God’s words: he will be rebuked and proven to be a liar. Although the warning in Revelation 22:18-19 applies specifically to the Book of Revelation, its principle must be applied to the entire revealed Word of God. We must be careful to handle the Bible with care and reverence so as to not distort its message.
After relating various visions, the book of Revelation offers a final call to action, including a statement about those who are outside of the gates in Revelation 22:15: “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”
The angel who was speaking to John told him not to seal up the book because the time was near (Revelation 22:10). It seems the angel also adds the exhortation that those who do wrong and those who do right will continue in their paths (Revelation 22:11). John then records the words of Jesus, who asserts that He will come suddenly and judge all according to their deeds (Revelation 22:12). Some will be able to enter the gates of the city (the New Jerusalem), and some will be judged and remain outside of the gates (Revelation 22:15).
Jesus affirms His identity as the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13, referencing Isaiah 48:12). He adds that there is a blessing for those who wash their robes, for they will have access to the tree of life and be able to enter by the gates of the city (Revelation 22:14). But there will be others who are outside of the gates. He calls them the dogs, sorcerers, immoral persons, murderers, idolaters, and those who love and practice lying (Revelation 22:15). All these will be kept outside of the gates of the city.
The ones who wash their robes are the ones who take the water of life without cost (Revelation 22:17). They are the ones who believe in Jesus (John 4:14; Revelation 7:17; and 21:6). As for those who do not believe in Him, their names are not written in the book of life, and they will be judged according to their deeds (Revelation 20:12, 15). They will not be allowed to enter the city—the New Jerusalem that descends from heaven (Revelation 21:2, 8).
Only those whose
NAMES
are written in
the
BOOK of Life
who have believed
in Jesus--
will enter the city.
Those who have not been cleansed by
belief in Jesus and
who continue in their sins
will not enter
(Revelation 21:27)
The writer of
Hebrews reminds us that
Jesus died
outside the gates
of the city
of
Jerusalem
to
PAY for SINS
(Hebrews 13:12)
He died as a substitute, and all who believe in Him are able to look forward to a lasting city that will come in the future (Hebrews 13:14). Because of what Jesus accomplished by His own righteousness, all who believe in Him are made righteous (Romans 4:20–25) and are able to be in the city where Jesus will rule in His kingdom on earth. Those who are outside the gates are those who have refused to acknowledge Jesus and who remain unrighteous. They will be judged based on their deeds, which, of course, are not good enough merit eternal life. All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). All are in need of Christ’s righteousness, which can only be received by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Those who refuse
to receive
His grace by faith
will be outside the
gates
and will NOT
dwell
in the city where
Jesus is
Readers of the
book of Revelation
are encouraged
to “come”
and take the
water of life without
COST
The invitation is extended.
All who believe may come into the gates
and not
remain tragically outside.
Yet as soon as
Zion was in labor, she gave
birth
to her children
Aleph" and "tav,"
are the first, last,
beginning, and end
of the
Hebrew aleph-bet
Just as alpha and omega are
the first and last,
beginning and end of the Greek
alphabet,
we have the Bible beginning
with the
Aleph and Tav
and
ending with the
Alpha and Omega
Earth and Heaven
Salt and Light
…You are the LIGHT
of the
WORLD
A city on a HILL
cannot
be HIDDEN
15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand,and it gives light to everyone in thehouse. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.…
Luke 8:16
No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.
Mark 4:21
Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand?
John 8:12
Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Philippians 2:15
so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world
Ephesians 5:8
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
John 1:4-5
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. / The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
2 Corinthians 4:6
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 the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Proverbs 4:18
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
Isaiah 60:1
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Isaiah 42:6
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations,
John 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
1 John 1:5
And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Isaiah 49:6
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Mark 4:21
And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
Luke 8:16
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth itunder a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
Luke 11:33
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
Exodus 25:37
And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.
Numbers 8:2
Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.
The Woman and the Dragon
1And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and crying out in the pain andagony of giving birth. 3Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.…
Isaiah 66:7-8
“Before she was in
labor,
she gave birth;
before she was
in pain,
she delivered a boy
Who has heard of such as this? Who has seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation
be delivered in an instant?
Yet as soon
as
Zion was in labor,
she gave
birth to her children
Micah 4:9-10
Why do you now cry aloud? Is there no king among you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor? / Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!
Isaiah 26:17-18
As a woman with child about to give birth writhes and cries out in pain, so were we in Your presence, O LORD. / We were with child; we writhed in pain; but we gave birth to wind. We have given no salvation to the earth, nor brought any life into the world.
John 16:21
A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
Galatians 4:19
My children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,
Matthew 24:8
All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Jeremiah 4:31
For I hear a cry like a woman in labor, a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child—the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands to say, “Woe is me, for my soul faints before the murderers!”
Romans 8:22
We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.
Isaiah 13:8
Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.
Hosea 13:13
Labor pains come upon him, but he is an unwise son. When the time arrives, he fails to present himself at the opening of the womb.
1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Isaiah 54:1
“Shout for joy, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth in song and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD.
Micah 5:3
Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel.
Psalm 48:6
Trembling seized them there, anguish like a woman in labor.
Isaiah 21:3
Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.
Revelation 12:4
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Isaiah 53:11
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isaiah 54:1
Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
Jesus
proclaimed Himself
to be the
“Alpha and Omega”
in
Revelation 1:8; 21:6; and 22:13.
Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Among the Jewish rabbis, it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of anything, from beginning to end. Jesus as the beginning and end of all things is a reference to no one but the true God. This statement of eternality could apply only to God. It is seen especially in Revelation 22:13, where Jesus proclaims that He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
One of the meanings of Jesus being the “Alpha and Omega” is that He was at the beginning of all things and will be at the close. It is equivalent to saying He always existed and always will exist. It was Christ, as second Person of the Trinity, who brought about the creation: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3), and His Second Coming will be the beginning of the end of creation as we know it (2 Peter 3:10). As God incarnate, He has no beginning, nor will He have any end with respect to time, being from everlasting to everlasting.
A second meaning of Jesus as the “Alpha and Omega” is that the phrase identifies Him as the God of the Old Testament. Isaiah ascribes this aspect of Jesus’ nature as part of the triune God in several places. “I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last I am He” (41:4). “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). “I am he; I am the first, I also am the last” (Isaiah 48:12). These are clear indications of the eternal nature of the Godhead.
Christ, as the Alpha and Omega, is the first and last in so many ways. He is the “author and finisher” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), signifying that He begins it and carries it through to completion. He is the totality, the sum and substance of the Scriptures, both of the Law and of the Gospel (John 1:1, 14). He is the fulfilling end of the Law (Matthew 5:17), and He is the beginning subject matter of the gospel of grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). He is found in the first verse of Genesis and in the last verse of Revelation. He is the first and last, the all in all of salvation, from the justification before God to the final sanctification of His people.
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end. Only God incarnate could make such a statement. Only Jesus Christ is God incarnate.
In Revelation chapters 1—3, “seven stars” are referenced four times. There are other “sevens,” as well: seven lampstands, seven spirits, and seven churches. Also, the first few chapters of Revelation contain letters from Jesus to seven historical churches in Asia Minor.
In Revelation 1, John is “in the Spirit” and hears “a loud voice like a trumpet” behind him (verse 10). He turns around and sees a vision of the Lord Jesus in His glory. The Lord is standing in the midst of seven golden lampstands, and “in his right hand he held seven stars” (verse 16). John falls down at Jesus’ feet “as though dead” (verse 17). Jesus then revives John and strengthens him for the task of writing the coming revelation.
The fact that the stars are in Jesus’ right hand indicates that they are important and under His authority. The right hand is a sign of strength and control. Jesus explains to John that the “stars are the angels of the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20). An “angel” is literally a “messenger.” But that leads us to the question—are these human messengers or heavenly beings?
It could be that every local church has a “guardian angel” who oversees and protects that congregation. Even if that is the case, a better interpretation of the “messengers” of Revelation 1 is that they are the pastors or bishops of the seven churches, symbolized by the lampstands. A pastor is God’s “messenger” to the church in that he is responsible to faithfully preach God’s Word to them. John’s vision shows that each pastor is being held in the Lord’s right hand. And, as we learn in John 10:28, no one can snatch them out of Jesus’ hand.
The Scripture has several words translated "right" and the usage of the term, "right hand" ranges from a direction, to the opposite of wrong, what is just or what conforms to an established standard, and to a place of honor or authority. In the case of division or appointment in the Bible, the right hand or right side came first, as when Israel (Jacob) divided the blessings to Joseph’s sons before he died (Genesis 48:13-14).
In addition, a person of high rank who put someone on his right hand gave him equal honor with himself and recognized him as possessing equal dignity and authority. And this is what the Apostle Paul writes of Jesus Christ in Ephesians. "And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age" (Ephesians 1:19-21). Here we see God exalting Jesus above all others by seating Him at the right hand of the Father.
The term "God’s right hand" in prophecy refers to the Messiah to whom is given the power and authority to subdue His enemies (Psalm 110:1; Psalm 118:16). We find a quote in Matthew 22:44 from Psalm 110:1, which is a Messianic Psalm. "The Son of David" is claimed by the LORD Jesus Christ as He is the "greater son of David" or the Messiah. In this passage of Matthew 22, Jesus questions the Pharisees about who they think the "Christ" or the Messiah is. "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make Thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?" (Matthew 22:41-45, KJV). The position of the Messiah is at God’s right hand.
The fact that Jesus Christ is at the "right hand of God" was a sign to the disciples that Jesus had indeed gone to heaven. In John 16:7-15, Jesus told the disciples that He had to go away and He would send the Holy Spirit. So the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) was proof positive that Jesus was indeed in heaven seated at the right hand of God. This is confirmed in Romans 8:34 where the Apostle Paul writes that Christ is sitting at God’s right hand making intercession for us.
Therefore, what we can say is that "God’s right hand" refers to the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ, and He is of equal position, honor, power, and authority with God (John 1:1-5). The fact that Christ is "sitting" refers to the fact that His work of redemption is done and when the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in (Romans 11:25), Christ’s enemies will be made His footstool. When the end of the age comes, all prophecy will be completed, and time will be no more.
The book of Psalms is a collection of inspired songs used in worship of God, and many of them foretell the coming of the Messiah and predict events that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. In total, twenty-five different psalms (one out of every six psalms) include at least one messianic prophecy. Messianic psalms are quoted in eleven New Testament books, especially the gospels and the book of Acts. Below are nearly seventy specific references to Christ in the Psalms fulfilled in the New Testament. Some scholars see additional allusions, but we’ve only included those with the clearest connections to Jesus. The following list provides the reference(s) in Psalms where each prophecy is found and the New Testament fulfillment:
A footstool is a humble piece of furniture. It is rarely expensive or flashy and is often overlooked. It exists only as a place to rest one’s feet, so a footstool is not considered as valuable as a couch, bureau, or an easy chair. In Matthew 5:35, Jesus referred to the earth as “God’s footstool.” Isaiah 66:1 records the Lord as saying, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” God used this metaphor to help us comprehend how great He is and how insignificant we are by comparison. If our entire planet is nothing but a footstool to our Creator, how small are we in the grand scheme of things?
In Bible times, being near feet or having to touch feet was dishonorable. Feet were dirty, and cleaning them was the job of the lowest servant. To be at a place near someone’s feet—at a footstool, for example—was humbling. That’s why it was so startling when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet (John 13:4–5).
Several places in Scripture refer to a footstool as a place of humility. Hebrews 1:13 and 10:13 quote Psalm 110:1, which has the Father saying to the Son, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” To be a footstool for someone’s feet is to be in a place of inferiority. Sports teams and others involved in competition or conflict use related idioms such as we’re gonna stomp you or we walked all over them. God says that, despite all Christ suffered on earth, He would make Him victorious over His enemies—He would make them His footstool. Those who mocked and spit on Jesus as they crucified Him will one day bow in worship. All those who reject Jesus today and work against His purposes will one day be humbled at His feet (Philippians 2:9–11; 1 Corinthians 15:25).
James 2:3 also mentions a footstool. James rebukes those who show favoritism by seating the wealthy in the best seats while telling the poor to “sit here by my footstool.” Believers should be no respecters of persons. The poor in a church congregation should have equal status with the rich. There should not be a hierarchy of “best seats” and “footstools.” Everyone stands on level ground before the Lord.
A footstool in the Bible is a symbol of lowliness, humility, and unimportance. It signifies that the one using the footstool is far superior to the footstool itself. It’s amazing that, while God calls the earth His footstool, He still humbled Himself and took on human flesh to become One who lived on that footstool. And He requires that kind of meekness and humility in each of His followers (Philippians 2:5–11).
In Romans 13, the apostle Paul is teaching believers what it means to live the Christian life of sacrifice. First, he speaks of living in submission to those in authority. Then, shifting to the theme of loving one’s fellow human, Paul makes this declaration: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). Similarly, in Galatians 5:14, Paul states, “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
The law Paul is talking about in these verses is the Law of Moses, which was given by God to Israel (Exodus 20—40; Leviticus 1–7; 23). The law included the Ten Commandments and all the moral, ceremonial, and civil regulations that governed the life of the people of Israel in their covenant relationship with God. Paul indicates that the entire law can be summed up in one operative word—love. Believers can fulfill every demand of the Mosaic Law by loving others. The only legitimate debt and the one debt Christians can never fully repay is the ongoing obligation to love one another: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Paul illuminates the truth that love is at the core of the law. The love command—“love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18)—is at the heart of the law of Christ: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2; see also 1 Corinthians 9:20–21). James calls the command to love your neighbor as yourself the royal law: “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right” (James 2:8).
The law has always pointed to Jesus Christ: “For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God” (Romans 10:4, NLT). The Law of Moses is something humans are incapable of keeping (Galatians 3:10). We cannot meet the demands of the law in our own power (Galatians 3:24; Romans 8:4; 10:4). Our Savior, the Lord Jesus, fulfilled the law perfectly and provided His righteousness in exchange for our sin (see Matthew 5:17).
By faith we believe and accept that Jesus Christ bore the curse of the law when He died on the cross. And through Him we receive the Holy Spirit, who enables us to keep the divine law of love: “Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:10, NLT). Now, instead of worrying about what we can never do, namely, keeping the law, we are free to yield to the Spirit and allow Him to love through us.
One day when Jesus was teaching the crowds, a Pharisee asked Him, “What is the greatest commandment of the law?” Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40). Christians now satisfy all the demands of the law by loving God first and then loving others.
It is impossible to love God and not love people. God’s heart, His very nature, is love. If the Spirit of God dwells in us, His love will flow through us to others (1 John 3:10, 14, 16; 4:2–20). Our love for God will cause us to see people as God sees them and love them as God does.
Finally, it’s vital to understand what the Scriptures mean by “love” in these verses. Love that fulfills the law is agape love. This love is not based on emotions, but an act of the will. It is self-sacrificing, deliberate, active love. To love someone with God’s love is to promote that person’s best interests—to actively work not to harm but to bring good to that person. This love is directed not only toward fellow believers but to all people, even our enemies. Regardless of our emotional response to another person, agape love will act for his or her good, regardless of the cost. That is the kind of love Scripture speaks of when it says to love your neighbor as yourself. That kind of love is the fulfillment of the law.
Of the four
gospels, Luke’s is the
only one
to speak of
Mary’s Song
Her words are found in Luke 1:46-55. Mary is visiting with her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Upon that visit, Elizabeth asked in verse 43, “How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary is aware that she is going to give birth to the Christ child. The angel Gabriel has spoken to her and shared God’s plan. But it seems that when she hears Elizabeth’s question, she is overtaken with a spirit of praise.
Mary’s song is a song of praise. She is not just sharing her thoughts with her cousin. She is saying that the Lord is great, and her spirit is rejoicing with the news that has come to her.
Today, Mary’s song is called The Magnificat, meaning “my soul magnifies the Lord” in Latin. It can be heard in Catholic services as well as Lutheran and Anglican. Her song has been copied into the Book of Common Prayer and for most Protestant churches, is sung during the Advent season.
What Is the Significance of Mary’s Song?One might wonder why Mary’s song would be considered significant. Are they not just words spoken in a moment of happiness? The truth is that her song speaks of who she is and how deep her faith is. In verses 46-47 she says, “My soul praises the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary’s faith is rooted in Jewish tradition. We can surmise that she has come from a devout Jewish family and she believes in the God of her ancestors.
Her faith is further established in verses 48-50. Here she speaks of God looking on a humble servant with favor. She acknowledges that God is taking her humble status and using it to exalt her for generations to come. In verse 49 Mary says that she will be called blessed because “the Mighty One has done great things for me, and his name is holy.” She praises God for the mercy he bestows on all who will fear him.
In the last four verses of her song, she speaks of the wondrous things God has done for her ancestors, for her, and for all who will believe. Her recognition of the mighty deeds God has performed and the mercies He has given to the people of Israel is significant. She is telling us that while she may be nervous about her situation, she knows God has it all under control. He would not give her this blessing only to abandon her.
The Revolutionary MagnificatWhile this song may not be as popular as other passages of Scripture, it does bear our time and consideration. This is a revolutionary example of praise given by a young girl who is carrying the one and only son of God. She no doubt was feeling some anxiety as she lived in a community that would ostracize her. She was betrothed, but not officially married. She was a virgin, yet she could not prove that to the common man.
Three types of revolutionary thought begin in the words of Mary’s song. Her words in verse 51, “He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud…” convey a moral revolutionary thought. She is speaking of the death of pride. In 21st century society, we hold to a lot of pride. We tend to turn a blind eye to those in need and refuse to ask for help when we need it. Our pride can hold us back from acting on God’s direction and being obedient.
Secondly, we can look at her song in a social revolutionary frame of mind. Mary says, “he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.” Mary knows she is nothing special to the eyes of the world. She is a poor young girl who is to be married. She sees her situation as God exalting the lowly. God has seen fit to use a poor girl to bring the greatest gift to mankind. We can learn a few things from this. Our society puts a lot of importance on prestige and wealth. The more we have the better we are. God is proving that the world’s labels and prestige are not important to him. He is looking at the heart of a person, as he did with Mary.
Lastly, we see an economic revolution. Luke 1:53 says, “He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.” If we are a Christian society, then why do we have hungry people? God’s word tells us that our status at the bank will not matter when God comes again. To live in obedience to God, we should not gain wealth and let our fellow man go hungry. Having wealth is not a bad thing. The issue is how we choose to use our wealth to glorify God.
Mary’s song has strong moral, social, and economic threads throughout. It is woven within her powerful words as she praises God for the blessing he has bestowed upon her.
What Is Mary Teaching Us with Her Song?The global lessons are profound, but what Mary teaches us about our personal walk with Christ is even more powerful. The first thing that shines is how Mary had been what one pastor calls, “saturated with Scripture.” Her words allude to passages found in Psalms 22, 44, 103 and many others. She also alludes to Hannah’s song found in 1 Samuel. Just as Mary is, Hannah was singing a song of praise for the child God was giving her. Mary knew the Scriptures. She had them hidden in her heart and mind.
Mary also displayed a heart of humility. In verse 47 Mary says “… my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” She recognizes that God is her savior – meaning she recognizes she is a sinner. Mary recognizes who she is and where she comes from. She is not a person of prestige or from a wealthy family. Anyone could be a better choice than her. She acknowledged that she was a sinner and was blessed because of it. We should do the same today. If we confess that we are sinners, God will forgive and bestow His blessings upon us.
The words of verses 46-49 display an attitude of thankfulness. Mary could have focused on the situation and felt nothing but fear. Instead, she focuses on the blessing within the turmoil. People would ostracize her for having a child out of wedlock. They may find her story hard to believe. This happens to us today. We put our focus on the negatives of every situation we face when we should be giving thanks to God for allowing those situations to happen.
Lastly, we see Mary trusting the Lord. In verses 54-55, she speaks of the Abrahamic covenant. To believe in this covenant means she has faith. She trusts that God will keep His promises. Should we not do the same? Even in the hard times, we must keep the faith and trust that our God has it all under control.
Mary’s song, also known as the Magnificat, is an inspiring piece of Scripture. Her words are profound in the face of what she was about to do. We don’t know what she was thinking regarding the pregnancy. We don’t have a written word that describes her fear of what others will think or how they will treat her. All we have are these magnificent words that reveal her praises to God.
The message for us is that we are to have faith. We are to trust in our God. No matter the situation or circumstance, God has it all in his hands. We should strive to imitate the heart and mind of Mary in every situation. Her words are not just for the Advent season, they are for all seasons.
Concerning the Messiah’s
BIRTH
A great Sign appeared
in Heaven:
a Woman dressed all
in
sunlight,
standing on the moon,
and
Crowned with Twelve Stars
She was
giving birth to a
Child
and cried out
in the pain of
childbirth
1. The Messiah will come from the lineage of David (Psalm 89:3–4, 29–36; 132:11–17; Matthew 1:1).
2. The Messiah will come for all people (Psalm 18:49; Ephesians 3:4–6).
3. The Messiah will know His Father from childhood (Psalm 22:9; Luke 2:40).
4. The Messiah will be called by God while still in the womb (Psalm 22:10; Luke 1:30–33).
Concerning the Messiah’s nature and name:
5. The Messiah will be called King of the Jews (Psalm 2:6; John 12:12–13; 18:32).
6. The Messiah will be the Son of God (Psalm 2:7; Luke 1:31–35; Matthew 3:16–17; Hebrews 1:5–6). 7. The Messiah is God (Psalm 45:6–7b; Hebrews 1:8–9).
8. The Messiah will call God His Father (Psalm 89:26; Matthew 11:27).
9. The Messiah will be God’s only “begotten” Son (Psalm 89:27; Mark 16:6; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5).
10. The Messiah will be eternal (Psalm 102:25–27a; Revelation 1:8; Hebrews 1:10–12).
11. The Messiah is the creator of all things (Psalm 102:25–27b; John 1:3; Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:10–12).
12. The Messiah will be Lord and King (Psalm 110:1a; Matthew 22:41–45).
13. The Messiah will be a Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:17–20).
14. The Messiah will be the “Stone” rejected by the builders (Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42–43).
Concerning the Messiah’s ministry:
15. Infants will give praise to the Messiah (Psalm 8:2; Matthew 21:15–16).
16. The Messiah will reveal that the Hebrew Scriptures were written of Him (Psalm 40:6–8b; Luke 24:44; John 5:39–40).
17. The Messiah will do God’s (His Father’s) will (Psalm 40:7–8; John 5:30).
18. The Messiah will not conceal His mission from believing people (Psalm 40:9–10; Luke 4:16–21).
19. The Messiah will communicate a message of mercy (Psalm 45:2; 55:12–14; Luke 4:22).
20. The Messiah will be angered by unethical practices by the Jews in the temple (Psalm 69:9a; John 2:13–17).
21. The Messiah will teach in parables (Psalm 78:2; Matthew 13:34–35).
22. The Messiah will calm the stormy sea (Psalm 107:28–29; Matthew 8:24–26).
23. The Messiah will act with righteousness (Psalm 45:6–7c; John 5:30).
24. The Messiah will come in the name of the Lord (Psalm 118:26; Matthew 21:9).
Concerning the Messiah’s betrayal and death:
25. Political/religious leaders will conspire against the Messiah (Psalm 2:1–3; Matthew 26:3–4; Mark 3:6).
26. The Messiah will feel forsaken by God at His crucifixion (Psalm 22:1b; Mark 15:34).
27. The Messiah will pray without ceasing before His death (Psalm 22:2; Matthew 26:38–39).
28. The Messiah will be despised and rejected by His own (Psalm 22:6; Luke 23:21–23).
29. The Messiah will be mocked (Psalm 22:7; 109:25; Matthew 27:39).
30. Unbelievers will say to the Messiah, “He trusted in God, let Him now deliver Him” (Psalm 22:8; Matthew 27:41–43).
31. The Messiah will be abandoned by His disciples (Psalm 22:11; 69:20; Mark 14:50).
32. The Messiah will be encompassed by wicked beings (Psalm 22:12–13; Colossians 2:15).
33. From the Messiah’s body will flow blood and water (Psalm 22:14a; John 19:34).
34. The Messiah will be crucified (Psalm 22:14b; Matthew 27:35).
35. The Messiah will thirst while dying (Psalm 22:15; 69:21; John 19:28).
36. The Messiah will be observed by Gentiles at His crucifixion (Psalm 22:16a; Luke 23:36).
37. The Messiah will be observed by Jews at His crucifixion (Psalm 22:16b; Matthew 27:41–43).
38. The Messiah’s hands and feet will be pierced (Psalm 22:16c; Matthew 27:38; John 20:25).
39. The Messiah’s garments will be parted among the soldiers through the casting of lots (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23–24).
40. The Messiah will be accused by false witnesses (Psalm 27:12; 35:11; 109:2; Matthew 26:59–61).
41. The Messiah will cry out to God, “Into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:46).
42. There will be many attempts to kill the Messiah (Psalm 31:13; Matthew 27:1).
43. The Messiah will have no bones broken (Psalm 34:20; John 19:32–33).
44. The Messiah will be hated without cause (Psalm 35:19; John 18:19–23; 15:24–25).
45. The Messiah will be silent as a lamb before His accusers (Psalm 38:13–14; Matthew 26:62–63).
46. The Messiah will be God’s sacrificial lamb for redemption of all mankind (Psalm 40:6–8a; Hebrews 10:10–13).
47. The Messiah will be betrayed by one of His own disciples (Psalm 41:9; Mark 14:17–18).
48. The Messiah will be hated and rejected without cause (Psalm 69:4; Luke 23:13–22; John 15:24–25).
49. The Messiah will be condemned for God’s sake (Psalm 69:7, 9; Matthew 26:65–67; Romans 15:3).
50. The Messiah will be rejected by the Jews (Psalm 69:8a; John 1:11).
51. The Messiah’s very own brothers will reject Him (Psalm 69:8b; John 7:3–5).
52. The Messiah’s heart will be broken (Psalm 69:20a; John 19:34).
53. The Messiah will be offered gall mingled with vinegar while dying (Psalm 69:21a; Matthew 27:34).
54. The Messiah will offer up prayer for His enemies (Psalm 109:4; Luke 23:34).
55. The Messiah’s betrayer will have a short life (Psalm 109:8a; Acts 1:16–18; John 17:12).
56. The Messiah’s betrayer will be replaced by a more faithful man (Psalm 109:8b; Acts 1:20–26).
Concerning the Messiah’s resurrection and exaltation:
57. The Messiah will be resurrected (Psalm 16:8–10a; Matthew 28:6; Acts 2:25–32).
58. The Messiah’s body will not see corruption (natural decay) (Psalm 16:8–10b; Acts 13:35–37).
59. The Messiah will be glorified into the presence of God (Psalm 16:11; Acts 2:25–33).
60. The Messiah will ask God for His inheritance (Psalm 2:8a; John 17:4–24).
61. The Messiah will have complete authority over all things (Psalm 2:8b–9; 8:6; Matthew 28:18; Hebrews 1:1–2).
62. The Messiah will destroy those who do not honor Him (Psalm 2:12; John 3:36).
63. The Messiah will bring many people into the family of God (Psalm 22:22; Hebrews 2:10–12; Matthew 12:50; John 20:14).
64. The Messiah’s enemies will stumble and fall (Psalm 27:2; John 18:3–6).
65. The Messiah’s throne will be eternal (Psalm 45:6–7a; Luke 1:31–33; Hebrews 1:8–9).
66. The Messiah will ascend back into heaven (Psalm 68:18a; Luke 24:51; Ephesians 4:8).
67. The Messiah will give good gifts unto believing men (Psalm 68:18b; Matthew 10:1; Ephesians 4:7–11).
68. The Messiah will be exalted to the right hand of God (Psalm 80:17; 110:1, 5; Acts 5:31).
The Olivet Discourse is the name given to the orderly and extended teaching given by Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives. His subject is the end times. This discourse is recorded in Matthew 24:1 – 25:46. Parallel passages are found in Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-36. The record in Matthew is the most extensive, so reference here will be to Matthew’s Gospel.
It is important to recognize that Jesus’ teaching in this discourse is in reference to Israel and not the Church. Christ was speaking of God’s future program for Israel. Other passages to consider when studying the Olivet Discourse are Daniel 9:24-27 and Revelation 6:1–19:21, which refer to the future seven-year period called the tribulation. God’s program for the Church concludes with the rapture, which is not taught in the Olivet Discourse. The rapture of the Church is found in John 14:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
In Matthew 23, Jesus had spoken to the Pharisees concerning judgment. This can be seen in the "woe" statements in that chapter. In 24:1, Jesus was leaving the temple when the disciples called His attention to the magnificent buildings on the temple mount. Jesus then tells the disciples that “not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (verse 2). This prophecy was literally fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. The temple was burned. The gold in the temple melted in the fire and ran down into the cracks between the stones. As people later searched for the gold, they toppled every stone from its place. This destruction of Jerusalem was but a foreshadowing of what is yet to come.
Jesus’ prophecy of doom got the disciples curious, and probably more than a little concerned. When they were alone with Jesus on the Mount of Olives, they asked Him, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (verse 3). What follows in Matthew 24–25 refers to the future, seven-year tribulation period and the second coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation. During that time, God will complete His chastisement and purification of Israel and judge the whole world (Daniel 9:24-27; Revelation 6–19).
Daniel 9:27 indicates that the tribulation will be divided into two equal parts. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:4-8refers to the first half. The “birth pangs” (verse 8) refer to the sufferings that Israel will experience during the first 3 1/2 years. The signs with reference to the end of the age are the coming of false messiahs (verse 5), the threat of wars and widespread conflict (verses 6-7), and various natural catastrophes (verse 7).
Revelation 6 is a parallel passage. The apostle John writes of the seal judgments. Revelation 6:2 speaks of a rider on a white horse, which refers to a false messiah called elsewhere the Antichrist and the Beast. Revelation 6:4 says that peace is taken from the earth. Revelation 6:6-8 speaks of famine and death. Jesus said these things are only the “beginning of birth pangs” (Matthew 24:8). Worse is yet to come.
In Revelation 13, the second half of the tribulation begins when the Beast, or Antichrist, sets up his rule for 42 months (cf. Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15).
In the Olivet Discourse, the second half of the tribulation is described in Matthew 24:9-14. Persecution of the Jews and death (verse 9) will be the result of the Beast’s rise to power. The Antichrist will also persecute anyone who refuses to follow him (Revelation 13:1-18). The salvation promised in Matthew 24:13 is deliverance from the Beast’s persecution. The one who endures until Christ returns will be saved from the Beast. Jesus says that “this gospel of the kingdom” will be preached worldwide before the end comes. In other words, the good news (gospel) will be available during the tribulation; the message will be that Christ will soon return in judgment to set up His earthly kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6). This message will cause many people to realize their sinful state and receive the Savior during the tribulation.
Matthew 24:15-26 gives further details concerning the tribulation. Jesus refers to an “abomination” and desolation of a future temple in Matthew 24:15-22; this is more clearly spoken of in Luke 21:20-24. The Beast will take authority and set up an image of himself in the future temple (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4; Revelation 13:1-18). When this happens, Jesus says, head for the hills. Those in Jerusalem are advised to flee for their lives when they see that the Beast has taken his seat of authority (Matthew 24:16-20). The Antichrist will rule from Jerusalem for 42 months (3 1/2 years), the latter half of the tribulation, called the “great tribulation” in verse 21.
Jesus warns that the great tribulation will be the worst time ever seen on earth (verse 21). In fact, if those days were not cut short by the return of Christ, no one would survive (compare the bowl judgments in Revelation 16).
Jesus again gives a warning of false prophets in the last days (Matthew 24:23-28). At the end of the tribulation, there will be astronomical upheaval (verse 29), and the nations of the world will see the Christ “coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (verses 29-30). Those who were saved during the tribulation will be gathered out of the world by the angels (verse 31).
Jesus emphasizes the facts that there will be signs leading up to the day of judgment (Matthew 24:32-34) and that His Word is sure (verse 35). Jesus says that no one knows the timing of these events and that those upon whom judgment is coming will be caught unawares (verses 36-44).
Jesus ends the Olivet Discourse with four parables. The first one concerns a wicked servant whose master punishes him upon his return home (Matthew 24:45-51). The next, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, encourages readiness and watchfulness (25:1-13). The third parable, relating the story of three servants and their use (or misuse) of finances, teaches faithfulness in view of the fact that God’s servants must give an account of themselves one day (25:14-30). Jesus ends His discourse by telling the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, which pictures the dividing of the saved from the unsaved at the end of the tribulation before the commencement of Christ’s millennial reign (25:31-46).
Within days of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus was betrayed into the hands of unbelievers and crucified for sinners. The Holy One of God will one day return in glory to judge the world, but first He had to provide the way of salvation for all who would trust in Him.
Jesus is called the Messiah in Matthew 1:16. In fact, every time someone says, “Jesus Christ,” he is referring to Jesus as the Messiah, since Christ means “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” The Old Testament predicts the Messiah, and the New Testament reveals the Messiah to be Jesus of Nazareth.
There are several things that the Jewish people who anticipated the Messiah expected Him to be, based on Old Testament prophecies. The Messiah would be a Hebrew man (Isaiah 9:6) born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), a prophet akin to Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18), a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), a king (Isaiah 11:1–4), and the Son of David (Matthew 22:42) who suffered before entering His glory (Isaiah 53). Jesus met each of these messianic requirements.
Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Messiah in that He was a Hebrew of the tribe of Judah (Luke 3:30), and He was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4–7) to a virgin (Luke 1:26–27).
Another proof that Jesus was the Messiah is the fact that He was a prophet like Moses. Both Moses and Jesus were prophets “whom the LORD knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10; cf. John 8:38). But Jesus is an even greater prophet than Moses in that, while Moses delivered Israel from slavery, Jesus frees us from the bondage of death and sin. Unlike Moses, Jesus didn’t just represent God—He is God (John 10:30). Jesus doesn’t just lead us to the Promised Land; He takes us up to heaven for eternity (John 14:1–3). For these and many more reasons, Jesus is a prophet greater than Moses.
The Messiah was to have priestly duties; Jesus was not a Levite, and only Levites were allowed to be priests. So how could Jesus qualify? Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek (Genesis 14; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:20). Melchizedek predated the Jewish temple, and his very name means “King of Righteousness.” Melchizedek was also called the “King of Salem,” which means “King of Peace” (Hebrews 7:2). Melchizedek blessed Abraham (the greater blesses the lesser, Hebrews 7:7), and Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe. Thus, as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, Jesus is greater than Abraham (see John 8:58) and the Levitical priesthood. He is a heavenly priest who offered a sacrifice that removes sin permanently, not just temporarily covers it.
Jesus must also be a king in order to be the Messiah. Jesus was from Judah, the kingly tribe. When Jesus was born, wise men from the East came looking for the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1–2). Jesus taught that He would one day sit on a glorious throne (Matthew 19:28; 25:31). Many people in Israel saw Jesus as their long-awaited king and expected Him to set up His rule immediately (Luke 19:11), although Jesus’ kingdom is currently not of this world (John 18:36). At the end of Jesus’ life, during His trial before Pilate, Jesus did not defend Himself except to answer affirmatively when Pilate asked if He was the King of the Jews (Mark 15:2).
Another way Jesus fits the Old Testament description of the Messiah is that He was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. On the cross Jesus was “despised” and “held . . . in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:3). He was “pierced” (verse 5) and “oppressed and afflicted” (verse 7). He died with thieves yet was buried in a rich man’s tomb (verse 9; cf. Mark 15:27; Matthew 27:57–60). After His suffering and death, Jesus the Messiah was resurrected (Isaiah 53:11; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:4) and glorified (Isaiah 53:12). Isaiah 53 is one of the clearest prophecies identifying Jesus as the Messiah; it is the very passage that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading when Philip met him and explained to him about Jesus (Acts 8:26–35).
There are other ways in which Jesus is shown to be the Messiah. Each of the feasts of the Lord in the Old Testament is related to and fulfilled by Jesus. When Jesus came the first time, He was our Passover Lamb (John 1:29), our Unleavened Bread (John 6:35), and our First Fruits (1 Corinthians 15:20). The pouring out of Christ’s Spirit happened at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). When Jesus the Messiah returns, we will hear the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God. It is no coincidence that the first fall festival day is Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets. After Jesus returns, He will judge the earth. This is the fulfillment of the next fall festival, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Then Jesus will set up His millennial kingdom and reign from the throne of David for 1,000 years; that will complete the final fall festival, Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles, when God dwells with us.
To those of us who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, the proof that He is the Jewish Messiah seems overwhelming. How is it that, generally speaking, the Jews do not accept Jesus as their Messiah? Both Isaiah and Jesus prophesied a spiritual blindness upon Israel as a judgment for their lack of faith (Isaiah 6:9–10; Matthew 13:13–15). Also, most of the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for a political and cultural savior, not a Savior from sin. They wanted Jesus to throw off the yoke of Rome and establish Zion as the capital of the world (see Acts 1:6). They could not see how the meek and lowly Jesus could possibly do that.
The story of Joseph provides an interesting parallel to the Jews’ missing their Messiah. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, and after many ups and downs he was made prime minister of all of Egypt. When a famine hit both Egypt and Israel, Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to get food, and they met with Joseph—but they did not recognize him. Their own brother, standing right in front of them, yet they were oblivious. They did not recognize Joseph for a very simple reason: he did not look as they expected him to look. Joseph was dressed as an Egyptian; he spoke as an Egyptian; he lived as an Egyptian. The thought that he might be their long-lost brother never crossed their minds—Joseph was a Hebrew shepherd, after all, not Egyptian royalty. In a similar way, most Jewish people did not (and do not) recognize Jesus as their Messiah. They were looking for an earthly king, not the ruler of a spiritual kingdom. (Many rabbis interpret the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 as the Jewish people who have suffered at the hands of the world.) Their blindness was so great that no amount of miracles made a difference (Matthew 11:20).
Still, there were many in Jesus’ day who saw the truth about Jesus. The Bethlehem shepherds saw (Luke 2:16–17). Simeon in the temple saw (verse 34). Anna saw and “spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (verse 38). Peter and the other disciples saw (Matthew 16:16). May many more continue to see that Jesus is the Messiah, the One who fulfills the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).
The term word is used in different ways in the Bible. In the New Testament, there are two Greek words translated "word": rhema and logos. They have slightly different meanings. Rhema usually means “a spoken word.” For example, in Luke 1:38, when the angel told Mary that she would be the mother of God’s Son, Mary replied, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word [rhema].”
Logos, however, has a broader, more philosophical meaning. This is the term used in John 1. It usually implies a total message, and is used mostly in reference to God’s message to mankind. For example, Luke 4:32 says that, when Jesus taught the people, "they were amazed at his teaching, because his words [logos] had authority." The people were amazed not merely by the particular words Jesus chose but by His total message.
"The Word" (Logos) in John 1 is referring to Jesus. Jesus is the total Message—everything that God wants to communicate to man. The first chapter of John gives us a glimpse inside the Father/Son relationship before Jesus came to earth in human form. He preexisted with the Father (verse 1), He was involved in the creation of everything (verse 3), and He is the "light of all mankind" (verse 4). The Word (Jesus) is the full embodiment of all that is God (Colossians 1:19; 2:9; John 14:9). But God the Father is Spirit. He is invisible to the human eye. The message of love and redemption that God spoke through the prophets had gone unheeded for centuries (Ezekiel 22:26; Matthew 23:37). People found it easy to disregard the message of an invisible God and continued in their sin and rebellion. So the Message became flesh, took on human form, and came to dwell among us (Matthew 1:23; Romans 8:3; Philippians 2:5–11).
The Greeks used the word logos to refer to one’s “mind,” “reason,” or “wisdom.” John used this Greek concept to communicate the fact that Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, is the self-expression of God to the world. In the Old Testament, the word of God brought the universe into existence (Psalm 33:6) and saved the needy (Psalm 107:20). In chapter 1 of his Gospel, John is appealing to both Jew and Gentile to receive the eternal Christ.
Jesus told a parable in Luke 20:9–16 to explain why the Word had to become flesh. “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.
“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
In this parable, Jesus was reminding the Jewish leaders that they had rejected the prophets and were now rejecting the Son. The Logos, the Word of God, was now going to be offered to everyone, not just the Jews (John 10:16; Galatians 2:28; Colossians 3:11). Because the Word became flesh, we have a high priest who is able to empathize with our weaknesses, one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15).
The first chapter of John’s gospel elaborates on the incarnation of Jesus Christ more than any other passage in the Bible. John wanted his readers to know that Jesus was the absolute revelation of God in human form: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, NKJV).
“The Word” is the Logos, Jesus Christ Himself. He became “flesh,” meaning the divine Son of God became human, like us (Romans 8:3; Philippians 2:7; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7). God revealed Himself to the people of the world through His Son, Jesus. Christ showed us God’s glory. “We have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son,” states the New Living Translation. The author of Hebrews further illuminates: “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God” (Hebrews 1:3, NLT).
The statement that “we beheld His glory” links Jesus to the Old Testament wilderness tabernacle. At this earthly tent of meeting, Yahweh’s divine presence and glory dwelled and visibly manifested among the people of Israel. They saw His glory in the fire, pillar of smoke, and cloud (Exodus 40:34). In the New Testament, God’s glorious presence was made visible in the living Word, who was clothed in flesh and “tabernacled” among us in the person of Jesus Christ. John 1:14 actually uses a form of the Greek word for “tabernacle” to describe Jesus’ taking on human flesh.
Jesus revealed His glory for the first time publicly at the wedding in Cana, and, as a result, “his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11, NLT). Mathew and Luke recorded the scene of Christ’s transfiguration when Peter, James, and John beheld a glimpse of His unveiled glory (Matthew 17:2; Luke 9:32). Peter testified firsthand to the transfiguration: “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy’” (2 Peter 1:16–17, NLT).
When John said, “We beheld His glory,” he was giving eyewitness testimony to the incarnation—that God Himself had come to earth embodied in the Son: “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life” (1 John 1:1, NLT).
Not only John, but all the disciples had seen Jesus and beheld His glory with their own eyes. These apostles could all testify that the Father had sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). Other teachers were likely spreading false ideas about Jesus and contradicting the truth of the incarnation. But the teachings of John and the other disciples were trustworthy because these men had firsthand experience hearing, seeing, and touching Jesus (John 19:35).
The miracles of Jesus revealed God’s glory (John 11:4, 40). The word for “glory” in John 1:14 means “a state of high honor.” Those who witnessed Christ’s miracles—those who beheld His glory—saw and understood that God was worthy of the highest honor and praise (John 4:53; 9:38; 20:29). The suffering and death of Jesus also revealed God’s glory (John 17:1, 5; Romans 8:18). Everything Jesus did brought praise and honor to God so that all who beheld His glory and believed in Him received His gift of salvation (John 12:16; 13:31–32; 20:30–31; Philippians 2:9–11; Ephesians 1:12).
Paul taught that Satan blinds the eyes of unbelievers so they cannot behold God’s glory or understand the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. They “are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT). But praise God, who through Jesus Christ our Lord lets His light shine in our hearts so we can “know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6, NLT).
Incarnation is a term used by theologians to indicate that Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh. This is similar to the hypostatic union. The difference is that the hypostatic union explains how Jesus’ two natures are joined, and the Incarnation more specifically affirms His humanity.
The word incarnation means “the act of being made flesh.” It comes from the Latin version of John 1:14, which in English reads, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” Because of the near-exclusive use of the Latin Vulgate in the church through the Middle Ages, the Latin term became standard.
Biblical support for Jesus’ humanity is extensive. The Gospels report Jesus’ human needs including sleep (Luke 8:23), food (Matthew 4:2; 21:18), and physical protection (Matthew 2:13-15; John 10:39). Other indications of His humanity are that He perspired (Luke 22:43-44) and bled (John 19:34). Jesus also expressed emotions including joy (John 15:11), sorrow (Matthew 26:37), and anger (Mark 3:5). During His life, Jesus referred to Himself as a man (John 8:40), and after His resurrection His humanity was still recognized (Acts 2:22).
But the purpose of the Incarnation was not to taste food or to feel sorrow. The Son of God came in the flesh in order to be the Savior of mankind. First, it was necessary to be born “under the law” (Galatians 4:4). All of us have failed to fulfill God’s Law. Christ came in the flesh, under the Law, to fulfill the Law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17; Galatians 4:5).
Second, it was necessary for the Savior to shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). A blood sacrifice, of course, requires a body of flesh and blood. And this was God’s plan for the Incarnation: “When Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering [under the Old Covenant] you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me’” (Hebrews 10:5). Without the Incarnation, Christ could not really die, and the cross is meaningless.
God did an incredible work in sending His only begotten Son into the world and providing us with a salvation we do not deserve. Praise the Lord for that moment in which “the Word became flesh.” We are now redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19).
Jesus was both human and divine. Please read about the divinity of Jesus here.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His listeners the difference between earthly treasure and heavenly treasure, and He emphasized the importance of the heavenly: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21). Whatever we focus on dictates our actions. When we focus on earthly success and wealth, we will expend our energies on earthly matters. However, when we focus on God’s priorities, our actions will reflect different priorities—and our reward in heaven will last forever.
Treasure is anything we value above all else and that which motivates us to action. For some it is money. For others it is power. Still other people strive for fame or attention. There are many things in this world vying for control of our heart. According to Jesus, determining where our treasure is also determines where our heart is. Many people claim to look forward to heaven, but their hearts are really not in it—their hearts are caught up in the cares of this world, because that’s where their treasure lies.
Jesus warned us that earthly currency has an expiration date. While it may satisfy us temporarily, it is unstable and fleeting. The ever-changing faces on magazine covers remind us that the famous are here and gone in a blink. The stock market crash of 1929 taught us that the wealthy can quickly lose it all. Power, prestige, and public approval are limited and can be gone in an instant. Even the Son of God experienced the fickleness of human approval. One day people were trying to make Him king (John 6:15), and the next they were leaving Him in droves (verse 66).
“This world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31). The moment we take our last breath, earthly treasure won’t matter anymore. Jesus urged us to think beyond that last breath to eternity. When our focus is on eternity—when our treasure is laid up in heaven—our lifestyles reflect that perspective.
We will all give an account of ourselves before God for every action (Romans 14:12) and every idle word (Matthew 12:36). No one is exempt. Excuses are not accepted. God sees and knows every thought we think and holds us accountable for the truth we’ve been given (Romans 1:18–22). We store up “treasure in heaven” when we make choices on earth that benefit God’s kingdom. Jesus said that even offering a cup of cool water to a fellow believer is worthy of eternal reward (Matthew 10:42).
In Luke 16:19–31, Jesus told a story about a rich man and a beggar. The rich man had invested his life in opulence and pleasure. He cared little for anyone or anything but himself. When he died, his riches could not follow him. His life choices had prepared him only for hell, and all the money and prestige he enjoyed on earth counted for nothing. After death, he would have given everything he ever owned for a single drop of water, but his treasure had been invested elsewhere.
It is no sin to be rich, but our passions follow our investments. Wealthy people who consider their riches as belonging to God will use what they have in ways that have eternal significance, protecting their own hearts from the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10). People whose treasure is in heaven cannot be owned by their possessions. They cannot be bought off because nothing on earth is worth the price of their soul. They value the currency of heaven and use their earthly treasure to purchase “heavenly gold,” which will never lose its value. Investing our treasure in material things keeps our hearts anchored to earthly values; however, when we invest in things of eternal value, our hearts remain loyal to the Lord, and we will not be tempted to foolishly attempt to serve both God and money (Luke 16:13).
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 pure here 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).
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Jesus spoke this during His famous Sermon the Mount. So what did He mean by “pure in heart?”
The Greek word for “pure” in Matthew 5:8 is katharos. It means to be “clean, blameless, unstained from guilt.” Interestingly, the word can refer specifically to that which is purified by fire or by pruning. John the Baptist told people that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). Malachi speaks of the Messiah as being like a “refiner’s fire” (Malachi 3:2). Jesus refers to believers as being the branches and to Himself as being the vine (John 15:1-17). For a vine to produce fruit, it must be pruned. Those who are truly “pure,” then, are those who have been declared innocent because of the work of Jesus and who are being sanctified by His refining fire and His pruning.
The Greek word for “heart” in Matthew 5:8 is kardeeah. This can be applied to the physical heart. But it also refers to the spiritual center of life. It is where thoughts, desires, sense of purpose, will, understanding, and character reside. So, to be pure in heart means to be blameless in who we actually are.
Being pure in heart involves having a singleness of heart toward God. A pure heart has no hypocrisy, no guile, no hidden motives. The pure heart is marked by transparency and an uncompromising desire to please God in all things. It is more than an external purity of behavior; it is an internal purity of soul.
The only way we can be truly pure in heart is to give our lives to Jesus and ask Him to do the cleansing work. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” God is the one who makes our hearts pure – by the sacrifice of His Son and through His sanctifying work in our lives (see also 1 John 3:1-3).
In Matthew 6:24, 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. You cannot serve both God and money.” He spoke these words as part of His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7), in which He had said it was foolish to store up treasures on earth where “moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19–20); rather, He urged us to store up treasure in heaven where it will last forever. The obstacle that prevents us from wise investment is the heart. Wherever our treasure is, there will our hearts be (Matthew 6:21). We follow what has captivated our hearts, and Jesus made it clear that we cannot serve two masters.
Jesus’ call to follow Him is a call to abandon all other masters. He called Matthew from the tax collector’s booth (Matthew 9:9). Matthew obeyed and walked away from extravagant wealth and dirty deals. Jesus called Peter, James, and John from the fishing docks (Mark 1:16–18). To obey Jesus’ call meant that they had to leave behind everything they knew, everything they’d worked for. Jesus called Paul, a successful Pharisee, with the words, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16). Those words will never make it into a mass-market ad campaign for Christianity—but maybe they should, because that’s what it means to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). We must forsake everything else, no matter the cost (Matthew 10:34–39).
The Lord describes Himself as a “jealous God” (Exodus 34:14). This means He guards what is rightfully His. He is righteously jealous for our affections because we were created to know and love Him (Colossians 1:16). He is not jealous for His own sake; He needs nothing (Psalm 50:9–10). He is jealous for us because we need Him (Mark 12:30; Matthew 22:37). When we serve another master such as money, we rob ourselves of all we were created to be, and we rob God of His rightful adoration.
Jesus’ claim to us is exclusive. He bought us with His own blood and delivered us from our former master, sin (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23; Romans 6:17). He doesn’t share His throne with anyone. During Jesus’ time on earth, some people followed Him for a ways, but their devotion was superficial (Luke 9:57–62). They wanted something Jesus offered, but they weren’t committed (Mark 10:17–22). Other things were more important. They wanted to serve two masters.
We cannot serve two masters because, as Jesus pointed out, we end up hating one and loving the other. It’s only natural. Opposing masters demand different things and lead down different paths. The Lord is headed in one direction, and our flesh and the world are headed in the other. A choice must be made. When we follow Christ, we must die to everything else. We will be like some of the seeds in Jesus’ parable (Luke 8:5–15)—only a portion of those seeds actually bore fruit. Some sprouted at first but then withered and died. They were not deeply rooted in good soil.
If we attempt to serve two masters, we will have divided loyalties, and, when the difficulties of discipleship clash with the lure of fleshly pleasure, the magnetic pull of wealth and worldly success will draw us away from Christ (see 2 Timothy 4:10). The call to godliness goes against our sinful nature. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we remain devoted to one Master (John 6:44).
The Hebrew word for “seed” here means “offspring,” which is how many translations render it (e.g., NIV, ESV, CSB). The figurative language in Genesis 3:14 (“dust you shall eat,” ESV) indicates that the subsequent verse speaks of a spiritual war between Satan (the serpent) and humanity (the seed of the woman).
The woman spoken of is Eve, the mother of humanity (Genesis 3:20). The prophecy is that her offspring would be continually harassed by Satan and his followers (the offspring of the serpent). Sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience, and we all suffer because of it (Romans 5:12–14). The perpetual war Satan wages against humanity began in the Garden of Eden.
There is an indication of number in Genesis 3:15 that we cannot overlook. The woman’s offspring is referred to by the singular noun seed, and that seed is immediately antecedent to the singular pronouns he and his. So, the seed of the woman is individualized. There is one Seed in particular who is to come. The sole tempter will be countered by the sole Savior.
Also, Genesis 3:15 speaks of the seed of a woman rather than the seed of a man. This unusual wording could indicate that the woman’s offspring would not have an earthly father. In that case, the protoevangelium is certainly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who was begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Luke 1:34–35).
The enmity spoken of in Genesis 3:15 is ultimately between Satan and Christ. Satan “bruised the heel” of the Savior when Jesus was crucified—Jesus suffered in His flesh. But the story does not end there. On the third day, Jesus rose from the grave. In so doing, He crushed the power of Satan, sin, and death—He crushed the serpent’s head. Jesus is the Seed of the woman who has won the victory over the tempter and enemy of mankind. And, to His eternal praise, He grants victory to everyone who believes in Him (John 16:33). “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 3:21).
In Genesis 3 God metes out various judgments against those who brought sin into His perfect world. Adam, Eve, and the serpent all hear of the consequences of their rebellion. To the serpent God says, in part, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, KJV).
Even in this judgment, there is mercy. God’s curse on the serpent, in particular, was laced with words of hope. The woman mentioned in Genesis 3:15 is Eve. The serpent, addressed directly, is the animal that Satan used to deceive the woman. Some of the curse was directed at the animal (verse 14); at the same time, the curse of God falls upon Satan, who had taken the serpent’s form or body in Eden (cf. the dragon in Revelation 12:9).
As part of the curse, enmity—mutual hatred and ill will—will exist between the woman and the serpent. Later, the same enmity will continue between the woman’s seed or offspring (mankind in general, since Eve is the “mother of all living,” Genesis 3:20) and the serpent’s seed. Their offspring will remain enemies throughout all generations. The serpent’s (metaphorical) offspring are demonic forces and also those people who follow the devil and accomplish his will. Jesus called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” in Matthew 12:34 and said they belonged to their “father, the devil” in John 8:44. In short, God says that Satan will always be the enemy of mankind. It follows that people who side with Satan will be at perpetual war with God’s elect and that we are engaged in a very real battle between good and evil (Ephesians 6:12).
Genesis 3:15 is a remarkable verse, often called the protoevangelium (literally, “first gospel”), because it is the Bible’s first prediction of a Savior. The second half of the verse gives two messianic prophecies concerning that Savior:
The first messianic prophecy in Genesis 3:15 is that “he will crush your head.” That is, the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head. The Amplified Bible makes it clear that “the woman’s seed” is more than mankind in general; it is an individual representing all mankind:
“And I will put enmity (open hostility)
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed;
He shall [fatally] bruise your head.”
The second messianic prophecy in Genesis 3:15 is that “you will strike his heel.” That is, the serpent will bite the heel of “the woman’s seed.” The heel-bite is set in contrast to the head-crush, as the Amplified Bible brings out: “And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”
This passage points to the promise of Jesus’ birth, His redemption, and His victory over Satan. The woman’s offspring is Jesus. Being virgin-born, He is literally the offspring of a woman (Matthew 1:25; Galatians 4:4; cf. Isaiah 7:14). Being the Son of Man, He is the perfect representative of humankind. The devil’s offspring were the evil men and demonic forces who, like a snake, lay in wait for the Savior and struck at Him. Their venomous conspiracy condemned Jesus to be crucified.
But the serpent’s strike did not spell the end of the Offspring of the woman. Jesus rose the third day, breaking the power of death and winning the ultimate victory. With the cross, Jesus “crushed” the devil’s head, defeating him forever. So, in Genesis 3:15, the crushing of the serpent’s head was a picture of Jesus’ triumph over sin and Satan at the cross (cf. John 12:31). The striking of the Messiah’s heel was a picture of the wounding and death of Jesus on the cross. Satan bruised Jesus’ “heel,” but Jesus showed complete dominance over Satan by bruising his “head.”
Satan, although still active in this world, is a defeated foe. His doom is sure: “And the devil . . . was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 20:10). Until that time, there remains enmity between Satan and God’s children.
The protoevangelium shows us that God always had the plan of salvation in mind and informed us of His plan as soon as sin entered the world. Satan formulated a plan involving the serpent in Eden, but God was way ahead of him, having already ordained the Serpent-crusher. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled God’s mission: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).
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.”
Countering Word of Faith teaching is a simple matter of reading the Bible. God alone is the Sovereign Creator of the Universe (Genesis 1:3; 1 Timothy 6:15) and does not need faith—He is the object of faith (Mark 11:22; Hebrews 11:3). God is spirit and does not have a physical body (John 4:24). Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27; 9:6), but this does not make him a little god or divine. Only God has a divine nature (Galatians 4:8; Isaiah 1:6-11, 43:10, 44:6; Ezekiel 28:2; Psalm 8:6-8). Christ is Eternal, the Only Begotten Son, and the only incarnation of God (John 1:1, 2, 14, 15, 18; 3:16; 1 John 4:1). In Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). By becoming a man, Jesus gave up the glory of heaven but not His divinity (Philippians 2:6-7), though He did choose to withhold His power while walking the earth as man.
The Word of Faith movement is deceiving countless people, causing them to grasp after a way of life and faith that is not biblical. At its core is the same lie Satan has been telling since the Garden: “You shall be as God” (Genesis 3:5). Sadly, those who buy into the Word of Faith movement are still listening to him. Our hope is in the Lord, not in our own words, not even in our own faith (Psalm 33:20-22). Our faith comes from God in the first place (Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 12:2) and is not something we create for ourselves. So, be wary of the Word of Faith movement and any church that aligns itself with Word of Faith teachings.
Promoters of the false “prosperity gospel” and Word of Faith movement often like to talk about “seeding,” “seed faith offerings,” and “hundred-fold returns.” A seed faith offering is money given in faith that God will multiply it and return it to the giver. The more money you give—and the more faith you have—the more money you get in return. Prosperity preachers often solicit gifts to their ministries by promising such in-kind returns: “Send me $10 and trust God to give you back $1,000.” They give their appeals for money a spiritual gloss with statements such as “God wants to bless you with a miracle” and “Jesus is bigger than your debt.” And they will misuse verses such as Mark 4:8, “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” It’s good to remember the “seed” in this verse is the Word of God (Mark 4:14), not money.
The late Oral Roberts was highly influential in spreading the concept of seed faith offerings, and he taught people to expect a miracle when they sow a “seed” from their “need.” He wrote, “To realize your potential, to overcome life’s problems, to see your life become fruitful, multiply and provide abundance (i.e., health, prosperity, spiritual renewal, in the family or oneself), you should decide to follow the divine law of the sower and the harvest. Sow the seed of His promise in the ground of your need” (from “Principles of the Seed”). In the July 1980 edition of Abundant Life, Roberts wrote, “Solve your money needs with money seeds” (page 4).
Richard Roberts, Oral’s son, says on his website, “Give God something to work with. No matter how little you think you have, sow it in joy and faith, knowing in your heart that you are sowing seed so you may reap miracles. Then start expecting all kinds of miracles!” In May 2016, Roberts’ newsletter appealed for monetary gifts with this statement: “Sow a special $100 seed. . . . If you will plant this seed out of your need and go into a holy agreement with me, then TOGETHER you and I will EXPECT A MIGHTY MIRACLE FROM GOD” (from his website, emphasis in the original).
According to Oral Roberts, the way to take advantage of the law of sowing and reaping is three-fold: 1) look to God as your source, 2) give first so that it may be given to you, and 3) expect a miracle. As a “proof text” for the second step, seed-faith teachers like to use Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” The misuse of this verse starts with its application to material gain—Jesus was speaking of forgiveness in Luke 6:37, not money. Also, there’s a difference between “Give, and” and “Give so that.” Seed-faith teachers advocate a selfish motive for giving—give so that you can get—and they state as much. The Bible teaches that we give for the sake of benefiting others and to glorify the Lord, not in order to enrich ourselves.
Teachers of seed faith offering also like Matthew 17:20, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Of course, this verse says nothing about getting money or making seed faith offerings.
Another passage misused by seed-faith preachers is Mark 10:29–30, “Truly I tell you . . . no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields.” Seed-faith teachers latch on to the promise of a “hundred times as much,” but they only apply it to “homes” and “fields”—that is, material wealth. They ignore the rest of the list. Are we to suppose that Jesus promised His followers a hundred literal mothers or that we should expect a hundred times more blood relatives than we have now? Or was Jesus speaking of an increased spiritual family? Since the mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters are spiritual, then perhaps the homes and fields are spiritual, as well.
The promoters of the doctrine of seed faith offerings ignore several important details in Scripture. Consider, for example, 2 Corinthians 9:10–12, “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” This passage says God supplies the seed for sowing; that is, He supplies the resources for us to generously give away. And, when we give, God will supply more resources so the giving continues. Note, however, the reaping is not monetary gain but “the harvest of your righteousness.” Also, it is thanksgivings to God that overflow, not our bank accounts. The seed sown in this passage does not result in miracles or in personal wealth.
The promoters of seed faith offerings also ignore the fact that the apostles were not wealthy men. The apostles certainly gave to others: “I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well” (2 Corinthians 12:15). Based on the doctrine of seed faith offerings, Paul should have been a rich man. Yet, “to this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands” (1 Corinthians 4:10–11).
The apostles
were materially poor, yet they were
spiritually blessed by the Lord.
God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7), but we must not assume that His favor will be shown in financial returns. Nor should we appropriate promises given to Old Testament Israel for ourselves. Our motive for giving should not be to get money in return. Our goal should be godliness with contentment (see 1 Timothy 6:6–10). We should pray, “Lord, help me learn to be content with what I have, even if I am hungry or in need” (see Philippians 4:11–13).
The seed faith teaching
amounts to little more than a get-rich-quick scheme
that preys upon
the desperate and hurting among God’s people.
Peter warned the church about such chicanery:
“Through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you”
(2 Peter 2:3, KJV).
The Parable of the Sower
(also known as the Parable of the Four Soils)
is found in Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9; and Luke 8:4-8. After presenting this parable to the multitude, Jesus interprets it for
His disciples in Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; and Luke 8:11-15.
The Parable of the
Sower
concerns a sower who
scatters seed,
which falls
on four different types
of ground.
The hard ground “by the way side” prevents
the seed
from sprouting at all,
and the seed
becomes nothing more than bird food.
The stony ground provides enough soil for the
seeds to germinate and begin to grow,
but because there is “no deepness of earth,” the plants do not take root and are soon withered in the sun.
The thorny ground allows the seed to grow, but the competing thorns choke the life out of the beneficial plants. The good ground receives the seed and produces much fruit.
Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower highlights four different responses to the gospel. The seed is “the word of the kingdom.” The hard ground represents someone who is hardened by sin; he hears but does not understand the Word, and Satan plucks the message away, keeping the heart dull and preventing the Word from making an impression. The stony ground pictures a man who professes delight with the Word; however, his heart is not changed, and when trouble arises, his so-called faith quickly disappears. The thorny ground depicts one who seems to receive the Word, but whose heart is full of riches, pleasures, and lusts; the things of this world take his time and attention away from the Word, and he ends up having no time for it. The good ground portrays the one who hears, understands, and receives the Word—and then allows the Word to accomplish its result in his life. The man represented by the “good ground” is the only one of the four who is truly saved, because salvation’s proof is fruit (Matthew 3:7-8; 7:15-20).
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Sower: “A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.” A secondary lesson would be “Salvation is more than a superficial, albeit joyful, hearing of the gospel. Someone who is truly saved will go on to prove it.” May our faith and our lives exemplify the "good soil" in the Parable of the Sower.
After Jesus was rejected by the Jewish religious leaders in Mark 3, He began to speak in parables. In Mark 4:21–23, He gives an object lesson: “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” (ESV).
The idea of hiding a light under a basket (or “a bushel,” KJV) makes for a fun children’s Sunday school song, but there is a profound meaning behind the illustration. Jesus explains in the following verse: “Whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open” (Mark 4:22). He then warns His listeners that those who have ears to hear should hear—they should listen carefully and heed what He is saying (Mark 4:23). Truth is not to be hidden. It is to be received and heeded.
Earlier, Jesus had told the parable of the sower, which presents several examples of truth being poorly received. The seed sown beside the road was snatched up and taken away (Mark 4:15). The seed sown on the rocky places was initially well-received but never took firm root (Mark 4:16). The seed sown among thorns took root initially but then was choked out by the thorns (Mark 4:18). Each of these examples is similar to hiding a light under a basket.
The “seed” in Jesus’ parable is the Word of God (Mark 4:14). The Word in some cases is snatched away by Satan (Mark 4:15). In other cases the Word does not take root, for the rocks of affliction and difficulty get in the way (Mark 4:16). In other cases the Word is received, but the worries of the world choke it out before it becomes fruitful (Mark 4:18). In each case, the Word is given to bear fruit, but sometimes it does not. Similarly, a lamp is meant to give light, but there are conditions that prevent the light from shining. How foolish it is to put a light under a basket, where no one can see it and the light cannot illuminate the room. The light should be exposed, allowing it to function as designed—to bring illumination.
Jesus’ illustration of hiding a light under a basket also shows that secrets will not stay secret and things hidden will not stay hidden. The light will eventually do its job. Elsewhere Jesus explains that He is the Light of the world, and anyone who follows Him will not walk in the darkness but have the light of life (John 8:12). He would not be a light under a basket; as long as He was on earth, He would be the Light of the world (John 9:5).
Jesus also calls His listeners the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden, Jesus’ followers will stand out. A light is not put under a basket but on a lampstand to give light to the whole house (Matthew 5:15). Jesus’ followers should let their light shine among men so that people would see their good works, done in heaven’s name, and glorify the Father (Matthew 5:16).
Light serves several purposes in the teaching of Jesus: to expose that which is in secret, to provide a contrast with the darkness, and to illuminate the darkness. In each of these purposes, those who would follow Jesus have a responsibility to let their light shine. Paul similarly challenges believers in Christ to show themselves blameless and innocent even in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom believers “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15, ESV). Our light is not intended to be put under a basket but to illuminate the whole house.
“I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12) is the second of seven “I AM” declarations of Jesus, recorded only in John’s gospel, that point to His unique divine identity and purpose. In declaring Himself to be the Light of the world, Jesus was claiming that He is the exclusive source of spiritual light. No other source of spiritual truth is available to mankind.
There are two types of light in the world. We can perceive one, or both, or neither! When we are born into this world, we perceive physical light, and by it we learn of our Creator’s handiwork in the things we see. However, although that light is good, there is another Light, a Light so important that the Son of God had to come in order to both declare and impart it to men. John 8:12 records, “When Jesus spoke again to the people,
He said, ‘I am the Light of the World.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but
have the light of life.’”
The metaphor used by the Lord in this verse speaks of
the light of His Truth, the light of His Word,
the light of eternal Life.
Those who perceive the true Light
will never walk in spiritual darkness.
We take a
candle into a room
to dispel
the darkness. Likewise,
the
Light of Jesus Christ
has to be taken into the darkness of sin that
engulfs the hearts and lives
of those who are not
following Him.
That’s the condition behind having
this Light—that we follow Him.
If we do not follow Him,
we will not have
this light, this truth, this eternal life.
Physical light is necessary for physical life.
The earth would certainly change very rapidly if there were no longer any sunlight.
A forest full of trees with very thick canopies of foliage high above has very little plant life on the ground except for moss or lichen, which needs little sunlight.
Plants will never move away from the light—they are said to be
positively phototropic, drawn to the light.
In the same way,
spiritual light is necessary for spiritual life, and this can
be a good test of our standing in Christ.
The believer will always tend toward spiritual things; he will always tend toward fellowship, prayer, the Word of God, and so on. The unbeliever always does the opposite (John 1:5; 3:19–20)
because light exposes
his evil,
and he hates the light.
Indeed,
no man
can come into the
true spiritual light
of
Jesus Christ,
unless he is enabled
(John 6:37).
Following Jesus is
the condition of two promises in John 8:12. First, His followers will never walk in darkness, which is a reference to the assurance of salvation we enjoy.
As true followers of the Light,
we will never follow the ways of sin, never live in a state of continually sinning (1 John 1:5–7).
Rather, we repent of our sin in order to stay close to the Light of the world. The second promise is that we will reflect the Light of Life. Just as He came as the Light of the world, He commands us to be “lights,” too. In Matthew 5:14–16 we see believers depicted as the light of the world.
Just as the moon has no light of its own, reflecting the light of the sun, so are believers to reflect the Light of Christ so that all can see it in us. The Light is evident to others by the good deeds we do in faith and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The emphasis here is maintaining a credible and obvious witness in the world, a witness that shows us to be faithful, God-honoring, trustworthy, sincere, earnest, and honest in all that we do. Also, we should always be ready to give an account of the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15),
for the gospel Light
we have is not to be covered, but made obvious for all to see and benefit from,
that they, too, may leave the darkness
and
come into
the
Light.
Jesus used the concepts of
salt and light
a number of different times to refer to the role of His followers in the world. One example is found in Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Salt had two purposes in the Middle East of the first century. Because of the lack of refrigeration, salt was used to preserve food, especially meat, which would quickly spoil in the desert environment.
Believers in Christ are preservatives
to the world,
preserving it from the evil inherent in
the society of ungodly men
whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin
(Psalm 14:3; Romans 8:8).
Second, salt was used then, as now, as a flavor enhancer. In the same way that salt enhances the flavor of the food it seasons, the followers of Christ stand out as those who “enhance” the flavor of life in this world. Christians, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, will inevitably influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons. Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up wounds, and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil (Luke 6:35).
In the analogy of light to the world, the good works of Christ’s followers are to shine for all to see. The following verses in Matthew 5 highlight this truth: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, NASB). The idea here is similar—the presence of light in darkness is something that is unmistakable. The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man (John 1:1-10), but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. And indeed, our deeds will be evident if they are performed in accordance with the other principles that Jesus mentions in this passage, such as the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11. Notice especially that the concern is not that Christians would stand out for their own sake, but that those who looked on might “glorify your Father who is in heaven” (v. 16, KJV).
In view of these verses, what sorts of things can hinder or prevent the Christian from fulfilling his or her role as salt and light in the world? The passage clearly states that the difference between the Christian and the world must be preserved; therefore, any choice on our part that blurs the distinction between us and the rest of the world is a step in the wrong direction. This can happen either through a choice to accept the ways of the world for the sake of comfort or convenience or to contravene the law of obedience to Christ.
Mark 9:50 suggests that saltiness can be lost specifically through a lack of peace with one another; this follows from the command to “have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” And in Luke 14:34-35, we find a reference to the metaphor of salt once again, this time in the context of obedient discipleship to Jesus Christ. The loss of saltiness occurs in the failure of the Christian to daily take up the cross and follow Christ wholeheartedly.
It seems, then, that the role of the Christian as salt and light in the world may be hindered or prevented through any choice to compromise or settle for that which is more convenient or comfortable, rather than that which is truly best and pleasing to the Lord. Moreover, the status of salt and light is something that follows naturally from the Christian’s humble obedience to the commandments of Christ. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred and our testimony is hindered. Only by remaining focused on Christ and being obedient to Him can we expect to remain salt and light in the world.
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Of course, it is not technically our light that should shine before others. It is the light of Christ, entrusted to believers as light-bearers (cf. John 1:8). In other words, we do not produce the light within us. God does. And through our good works, people may glorify the One who gives that light.
One of the ways to let our light shine before others is to show compassion to others. Jesus expressed deep compassion for all people, regardless of their ethnic background, social status, gender, or personal beliefs (Matthew 9:36; 15:32; Mark 6:34). As Christians, we should follow His example by showing compassion and kindness to everyone.
Another way to let our light shine before others is to practice humility (Philippians 2:1–11). Christians are called to be humble in all things, knowing that it is only through the grace of God that we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Humility also means the willingness to confess our sins before God and others (Luke 15:21; James 5:16). In doing so, we demonstrate our receptivity to correction and guidance (Proverbs 15:32).
Generosity is another means of letting our light shine before others. Christians are called to be generous with their money, time, resources, and love (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:16). After all, everything that we have belongs to God (Deuteronomy 10:14). So, we should share our God-given blessings with those in need and give without expecting anything in return (Luke 6:30).
Forgiveness, too, is a means of letting our light shine before others. Jesus taught that we should forgive others as we have been forgiven (Matthew 18:15–20; cf. Ephesians 4:32). Thus, we should seek reconciliation with those who have wronged us—and with those whom we have wronged—to promote peace and unity (cf. Ephesians 2:14).
There are many ways to let our light shine before others. We can volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, donate money to a charity, or be kind and compassionate to someone in need. We can also lend an ear to a friend who is going through a tough time and offer words of encouragement, or we can simply smile and say, “Hello,” to a stranger on the street (cf. Hebrews 13:2).
Perhaps the best way to let our light shine before others is to share the gospel, the “good news,” with others. The good news is that God redeems sinners through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). If we believe in the person and work of Christ (who He is and what He did), then we are saved from eternal condemnation. We should not keep this message to ourselves; good news is meant to be shared, and we should make it visible for everyone to see (Matthew 28:19).
The ultimate purpose of letting our light shine before others is not to draw attention to ourselves or to promote our own interests; rather, it is about living in such a way that others will glorify our Father in heaven. Of course, this is not an easy task. It can be difficult to maintain a spirit of compassion, humility, generosity, and forgiveness in a world that is often characterized by hatred, anger, and division. We may even be met with resistance and opposition (Matthew 10:16; John 15:18). But we are not alone. We have the Holy Spirit within us, and He empowers and guides us to reflect the glory of God.
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus says to His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Salt was an important commodity in the ancient world. Salt that had lost its saltiness would be worthless, just another mineral.
Salt was primarily used to preserve food and enhance flavor. It was also used during religious sacrifices. For example, in Leviticus 2:13, the Israelites were instructed to season their grain offerings with salt: “You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt” (ESV). Salt was a purifying and preserving agent.
When Jesus refers to His disciples as “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), He is saying that they preserve the earth from spiritual and moral decay. Just as salt prevents food from spoiling, believers must prevent moral decadence in the world through holy conduct. Philippians 2:14–15 says, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” Believers must exemplify pure and holy conduct, reflecting the holiness of God in the world. In doing so, they are the “salt of the earth.”
Salt also enhances the flavor of food, making it more enjoyable. Believers are called to enhance the lives of others, bringing grace and truth through their words and actions. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (ESV).
In the latter part of Matthew 5:13, Jesus says, “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” It is possible for believers to lose their distinctiveness from the world and influence in the world. Believers should be in the world, but not of the world (John 17:16). Moreover, believers should influence the world for good rather than evil. If we fail to be distinct from the world, then we are like salt that has lost its saltiness. Salt that is no longer salty has lost its prime distinctive; its whole reason for existence is gone.
The loss of saltiness, then, represents a significant decline, in which believers become indistinguishable from the world. This makes our witness ineffective and fruitless. Considering Jesus’ warning in Matthew 5:13, believers must remain connected to Christ, who will ensure that we never lose our saltiness. Later, Jesus taught His disciples about the importance of abiding in Him: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5, ESV).
Just as salt has many benefits (preservation, purification, and seasoning), believers influence the world for good. We must preserve the world from spiritual and moral decay, pursue the holiness of God, enhance the lives of those around us with gracious speech and actions. All the while, we must maintain a distinct identity from the world by remaining connected to Christ. In doing so, we will not be like salt that has lost its saltiness.
The Parable of the Unjust Steward
can be
found in Luke 16:1–13.
The text can be broken down into two parts: the parable (verses 1–8) and the application (verses 9–13). Luke 16:1 identifies that Jesus is speaking to His disciples, but there is a suggestion that His audience is mixed—disciples and Pharisees. Luke 16:14 states that the Pharisees “heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.” We also see in verse 1 (in the ESV) that Jesus “also” said to the disciples; the “also” would suggest that this parable is connected to the previous three in Luke 15 and that the audience was a mixed crowd of disciples and Pharisees.
It is important to know to whom Jesus is addressing this parable. The parable is for the benefit of the disciples, but there is also a not-so-subtle critique of the Pharisees, as was evident in Luke 15. As Luke introduces the parable of the unjust steward, he gives a commentary on the motivation of the Pharisees in Luke 16:14, and in verse 15 our Lord condemns their motives. And what was the Pharisees’ motivation? They were those who “loved money” (Luke 16:14), justified themselves before others, and exalted that which was “an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15, ESV).
With that as a backdrop, let’s look at the parable. It’s a fairly simple, if somewhat unorthodox, parable from Jesus. The story is simple, but the setting is unusual. In most of Jesus’ parables, the protagonist is either representative of God, Christ, or some other positive character. In this parable the characters are all wicked—the steward and the man whose possessions he manages are both unsavory characters. This should alert us to the fact that Jesus is not exhorting us to emulate the behavior of the characters but is trying to expound on a larger principle.
The parable begins with a rich man calling his steward before him to inform him that he will be relieving him of his duties for mismanaging his master’s resources. A steward is a person who manages the resources of another. The steward had authority over all of the master’s resources and could transact business in his name. This requires the utmost level of trust in the steward. Now, it may not be apparent at this point in the parable (but is made more evident later on), but the master is probably not aware of the steward’s dishonesty. The steward is being released for apparent mismanagement, not fraud. This explains why he is able to conduct a few more transactions before he is released and why he is not immediately tossed out on the street or executed.
The steward, realizing that he will soon be without a job, makes some shrewd deals behind his master’s back by reducing the debt owed by several of the master’s debtors in exchange for shelter when he is eventually put out. When the master becomes aware of what the wicked servant had done, he commends him for his shrewdness.
In His application of the story in the remaining verses, Jesus begins by saying, “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8, ESV). Jesus is drawing a contrast between the “sons of this world” (i.e., unbelievers) and the “sons of light” (believers). Unbelievers are wiser in the things of this world than believers are about the things of the world to come. The unjust steward, once he knew he was about to be put out, maneuvered to collect some quick cash, cheat his master (who more than likely was cheating his customers), and make friends of his master’s debtors—who would then be obligated to care for him once he lost his job.
What does this have to do with believers being wise about the life to come? Let’s look at Luke 16:9: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings” (ESV). Jesus is encouraging His followers to be generous with their wealth in this life so that in the life to come their new friends will receive them into “eternal dwellings.” This is similar to Jesus’ teaching on wealth in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus exhorts His followers to lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21).
The term unrighteous (or worldly) wealth seems to strike readers the wrong way. But Jesus is not saying that believers should gain wealth unrighteously and then be generous with it. “Unrighteous” in reference to wealth can refer to 1) the means in acquiring wealth; 2) the way in which one desires to use the wealth; or 3) the corrupting influence wealth can have that often leads people to commit unrighteous acts. Given the way in which Jesus employs the term, the third explanation seems the most likely. Wealth is not inherently evil, but the love of money can lead to all sorts of sin (1 Timothy 6:10).
So, the principle that Jesus is trying to convey is one of a just steward rather than an unjust one. The unjust steward saw his master’s resources as a means for his own personal enjoyment and advancement. Conversely, Jesus wants His followers to be just, righteous stewards. If we understand the principle that everything we own is a gift from God, then we realize that God is the owner of everything and that we are His stewards. As such, we are to use the Master’s resources to further the Master’s goals. In this specific case, we are to be generous with our wealth and use it for the benefit of others.
Jesus then goes on to expand in Luke 16:10–13 the principle given in verse 9. If one is faithful in “little” (i.e., “unrighteous” wealth), then one will be faithful in much. Similarly, if one is dishonest in little, he will also be dishonest in much. If we can’t be faithful with earthly wealth, which isn’t even ours to begin with, then how can we be entrusted with “true riches”? The “true riches” here is referring to stewardship and responsibility in God’s kingdom along with all the accompanying heavenly rewards.
The climax of Jesus’ application is verse Luke 16:13: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (ESV; see also Matthew 6:24). If God is our Master, then our wealth will be at His disposal. In other words, the faithful and just steward whose Master is God will employ that wealth in building up the kingdom of God.
The title “son of perdition” is used twice in the New Testament, first in John 17:12 and again in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The phrase simply means “man doomed to destruction” and is not reserved for any one individual. In fact, there are two people to which the title “son of perdition” is applied. In context, John 17:12 is referring to Judas Iscariot, while 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is referring to the “man of lawlessness”—the Antichrist—who will appear in the end times before Christ’s return.
The word perdition means “eternal damnation” or “utter destruction.” It can also be used as a synonym for hell. When a person is called “son of perdition,” the connotation is that of a person in an unredeemable state, someone who is already damned while he is still alive. Jesus mentions the “son of perdition” in His high priestly prayer in John 17. While praying to the Father for His disciples, Jesus mentions that He “protected them and kept them safe” and that none of them were lost except the “son of perdition,” that is, the one who was already in a damned state. The fact that the phrase is used again to describe the Antichrist shows us that forgiveness was not planned for Judas. God could have saved Judas—moved his heart to repentance—but He chose not to. He was indeed “doomed to destruction.”
A good picture of a person who is a “son of perdition” appears in Hebrews 6:4–8, which describes a person who, like Judas, has experienced a certain closeness to God and has a good understanding of salvation, but then denies it. Instead of bearing good fruit, he bears “thorns and thistles.” This is a person who sees the path to salvation, which is trusting in God’s grace to cover sin (Ephesians 2:8–9), and instead either flatly denies the existence of God or denies God’s gift of salvation, preferring to pay his own debt. Judas chose the second path, punishing himself by suicide instead of accepting grace.
However, Judas and the Antichrist are extreme cases. It is never right for a human being to label another person a “son of perdition” because only God knows the ultimate future of each human soul. Only with these two individuals did God choose to reveal His plan for their eternal damnation. With every other person, no matter how lost or evil he may seem, we are to hope and pray for his redemption (1 Timothy 2:1).
Jesus spoke of a coming “abomination of desolation” in the Olivet Discourse as He referenced a future event mentioned in Daniel 9:27. In Matthew 24:15–16, Jesus says, “So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place . . . then those in Judea must flee to the mountains” (CSB).
An abomination is “something that causes disgust or hatred”; and desolation is “a state of complete emptiness or destruction.” Jesus warned that something (or someone) that people detested would stand in the temple someday. When that horror occurred, residents of Judea should seek cover without delay. Other translations speak of “the abomination that causes desolation” (NIV), “the sacrilegious object that causes desecration” (NLT), and “that ‘Horrible Thing’” (CEV). The Amplified Bible adds the note that the abomination of desolation is “the appalling sacrilege that astonishes and makes desolate.”
Jesus referenced Daniel in His words in the Olivet Discourse. The prophet Daniel mentioned the abomination of desolation in three places:
“He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator” (Daniel 9:27, CSB).
“Forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31, NKJV).
“From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days” (Daniel 12:11, NASB).
The wording in the above translations indicates that the abomination of desolation is an object; in some other translations, the abomination appears to be a person: “On the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate” (Daniel 9:27, ESV).
Regardless of whether the abomination of desolation is a person or a thing, Daniel predicted the following:
1. A future ruler will make a treaty with the people of Israel.
2. The terms of this treaty will be for a “week”—which we take to be a period of seven years.
3. Midway through this time, the ruler will gather his troops and put an end to the sacrifices and offerings in the temple.
4. At that time the ruler will desecrate the temple, setting up some type of sacrilegious object.
5. The desecration of the temple will continue until the judgment of God is finally meted out on the ruler and his followers, 1,290 days (3½ years and 1 month) later.
Daniel’s prophecies about the abomination of desolation seemed to have at least a partial fulfillment in 167 BC when a Greek ruler by the name of Antiochus IV desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. Antiochus called himself “Epiphanies” (“illustrious one” or “god manifest”). He set up an altar to Zeus over the altar of burnt offering, and he sacrificed a pig on the altar. Antiochus went even further in his atrocities, slaughtering a great number of the Jews and selling others into slavery. And he issued decrees forbidding circumcision and requiring Jews to sacrifice to pagan gods and eat pig meat.
What Antiochus did certainly qualifies as an abomination, but it was not a complete fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. Antiochus Epiphanies did not enter a covenant with Israel for seven years, for example. And in Matthew 24 Jesus, speaking some 200 years after Antiochus’s evil actions, spoke of Daniel’s prophecy as having a still future fulfillment.
The question then becomes, when, after Jesus’ day, was the abomination of desolation prophecy fulfilled? Or are we still waiting for a fulfillment? The preterist view is that Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:15 concerned events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. In this view, the abomination of desolation probably occurred during the Roman occupation of Jerusalem when the Roman army brought their heathen images and standards into the temple courts.
We take the futurist view, which sees the abomination of desolation prophecy as still future. In our view, Jesus was referring to the Antichrist who, in the end times, will establish a covenant with Israel for seven years and then break it by doing something similar to what Antiochus Epiphanies did in the temple. The sacrilegious object Jesus called “the abomination of desolation” could be the “image of the beast” that the Antichrist’s right-hand man, the false prophet, will order to be set up and worshiped (Revelation 13:14). Of course, for Matthew 24:15 to be yet future, the temple in Jerusalem will have to be rebuilt before the tribulation begins.
Those who are alive during the tribulation should be watchful and recognize that the breaking of the covenant with Israel and the abomination of desolation will herald the beginning of the worst 3½ years in history (see Matthew 24:21). “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).
The man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 is the Antichrist who will come on the world scene at the beginning of the Day of the Lord. This Day, sometimes called the “end times,” starts after the rapture of the church in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11). It is good to note that the Day of the Lord is not a twenty-four-hour period of time; rather, it is an extended period of time that includes the seven-year tribulation, the return of Christ to put down all rebellion against Him, the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth, the final defeat of Satan, and the Great White Throne Judgment.
The Antichrist is given the title “man of lawlessness” because he will oppose in every way the biblical God and His law. He will be completely lawless. Daniel 7 speaks of this man as a “boastful” king who will “try to change the set times and the laws” (verses 11 and 25). He will come offering a false peace to the world and will with his charismatic personality, incredible promises, and breathtaking miracles unite all nations politically, economically, and religiously under his leadership. At the same time, he will make a covenant with Israel for three and one-half years (cf. Daniel 9:27, where “seven” indicates seven years). In the middle of the seven years, the man of lawlessness will break his covenant with Israel, stop their sacrifices (Daniel 9:27), and enter the temple to set himself up as “god” and demand worship (2 Thessalonians 2:4). This is the “abomination that causes desolation” that Jesus spoke of in Mark 13:14.
Satan works through the Antichrist, for Satan himself is not able to become incarnate. By possessing and controlling the Antichrist, Satan is worshiped in the temple where the biblical God is to be worshiped. No wonder the Antichrist is called the man of lawlessness. To act as “god” is the ultimate rejection of the biblical God’s character and laws.
This action of the Antichrist will cause an upheaval in his worldwide kingdom, and forces from the East will gather to fight against him. But instead of fighting each other, the forces of the world unite to fight the King of kings and Lord of lords, who comes to put down the man of lawlessness and his allies in the great battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16; 19:19). Of course, the man of lawlessness loses that battle. He and his false prophet are then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). The Word of God (Revelation 19:13), Jesus Christ, will be the Victor.
A quick observation of the happenings in our world today reveals that lawlessness is on the rise. Such lawlessness will continue and increase (2 Timothy 3:13), and when the man of lawlessness appears on the scene, he will be welcomed with open arms. Those who have rejected the true Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, will fall for the Antichrist’s empty promise of peace. It is vitally important that each of us is sure that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and are living for Him. “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (Mark 13:33).
Judas Iscariot is typically remembered for one thing: his betrayal of Jesus. He was one of the twelve disciples who lived with and followed Jesus for three years. He witnessed Jesus’ ministry, His teaching, and His many miracles. He was the treasurer for the group and used this trusted position to steal from their resources (John 12:6).
Judas was a common name in that era, and there are several other Judases mentioned in the New Testament. One of the other disciples was named Judas (John 14:22), and so was one of Jesus’ own half-brothers (Mark 6:3). To differentiate, John 6:71 and John 13:26 refer to Christ’s betrayer as “Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.”
Scholars have several ideas about the derivation of the surname. One is that Iscariotrefers to Kerioth, a region or town in Judea. Another idea is that it refers to the Sicarii, a cadre of assassins among the Jewish rebels.
The possible association with the Sicarii allows for interesting speculation about Judas’ motives for his betrayal, but the fact that he made a conscious choice to betray Jesus (Luke 22:48) remains the same. The surname Iscariot is useful, if for no other reason, in that it leaves no doubt about which Judas is being referred to.
Here are some of the facts we glean from key verses about Judas and his betrayal:
Money was important to Judas. As already mentioned, he was a thief, and, according to Matthew 26:13–15, the chief priests paid him “thirty silver coins” to betray the Lord.
Jesus knew from the very beginning what Judas Iscariot would do. Jesus told His disciples, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70). And at the Last Supper, Jesus predicted His betrayal and identified the betrayer: “Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon” (John 13:26).
Jesus said that Judas Iscariot was not “clean”; i.e., he had not been born again and was not forgiven of his sins (John 13:10–11). In fact, Judas was empowered to do what he did by the devil himself: “As soon as Judas took the bread [that Jesus had given him], Satan entered into him” (John 13:27).
The other disciples had no clue that Judas Iscariot harbored treacherous thoughts. When Jesus mentioned a betrayer in their midst, the other disciples worried that it was they who would prove disloyal (John 13:22). No one suspected Judas. He was a trusted member of the Twelve. Even when Jesus told Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly,” (John 13:27), and Judas left the Last Supper, the others at the table simply thought Judas had been sent to buy more food or to give something to charity (verses 28–29).
Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord with a kiss, perfectly in keeping with his brazen duplicity (Luke 22:47–48). After committing his atrocious act, Judas “was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders” (Matthew 27:3). But we learn that remorse does not equal repentance—rather than make amends or seek forgiveness, “he went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).
Judas Iscariot fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me” (cf. John 13:18). Yet Judas was fully responsible for his actions. Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).
Matthew 27:6–8 reports that the chief priests took the “blood money” from Judas and bought a potter’s field as a place for burying foreigners (thus fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 11:12–13). Acts 1:18–19 continues the story of what happened after Judas’ death and gives some additional information. Luke reports, “With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.” The additional detail we learn from Luke is that, after Judas hanged himself, his dead body fell into the very field purchased with his ill-gotten gains.
Given the fact of Judas’ close proximity to Jesus during three years of ministry, it is hard to imagine how he could follow through on such a dastardly betrayal. Judas’ story teaches us to guard against small, gradual failings that gain strength and power in our lives and that could open the door to more deadly influences. His story is also a great reminder that appearances can be deceiving. Jesus taught, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22–23).
The Bible clearly indicates that Judas was not saved. Jesus Himself said of Judas, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). Here is a clear picture of the sovereignty of God and the will of man working together. God had, from ages past, determined that Christ would be betrayed by Judas, die on the cross for our sins, and be resurrected. This is what Jesus meant when He said He would “go just as it is written about him.” Nothing would stop the plan of God to provide salvation for mankind.
However, the fact that it was all foreordained does not excuse Judas or absolve him from the punishment he would suffer for his part in the drama. Judas made his own choices, and they were the source of his own damnation. Yet the choices fit perfectly into the sovereign plan of God. God controls not only the good, but also the evil of man to accomplish His own ends. Here we see Jesus condemning Judas, but considering that Judas travelled with Jesus for nearly three years, we know He also gave Judas ample opportunity for salvation and repentance. Even after his dreadful deed, Judas could have fallen on his knees to beg God’s forgiveness. But he did not. He may have felt some remorse born of fear, which caused him to return the money to the Pharisees, but he never repented, preferring instead to commit suicide (Matthew 27:5-8).
In John 17:12, Jesus prays concerning His disciples, “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.” At one time, though, Judas believed that Jesus was a prophet, or possibly even believed He was the Messiah. Jesus sent the disciples out to proclaim the gospel and perform miracles (Luke 9:1-6). Judas was included in this group. Judas had faith, but it was not a true saving faith. Judas was never “saved,” but for a time he was a follower of Christ.
While we cannot be absolutely certain why Judas betrayed Jesus, some things are certain. First, although Judas was chosen to be one of the Twelve (John 6:64), all scriptural evidence points to the fact that he never believed Jesus to be God. He even may not have been convinced that Jesus was the Messiah (as Judas understood it). Unlike the other disciples that called Jesus “Lord,” Judas never used this title for Jesus and instead called him “Rabbi,” which acknowledged Jesus as nothing more than a teacher. While other disciples at times made great professions of faith and loyalty (John 6:68; 11:16), Judas never did so and appears to have remained silent. This lack of faith in Jesus is the foundation for all other considerations listed below. The same holds true for us. If we fail to recognize Jesus as God incarnate, and therefore the only One who can provide forgiveness for our sins—and the eternal salvation that comes with it—we will be subject to numerous other problems that stem from a wrong view of God.
Second, Judas not only lacked faith in Christ, but he also had little or no personal relationship with Jesus. When the synoptic gospels list the Twelve, they are always listed in the same general order with slight variations (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16). The general order is believed to indicate the relative closeness of their personal relationship with Jesus. Despite the variations, Peter and the brothers James and John are always listed first, which is consistent with their relationships with Jesus. Judas is always listed last, which may indicate his relative lack of a personal relationship with Christ. Additionally, the only documented dialogue between Jesus and Judas involves Judas being rebuked by Jesus after his greed-motivated remark to Mary (John 12:1-8), Judas’ denial of his betrayal (Matthew 26:25), and the betrayal itself (Luke 22:48).
Third, Judas was consumed with greed to the point of betraying the trust of not only Jesus, but also his fellow disciples, as we see in John 12:5-6. Judas may have desired to follow Jesus simply because he saw the great following and believed he could profit from collections taken for the group. The fact that Judas was in charge of the moneybag for the group would indicate his interest in money (John 13:29).
Additionally, Judas, like most people at the time, believed the Messiah was going to overthrow Roman occupation and take a position of power ruling over the nation of Israel. Judas may have followed Jesus hoping to benefit from association with Him as the new reigning political power. No doubt he expected to be among the ruling elite after the revolution. By the time of Judas’ betrayal, Jesus had made it clear that He planned to die, not start a rebellion against Rome. So Judas may have assumed—just as the Pharisees did—that since He would not overthrow the Romans, He must not be the Messiah they were expecting.
There are a few Old Testament verses that point to the betrayal, some more specifically than others. Here are two:
“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9, see fulfillment in Matthew 26:14, 48-49). Also, “I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—the handsome price at which they priced me!' So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter” (Zechariah 11:12-13; see Matthew 27:3-5 for the fulfillment of the Zechariah prophecy). These Old Testament prophecies indicate that Judas’ betrayal was known to God and that it was sovereignly planned beforehand as the means by which Jesus would be killed.
But if Judas’ betrayal was known to God, did Judas have a choice, and is he held responsible for his part in the betrayal? It is difficult for many to reconcile the concept of “free will” (as most people understand it) with God’s foreknowledge of future events, and this is largely due to our limited experience of going through time in a linear fashion. If we see God as existing outside of time, since He created everything before “time” began, then we can understand that God sees every moment in time as the present. We experience time in a linear way—we see time as a straight line, and we pass from one point gradually to another, remembering the past we have already traveled through, but unable to see the future we are approaching. However, God, being the eternal Creator of the construct of time, is not “in time” or on the timeline, but outside of it. It might help to think of time (in relation to God) as a circle with God being the center and therefore equally close to all points.
In any case, Judas had the full capacity of making his choice—at least up to the point where “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27)—and God’s foreknowledge (John 13:10, 18, 21) in no way supersedes Judas’ ability to make any given choice. Rather, what Judas would choose eventually, God saw as if it was a present observation, and Jesus made it clear that Judas was responsible for his choice and would be held accountable for it. “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me” (Mark 14:18). Notice that Jesus characterizes Judas’ participation as a betrayal. And regarding accountability for this betrayal Jesus said, “Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21). Satan, too, had a part in this, as we see in John 13:26-27, and he, too, will be held accountable for his deeds. God in His wisdom was able, as always, to manipulate even Satan’s rebellion for the benefit of mankind. Satan helped send Jesus to the cross, and on the cross sin and death were defeated, and now God’s provision of salvation is freely available to all who receive Jesus Christ as Savior.
Ephesians 5:25–27 uses Christ’s unique role as the one who sanctifies the church as a model for how a husband should love and care for his wife. These verses say that “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (NKJV).
In marriage, a husband should sacrificially love his wife, as Christ loved the church. Unlike marriage, however, husbands do not “sanctify” or “wash” their wives. But this is something that Christ does for His church. In this context, to sanctify is to set apart for God’s purpose and purify from sin. Through faith in the finished work of Christ, believers are set apart as holy and dedicated to God’s service (see Romans 12:1–2; 1 Peter 1:15–16).
In Ephesians 5:26, the expression washing of water is linked to water baptism, as mentioned in Romans 6:3–4. According to Paul, baptism symbolizes the believer’s death to sin and new life in Christ. The reality is that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV). Water for cleansing also played a part in a bride’s preparation for her wedding day.
There may also be a link between Ezekiel 16:1–13 and Ephesians 5:26–27. In the Ezekiel passage, Israel is portrayed as an abandoned girl who becomes a queen. This passage prefigures the New Testament concept of the church as the bride of Christ, who is sanctified and cleansed for Him. The metaphor is further enriched by Ezekiel 36:25, where God promises to “sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you” (ESV). In Christ, we are thoroughly cleansed.
The culmination of Christ’s sanctifying work is beautifully illustrated in the eschatological visions of Revelation 19:7–9 and 21:2, 9–11. In these passages, the apostle John describes the marriage supper of the Lamb, an event that represents the final consummation of Christ’s relationship with His church. This future event is not only a celebration but a fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan, where Christ presents “the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27, ESV).
Ephesians 5:26 also specifies the agency through which Christ accomplishes His “washing” of the church: it is done “through the word.” In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus said, “Sanctify them [the disciples] by the truth; your word is truth.” The means by which God justifies, saves, and sanctifies His people is the Word of God (see also John 15:3; James 1:18). It is by the Word that God accomplishes His purpose “to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17, NLT).
While the focus of Ephesians 5:26–27 is on Christ’s role, there are practical implications for believers. Because we have been “sanctified” and “washed,” God expects us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV). Such a “walk,” or lifestyle, is not about earning salvation; rather, it is about responding to God’s grace with reverence and obedience.
The church, as the collective body of believers, plays an important role in the sanctification process. This communal aspect of sanctification is emphasized in Hebrews 10:24–25, which encourages believers “to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (ESV).
The sanctification process is both personal and communal. Individually, believers are called to engage with Scripture, allowing the Word of God to cleanse them from sin and transform their hearts and minds (Psalm 119:105; James 1:22–25). Collectively, the church reflects the holiness and purity of Christ, given to the church through what He accomplished on the cross.
Ephesians 5:26–27 presents profound insights into Christ’s role in the sanctification of His church, drawing from Old Testament allegories and culminating in our future union with Him. Not only does this passage reveal the depth of Christ’s love and sacrifice, but it also calls us to a life of holiness and dedication to God’s service. Let us, then, live out the fulness of our spiritual cleansing, demonstrating to everyone that we belong to Christ, who sanctifies us “by the washing with water through the word.”
Jesus makes this powerful statement in the Olivet Discourse, so named because He was sitting on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem when He spoke it (Matthew 24:3). In the segment of the discourse where He teaches on the signs of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3–35), Jesus explained that when a fig tree starts to grow leaves it’s a sign that summer is near. Likewise, when heaven and earth pass away, indicating that judgment is near, followers of Jesus can take comfort in the fact that Jesus’ words will never perish (Matthew 24:32–35).
Jesus’ statement about the inevitable destruction of the heavens and the earth reflects the Bible’s teaching on this topic in both the Old and New Testaments. Understanding creation’s fate sheds light on the contrast Jesus makes in Matthew 24:35. For instance, Isaiah reports that, in the end times, the earth will be destroyed: “The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again” (Isaiah 24:19–20). Although the present world, which God cursed because of sin (Genesis 3:17–19), will come to an end, Isaiah reveals that a new, uncursed world will arise: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17; cf. 66:22).
In the New Testament, Peter’s description is even more detailed than Isaiah’s: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10, ESV). He adds that creation will experience renewal: “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, ESV). Furthermore, in the book of Revelation, echoing Isaiah and Peter, John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Revelation 21:1, ESV).
The heavens and the earth aren’t eternal, but the words of Jesus are. When He says His words will never pass away, Jesus builds on His teaching about the words of God in the Sermon on the Mount: ““For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18). Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:35about the eternal nature of His words reveals that they are of the same nature as the Father’s words, inscribed in Scripture—they stand forever (e.g., Psalm 119:160).
Isaiah 40:8 foreshadows the contrast Jesus makes in Matthew 24:35: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (ESV). One day the sun, moon, and stars will cease to exist, and the earth, sea, and sky will perish. Yet Jesus’ words will not pass away. They are eternally fixed, reflecting the unchanging character of God (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). As the psalmist says, “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end” (Psalm 102:25–27, ESV).
In Romans 10:4, the apostle Paul writes, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (ESV). The Greek word translated as “end” means “aim or purpose.” Christ is the aim and purpose of the law not because He abolished it but because He fulfilled it: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, ESV). By fulfilling the law, Christ guarantees the imputation of His righteousness to everyone who believes.
Apart from Christ, no one is righteous (Romans 3:10). The prophet Isaiah bluntly says, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isaiah 64:6, ESV). Unfortunately, Israel had deluded itself into believing that righteousness could be obtained through the law. Paul argues, however, that the law cannot make us righteous. He says, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:19–20, ESV). The law effectively reveals our sinfulness, but it cannot justify or make us right before God.
Elsewhere, Paul says, “Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:23–24, ESV). The law, then, was a promise of things to come. Nay, it was a promise of the One to come. Christ, in perfect obedience to the Father’s will (John 8:29), fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law and became the end of the law. Those who trust in Christ have received His righteousness; not because we have earned it, but because of His grace: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:23–25, ESV). Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Israel should have known that the law pointed to Christ: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39, ESV). However, they were “ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (Romans 10:3, ESV). Here, we have a biblical definition of sin. It is failure to submit to God’s righteousness. This is a spiritual and moral failure rather than an intellectual one (see John 3:19–21). To overcome this failure, God “gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). In Christ, we graciously receive His righteousness, a righteousness that could not be obtained through our own law-keeping (2 Corinthians 5:21). In this way, Christ is the end of the law.
Neither do men light
a candle
and put it under a bushel,
but on a candlestick,
and it
giveth light unto all that
are in the house
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary” (Luke 1:26–27, NLT). These words are familiar to most of us as part of what we call the Christmas story. Gabriel brought to Mary the news that she had “found favor with God” and would give birth to a son to reign forever on David’s throne (Luke 1:30–33). In passages that weave together like a tapestry, we discover that God had reasons for choosing the times, places, and people involved in His redemption plan (Ephesians 1:9–11). This article will explore some of the reasons that God chose Mary to be the mother of the Messiah.
1. Mary was of the right lineage. Luke traces Mary’s lineage through David, Boaz, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. Her son would be qualified to bear the title Son of David and be the righteous “Branch” that was to come from David’s family (Isaiah 11:1).
2. Mary was engaged to a man whose heritage would require him to visit Bethlehem at just the right time. Micah 5:2 foretold the birthplace of the Messiah, pinpointing Bethlehem in Judah. Many virgins may have known God’s favor and may have descended from King David’s line, but not many would also be in the small town of Bethlehem when it was time for the Messiah to be born.
3. Mary was a virgin. It was critical that the mother of the Messiah be a virgin in order to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Matthew reminded his readers of that prophecy, which was crucial in verifying Jesus’ identity (Matthew 1:23). She could not be married, or the world would assume Jesus had an earthly father. She could not have a bad reputation, or no one would have believed her story about a virgin birth, not even her own family. The virgin birth, in bypassing a human father, circumvented the transmission of the sin nature and allowed the Messiah to be a sinless man.
4. Mary was from Nazareth. Prophecies given hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth declared that the Messiah would be of little reputation (Isaiah 53; Zechariah 9:9; cf. Matthew 2:23). To be called a Nazarene or a Galilean was something of an insult in those days (see John 1:46). Had Mary been wealthy, socially prestigious, or from an affluent city, Jesus could not have easily connected with lowly people, the ones He’d come to save (Luke 19:10; Mark 2:17). But because He was from Nazareth, Mary’s hometown, the humility and commonness prophesied about Him was fulfilled.
God may have had more reasons for choosing Mary of Nazareth, but we will have to wait until we get to heaven to find out what they are. Mary was just a person God used for His purposes. Because of certain misunderstandings about Mary, it is important to note that she was not chosen because she was more holy than other people. The angel’s address to her as “highly favored” and “blessed” (Luke 1:28, NKJV) is a reference to the uniqueness of her pending task, not to any level of virtuousness she had attained. Mary was surely a godly woman, but that is not the point. Gabriel’s emphasis was on her privilege, not her piety. She had “found favor with God” (verse 30), but that says more about God’s goodness than Mary’s. She was the recipient of God’s grace, His undeserved favor.
Mary gives us an example of total devotion to the Lord in her answer to the angel Gabriel: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be unto me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). May we have the wisdom and grace to answer God’s call, whatever it is, the way Mary did.
The doctrine of the virgin birth teaches that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. That is, when Mary conceived Jesus, she had never had sexual intercourse. Jesus’ birth, therefore, was truly miraculous. The virgin birth of Jesus is a crucially important doctrine and one that the Bible plainly teaches in Matthew 1:23 and Luke 1:27, 34.
Let’s look at how Scripture describes the virgin birth. The angel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary to bring her the news that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Mary asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34, ESV). Gabriel’s reply indicates the miraculous nature of the conception: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). The angel points not to any human act but to the Holy Spirit and the power of God as the agency of Jesus’ birth. Jesus would properly be called the Son of God.
Gabriel later repeats the news to Joseph, betrothed to be married to Mary: “What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). Joseph needed this information because, “before they came together, [Mary] was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Accepting God’s word on the matter, Joseph proceeded to take Mary as his wife, but she remained a virgin until after Jesus was born: “He did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son” (Matthew 1:25).
The gospel writers are judicious in their wording to maintain the doctrine of the virgin birth. In his genealogy of Jesus, Luke mentions that Jesus was “the son (as was supposed) of Joseph” (Luke 3:23, ESV). In his genealogy, Matthew carefully avoids calling Joseph the father of Jesus; rather, he speaks of “Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah” (Matthew 1:16).
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ was predicted in the Old Testament: “The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, quoted in Matthew 1:22). There is also a possible allusion to the virgin birth in Genesis 3:15, which says that the “seed” of “the woman” would destroy the serpent.
The Bible teaches the preexistence of the eternal Son of God. In Isaiah 9:6, the child who is “born” is also the son who is “given.” In like manner, Galatians 4:4 also teaches the preexistence and virgin birth of Christ: “God sent His Son, born of a woman.” The virgin birth is important because that was the means by which “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). The incarnation is when the eternal Son of God took on human flesh; without losing any of His divine nature, He added a human nature. That miraculous, history-changing event took place in the Virgin Mary’s womb.
In the virgin birth, the immaterial (the Spirit) and the material (Mary’s womb) were both involved. Just as, at creation, “the earth was formless and empty” and dark (Genesis 1:2), Mary’s womb was an empty, barren place. And just as, at creation, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2), the Spirit of God came upon Mary (Luke 1:35). Only God can make something out of nothing; only God could perform the miracles of creation, the incarnation, and the virgin birth.
The virgin birth is important in that it preserves the truth that Jesus is fully God and fully man at the same time. His physical body He received from Mary as her biological child. But His eternal, holy nature was His from all eternity past (see John 6:69). Jesus had no sin nature (Hebrews 7:26) and therefore was able to be our perfect substitute (1 Peter 1:19), conquering sin and death once for all (Hebrews 10:10). Not only was He able to take away our sin, but He was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin. Therefore, He is our perfect sacrifice and also able to empathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15). Our God miraculously became man to save us and graciously reveal His love for us.
The virgin birth of Jesus is an example of God’s gracious work on our behalf. God took the initiative—Mary was not looking to become pregnant—it was all God’s idea. Joseph had no role in the conception—his body was not involved—so the power had to come from God.
In a similar way, our salvation is based solely on God’s initiative and God’s power—we did not seek God, but He sought us; and we did nothing to earn our salvation,
but we rely on God’s power.
Unsurprisingly, Jesus’
enemies among His contemporaries
denied
His virgin birth.
They went so far as to publicly
accuse
Jesus of being a Samaritan,
i.e., a person of mixed race
(John 8:48).
Those today who would
deny
the virgin birth contradict
the clear teaching of Scripture,
call into question
other
miracles recorded in the Bible,
and open the door to a denial of
Christ’s full deity or His full humanity.
Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17–18). This important statement of our Lord gives us insight into His mission and the character of God’s Word.
Jesus’ declaration that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not to abolish them, obviously contains two statements in one. There is something Jesus did and something He did not do. At the same time, Jesus emphasized the eternal nature of the Word of God.
Jesus goes out of His way to promote the authority of the Law of God. He did not come to abolish the Law, regardless of what the Pharisees accused Him of. In fact, Jesus continues His statement with a commendation for those who teach the Law accurately and hold it in reverence: “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19).
Note the qualities that Jesus attributes to the Word of God, referenced as “the Law and the Prophets”: 1) The Word is everlasting; it will outlast the natural world. 2) The Word was written with intent; it was meant to be fulfilled. 3) The Word possesses plenary authority; even the smallest letter of it is established. 4) The Word is faithful and trustworthy; “everything” it says will be accomplished. No one hearing Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount could doubt His commitment to the Scriptures.
Consider what Jesus did not do in His ministry. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was not to abrogate the Word, dissolve it, or render it invalid. The Prophets will be fulfilled; the Law will continue to accomplish the purpose for which it was given (see Isaiah 55:10–11).
Next, consider what Jesus did do. Jesus says that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was to establish the Word, to embody it, and to fully accomplish all that was written. “Christ is the culmination of the law” (Romans 10:4). The predictions of the Prophets concerning the Messiah would be realized in Jesus; the holy standard of the Law would be perfectly upheld by Christ, the strict requirements personally obeyed, and the ceremonial observances finally and fully satisfied.
Jesus Christ fulfilled the Prophets in that, in His first coming alone, He fulfilled hundreds of prophecies concerning Himself (e.g., Matthew 1:22; 13:35; John 19:36; Luke 24:44). Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law in at least two ways: as a teacher and as a doer. He taught people to obey the Law (Matthew 22:35–40; Mark 1:44), and He obeyed the Law Himself (John 8:46; 1 Peter 2:22). In living a perfect life, Jesus fulfilled the moral laws; in His sacrificial death, Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws. Christ came not to destroy the old religious system but to build upon it; He came to finish the Old Covenant and establish the New.
Jesus came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them. In fact, the ceremonies, sacrifices, and other elements of the Old Covenant were “only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves” (Hebrews 10:1). The tabernacle and temple were “holy places made with hands,” but they were never meant to be permanent; they were but “copies of the true things” (Hebrews 9:24, ESV). The Law had a built-in expiration date, being filled as it was with “external regulations applying until the time of the new order” (Hebrews 9:10).
In His fulfillment of the Law and Prophets, Jesus obtained our eternal salvation. No more were priests required to offer sacrifices and enter the holy place (Hebrews 10:8–14). Jesus has done that for us, once and for all. By grace through faith, we are made right with God: “He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14).
There are some who argue that, since Jesus did not “abolish” the Law, then the Law is still in effect—and still binding on New Testament Christians. But Paul is clear that the believer in Christ is no longer under the Law: “We were held in custody under the Law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the Law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian” (Galatians 3:23–25, BSB). We are not under the Mosaic Law but under “the law of Christ” (see Galatians 6:2).
If the Law is still binding on us today, then it has not yet accomplished its purpose—it has not yet been fulfilled. If the Law, as a legal system, is still binding on us today, then Jesus was wrong in claiming to fulfill it and His sacrifice on the cross was insufficient to save. Thank God, Jesus fulfilled the whole Law and now grants us His righteousness as a free gift. “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” (Galatians 2:16).
Luke 16:19-31
contains the account of a
very rich man
who lived a life of extreme luxury
Laid outside the gate of this
rich man’s house,
however, was an extremely
poor man
named Lazarus who simply hoped
“to eat what fell from the rich man’s table”
(v. 21).
The rich man was completely indifferent to the plight of Lazarus, showing him no love, sympathy, or compassion whatsoever. Eventually, they both died. Lazarus went to heaven, and the rich man went to hell. Appealing to “Father Abraham” in heaven, the rich man requested that Lazarus be sent to cool his tongue with a drop of water to lessen his “agony in this fire.” The rich man also asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his brothers to repent so that they would never join him in hell. Both requests were denied. Abraham told the rich man that if his brothers did not believe in Scripture, neither would they believe a messenger, even if he came straight from heaven.
There is some question as to whether this story is a true, real-life account or a parable, since two of its characters are named (making it unique among parables). Parable or not, however, there is much we can learn from this passage:
First of all, Jesus teaches here that heaven and hell are both real, literal places. Sadly, many preachers shy away from uncomfortable topics such as hell. Some even teach “universalism” – the belief that everyone goes to heaven. Yet Christ spoke about hell a great deal, as did Paul, Peter, John, Jude, and the writer of Hebrews. The Bible is clear that every person who has ever lived will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. Like the rich man in the story, multitudes today are complacent in their conviction that all is well with their soul, and many will hear our Savior tell them otherwise when they die (Matthew 7:23).
This story also illustrates that once we cross the eternal horizon, that’s it. There are no more chances. The transition to our eternal state takes place the moment we die (2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23). When believers die, they are immediately in the conscious fellowship and joys of heaven. When unbelievers die, they are just as immediately in the conscious pain, suffering, and torment of hell. Notice the rich man didn’t ask for his brothers to pray for his release from some purgatorial middle ground, thereby expediting his journey to heaven. He knew he was in hell, and he knew why. That’s why his requests were merely to be comforted and to have a warning sent to his brothers. He knew there was no escape. He was eternally separated from God, and Abraham made it clear to him that there was no hope of ever mitigating his pain, suffering, or sorrow. Those in hell will perfectly recollect missed opportunities and their rejection of the gospel.
Like many these days who
buy into
the “prosperity gospel,”
the rich man wrongly saw
his material riches as evidence of
God’s love and blessing.
Likewise, he believed the poor and destitute, like Lazarus, were cursed by God. Yet, as the apostle James exhorted, “You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter” (James 5:5). Not only do riches not get one into heaven, but they have the power to separate a person from God in a way that few other things can.
Riches are deceitful
(Mark 4:19).
It is certainly not impossible for the very rich to
enter heaven
(many heroes of the Bible were wealthy),
but Scripture is clear that it is
very hard
(Matthew 19:23-24; Mark 10:23-25; Luke 18:24-25).
True followers of Christ will not be indifferent to the plight of the poor like the rich man in this story was. God loves the poor and is offended when His children neglect them (Proverbs 17:5; 22:9, 22-23; 29:7; 31:8-9). In fact, those who show mercy to the poor are in effect ministering to Christ personally (Matthew 25:35-40). Christians are known by the fruit they bear. The Holy Spirit’s residence in our hearts will most certainly impact how we live and what we do.
Abraham’s words
in
verses 29 and 31 referring
to
“Moses and the Prophets”
(Scripture)
confirms that understanding the
revealed Word of God
has the power
to turn unbelief into
faith
(Hebrews 4:12; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23)
Furthermore, knowing Scripture helps us to understand that God’s children, like Lazarus, can suffer while on this earth—suffering is one of the many tragic consequences of living in a sinful and fallen world.
The Bible says our earthly lives are a “mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). Our earthly sojourn is exceedingly brief. Perhaps the greatest lesson to learn from this story, then, is that when death comes knocking on our door there is only one thing that matters: our relationship with Jesus Christ. “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36). Eternal life is only found in Christ. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). The truth is, if we wish to live apart from God during our time on earth, He will grant us our wish for eternity as well. As one pastor aptly said, “If you board the train of unbelief, you will have to take it all the way to its destination.”
Jesus discussed the new
BIRTH
in His conversation with Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, in John 3. Jesus said to him, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). Nicodemus was puzzled and asked how anyone could re-enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time. Jesus doubled down: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit” (verse 5). Then He expounded on what the new birth is.
Jesus explained that this new birth is not physical, but spiritual.
The new birth that we must experience in order to “see the kingdom of God” is a work of the Holy Spirit. Just as a mother does all the work in physical birth, so the Holy Spirit does all the work in the new birth. Upon our faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit enters our spirits, regenerates us, and begins His work of transforming us into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are born again.
We are all born with a sin nature that separates us from our Creator.
We were designed in His own image (Genesis 1:27), but that image was tarnished when we fell into sin. As sinners, we cannot fellowship with a holy God the way we are. We cannot be repaired, restored, or rehabilitated. We need to be reborn.
In answer to Nicodemus’s questions about the new birth, Jesus began talking about the wind: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:5–8).
In His analogy of the wind in John 3:8, Jesus was comparing physical birth and growth with spiritual birth and growth. Jesus points out that Nicodemus need not marvel at the necessity of the Spirit causing one to be “born again.” Nicodemus naturally believed in other things as difficult to understand, such as the wind, which he could not see. The effects of the wind are obvious: the sound is heard, and things move as it moves. The wind, unseen, unpredictable, and uncontrollable, is mysterious to us, but we see and understand its effects. So it is with the Spirit. We do not see the Spirit, but we see the changes the Spirit produces in people. Sinful people are made holy; liars speak truth; the proud become humble. When we see such changes, we know they have a cause. The Spirit affects us just as the wind affects the trees, water, and clouds. We don’t see the cause, and we don’t understand all the in’s and out’s of how it works, but we see the effect and believe.
When an infant is born, he continues to grow and change. A year later, two years later, ten years later, the child has changed. He does not remain an infant because a live birth results in growth. We may not see this growth happening, but we see the changes it produces. So it is with the new birth. When a person is born again in spirit, he or she is born into the family of God “like newborn babies” (1 Peter 2:2). This birth is not visible, but it begins to produce changes that are evident.
Paul warns Timothy,
an elder of the church in Ephesus,
that there will come a time when people
“will not endure sound doctrine”
(2 Timothy 4:3, NKJV); instead,
“they will gather
around them a great number of teachers
to say what
their itching ears want to hear.”
The idea of “enduring” sound teaching
has to do with
“tolerating” it or putting up with it.
In other words,
people will refuse to
listen to
what is good and right
They will be intolerant
of the
TRUTH
Prior to the warning, Paul establishes the source and utility of the Scriptures. The Scriptures are from the mouth of God, or God-breathed, and are beneficial for teaching, among other things, which leads to the maturing and equipping of the Christian (2 Timothy 3:16–17). This maturing and equipping has the purpose of allowing the believer to complete every good work that God has ordained.
Paul exhorts Timothy to be ready to proclaim the Scriptures at all times (2 Timothy 4:1–2), exhorting and correcting others by using the Word of God. Timothy is to study, practice, and then teach the Scriptures
(cf. Ezra 7:10). In 2 Timothy 4:3,
Paul provides the reason for urgency in such a task:
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.”
The Greek word translated “doctrine” is simply referring
to “teaching” or “instruction.”
Often, teaching and instruction
systematized
is understood as doctrine.
The Greek word translated as “sound” can also be
understood as “healthy” or “free from error.”
Paul is warning Timothy
that there will come a time when people
will not desire
to hear true or correct teaching--
teaching
that accords with reality.
Instead, “they will
follow their own desires and will look for teachers
who will tell them
whatever their itching ears want to hear”
(2 Timothy 4:3, NLT).
Usually, understanding sound doctrine requires the individual to change his actions. If it is something he does not want to do, he may reject the teaching. At first, Peter did not want to preach the gospel to the Gentiles due to an improper understanding of what God desired for him to do (Acts 10). However, God patiently corrected his understanding and prepared Peter to proclaim the gospel to Cornelius, a Gentile leader. Peter responded to the sound doctrine and moved forward without fear.
It is important that we, as teachers and learners, heed the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:3. As teachers, we must teach sound doctrine, holding to the truths of Scripture regardless of the consequences. As learners, we must seek sound doctrine and receive it, if we are to live according to the truth. The learner’s desires must take a back seat to the truths of Scripture. Prayerfully, as the learner matures and is transformed by the renewing of the mind, his or her desires align more and more with the sound doctrine of Scripture.
It is beneficial for the learner to desire sound doctrine. It is also important for the learner to test what is being taught. During Paul’s second missionary journey, he travelled across Greece, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to all. Many believed in the gospel (Acts 17:4). Paul eventually reached the town of Berea where he also presented the gospel. The Bereans notably received Paul with eagerness, and they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (verse 11). The Bereans are a perfect example of how the learner ought to desire sound doctrine and examine the Bible to test whether an unfamiliar doctrine is truly sound.
Jesus alerts us to “watch out for false prophets”
in Matthew 7:15.
He compares these false prophets to wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus also tells us how to identify these false prophets: we will recognize them by their fruit (Matthew 7:20).
Throughout the Bible, people are warned about false prophets
(Ezekiel 13, Matthew 24:23–27, 2 Peter 3:3).
False prophets claim to speak for God, but they speak falsehood. To gain a hearing, they come to people “in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). No matter how innocent and harmless these teachers appear on the outside, they have the nature of wolves—they are intent on destroying faith, causing spiritual carnage in the church, and enriching themselves. They “secretly introduce destructive heresies,” “bring the way of truth into disrepute,” and “exploit you with fabricated stories” (2 Peter 2:1–3).
The false teachers wear “sheep’s clothing” so they can mingle with the sheep without arousing suspicion.
They usually are not up front about what they believe; rather, they mix in some truth with their falsehood and carefully choose their words to sound orthodox. In reality, they “follow their own ungodly desires”
(Jude 1:17–18),
and “they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed”
(2 Peter 2:14).
By contrast, a true prophet teaches God’s Word fully
(Deuteronomy 18:20).
Wolves in sheep’s clothing twist God’s Word to deceive or influence the audience for their own purposes.
Satan himself masquerades as an angel of
light
(2 Corinthians 11:14),
and his ministers masquerade as servants of
righteousness
(2 Corinthians 11:15).
The best way to guard against wolves in sheep’s clothing is to heed the warnings of Scripture and know the truth. A believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and carefully studies the Bible will be able to identify false prophets. Christians must judge all teaching against what Scripture says. Believers will also be able to identify false prophets by their fruit—their words, actions, and lifestyles. Jesus said, “A tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33; cf. Matthew 7:20). Peter described false teachers as having “depraved conduct” and who “carouse” as “slaves of depravity” (2 Peter 2:2, 13, 19). If a teacher in the church does not live according to God’s Word, he is one of those wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Here are three specific questions to identify false prophets, or wolves in sheep’s clothing:
1) What does the teacher say about Jesus? In John 10:30, Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” The Jews understood Jesus’ statement as a claim to be God and wanted to stone him (John 10:33). Anyone who denies Jesus as Lord (1 John 4:1–3) is a false prophet.
2) Does the teacher preach the biblical gospel? Anyone who teaches an incomplete or unbiblical gospel is to be eternally condemned (Galatians 1:9). Any gospel apart from what the Bible tells us (1 Corinthians 15:1–4) is not the true good news.
3) Does this teacher exhibit godly character qualities? Jesus said to beware of teachers whose moral behavior does not match what the Bible says. He says we will know wolves in sheep’s clothing by their fruits (Matthew 7:15–20)
It doesn’t matter how large a church a preacher has, how many books he has sold, or how many people applaud him. If he “teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the
sound words of our
Lord Jesus Christ
and
the teaching
that accords with
godliness,”
then he is
a wolf in sheep’s clothing
(1 Timothy 6:3).
The different terms used in the Bible for
heaven and hell
--sheol, hades, gehenna,
the lake of fire,
paradise, and
Abraham’s bosom
are the subject of some debate and can be hard to keep straight.
The word paradise is used as a synonym for heaven
(2 Corinthians 12:3–4; Revelation 2:7).
When Jesus was dying on the cross and one of the thieves being crucified with Him asked Him for mercy, Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus knew that His death was imminent and that He would soon be in heaven with His Father. In His words of comfort to the penitent thief, Jesus used paradiseas a synonym for heaven, and the word has come to be associated with any place of ideal loveliness and delight.
Abraham’s bosom is referred to only once in the Bible—in the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19–31). Abraham’s lap was used in the Talmud as a synonym for heaven (Seder Nashim, Kiddushin 72b).
The image in
Jesus’ story is of Lazarus
reclining at a
table
LEANING on Abraham’s breast
at the
heavenly banquet--
as
John LEANED on
Jesus’ breast at
the
LAST SUPPER
The point of the story is that wicked men will
see the righteous in a happy state,
while they themselves are in torment,
and that a “great gulf” that
can never be spanned exists between them
(Luke 16:26).
Abraham’s bosom is obviously a place of peace, rest, and joy after death—paradise.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used to denote the realm of the dead is sheol. It simply means “the place of the dead” or “the place of departed souls/spirits.” The New Testament Greek equivalent to sheol is hades, which is also a general reference to “the place of the dead.” Sheol/hades is divided into a place of blessing (where Lazarus was in Luke 16) and a place of torment (where the rich man was in Luke 16). Sheol also seems to be a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection.
The souls of the righteous,
at death, go directly
into the presence of God--
the part of sheol called
“heaven,” “paradise,” or “Abraham’s bosom”
(Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23).
The Greek word
gehenna
is used in
the New Testament
for “hell”
(see Matthew 5:29; 23:33)
The word is derived from the Hebrew word ge-hinnom, which designated a valley south of Jerusalem—a cursed place that had been the site of human sacrifice (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6). Jesus referenced Gehenna as a symbol of the place of judgment after death, alluding to prophecies in Jeremiah 19:6 and Isaiah 30:33.
The lake of fire, mentioned only in Revelation 19:20 and 20:10, 14-15, is the final hell, the place of eternal punishment for all unrepentant rebels, both angelic and human (Matthew 25:41). It is described as a place of burning sulfur, and those in it experience eternal, unspeakable agony of an unrelenting nature (Luke 16:24; Mark 9:45-46). Those in hades/sheol who have rejected Christ will have the lake of fire as their final destination.
But those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life should have no fear of this terrible fate. By faith in Christ and His blood shed on the cross for our sins, we are destined to live eternally in the blessed presence of God.
The biblical account of
Sodom and Gomorrah is recorded
in Genesis.
Genesis 18records the Lord and two angels coming to speak with Abraham.
The Lord informed Abraham that “the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous” (Genesis 18:20). Verses 22–33 record Abraham pleading with the Lord to have mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah because of the righteous people who might be there. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family lived in Sodom.
Genesis 19 records the two angels, disguised as human men, visiting Sodom and Gomorrah.
Lot met the angels in the city square and urged them to stay at his house.
The angels agreed.
The Bible then reveals the sin lurking in the Sodomites’ hearts: “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them’” (Genesis 19:4–5).
The angels proceeded to blind
the men
surrounding the house and urge
Lot and his family to flee the city
The wrath of God was about to fall.
Lot and his family fled the city, and then
“the Lord rained down
burning sulfur
on Sodom and Gomorrah--
from the
Lord out of the heavens.
Thus he overthrew
those cities
and the entire plain, including
all those living in the cities”
(Genesis 19:24).
What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? According to Genesis 19, the sin involved homosexuality. The very name of that ancient city has given us the term sodomy, in the sense of “copulation between two men,
whether consensual or forced.”
Clearly, homosexuality was part of why God destroyed the two cities. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to perform homosexual acts on what they thought were two men.
This is not to say that homosexuality was the only reason why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Ezekiel 16:49–50 gives some more insight: “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom:
She and her daughters were
arrogant,
overfed and unconcerned;
they did not help the poor and
needy.
They were haughty and did detestable things before me.”
So, the sins of Sodom included
pride, apathy, complacency, idleness, and unconcern for the underprivileged.
Ezekiel 16:50
adds that a sin of Sodom was that they did
“detestable things.”
Pedophilia
The Hebrew word translated “detestable” refers to something that is morally disgusting. It is the same word used in Leviticus 18:22, where homosexuality is an “abomination.” Jude 1:7 also weighs in: “Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion.” So, again, while homosexuality was not the only sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, it does appear to be the primary reason for the destruction of those cities.
Those who attempt to explain away the biblical condemnations of homosexuality claim that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was inhospitality. That’s one of the sins—the men of Sodom and Gomorrah were certainly being inhospitable. There is probably nothing more inhospitable than homosexual gang rape.
But to say God destroyed two cities and all their inhabitants simply for
being inhospitable ignores some obvious details of the story.
Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of many other sins, but homosexuality was the principal reason
God poured fiery sulfur on the cities, completely destroying them and all of their inhabitants.
To this day, the area where Sodom and Gomorrah
were located remains a desolate wasteland.
Sodom and Gomorrah serve as a powerful
example of how God feels
about sin in general and homosexuality specifically.
In speaking to His disciples
about a coming time of great destruction,
Jesus mentioned what
happened to Lot’s wife and the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Remember Lot’s wife!”
He said. “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it,
and whoever loses their life will preserve it”
(Luke 17:32–33).
The story of Lot and his wife is found in Genesis 19. God had determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness (Genesis 18:16–33), and two angels warned Abraham’s nephew Lot to evacuate the city so he and his family would not be destroyed.
In Genesis 19 we read,
The two [angels in the form of] men said to Lot, ‘Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you?
Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place.
The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it’” (verses 12–13).
At dawn the next day, the angels hurried Lot and his family out of Sodom so they would not be destroyed with the city. When Lot hesitated, “the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.
As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said,
“Flee for your lives!
Don’t look back,
and don’t stop
anywhere in the plain!
Flee to the mountains
or you
will be swept away!’”
(Genesis 19:16–17).
When the family arrived in Zoar, “the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens” (Genesis 19:24). But, then, in disobedience to the angel’s command, “Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (verse 26).
Lot’s wife lost her life because she “looked back.” This was more than just a glance over the shoulder; it was a look of longing that indicated reluctance to leave or a desire to return. Whatever the case, the point is she was called to desert everything to save her life, but she could not let go, and she paid for it with her life. In Judaism, Lot’s wife became a symbol for a rebellious unbeliever.
Jesus cites this story in Luke 17, as He describes a future event:
“It was the same in the
days of Lot.
People were eating and drinking, buying and selling,
planting and building.
But the day Lot left Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained down
from
heaven and destroyed them all.
It will be just like this on
the day the
Son of Man is revealed.
On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them.
Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it” (verses 28–33).
When “the Son of Man is revealed,” it will be time for people to flee. There will be no time to take anything along. If you see the sign when you are on the roof (a rooftop deck with exterior stairs was a common feature of houses at the time), you should not even take time to go into the house to gather up your possessions.
You need to get out and “don’t look back.” Lot’s wife is the example of what will happen if you do. If you try to save your life (that is, your things that your life is made up of),
you will lose everything.
Leave it all to save your life.
The scenario is similar to a person
who wakes up
in the middle of the night
to find the house in flames.
That person might be tempted to run around and gather up valuable items, but the delay might prevent escape—all the things will be lost, as well as the person’s life. It is better to leave it all behind and get out with your life. The principle is clear, but the exact referent is more difficult to discern.
The revelation of the
Son of Man
is the event in view
in
Luke 17. Mark 13:14–16
records much the
same message without the mention
of Lot’s wife.
There, the sign is
“the abomination that causes desolation”
(see also Matthew 24:15–18)
Finally, Jesus mentions a similar situation
in Luke 21:20–21:
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded
by armies,
you will
know that its desolation
is near.
Then let
those who are in Judea flee to
the mountains,
let those in the city
get out,
and
let those in the country not
enter the city.”
The above passages are open to several different approaches to interpretation, centered on when this will take place. If we are correct that all of these passages describe roughly the same event(s),
it would seem that
“the day the Son of Man is revealed,” “the abomination that causes desolation,”
and “Jerusalem surrounded by armies”
all refer to the signal that it is time to flee.
Outside of Luke 17, the warnings to flee are found in the context of
the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem
(see Luke 21:5–7 and Mark 13:1–4). In Matthew 24:1–3,
Jesus also deals with the destruction of the temple, except there the disciples also ask specifically about
“the sign of your coming and the end of the age.”
So, at least some of the prophecy was fulfilled in the first century with the destruction of the temple, but that does not preclude a future, fuller fulfillment at the second coming.
The wording in Luke 17,
in which Jesus speaks of the
revelation of the Son of Man,
certainly seems to suggest
the second coming
(see Colossians 3:4).
Jewish believers in the first century faced persecution from Rome, often at Jewish instigation. As long as Christians were considered a sect of Judaism, they enjoyed religious freedom as Jews. However, as they were denounced by Jewish leaders and no longer considered part of Judaism, the full force of Roman expectations applied to them, including the requirement to affirm the creed “Caesar is Lord” and offer sacrifices to Caesar. If Christians failed to do this, they could be punished, imprisoned, or even killed. As a result, believing Jews faced continual pressure to “go back to the temple.”
The book of Hebrews
encourages believing Jews to remain
true to Christ
and not return
to the Old Covenant system of the
temple, priests, and sacrifices.
Hebrews explains that the Old Covenant
has passed.
There may have been some believing Jews in Judea who still had some attachment to the temple. In Luke 17, Jesus warns that there will come a time when they see a symbol of impending judgment, and they will need to get out of the area as quickly as possible.
Just as God rained down wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah,
He will judge Jerusalem.
The coming wrath is no time for
divided loyalties.
While many believed that God
would never allow the temple to be destroyed,
Jewish Christians knew
that the usefulness of the temple had passed and
its days were numbered.
They could stay on in Jerusalem and witness of the resurrected Christ, but when they saw that judgment was about to fall, they knew to get out. Eusebius in his Church History records that they did escape.
By abandoning everything and getting
out of the city,
the Christians not only saved their lives
but also gave testimony to the fact
that the Old Covenant had been replaced
by the New.
A similar sentiment is expressed by Jesus in other contexts, although Lot’s wife is not mentioned.
Jesus said,
“No one who puts a hand to the plow
and looks back
is Fit
for service in the kingdom of God”
(Luke 9:62).
In context, Jesus is talking about people who want to follow Him but are hindered by their concern for other things. It is not just that they look back, but they have divided loyalties, like Lot’s wife.
Jesus also used the statement “whoever wants to save his life shall lose it” in a number of different contexts
(Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24; 17:33).
Regardless of the specifics of the context,
following Jesus
requires turning our backs
on the “life”
that this world offers.
Attempting to “save your life” is the same
as “looking back.”
Attachment to our “old life” will cause us to lose our lives,
and
Lot’s wife is the illustration
and example
that we would do well to remember.
When God revealed His plan
to destroy
Sodom and Gomorrah
due to the
wickedness of those cities,
Abraham asked God to spare the people. In fact,
Abraham engaged in a
lengthy conversation to mediate for the cities.
First, Abraham wanted God to spare the righteous people
who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah.
He asked, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with
the wicked?
Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city.
Will you then sweep away
the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to put the righteous to death with the wicked,
so that the righteous
fare as the wicked! Far be that from you!
Shall not the Judge
of all the earth do what is just?”
(Genesis 18:23-25)
Second, Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in Sodom.
God did spare Lot and his two daughters,
perhaps as a direct result of Abraham’s request.
Genesis 19:29 states,
“So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley,
God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst
of the overthrow when he
overthrew
the cities in which Lot had lived.”
Abraham certainly
wanted to see his own extended family
protected from God’s judgment
Third, Abraham had compassion for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. While he understood God’s judgment of sin, Abraham asked God to spare the city even if there could be found as few as ten righteous people
(Genesis 18:32).
God agreed to spare
the city for the sake of ten righteous people.
Apparently, fewer than ten righteous were found,
since God did destroy the cities,
sparing only Lot and his two daughters
(God also planned to rescue Lot’s wife,
but she died
when she disobeyed God
and turned
back to look at the city
as it was being destroyed.)
Abraham’s compassion for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah reveals the heart of a man who cared greatly for others, including those who did not follow God. In fact, the angelic visitors who visited Lot were threatened by men of Sodom who desired to have sex with them. Though Sodom’s citizens were wicked, Abraham did not wish to see their destruction.
Like Abraham, we are called to have great compassion for others, including those whose lives do not follow God’s ways. Also, we must ultimately accept God’s judgments, even when His decisions are not our desired choices.
Abraham’s request for these cities to be spared was denied. God sometimes says “no” to our requests, too, even when we pray with good intentions. The Lord may have other plans that we do not understand, yet which are part of His perfect will.
Finally, consider how God did answer Abraham’s request by rescuing Lot and his daughters. Although Abraham’s mediatory work did not result in the sparing of the cities, it did bring about the salvation of Abraham’s nephew. Abraham’s prayers on behalf of others were important, just as our prayers are today.
Then I saw a great white throne and him
who was seated on it.
The earth and the heavens fled from
his presence,
and there was no place for them.
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
Then death and Hades
were thrown into the
lake of fire.
The lake of fire
is the second death.
Anyone whose name
was not found written in the book of life
was thrown into the lake of fire.
(Revelation 20:11–15).
The first thing to understand about
the final judgment
is that it cannot be avoided.
Regardless of how we may choose to interpret prophecy
on the end times,
“people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment”
(Hebrews 9:27).
We all have a divine appointment with
our Creator.
The apostle John
recorded some details of the
final judgment:
This remarkable passage describes the final judgment
the end of history and the beginning of the eternal state.
We can be sure of this: no mistakes will be made in our hearings,
as judgment is meted out by the perfect and all-knowing God
(Matthew 5:48; 1 John 1:5).
God will be perfectly just and fair
(Acts 10:34; Galatians 3:28).
God cannot be deceived or misled
(Galatians 6:7).
God is incorruptible and cannot be swayed by any prejudices, excuses, or lies
(Luke 14:16–24).
As God the Son, Jesus Christ will be the judge at the final judgment (John 5:22).
All unbelievers will stand before Christ at the great white throne, and they will be punished according to the works they have done.
The Bible says that unbelievers are currently storing up wrath against themselves (Romans 2:5) and that “God will repay each person according to what they have done” (Romans 2:6). (Believers will be judged separately at the judgment seat of Christ, a judgment of examination and reward.)
At the great white throne, the fate of the unsaved will be in the hands of the omniscient God who will judge everyone according to his or her soul’s condition and the works done in the body.
For now, our fate is in our own hands.
The end of our soul’s journey
will either be in an
eternal heaven or in an eternal hell
(Matthew 25:46).
We must choose our destination
by either accepting or rejecting
the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf.
Further, we must make that choice
before our physical lives come to an end.
After we die, we no longer have a choice.
Everyone who has
ever lived will face God someday.
“Nothing in all
creation is hidden from God’s sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare
before the eyes of him to whom we
must give account”
(Hebrews 4:13).
In essence, “hypocrisy” refers to
the act
of claiming to believe
something but
acting in a different manner.
The word is derived from the
Greek term
for “actor”—literally,
“one who wears a mask”
in other words,
someone who pretends
to be what he is not.
The Bible calls hypocrisy a sin.
There are two forms hypocrisy can take:
that of
professing belief in something
and
then acting in a manner
contrary to that belief,
and that
of looking down on others when
we ourselves are flawed
The prophet Isaiah condemned the hypocrisy of his day:
“The Lord says,
‘These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their
hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men’”
(Isaiah 29:13).
Centuries later, Jesus quoted this verse,
aiming the
same condemnation at the
religious leaders of His day
(Matthew 15:8-9).
John the Baptist
refused to give hypocrites a pass,
telling them to produce
“fruits worthy of repentance”
(Luke 3:8).
Jesus took an equally staunch
stand
against sanctimony--
He called hypocrites
“wolves in sheep’s clothing”
(Matthew 7:15),
“whitewashed tombs”
(Matthew 23:27),
“snakes,” and “brood of vipers”
(Matthew 23:33)
We cannot say we
love God if we do not love
our brothers
(1 John 2:9)
Love must be “without hypocrisy”
(Romans 12:9, NKJV).
A hypocrite may look
righteous
on the
outside, but it is a
façade
True righteousness
comes
from the inner transformation
of the Holy Spirit
not an external conformity to
a set of rules
(Matthew 23:5; 2 Corinthians 3:8)
Jesus addressed the other form of hypocrisy in
the Sermon on the Mount:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust
in your brother’s eye
and pay no
attention to the plank in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”
Matthew 7:3-5
Jesus is not teaching against discernment
or
helping others overcome sin; instead,
He is telling us not be so prideful
and
convinced of our own goodness that
we criticize others
from a position of self-righteousness.
We should do some introspection
first and correct
our own shortcomings
before we
go after the “specks” in others
(cf. Romans 2:1)
During Jesus’ earthly ministry,
He had many run-ins with the religious
leaders of the day, the Pharisees.
These men were well versed in the Scriptures
and zealous about
following every letter of the Law
(Acts 26:5).
However, in adhering to the
letter of the Law, they actively sought loopholes
that allowed
them to violate the spirit of the Law.
Also, they displayed
a lack of compassion toward their fellow man
and were often overly demonstrative
of their
so-called spirituality in order to garner praise
(Matthew 23:5–7; Luke 18:11).
Jesus denounced their behavior
in no
uncertain terms, pointing out that
“justice, mercy, and faithfulness”
are more
important than pursuing a perfection
based on faulty standards
(Matthew 23:23).
Jesus made it clear
that the problem was not with the Law
but the way in
which the Pharisees implemented it
(Matthew 23:2-3).
Today, the word
pharisee has become synonymous
with hypocrite
As children of God,
we are called to strive
for holiness
(1 Peter 1:16).
We are to “hate what is evil” and “cling to what is good”
(Romans 12:9).
All we do should be
consistent with what we believe
and who we are in Christ.
Play-acting is meant for the stage,
not for real life.
Salvation is Achieved
through faith
in
Christ and God's grace,
and not through
one's own efforts or works
“faith results in action"
means that
a genuine faith, as described
in the Bible,
particularly in the book of James,
should naturally lead
to observable good deeds; essentially,
a faith
that doesn't manifest in actions is
considered "dead" or not truly
saving faith
Faith is so vital
to the Christian life that
Scripture tells us that,
without it,
it is impossible to please God
(Hebrews 11:6).
Yet faith is such a powerful gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–9) Christ told His disciples that, with just a tiny measure of it, the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains. So, what does it mean to have “mustard seed faith”?
We see the reference to “mustard seed faith” twice in Scripture. First, in Matthew 17:14–20, we see Christ’s disciples unable to exorcise a demon from a young boy, even though Jesus had previously given them the authority to do this very thing (Matthew 10:1). When they inquired of Jesus why they were not able to drive the demon out, the Master replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move; Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:14–20). Next, in Luke 17:6, Jesus tells His disciples, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” By using the uncommonly small mustard seed as an example, Jesus is speaking figuratively about the incalculable power of God when unleashed in the lives of those with true faith.
We know that this statement about moving mountains and uprooting trees by faith is not to be taken literally. The key to understanding the passages is the nature of faith, which is a gift from God. The power of faith reflects the omnipotent nature of the God who bestows faith on His own. The mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds found in the Middle East, so the conclusion is that the amount of faith needed to do great things is very small indeed. Just as in the parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31–32), Jesus uses rhetorical hyperbole to make the point that little is much when it comes from God. The mustard seed in the parable grows to be a huge tree, representing the tiny beginnings of Christianity when just a few disciples began to preach and teach the gospel. Eventually, the kingdom grew to huge proportions, encompassing the entire world and spreading over centuries.
So, too, does the tiniest bit of faith, when it is true faith from God, grow to immense proportions in the lives of believers and spreading out to influence all they come into contact with. One has only to read histories of the great men of the faith, such as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, to know that superhuman feats were performed by those whose faith was, at one time, only the size of a mustard seed.
The book of Hebrews is an excellent place to find answers to our questions about faith. Chapter 11 begins with this short definition of faith: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
What, then, is a leap of faith? The term leap of faith is not found in the Bible. It is a common idiom, though. Usually, to take a leap of faith means “to believe in something with no evidence for it” or “to attempt an endeavor that has little chance of success.” Leap of faith actually originated in a religious context. Søren Kierkegaard coined the expression as a metaphor for belief in God. He argued that truth cannot be found by observation alone but must be understood in the mind and heart apart from empirical evidence. Since we cannot observe God with our eyes, we must have faith that He is there. We jump from material concepts to the immaterial with a “leap of faith.”
Continuing in Hebrews chapter 11, we find an impressive list of men and women in the Bible who took a “leap of faith,” as it were. These are just a few of the people mentioned who took God at His Word and trusted Him to do what He had promised:
By faith, Noah obeyed God and built an ark to save his family from the flood (Genesis 6:9 – 7:24). By faith, Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, believing God would provide a lamb (Genesis 22:1–19). By faith, Moses chose to side with the Hebrews rather than stay in the Egyptian palace (Exodus 2 – 4). By faith, Rahab risked her life and sheltered enemy spies in her home (Joshua 2:1–24).
Throughout the rest of Scripture, the stories of the faithful continue. By faith, David confronted a giant with only a sling and a stone (1 Samuel 17). By faith, Peter stepped out of the boat when Jesus invited him to come (Matthew 14:22–33). The accounts go on and on, each story helping us to understand the biblical meaning of a leap of faith.
Exercising faith in God often requires taking a risk. Second Corinthians 5:7 tells us, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” But a biblical step of faith is not a “blind” leap. Our faith is backed by assurance and certainty. Faith is soundly supported by God’s promises in His Word. A leap of faith is not an irrational impulse that causes us to jump out into the great unknown without any foresight. According to the Word of God, believers are to seek counsel from godly leaders (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 24:6). Also, Christians are to acquire wisdom and direction from God’s Word (Psalm 119:105, 130).
The stories in the Bible exist for a reason. Our trust and faith grow stronger as we read these accounts of God’s powerful deliverance and rescue in times of need. God miraculously delivered Joseph from slavery and placed him in charge over all of Egypt. God transformed Gideon from a coward to a courageous warrior. These Bible characters took leaps of faith because they trusted in the God who was powerful enough to rescue them, hold them up, and not let them fall (see Jude 1:24).
Putting our faith into action may feel like a scary leap, but that is part of the testing and proving of our faith: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:6–9; See Hebrews 11:17 also).
Stepping out in faith requires trusting God to do what He has already promised in His Word, even though we may not see the fulfillment of His promise yet. Genuine faith, belief, and trust will move us to action.
A leap of faith might mean leaving the safety of your comfort zone. Peter abandoned his safety and comfort when he jumped out of the boat to walk on water to Jesus. He could take that leap of faith because he knew his Lord and trusted that He was good: “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” (Psalm 145:9). When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter exercised childlike faith, the type of faith we are all called to possess: “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these’” (Luke 18:16).
When we demonstrate authentic trust in God, we know that our “leap of faith” is actually a leap into His all-powerful and loving arms. He delights in our trust and rewards those who earnestly pursue Him: “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).
One of Jesus Christ’s most instructive miracles takes place when the apostle Peter jumps out of a boat and walks on turbulent water to meet the Lord on the sea. The account, which follows on the heels of another illuminating miracle, the feeding of the 5,000, is recorded in Matthew 14:22–36. Not only does Jesus walk on the Sea of Galilee here, but Peter walks on the water as well.
Several valuable lessons—some obvious and some not so apparent—are introduced in the account of when Peter walks on water. Jesus has just finished feeding a crowd of thousands with two fish and a few loaves of bread. The disciples are beginning to see who Jesus is, but their faith in Him still has room for growth. Directly following this miracle, Jesus launches into His next lesson. By now it’s evening, and Jesus has not yet had time to get alone with His Father—the very reason He had come to this isolated place near the sea. So Jesus sends His disciples on ahead in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus makes room for time alone with God. This is the first important lesson we can take from the account to help us weather the storms of life. Jesus sends the disciples away so He can be alone on the mountain to pray. Even with the needs of so many people pressing in on Him, the Lord makes solitary time with God His priority.
As the disciples are crossing the sea, a fierce and frightening storm kicks up. Very early in the morning, Jesus comes walking toward them on the water. Thinking He is a ghost, the disciples are terrified. Even though they have been with Christ for a long time, they don’t recognize Jesus as He approaches in the storm. Sometimes we fail to recognize the Lord when He comes alongside us during our own personal storms. But Jesus understands the immaturity of our faith. To His disciples, the Lord speaks these words of comfort: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).
Peter, ever enthusiastic and impulsive, replies, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28). The Lord invites Peter to come, and the disciple steps out of the boat. Peter walks on water toward Jesus. His baby steps of faith last only a moment, though, and then he takes his eyes off of the Lord. With his physical sight, Peter sees the wind and waves surrounding him, and “he was afraid” (verse 30) and begins to sink.
Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30), and Jesus instantly reaches out His hand to catch Peter. “You of little faith,” Jesus says, “Why did you doubt?” (verse 31). For believers, the lesson here is unmistakable. If we take our eyes off Jesus and focus on our circumstances, we will fall under the weight of our problems. If we call to Jesus in faith, he will catch us and lift us above our seemingly impossible situation. Peter let doubt displace his faith. In all the time he had been with Jesus, even Peter, one of Christ’s closest friends, was still learning to trust the Lord completely.
As Jesus and Peter climb into the boat, the storm ceases. The disciples respond to everything they’ve witnessed with awe, adoration, and worship of the Lord. To Jesus they say, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). Beginning to grasp that Jesus is all-powerful, even over the forces of nature, the disciples take another step closer to possessing mature faith. Jesus uses this stormy experience to bring His followers into a fuller understanding of who He is as their God and King. He is the Almighty Lord of the winds and the waves, and when He is present with us in our lifeboat, we can trust Him to either calm the storm or calm us.
A crucial lesson remains to be explored. When Peter jumps out of the boat, his heart is full of good intentions. Sometimes we take a leap of faith with similarly good intentions, but, like Peter’s, our faith soon falters. Peter’s exercise of faith does not end in failure. Although he is sinking in fear, he calls out to the Lord, “Save me!” God loves to hear our cry for help. It means we know we can’t save ourselves. Peter helplessly cries out to the only one who can help him. The disciple’s experience reminds us that a lapse of faith is merely a stumble. The Lord is near to raise us back safely to our feet when we call to Him for help.
Honesty is truthfulness
An honest person has the habit of making accurate, trustworthy statements about life, self, others and God. An honest person represents himself just as he is and tells others the truth about themselves. Honesty is not “expressing everything that goes through your mind.” That’s transparency, and a person can be honest without being transparent. However, no one can be consistently honest without a commitment to the truth. Honesty will, at times, hurt someone’s feelings, but that does not mean that dishonesty is preferable.
Dishonesty is reproved in Scripture.
God does not accept a person who “practices deceit”
(Psalm 101:7), and Jeremiah 9:5
says of a wicked society,
“Everyone deceives his neighbor, and
no one speaks the TRUTH;
they have taught their tongue
to speak lies;
they weary themselves committing
iniquity.”
Speaking the TRUTH, or honesty,
is a MARK of
healthy human interaction.
A person who knows the truth but (for whatever reason)
says differently is a liar.
The Bible emphasizes the importance of making true statements about God.
To purposely misrepresent God is a serious offense.
A liar is defined, first and foremost, as someone
who denies that Jesus is the Christ
(1 John 2:22)
“Trusting in lies” is consistent with forgetting God
(Jeremiah 13:25).
And those who claim
to know
God but contradict Him,
add to His
words, or refuse to follow
or accept His
commands are also called liars
(1 John 2:4; 5:10; Proverbs 30:6).
Honesty as a character quality is a sign of the Spirit’s work in a person’s soul. God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18); therefore, His presence in a person gives rise to truthfulness. God’s people are honest.
Humankind is not naturally honest (Psalm 116:11). Dishonesty has worldly rewards–lying can often bring financial gain, power, or temporary satisfaction. But the rewards come at a price. Dishonesty leads to more and more wickedness (Proverbs 17:4). Lying to fulfill worldly desires ultimately results in the loss of everything a person has, including his life. Hell’s inhabitants will include “all liars” (Revelation 21:8). “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).
While it is sometimes tempting to lie, misrepresent ourselves, or downplay uncomfortable truths in an effort to avoid conflict, dishonesty is never good for relationships. Speaking dishonest words in order to avoid conflict is flattery (Psalm 12:2). Again, at times honesty will hurt the feelings of others. It’s inevitable. Remember the words of the wise: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6). A friend is willing to wound with the truth; sweet words, if lies, are the enemies of our soul.
That said, honesty should always be accompanied by gentleness. An honest person is motivated by love, not by an obsession with relaying accurate information (Proverbs 19:22). Above all, the honest person is concerned with telling the truth about God and fostering the spiritual growth of other people (Ephesians 4:29). Those who follow Jesus, the Truth (John 14:6), will speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Jesus spoke this during His famous Sermon the Mount. So what did He mean by “pure in heart?”
The Greek word for “pure” in Matthew 5:8 is katharos. It means to be “clean, blameless, unstained from guilt.” Interestingly, the word can refer specifically to that which is purified by fire or by pruning. John the Baptist told people that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11). Malachi speaks of the Messiah as being like a “refiner’s fire” (Malachi 3:2). Jesus refers to believers as being the branches and to Himself as being the vine (John 15:1-17). For a vine to produce fruit, it must be pruned.
Those who
are truly “PURE,” then,
are those
who have been declared
innocent
because of the work of Jesus
and who
are being sanctified by His
refining
fire and His pruning
The Greek word for “heart”
in Matthew 5:8 is kardeeah.
This can be
applied to the physical heart.
But it also refers to
the spiritual center of life.
It is where thoughts, desires,
sense of purpose,
will, understanding, and character
reside.
So, to be PURE in HEART
means
to be blameless in who
we actually are.
Being pure in heart involves having a singleness of heart toward God. A pure heart has no hypocrisy, no guile, no hidden motives. The pure heart is marked by transparency and an uncompromising desire to please God in all things. It is more than an external purity of behavior; it is an internal purity of soul.
The only way we can be truly pure in heart is to give our lives to Jesus and ask Him to do the cleansing work. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” God is the one who makes our hearts pure – by the sacrifice of His Son and through His sanctifying work in our lives (see also 1 John 3:1-3).
Actively hiding, disguising, or keeping a mistake or sin hidden rather than correcting it is referred to as a “cover-up.” The church should not be involved in cover-ups. Anyone with knowledge of abuse or who suspects abuse is morally obligated to act on such information. In many cases, there is also a legal obligation to report the abuse to the proper authorities. State laws clearly define abuse and detail when, how, and to whom to report it. Churches and Christian ministries are required to follow state laws in this matter (Romans 13:1–7).
Beyond the legal requirement is the moral requirement to deal with incidents of abuse. When abuse is suspected in a church or Christian ministry, the organization should carefully and thoroughly investigate the matter. The goal should be to discover truth and seek justice—not to prioritize reputation. Cover-ups seek to evade consequences while ignoring the harm caused by an incident. Covering up abuse is sinful because it perpetuates wrong, exalts what God hates, and ignores state law. In the long run, covering up abuse will have far worse consequences than dealing with the truth immediately.
Any professing Christian individual or organization who participates in a cover-up of abuse, as legally defined, is guilty of sin. To identify oneself with the Lord while enabling sin violates the command not to take His name in vain. Denying victims justice through crafty deflections is a rejection of the Lord’s will (Isaiah 10:1–2; Mark 7:9–13). Such actions lead to people blaspheming the Lord (Romans 2:23–24). God’s people are called to protect the weak and vulnerable, not exploit them (see Exodus 22:22). God hates any attempt to use good things as a cover-up for sin and evil (Proverbs 21:27; 1 Peter 2:16).
Those who participate in a cover-up often claim good intentions. A common excuse for creating these smokescreens is guarding the faith-based group’s reputation. By covering up one person’s sin, the organization reasons it can continue proclaiming the gospel or doing other good work. This thinking is misguided. Christians are called to protect the weak and hurting (Proverbs 22:22; 31:8–9) and should be committed to the truth.
Another rationalization for cover-ups is the idea that grace and forgiveness should trump correction. But true repentance never dispenses with justice. Biblical commands to rebuke, correct, or excommunicate some people provide the very means by which heinous sin is to be resolved (1 Corinthians 5:9–13; 1 Timothy 5:20). Dodging the consequences of abuse is done at the cost of those who have been harmed (Proverbs 19:5).
Confronting abuse can be painful. But few things interfere with evangelism more than professing Christians using deceptive, cynical schemes to protect their reputation (2 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 3:17). Most attempted cover-ups will be found out in this life. And those who think God will look the other way are sorely mistaken (Psalm 10:11–15). God is aware and cannot be fooled (Matthew 12:36; Hebrews 4:13). Jesus pointedly warned hypocritical religious leaders that their secret actions would be uncovered (Luke 12:2–3).
Secret sins will eventually be exposed (Numbers 32:23; Proverbs 26:26; Ecclesiastes 12:14). Once discovered, cover-ups will always make the church or group look worse. It is better to be criticized while repenting of sin than to protect one’s reputation while lying (Proverbs 16:8; 28:6). Never should we allow sin to continue and victims to suffer.
Cover-ups erode trust in everything an organization says. Abuse involves a violation of trust; a cover-up only magnifies that violation and worsens the scandal. After a cover-up of abuse is discovered, whatever moral statements the person, church, or organization makes are rightly seen as hypocritical, even if they are biblically correct. It would be foolish to assume leaders who enabled or hid abuse in a church should be trusted to suddenly “do the right thing” after they have been caught.
A good way to prevent cover-ups
is to establish
a clear sense of accountability.
This applies to individuals and to organizations.
Transparency and integrity
are important standards to uphold
to prevent abuse
from happening in the first place
(2 Corinthians 8:20–22).
Nothing enables abuse within the church more than leaders who sense they are not truly accountable. The Bible holds leaders to high standards (1 Timothy 3:1–13; James 3:1), and they are to be called to account if they fail (see Galatians 2:11–13; Proverbs 27:5). Believers are to carefully compare all things—including the words and actions of leaders—to God’s truth, regardless of who those leaders are (Proverbs 18:17; Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1; Ephesians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; 5:21).
If abuse does happen, the only acceptable remedy is truthful humility. Care for the victim is paramount—far more important than preserving the reputation of the abuser. Ideally, victims of abuse should feel empowered to speak up. This needs to be part of a church’s fundamental culture. Those guilty of abuse, whoever they are, should be confronted. In a church situation, they should undergo proper church discipline (Matthew 18:15–20); in all situations, they should also be referred to the proper legal authorities (Romans 13:1–5). Care and restitution for victims must be important parts of the process.
Abuse is a clear violation of God’s will. Both abuse and cover-ups are twisted opposites of God’s command for Christians to be known for their love toward others (John 13:35). There is nothing loving about disguising sin or failing to address it with integrity.
Morals are our definitions of right and wrong: the lines separating good behavior from evil behavior. Morals are not an explanation of how things necessarily are, but a description of how things ought to be. This implies a level of obligation. Labelling something “moral” means we ought to actively pursue it, while something “immoral” ought to be actively avoided. When we call something “moral,” we associate it with concepts such as “good,” “right,” “proper,” “honorable,” or “ethical.” The nature of morality also means that the arrangement of those moral lines—the way in which those concepts are arrayed—is itself a moral imperative, since that which is “not moral” is to be actively opposed.
Truth
is our definition
of reality:
the lines separating what is real from what is not real. Truth is an explanation of how things really are, not how we wish they were or even how they ought to be. When we refer to “truth,” we evoke concepts such as “actual,” “real,” “factual,” “genuine,” or “existing.” The nature of truth means that which is untrue, or false, either does not exist or cannot happen. Truth is its own imperative: a person can either accept it or reject it, but it cannot be altered by opinions.
On the surface, morality and truth seem to occupy separate spheres. Truth describes what “is,” and morality describes what “ought to be.” Speaking of “moral truth” implies a combination of those two ideas. A moral truthwould be right and good, as well as actual and real. Of course, since “what is” and “what ought” are not necessarily identical, the question arises whether “moral truth” can exist in a meaningful way, and what it would look like.
As it turns out, understanding morality requires a similar approach as any other set of facts: it is either objective or subjective. Objective morality—also labelled “absolute morality”—implies something fixed according to an unchanging perspective. Objective moral principles are linked to an unmoving, universal point of reference. Subjective morals—also called “relativism”—are linked to some changing, shifting, or preference-based perspective.
One problem with “subjective morality” is that it quickly becomes a contradiction in terms. If the lines defining what is right and wrong can be moved, then the purpose of morals itself is lost. One could conceivably call the same choice, in the same situation, either “moral” or “immoral” according to different points of reference. That in itself defeats the purpose of morality. Practical decisions might be entirely reversed, in that case. That subjective morality is self-contradictory implies actual morality is tied to something objective. That is, it is more rational to say that “moral truth” exists than to say that it does not.
Ultimately, the only reasonable basis for moral truth is God. An un-created, unchanging, perfect standard would fit the definitions of both truth and morality, simultaneously. Any basis for comparison or judgment eventually relies on an assumed “absolute” standard. Whether the concept is that which “is” or that which “ought to be,” the only reasonable basis is God. This means that which God calls “good” is the standard of morality: that is “moral truth.”
Among the most universal beliefs across all humanity is the concept of “good versus evil.” Every culture in every era has held to some version of this struggle. The definitions of the terms good and evil vary wildly, as do opinions on how they interact. Still, belief in some difference between that which is “good” and that which is “evil” pervades all of mankind. When all options and ideas are compared, only the Bible provides a perspective on good and evil that is fully coherent and fully livable (Psalm 25:6–15).
According to the Bible, “good versus evil” is not a matter of opinion. Nor is it an evenly matched struggle between two beings or forces. Scripture does not indicate that the boundaries of good and evil change. Nor does it claim the conflict between them will last forever. Of special importance is that the Bible does not suggest some people are good, while other people are evil.
Rather, the Bible teaches that good and evil are defined in reference to a perfect and unchanging God. Every person must grapple individually with the presence and temptations of evil. Scripture notes that all evil, without exception, will ultimately be punished and defeated. And it tells us there is an ultimate standard of goodness to which we should aspire—a standard grounded in a person, rather than a theory.
Good and Evil Are Objectively Distinct
According to the Bible, there is a real difference between good and evil. Some worldviews claim all moral distinctions are based purely on preference. Atheism, for instance, allows no objective basis for defining anything as “good” or “evil.” In a godless universe, there are only things a person prefers and things a person does not prefer. This is a key reason why philosophies embracing atheism always tend toward violence and tyranny: there is no sense of higher authority and no reason to moderate the whims of those in power.
The idea that defining good and evil depends on preferences or situations is commonly called moral relativism. Scripture rejects this idea as false. The Bible defines some things as “good” and other things as “evil” (Isaiah 5:20; Romans 12:9). This dichotomy is reflected in the consistent use of themes such as light versus darkness (Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16; John 1:5; Ephesians 5:8). The ultimate fate of all people depends on whether they are aligned with a good God or opposed to Him (1 Corinthians 6:9–11; Revelation 21:8).
Discerning between good and evil is possible only in reference to a single, unchanging standard: the perfect nature of God. God is not subject to morality, since He is the source and benchmark for it. Nor is morality subject to change, since God’s perfect nature is eternal and unchanging. Counters such as Euthyphro’s dilemmafail, since they do not distinguish between an eternal, unchanging God and the fickle deities of ancient Greek religion.
Good and Evil Are Not Balanced
A frequent component of fiction and fantasy is the idea that good and evil are equally balanced, evenly matched forces. According to this view, neither is ultimately in control. Either may eventually win. This is the concept of dualism, which suggests a perpetual balance between the forces of good and evil. In some cases, dualism implies that opposing beings, such as God and Satan, are deadlocked in a struggle for control and power.
Some worldviews teach that all good and evil will eventually be balanced. This is related to Eastern ideas such as karma, which implies that good and evil are inherently imbalanced but will one day be evened out.
Scripture rejects dualism as false. The Bible indicates that God is absolutely supreme and in no danger whatsoever of being defeated (Job 42:2; Psalm 89:8; Galatians 6:7). What Satan does, he is “allowed” to do, but he cannot act to overpower God (Job 1:12; Revelation 9:1; 20:7). Biblically, evil is destined only for defeat and destruction. Not one single act of evil will escape judgment; every sin will either be paid for by Christ on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21) or by those who reject Christ (John 3:36) as they experience an eternity in hell (Revelation 20:11–15).
Good and Evil Are Not External
Evidence that humanity holds to a basic concept of good versus evil is obvious (Romans 1:18–20). This explains why moral reasoning—separating “what is” from “what ought to be”—is a universal facet of humanity. Of course, that does not mean all people hold the same views on good and evil. We are not examining morality from the outside, as neutral observers; all moral discussions by definition involve the person(s) who discuss them, as well.
A unique aspect of the Bible’s teaching on good and evil is that all people, without exception, are subject to sin and evil (Romans 3:10; 3:23). The biblical concept of a sin nature means that the line between good and evil cannot be drawn between people. Rather, it is drawn within every person. This fact of human nature is critical to understand (Matthew 15:19–20). As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn famously said, “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
In simpler language, C.S. Lewis noted, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you” (see Matthew 6:14–15).
One truth found in the gospel is that all people, without exception, are sinners in need of a Savior. Biblical Christianity does not see good versus evil as a battle to be fought on earth (John 18:36), an issue to resolve by revenge or retribution (Romans 12:20–21), or a philosophical position to be considered. The Bible says every person is created for a good purpose (Genesis 1:27; Galatians 3:28) but suffers from an evil heart (Romans 7:15–25), which can only be remedied by faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Redemption is available to anyone (Matthew 7:7–8; Revelation 22:15), regardless of his past or the depth of his sin (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).
Good versus Evil Requires “Right Judgment”
Another key aspect of the Bible’s teaching on “good versus evil” is that no person is infallible, even on spiritual matters. Those who are guided by the Holy Spirit are better equipped to judge spiritual matters (1 Corinthians 2:14), and they ought to do so. Scripture is clear that all people are subject to sin, and it is just as clear that all people are subject to correction (Hebrews 12:5–11), learning (2 Timothy 2:15), and limitations (1 Samuel 16:7).
In Matthew 7 Jesus gives an extensive explanation of how to properly discern between good and evil: to “judge” in the correct way; that is, to use “right judgment” (John 7:24). The Bible commends examination (Acts 17:11), commands putting things to the test (1 John 4:1), and promotes accountability (1 Peter 3:15) and a commitment to truth (Galatians 1:8–9).
Scripture does not imply that “good versus evil” is a simplistic, binary concept. Since only God is ultimately perfect, the Bible allows for a “good versus better” spectrum. God called His initial creation “good” (Genesis 1:24), then after more creating called it “very good” (Genesis 1:28). Some of the good things God has given us have more than one use, and not all uses are automatically good or evil (1 Timothy 4:4). The biblical understanding of good versus evil does not imply that all things are either perfectly holy or wholly satanic. Rather, there can be good and bad aspects of many of the freedoms God gives us (1 Corinthians 6:12). Likewise, while all sin leads to separation from God, Scripture does speak of some sins as being more heinous than others.
The Bible acknowledges that not every moment in human experience will come with a clear, black-and-white moral answer. Scripture focuses only on the most important points we need to know, not every imaginable scenario (John 21:25). This means even the most sincere, Bible-believing, born-again Christians might disagree on an ethical question (1 Corinthians 10:23–33). The Bible’s answer—when the issue is not covered overtly in God’s Word (1 Corinthians 5:6)—is for tolerance and patience (Titus 3:9). We’re given a conscience for a reason (Romans 14:23).
Truth is objective; for any given opinion or interpretation, someone is right, and someone is wrong. But human beings lack the moral perfection of God; this is reflected in the Bible’s teaching on good versus evil and our role in applying good judgment.
Scripture encourages believers not to apply terms like good, evil, sin, and so forth to issues where there is room for doubt (Romans 14:1–12). Contrary to what some think, the Bible admits that human beings might not always be correct in our moral judgments. We are not to avoid all judgment (John 7:24), but the Bible teaches us to carefully consider when and how we judge (Ephesians 5:10).
Good versus Evil Demands a Response
The Bible’s teaching on good versus evil leads to a challenging conclusion: that every person is obligated to make a fundamental choice between the two. That choice is entirely determined by our response to God, who is both the definition of good and our Creator. Moment by moment, that means either following His will or rebelling and choosing to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). Eternally, this means we either choose to accept Him and His salvation (John 3:16; 14:6) or align ourselves against Him (John 3:36). While we may be imperfect and fallible, we cannot be neutral in our approach to good versus evil. Our hearts are either seeking the goodness of God (Matthew 7:7–8; Romans 2:4) or the selfishness of evil (1 Peter 3:10–12).
When we say that God is just, we mean that He is perfectly righteous in His treatment of His creatures. God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34), He commands against the mistreatment of others (Zechariah 7:10), and He perfectly executes vengeance against the oppressors (2 Thessalonians 1:6; Romans 12:19). God is just in meting out rewards: “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10). He is equally just in meting out punishments: “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism” (Colossians 3:25). Justice and righteousness, which always work hand in hand, are the foundation of God’s throne (Psalm 89:14).
Justice is important to us. Imagine that Adolph Hitler had been found alive, hiding in Germany, and was brought before a judge. His crimes took nine hours to read, but, at the end, the judge said, “I see what you’ve done. Millions murdered. But I think you’ve learned your lesson so I’m gonna let you go.” He banged the gavel and cried, “Not guilty!” What rises in our hearts when we consider such a scenario? That emotion is outrage at injustice. We know the verdict is not just, and it feels intolerable to us. Evil requires an equivalent punishment. We inherited that sense of justice from our Creator, because He is just.
Every truth in the universe is God’s truth. Every mathematical formula and every scientific law can trace its roots to the character of God. Human knowledge is only a discovery of the truth that already exists. God has hidden nuggets of wisdom in our universe for us to find the way a child finds eggs on Easter. Justice is one such truth that doesn’t have a beginning or an explanation. If we were merely evolved bits of pond scum, justice wouldn’t make sense. Humans would have no rights, no inner moral code, no desire for the eternal. But, because we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), we have His heart in matters of morality, courage, love, and justice. He is the complete embodiment of traits we only possess in part. He is complete love (1 John 4:16). He is complete goodness (Psalm 106:1). He is complete kindness (Psalm 25:10). And He is complete justice (Isaiah 61:8).
When Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3), justice could not overlook it. Their crime does not seem so great to us who wear Adam’s skin. But consider it from heaven’s viewpoint. The great Lord God Almighty, unchallenged Ruler of everything, Lord of angel armies, worthy of all adoration and worship had been defied by the dust He had formed into people. He had made these creatures for His own purpose and pleasure. He showered love and bounty on them. But He also gave them free will. So He showed them their options and told them the consequences.
“Please don’t,” He said, and the pleading in His voice warned them of what He knew would result if they did not obey. “We will do as we please,” they responded, and at that moment the creature committed high treason against the Creator. Justice demanded action. For God to overlook or excuse the treason would not be just. Because God is just, He cannot make a rule, establish the penalty, and then not follow through when the rule is broken. Because God is also love, He had a way to satisfy justice without destroying human beings. Justice required the death penalty for high treason, so something or someone had to die. A substitute was brought in to satisfy the demands of justice. A beautiful, flawless animal was killed instead (Genesis 3:21).
Thousands of years later, justice was satisfied once and for all as God sent His own Son into the world to be our substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21). “Please don’t,” He has cried throughout the ages. “We will do as we please,” we have responded. God cannot merely overlook our high treason against Him, or He would not be perfectly just. He cannot retract His love, despite our rebellion, or He would not be perfect love. So Jesus became the Lamb (John 1:29) that God sacrificed on the altar of justice. Christ “died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
Because justice has been satisfied, God pronounces “not guilty” upon all those who are in Christ (Romans 3:24), those who call on His name (John 1:12). Justice now insists that, once a sin has been paid for, it cannot be brought up again. When our sins are under the blood of His sacrifice, God holds them against us no more (Romans 8:1; Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 43:25). God remains just; He is not violating His own code of justice by pardoning those who deserve its consequences. Salvation IS a just consequence because God has pronounced Jesus’ death and resurrection sufficient to satisfy His wrath. The curse of the Law that we justly deserved has been taken by Jesus on the cross (Galatians 3:13).
God is just, and His justice is an indispensable part of His character in the same way that His love and mercy are indispensable. Without His justice, sin would run unchecked. Evil would win. There would be no reward for obedience. We could not respect a god who was not just. Micah 6:8 summarizes the top three qualities God wants to see reflected in us: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Dictionaries define righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness. The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness.
Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24).
Justice is a major theme in Scripture, which contains many calls for justice and commands to worship God for His justice. Justice has to do with conduct in relation to others. Just behavior accords with what is morally right and fair. Justice is the quality of doing what is right.
The Justice of God
God is just (Deuteronomy 32:4). The justice of God can be defined as “that essential and infinite attribute which makes his nature and his ways the perfect embodiment of equity, and constitutes him the model and the guardian of equity throughout the universe” (ATS Bible Dictionary, 1859).
God’s rule over the universe
is grounded in
justice and righteousness
(Psalm 89:14)
There is never a time when God has been unjust; it is against His unchanging nature to be anything but perfectly just. “The King is mighty, he loves justice—you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right” (Psalm 99:4).
“The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9, NKJV). Adam and Eve saw the justice of God when they were punished for their sin in the Garden. Even in that judgment, however, they experienced mercy, as “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). God’s justice requires Him to deal with sin. Scripture records many instances of God’s justice meted out for mankind’s rebellion: the flood of Noah’s day, the plagues in Egypt, the destruction of Ahab and Jezebel’s house, and the Babylonian Captivity, just to name a few.
The justice of God is also demonstrated at the cross. As Jesus was crucified, the sins of the world were laid on Him (Isaiah 53:4–5), and Jesus’ death became the propitiation, or the satisfaction, of God’s justice: “God put [Christ] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness” (Romans 3:25). God could not just ignore sin; justice requires a penalty. To our eternal benefit, that penalty for sin fell on Jesus Christ: “It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
Of course, it was also at the cross where God’s mercy and love were on full display. “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8, NLT). The cross is the intersection of God’s justice and mercy; God’s justice was meted out in full (upon Christ), and God’s mercy was extended in full (to all who believe). He is truly “a just God and a Savior” (Isaiah 45:21, NKJV).
The Mandate for Justice Because God is just, He demands that mankind, created in His image, also display justice (Micah 6:8). Before Israel had a king, God ensured that His people had justice, as the whole book of Judges attests. Deborah the prophetess set up court beneath a palm tree (Judges 4:5), and Samuel presided over a circuit court, traveling from place to place to hear cases and administer justice (1 Samuel 7:16). Later, the king became the nation’s chief justice.
Scripture is full of commands that humans act justly. This includes acting on behalf of those whose rights are being denied and those who are powerless to defend themselves:
• “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause” (Isaiah 1:17, ESV).
• “Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place” (Jeremiah 22:3, ESV).
• “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:3–4).
God’s desire for justice extends to crime prevention and the punishment of evildoers:
• “For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong” (Isaiah 61:8, ESV).
• “When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers” (Proverbs 21:15, ESV).
• “Whoever says to the wicked, ‘You are in the right,’ will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them” (Proverbs 24:24–25, ESV).
The Mosaic Law specifically forbade unjust weights and measures (Leviticus 19:35–36) and condemned the taking of bribes (Exodus 23:8). God places a special responsibility on judges and other authorities to provide justice, warning them in Psalm 82 that they will themselves face judgment. Every human tribunal is under God’s order to do what is right:
• “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:15, ESV).
• “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another” (Zechariah 7:9, ESV).
• “Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God” (Deuteronomy 1:17).
• “In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor” (Exodus 23:6, NLT).
• “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow” (Deuteronomy 16:20).
Justice is linked to a right relationship with God, and those who know God will act justly:
• “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Proverbs 29:7).
• “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely” (Proverbs 28:5, ESV).
• “The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice” (Proverbs 17:23).
• “Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!” (Psalm 106:3, ESV).
Man’s Injustice
We live in a world of injustice. Because of the fall of mankind and the sinful nature we inherited from Adam, we all tend toward what is morally wrong instead of toward what is morally right. The result is that we live amid partiality and unfairness, and, even as we honor the concept of justice, we see many examples of the corruption of justice.
Isaiah the prophet decried the state of Jerusalem in his day, as the city “once was full of justice;
righteousness used to dwell in her--
but now murderers!
Your silver has become dross,
your choice wine is diluted with water.
Your rulers are rebels,
partners with thieves;
they all love bribes
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them” (Isaiah 1:21–23).
And Isaiah continues, “Justice is far from us. . . . We look for justice, but find none. . . . Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance. . . . The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice” (Isaiah 59:9, 11, 14–15).
As the world drifts further from God, justice becomes a rarer commodity. When sin is redefined as a virtue, and righteousness becomes offensive, then justice is twisted, the wicked go unpunished, and innocent people are victimized.
God Will Bring Justice
Believers look forward to the day when the Lord returns and establishes true justice on the earth. Whatever the injustice in this world, God has promised, “I will repay” (Romans 12:19). A world pining for justice will finally see it administered when the King of Righteousness comes:
• “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; cf. Psalm 62:12).
• “With righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked” (Isaiah 11:4).
• “Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness” (Psalm 96:13).
• “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war” (Revelation 19:11).
• “Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 32:19).
The Lord has promised to return and set things right. Truth will win in the end. In the meantime, we wait, and we do not lose hope: “The Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18, ESV). And we praise Him for His justice: “I will thank the LORD because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High” (Psalm 7:17, NLT).
The Greek New Testament word for “righteousness” primarily describes conduct in relation to others, especially with regards to the rights of others in business, in legal matters, and beginning with relationship to God. It is contrasted with wickedness, the conduct of the one who, out of gross self-centeredness, neither reveres God nor respects man. The Bible describes the righteous person as just or right, holding to God and trusting in Him (Psalm 33:18–22).
The bad news is that true and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is an amazing truth. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
This means that we are made righteous in the sight of God; that is, that we are accepted as righteous and treated as righteous by God on account of what the Lord Jesus has done. He was made sin; we are made righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was treated as if He were a sinner, though He was perfectly holy and pure, and we are treated as if we were righteous, though we are defiled and depraved. On account of what the Lord Jesus has endured on our behalf, we are treated as if we had entirely fulfilled the Law of God and had never become exposed to its penalty. We have received this precious gift of righteousness from the God of all mercy and grace. To Him be the glory!
Yes, the statement “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is biblical. It comes from Matthew 7:12, often called the Golden Rule. In that verse, Jesus gives a timeless principle: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
The conventional phrasing of the Golden Rule is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Different Bible translations might word the command a bit differently, but it remains a basic ethical principle for Christians:
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you” (NLT).
“Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (ESV).
“In everything . . . treat people the same way you want them to treat you” (NASB1995).
“Treat others as you want them to treat you” (CEV).
Jesus’ statement is in the context of a lesson about loving our enemies. Jesus took the conventional quid pro quo method of treating people and turned it on its head (see Matthew 5:38–48). Rather than doing to others what they have done to us or giving them what they may deserve, we are to treat them the way we want them to treat us.
Jesus said the rule that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us “sums up the Law and the Prophets,” and that means the Golden Rule has always been basic to the Bible’s message. Jesus simply crystalized the message into a notable precept. Later in Matthew, when asked to identify the greatest commandment, Jesus responded, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40).
The night of His arrest, Jesus said to His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35). One way to show love is to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
Doing unto others as you would have them do to you recognizes that humans often prioritize their own interests. By laying down this maxim, Jesus compels us to step beyond our little world and look out for others. The command to “do unto others” encapsulates God’s commandments toward people. It’s not about individual preferences (“I like chocolate ice cream, so I’ll buy it for others”) but about godly virtues (“I want to be treated kindly, so I’ll treat others kindly”). The Golden Rule encourages obedience to God and fosters empathy for others.
It is worth noting that the “do unto others” rule is a principle for life, not a means of salvation. If viewed as the latter, it becomes a burdensome task that cannot be accomplished. God’s perfect standard can only be met in Christ, the Perfect Man. Only when we trust in Christ do we have both the freedom and the power to carry out the Golden Rule.
Christians
are to be a people of order and discipline,
of righteousness and justice.
We are to be dynamic examples
of love and peace
so that others may be won
to Christ
and be saved for eternity
(Matthew 5:14–16).
Part of living as examples
of Christ before the watching world
is showing respect to others.
Is it really necessary to serve God? What is the purpose of changing our priorities to accomplish tasks that God could honestly do better and more quickly without us? Peter addresses the importance of serving God in 1 Peter 4:10-11: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” Peter makes it clear that we have received our gifts from God for two purposes— to serve others and to bring praise to God. Serving isn’t about us receiving attention or glory; it is for Him to receive glory.
How does God receive glory when we serve? The transforming power of Jesus Christ is on display in the lives of those who have traded selfishness for selflessness. Peter says believers should recognize that we are speaking and serving directly on behalf of God to others, while He gives the ability and strength for us to do so. And when we direct glory towards Him instead of accepting it for ourselves, we stand out from the crowd of those who glorify only themselves. And that difference in our lives causes people to examine the life-changing nature of a relationship with Jesus Christ. It validates our faith in front of others.
The fact that we should serve God is obvious in Scripture (see Luke 4:8). Why we should want to serve God is a more difficult question. Every Christian asked might have a different reason for serving God; different people are motivated by different things. However, the Bible does make clear that, when a person is in a real relationship with God, he will serve God. We should want to serve God because we know Him; an inherent part of knowing Him is a desire to serve Him.
It’s always been God’s intention to make us like His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). When we look at Jesus’ life, there’s no denying that He was a servant. Jesus’ entire life was centered on serving God—by teaching, healing, and proclaiming the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23). He came not “to be served but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). Then, on the night of His arrest, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, leaving them with a final teaching to serve one another: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (see John 13:12–17). So, if Jesus is all about serving, and God wants to make us like Him, then it’s pretty obvious that we should be all about serving as well.
Genuine service cannot be separated from love. We can go through the motions of serving God, but if our hearts are not in it we’re missing the point. First Corinthians 13 makes it clear that, unless our service is rooted in love, it’s meaningless. Serving God out of a sense of obligation or duty, apart from love for God, is not what He desires. Rather, serving God should be our natural, love-filled response to Him who loved us first (see 1 John 4:9–11).
The apostle Paul is a great example of how having a relationship with God through Christ results in a life of service. Prior to his conversion, Paul persecuted and killed believers, thinking he was serving God. But after he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, he immediately devoted the rest of his life to truly serving God by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Acts 9:20). Paul describes this transformation in 1 Timothy 1:12–14: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Once Paul became aware of the love and grace that God had given him, his response was to serve God.
The Bible offers several motivations for our service. We want to serve God because “we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28), because our service supplies “the needs of the Lord’s people” (2 Corinthians 9:12), because our service proves our faith and causes others to praise God (2 Corinthians 9:13), and because God sees and rewards our labor of love (Hebrews 6:10). Each of these is a good reason to serve God.
We can give away only what we’ve first received. The reason we can love and serve God is that He first loved and served us through Jesus Christ. The more we are aware of and experience God’s love in our own lives, the more prone we are to respond in love by serving Him. If you want to want to serve God, the key is to get to know Him! Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal more of God to you (John 16:13). When we truly know God, who is love (1 John 4:8), our natural response is a desire to love and serve Him in return.
f by “excuse” we mean that because of our ignorance God will overlook our wrongs, then there are no adequate excuses for sin. Sin is any thought, word, or deed committed by human beings that is contrary to the perfection of God. When Adam and Eve were first created, they did nothing that was contrary to the perfection of God (Genesis 1:27–31). They were created in a perfect state and remained flawless until they gave in to temptation (Genesis 3:6–7). It could be argued that, having never seen death, they were somewhat ignorant about the severity of sin’s consequences. But that did not excuse their sin.
When God gave His Law to the Israelites, He included special instructions about sacrifices when a person, or the entire nation, sinned in ignorance (Hebrews 9:7). Leviticus 4 outlines God’s provision for those who sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Numbers 15:22–29 restates this provision and gives details about the special sacrifices required to obtain forgiveness from the Lord when someone sinned in ignorance. Leviticus 5:17 makes it clear: “If someone sins and violates any of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is still guilty and shall bear his punishment.” Ignorance did not excuse sin; sins the Israelites committed in ignorance still required an atoning sacrifice.
Although ignorance does not excuse sin, it can mitigate the punishment. The Law’s punishment for unintentional sin was significantly lighter than that for deliberate rebellion or blasphemy. Jesus reiterated this principle in Luke 12:47–48: “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (emphasis added).
We must learn to take sin as seriously as God does. One reason for all the sacrifices and continual purification rituals in the Old Testament was to show the people how far they were from God’s holiness. The purpose of negative consequences is to teach us to see sin the way God does and hate it as He does (Psalm 31:6; Proverbs 29:27). When we commit a sin in ignorance, God brings consequences to help us learn. Once we know better, He expects us to do better. We do the same with our children. Simply because a four-year-old had not been specifically told not to squish the bananas in the store does not mean Mom is fine with it. There will be consequences, even if he can claim ignorance of that specific rule, and he will be told clearly that squishing bananas will not be tolerated again. Of course, his consequences the first time may not be as severe as they are likely to be if Mom catches him squishing more bananas after being instructed not to.
Most claims of ignorance fall flat, however. Romans 1:20 says that there is no excuse for not believing in God’s existence: the invisible qualities of God are “clearly seen” in creation. Micah 6:8 also counters our claims of ignorance: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” If ignorance does not excuse sin, then feigned ignorance is even worse.
God is a Father, and He loves His children (Romans 8:15). He does not delight in punishing us but in conforming us into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). He does not tolerate excuses, including the excuse of ignorance; rather, He gives us opportunities to learn from our consequences so that we make better choices. He knows what each of us has been given and holds us responsible for what we do with it (Matthew 13:11–12; Acts 17:30). We’ve all committed sins in ignorance, but God does not leave us ignorant (1 Peter 1:14). He has given us His Word to show us how to live, and He expects us to apply it to our lives and seek holiness, “without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Ignorance is the lack of knowledge or understanding. Ignorant people are either unaware or uninformed. Sometimes we are ignorant because we did not know there was a need to learn something. Other times, we are ignorant because we have chosen not to learn something we need to know. In Hosea 4:6, the Lord says, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you.” Willfully rejecting knowledge that God wants us to have is sinful ignorance. While unintentional ignorance about earthly topics is understandable, intentional ignorance about spiritual matters can lead to eternal destruction (Romans 1:18–23).
The Bible makes a distinction between ignorance and innocence. We don’t have to be ignorant of the fact of sin; in fact, we can be highly informed about sin yet remain innocent of it. But we should all be ignorant about the practice of evil. Ephesians 5:11–12 says, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” In Matthew 10:16, Jesus warned us, “I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
To effectively fight the spiritual battle, we must know something of how our enemy functions. Believers are encouraged to forgive each other, “so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11, ESV). Ignorance about what the devil is up to—and ignorance of the damage done by unforgiveness—is dangerous to our spiritual health. One of Satan’s basic tactics is to keep people ignorant: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Ignorant people are easy prey for those with wicked schemes (Psalm 1:1–2; Proverbs 7:6–7, 21–23).
God says that idolatry springs from spiritual ignorance: “Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save” (Isaiah 45:20). Ignorance of the true God is unjustifiable, because the knowledge of God’s existence and power is available all around us (Romans 1:18–23). People who substitute false gods instead of pursuing the real God are sinfully ignorant.
Hebrews 5:2 says that Jesus is “able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray since he himself is subject to weakness.” God has great patience, even with the ignorant. Even when we are willfully ignorant, He gives us a multitude of opportunities to learn (2 Peter 3:9). Paul said that God showed him mercy because, before Jesus saved him, he had “acted in ignorance and unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13; Acts 3:17).
God commands us to repent of our ignorance and seek Him with all our hearts (Acts 17:30; Jeremiah 29:13). The opposite of spiritual ignorance is wisdom, and we are told to seek wisdom above all things (Proverbs 3:13–18). Fortunately, wisdom is readily accessible; the book of Proverbs personifies wisdom as a noble lady who is calling out to all publicly: “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it” (Proverbs 8:4–5). Every time the Bible commands us to “listen” or to “hear,” God is giving us a chance to trade ignorance for His Wisdom.
People have difficulty reconciling God’s goodness, mercy, and love with His wrath. They ask, “How can a loving God justify sending innocent or ignorant people, or anyone for that matter, to suffer in hell for all eternity?” In Romans 1:18–32, the apostle Paul builds a case to prove that God’s anger toward sin and “all sinful, wicked people” is justified because they have knowingly suppressed the truth of His existence (verse 18, NLT). No one can claim innocence or ignorance for failing to honor and worship God: “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” (verse 20).
Paul asserts that all people have the opportunity to “know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them” (Romans 1:19, NLT). God has revealed Himself with such breathtaking clarity through the visible world He created that people have no excuse for not knowing Him or believing in Him. They only have themselves to blame for rejecting the God of creation.
In Romans 1:21–25, Paul describes how some people get a glimpse of the truth but then do not allow it to work in their lives. They suppress it in order to live by their own “truth,” following their own human ideas, which seem better and less convicting. As a result, they descend into darkness, confusion, and rebellion against God.
The psalmist affirms that these people are without excuse:
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun”
(Psalm 19:1–4, NLT)
One commentary underlines the idea that people suppress the truth or “hold the truth imprisoned” by their own unrighteousness (Barrett, C. K., The Epistle to the Romans, rev. ed., Black’s New Testament Commentary, Continuum, 1991, p. 32). People can’t see what is as plain as day, and, therefore, Paul stresses his burning urgency to preach the gospel (Romans 1:1–9, 16–17).
While godless people think they can keep the truth at bay, God has chosen what seems foolish to the world—the foolish preaching of the message of the cross—to become God’s power and wisdom to spread the truth and save those who believe in Him (1 Corinthians 1:18–31).
You and I are created in God’s image to be like Him (Genesis 1:26–27; 5:1–3; 9:6; James 3:9) because in God’s heart is a desire to be in fellowship with us (see Genesis 5:24, NLT; see also; John 15:14–15; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Colossians 1:21–22; 1 John 1:3; 5:20). What could be more loving, good, and merciful than to create us ideally suited for a relationship with Himself? God wants us to know Him. He has set eternity in the human heart. He has given us a sense of longing or knowing that there is more to this life so that people are without excuse for not knowing Him (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Because God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), His constant attitude toward us is one of love. Even His wrath against sin is an expression of His love. It’s important to understand that human wrath and God’s wrath are not the same. The human concept of wrath is contaminated or skewed by sin. God’s anger is not like ours. His wrath flows from a perfectly sinless, holy, righteous nature. God wants us to be saved and delivered from the wrath of sin. All who recognize Jesus Christ’s sacrifice—that He suffered God’s wrath on the cross in our place—will never experience the final outpouring of His wrath (see 1 Thessalonians 5:9).
Since people are without excuse, God cannot be considered unjust. An analogy would be the example of a parent who unfairly punishes his child for not doing something even though he never told his son to do it. But what if the child was given bold instructions written on the family chalkboard, text messages throughout the day, and even reminders from Alexa to “take out the garbage.” This son has no excuse. In the same way, people are without excuse when they suppress God’s revelation of Himself.
A widow is a woman whose husband has died. Often in Scripture, when widows are referred to, it appears to carry the idea of a woman whose husband has died who also has no one to provide for her. Thus, widows are often grouped with vulnerable members of society such as the fatherless, aliens, and the poor (Deuteronomy 14:29; 16:11; 24:20; 26:12). The Bible says widows are to be treated with honor and compassion and offered protection so that no one takes advantage of them.
In ancient times, the primary purpose of women in marriage was to produce children and heirs to carry on the family line. A childless widow endured double adversity, with no husband to provide for and protect her, and no son to carry on the family name and care for her in her old age. She might have been considered a disgrace to her family and left in a precarious position.
God recognized the widow’s plight and rose to her defense: “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling” (Psalm 68:5). A person who denied justice to a widow was cursed by God: “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow” (Deuteronomy 27:19). Laws and special provisions were put in place to safeguard widows against neglect and abuse.
At harvest time, widows could glean in the fields of grain and gather leftover grapes and olives: “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands”
(Deuteronomy 24:19).
The primary Old Testament law that protected widows from poverty and cruel treatment was that of the levirate marriage. The purpose of the law was to ensure that a man who died before producing a son might still be guaranteed a male heir. The unmarried brother of the widow’s husband would take the widow as his wife and perform “the levirate duty.” The first son born to the widow was regarded as the legal descendant of her deceased husband. The law of levirate marriage is illustrated in the stories of Tamar and Onan and of Ruth and Boaz.
In the New Testament, widows are also given special consideration. Proper religious work, according to God, involves caring for widows and orphans: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their ill-treatment of widows (Mark 12:40).
God has deep compassion for those who are left alone, and the church is to demonstrate that same compassion. In 1 Timothy 5, the apostle Paul gives a detailed outline of how the church and individual families are to care for widows.
According to Paul, a widow who received financial and material support from the church had to meet certain qualifications. First and foremost, the widow had to be truly in need and completely alone in the world: “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God” (1 Timothy 5:4).
It is the duty and obligation of families to care for their aging and needy family members. Christian children and grandchildren have a special privilege and opportunity to put their faith in action by giving back love and support to their parents and grandparents, and especially to widows who are alone.
Today’s Western societies, where independence takes precedence over family relationships, have lost sight of the value of God’s purpose for creating extended families. But among God’s people, families ought to be the primary source of support for widows.
Paul goes on to give guidelines for a widow to be eligible to receive the church’s support. Besides having no one to take care of her, she ought to be a woman of prayer, a dedicated servant of the Lord, more than sixty years of age, faithful to her husband when he was alive, and committed to good deeds like caring for children, showing hospitality, and serving God’s people (1 Timothy 5:9–10). Apparently, in order to receive charity in the early Christian church, eligible widows were enrolled on a list (verse 11). The age designation was likely because sixty was considered the age of retirement in the first century, and these women were probably past the age of remarrying. Younger widows were more likely to remarry; in fact, Paul counsels them to do so (verse 14).
Since God honors widows and treats them with compassion, believers should do the same:
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause
of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow”
(Isaiah 1:17).
The Gospels of
Mark and Luke both relay
an incident
involving a widow’s gift to God.
She didn’t give
much—just two mites--
or did she?
The story is often called the story of the widow’s mite or the story of the widow’s offering. One day, Jesus was sitting with His disciples near the temple treasury watching people depositing money into the offering receptacles. The court of women held thirteen such receptacles, and people could cast their money in as they walked by. Jesus watched as the rich were contributing large sums of money, but then along came a widow with two small coins in her hand. The ESV calls them “two small copper coins, which make a penny” (Mark 12:41). The KJV calls the coins “mites.” These were the smallest denomination of coins. The widow put her coins into the box, and Jesus called His disciples to Him and pointed out her action: “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43–44; cf. Luke 21:1–4).
There are several things that the story of the widow’s mite teaches us. First, God sees what man overlooks. The big gifts in the temple were surely noticed by people; that’s probably what the disciples were watching. But Jesus saw what no one else did: He saw the humble gift of a poor widow. This was the gift that Jesus thought worthy of comment; this was the gift that the disciples needed to be aware of. The other gifts in the treasury that day made a lot of noise as they jingled into the receptacles, but the widow’s mites were heard in heaven.
Second, God’s evaluation is different from man’s. The widow’s two mites added up to a penny, according to man’s tabulation. But Jesus said that she had given more than anyone else that day (Mark 12:43). How could this be, when “many rich people threw in large amounts” (Mark 12:41)? The difference is one of proportion. The rich were giving large sums, but they still retained their fortunes; the widow “put in everything—all she had to live on” (Mark 12:44). Hers was a true sacrifice; the rich had not begun to give to the level of her sacrifice.
Third, God commends giving in faith. Here was a woman in need of receiving charity, yet she had a heart to give. Even though the amount was negligible—what could a widow’s mite buy?—she gave it in faith that God could use it. The widow’s faith is also evident in the fact that she gave the last of her money. Like the widow of Zarephath, who gave her last meal to Elijah (see 1 Kings 17:7–16), the widow in the temple gave away her last means of self-support. Does that mean the widow left the temple completely destitute, went home, and died of starvation? No. The Bible teaches that God provides for our needs (Matthew 6:25–34). We don’t know the details of this particular widow’s future, but we can be certain that she was provided for. Just as God provided for the widow and her son in Elijah’s day (1 Kings 17:15–16), God also provided for the widow in Jesus’ day.
It is interesting that, just before Jesus commented on the widow’s mite, He commented on the scribes “who devour widows’ houses” (Mark 12:40). The religious officials of the day, instead of helping the widows in need, were perfectly content to rob them of their livelihood and inheritance. The system was corrupt, and the darkness of the scribes’ greed makes the widow’s sacrifice shine even more brightly. “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7), and He is faithful to take care of His own.
The story of David and Bathsheba is one of the most dramatic accounts in the Old Testament. One night in Jerusalem, King David was walking upon his rooftop when he spotted a beautiful woman bathing nearby (2 Samuel 11:2). David asked his servants about her and was told she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:39). Despite her marital status, David summoned Bathsheba to the palace, and they slept together.
Bathsheba later discovered she was pregnant (2 Samuel 11:5), and she informed David. The king’s reaction was to attempt to hide his sin. David commanded Uriah to report back to him from the battlefield. Bathsheba’s husband dutifully answered David’s summons, and David sent him home, hoping that Uriah would sleep with Bathsheba and thus provide a cover for the pregnancy. Instead of obeying David’s orders, Uriah slept in the quarters of the palace servants, refusing to enjoy a respite with Bathsheba while his men on the battlefield were still in harm’s way (2 Samuel 11:9–11). Uriah did the same thing the next night as well, showing integrity in sharp contrast to David’s lack thereof.
It became apparent that David and Bathsheba’s adultery could not be covered up that way. David enacted a second, more sinister plan: he commanded his military leader, Joab, to place Uriah on the front lines of battle and then to purposefully fall back from him, leaving Uriah exposed to enemy attack. Joab followed the directive, and Uriah was killed in battle. After her time of mourning, Bathsheba married David and gave birth to a son. “But,” 2 Samuel 11:27 notes, “the thing David had done displeased the LORD.”
When David and Bathsheba’s child was born, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to confront David. Nathan used a parable: a rich man took a poor man’s only sheep and killed it, even though he had many flocks of his own. David, a former shepherd, was so angered by this story, which he thought was true, that he responded, “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).
Nathan then pointed to David and uttered the chilling words, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). David was the one guilty of this sin, and judgment would be upon his house in the form of ongoing violence. David repented (see Psalm 51), and Nathan said, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die” (2 Samuel 12:13–14). The child did die a week later, and David’s household experienced further hardship in later years. In total, four of David’s sons suffered untimely deaths—the “four times over” judgment David had pronounced upon himself.
In the account of David and Bathsheba, we find many lessons. First, secret sin will be found out. Second, God will forgive anyone who repents. Third, sin’s consequences remain even when the sin is forgiven. Fourth, God can work even in difficult situations. In fact, David and Bathsheba’s next son, Solomon, became the heir to the throne. Even in bad situations, God has a plan that serves His sovereign purpose.
Proverbs 31:25
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Titus 2:7
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,
1 Timothy 2:1-4
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Matthew 7:12
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Genesis 9:5-6
And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
1 John 3:17
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
Romans 5:8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 13:16
Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
Luke 6:36
Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder.
Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 8:32
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Mark 2:16
And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
What is truth?
A Proposed Definition of Truth
In defining truth, it is first helpful to note what truth is not:
• Truth is not simply whatever works. This is the philosophy of pragmatism—an ends-vs.-means-type approach. In reality, lies can appear to “work,” but they are still lies and not the truth.
• Truth is not simply what is coherent or understandable. A group of people can get together and form a conspiracy based on a set of falsehoods where they all agree to tell the same false story, but it does not make their presentation true.
• Truth is not what makes people feel good. Unfortunately, bad news can be true.
• Truth is not what the majority says is true. Fifty-one percent of a group can reach a wrong conclusion.
• Truth is not what is comprehensive. A lengthy, detailed presentation can still result in a false conclusion.
• Truth is not defined by what is intended. Good intentions can still be wrong.
• Truth is not how we know; truth is what we know.
• Truth is not simply what is believed. A lie believed is still a lie.
• Truth is not what is publicly proved. A truth can be privately known (for example, the location of buried treasure).
The Greek word for “truth” is aletheia, which refers to “divine revelation” and is related to a word that literally means “what can’t be hidden.” It conveys the thought that truth is always there, always open and available for all to see, with nothing being hidden or obscured. The Hebrew word for “truth” is emeth, which means “firmness,” “constancy” and “duration.” Such a definition implies an everlasting substance and something that can be relied upon.
From a philosophical perspective, there are three simple ways to define truth:
1. Truth is that which corresponds to reality.
2. Truth is that which matches its object.
3. Truth is simply telling it like it is.
First, truth corresponds to reality or “what is.” It is real. Truth is also correspondent in nature. In other words, it matches its object and is known by its referent. For example, a teacher facing a class may say, “Now the only exit to this room is on the right.” For the class that may be facing the teacher, the exit door may be on their left, but it’s absolutely true that the door, for the professor, is on the right.
Truth also matches its object. It may be absolutely true that a certain person may need so many milligrams of a certain medication, but another person may need more or less of the same medication to produce the desired effect. This is not relative truth, but just an example of how truth must match its object. It would be wrong (and potentially dangerous) for a patient to request that their doctor give them an inappropriate amount of a particular medication, or to say that any medicine for their specific ailment will do.
In short, truth is simply telling it like it is; it is the way things really are, and any other viewpoint is wrong. A foundational principle of philosophy is being able to discern between truth and error, or as Thomas Aquinas observed, "It is the task of the philosopher to make distinctions" (quoted by Drewlo, E. F., in Thoughtful Adaptations to Change: Authentic Christian Faith in Postmodern Times, Friesen Press, 2017, p. 155).
Challenges to Truth
Aquinas’ words are not very popular today. Making distinctions seems to be out of fashion in a postmodern era of relativism. It is acceptable today to say, “This is true,” as long as it is not followed by, “and therefore that is false.” This is especially observable in matters of faith and religion where every belief system is supposed to be on equal footing where truth is concerned.
There are a number of philosophies and worldviews that challenge the concept of truth, yet, when each is critically examined it turns out to be self-defeating in nature.
The philosophy of relativism says that all truth is relative and that there is no such thing as absolute truth. But one has to ask: is the claim “all truth is relative” a relative truth or an absolute truth? If it is a relative truth, then it really is meaningless; how do we know when and where it applies? If it is an absolute truth, then absolute truth exists. Moreover, the relativist betrays his own position when he states that the position of the absolutist is wrong—why can’t those who say absolute truth exists be correct too? In essence, when the relativist says, “There is no truth,” he is asking you not to believe him, and the best thing to do is follow his advice.
Those who follow the philosophy of skepticism simply doubt all truth. But is the skeptic skeptical of skepticism; does he doubt his own truth claim? If so, then why pay attention to skepticism? If not, then we can be sure of at least one thing (in other words, absolute truth exists)—skepticism, which, ironically, becomes absolute truth in that case. The agnostic says you can’t know the truth. Yet the mindset is self-defeating because it claims to know at least one truth: that you can’t know truth.
The disciples of postmodernism simply affirm no particular truth. The patron saint of postmodernism—Frederick Nietzsche—described truth like this: “What then is truth? A mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms … truths are illusions … coins which have lost their pictures and now matter only as metal, no longer as coins” (from On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense, quoted by Mann, D., in Structural Idealism: A Theory of Social and Historical Explanation, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2002, p. 138). Ironically, although the postmodernist holds coins in his hand that are now “mere metal,” he affirms at least one absolute truth: the truth that no truth should be affirmed. Like the other worldviews, postmodernism is self-defeating and cannot stand up under its own claim.
A popular worldview is pluralism, which says that all truth claims are equally valid. Of course, this is impossible. Can two claims—one that says a woman is now pregnant and another that says she is not now pregnant—both be true at the same time? Pluralism unravels at the feet of the law of non-contradiction, which says that something cannot be both “A” and “Non-A” at the same time and in the same sense. As one philosopher quipped, anyone who believes that the law of non-contradiction is not true (and, by default, pluralism is true) should be beaten and burned until they admit that to be beaten and burned is not the same thing as to not be beaten and burned (Avicenna, Metaphysics I, quoted by John Duns Scotus, Philosophical Writings, Wolter, A., trans., Bobbs-Merrill, 1962, p. 10). Also, note that pluralism says that it is true and anything opposed to it is false, which is a claim that denies its own foundational tenet.
The spirit behind pluralism is an open-armed attitude of tolerance. However, pluralism confuses the idea of everyone having equal value with every truth claim being equally valid. More simply, all people may be equal, but not all truth claims are. Pluralism fails to understand the difference between opinion and truth, a distinction Mortimer Adler notes, “Pluralism is desirable and tolerable only in those areas that are matters of taste rather than matters of truth” insert (Truth in Religion: The Plurality of Religions and the Unity of Truth, Macmillan, 1990, p. 4).
The Offensive Nature of Truth
When the concept of truth is maligned, it is usually for one or more of the following reasons:
One common complaint against anyone claiming to have absolute truth in matters of faith and religion is that such a stance is “narrow-minded.” However, the critic fails to understand that, by nature, truth is narrow. Is a math teacher narrow-minded for holding to the belief that 2 + 2 only equals 4?
Another objection to truth is that it is arrogant to claim that someone is right and another person is wrong. However, returning to the above example with mathematics, is it arrogant for a math teacher to insist on only one right answer to an arithmetic problem? Or is it arrogant for a locksmith to state that only one key will open a locked door?
A third charge against those holding to absolute truth in matters of faith and religion is that such a position excludes people, rather than being inclusive. But such a complaint fails to understand that truth, by nature, excludes its opposite. All answers other than 4 are excluded from the reality of what 2 + 2 truly equals.
Yet another protest against truth is that it is offensive and divisive to claim one has the truth. Instead, the critic argues, all that matters is sincerity. The problem with this position is that truth is immune to sincerity, belief, and desire. It doesn’t matter how much one sincerely believes a wrong key will fit a door; the key still won’t go in and the lock won’t be opened. Truth is also unaffected by sincerity. Someone who picks up a bottle of poison and sincerely believes it is lemonade will still suffer the unfortunate effects of the poison. Finally, truth is impervious to desire. A person may strongly desire that their car has not run out of gas, but if the gauge says the tank is empty and the car will not run any farther, then no desire in the world will miraculously cause the car to keep going.
Some will admit that absolute truth exists, but then claim such a stance is only valid in the area of science and not in matters of faith and religion. This is a philosophy called logical positivism, which was popularized by philosophers such as David Hume and A. J. Ayer. In essence, such people state that truth claims must either be (1) tautologies (for example, all bachelors are unmarried men) or (2) empirically verifiable (that is, testable via science). To the logical positivist, all talk about God is nonsense.
Those who hold to the notion that only science can make truth claims fail to recognize is that there are many realms of truth where science is impotent. For example:
• Science cannot prove the disciplines of mathematics and logic because it presupposes them.
• Science cannot prove metaphysical truths such as, minds other than my own do exist.
• Science is unable to provide truth in the areas of morals and ethics. You cannot use science, for example, to prove the Nazis were evil.
• Science is incapable of stating truths about aesthetic positions such as the beauty of a sunrise.
• Lastly, when anyone makes the statement “science is the only source of objective truth,” they have just made a philosophical claim—which cannot be tested by science.
And there are those who say that absolute truth does not apply in the area of morality. Yet the response to the question, “Is it moral to torture and murder an innocent child?” is absolute and universal: No. Or, to make it more personal, those who espouse relative truth concerning morals always seem to want their spouse to be absolutely faithful to them.
Why Truth Is Important
Why is it so important to understand and embrace the concept of absolute truth in all areas of life (including faith and religion)? Simply because life has consequences for being wrong. Giving someone the wrong amount of a medication can kill them; having an investment manager make the wrong monetary decisions can impoverish a family; boarding the wrong plane will take you where you do not wish to go; and dealing with an unfaithful marriage partner can result in the destruction of a family and, potentially, disease. Nowhere are the consequences more important than in the area of faith and religion. Eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong.
God and Truth
During the six trials of Jesus, the contrast between the truth (righteousness) and lies (unrighteousness) was unmistakable. There stood Jesus, the Truth, being judged by those whose every action was bathed in lies. The Jewish leaders broke nearly every law designed to protect a defendant from wrongful conviction. They fervently worked to find any testimony that would incriminate Jesus, and in their frustration, they turned to false evidence brought forward by liars. But even that could not help them reach their goal. So they broke another law and forced Jesus to implicate Himself.
Once in front of Pilate, the Jewish leaders lied again. They convicted Jesus of blasphemy, but since they knew that wouldn’t be enough to coax Pilate to kill Jesus, they claimed Jesus was challenging Caesar and was breaking Roman law by encouraging the crowds to not pay taxes. Pilate quickly detected their superficial deception, and he never even addressed the charge.
Jesus the Righteous was being judged by the unrighteous. The sad fact is that the latter always persecutes the former. It’s why Cain killed Abel. The link between truth and righteousness and between falsehood and unrighteousness is demonstrated by a number of examples in the New Testament:
• For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11–12, emphasis added).
• “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18, emphasis added).
• “who will render to each person according to his deeds; to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation” (Romans 2:6–8, emphasis added).
• “[love] does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:5–6, emphasis added).
What Is Truth? - Conclusion
The question Pontius Pilate asked centuries ago needs to be rephrased in order to be completely accurate. The Roman governor’s remark “What is truth?” overlooks the fact that many things can have truth, but only one thing can actually be the Truth. Truth must originate from somewhere.
The stark reality is that Pilate was looking directly at the Origin of all Truth on that early morning almost two thousand years ago. Not long before being arrested and brought to the governor, Jesus had made the simple statement “I am the truth” (John 14:6), which was a rather incredible statement. How could a mere man be the truth? He couldn’t be, unless He was more than a man, which is actually what He claimed to be. The fact is, Jesus’ claim was validated when He rose from the dead (Romans 1:4).
There’s a story about a man who lived in Paris who had a stranger from the country come see him. Wanting to show the stranger the magnificence of Paris, he took him to the Louvre to see the great art and then to a concert at a majestic symphony hall to hear a great symphony orchestra play. At the end of the day, the stranger from the country commented that he didn’t particularly like either the art or the music. To which his host replied, “They aren’t on trial, you are.” Pilate and the Jewish leaders thought they were judging Christ, when, in reality, they were the ones being judged. Moreover, the One they convicted will actually serve as their Judge one day, as He will for all who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
Almost two thousand years ago, Truth was put on trial and judged by people who were devoted to lies. In fact, Truth faced six trials in less than one full day, three of which were religious, and three that were legal. In the end, few people involved in those events could answer the question, “What is truth?”
After being arrested, the Truth was first led to a man named Annas, a corrupt former high priest of the Jews. Annas broke numerous Jewish laws during the trial, including holding the trial in his house, trying to induce self-accusations against the defendant, and striking the defendant, who had been convicted of nothing at the time. After Annas, the Truth was led to the reigning high priest, Caiaphas, who happened to be Annas’s son-in-law. Before Caiaphas and the Jewish Sanhedrin, many false witnesses came forward to speak against the Truth, yet nothing could be proved and no evidence of wrongdoing could be found. Caiaphas broke no fewer than seven laws while trying to convict the Truth: (1) the trial was held in secret; (2) it was carried out at night; (3) it involved bribery; (4) the defendant had no one present to make a defense for Him; (5) the requirement of 2-3 witnesses could not be met; (6) they used self-incriminating testimony against the defendant; (7) they carried out the death penalty against the defendant the same day. All these actions were prohibited by Jewish law. Regardless, Caiaphas declared the Truth guilty because the Truth claimed to be God in the flesh, something Caiaphas called blasphemy.
When morning came, the third trial of the Truth took place, with the result that the Jewish Sanhedrin pronounced the Truth should die. However, the Jewish council had no legal right to carry out the death penalty, so they were forced to bring the Truth to the Roman governor at the time, a man named Pontius Pilate. Pilate was appointed by Tiberius as the fifth prefect of Judea and served in that capacity A.D. 26 to 36. The procurator had power of life and death and could reverse capital sentences passed by the Sanhedrin. As the Truth stood before Pilate, more lies were brought against Him. His enemies said, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King” (Luke 23:2). This was a lie, as the Truth had told everyone to pay their taxes (Matthew 22:21) and never spoke of Himself as a challenge to Caesar.
After this, a very interesting conversation between the Truth and Pilate took place. “Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?’ Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’ Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’” (John 18:33–38).
Is it important provide input and have oversight of major financial matters? Yes. Can a church appoint a single person, such as a treasurer or senior pastor, to be in charge of all the finances? While this method lacks accountability, we do not have a clear biblical prohibition, so the answer still has to be “yes.”
Far more important than the who of church finances is the how. How are the church finances being managed? If a church’s finances are being managed with honesty, integrity, good stewardship, and transparency, then, ultimately, it does not matter who has the financial oversight. A committee can misuse finances just as surely as an individual can. A church should be extremely careful regarding the person or persons to whom it gives control of the finances. The qualifications of “not a lover of money” and “manages his own household well” (1 Timothy 3:3-5) should definitely apply.
Whoever the person or persons are, accountability is crucial. The manner in which a church manages its finances should be completely transparent. A church should always be ready to demonstrate that the funds God has provided are being stewarded wisely. Financial scandals have destroyed or damaged countless churches. And, in most of those cases, there has been a lack of accountability and transparency. Keeping receipts on every staple and paperclip may be a little too much, but a church definitely should keep records on how much is spent on salaries, benefits, utilities, maintenance, etc. A congregation should be able to have utmost confidence in their leaders’ abilities to steward the church’s finances wisely. May the words of the Master motivate and guide us, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).
To “abuse” is to use something or someone to bad effect or for a bad purpose, especially regularly or repeatedly. Spiritual abuse happens when a spiritual authority, such as a cult leader or abusive pastor, seeks to control individuals and ensure obedience. Spiritual abuse is closely associated with spiritual manipulation and is notGod’s plan for promoting spiritual growth.
A spiritually abusive group might claim that they are God’s sole channel of communication and that they alone can rightly interpret God’s Word. They might claim that salvation depends upon belonging to their church and that, since God speaks through them alone, there can be no further discussion on what the leaders say. Or the leaders might point to God’s blessing on their work—proved by increased baptisms, perhaps—and push members to contribute more generously to their expansion programs. Pushing for more money, promising that God will repay, and piling on guilt can be signs of covert abuse.
Abusive groups also place great emphasis on performance-related works—attending every meeting; volunteering to help at local, regional, and national events; and devoting required minimum amounts of time to proselytizing. Members are constantly reminded that the end of this wicked system of things is imminent and so there is very little time left to spread the “good news.” Everyone must do more in the advancement of “God’s work.” The dedication of each member is tracked and measured by the amount of time, effort, and money he or she gives to the cause. If an individual’s efforts begin to slip below expectations, it will be noticed.
Spiritual abuse can occur when church or cult leaders misuse Scripture to bolster their own authority and keep their members under their thumb. For example, a spiritual authority may use Hebrews 13:17 (“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority”) to demand blind loyalty and unthinking obedience. A leader might say, “God has given me authority over you; thus, to disobey me is to disobey God.” If members grow uneasy and think about leaving, all the leader has to do is say, “If you leave this group, you will never go to heaven, because only we have the truth.” This type of manipulation is appalling, but it occurs more often than one might think. Our loyalty is due Christ, the Head of the church (Ephesians 1:22), not a particular organization, church, or leader.
Cults and abusive churches pre-emptively insulate members from any information critical of the group. Members are taught early on to be skeptical of any negative report about the group and that the biased media only lies about them. These “lies” are identified as a form of persecution, which “proves” they must be the one true religion. So, for example, if journalists report on leaders who have been found guilty of child abuse, the organization simply tells its members they cannot believe anything the newspapers say about them—it’s all lies and smears. If simple denial doesn’t work, they move on to rationalization and wishful thinking. Spiritually abusive leaders can become so adept at thought and information control that those under their sway will actually defend their new identity over their former identity.
The more committed to the abusive church a person becomes, the more isolated he becomes from non-members, and the more he fears punishment if he tries to leave. Some people, after a lifetime of emotional investment in a religious group, simply do not know how they could survive if they left. They have no friends other than their fellow church members. They may have cut off contact with family members. They probably have no interests (social or intellectual) outside of their group. Such is their fear of being ostracized that many stay put, keeping their misgivings to themselves.
Jonestown survivor Deborah Layton wrote, “When our own thoughts are forbidden, when our questions are not allowed and our doubts are punished, when contacts and friendships outside of the organization are censored, we are being abused for an end that never justifies its means. When our heart aches knowing we have made friendships and secret attachments that will be forever forbidden if we leave, we are in danger. When we consider staying in a group because we cannot bear the loss, disappointment and sorrow our leaving will cause for ourselves and those we have come to love, we are in a cult” (Seductive Poison. New York: Anchor Books, 1998, page 299).
Peter warned us that “there will be false teachers among you” (2 Peter 2:1). As he described these false teachers, Peter points to their propensity to abuse their followers: “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories” (verse 3), or as the KJV puts it, “They [shall] with feigned words make merchandise of you.” Those who would attempt to use the Word of God to take advantage of the church are greedy liars, and they will bring divine retribution upon themselves: “Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping” (verse 3).
Jesus’ yoke is easy, and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). Those who claim to speak for Jesus today should not be placing heavier burdens on people than Jesus would.
A pastor is to be a shepherd. Shepherds who abuse the flock can expect severe punishment when the Lord returns: “He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. . . . From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:46–48). With privilege comes responsibility, and those spiritual wolves who abuse their authority will have to answer to God for the harm they have done.
Hacking is an unauthorized intrusion into a computer or a network. Hackers illegally bypass a computer’s security features in order to accomplish a goal that differs from the original purpose of the system. Many technologically savvy students become hackers and use hacking as a form of 21st-century vandalism. They like the challenge of seeing if it can be done. Other hackers have more insidious motives, using their hacking skills to steal money, alter transportation systems, and learn government secrets. Since computers were unheard of in Bible times, does the Bible say anything that applies to hacking?
Hacking is a digital form of breaking and entering. Instead of invading a home or business, hackers invade computer systems. Computers store private data, vital statistics, and sensitive information, so it is a gross violation of privacy and decency to hack into someone’s computer. It is also a violation of the Golden Rule, which says, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you” (Matthew 7:12). We all have areas of our lives that are not open to public scrutiny. Since we would not want our privacy invaded, we should never invade the privacy of someone else.
Hacking also violates God’s command against theft (Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 19:11). Hackers often steal personal information and use it for their own selfish reasons. Except in those cases when hacking is initiated by law enforcement in the pursuit of justice, hacking is not defensible. Hacking is rarely done for the good of the one being hacked. Hacking violates the principle of Philippians 2:3, which says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” If we valued others above ourselves, we would never hack into their computer systems.
There are times when hacking may be necessary to save lives or property. Sometimes only hackers can catch other hackers, so law enforcement utilizes the hacking skills of technologically gifted people to stop hackers with evil intent. Hackers that infiltrate banks, government agencies, or credit card companies must be stopped before millions of dollars of damage has been done. National safety can also be compromised when hackers have infiltrated top secret files. However, hackers willing to use their skills for the good of others can figure out how and where the infiltration occurred and stop it in its tracks. When the skills required for hacking are used to protect and serve, then society is benefitted. When they are used for selfish, dishonest purposes, the result is sin.
Reverence is honor and respect that is deeply felt and outwardly demonstrated. Because of the Lord God’s awesome power and majesty, He is deserving of the highest level of reverence (Leviticus 19:30). The Bible records reverence as the automatic response of everyone who encounters the awesome grandeur of the Lord God Almighty (Numbers 20:6; Judges 13:20; 1 Chronicles 21:16).
The idea of reverence for God started with God. In the Old Testament, God taught the Israelites how to show proper reverence by giving them hundreds of laws related to purity, holiness, and worship (Deuteronomy 5). Sinful humanity does not know how to worship a holy God with reverence and awe, so He spelled it out for us. His presence dwelt with Israel in the Ark of the Covenant, and they were not to touch it as a matter of reverence. The Holy of Holies inside the tabernacle also required the highest level of reverence (Leviticus 16:2). Whoever disobeyed God’s command about entering the Holy of Holies died instantly (Leviticus 22:9; Numbers 4:20; 1 Chronicles 13:9–10). The purpose of such strict rules was to define holiness and impress upon mankind the necessity for reverence in the presence the Lord. God is not to be trifled with.
In New Testament Christianity, reverence for God is demonstrated by our willingness to voluntarily die to self and obey His commands (Galatians 2:20; 5:13; James 2:12). Jesus reminded us that we must properly reverence God. He taught the disciples to begin their prayers with “Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9–13). Hallowed means “set apart as holy.” We are to treat the name of God with reverence. It is common to hear people, even professing Christians, use God’s name as an exclamation. OMG is tossed about as though it was of no more significance than the word wow. We may not intend to be irreverent, but when we invoke His name in casual chatter, we are being just that.
Another way we demonstrate reverence for God is by the way we live. Those with a right understanding of God’s nature also understand His wrath. We show reverence by taking seriously His hatred of sin and the coming judgment on those who refuse to repent (Colossians 3:6; Romans 1:18). We pursue holiness because He is holy (1 Peter 1:15–16). Reverent people desire “to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12).
We show reverence for God by learning how to truly worship Him. Jesus said that the Father is seeking people who will learn to worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). True worship is not about our favorite song. It is not confined to an emotional experience and is not synonymous with tingly feelings. True worship is a lifestyle. We worship in spirit when our hearts are abandoned before Lord, willing to obey everything He has said. We worship in truth when our minds are engaged and filled with the biblical understanding of God’s nature. To worship God is to know Him and to serve Him. To worship Him the way He deserves to be worshiped, we must align our hearts with His and seek to obey Him (see Luke 6:46).
Reverence for God is a quality missing in much of what masquerades as Christianity today. Instead of the kind of reverence we see demonstrated throughout the Bible, modern Christianity has adopted a “Jesus-is-my-buddy” attitude that grossly downplays the holiness, power, and righteous wrath of the Sovereign Creator. Reverence does not refer to God as “The Big Guy in the Sky” or “The Man Upstairs.” Once we truly know who God is, we reverence Him in our hearts. Even the thief on the cross, after he realized who Jesus was, rebuked the other thief for his irreverence: “Don’t you fear God?” he said to the other thief; then he turned to Jesus and honored Him as the King (Luke 23:40–42).
Human beings were created to worship God, so reverence is the natural response of a heart that has been transformed by the Holy Spirit. The more we grow in knowledge and understanding, the more reverence we feel toward Him. Proper reverence is not the same as stiff, religious formality. The gift of Jesus to us was God’s invitation to draw near (James 4:8; John 14:9). However, familiarity with God should not breed contempt, but greater reverence
The words impiety and impious appear in the Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible in many of the New Testament Epistles. Other translations render the word for “impiety” as “ungodliness” or “wickedness.” To be pious is to have reverence for God and be devoted to spiritual things, so the opposite of that—to be impious—is to be irreverent or faithless concerning the things of God. When the Bible speaks of ungodliness or wickedness, it is referring to impiety.
Left to himself, man is naturally impious due to his sin nature. From the moment of the fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind has continued to descend into wickedness. Soon after Eden, Cain showed impiety by bringing an unacceptable offering to the Lord and demanding that it be accepted (Genesis 4:5). A few generations later, Lamech showed impiety by killing a man and boasting about it (Genesis 4:23). By Noah’s day, impiety was so extensive that “every intention of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). This is the nature of impiety. Unchecked, it continues to increase until it permeates a society.
Every time that God told the Israelites to keep the Sabbath holy (e.g., Exodus 20:8), He was warning them against impiety. God required piety concerning His name, too: “Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites” (Leviticus 22:32). Psalm 45:7 says that God hates impiety because He loves righteousness. God’s nature is one of perfect holiness; therefore, He cannot abide sin or impious behavior. David describes God’s hatred of sin this way: “You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You” (Psalm 5:4).
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). The Greek word translated “ungodliness” in this verse literally means “impiety,” and it includes all crimes men commit against God and against one another. Impiety is bound up in the violation of all the commands of God, summarized in the greatest commandments, to love God and others (Matthew 22:37–40). As we are all sinners, we are all guilty before God of impiety and deserve His wrath.
Fortunately for impious mankind, God is not just the God of justice and wrath; He is also the God of love and grace. God so loved the world that He provided the means to escape His wrath. Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our impiety. Jesus suffered the wrath of the Father, even though He was perfect and had committed no sin. Christ the pious died for the impious (Romans 5:6), demonstrating God’s love and inviting us to enjoy God’s presence throughout eternity, with no fear of wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Those who accept this sacrifice by faith are declared righteous because God exchanges our sin for the righteousness (piety) of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Saved by grace, we are enabled to deny impiety and to “live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11–12). The lives of those who have escaped God’s wrath through faith in Christ are to be characterized by true piety—reverence and devotion to God. Believers should reject all impiety and anything that is against God’s nature. Christians have the Spirit of God living within them, and His power enables us to live in a godly manner (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).
Voyeurism is sinful for at least two reasons: first, it is invasive and disrespectful to the person being watched. The Bible commands people to treat others with respect, justice, and kindness (Micah 6:8; Zechariah 7:9; Galatians 5:22). Voyeurism is a violation of this command—the voyeur treats other people as objects. Second, voyeurism falls under the category of unlawful or immoral sexual behavior. Lust is on the same level, spiritually, with adultery. When we look at another person with “lustful intent,” we have already committed adultery with him or her in our hearts (Matthew 5:28).
Secretly looking at the nakedness of another person (not one’s spouse) is wrong. Stealing of any kind—even stealing someone’s privacy—is sin. Voyeurism is a work of the flesh and a product of sinful desire. The Bible tells us to choose a different path for our lives: “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14).
All four gospels present an account of Jesus being anointed by a woman with a costly jar of perfume (Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8). Matthew and Mark relate the same event but do not give the woman’s name; Luke tells of a different woman, also anonymous, on an earlier occasion; and, in yet another event, the woman in John is identified as Mary of Bethany (John 11:2), sister to Martha and Lazarus. To understand the significance of Jesus being anointed on these three occasions, we’ll look at each account separately and then compare and contrast them in conclusion.
The anointing of Jesus in Matthew takes place two days before Passover in the town of Bethany at Simon the leper’s home: “Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table” (Matthew 26:6–7, ESV).
Matthew focuses on the anointing of Jesus as a teaching episode for the disciples, who react with anger because of the woman’s wasteful extravagance. But Jesus defends her, saying, “She has done a beautiful thing to me” (Matthew 26:10). Christ explains that the anointing is to prepare His body for burial and that the woman’s act of love will forever be remembered wherever the good news is preached.
Mark tells the same story in similar terms, with an anonymous woman with an alabaster box interrupting a meal in Simon the leper’s home to anoint the head of Jesus with expensive perfume. Again, the woman’s critics describe her gift as excessive, complaining that it could have been sold for more than a year’s wages (Mark 14:5). But Jesus receives the woman’s gift as a selfless act of love and devotion—an appropriate way to honor the Messiah. Jesus reveals that He will not be with them much longer, which references His impending death and burial.
Both Matthew and Mark’s accounts emphasize the prophetic significance of the anointing of Jesus, alluding to His death and burial. There may also be an implication of Jesus’ kingship, since, in the Old Testament, the anointing of the head was often associated with the dedication of kings (1 Samuel 9:15—10:1; 16:12–13; 1 Kings 1:38–40).
In Luke’s account of a similar, yet different, instance, Jesus uses the occasion of being anointed to tell a parable about forgiveness (Luke 7:39–50). About a year before His death, Jesus was dining in the home of Simon the Pharisee, who had arrogantly neglected to extend the customary respect and hospitality to his guest, while a sinful woman anoints Jesus’ feet, lavishing her love and gratefulness upon Jesus.
In John’s gospel, Lazarus’ sister Mary is the woman who anoints Jesus with a high-priced perfume at a dinner in Bethany. The story is similar to those in the other gospels, although this anointing takes place six days before Passover, and Judas is named as the disciple who objects to the “waste.” On this occasion, “Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair”(John 12:3, NLT). Jesus defends Mary from Judas’s criticism by pointing out the unique opportunity Mary had: “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (John 12:8).
Mary’s anointing again points to Christ’s identity as Messiah-King, but it also points to His humble position as Servant-King. When Mary anoints Jesus’ feet and then wipes them with her hair, she foreshadows Jesus’ actions at the upcoming Last Supper when the Lord washes the disciples’ feet and teaches them how to love one another through sacrificial, humble service (John 13:1–20).
In each account, a woman pours out a precious and costly perfume in an extravagant act of worship. The three women who anointed Jesus recognized Christ’s unequaled value and expressed their gratitude with unreserved love and devotion. Two anointings of Jesus happen during the week of Passover and are linked with His imminent death and burial. The earlier anointing, in Luke’s account, is in the middle of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and draws a different lesson on forgiveness and love.
In each case, the woman’s actions signal more than she knows. But, although she may not fully comprehend the messianic significance of her anointing, each woman had come to appreciate Christ’s worth more than anyone else at the table.
Jesus Christ
is
God’s anointed
MESSIAH
The word Messiah means
“anointed one”
and derives directly from the
Hebrew word for “anointed.”
Christ comes from the Greek word Christos,
also
meaning “anointed one.”
Thus, Christ is the
Greek equivalent to Messiah.
When Jesus receives
the Holy Spirit at His baptism,
He is “anointed”
by God in preparation for
His life’s work
(Luke 3:22; cf. Acts 10:38; Luke 4:18).
On three separate occasions,
Jesus is anointed with fragrant ointment
in His work as the Savior,
the King of heaven
who was in preparation to die to save His people.
Exploit
means to take advantage of something
(a person, situation, etc.)
for one's own end,
especially unethically or unjustifiably.
Coercion
involves compelling a party to act in an involuntary manner through the use of threats, including threats to use force against that party.[1][2][need quotation to verify][3] It involves a set of forceful actions which violate the free will of an individual in order to induce a desired response. These actions may include extortion, blackmail, or various immoral behavior
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5AppxmUkQipQdYpIeO7e4g?si=Dxlf1WiLRBKLOHCuGFIokg
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Why do God’s chosen servants so often suffer? This week’s Torah portion gives us two very different answers to that troubling question. Our Torah portion focuses on Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph, the firstborn of his chosen wife, Rachel. It recounts Joseph’s elevation to preeminence both by his father and by God, who gives Joseph prophetic dreams concerning his future leadership of the family.
Throughout his life, Joseph remained consistently faithful to God, and we are repeatedly reminded that the LORD was with him (Gen 39:2-5, 21, 23). Nevertheless, Joseph has become a prime example of unjust suffering: after being sold into slavery by his own brothers, he was slandered and unjustly imprisoned, and then abandoned by those whom he had helped there. In Acts 7, in his trial before the Sanhedrin, Stephen gives Joseph and Moses as two examples of God’s designated redeemers who were rejected by their own people – even as the Messiah Yeshua had been (Acts 7:9, 27, 35, 39, 51-52).
Ultimately God used Joseph, and all of his sufferings, to save his entire family – and the people of Egypt as well – from a deadly, prolonged famine. As Joseph would later say, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good . . . that many people should be kept alive” (Gen 50:20; cf. Gen 45:5-8).
But there is another unsung hero in this story, another “servant of the Lord” who had a very different route to glory.
Judah, the fourth son of Leah and Jacob, usurped the leadership role of Reuben (the firstborn) in selling Joseph into slavery. “Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh’” (Gen 37:26-27). While hypocritically justifying his plan as avoiding bloodshed, in fact Judah was committing his own brother to a fate worse than death – a short, bitter life of harsh manual labor – in order to make a “quick buck.”
Genesis 38 is a surprising interruption in Joseph’s saga; it describes in graphic detail Judah’s slippery slide into moral oblivion. Judah’s character and behavior are in direct contrast to Joseph’s: having sold his brother, he willingly abandons the rest of his family to build a life among the debauched Canaanites. There Judah himself is no stranger to suffering: his first two sons are killed by God for their wickedness.
But Judah himself is no better. He rejects time-honored custom – later enshrined in the Torah (Deut 25:5-10) – by refusing to give his third son in marriage to his widowed daughter-in-law, Tamar, in order to raise up descendants for his own clan. Judah’s selfish pursuit of short-term interests once again threatens the very existence of one of Israel’s tribes! Finally, after unknowingly impregnating his disguised daughter-in-law, Judah is confronted with his own wickedness and hypocrisy and is forced to confess, “She [this Canaanite prostitute!] is more righteous than I” (Gen 38:26).
Genesis 39 returns to the trials and tribulations of Joseph. (We will not see Judah again until he appears before his brother – who has now become the lord of Egypt – to beg for bread.) Judah has rejoined his brothers following the incident with Tamar and he is a changed man. When the need of the family again becomes desperate, it is Judah who offers to be the guarantor for Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother, so that they might return to Egypt to buy more food (Gen 43:8-10). And when Benjamin is caught with the silver cup in his grain bag, it is Judah who offers to take his place as a slave forever to the “lord of Egypt,” so that the young man may return to his bereaved father (Gen 44:18-34). Suffering has transformed Judah, enabling him to acknowledge the wickedness he committed against Joseph and against his father, Jacob, and to become – like Joseph, and like his own ultimate descendant, Yeshua the Messiah – a willing, suffering servant of God for his people’s redemption.
Through Joseph’s story, we learn that God uses unjust suffering to prepare and position his chosen servants to fulfill his good purposes and their exalted destiny. But God also uses suffering to confront and transform the wicked, that they might become willing servants in his redemptive plan.
First Peter 4:15-16 challenges us: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a follower of Messiah, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”
The word Immanuel gets banded around a lot at this time of year due to one of the most startling Messianic prophecies there is:
Therefore, Adonai Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive. When she is giving birth to a son, she will call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
Immanuel, Emmanuel, Emanuel – like Hanukkah, there are several ways to spell it in English, but in Hebrew, it is two words: עִמָּנוּ אֵל – with-us God, or God with us.
This promise to come and be with us does not suddenly appear in Isaiah 7. God’s intention to come and live among us is transcribed throughout Scripture. He has thought this through and planned His visit very well.
Back in the Garden of Eden, God and Adam walked together in the cool of the day. The close fellowship God once had with humanity is something His heart longs for and grieved for when it was lost. God’s love for us and desire to be with us is seen in action as He creates an environment in which sin can be dealt with and fellowship restored:
I will set My Tabernacle among you, and My soul will not abhor you. I will walk among you and will be your God, and you will be My people. (Leviticus 26:11-12)
We see God literally pitching up His tent right in the middle of the camps of Israel, with a fully functioning sin-disposal system in order that He can be among them. He walks with them, accompanying them with a pillar of cloud and fire, and makes His desire for closeness and connection abundantly clear.
But even more than a temporary tent, God had a greater plan:
“‘Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will live among you’—it is a declaration of Adonai. In that day many nations will join themselves to Adonai and they will be My people and I will dwell among you.’ Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me to you. (Zechariah 2:10-11)
It happens again in Isaiah:
Draw near to Me, hear this:
Since the beginning, I have not spoken in secret.
From the time it existed, I was there.
So now Adonai Elohim has sent Me, and His Spirit.” (Isaiah 48:16)
This plan that God would send God to live among us has been in place since the dawn of time. The Eternal One who was there since the beginning has been sent by the LORD and His Spirit. How about that.
This time, it was personal. No longer mere meaningful symbols and prophetic accouterments in a purpose-built temple, God Himself was coming for a visit, and he had been sent by God.
Click here to read more! https://www.oneforisrael.org/.../the-rich-meaning-of.../
Shabbat Shalom
from the Tze’elim Stream located
in the Judean Desert!
Galatians 6:2 states,
“Carry each other’s burdens,
and in this way
you will fulfill the
Law of Christ”
(emphasis added).
What exactly is the law of Christ, and how is it fulfilled by carrying each other’s burdens? While the law of Christ is also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:21, the Bible nowhere specifically defines what precisely is the law of Christ. However, most Bible teachers understand the law of Christ to be what Christ stated were the greatest commandments in Mark 12:28–31, “‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’
The law of Christ, then, is to love God with all of our being and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In Mark 12:32–33, the scribe who asked Jesus the question responds with, “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” In this, Jesus and the scribe agreed that those two commands are the core of the entire Old Testament Law. All of the Old Testament Law can be placed in the category of “loving God” or “loving your neighbor.”
Various New Testament scriptures state that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law, bringing it to completion and conclusion (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23–25; Ephesians 2:15). In place of the Old Testament Law, Christians are to obey the law of Christ. Rather than trying to remember the over 600 individual commandments in the Old Testament Law, Christians are simply to focus on loving God and loving others. If Christians would truly and wholeheartedly obey those two commands, we would be fulfilling everything that God requires of us.
Christ freed us from the bondage of the hundreds of commands in the Old Testament Law and instead calls on us to love. First John 4:7–8 declares, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” First John 5:3 continues, “This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome.”
Some use the fact that we are not under the Old Testament Law as an excuse to sin. The apostle Paul addresses this very issue in Romans. “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:15). For the follower of Christ, the avoidance of sin is to be accomplished out of love for God and love for others. Love is to be our motivation. When we recognize the value of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, our response is to be love, gratitude, and obedience. When we understand the sacrifice Jesus made for us and others, our response is to be to follow His example in expressing love to others. Our motivation for overcoming sin should be love, not a desire to legalistically obey a series of commandments. We are to obey the law of Christ because we love Him, not so that we can check off a list of commands that we successfully obeyed.
In Romans 13, the apostle Paul is teaching believers what it means to live the Christian life of sacrifice. First, he speaks of living in submission to those in authority. Then, shifting to the theme of loving one’s fellow human, Paul makes this declaration: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8). Similarly, in Galatians 5:14, Paul states, “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
The law Paul is talking about in these verses is the Law of Moses, which was given by God to Israel (Exodus 20—40; Leviticus 1–7; 23). The law included the Ten Commandments and all the moral, ceremonial, and civil regulations that governed the life of the people of Israel in their covenant relationship with God. Paul indicates that the entire law can be summed up in one operative word—love. Believers can fulfill every demand of the Mosaic Law by loving others. The only legitimate debt and the one debt Christians can never fully repay is the ongoing obligation to love one another: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Paul illuminates the truth that love is at the core of the law. The love command—“love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18)—is at the heart of the law of Christ: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2; see also 1 Corinthians 9:20–21). James calls the command to love your neighbor as yourself the royal law: “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right” (James 2:8).
The law has always pointed to Jesus Christ: “For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God” (Romans 10:4, NLT). The Law of Moses is something humans are incapable of keeping (Galatians 3:10). We cannot meet the demands of the law in our own power (Galatians 3:24; Romans 8:4; 10:4). Our Savior, the Lord Jesus, fulfilled the law perfectly and provided His righteousness in exchange for our sin (see Matthew 5:17).
By faith we believe and accept that Jesus Christ bore the curse of the law when He died on the cross. And through Him we receive the Holy Spirit, who enables us to keep the divine law of love: “Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:10, NLT). Now, instead of worrying about what we can never do, namely, keeping the law, we are free to yield to the Spirit and allow Him to love through us.
One day when Jesus was teaching the crowds, a Pharisee asked Him, “What is the greatest commandment of the law?” Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40). Christians now satisfy all the demands of the law by loving God first and then loving others.
It is impossible to love God and not love people. God’s heart, His very nature, is love. If the Spirit of God dwells in us, His love will flow through us to others (1 John 3:10, 14, 16; 4:2–20). Our love for God will cause us to see people as God sees them and love them as God does.
Finally, it’s vital to understand what the Scriptures mean by “love” in these verses. Love that fulfills the law is agape love. This love is not based on emotions, but an act of the will. It is self-sacrificing, deliberate, active love. To love someone with God’s love is to promote that person’s best interests—to actively work not to harm but to bring good to that person. This love is directed not only toward fellow believers but to all people, even our enemies. Regardless of our emotional response to another person, agape love will act for his or her good, regardless of the cost. That is the kind of love Scripture speaks of when it says to love your neighbor as yourself. That kind of love is the fulfillment of the law.
The first mention in Scripture of people
calling on the
name of the Lord is
Genesis 4:26: “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.” Here, to call on the name of the Lord means that people began to gather for corporate worship and seeking the help of the Creator. Cain’s family line is contrasted with Seth’s: descendants of Cain began to practice herding (verse 20), music production (verse 21), and metallurgy (verse 22). At the same time, the world was becoming more and more wicked (verses 19 and 23). Seth’s descendants stood out from their corrupt society in that they began to call on the name of the Lord.
When Abram entered Canaan, he camped between Ai and Bethel. There, “he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 12:8). In other words, Abram publicly thanked God, praised His name, and sought His protection and guidance. Years later, Abraham’s son Isaac built an altar to the Lord in Beersheba and also “called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 26:25).
To call on the name of the Lord is to invoke His proper name “in audible and social prayer and praise” (Albert Barnes). To call on the name of the Lord is to approach Him in thanksgiving, worship, and petition, and in so doing proclaim the name of God. To call on the name of the Lord is to pray “in a more public and solemn manner” (Matthew Poole). Those who are children of God will naturally call on the name of the Lord.
Calling on the name of the Lord is basic for salvation and presupposes faith in the Lord. God promises to save those who, in faith, call upon His name: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13; cf. Joel 2:32). Everyone who invokes the name of God for mercy and salvation, by or in the name of Jesus, shall be saved (Acts 2:21). “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12, NLT).
Using a person’s name expresses familiarity and helps connect one person to another. The first thing we do upon meeting someone is to extend a hand and introduce ourselves. This builds familiarity for future interactions. To call upon the name of the Lord is a sign of knowing Him and a way of connecting to Him. There is a difference between knowing about God and knowing Him personally. Calling on the name of the Lord indicates personal interaction and relationship. When we call upon the name of the Lord, as a form of worship, we recognize our dependence upon Him.
What saves a person is not the action, per se, of “calling upon” the name of Jesus; what saves is God’s grace in response to one’s personal faith in the Savior being called upon. Calling on the name of the Lord is more than a verbal expression; it is also shown in the heart and in deed through repentance. “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). “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (Acts 3:19).
Calling on the name of the Lord is to be a lifelong pursuit (Psalm 116:2). God commands us to call on Him in times of trouble (Psalm 50:15). The one who “dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1) and has God’s promise of blessing: “‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him’” (verses 14–15).
Those who refuse to call upon the name of the Lord are also described in Scripture, along with the results of their disobedience: “Will the workers of iniquity never learn? . . . They refuse to call upon the Lord. There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear” (Psalm 14:4–5, BSB).
Even as rebellious or ignorant people neglect to call upon the name of the Lord, He is willing to hear them and accept them. God wants to be found; He is ready to be known: “I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name” (Isaiah 65:1, ESV; cf. Romans 10:20).
In 1 Corinthians 1:2, those who call upon the name of the Lord are identified as believers: “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.” Calling on the name of the Lord is one of the marks of a Christian.
In summary, those who call on the name of the Lord are those who recognize Him as Savior. Whether it is a first-time calling upon Jesus’ name for forgiveness of sins or a continuous calling as the relationship progresses and grows, giving Him lordship over our lives in surrender to His will, calling on the name of the Lord is vital to spiritual life. Ultimately, calling on the name of the Lord is a sign of humility and dependence on God our Creator and Redeemer.
Psalm 118 is one of the Hallel psalms, also called the “Egyptian Hallel,” a short series of psalms (Psalm 113—118) incorporated in the celebration of the Passover. The final psalm is sung in the festive processional as the people enter the temple gates to worship. In Psalm 118:26, the congregation welcomes the vindicated king, singing, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.”
Originally, this psalm depicted Israel’s exodus journey from Egypt to their eventual arrival at Mount Zion. But its celebratory welcoming of the king was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. All four gospels quote Psalm 118:26: “Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, ‘Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!’” (Matthew 21:9, NLT; see also Mark 11:9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13).
The term translated “blessed is” comes from the Hebrew word barukh (literally “to bless”) and is most often used of God. But in Psalm 118:26 it speaks of the king figure who comes in God’s authority. Faithlife Study Bible explains that barukh “describes bestowing someone with special power or declaring Yahweh to be the source of special power. In that regard, it means praising Yahweh for who He is” (Barry, J. D., et al, entry for Psalm 103:1, Lexham Press, 2012, 2016).
With the words, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” the ancient psalm praises God for who He is: “The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine on us” (Psalm 118:27). The blessing also forecasts His future coming as Israel’s Messiah. During passion week, we hear the echo, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” as the people of Christ’s day recognize Jesus as the long-awaited One.
Earlier, when Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, He predicted to the Pharisees, “Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Luke 13:35). Jesus identified Himself as the “stone the builders rejected” (Psalm 118:22; cf. Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17) who would bring salvation to all who prayed to Him, “Save us, Lord!” (Psalm 118:2). Through His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus was the “living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious” (1 Peter 2:4, ESV). He became the chief cornerstone (Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33), “and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame” Romans 10:11; cf. 1 Peter 2:4–8).
Jesus came in the “special power” of Yahweh. He was vested with all the authority of His Father God. Jesus spoke with God’s authority so that “the people were amazed at his teaching” (Mark 1:22). He drove out unclean spirits (Mark 1:21–28, 39; Luke 4:31–37), healed the sick, and forgave people’s sins (Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12; Luke 7:48). Jesus controlled the elements (Matthew 8:23–27), raised the dead to life (John 11:38–44), and cleansed the temple (Mark 11:27–33), all by God’s mandate.
“All authority in heaven and on earth” was given to Jesus by His Father (Matthew 28:18), including the authority “to judge” (John 5:27) and to lay down His life in sacrifice for the sins of the world (John 10:18). God “granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those” God had given to Him (John 17:2).
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” is a declaration of praise and recognition that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world who came in the power and authority of God. “I have come in my Father’s name,” said Jesus (John 5:43). All that Christ did was commissioned by His Father. Everything Jesus said and did was to glorify His Father and accomplish the work of making Him known to humans so that they might be saved (John 17:1–24).
Babylon Bee
WASHINGTON, D.C. --
President-elect Donald Trump
was still several weeks away
from
taking office, but the implementation
of new policies by his
Department of Government Efficiency
had already begun,
as
“Elon on the Shelf"
dolls
were being installed in all congressional offices
to remind
lawmakers to be efficient
In accordance with DOGE's philosophy,
the dolls bearing the image
of
Elon Musk were placed throughout
the Capitol Hill
complex to keep legislators in line and
help them
remember the potential consequences
of wasteful spending.
"Every time I think
about loading up a piece of legislation with
pork and favors
for lobbyists, I look at that doll,"
said one lawmaker.
“We're all terrified of that thing.
It might be smiling, but you
can see
something threatening in
its eyes.
Just like the real Elon."
Sources with knowledge
of recent DOGE
meetings said the
"Elon on the Shelf" dolls
would be moved
periodically to different locations
around
congressional offices to keep tabs on
lawmakers.
"They have
all been informed about what
will happen
if they don't behave,"
said one insider.
"Sometimes you just have to
strike
fear into the hearts
of these
congressmen to get the results
you need.
They're surprisingly similar to
young children."
Early results
indicated that the dolls were doing
the trick,
with members of Congress
already being
shamed into scrapping a bloated
government spending bill.
At publishing time,
the DOGE
source confirmed that members
of Congress
would also be supervised
in Capitol bathrooms
by the
placement of Trump-inspired
"Don on the John" dolls.
The Second Coming
The Covenant with Abraham
The Purpose of God
Was the original purpose of God the
Physical Nation of Israel or was it
the Church?
We are going to do that by looking
at
The covenant with Abraham
The Promise to Abraham – Descendants and Land
Gen 12:1-3
Abraham here was promised by God that he would be a great nation and that he would be
blessed. He was also promised that “All” the nations of the earth will be blessed.
Gen 13:14-16
Here we see that Abraham was promised the land of Israel for his descendants forever.
Gen 17:1-8
Here we see that Abraham was given a covenant with God. He would be the father of a
multitude of nations. And the folks from all those nations would be given the land of
their sojournings as an everlasting possession. Notice these verses we are looking at –
none of them say anything about one nation – they all mention the word nations or all
people.
Gen 18:17-18
So again all nations are going to be blessed through Abraham. That is a very un-Jewish
thing to write. According to the Jews they are the chosen people. So if God’s focus was
going to be totally on the Jews, this verse would say “all the Jews would be blessed.”
Gen 22:16-18
Since Abraham was going to go ahead and sacrifice Isaac (even though all his hopes for a
mighty nation were riding on him, all families of earth will be blessed through him (or
through his seed).
Gen 26:3-5
Isaac was given the same promise that his dad had received – many descendants, the
land, all peoples blessed – which would make sense.
Gen 28:12-15
Again in the vision of Jacob’s ladder, Jacob was promised the many descendants and the
land as well. He was also promised that all families of the earth would be blessed through
him.
So we have Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all promised many descendants, a promised land
and that through them all families of the earth would be blessed. What does the New
Testament have to say about this?
Galatians 3:6
Now if you check you center column references you can tell that Paul is directly quoting
the Old Testament. And the quote happens to come from Genesis 15 and it happens to be
very important to the rest of this study.
The Christian Covenant
Genesis 15:2-6
Here we see where righteousness was reckoned to Abraham. And also we see that the
promise is reiterated that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the
seashore.
Genesis 15:7-11
The promise of the land is given to Abraham again. Then he is told to get some animals
together and to cut them into pieces. This was the way back then that people used to enter
into a covenant with each other (Jeremiah 34:18-19). It was called a blood covenant. So
people would cut up the animals and then place the pieces in two lines leading up to an
altar and then the two parties would walk arm in arm between the pieces. It was called a
blood covenant because if either side broke the covenant, it would sometimes require
death as the consequence of breaking it.
Genesis 15:12-16
Abraham is now told that he will be buried at a ripe old age and that he will have many
descendants. He is also told that they would be slaves in Egypt and that the nations that
did that to them would be punished. He is also promised that in the fourth generation they
would return to the land.
Genesis 15:17-21
So, Abraham was scaring away birds and other predators while waiting to walk between
the pieces with God because he thought he was going to be entering into a covenant with
God. But while in a trance he watches a flaming torch and boiling pot pass between the
pieces. Abraham did not get to walk between the pieces.
In Genesis 15, as we saw iterated elsewhere, God made a covenant with Abraham and his
descendants (literally, “his seed”) the land of Canaan forever. Now if you only look at the
book of Genesis, this looks like a promise given to the nation of Israel and a promise to
be fulfilled physically. But again, as we should always do, let’s see what the New
Testament has to say about this.
What does the New Testament say about this promise?
Galatians 3:15-17
Paul makes it clear in Galatians 3:15 that once a covenant is set forth you can’t make
changes to it. So if you can’t make changes to a covenant ratified by men, do you think
you are going to be able to change a covenant ratified by God? So God has bound
Himself to a contract and He is going to keep it. Paul is comparing the covenant with
Abraham (which was given for the last time around 1876 BC to Jacob) to the Ten
Commandments which were given on Mt. Sinai some 430 years later.
Paul is letting us know in verse 16 that God when he mentioned seeds to Abraham was
not referring to many, but One (his seed) that is Christ. So God was not referring to the
nation of Israel but Jesus Christ. “And in your seed, all nations of earth will be blessed”
(Genesis 22:18). So the covenant was not with God and Abraham (or the physical nation
of Israel), the covenant was actually with God and Jesus Christ. And that covenant is far
superior to the Old Covenant that came 430 years later. So, the covenant that was given
in Genesis 15 is the Christian Covenant.
Galatians 3:18-19
Paul makes it clear in these verses that the covenant made with Abraham (or his seed)
was given long before the Law. The Law was added as a separate legal document and it
was added to highlight the sins of men so that they would recognize their need for a
savior. And then the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. The Law
was given to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus Christ and He was the seed that
was to come – the one to whom the promise had been given. And there was no
comparison between the importance or glory of the two covenants. So it is clear from this
that the covenant which God made with Abraham was the Christian covenant – i.e. a
covenant between God and Christ. That is why there is the vision of the flaming torch
and smoking oven that passed between the pieces in Genesis 15. So the Law was merely
a means of preserving a measure of faith until the time was right for Jesus to come.
Galatians 3:20-21
So the Law was never going to be able to impart life. The Law had a huge problem – It
cannot produce righteousness and thus the Law does not allow people to be able to
produce the righteousness required to keep it.
• Galatians 3:10 - If you did not keep all things as written in the law – you
would be condemned as guilty by that same law. Law is always a cause
and effect relationship. The simple rule is – you break the law, you die,
spiritually.
But the New Covenant which is based on the promise would be able to produce a people
who could fulfill the requirement of the Law (Romans 8:4). It would be able to produce a
people who could keep it.
Galatians 3:26-29
So Christians (those that have been immersed into and clothed with Christ) are now true
descendants of Abraham and the heirs according to promise. We are the spiritual
descendants and not physical descendants. There are no longer spiritual differences
between Jew and Gentile, Men and Women, Slave or Free Man – we are all one in Christ
Jesus and free to eat at His table together.
The Second Coming – The Covenant with Abraham
The Purpose of God
The Promised Land
So back to the verses from Genesis – these verses are letting us know that the land would
be given to the descendants of Abraham. Did the Jews ever possess this land they were
promised? If you read the pre-millennial teachers, they will say these prophecies have
never been fulfilled. Now, I wonder if we can find a verse in the scripture that says this
prophecy has been fulfilled. How many of these verses should be sufficient to prove the
point? I would think one verse should be enough to prove our point.
Joshua 21:41-43
Now these verses appear to say that the Jews possessed the land that God promised them.
However, let’s see what a prophecy expert would have to say about this.
“Upon comparison with other passages, it becomes clear interpretively that the
author of Joshua is making use of the well-known Hebrew idiom of a part standing
for the whole. Accordingly, although Joshua only conquered key regional centers
through the entirety of Canaan, as an idealized concluding statement it can be
summarized as if he had taken the whole.”
Now it does not matter how Lahaye and others want to spin this verse and its meaning.
The scripture says “the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to
their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it.” (Joshua 21:43). So they can claim that
the Jews did not possess the land but the scripture says they did possess it – even though
there were some Gentile groups there. The Holy Spirit says “Not one of the good
promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”
(Joshua 21:45).
Who knows more about whether a prophecy was fulfilled - Lahaye or the
Holy Spirit? Who knows more about the history of the world – J Dwight Pentecost or the
Living Word? Now which one of us do you think is taking this verse literally? And which
one of us is trying to take it figuratively?
“Even under the monarchy’s greatest territorial hegemony, under kings David and
Solomon, the scriptural account makes clear that much of the Gentile regions were
mere tributary nations, under Israel’s military control only, not incorporated into
Israel proper”
Now, the pre-millennial teachers do have a tendency to quote Deuteronomy 7:22 which
says that “the LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little;
you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too
numerous for you.” (Deuteronomy 7:22). So they say that Israel never fully possessed the
land because they still had all these other nations amongst them. Now the only problem is
– this argument does not work either.
• Acts 13:18-19 – So the Lord finally drove out all 7 nations around 995 BC
(1446 BC – 450 years) or so. So at the time of David and Solomon, all of
the nations had been driven from the land of Israel.
I Kings 4:21-24
These verses make it clear that Israel did possess the land that was promised. This verse
was written while Solomon was king and thus all 7 nations had been driven out of the
land. And according to these verses, Israel possessed all the land that was promised to
Abraham in Genesis 15. But since this would wreck the premillennial theory, there
authors have to say, that Israel never possessed that whole land of Israel that was
promised.
So Pre-millennialists can try to weasel there way out of this if they want – but God says
they possessed the land they were promised and that all of God’s promises were fulfilled.
Now I happen to believe that statement – that all promises were fulfilled.
Nehemiah 9:7-8
This scripture is very clear that the land promise to the Israelites have been clearly
fulfilled according to scripture. So sometimes Pre-millennialists will deny what the
scriptures say if they think it rejects their theology.
Conditional Land Covenant
The thing we need to keep in mind is that this land promise to Israel was conditional.
They were given the land but if they broke, the covenant, they would lose it. It is
mentioned over and over again in the scripture.
Joshua 23:11-16
So all of the prophecies have been fulfilled but they are conditional as well. Due to the
fact of the Israelites intermarrying with the Gentiles and so forth, eventually paganism
would run rampant and they would be taken out of their land.
Other verses on the conditional covenant of the land
Deuteronomy 30:16-20
I Kings 9:6-9
II Kings 21:8-9
Genesis 17:8, 14
Exodus 19:5
Numbers 14:30
Deuteronomy 4:25-26
Deuteronomy 7:12-13
Deuteronomy 11:16-17
Ezra 9:12, 14
Scholars agree that
Yeshua
was probably not born on December 25th, year 0.
In fact, there is no year 0!
So when was he born?
There are two main schools of thought. The prevailing
opinion is that
he was probably conceived at Hanukkah and
born
during the festival of Sukkot,
which celebrates God
“tabernacling” or dwelling with us!
1 Chronicles 24 and 28 describe the
fixing of temple duties
by
King David.
The priests
were divided into 24 divisions, taking turns
to serve a week each.
The division of Abijah, which Zechariah belonged to about one thousand years later,
was likely to have served in the middle of the third Jewish month, Sivan
(which corresponds to May or June, depending on how the Jewish calendar lines up with ours)
and also a second stint in the month of Tishrei, which corresponds with our
September or October.
This means that Yeshua
was made flesh six months after either Sivan or Tishrei.
Suppose Zechariah
had his shocking visit during Sivan. In that case,
Yeshua would have been
made flesh in Mary's womb in December and
born nine months later,
when all the Jewish festivals were happening:
the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and Sukkot,
the Feast of Tabernacles—which is all about
God “tabernacling” with us.
Emmanuel!
Also, Jewish tradition says the Messiah
would come
‘secretly at Hanukah and publicly at Sukkot’
It’s possible that God, in his mercy,
sent Yeshua
as a seed in the womb at Hanukah
and that he was born
to a rapturous welcome from shepherds, animals, and
angels during Sukkot!
However, if the angel visited Zechariah
in his second stint that year, during Tishrei, then Yeshua
would have been in the
womb around Passover and born nine months later,
in December.
Church tradition has had December as his birthday from early on, and it’s hard to know
why they would have changed it if it had been in
September.
We do not have the liberty to be dogmatic about the exact dates, as it is difficult to
discern them from our sources.
However, we know
that our God
makes no mistakes, and his timing is perfect.
He has his times and seasons
and uses
powerful reasoning in his plans.
Glory to God in the highest
for sending Yeshua to live among us!
Peace and goodwill to all men,
who now can have peace with
a holy God!
Praise the Lord for the incarnation!
God with us,
Emmanuel.
We wish you a blessed time of
celebrating
the birth of our Savior and Messiah.
Jesus, in response to the Pharisees’ question “Who do you think you are?” said, “‘Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.’ ‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ the Jews said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’ ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (John 8:56–59). The violent response of the Jews to Jesus’ “I AM” statement indicates they clearly understood what He was declaring—that He was the eternal God incarnate. Jesus was equating Himself with the "I AM" title God gave Himself in Exodus 3:14.
If Jesus had merely wanted to say He existed before Abraham’s time, He would have said, “Before Abraham, I was.” The Greek words translated “was,” in the case of Abraham, and “am,” in the case of Jesus, are quite different. The words chosen by the Spirit make it clear that Abraham was “brought into being,” but Jesus existed eternally (see John 1:1). There is no doubt that the Jews understood what He was saying because they took up stones to kill Him for making Himself equal with God (John 5:18). Such a statement, if not true, was blasphemy and the punishment prescribed by the Mosaic Law was death (Leviticus 24:11–14). But Jesus committed no blasphemy; He was and is God, the second Person of the Godhead, equal to the Father in every way.
Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John. They are I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51); I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12); I AM the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7, 9); I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14); I AM the Resurrection and the Life(John 11:25); I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6); and I AM the True Vine (John 15:1, 5).
In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven statements beginning with the words I am. Each of these “I am” proclamations furthers our understanding of Jesus’ ministry in the world. They also link Jesus to the Old Testament revelation of God.
In the Old Testament, God revealed His name to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14). Thus, in Judaism, “I AM” is unquestionably understood as a name for God. Whenever Jesus made an “I am” statement in which He claimed attributes of deity, He was identifying Himself as God.
Here are the seven metaphorical “I am” statements found in John’s gospel:
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51). In this chapter, Jesus establishes a pattern that continues through John’s gospel—Jesus makes a statement about who He is, and He backs it up with something He does. In this case, Jesus states that He is the bread of life just after He had fed the 5,000 in the wilderness. At the same time, He contrasts what He can do with what Moses had done for their ancestors: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die” (verses 49–50).
“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5). This second of Jesus’ “I am” statements in John’s gospel comes right before He heals a man born blind. Jesus not only says He is the light; He proves it. Jesus’ words and actions echo Genesis 1:3, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
“I am the door” (John 10:7 and 9, ESV). This “I am” statement stresses that no one can enter the kingdom of heaven by any other means than Christ Himself. Jesus’ words in this passage are couched in the imagery of a sheepfold. He is the one and only way to enter the fold. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber” (verse 1, ESV).
“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). With this “I am” statement, Jesus portrays His great love and care. He is the One who willingly protects His flock even to the point of death (verses 11 and 15). When Jesus called Himself the good shepherd, He unmistakably took for Himself one of God’s titles in the Old Testament: “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1).
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Jesus made this “I am” statement immediately before raising Lazarus from the dead. Again, we see that Jesus’ teaching was not just empty talk; when He made a claim, He substantiated it with action. He holds “the keys of death and the grave” (Revelation 1:18, NLT). In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed how He can fulfill Yahweh’s promise to ancient Israel: “[God’s] dead shall live; their bodies shall rise” (Isaiah 26:19, ESV). Apart from Jesus, there is neither resurrection nor eternal life.
“I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). This powerful “I am” statement of Christ’s is packed with meaning. Jesus is not merely one way among many ways to God; He is the only way. Scripture said that “The very essence of [God’s] words is truth” (Psalm 119:160, NLT), and here is Jesus proclaiming that He is the truth—confirming His identity as the Word of God (see John 1:1, 14). And Jesus alone is the source of life; He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life and the Giver of eternal life.
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1, 5). The final metaphorical “I am” statement in the Gospel of John emphasizes the sustaining power of Christ. We are the branches, and He is the vine. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit unless it is joined in vital union with the vine, only those who are joined to Christ and receive their power from Him produce fruit in the Christian life.
There are two more “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John. These are not metaphors; rather, they are declarations of God’s name, as applied by Jesus to Himself. The first instance comes as Jesus responds to a complaint by the Pharisees. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus says, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58, NLT). The verbs Jesus uses are in stark contrast with each other: Abraham was, but I am. There is no doubt that the Jews understood Jesus’ claim to be the eternal God incarnate, because they took up stones to kill Him (verse 59).
The second instance of Jesus applying to Himself the name I AM comes in the Garden of Gethsemane. When the mob came to arrest Jesus, He asked them whom they sought. They said, “Jesus of Nazareth,” and Jesus replied, “I am he” (John 18:4–5). Then something strange happened: “When Jesus said, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground” (verse 6). Perhaps explaining the mob’s reaction is the fact that the word he has been provided by our English translators. Jesus simply said, “I am.” Applying God’s covenant name to Himself, Jesus demonstrated His power over His foes and showed that His surrender to them was entirely voluntary (see John 10:17–18; 19:11).
What does the word refuge make you think of? Maybe an imposing building with locks on the doors, maybe a thick-walled fortress, or perhaps something as simple as a canopy to keep you dry in a rainstorm. Whatever picture comes to mind, it can be agreed that a refuge is a safe place. When the Bible describes God as our refuge, it is saying that God is our safe place when we need protection from something.
Knowing God as our refuge enables us to trust Him more freely. We need not fear situations or people who threaten our well-being, whether in a physical or spiritual sense. There is no situation we will ever face that is out of God’s control, so the best place to be, always, is right with Him. “The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).
A question that arises is “how do I make God my refuge?” It’s easy to picture a physical refuge protecting us from some danger, but how can we make God—whom we can’t see—our refuge?
David is a great example of someone who knew God as his refuge. At different points in his life, David was on the run from people who literally wanted to kill him, but he always found safety in God. “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:7–8). An easy way to make God our refuge is to simply ask Him to be. David said, “Pour out your hearts to him”; that’s what David did all the time. He poured out his heart to God about what was going on in his life and asked God to intervene on his behalf. When we turn to God for help or protection, we begin to know Him as our refuge.
In contrast to David’s faith, the leaders of Israel in Isaiah’s day tried to find security in things other than God. In Isaiah 28:15, the Lord rebukes them for making “a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” God then offers them a true refuge: “See I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. I will make justice the measuring line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place” (Isaiah 28:16–18). We may be tempted to look for safety in things other than God, but such things can only provide a false sense of security. God is the only real refuge we’ll ever find.
God is our refuge. However, that does not mean He will never lead us into difficult or dangerous situations. Jesus led the disciples into a boat, knowing full well that a violent storm was brewing; the disciples were terrified, but Jesus, their refuge, calmed the storm (Matthew 8:23–27). When we are in God’s will, we can face even the most dangerous situations with confidence, because God is with us.
Countless times, God led the Israelites into battles against armies much more powerful than they, yet when they trusted God and obeyed Him, they always came out victorious (see Joshua chapters 6 and 8 for some examples). Jesus told us, “In me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
No matter what our circumstance, the safest place to be is always in the center of God’s will. He promises to be our refuge: “‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5–6).
What does Hebrews 13:5 mean?
This chapter lists particular points on which the writer wants to encourage proper Christian behavior. These have included brotherly love (Hebrews 13:1), hospitality (Hebrews 13:2), support for the abused and imprisoned (Hebrews 13:3), and an emphasis on sexual morality (Hebrews 13:4). Other places in the New Testament echo the importance of avoiding sexual sin, given its allure and power (Romans 1:24–27). The consequences of immorality, often, are simply the natural consequences of those risky behaviors.
Here, the writer mentions another common theme of biblical morality: the danger of greed. The phrase "money is the root of all evil" is not actually biblical, since wealth can be properly used and enjoyed without sin (Romans 14:14). What the Bible does say, in 1 Timothy 6:10, is that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils." That verse notes that unhealthy desire for wealth has led to the ruin of many lives.
Unhealthy obsession with money is closely related to discontent. This is something the Bible implies using words such as "covet" (Exodus 20:17; James 4:2) and "jealousy" (James 3:16). Rather than being unhappy over what we do not have, Christians ought to be thankful for what we do have and hopeful for what we will one day obtain (Hebrews 11:14–16).
A foundation of this trusting, content, forward-looking perspective is the believer's relationship with Christ (Hebrews 12:2). The phrasing here might be a reference to God's promise to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5). The following verse will amplify this trust by quoting specific Psalms which proclaim the security we have in God.
Citing Psalm 118:6, the author of Hebrews writes, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, ESV). Here, believers are encouraged to rely on God for all their needs, especially in times of persecution. Because the Lord is on our side, we do not have to fear anyone or anything (Romans 8:31; 1 John 4:4).
The book of Hebrews was written to encourage Christians to persevere through trials and tribulations (Hebrews 10:32–34). Hebrews 13:6, then, is not just a statement of belief in God’s power and provision but is also a reminder to hold fast to our faith: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4, ESV). In doing so, James says, we will “receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (verse 12, ESV).
“The Lord is my helper” (Hebrews 13:6) is a declaration that represents continual reliance on God’s omnipotence. In Psalm 46:1, the psalmist writes, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” God is a constant source of help, reinforcing the idea that divine assistance is always available. For this reason, we should seek Him in every situation (1 Chronicles 16:11), knowing that His power is greater than our own (Matthew 19:26).
Next, the author of Hebrews writes, “I will not fear” (Hebrews 13:6, ESV). Although fear is a natural emotion, especially in troublesome and uncertain times, we are challenged to rise above it by placing our trust in God. In Philippians 4:11–13, the apostle Paul writes, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” In short, contentment is a direct result of entrusting our fears and concerns to God (Matthew 10:28; 1 Peter 5:7).
“What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, ESV) is a rhetorical question that highlights the limitations of human power compared to God’s power. This is not a display of arrogance; rather, it is a recognition of the relative insignificance of human threats before an all-powerful God:
“Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle”
(Psalm 24:7–8).
Since God is committed to working everything for our good (Romans 8:28), we have absolutely nothing to fear.
Hebrews 13:6 reflects a broader biblical theme of placing one’s confidence in God rather than our own finite understanding or circumstance. In Proverbs 3:5–6, Solomon advises us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” May we always believe that “the Lord is my helper.”
In Genesis 2:18, we read of the one thing that was not declared “good” in all of God’s creation: “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone.’” The same verse includes God’s solution: “I will make him a helper fit for him.” Eve was the solution to Adam’s deficiency.
Two Hebrew terms in this verse provide important information to better understand the creation of Eve as the first woman. The word translated “helper” is the Hebrew term ‘ezer. This word is even used of God, sometimes, noting that He is our Helper (Psalm 115:9-11). We would certainly not view God, as a Helper, as subservient to humans, nor should we understand the role of “helper” in Genesis 2:18 as a position of subservience. The concept of an “ideal partner” seems to convey the thought best.
The second important Hebrew word in this verse, translated “fit” is kenegdow. It literally means “according to the opposite of him.” In other words, the focus is on an appropriate match. Eve was not created above or below Adam; she was complementary. The animals Adam had named each had an appropriate companion (Genesis 2:20), and Adam was given a fitting companion as well. Eve was “just right” for him.
Further, God’s statement that it was not good for man to be alone implies that Adam was lonely and incomplete by himself. He had been created for relationship, and it is impossible to have relationship alone. With the creation of Eve, Adam experienced the joy of love for another person.
The Bible is unique in its depiction of women’s valued status as a complementary companion. No other ancient text from the Middle East offers commentary on the creation of women. It is in the Bible that we learn of the important role women have had since the beginning of human existence. Both man and woman were made in God’s image, according to Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
The apostle Paul refers to Genesis when he says, “A man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31). Husband and wife are to live as one, united in love for God and for one another, modeling the love Christ has for His bride, the Church.
yoke is a wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to a plow or cart. A yoke allows two animals to share a load and pull together. Yokes were used in Bible times primarily with bulls or oxen to plow fields and pull wagons. The animals yoked together needed to be close in size and weight for the cart or plow to pull evenly.
In the Bible the yoke is sometimes referenced metaphorically to describe the weight of a task or obligation. For example, King Rehoboam tried to instill respect for himself by threatening his subjects with “a heavy yoke” (1 Kings 12:11). Breaking a yoke often symbolized freedom from oppressors (Isaiah 10:27) or the beginning of a new phase in life, as when Elisha left his agrarian life to follow Elijah (1 Kings 19:19–21).
People in Jesus’ day readily understood analogies using a yoke. They knew what Jesus meant when He 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” (Matthew 11:28–30). An “easy” yoke meant that the burden being shouldered was not heavy because Jesus Christ would be pulling with us.
Another place in Scripture uses the imagery of a yoke to discourage Christians from entering into intimate dealings 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? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 6:14–16). To be “yoked together” is to be in a binding relationship. The warning in this passage is that a Christian should not enter a compromising personal or professional arrangement with a non-Christian. Two animals unequally yokedwould end up fighting each other and the yoke. When the Israelites chased after idols, they were said to be yoking themselves to Baal (Psalm 106:28; Numbers 25:5). New Testament believers should be separated from the world.
A Christian views the world from a different perspective than does an unbeliever. We become citizens of another kingdom when we accept by faith God’s offer of salvation (Romans 10:9–10). A Christian pursuing God and a non-Christian pursuing the world will be pulling in different directions. Philippians 3:18–20 spotlights this difference in allegiance: “Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.”
Christians live to honor and glorify our King, Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:31). Those who are of the world live to please themselves and conform to this world’s standards. When Christians bind themselves together with unbelievers in contractual or covenantal agreements, they are shouldering one side of a yoke. They may believe they are headed toward righteousness and glory for God, but their yokefellows have other ideas. They will pull against each other rather than move the load in the right direction. We should be careful whose yoke we accept and with whom we are yoked together.
Romans 10:17 states, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (NKJV). The English Standard Version puts it this way: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” In the context of Romans, the phrase word of God is synonymous with word of Christ. This “word” refers to the gospel, which is known as “the Good News about Christ,” as mentioned in The New Living Translation of Romans 10:17.
Romans 10 continues the discussion from the previous chapter, where Paul addresses the salvation of the Jews, God’s chosen people. He acknowledges the zeal of many Jews (Romans 10:2) but points out that their zeal is misdirected as they reject the salvation offered through Christ. Instead, they seek righteousness through the law (verse 3). Paul then contrasts obedience to the law with faith, highlighting the simplicity of the latter. The emphasis is that Christ and His message are readily available to everyone, requiring confession and belief (verses 6–13). However, this message must first be heard, and those who preach it have “beautiful feet” (verse 15; cf. Isaiah 52:7). Paul then summarizes the point introduced at the beginning of the chapter by saying, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV).
Hearing through the Word of God is important because faith cannot come unless there is a message to be believed—and that message is contained in the Word of God. Hearing by the Word of God leads to saving faith when we place our trust in the good news. Christ, the Son of God, came to redeem sinners and reconcile us with the Father. When we place our faith in Christ, God declares us as righteous (Romans 3:22). Paul enforces both the concept of salvation by grace through faith and the significance of spreading the message that people need to hear.
At this point, skeptics and curious believers may wonder about the fate of those who have never heard the gospel. First, we must acknowledge that no one is entirely ignorant of God because His general revelation is evident to all (Romans 1:19–20). Even people in unfamiliar tribes have a sense of the divine. Additionally, God promises a fair judgment, giving everyone what they deserve (see Romans 2:5–10; Revelation 20:11–15). Unfortunately, humanity often rejects this general revelation, choosing to rebel against God or attempting to achieve righteousness through our own efforts.
It would be fair for God to judge us based on our rebellion against His general revelation and the laws we have broken. We cannot accuse God of being unfair when He judges those who have not heard the gospel. In reading the story of Cornelius in Acts 10, we can reasonably conclude that God has ways of reaching anyone. As Christians, our role is to offer what humans do not deserve: the gift of grace. We should fulfill our part, making our feet “beautiful” by spreading the gospel. There is no nuance or complexity beyond God’s wisdom.
Believers also need to hear the Word of God daily to strengthen their faith. While the gospel, in its narrow sense, pertains to salvation, in a broader sense, it encompasses the entire Scripture. The metanarrative goes from creation to the fall all the way to redemption and restoration. Consequently, the principle of Romans 10:17 can be applied by Christians who consistently engage with Scriptures. As we are reminded of God and His actions and promises, our confidence grows.
Doctrine is “a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true.” Biblical doctrine refers to teachings that align with the revealed Word of God, the Bible. False doctrine is any idea that adds to, takes away from, contradicts, or nullifies the doctrine given in God’s Word. For example, any teaching about Jesus that denies His virgin birthis a false doctrine, because it contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture (Matthew 1:18).
As early as the first century AD, false doctrine was already infiltrating the church, and many of the letters in the New Testament were written to address those errors (Galatians 1:6–9; Colossians 2:20–23; Titus 1:10–11). Paul exhorted his protégé Timothy to guard against those who were peddling heresies and confusing the flock: “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing” (1 Timothy 6:3–4).
As followers of Christ, we have no excuse for remaining ignorant of theology because we have the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) available to us—the Bible is complete. As we “study to show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15), we are less likely to be taken in by smooth talkers and false prophets. When we know God’s Word, “we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).
It is important to point out the difference between false doctrine and denominational disagreements. Different congregational groups see secondary issues in Scripture differently. These differences are not always due to false doctrine on anyone’s part. Church policies, governmental decisions, style of worship, etc., are all open for discussion, since they are not directly addressed in Scripture. Even those issues that are addressed in Scripture are often debated by equally sincere disciples of Christ. Differences in interpretation or practice do not necessarily qualify as false doctrine, nor should they divide the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10).
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 Christ dwell 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).
As part of Paul’s instructions for preparing Timothy to lead and appoint leaders in the church at Ephesus, Paul warns him that some will depart from the faith: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared” (1 Timothy 4:1–2, ESV).
Paul uses the Greek word apostesontai, which means “to be apart from, depart from, or stand apart from.” It’s the source of our English word apostasy. In this case, those departing are leaving “the faith.” Instead of holding to the sound teaching that is part of the faith that is in Christ Jesus (as Paul mentions in 1 Timothy 3:13), these people are choosing to follow a different path and listen to different voices.
Those who depart from the faith in the last times will choose to listen to deceitful spirits and doctrines or teachings of demons. They will follow false teaching that sounds convincing and is intended to deceive. These falsehoods are carefully devised; their design is to deceive people from following the faith. Those who depart from the faith are following liars with “seared” consciences. Their consciences are burned; the false teachers, who are mouthpieces for evil spirits, are dull to their own hypocrisy and unscrupulous behavior (1 Timothy 4:2).
To ensure that Timothy understands, Paul provides him with a couple of specific examples. The false teachers of the last times will forbid marriage and abstain from foods that God has permitted (1 Timothy 4:3). Those who will depart from the faith will be deceived by a kind of legalism. No longer will these people focus on the grace of Christ or the faith that Jesus authored and perfected (Hebrews 12:1). Instead, they will attempt to regulate behavior in contradiction to the freedom God has provided.
In the immediate context, Paul explains how some people will depart from the faith, but not exactly why. However, in 1 Timothy 6:3–5 Paul offers an explanation of why a person might choose to follow falsehood. Paul notes that one either agrees with the “sound instruction” of Christ or becomes “conceited and understand[s] nothing.” A teaching that differs from the apostle’s doctrine does not comport with godliness (1 Timothy 6:3). Paul further explains that these who depart from the faith have an unhealthy interest in controversies and disputes (1 Timothy 6:4). The result is envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction. Such is the condition of those who are depraved of mind and deprived of truth (1 Timothy 6:4–5).
The warning, then, is that we ought to hold fast to the sound words—the words of Jesus Christ. Paul cautions Timothy to “watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them” (1 Timothy 4:16). Before Timothy could encourage others to hold fast to the faith, he needed to guard himself against hypocrisy. Only then could he teach well and encourage others not to depart from the faith. Despite all efforts, some people will depart from the faith, and Timothy ought to carefully prepare to deal with such people. The preparation involved being above reproach himself and being equipped with the sound words of Christ and grounded in the teachings of the faith.
Jesus gave Peter a three-fold command to “feed my sheep” in John 21:15-17. Each time Jesus said, “Feed my sheep,” it was in response to Peter’s three-fold declaration of love for Jesus. The setting was one of the last of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus prepared a breakfast of fish and bread for them, and then commissioned Peter with the task of feeding His sheep and tending His lambs.
The three commands, although often translated the same way, are subtly different. The first time Jesus says it, the Greek means literally “pasture (tend) the lambs” (v. 15). The Greek word for “pasture” is in the present tense, denoting a continual action of tending, feeding and caring for animals. Believers are referred to as sheep throughout Scripture. “For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (Psalm 95:7). Jesus is both our Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and the Door of the sheepfold (John 10:9). By describing His people as lambs, He is emphasizing their nature as immature and vulnerable and in need of tending and care.
The second time, the literal meaning is “tend My sheep” (v. 16). In this exchange, Jesus was emphasizing tending the sheep in a supervisory capacity, not only feeding but ruling over them. This expresses the full scope of pastoral oversight, both in Peter’s future and in all those who would follow him in pastoral ministry. Peter follows Jesus’ example and repeats this same Greek word poimaino in his first pastoral letter to the elders of the churches of Asia Minor: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers” (1 Peter 5:2).
The third time, the literal translation is “pasture (tend) the sheep” (v. 17). Here Jesus combines the different Greek words to make clear the job of the shepherd of the flock of God. They are to tend, care for, and provide spiritual food for God’s people, from the youngest lambs to the full-grown sheep, in continual action to nourish and care for their souls, bringing them into the fullness of spiritual maturity. The totality of the task set before Peter, and all shepherds, is made clear by Jesus’ three-fold command and the words He chooses.
What is this food with which shepherds are to feed the flock of God? It can be no other than the Word of God. Peter declares that Christians are to desire the pure spiritual milk of the Word so that by it, we can mature in our salvation (1 Peter 2:2). As early as the book of Deuteronomy, we see the Lord describing His Word as food for His people who live not by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). Jesus reiterates this thought in His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4). The importance of the Word of God as food for our souls cannot be over-emphasized.
Clearly, the job of the shepherds of God’s people is to provide them with the pure milk of the Word of God so they can move on to the meat and solid food of the spiritually mature (Hebrews 5:12-14). Pastoral ministry should be primarily one of pastors feeding their people the Word of God. Only then can pastors declare, as Peter did, their love for the Lord Jesus.
Second Peter 3:18 tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” To grow in grace is to mature as a Christian. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we mature and are sanctified by grace alone. We know that grace is a blessing that we don’t deserve. It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. The sanctification process, becoming more like Christ, is synonymous with growing in grace.
We grow in grace by reading God’s Word and letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16) and by praying. Those actions by themselves don’t mature us, but God uses these spiritual disciplines to help us grow. Therefore, maturing in our Christian life is not about what we do, but about what God does in us, by His grace. Understanding and applying God’s grace in our lives is important. We are not to impair it by being proud, because God says that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Grace is that attribute of God that enables us to break free of our sinful nature and follow Him. It gives us strength and protects us. Without God’s grace, His favor, we would be hopelessly lost in this world. The more grace we have and ask God for, the more mature as Christians we will be.
To grow in grace does not mean gaining more grace from God. God’s grace never increases; it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less. He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should be saved (John 3:16). How much more grace could there possibly be than that? But to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given. The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.
Peter also confirms that we need to grow in our knowledge of Jesus and to have that intimate relationship with Him because the more we know of Him, the more of Him will be seen in our lives. Paul said in Colossians 3:1–4: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
The Scriptures contain all the knowledge we will ever need to learn of God, His Son, and His Spirit, at least in this life. God`s desire for those He has saved is their sanctification and transformation. He wants us to become more holy like Himself. He wants to transform us into the image of His Son. The way to do this is by meditating on the Scriptures and applying their principles to our lives as we yield to the conviction and power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Then we will prove 2 Corinthians 3:18: “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord.”
Proverbs 16:16 says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” The Bible urges us often to seek wisdom above all things (e.g., Proverbs 4:7). But there are different kinds of wisdom. First Corinthians 3:19 says, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” And verse 20 says, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” There is obviously a difference between godly wisdom and worldly wisdom (see James 3:13–17).
Godly wisdom is, of course, from God and honors God. Godly wisdom starts with the fear of God and results in a holy life. Worldly wisdom, on the other hand, is not concerned with honoring God but with pleasing oneself. With worldly wisdom, we may become educated, street-smart, and have “common sense” that enables us to play the world’s game successfully. Godly wisdom enables us to prepare ourselves for eternity. With godly wisdom, we trade earthly values for biblical values (1 John 2:15–16). We recognize we are citizens of another kingdom, and we make choices that reflect that allegiance (Philippians 1:27; 3:20). Having godly wisdom means we strive to see life from God’s perspective and act accordingly.
The book of Proverbs is part of the Bible known as wisdom literature. Proverbs is full of practical instructions for life. Many proverbs contrast the wise with the foolish and warn against repeating foolish actions (e.g., Proverbs 3:35; 14:24; 15:7; 26:11). Everyone makes mistakes, but the wise learn from their mistakes and take steps to avoid repeating them. The foolish may make the same mistake over and over again and never learn their lesson.
Godly wisdom may look very different from worldly wisdom. Jesus highlighted these differences in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7). For example, He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” Godly wisdom often requires us to do that which is opposite our natural inclinations. Godly wisdom goes against the “conventional wisdom” of the day; it is not focused on self-preservation but on furthering the kingdom of God. We can only live in godly wisdom when we are committed to crucifying our flesh and living in the Spirit (see Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:16, 25).
The primary way we gain godly wisdom is by learning God’s Word (Psalm 119:169). “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). No one is born wise; we must acquire wisdom from God if we are to be truly wise: “Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts” (Psalm 119:98–100).
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Immersion in God’s Word produces a heart of worship and thanksgiving. That heart of worship becomes fertile soil for seeds of wisdom to grow. Jesus prayed to the Father: “Sanctify them by your truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). He wants His followers to be set apart from the world, making godly choices and living godly lives (1 Peter 1:15). We can only do that when His Word lives in us.
We can also develop godly wisdom by carefully selecting those who journey through life with us: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13:20). Paul instructed the Corinthians to “imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1). Those who want godly wisdom will choose for their heroes those who exhibit wisdom in their personal lives.
Scripture tells us to ask for godly wisdom: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). God wants us to have His wisdom. He is delighted to give it to us when our hearts are set to receive it. However, James goes on to say, “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (verses 6–8). God knows the position of our hearts. When we are committed to trusting Him and obeying His Word, He pours out His wisdom on us (see Jeremiah 29:13). But if we want to retain the right to disobey, we are double-minded and may not receive the wisdom we ask for.
Solomon received godly wisdom when he asked the Lord for it (2 Chronicles 1:10–11). He became known for his great wisdom, yet, in his later years, he turned away from following the wisdom he’d been given. He disobeyed the Lord and even began to worship idols (1 Kings 11:1–11). Receiving wisdom did not insure that Solomon would follow the path of wisdom. Sadly, he exchanged his godly wisdom for worldly wisdom, and he suffered for it. The rest of 1 Kings 11 details Solomon’s downfall as the Lord removed His hand of blessing from a man who was once great.
“Indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding”
(Proverbs 2:3–6).
Wisdom and knowledge, both recurring themes in the Bible, are related but not synonymous. The dictionary defines wisdom as “the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting.” Knowledge, on the other hand, is “information gained through experience, reasoning, or acquaintance.” Knowledge can exist without wisdom, but not the other way around. One can be knowledgeable without being wise. Knowledge is knowing how to use a gun; wisdom is knowing when to use it and when to keep it holstered.
God wants us to have knowledge of Him and what He expects of us. In order to obey Him, we have to have knowledge of the commands. But as equally important as having knowledge is having wisdom. Knowing facts about God and the Bible is not all there is to wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God. James 1:5 states, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” God blesses us with wisdom in order for us to glorify Him and use the knowledge we have of Him.
The book of Proverbs is perhaps the best place in the Bible to learn of biblical wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 speaks of both biblical knowledge and wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, / but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” To fear the Lord is to start on the path to knowledge, and God can then begin to provide us with wisdom through Christ, who the Bible says is wisdom itself: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Knowledge is what is gathered over time through study of the Scriptures. It can be said that wisdom, in turn, acts properly upon that knowledge. Wisdom is the fitting application of knowledge. Knowledge understands the light has turned red; wisdom applies the brakes. Knowledge sees the quicksand; wisdom walks around it. Knowledge memorizes the Ten Commandments; wisdom obeys them. Knowledge learns of God; wisdom loves Him.
We are commanded in Scripture to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). This growth is spiritual growth, growing in faith.
At the moment we receive Christ as our Savior, we are born again spiritually into God’s family. But just as a newborn baby requires nourishing milk for growth and good development, so also a baby Christian requires spiritual food for growth. "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2:2-3). Milk is used in the New Testament as a symbol of what is basic to the Christian life.
But as a baby grows, its diet changes to also include solid foods. With this in mind, read how the writer of Hebrews admonished the Christians: “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil" (Hebrews 5:12-14). Paul saw the same problem with the Corinthian believers; they had not grown in their faith, and he could only give them "milk" because they were not ready for solid food (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
The analogy between a human baby and a spiritual baby breaks down when we realize how each baby matures. A human baby is fed by his parents and growth is natural. But a baby Christian will only grow as much as he purposefully reads and obeys and applies the Word to his life. Growth is up to him. There are Christians who have been saved many years, but spiritually they are still babies. They cannot understand the deeper truths of the Word of God.
What should a Christian’s diet consist of? The Word of God! The truths taught in the Bible are rich food for Christians. Peter wrote that God has given us everything we need for life through our (growing) knowledge of Him. Read carefully 2 Peter 1:3-11 where Peter lists character qualities that need to be added to our beginning point of faith in order for maturity to take place and to have a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The fullness of God is the totality of everything God is—His attributes, His character, His perfection, His holiness, His power, His love, et cetera. The fullness of God is His complete nature; it is who He is. The Bible mentions the “fullness” (Greek pleroma) of God in a few different senses, and it is important to consider the context when interpreting these passages. Let’s briefly discuss three of the most direct references to the fullness of God, found in Colossians and Ephesians:
In Colossians 1:19, Paul writes that “it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in [Christ]” (NASB). In Colossians 2:9, we see that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Both passages powerfully affirm the fact that Jesus is God. The fullness, or totality, of God is found in Christ. Everything that can be said of God can be said of Jesus Christ (see John 14:7–11). Paul continues with another incredible fact: that, in Christ, we ourselves have been “brought to fullness” (Colossians 2:10). Christians find their completeness in Christ and no one else. Jesus, who is the fullness of God in bodily form, makes us whole by His grace.
Paul conveys the same idea in Ephesians 3:19. At the end of a lengthy prayer, Paul makes a series of requests, climaxing with a prayer that his readers “may be filled to all the fullness of God” (NASB). Obviously, none of God’s creatures can achieve the fullness of God in the sense of becoming equal with God. Rather, being filled to all the fullness of God describes the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise: “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). God indwells believers, and they become “partakers of divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4, ESV). The riches of God are available to us. God by His grace, fills us with His Holy Spirit, enabling us to live more like Christ, in whom the fullness dwells (Ephesians 5:18–20).
Jesus said that “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). A never-ending source of life and satisfaction and spiritual abundance—this fountain of living water is the fullness of God within the believer.
Francis Foulkes, a theologian and commentator, expresses the heart of Ephesians 3:19 well: “He [Paul] thus prays ultimately that they may receive not any attribute of God, or any gift of his, not love, not knowledge, not strength, alone or in combination—but no less than the very highest he can pray for, the full indwelling of God. . . . Of course the eternal God can never be limited to the capacity of any one, or all, of his sinful creatures; at the same time Paul does not want to pray for anything less than that God’s people may be filled to (eis) the very fullest of himself that he seeks to bring into their lives” (The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians: An Introduction and Commentary, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub., 1989, p. 114). The goal of every Christian is to be filled completely with God, so that His character, His attributes, and His love define our existence.
In conclusion, the fullness of God refers to the totality of who God is. In one sense, the absolute fullness of God is unknowable for finite creatures. However, in His grace, God chooses to communicate with His creatures, offering them new life in Christ, indwelling them by the Holy Spirit, and ultimately filling them with His fullness. A powerful image from C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters illustrates this well. In this fictional book, an elder demon is writing to his young nephew, attempting to explain God’s grand plan for humankind: “One must face the fact that all the talk about His [God’s] love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself—creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His” (HarperCollins Pub., 1996, p. 38).
If you are a Christian, you can ask God to fill you with His fullness and have faith that “He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, NASB). If you are not a Christian, Jesus invites you to a new relationship with God today. Why wait?
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.
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 rejoice because 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.
In Galatians 5:1, Paul reminds the Galatian believers that “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” Believers’ sins are forgiven on the basis of Christ’s perfect sacrifice. Now believers can live in freedom from the law, and they can live in freedom from the consequences and power of sin. The NLT says, “Christ has truly set us free”; believers are “truly free” to live for the things of God.
The occasion of Paul’s letter to the Galatians was that false teachers had come into the churches there. These teachers promoted legalism and tried to require Christians to observe the Old Testament rules, laws, and ceremonies, especially circumcision (Galatians 2:3–5). Paul, in no uncertain terms, says that “for freedom Christ has set us free” and that Christians should not be placed back under the law’s yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1). The law’s purpose was to reveal our sinfulness (see Romans 3:20) and to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
Before Christ’s sacrifice, we lived under bondage to the law (Galatians 4:3). We were burdened by demands we could not keep (Acts 15:10). Christ’s death and resurrection broke our bondage to the law. Jesus’ perfect life and holy sacrifice on the cross was the complete fulfillment of the law, and anyone who trusts in Him for salvation is made right with God. Only Christians have true freedom from the law. John 8:36 confirms, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
In Christ, we are free from the Mosaic Law’s oppressive system, and we are also free from the penalty and power of sin. Before Christ, we lived as slaves to sin (John 8:34). We sought to gratify our desires and lived for ourselves. We were dead in our sins (Colossians 2:13) and were destined to face the consequence of our sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). Yet, when we trusted in Christ for our salvation, our course in life completely changed. We were released from the law’s bondage because for freedom Christ has set us free.
Believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are characterized by a joyous freedom to follow Christ and God’s design for life (Galatians 2:20). The Bible is clear that Christian freedom is not a license to sin. Instead, believers are free not to live for sin and are free to live holy lives in Christ. For this freedom Christ has set us free: to live in relationship to God and others the way He intended (Galatians 5:13). Believers are free to live an abundant life (John 10:10), and we have been given everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
Jesus did what the law could not do—He took away our sin and saved us, and in doing so He set us free from the penalty and power of sin. For freedom to follow His design of life He set us free. “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit” (Romans 8:3–4, NLT). Now we who have this freedom can live in God’s ways and love others well in the power of the Spirit (Galatians 5:13–26).
In Genesis 3, God pronounces judgment against Adam, Eve, and the serpent for their sinful rebellion. To the serpent, God says, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (verse 15, KJV). This verse is known as the protoevangelium, or the “first gospel,” because it introduces the theme of a Savior who will redeem humanity from the curse of sin (Galatians 3:13). In Genesis 3, the Savior is called the “Seed” of the woman (NKJV and AMP).
The Hebrew word for “seed” here means “offspring,” which is how many translations render it (e.g., NIV, ESV, CSB). The figurative language in Genesis 3:14 (“dust you shall eat,” ESV) indicates that the subsequent verse speaks of a spiritual war between Satan (the serpent) and humanity (the seed of the woman).
The woman spoken of is Eve, the mother of humanity (Genesis 3:20). The prophecy is that her offspring would be continually harassed by Satan and his followers (the offspring of the serpent). Sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience, and we all suffer because of it (Romans 5:12–14). The perpetual war Satan wages against humanity began in the Garden of Eden.
There is an indication of number in Genesis 3:15 that we cannot overlook. The woman’s offspring is referred to by the singular noun seed, and that seed is immediately antecedent to the singular pronouns he and his. So, the seed of the woman is individualized. There is one Seed in particular who is to come. The sole tempter will be countered by the sole Savior.
Also, Genesis 3:15 speaks of the seed of a woman rather than the seed of a man. This unusual wording could indicate that the woman’s offspring would not have an earthly father. In that case, the protoevangelium is certainly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who was begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Luke 1:34–35).
The enmity spoken of in Genesis 3:15 is ultimately between Satan and Christ. Satan “bruised the heel” of the Savior when Jesus was crucified—Jesus suffered in His flesh. But the story does not end there. On the third day, Jesus rose from the grave. In so doing, He crushed the power of Satan, sin, and death—He crushed the serpent’s head. Jesus is the Seed of the woman who has won the victory over the tempter and enemy of mankind. And, to His eternal praise, He grants victory to everyone who believes in Him (John 16:33). “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 3:21).
The Parable of the Sower (also known as the Parable of the Four Soils) is found in Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9; and Luke 8:4-8. After presenting this parable to the multitude, Jesus interprets it for His disciples in Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; and Luke 8:11-15.
The Parable of the Sower concerns a sower who scatters seed, which falls on four different types of ground. The hard ground “by the way side” prevents the seed from sprouting at all, and the seed becomes nothing more than bird food. The stony ground provides enough soil for the seeds to germinate and begin to grow, but because there is “no deepness of earth,” the plants do not take root and are soon withered in the sun. The thorny ground allows the seed to grow, but the competing thorns choke the life out of the beneficial plants. The good ground receives the seed and produces much fruit.
Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower highlights four different responses to the gospel. The seed is “the word of the kingdom.” The hard ground represents someone who is hardened by sin; he hears but does not understand the Word, and Satan plucks the message away, keeping the heart dull and preventing the Word from making an impression. The stony ground pictures a man who professes delight with the Word; however, his heart is not changed, and when trouble arises, his so-called faith quickly disappears. The thorny ground depicts one who seems to receive the Word, but whose heart is full of riches, pleasures, and lusts; the things of this world take his time and attention away from the Word, and he ends up having no time for it. The good ground portrays the one who hears, understands, and receives the Word—and then allows the Word to accomplish its result in his life. The man represented by the “good ground” is the only one of the four who is truly saved, because salvation’s proof is fruit (Matthew 3:7-8; 7:15-20).
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Sower: “A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.” A secondary lesson would be “Salvation is more than a superficial, albeit joyful, hearing of the gospel. Someone who is truly saved will go on to prove it.” May our faith and our lives exemplify the "good soil" in the Parable of the Sower.
In John 8 Jesus exhorts His listeners that if they abide in His word they would be truly His disciples, they would know the truth, and that truth would make them free (John 8:31–32). They were a bit surprised to hear that because, as they were descendants of Abraham, they thought they had never been enslaved (John 8:33). Jesus then explained that, if a person is committing sin, that person is enslaved by sin, and slavery is not fitting for sons (John 8:34–35). But if the Son—Jesus says, referring to Himself—makes us free, then we “are free indeed” (John 8:36). He is the Son who remains forever, so what He determines shall stand. When He gives the recipe that we are “free indeed,” it is a reliable recipe because of who He is. The condition for becoming “free indeed” is that His hearers should abide (or dwell) in His word. He later explains that keeping His word results in eternal life (John 8:52), and He challenges His hearers that they need to believe in Him (John 8:46).
The apostle Paul gives us a further implication of “we are free indeed” (John 8:36). After expressing that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), Paul adds that in Christ Jesus we have been set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). Because of that new freedom, we are no longer in bondage to sinfulness, and now we can choose righteousness (Romans 9:12–15). Peter adds a caution that we use this freedom not as an excuse for evil but that we use this freedom to walk in devoted service to God—as bondslaves (1 Peter 2:16).
Jesus came offering something very special, and if we take Him at His word then we are free indeed. He is “the truth” (John 14:6), and He desires that we abide in Him and walk in Him. As He expresses in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus wants to set us free from the curse of sin, shame, and death. He gave His own life so that we could be “free indeed” and asks us simply to believe in Him.
The true freedom that Jesus gives is freedom (1) from the penalty of sin—there is no more condemnation for those in Him (Romans 8:1), and no longer are we children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1–3); (2) from the power of sin—no longer are we in bondage to sin, but now we can do righteousness; without faith it is impossible to please Him, but, with faith, we can please Him (Hebrews 11:6); and one day we will be free (3) from the presence of sin—when our eternal life is fulfilled, we will be like Him and without sin (Romans 8:28–30).
The question “who are the seed of Abraham?” can be answered several ways, and it is important to make some distinctions. There is the Seed of Abraham (Seed being singular); there is the seed of Abraham physically (descendants of Abraham according to the flesh); and there is the seed of Abraham spiritually (those who, like Abraham, have faith in God).
The (singular) Seed of Abraham is Christ, as Galatians 3:16, quoting Genesis 12:7, says, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ.” The passage goes on to explain that an inheritance was promised to Abraham’s Seed (Christ) apart from the Law. Later, the Mosaic Law was introduced, but it did not annul the promises made to Abraham or to Abraham’s Seed (Christ).
Just as Abraham believed God and his faith was counted as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), so are all today who believe in God’s Son justified apart from the Law. In this way, Abraham is the “father” of all who believe (Romans 4:11–17). “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
Of course, the seed of Abraham can also refer to the Hebrew people who descended from Abraham through Isaac. Still more broadly, the seed of Abraham could include Arabs, who trace their lineage through Ishmael. This is the physical seed of Abraham. The spiritual seed of Abraham (believers in Jesus Christ) is comprised of people of all nationalities and ethnicities.
The Jewish religious leaders of the first century took pride in that they were Abraham’s seed. They saw their physical connection to Abraham as a guarantee of God’s favor. This attitude kept them from seeing their need for repentance of the heart—and brought condemnation from John the Baptist, who warned them to repent. Anticipating their fallback argument that they were the seed of Abraham, John said, “Do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9).
Jesus dealt with the same issue later. In speaking to the unbelieving Jews, Jesus emphasized their need to receive His words as truth and obey His commands. They replied, “We be Abraham’s seed” (John 8:33, KJV). Jesus then rebukes them for plotting ways to murder Him; their stubborn response was again, “Abraham is our father” (verse 39a). At this, Jesus makes a distinction between the physical seed of Abraham and the true, spiritual seed of Abraham: “If you were Abraham’s children . . . then you would do what Abraham did” (verse 39b). The conversation heats up as the Jews for a third time reference their connection to Abraham: “Are you greater than our father Abraham?” they ask Jesus (verse 53). Jesus provokes them further: “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (verse 56). The Jews’ are incredulous that Jesus would claim to be a contemporary of Abraham, and that’s when Jesus brings the exchange to a climax with a claim to full deity: “Very truly I tell you, . . . before Abraham was born, I am!” (verse 58). In a fury, the Jews attempted to stone Jesus (verse 59), again proving that being the physical seed of Abraham is not enough—they had to be born again (John 3:3).
Paul sums up the difference between the seeds of Abraham in Romans 2:28–29: “A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.”
The Bible underscores the importance of “unity” and “oneness.” Unity with others is “good” and “pleasant” (Psalm 133:1). Unity is absolutely essential because the church is the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27), and a body cannot be in disunity or disharmony with itself. If disunity occurs, it essentially ceases to be a body and becomes a disjointed group of individuals. Jesus’ plan for His church is people unified in the faith.
The secret to unity begins with how we view ourselves within the body and how we view others. The key verse that addresses this is Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Disunity in a church is most often caused when we act selfishly and consider ourselves better than others. Paul goes on to explain further in the following verse: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Sadly, churches that experience disunity and are in conflict and turmoil are generally filled with people looking to their own needs, their own desires, and their own ambitions. Such behavior is characteristic of unbelievers, not those with the mind of Christ. Worldliness, not godliness, is the hallmark of the disunified church, as Paul reminded the Corinthians: “For you are yet carnal. For in that there is among you envyings and strife and divisions, are you not carnal, and do you not walk according to men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3).
But Paul tells us that we are to consider others’ needs before our own. In all modesty, humility and lowliness of mind, we are to “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). A church filled with such people cannot help but have peace, unity, and harmony. The truly humble person sees his own faults in light of the perfections of Christ; he does not seek to see the faults of others, but when he does, he speaks the truth in love and desires their sanctification so they will be built up in the image of Christ. He sees his own heart and the corruption that lies hidden there, along with impure motives and evil ambitions. But he does not seek to notice the errors, defects, and follies of others. He sees the depravity of his own heart and hopes charitably in the goodness of others and believes their hearts are more pure than his.
Most importantly, as Christians, we are to see one another in the light of the cross. Fellow Christians are those for whom Christ died a horrible and painful death so that He might exchange His righteous perfection for their sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). How can we not extend to them the love, compassion, and grace of our heavenly Father? How can we demean, criticize, and defame those covered with the precious blood of Christ? Were we not slaves to sin when He called us, hopelessly lost, dead in our own transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1)? But we are now slaves of Christ, slaves to righteousness, and as slaves of the Master, the task before us is not to quarrel and demand our needs be met but to reflect His grace and love to those who are also His by His mercy. A church full of such people enjoying their “common salvation” will be a true, biblical church unified in, and earnestly contending for, the “faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
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.”
Habakkuk 2:4 includes the well-known statement “the righteous will live by faith.” What does this mean?
The context helps us to understand God’s intent in this passage. The whole verse reads, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” “His soul” is a symbolic reference to Babylonia. This nation had become proud or “puffed up.” As a result, they were unrighteous and facing God’s judgment. In contrast, the righteous (or the “just”) would live by faith in God. By contrast, the righteous are humble in God’s eyes and will never face God’s judgment.
Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted three times in the New Testament. Paul quotes it in Romans 1:17, emphasizing the idea that righteousness by faith is for both Jews and Gentiles: “For in the gospel a righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”
Then, in Galatians 3:11, we read, “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Here, Paul stresses that we are justified or made right before God by faith. The Law has no ability to justify anyone. As Habakkuk had recorded, people have always been saved by faith, not by works. Habakkuk 2:4 is also quoted in Hebrews 10:38.
In the third century, Rabbi Simla noted that Moses gave 365 prohibitions and 248 positive commands. David reduced them to eleven commands in Psalm 15; Isaiah made them six (33:14-15); Micah bound them into three (6:8); and Habakkuk condensed them all to one, namely—“The righteous shall live by faith” (from P. L. Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, #1495).
Christians are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and we walk in faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). Only by faith in Christ are we made righteous (Romans 5:19). Paul further expounds on this truth in Galatians 2:16, saying, “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” It is Christ’s righteousness that saves us, and the only way to receive that gift is to trust in Him. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36).
When Habakkuk wrote, “The righteous shall live by his faith,” he was echoing a timeless truth first modeled in Abraham’s life (Genesis 15:6). The righteous man will “live” in that he will not face God’s judgment; rather, in return for his faith in God, he has been given eternal life.
The truth will set you free” is a common saying in academic circles that want to promote academic freedom and the power of learning. Many universities have this statement emblazoned on a sign near the entrance of a building. But “the truth will set you free” did not originate in academia; Jesus said it in John 8:32. In context, Jesus’ statement has nothing to do with classroom learning. In fact, John 8:32 speaks of a higher form of knowledge than is capable of being learned in a classroom.
Jesus had just finished a speech at the temple where He delineated differences between Himself and His listeners. “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:23–24). The result of Jesus’ message was that “even as he spoke, many believed in him” (verse 30). Then, in verse 31, Jesus begins to speak just to those who had believed.
“Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples’” (John 8:31). True discipleship is more than intellectual assent; those who are “really” followers of Christ will “hold to” His Word. That means they will not only accept His teachings as truth, but they will also obey His teachings. Action is proof of faith (cf. James 2:17).
True disciples of Jesus believe that He speaks the truth about God and the Scriptures. They also know that He is who He claims to be. Back in verse 25, the people asked Jesus who He was, and He responded, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.” There may be a tinge of exasperation in His response; He had repeatedly made known that He was the Messiah, the one they had anticipated for many years.
Verse 32 begins with, “Then you will know the truth.” “You” refers to those who are true disciples of Jesus. True disciples will know the truth. More than that, their eyes are opened to a greater understanding of the truth (cf. 1 John 5:20).
The truth Jesus’ disciples receive brings with it freedom. Jesus continues, “And the truth will set you free” (verse 32). At that point in history, the Jews were under the rule of the Roman government. Even though Rome gave them an exceptional amount of autonomy, they were keenly aware of the Roman presence around them in the form of soldiers, governors, and empirically appointed kings. When Jesus said the truth would set them free, however, He was not talking about political freedom (though the following verses indicate that’s how the Jews took it). Jesus provides the best commentary for His own statement in verse 34. Jesus explains, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Being a slave to sin is the ultimate bondage.
The freedom Jesus offers is a spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin—that is, release from the lifestyle of habitual lawlessness. He continues with an analogy: “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever” (verse 35). The people would have understood Jesus to mean that they were not members of God’s family, despite their biological relationship to Abraham (verse 37), because they were slaves to sin. If they were to become disciples of Jesus, they would know the truth of their condition and the truth about Christ, and Jesus would set them free. Believers would be freed from their bondage and brought into the family of God.
Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). Knowing the Truth will set one at liberty—free from sin, free from condemnation, and free from death (Romans 6:22; 8:1–2). Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives (Luke 4:18). “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16, ESV).
Lekh Lekha:
The Journey
Genesis 12:1-17:27Lekh Lekha
is the
story of a journey
Plotwise, it’s about Abraham’s Journey
from Ur to
Founding a Nation.
Metaphorically it’s about
a journey
to one of my
favorite names for God,
to Echad, to oneness.
It is a story about both
leaving a past
and
embarking towards a future.
Abraham is instructed by HaShem
to leave the land of his father’s house,
of his birthplace,
and of his people and region of origin.
Abraham sets out for
Anew Land
that HaShem says he will he shown.
But Abraham has to leave there
because of famine.
He goes into
Egypt, where, to save HIS life,
he lies
about being married to Sarah,
though it endangers her
Lekh Lekha is also the story of HaShem’s
Promise to make
A Great nation of Abraham’s descendants,
and of
Abraham’s covenant with HaShem,
through his b’rit.
BTW, he’s Avram before, and Abraham after the b’rit.
HaShem adds the letter hey to his name.
Hey is often associated with words like
hineini, I AM here,
concepts about being present,
a proof text in itself to show the
impacts of transition.
Also, by implication, Lekh Lekha is the
story of the Israelites’
birth as a people,
the people of the covenant.
What’s the point of
Abraham’s journey, of Lekh Lekha?
Rabbi Shefa Gold calls this
parshah “Go to yourself.”
What does that mean?
Most of us traverse our lives in the day to day:
Go to work; stop at the store;
kiss the spouse; ask about everyone’s day.
We’re immersed in the immediacy of
what we’re doing.
And we’re usually moving towards what
we’re supposed to do next.
On those days like any other, we may hope something
More Elevated will happen to us.
Or that some Change we might aspire to
will present itself,
preferably as a fait accomplis.
That’s change for the good, btw.
Most of us don’t lust for crises or extreme challenges.
There’s exceptions,
of course: folks who invite their futures,
who set out on
adventures the rest of us read about.
Most of us set the bar lower,
keeping our challenges
in scale to what we know.
What would happen, if, instead of rushing
from
moment to moment,
we yearned for our
futures?
If we listened for and answered the calls
for change
that are all around us?
If we set out, like Avram,
on a Journey
to our deeper and highest self,
a Journey to HaShem?
A Journey to Echad, to integration,
to oneness?
There’s the intuitive cautious response: Eeek,
don’t tempt HaShem.
You’ll just be tested, or disappointed, or somehow
swatted just for asking.
Better to live in gratitude for what
you already have.
But what if the reverse is TRUE.?
What if the idea that mystics and new age physicists
keep telling us is deeply real:
that our thoughts
create energy, and energy creates form.
Like aleph, the first letter, silent,
but with that poised breath
that precedes
and initiates
all bereishit, all beginningness.
The first of the twenty-two,
the code from which a universe
was formed.
What if the absence of conscious Co-Creation is
an abdication of free will?
A mushy, beigy acquiescence to the status quo?
Clinging to the land of our parents,
our place of Origin
To the ways we were taught to do things,
not yet ready for the journey.
There’s a story that circuits the internet
about the mother
teaching her daughter to trim the ends off the pot roast
before she puts it in the pan.
Why?
Because that’s how her mother taught her.
And back and back generations.
When it turns out
the
great-great-great grandmother
trimmed her roast only
because she had too
small a pan.
Such habits
become entrenched. We become resistant
to change.
When HaShem instructs
Abraham to go out from his native land,
part of the message is:
Look at your closely held beliefs.
Look at your reflexive behaviors
and the parts of yourself that
are so much a part of
who you are
that you no longer question them.
One question implicit in Lekh Lekha:
How will you sustain the sense of t’shuvah
that you created
during Elul and the High Holidays?
You worked so hard to get closer to HaShem.
Are you
Ready to uproot yourself,
or at least
Reorganize your life a little,
if that’s what it takes to
Reach Echad?
We’re by nature a searching people. People who ask questions.
People who’re rarely content
with what we have, even when it’s Manna from Heaven
But we also have a history of staying in mitzrayim,
of keeping ourselves hostage to the Known
Each year at Yom Kippur
I’m struck in very personal way by one line in the Vidui,
asking for atonement for a sin not against others,
but against self: Kishinu oref,
we have kept ourselves from change.
ONE of my favorite Names
for
HaShem is L’Chai Ha’olamim,
the Life of All the Worlds
Which worlds are those?
I’m a great believer (in faith, if not knowledge)
in ideas like string theory and parallel universes
We all inhabit many different worlds each day
There are worlds in which we’re gentle, loving,
and compassionate.
And others in which we’re stern and competitive,
even ruthless.
Our p’nim, our faces, and the
openness of our hearts,
change
so often throughout each day.
I’ve always found it interesting that Jewish days begin at sundown,
at a time when we enter unknown lands.
Because the truth is
we enact Lekh Lekha in miniature every day.
Every evening and every Morning
When we go to Sleep
we leave the worlds of our days, and when
we Awaken
we leave the worlds of our dreams.
Surely something changes in us during the night.
Dreams are as unpredictable as any
Journey could be
We leave “reality” for a land where everything
gets scrambled up.
Whether it’s by our subconscious, by our internalized parent,
by aspects of our homegrown selves,
or by unseen teachers,
we’re given new perspective on our daily lives.
Sometimes
those perspectives balance us and strengthen us.
Sometimes they challenge or frighten us.
But each dream is a Journey
into a land
where we’re asked to look at things
differently
When we awaken–hopefully on the right side of the bed–
we thank HaShem in our morning prayers.
We’ve been given refreshed
beingness.
Another opportunity for
awareness.
Anew world, anew day,
anew journey
And in that moment of gratitude,
we have
another chance
to do what Lekh Lekha is asking of us.
To go forth, to do better,
to make our lives a journey of goodness,
of joy, of creativity
and learning and sharing and serving.
Lekh Lekha teaches about the continual evolution of your journey.
How each day you carry with you aspects of
the self you have been,
and the self you have become.
How each day you Journey to become yet
anewer self
And how each day you guide the coming self who
Has yet to Emerge
The trick is to keep
the journey
Challenging and Revitalizing
To be willing to make b’rits, covanents,
to keep
Yourself changing and Growing
When you embrace
Lekh Lekha, the challenge is to
leave room in your life for
New stories,
whether that’s friendships, travel, achievement, love,
even learning a language.
Whenever you feed yourself
new stimuli,
something powerful happens inside you.
I heard a great story on
NPR a few months ago, about how zoos changed from
cement and steel Cages
into small but more
realistic Mirrors of natural habitats.
When scientists studied the animals in their
New domains,
they were amazed at a
Massive and Rapid
explosion of what they
called
“dendritic branching.”
Literally,
Blossoming New neural networks in
their brains
that I imaged as
New etz chaim,
New trees of life,
opening inside and teaching them.
Each choice
you make and each step you take
on your journey
is another branch on that tree.
Another chance to open up, to receive,
to see
or feel something new,
and
to give gratitude for being
Alive and Aware
When you set out in Lekh Lekha, your
life expands.
There’s more you available for the covenant.
And when you make that commitment,
you open your life
each day like anew Aleph-Tav,
with new bereishit, with
New beginningness.
The Point of the Journey
is to make that covenant, that b’rit.
And there will come a time when the commitment,
the kavvanah,
with which we make that covenant
Purifies us
On the other side
of that b’rit we will be different.
But the Only Way to make that happen is to
take the first step
It’s not always easy and rarely linear.
We encounter famine.
We stumble and fall. Like Avram,
we may
Rely on old patterns and bad habits.
We may lie out of fear, or use other of
our less noble aspects.
Learned behaviors
from our family of origin, from the
Land of our Birth,
or from our own Wounded Past
Whatever we’ve used
to Create an illusion of safety and protection,
to get by through
and around, but not to face our issues.
That’s what the journey
will teach us how to face,
and
ultimately how to shed.
In fact, one of Lekh Lekha’s lessons is that the
only real protection comes
from being as open and vulnerable as possible.
Sometimes we think that
making a covenant means giving up
something we Treasure
We think of it as a tangible sacrifice.
But in fact, to make our b’rit, to be exposed in the
most intimate and personal way
before our own souls and before HaShem,
we’re really being
asked to
Give up our fear of the Unknown
To Cut away old ways of being that hold us too fixed
To Circumcise our Hearts
and excise whatever we’ve used to
protect our fragile
inner self
from its Most important Journey
When that fear is cut away, and when we are
completely
open to our futures,
that’s when the journey really begins.
If you make a covenant in each of your worlds,
you will find
L’Chai Haolomin in each of them.
Each will offer
another chance to move forward
into your life.
Because who could you not become if you
set out
On that Journey
If you made that covenant, with yourself
and with HaShem.
To show up. To say Yes.
To begin the Journey that
leads to
The Promised Land.
To Echad. To oneness.
You just have to take the Next Step
Shabbat shalom
https://kabbalahglass.com/dvars/dvars-for-genesis/lekh-lekha-the-journey/
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Jesus said,
“The Father is greater than I”
(John 14:28)
to His troubled disciples on the night of
His Arrest
Jesus had announced
His imminent departure, and this puzzled them
(John 13:33–38; 14:1; 16:16–18)
Jesus tells them,
“You Heard me say, ‘I AM going away and I AM
Coming back to You
’If you loved me, you would be glad
that I AM
Going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I”
(John 14:28)
So, if they Truly loved Him,
they would have rejoiced that He is going
to the Father
Jesus had already promised that
He would go
and prepare a place
for
Them in His Father’s House
(John 14:2)
He also promised that He would
Come Back
and
take them to be with Him forever
(verse 3).
This should have been a cause for
JOY
Another cause for Joy is that
“the Father is greater than I”
(verse 28)
John 14:28 is often taken
out of context to allege that Jesus is not God:
“If Jesus is God,”
the critics say, “how is the Father greater than He?”
The Apostle John,
however, insists that
Jesus IS God
(John 1:1, 18; 5:16–18; 10:30; 20:28).
John also insists that
Jesus was obedient to His Father
(John 4:34; 5:19–30; 8:29; 12:48–49).
How do we resolve this perceived difficulty?
Arians deny that Jesus is fully God,
while Gnostics deny that Jesus is fully human.
Both positions are unacceptable.
Jesus is
FULLY GOD and FULLY MAN
What, then, does Jesus mean when He says, “The Father is greater than I”?
First, the doctrine of the incarnation
teaches that
Jesus “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 2:7–8, ESV).
Thus, “for a little while” (Hebrews 2:9), the Father was greater in
glory and exaltation.
The Father was greater in that
He was not
subject to pain and illness and death
--the Son Was
The Father was greater in that
He did not live in
weariness and poverty and humiliation--
the Son Did
The “greatness” spoken of in this verse relates to role,
Not to Essence
Second, the doctrine of eternal Sonship teaches
that the
Father begat the Son
This is a difficult doctrine to grasp, but the Bible repeatedly
affirms that
Jesus had no beginning
(John 1:1; 17:5)
In other words, there
was never a time when Jesus was not
To claim otherwise is to fall into the heresy of Arianism.
Jesus has always existed:
“In the Beginning was The Word,
and
The Word was WITH God,
and
The Word WAS God
He WAS in the Beginning
WITH God
ALL things were made Through
HIM,
And without HIM
Was not Any
Thing made that was made”
(John 1:1–3, ESV).
In John 1:14,
John writes that
“The Word became flesh and Dwelt
Among Us,
And we have Seen
His Glory,
Glory as of the only Son from
The Father,
Full of Grace and Truth”
(ESV)
Jesus did not cease Being
God;
He simply took on human
flesh,
yet without sin
(Hebrews 4:15)
This is the most incredible moment in history!
The omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent
Son of God
assumed a
Human nature and lived as one of us:
He was God and Man at the same time
Since Jesus always had a deep
and
intimate relationship with the Father,
the disciples should
have rejoiced that the Son was
Returning Home
(John 14:28)
Jesus would Leave Behind
all the
Pain and Sorrow of THIS world
and
Regain the Glory that
He had
with the Father before
The
Creation of the World
(John 17:5)
If the disciples loved Him, they would be
glad for Him.
But His going home
was for the disciples’ benefit, too, because,
once in heaven,
Jesus would Send
the
Promised Holy Spirit to be with them Forever
(John 14:15–31)
We should Praise God
for the
Love that Exists
between the
Father and Son,
A Love that was on Full Display
When Jesus
Endured the Shame of the Cross
For our Sins
(Hebrews 12:1–2).
In Philippians 4:13
the apostle Paul writes,
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
The “HIM”
of this verse is the
Lord Jesus, and Jesus is, of course, all-powerful
(Colossians 2:10)
But does this verse mean
that we can do anything and everything
we set our minds to?
The context of this verse focuses on the
God-given power to endure any circumstance.
Verse 12 notes,
“I know what it is to be in need, and
I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in
any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want.”
Paul had
Faced times of abundance,
yet he had also
Faced many trials for his
Faith
In 2 Corinthians 11:24–27, Paul shares
some of
His sufferings up to that point in his faith:
“Five times
I received from the Jews the forty lashes
minus one.
Three Times
I was beaten with rods, once I was
pelted with stones,
three times I was shipwrecked,
I spent a night and a day in
the open sea,
I have been constantly on
The Move
I have been in danger from rivers,
in danger from
bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews,
in danger
from Gentiles; in danger in the city,
in danger in the country,
in danger at sea; and in danger from
False Believers
I have labored and toiled and have often
gone without sleep;
I have known hunger and thirst and have
often gone without food;
I have been cold and naked.”
Despite
these and other problems, Paul
BELIEVED and TAUGHT
He could Persevere because
he could do
“ALL things through HIM who GIVES ME strength.”
Also, the focus in Philippians 4
is what the
BELIEVER CAN
do through the strength that
CHRIST GIVES
This is not a promise that Christians
will have superpowers or that they will be
invincible or immune
to life’s challenges.
Instead, the promise of Philippians 4:13 is that we will have
Strength from the Lord
to
FAITHFULLY ENDURE the difficulties that
arise in life
This passage is not about having financial abundance.
Some teach a prosperity gospel
that says God will
Bless us financially if we are faithful;
in Contrast,
Paul taught that the believer
WILL Endure
Suffering
but can be
CONTENT in any circumstance,
GIVEN CHRISTS strength.
JUST AS
CHRIST FAITHFULLY ENDURED
on
the CROSS
HIS FOLLOWERS
can
faithfully endure the problems
they FACE
In fact, Philippians 4:11 states,
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
Paul focused on contentment, not earthly abundance.
Finally,
Philippians 4:13 is part of a larger passage that addresses
Christ’s
ability to meet our needs.
CHRIST
can give contentment during
times of
plenty and of poverty.
He can help us do all things through
HIS strength
In Paul’s case,
it was the strength to serve as a missionary despite
facing intense suffering
In our lives, this same strength is available.
Whether we serve in
another country or help someone in our own community,
Christ’s Power can Enable us to
Stand Firm
on His promises and endure the most difficult
of life’s challenges.
Paul concludes this passage with these words:
“MY God
will meet all your needs according
to the
Riches of his Glory IN Christ Jesus
To our God
and
Father be GLORY
for
Ever and Ever
Amen”
(verses 19–20)
Grace is “undeserved favor.”
The Grace of God
is
His granting of good things
to those
who only deserve punishment
The Word Sufficient
means “adequate” or “enough.”
Sufficient Grace
Speaks of the Grace of God that
grants salvation,
preservation, and everything else
that the believer
Needs in this life and in the
Life to Come
Sufficient grace
is not a biblical term but rather a technical
description of
the grace of God as revealed in Scripture
The only time the two words
are used together in Scripture is in
2 Corinthians 12:9.
Paul had some form of
physical affliction
that caused him real difficulty
No doubt he thought
he would be able to serve the Lord
more effectively if he did not have
this physical ailment to slow him down
He says he asked the Lord
repeatedly to take it away from him,
but the
Lord’s answer was
“My Grace IS Sufficient for You
for
My Power
Is Made Perfect in Weakness
In other words, in this case,
God showed Grace to Paul not by removing
the ailment but
by
GIVING him the ABILITY to ENDURE it.
In response Paul says,
“Therefore
I will boast all the more GLADLY
of my weaknesses,
SO that the Power of CHRIST may
REST UPON me.”
The concept of sufficient grace is that
God’s grace is adequate
(sufficient)
for anything we need
First, we need salvation and
forgiveness of sin.
God’s grace provides that for all
who will accept it.
Then, the believer needs grace to live the Christian life.
God’s grace is sufficient here whether the
believer experiences
poverty or plenty, pain or pleasure.
Often, Christians wonder how they could
possibly survive
persecution and hardship they have
read about
in other times or hear about in other places.
A Christian might wonder, “If had a
Gun to my head,
Would I deny Christ?”
If all that was at work was
human determination, it might be a
toss-up at best
But the Christian can rely on the fact that
God’s grace will be sufficient
for the hardship when it arrives,
even if it may
not be in evidence before
In reality,
no Christian is inherently sufficient
Every Christian, left to his own devices,
would fail miserably
“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim
anything as coming from us,
but our sufficiency is from God”
(2 Corinthians 3:5)
expresses the idea beautifully without using the term sufficient grace.
When the time comes,
God’s grace will be sufficient to carry the believer
through whatever he or she may encounter.
By focusing
on the sufficient grace of God rather
than human frailties,
Christians can face the future with
CONFIDENCE
With Paul, Christians can enthusiastically
embrace their own insufficiencies,
knowing
that these insufficiencies will push them
toward
the all-sufficient grace of God
In Hebrews 10:19–39, the biblical writer
turns
to the theme of spiritual endurance
and
maintaining stamina in the Christian life
Instead of shrinking back or
turning away
from Christ in challenging times,
he urges believers to
“hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for he who promised is faithful”
(Hebrews 10:23)
The expression “hold unswervingly” in the original language
means
“to hold fast” or “stick to firmly.”
We are to grab hold of Jesus Christ
and
never let Him go
In a similar encouragement,
the apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth
to Stand Firm
and
Hold on Tight to the Message of
The Gospel
(1 Corinthians 15:1–2)
Even if we SUFFER
for our
FAITH, we must EVER give up
on our
COMMITMENT to CHRIST
because
God who PROMISED IS FAITHFUL
to keep HIS WORD
“Not one of all the LORD’s good
Promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled,”
says Joshua 21:45.
When we draw near to God, we experience
Christ’s power to endure
(Ephesians 1:19–23; 2 Corinthians 12:9).
Even our
ability to hold on to Christ
as we
wait for the fulfillment of His promises
depends on
God’s faithfulness
to provide
the strength and stamina
we need to endure
(1 Corinthians 1:18–25; 2 Corinthians 13:4)
The transcendent power of God
is “made PERFECT”
in our human weakness
(2 Corinthians 12:9–10)
Peter tells us that God’s power
gives us “everything
REQUIRED for life and godliness
through the
KNOWLEDGE of HIM
who CALLED US
by his
OWN GLORY and goodness
By these he has given
us very
great and precious promises”
(2 Peter 1:3–4, CSB).
We hold tightly to the Hope
we profess,
and we are held firmly
by a
SAVIOR who is a great
HIGH PRIEST
He understands our weaknesses:
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest
who has
ascended into heaven,
Jesus the Son of God,
let us hold
firmly to the faith we profess
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable
to empathize with our weaknesses,
but we have
one who has been tempted in every way,
just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Let us then approach
God’s throne of grace with
confidence,
so that we may receive mercy
and find
grace to help us in our time
of need”
(Hebrews 4:14–16)
We can count on God’s mercy and grace
to supply us
with whatever we may
need
whenever we may need it
Walking closely with the Lord
involves a
life of faith, clinging to God’s promises
It has been this way since the days of
Abraham,
the
Founding Father of our Family of Faith:
“Abraham never wavered in Believing
God’s Promises
In fact, his
FAITH GREW stronger, and
IN THIS
HE BROUGHT GLORY TO GOD
He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises”
(Romans 4:20–21, NLT)
In Hebrews 11:1,
the author describes faith as trust in the
unseen promises of God.
He then showcases a multitude of
faithful believers who
held on to the hope they professed.
In the end, these
Hero’s of Faith
will Inherit
The
Fullness of God’s Promises
(Hebrews 6:12–15; 11:32–33)
Spiritual staying power and consistent obedience to God have
RICH RETURNS
“So do NOT
Throw Away your CONFIDENCE
it will
be Richly REWARDED
YOU
NEED TO Preserver
so that when
YOU
Have done THE WILL OF GOD
YOU Will
RECEIVE what he has
PROMISED”
(Hebrews 10:35–36)
God’s promises, by their nature, are for the future
But if we hold
steadfastly to Christ and the hope we
PROFESS in Him,
“He who promised is faithful”
to bring those
assurances into our present-day
experiences
In Colossians 1:27 Paul taught that, because
CHRIST is ALIVE in us we already have the
hope of
eternal life with Him.
His INDWELLING Spirit provides the
GUARANTEE
of sharing in the RICHES of His GLORY
Romans 5:2 says,
“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us
into this place of
undeserved privilege where we now stand,
and we confidently and
JOYFULLY
look forward to sharing God’s glory”
(NLT).
He who promised is faithful means we can
count on
God and His Word.
“For the Word of the LORD holds
TRUE
and we
CAN TRUST everything he does,”
declares Psalm 33:4 (NLT)
The Lord’s promises for our future infuse us with hope
for today
We can stand, walk, sleep, and wake secure in this
TRUTH:
God is trustworthy to keep His Word.
The idea that Christians are overcomers is a theme throughout the
apostle John’s writings.
He mentions
Believers Overcoming the devil or the “the evil one”
in 1 John 2:13–14.
In the book of Revelation,
John refers to believers
as victorious conquerors multiple
times
(Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21)
The apostle is not implying that only certain “super-Christians”
are overcomers; rather,
every
TRUE BELIEVER is an overcomer
because he has been
BORN of GOD
For everyone who has been
BORN of God overcomes
the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome the world
our FAITH
Who is it that overcomes the world except
the one who
believes that Jesus IS
the
SON of GOD?”
(1 John 5:4–5, ESV)
John states that “our faith” is the victory that overcomes
the world.
The original Greek terms translated
as “our FAITH”
in 1 John 5:4 refer to
putting our
Trust in the
Saving Work of Jesus Christ
or
Believing in the
Gospels Message
Anyone who believes in Jesus for salvation and trusts
in
Christ’s atoning work on the cross
His death and resurrection—shares in His victory
over sin (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15), death (Acts 2:24), and the
forces of evil at work in the world
(1 John 3:8; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14).
Through FAITH
we believe in
Jesus CHRIST and are BORN of God
(Galatians 2:16).
Through faith,
we surrender
OUR WILLS to HIS.
Our
FAITH is the KEY to VICTORY
The ONLY WAY
to overcome the world is through
FAITH in Jesus Christ,
the
SON OF GOD
At salvation, Christians are
“HIDDEN WITH CHRIST
in God”
through the
Work of the HOLY SPIRIT
who baptizes all believers into
ONE body-
the
BODY of CHRIST
(1 Corinthians 12:12–13)
We Are
“IN Christ,” and He is “IN us”
(Colossians 1:27).
John explains that we are overcomers because, as children of God,
His Spirit LIVES in us:
“You, dear children,
are from God
and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you
is greater than
the one who is in the world”
(1 John 4:4)
Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart!
I have overcome the world”
(John 16:33)
We Christians
will still battle with sin and darkness because
we live in a fallen world.
John makes it clear that life here on earth
can be challenging:
“For all that is in the world—the desires
of the flesh and
the desires of the eyes and pride of life
—is not from the Father but is from the world.
And the world
is passing
away along with its desires,
but whoever
does the will of God
abides forever”
(1 John 2:16–17, ESV)
Jesus Assures Us
that
our salvation is secure
(John 3:15–16; 10:28)
The Holy Spirit Guarantees
that
We belong to God and
SEALS US
For the
“Day of Redemption”
(Ephesians 4:30).
But in the meantime,
We Must
“Live by FAITH
IN
The Son of God”
WHO
Loves us and GAVE
HIS LIFE for US
Galatians 2:20).
Only then can we exclaim, like Paul,
“Thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through
our
Lord Jesus Christ”
(1 Corinthians 15:57)
We can
draw strength and encouragement from Scripture,
knowing that
the ultimate, eternal victory
has already been accomplished in Jesus.
The victory
is won—past tense--through our union
with Christ
and our identification with Him.
But we continue
to overcome this world in our daily life experiences
by walking in faith in Jesus Christ,
trusting in
“the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our LORD”
to be with us and CARRY us
THROUGH
ALL
“trouble or hardship
or persecution or famine or nakedness
or danger or sword. . . .
No,
in all these things we are more than
Conquerors
through HIM who loved us”
(Romans 8:35–37).
We triumph in ANY and EVERY
situation,
“facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need,”
through
CHRIST
who gives us strength
(Philippians 4:12, ESV).
Our faith, explains Paul, is a protective piece of
spiritual armor in this life:
“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith,
with which
you can extinguish
all the flaming darts of the evil one”
(Ephesians 6:16, ESV)
No force of evil, no weapon of darkness can overcome the
person who trusts in Christ.
On the contrary,
our faith in Jesus is the victory that overcomes the world.
Isaiah 55:10–11 says,
“As the rain cometh down, and the snow
from heaven, . . .
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void”
(KJV).
The word void means “empty.”
The remainder of verse 11 explains what it means to “not return void,” saying that
God’s Word
“will accomplish what I desire
and achieve
the purpose for which I sent it.”
Rain and snow are part of a cyclical water process.
Precipitation comes upon the earth, drains
into the land, and
produces great benefit in the growth of crops,
the refreshment of souls, and the sustaining of life
Rain and snow come from above and do not return back
above
without accomplishing their purpose.
God compares His Word
to the rain and snow because, like the precipitation,
God’s Word always fulfills His good purposes
When God says that His Word
will not return to Him void, we can know that
He has an intention for
His Word.
God’s Word is from above
He “breathed out”
His words to us, and they were recorded in the Bible
(2 Timothy 3:16)
Every word He gave humanity is purposeful and
was given for a reason
Like the rain and snow, God’s words bring forth LIFE
(John 6:63)
and produce
GOOD FRUIT in our lives.
Through His Word,
we know that God loves us
and that Jesus died
to FREE us from sin and death;
we also learn how to live in
LIGHT of those TRUTHS
When God says that His Word will not return to Him void,
we are
encouraged to abide in His Word,
allowing it to absorb
into our lives, soaking it up as the ground
soaks up the rain and snow
The truth will not return void
as our
hearts are changed
God’s Word rebukes us
and corrects us
when we are wrong,
and it trains us in godly living
(2 Timothy 3:16–17)
His Word is a light guiding us in this dark world
(Psalm 119:105)
It is relevant to every pressing and practical problem.
God’s Word
will always accomplish what He desires,
whether it is teaching,
correcting, training, leading us to Him,
revealing
our sin, or some other good and profitable end
When God says that His Word will not return to Him void,
we understand that God is sovereign.
The promise is that God’s Word will accomplish what He wants it to,
not necessarily what we want it to.
We may share the Word with the purpose of changing someone’s mind
and the person’s mind doesn’t change.
Was God’s Word void?
No, but
our personal goals may have been different
from God’s.
Like the wind
that
“blows wherever it pleases,”
the Holy Spirit
moves in mysterious ways
(John 3:8).
And God may use His Word in surprising ways, at surprising times, and in surprising people.
We can’t predict exactly how God will use His Word any more than meteorologists can
predict with certitude the rainfall and snowfall.
God’s Word will not return void.
It is too powerful.
When God said, “Let there be light,”
the immediate result was that
“there was light”
(Genesis 1:3).
When Jesus said, “Peace! Be still!”
the wind ceased and the sea calmed
(Mark 4:39)
. God’s Word
will always prosper; God will succeed,
and those who
receive His Word will be overcomers
as well
(1 John 5:4).
First Corinthians 12 talks about
spiritual gifts, which are distributed by
the Holy Spirit
(1 Corinthians 12:4)
Thus one Christian may receive one type of
gift
while another receives a different
gift
Chapter 13 goes one step further and mentions the three gifts that are common for all Christians:
faith, hope, and love. Verse 13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.”
In stating that faith, hope, and love remain, Paul does something interesting and unexpected:
he uses a singular verb for a compound (and therefore plural) subject.
His statement in 1 Corinthians 13:13 could be literally rendered
“faith, hope, and love remains.”
Paul’s point is that, essentially, faith, hope, and love are united;
what happens to one happens to all.
And what happens is that they
“remain.”
The fact that faith, hope, and love
remain must be understood in light of the broader context.
Paul had just listed another set of three gifts that would not remain:
“Where there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues,
they will be stilled; where there is knowledge,
it will pass away”
(1 Corinthians 13:8)
So, the passage contains a contrast:
three gifts of the Spirit that will cease,
and three gifts that will never end.
Faith, hope, and love will always remain.
The Corinthian church members were priding themselves
on the fact that they
could speak in tongues and demonstrate other attention-getting gifts.
Paul reminds them of “the most excellent way”
(1 Corinthians 12:31)—the way of love.
The gifts that the Corinthians so desired were
but temporary;
faith, hope, and love, the foundational gifts,
are permanent
and therefore more to be desired
Faith, hope, and love are gifts in the present age, and they will still be gifts in the age to come.
The NLT translates the promise this way: “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love.” It’s easy to see how love will last forever, since love is an essential part of God’s nature (1 John 4:16).
But what about faith and hope? Those two gifts will likewise last forever.
Faith in the Son of God will not cease in the eternal state; we will not stop trusting Jesus just because our faith has become sight. If anything,
our trust in Him will grow greater.
Similarly, our hope will not cease just because our blessed hope has come.
Our lives will continue in the eternal state,
as will our expectation of other things in an
infinite sequence of adventure.
As commentator Alexander MacLaren explained, “That Future presents itself to us as the continual communication of an inexhaustible God to our progressively capacious and capable spirits.
In that continual communication there is
continual progress.
Wherever there is progress there must
be hope.
And thus the fair form . . . will move before us
through all
the long avenues of an
endless progress,
and will ever and anon come back to
tell us of
the unseen glories that lie beyond
the next turn,
and to woo us further
into the depths of heaven
and the
fulness of God”
(MacLaren Expositions of Holy Scripture, 1 Corinthians)
Faith, hope, and love
are the three gifts
that will be
ours
throughout all eternity.
And agape love is the ultimate
GIFT
God in His goodness gives us the privilege
of possessing
these gifts today,
and we look forward to having them
remain with us
FOREVER
New Bible Translation
Adds
'If You Know What I Mean'
To Every Verse
In
Song Of Solomon
SCRIPTURE·
Dec 18, 2022 · BabylonBee.com
U.S. — The publisher Zondervan has released a new Bible translation where the words
"if you know what I mean"
have been added to the end of every verse in
Song of Solomon.
"It reads so much better," said Pastor John Piper.
"I really feel like this version best portrays the
gist of what
King Solomon was trying to say."
Called the
"Honest Living Translation",
project leader
Dr. Stanley Higgins said the additions helped
capture the true spirit of Solomon's writing.
"We believe the latest scholarship shows that King Solomon
most likely was giving his audience a giant wink after every verse,"
said Dr. Higgins.
"How else do you
follow up the line describing a part of his bride
as twin gazelle fauns?
The little phrase we have added hopefully conveys
Solomon's sheepish grin."
Zondervan has graciously provided The Babylon Bee
with a few excerpts:
Song of Solomon 2:9:
"My beloved is like a gazelle, or a young stag -
if you know what I mean."
Song of Solomon 6:11:
“I went down to the nut orchard to look at the blossoms of the valley -
if you know what I mean."
Song of Solomon 7:8:
"I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its fruit -
if you know what I mean."
While many theologians have praised the update,
some detractors have argued
that the Song of Solomon does not contain
any such innuendo.
"We believe that the bride asking the groom to
‘come into her garden to taste the choice fruits'
was a
literal invitation to her apple orchard,"
said
Theology Professor Mark Leventhal.
"Further, the groom 'grazing among her lilies'
means nothing more than
King Solomon
actually stuffing his face with flowers.
Reading anything more into
These verses is wildly inappropriate."
Sources say that the new translation will also add the words
“Boo-yah!"
after each time Elijah calls down fire from Heaven.
Jesus discussed the
new birth
in His conversation with Nicodemus,
a Jewish leader, in John 3.
Jesus said to him,
‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again”
(John 3:3).
Nicodemus was puzzled and asked how anyone could
re-enter his mother’s womb
and be born a second time. Jesus doubled down:
“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter
the kingdom of God
unless they are born of water and the Spirit” (verse 5).
Then He expounded on what the new birth is.
Jesus explained that this new birth is not physical,
but spiritual.
The new birth that we must experience in
order to “see the kingdom of God” is a work of
the Holy Spirit.
Just as a mother does all the work in physical birth,
so the
Holy Spirit does all the work in the new birth.
Upon our faith in the
SAVING
POWER of
JESUS CHRIST,
the
HOLY Spirit enters
our spirits,
regenerates us, and begins
His work
of TRANSFORMING
us into
the IMAGE of CHRIST
(2 Corinthians 5:17).
We are born again.
We are all born with a sin nature that separates us from our Creator. We were designed in His own image (Genesis 1:27), but that image was tarnished when we fell into sin.
As sinners, we cannot fellowship with a holy God
the way we are.
We cannot be repaired, restored, or rehabilitated.
We need to be reborn.
In answer to Nicodemus’s questions about the
new birth,
Jesus began talking about
the wind:
“Very truly I tell you,
no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they
are born
of water and the Spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
You should not be surprised at my saying,
‘You must be born again.’
The wind blows wherever
it pleases.
You hear its sound, but you cannot tell
where it comes from or where
it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit”
(John 3:5–8).
In His analogy of the wind in John 3:8,
Jesus
was comparing physical
birth and growth
with spiritual
Birth and Growth
Jesus points out that Nicodemus need not marvel at the
necessity of the Spirit causing
one to
be “born again.”
Nicodemus naturally believed in other things as
difficult
to understand, such as
the wind,
which he could not see.
The effects of the wind are obvious: the sound is heard, and things
Move as it Moves
The wind,
unseen, unpredictable,
and
uncontrollable, is mysterious
to us,
but we see and understand its effects.
So it is with the
Spirit.
We do not see the Spirit, but we see the changes the
Spirit produces in people.
Sinful people are made holy;
liars speak truth;
the proud become humble.
When we see such changes,
we know they have a cause.
The Spirit affects us just
as the wind affects the trees, water, and clouds.
We don’t see the cause,
and we don’t understand
all the
in’s and out’s of HOW it works,
but
we SEE the effect and BELIEVE
When an infant is born, he continues to
grow and change.
A year later, two years later, ten years later, the child has changed. He does not remain an infant because a live birth results in growth. We may not see this growth happening, but we see the changes it produces.
So it is with the
new birth.
When a person is born again
in spirit,
he or she is
born
into the family of God
“like newborn babies”
(1 Peter 2:2). This birth is not visible, but it begins to produce changes that are evident.
The following are some changes that follow the new birth:
1. The “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–23). Someone who has experienced the new birth will begin to exhibit character qualities that are more like Jesus. This doesn’t happen overnight, but just as a fruit tree grows and begins to produce fruit in season, we begin to produce godly character traits such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. These traits are the natural result of yielding to the Spirit and spending time with God in His Word, with His people, and in worship.
2. Godly choices. Sins that once captivated us begin to fall away as we grow closer to Jesus.
Our new birth broke the power that sin had over us and enables us to live in freedom. Romans 6 explains that we have died to our old way of life and are free to live as we were designed to live.
Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry” (cf. 1 Peter 4:1).
This death to sin is an ongoing process as we grow in our faith and love for the Lord.
3. Love for other Christians. One of the changes the new birth produces is love: “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (1 John 4:19–21). A person who has been born into the family of God craves fellowship with other believers. God did not create a team where players can be traded. He did not create a corporation where employees can be fired. He created a family where every member is valued and equally loved. As part of His family, those who’ve been born again are to love and appreciate the other members of this worldwide family.
4. Spiritual gifts. A part of God’s welcome package to those who are born of His Spirit are spiritual gifts that we can use to serve Him and edify the church. Spiritual gifts are special abilities that enable us to be more effective in the particular callings God places on our lives.
As each member
uses his or her gifts for the good of all,
God’s family thrives.
New babies crave milk, and, without it,
they won’t grow.
Likewise, new Christians
crave biblical teaching or they won’t grow.
Peter wrote,
“Like newborn babies, crave
pure spiritual milk,
so that by it you may
grow up in your salvation,
now that you have
tasted that the Lord is good.”
Do You Love Me?
Feed My Sheep
The new birth is only the beginning of the life
God designed for us.
It is also the ONLY WAY we can enter the
family of God
and
receive the privilege of calling Him
“Father”
(see Matthew 6:9; Romans 8:15).
שם
The name Shem:
Name, Fame, Conscious Knowledge
Of
The Whole Of Creation
Etymology
From the noun שם (shem), name or renown
James observed a widespread problem of worldliness infiltrating the
lives of Christians in the early church.
He beckoned his
readers to repent from their sinful 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)
James’ use of the phrase cleanse your hands
linked his command
in a spiritual and moral sense
to the language
of the ancient Jewish ceremonial
rituals of worship.
Whenever the priests entered the
wilderness tabernacle
and approached the altar to minister
to the Lord,
they were required to cleanse
their hands and feet with water
from the bronze basin:
“They shall wash their hands and their feet,
so that they may not die.
It shall be a statute forever to them,
even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations”
(Exodus 30:21, ESV).
James may have also had these
words of
King David in mind:
“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’ charge to “cleanse your hands” focused more on the
people’s worldly actions and outward deeds.
God had issued a similar order through
the prophet Isaiah:
“Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.
Remove
your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil”
(Isaiah 1:16, HCSB).
We get our hands dirty
when we play in the world’s sandbox.
We cleanse our hands
by removing them from sinful pursuits
and moral compromises
and then seeking God’s forgiveness.
We purify our hearts
through the inward
renewal
of the mind and spirit
(Psalm 51:10).
The apostle Paul taught believers to give their bodies
—including their hands--
to God
as “a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he
will find acceptable.
This is truly the way to worship him.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of
this world,
but let God transform you
into a new person
by changing the way you think.
Then you will learn to know
God’s will for you,
which is good and pleasing and perfect”
(Romans 12:1–2, NLT).
James called the people “double-minded” because they continued to
grasp tightly to the world
while claiming to love and worship God.
A parallel indictment
characterized 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).
James saw that it was time
for the
people to tear down the walls
of denial
and get
honest with themselves before God.
He encouraged them to draw near to God
in genuine repentance
by experiencing gut-wrenching sorrow
for their sins:
“Let there be tears for what you
have done.
Let there be sorrow and deep grief.
Let there be
sadness instead of laughter,
and gloom instead of joy.
Humble yourselves
before the Lord,
and he will lift you up in honor”
(James 4:9–10, NLT).
Jesus Christ
taught that inner purity
is
more important than
outward,
ritualistic cleansing:
“The words you speak
come from the heart—that’s what
defiles you.
For from the heart come evil thoughts,
murder,
adultery,
all sexual immorality, theft,
lying,
and slander.
These are what defile you.
Eating with
unwashed hands will never defile you”
(Matthew 15:18–20, NLT; see also Mark 7:1–9, 14–15, 20–23; Luke 11:37–41).
When James said,
“Cleanse your hands, you sinners,”
he was speaking figuratively,
using the washing of one’s hands
as a symbol of
repentance
and the washing away of sin.
In TRUTH
we cannot cleanse ourselves from sin.
Only God, through
“the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin”
(1 John 1:7, ESV).
Christ shed His blood on the cross,
providing
the necessary sacrifice for our sins so that
we could receive
God’s forgiveness and complete cleansing
(John 1:29; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12–22; 1 Peter 1:18–19).
We can now draw near to God “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).
From the beginning,
God’s covenant with Israel
was based
on exclusive worship of
Him alone
(Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7).
The Israelites were not even to mention the names of false gods
(Exodus 23:13)
because to do so would acknowledge their existence
and give credence
to their power and influence over the people.
Israel was forbidden to intermarry with other cultures who
embraced false gods,
because God knew this would lead to compromise.
The book of Hosea uses the imagery
of adultery to describe
Israel’s continual chasing after other gods,
like an
unfaithful wife chases after other men.
The history of Israel is a sad chronicle of
idol worship,
punishment, restoration and forgiveness,
followed by a return to idolatry.
The books of 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles reveal
this destructive pattern.
The Old Testament prophets endlessly
prophesied
dire consequences for Israel if they continued
in their idolatry.
Mostly, they were ignored
until
it was too late and
God’s wrath
against idol-worship
was
poured out on the nation.
But ours is a merciful God,
and
He never failed to forgive and
restore them
when they repented
and
sought His forgiveness
In reality, idols are impotent blocks of stone or wood,
and their
power exists only in the minds of the worshipers.
The idol
of the god Dagon was twice knocked to the floor by God
to show the Philistines
just WHO was GOD and who wasn’t
(1 Samuel 5:1-5).
The “contest” between God
and
His prophet Elijah
and the 450 prophets of Baal on
Mount Carmel
is a dramatic example of the power of
the TRUE GOD
and the impotence of false gods
(1 Kings 18:19-40).
The testimony of Scripture
is that
God alone is worthy of worship.
Idol worship robs God of
the
Glory that is Rightfully His,
and that is
something He will not tolerate
(Isaiah 42:8).
Even today there are religions that bow before statues and icons, a practice
forbidden by God’s Word.
The significance God places upon it is reflected in the fact that the first of the
Ten Commandments refers to idolatry:
“You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol
in the form of anything
in heaven above or on the earth beneath
or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them
or worship them;
for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
punishing the children for the sin of the fathers
to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me”
(Exodus 20:3-5).
Idolatry extends beyond the worship of idols and images and false gods.
Our modern idols are many and varied. Even for those who do not bow physically before a statue,
idolatry is a matter of the heart—pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions
and ultimately rebellion against God.
Is it any wonder that God hates it?
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).
Shem was one of the three sons of Noah.
Before the great flood that God used
to judge the
inhabitants of the earth for their great wickedness
(Genesis 6:5–7),
God instructed the righteous Noah to build a
great ark to save Noah and his wife,
along with
their sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth,
and their wives.
The Lord brought two of every kind of unclean animal and seven of every kind of clean animal and shut them up in the ark before the flood waters covered the earth (Genesis 7:14–16).
The families and animals were in the ark for about 370 days: 40 days and 40 nights during the rains, and then the remainder of the time waiting for the flood waters to recede (see Genesis 7:1–8:19).
Shem is always mentioned first among the sons of Noah, possibly because he was of primary importance to Moses’ audience, the Hebrews. Shem was their ancestor. In the birth order of Noah’s sons, Shem was the middle child, as calculated below:
• according to Genesis 5:32, Noah began having children when he was 500 years old.
• according to Genesis 7:11, Noah was 600 years old when the flood began
(making his oldest child 100 years old)
• according to Genesis 11:10, Shem had a child when he was 100 years old, two years
after the flood(making him 98 years old at the time of the flood)
• since we know that Ham was not the oldest (according to Genesis 9:24), the 100-year-old son at the time of the flood must have been Japheth
Shem, along with his brothers and their wives, fulfilled God’s command to begin repopulating the earth (Genesis 9:7). Shem’s line produced the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Elamites, Arameans, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Arabs, and Hebrews. Shem’s name is the origin of the word Semitic;
Shem’s great-grandson Eber was the father
of those who were eventually
called “Hebrews,”
including Abram and the Jews
(see Genesis 10 and 11for more on Shem’s line)
(Genesis 11:10–11)
Shem
is mentioned in the New Testament as
an ancestor of Jesus
(Luke 3:36).
Exodus 17:15–16 tells us,
“Moses built an altar
and called it
The Lord is my Banner.
He said,
‘Because hands were lifted up against
the throne of the Lord,
the Lord
will be at war against the Amalekites from
generation to generation.’”
“The Lord is my Banner” is the translation of
the Hebrew Yahweh-Nissi.
Earlier in Exodus 17, we read of the Amalekites attacking the Israelites at Rephidim. Joshua and the Israelites fought against the Amalekites while Moses stood on top of a hill with the staff of God in his hands.
When Moses’ hands were lifted, the Israelites were winning; when his hands were lowered, the Amalekites were winning. Understandably, Moses grew tired, so he sat on a stone, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands.
The children of Israel gained the victory (verse 13). God then instructed Moses to write the account of the battle on a scroll so that it would be remembered (verse 14).
It was then that Moses built the altar he
Named
“The Lord is my Banner.”
That name proclaims
God’s leadership and the protection of His people.
A banner
is something that identifies and
unifies a
particular group of people.
For example, a military flag or standard is sometimes
called a banner.
The Israelites’ saying, “The Lord is my Banner,”
was a way of
identifying themselves as the
unified followers of the Lord God.
A banner also functions as a rallying point for troops in a battle. The altar Moses built in Exodus 17 marked the place where God intervened on behalf of His people and promised to utterly defeat His enemies.
Psalm 20:5 says, “May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.”
In verses 6–8 we read, “Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to
his anointed
He answers him from his
heavenly sanctuary
with the
victorious power of his right hand.
Some trust
in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the
Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.” God’s people continue to say,
“The Lord is my Banner,” because it is in His power that the enemies are vanquished
(see also Psalm 60:4–5).
The Lord is our Banner
in that He is the One under whom
we unite.
He is our Savior.
We are rescued by Him and identified
in HIM
Mercy and grace are closely related.
While the terms have similar meanings, grace and mercy
are not exactly the same.
Mercy has to do with kindness and compassion;
it is often spoken of in the context
of God’s not punishing us
as our sins deserve.
Grace includes kindness and compassion,
but also carries
the idea of bestowing a gift or favor.
It may help to view mercy as a subset of grace.
In Scripture, mercy is often equated with a
deliverance from judgment
(e.g., Deuteronomy 4:30–31; 1 Timothy 1:13),
and
grace is always the extending of a blessing
to the unworthy
According to the Bible, we have all sinned
(Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8).
As a result of that sin, we all deserve death
(Romans 6:23)
and eternal judgment in the lake of fire
(Revelation 20:12–15)
Given what we deserve,
every day we live is an act of God’s mercy.
If God gave us all what we deserve,
we would all be, right now, condemned for eternity.
In Psalm 51:1–2,
David cries out,
“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.”
Pleading for
God’s mercy is asking Him to show kindness
and
withhold the judgment we deserve.
We deserve nothing good
from God.
God does not owe us any good thing.
What good we experience
is a result of the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5).
Grace is simply defined as “unmerited favor.”
God favors us—He shows us approval and kindness--
in blessing us
with good things that we do not deserve
and could never earn.
Common grace
refers to the blessings that God bestows
on all of mankind
regardless of their spiritual standing before Him,
while saving grace is that special blessing
whereby God sovereignly bestows unmerited
divine assistance upon
His elect for their regeneration and sanctification.
Mercy and grace
are evident in the salvation that
is available through Jesus Christ.
We deserved judgment,
but in Christ we receive mercy from God
and are delivered from judgment.
In Christ we receive
eternal salvation, forgiveness of sins, and abundant life
(John 10:10)—all gifts of grace.
Our response to
The mercy and grace of God
should be to fall
on our
knees in worship and thanksgiving.
Hebrews 4:16 declares,
“Let us then approach the throne of
grace
with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and
find grace
to help us in our time of need.”
Jesus discussed the
new birth
in His conversation with Nicodemus,
a Jewish leader, in John 3.
Jesus said to him,
‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again”
(John 3:3).
Nicodemus was puzzled and asked how anyone could
re-enter his mother’s womb
and be born a second time. Jesus doubled down:
“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter
the kingdom of God
unless they are born of water and the Spirit” (verse 5).
Then He expounded on what the new birth is.
Jesus explained that this new birth is not physical,
but spiritual.
The new birth that we must experience in
order to “see the kingdom of God” is a work of
the Holy Spirit.
Just as a mother does all the work in physical birth,
so the
Holy Spirit does all the work in the new birth.
Upon our faith in the
SAVING
POWER of
JESUS CHRIST,
the
HOLY Spirit enters
our spirits,
regenerates us, and begins
His work
of TRANSFORMING
us into
the IMAGE of CHRIST
(2 Corinthians 5:17).
We are born again.
We are all born with a sin nature that separates us from our Creator. We were designed in His own image (Genesis 1:27), but that image was tarnished when we fell into sin.
As sinners, we cannot fellowship with a holy God
the way we are.
We cannot be repaired, restored, or rehabilitated.
We need to be reborn.
In answer to Nicodemus’s questions about the
new birth,
Jesus began talking about
the wind:
“Very truly I tell you,
no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they
are born
of water and the Spirit.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
You should not be surprised at my saying,
‘You must be born again.’
The wind blows wherever
it pleases.
You hear its sound, but you cannot tell
where it comes from or where
it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit”
(John 3:5–8).
In His analogy of the wind in John 3:8,
Jesus
was comparing physical
birth and growth
with spiritual
Birth and Growth
Jesus points out that Nicodemus need not marvel at the
necessity of the Spirit causing
one to
be “born again.”
Nicodemus naturally believed in other things as
difficult
to understand, such as
the wind,
which he could not see.
The effects of the wind are obvious: the sound is heard, and things
Move as it Moves
The wind,
unseen, unpredictable,
and
uncontrollable, is mysterious
to us,
but we see and understand its effects.
So it is with the
Spirit.
We do not see the Spirit, but we see the changes the
Spirit produces in people.
Sinful people are made holy;
liars speak truth;
the proud become humble.
When we see such changes,
we know they have a cause.
The Spirit affects us just
as the wind affects the trees, water, and clouds.
We don’t see the cause,
and we don’t understand
all the
in’s and out’s of HOW it works,
but
we SEE the effect and BELIEVE
When an infant is born, he continues to
grow and change.
A year later, two years later, ten years later, the child has changed. He does not remain an infant because a live birth results in growth. We may not see this growth happening, but we see the changes it produces.
So it is with the
new birth.
When a person is born again
in spirit,
he or she is
born
into the family of God
“like newborn babies”
(1 Peter 2:2). This birth is not visible, but it begins to produce changes that are evident.
The following are some changes that follow the new birth:
1. The “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–23). Someone who has experienced the new birth will begin to exhibit character qualities that are more like Jesus. This doesn’t happen overnight, but just as a fruit tree grows and begins to produce fruit in season, we begin to produce godly character traits such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. These traits are the natural result of yielding to the Spirit and spending time with God in His Word, with His people, and in worship.
2. Godly choices. Sins that once captivated us begin to fall away as we grow closer to Jesus.
Our new birth broke the power that sin had over us and enables us to live in freedom. Romans 6 explains that we have died to our old way of life and are free to live as we were designed to live.
Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry” (cf. 1 Peter 4:1).
This death to sin is an ongoing process as we grow in our faith and love for the Lord.
3. Love for other Christians. One of the changes the new birth produces is love: “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (1 John 4:19–21). A person who has been born into the family of God craves fellowship with other believers. God did not create a team where players can be traded. He did not create a corporation where employees can be fired. He created a family where every member is valued and equally loved. As part of His family, those who’ve been born again are to love and appreciate the other members of this worldwide family.
4. Spiritual gifts. A part of God’s welcome package to those who are born of His Spirit are spiritual gifts that we can use to serve Him and edify the church. Spiritual gifts are special abilities that enable us to be more effective in the particular callings God places on our lives.
As each member
uses his or her gifts for the good of all,
God’s family thrives.
New babies crave milk, and, without it,
they won’t grow.
Likewise, new Christians
crave biblical teaching or they won’t grow.
Peter wrote,
“Like newborn babies, crave
pure spiritual milk,
so that by it you may
grow up in your salvation,
now that you have
tasted that the Lord is good.”
Do You Love Me?
Feed My Sheep
The new birth is only the beginning of the life
God designed for us.
It is also the ONLY WAY we can enter the
family of God
and
receive the privilege of calling Him
“Father”
(see Matthew 6:9; Romans 8:15).
שם
The name Shem:
Name, Fame, Conscious Knowledge
Of
The Whole Of Creation
Etymology
From the noun שם (shem), name or renown
James observed a widespread problem of worldliness infiltrating the
lives of Christians in the early church.
He beckoned his
readers to repent from their sinful 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)
James’ use of the phrase cleanse your hands
linked his command
in a spiritual and moral sense
to the language
of the ancient Jewish ceremonial
rituals of worship.
Whenever the priests entered the
wilderness tabernacle
and approached the altar to minister
to the Lord,
they were required to cleanse
their hands and feet with water
from the bronze basin:
“They shall wash their hands and their feet,
so that they may not die.
It shall be a statute forever to them,
even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations”
(Exodus 30:21, ESV).
James may have also had these
words of
King David in mind:
“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’ charge to “cleanse your hands” focused more on the
people’s worldly actions and outward deeds.
God had issued a similar order through
the prophet Isaiah:
“Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves.
Remove
your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil”
(Isaiah 1:16, HCSB).
We get our hands dirty
when we play in the world’s sandbox.
We cleanse our hands
by removing them from sinful pursuits
and moral compromises
and then seeking God’s forgiveness.
We purify our hearts
through the inward
renewal
of the mind and spirit
(Psalm 51:10).
The apostle Paul taught believers to give their bodies
—including their hands--
to God
as “a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he
will find acceptable.
This is truly the way to worship him.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of
this world,
but let God transform you
into a new person
by changing the way you think.
Then you will learn to know
God’s will for you,
which is good and pleasing and perfect”
(Romans 12:1–2, NLT).
James called the people “double-minded” because they continued to
grasp tightly to the world
while claiming to love and worship God.
A parallel indictment
characterized 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).
James saw that it was time
for the
people to tear down the walls
of denial
and get
honest with themselves before God.
He encouraged them to draw near to God
in genuine repentance
by experiencing gut-wrenching sorrow
for their sins:
“Let there be tears for what you
have done.
Let there be sorrow and deep grief.
Let there be
sadness instead of laughter,
and gloom instead of joy.
Humble yourselves
before the Lord,
and he will lift you up in honor”
(James 4:9–10, NLT).
Jesus Christ
taught that inner purity
is
more important than
outward,
ritualistic cleansing:
“The words you speak
come from the heart—that’s what
defiles you.
For from the heart come evil thoughts,
murder,
adultery,
all sexual immorality, theft,
lying,
and slander.
These are what defile you.
Eating with
unwashed hands will never defile you”
(Matthew 15:18–20, NLT; see also Mark 7:1–9, 14–15, 20–23; Luke 11:37–41).
When James said,
“Cleanse your hands, you sinners,”
he was speaking figuratively,
using the washing of one’s hands
as a symbol of
repentance
and the washing away of sin.
In TRUTH
we cannot cleanse ourselves from sin.
Only God, through
“the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin”
(1 John 1:7, ESV).
Christ shed His blood on the cross,
providing
the necessary sacrifice for our sins so that
we could receive
God’s forgiveness and complete cleansing
(John 1:29; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12–22; 1 Peter 1:18–19).
We can now draw near to God “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).
From the beginning,
God’s covenant with Israel
was based
on exclusive worship of
Him alone
(Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7).
The Israelites were not even to mention the names of false gods
(Exodus 23:13)
because to do so would acknowledge their existence
and give credence
to their power and influence over the people.
Israel was forbidden to intermarry with other cultures who
embraced false gods,
because God knew this would lead to compromise.
The book of Hosea uses the imagery
of adultery to describe
Israel’s continual chasing after other gods,
like an
unfaithful wife chases after other men.
The history of Israel is a sad chronicle of
idol worship,
punishment, restoration and forgiveness,
followed by a return to idolatry.
The books of 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles reveal
this destructive pattern.
The Old Testament prophets endlessly
prophesied
dire consequences for Israel if they continued
in their idolatry.
Mostly, they were ignored
until
it was too late and
God’s wrath
against idol-worship
was
poured out on the nation.
But ours is a merciful God,
and
He never failed to forgive and
restore them
when they repented
and
sought His forgiveness
In reality, idols are impotent blocks of stone or wood,
and their
power exists only in the minds of the worshipers.
The idol
of the god Dagon was twice knocked to the floor by God
to show the Philistines
just WHO was GOD and who wasn’t
(1 Samuel 5:1-5).
The “contest” between God
and
His prophet Elijah
and the 450 prophets of Baal on
Mount Carmel
is a dramatic example of the power of
the TRUE GOD
and the impotence of false gods
(1 Kings 18:19-40).
The testimony of Scripture
is that
God alone is worthy of worship.
Idol worship robs God of
the
Glory that is Rightfully His,
and that is
something He will not tolerate
(Isaiah 42:8).
Even today there are religions that bow before statues and icons, a practice
forbidden by God’s Word.
The significance God places upon it is reflected in the fact that the first of the
Ten Commandments refers to idolatry:
“You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol
in the form of anything
in heaven above or on the earth beneath
or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them
or worship them;
for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
punishing the children for the sin of the fathers
to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me”
(Exodus 20:3-5).
Idolatry extends beyond the worship of idols and images and false gods.
Our modern idols are many and varied. Even for those who do not bow physically before a statue,
idolatry is a matter of the heart—pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions
and ultimately rebellion against God.
Is it any wonder that God hates it?
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).
Shem was one of the three sons of Noah.
Before the great flood that God used
to judge the
inhabitants of the earth for their great wickedness
(Genesis 6:5–7),
God instructed the righteous Noah to build a
great ark to save Noah and his wife,
along with
their sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth,
and their wives.
The Lord brought two of every kind of unclean animal and seven of every kind of clean animal and shut them up in the ark before the flood waters covered the earth (Genesis 7:14–16).
The families and animals were in the ark for about 370 days: 40 days and 40 nights during the rains, and then the remainder of the time waiting for the flood waters to recede (see Genesis 7:1–8:19).
Shem is always mentioned first among the sons of Noah, possibly because he was of primary importance to Moses’ audience, the Hebrews. Shem was their ancestor. In the birth order of Noah’s sons, Shem was the middle child, as calculated below:
• according to Genesis 5:32, Noah began having children when he was 500 years old.
• according to Genesis 7:11, Noah was 600 years old when the flood began
(making his oldest child 100 years old)
• according to Genesis 11:10, Shem had a child when he was 100 years old, two years
after the flood(making him 98 years old at the time of the flood)
• since we know that Ham was not the oldest (according to Genesis 9:24), the 100-year-old son at the time of the flood must have been Japheth
Shem, along with his brothers and their wives, fulfilled God’s command to begin repopulating the earth (Genesis 9:7). Shem’s line produced the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Elamites, Arameans, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Arabs, and Hebrews. Shem’s name is the origin of the word Semitic;
Shem’s great-grandson Eber was the father
of those who were eventually
called “Hebrews,”
including Abram and the Jews
(see Genesis 10 and 11for more on Shem’s line)
(Genesis 11:10–11)
Shem
is mentioned in the New Testament as
an ancestor of Jesus
(Luke 3:36).
Exodus 17:15–16 tells us,
“Moses built an altar
and called it
The Lord is my Banner.
He said,
‘Because hands were lifted up against
the throne of the Lord,
the Lord
will be at war against the Amalekites from
generation to generation.’”
“The Lord is my Banner” is the translation of
the Hebrew Yahweh-Nissi.
Earlier in Exodus 17, we read of the Amalekites attacking the Israelites at Rephidim. Joshua and the Israelites fought against the Amalekites while Moses stood on top of a hill with the staff of God in his hands.
When Moses’ hands were lifted, the Israelites were winning; when his hands were lowered, the Amalekites were winning. Understandably, Moses grew tired, so he sat on a stone, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands.
The children of Israel gained the victory (verse 13). God then instructed Moses to write the account of the battle on a scroll so that it would be remembered (verse 14).
It was then that Moses built the altar he
Named
“The Lord is my Banner.”
That name proclaims
God’s leadership and the protection of His people.
A banner
is something that identifies and
unifies a
particular group of people.
For example, a military flag or standard is sometimes
called a banner.
The Israelites’ saying, “The Lord is my Banner,”
was a way of
identifying themselves as the
unified followers of the Lord God.
A banner also functions as a rallying point for troops in a battle. The altar Moses built in Exodus 17 marked the place where God intervened on behalf of His people and promised to utterly defeat His enemies.
Psalm 20:5 says, “May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God.”
In verses 6–8 we read, “Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to
his anointed
He answers him from his
heavenly sanctuary
with the
victorious power of his right hand.
Some trust
in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the
Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.” God’s people continue to say,
“The Lord is my Banner,” because it is in His power that the enemies are vanquished
(see also Psalm 60:4–5).
The Lord is our Banner
in that He is the One under whom
we unite.
He is our Savior.
We are rescued by Him and identified
in HIM
Mercy and grace are closely related.
While the terms have similar meanings, grace and mercy
are not exactly the same.
Mercy has to do with kindness and compassion;
it is often spoken of in the context
of God’s not punishing us
as our sins deserve.
Grace includes kindness and compassion,
but also carries
the idea of bestowing a gift or favor.
It may help to view mercy as a subset of grace.
In Scripture, mercy is often equated with a
deliverance from judgment
(e.g., Deuteronomy 4:30–31; 1 Timothy 1:13),
and
grace is always the extending of a blessing
to the unworthy
According to the Bible, we have all sinned
(Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8).
As a result of that sin, we all deserve death
(Romans 6:23)
and eternal judgment in the lake of fire
(Revelation 20:12–15)
Given what we deserve,
every day we live is an act of God’s mercy.
If God gave us all what we deserve,
we would all be, right now, condemned for eternity.
In Psalm 51:1–2,
David cries out,
“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.”
Pleading for
God’s mercy is asking Him to show kindness
and
withhold the judgment we deserve.
We deserve nothing good
from God.
God does not owe us any good thing.
What good we experience
is a result of the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5).
Grace is simply defined as “unmerited favor.”
God favors us—He shows us approval and kindness--
in blessing us
with good things that we do not deserve
and could never earn.
Common grace
refers to the blessings that God bestows
on all of mankind
regardless of their spiritual standing before Him,
while saving grace is that special blessing
whereby God sovereignly bestows unmerited
divine assistance upon
His elect for their regeneration and sanctification.
Mercy and grace
are evident in the salvation that
is available through Jesus Christ.
We deserved judgment,
but in Christ we receive mercy from God
and are delivered from judgment.
In Christ we receive
eternal salvation, forgiveness of sins, and abundant life
(John 10:10)—all gifts of grace.
Our response to
The mercy and grace of God
should be to fall
on our
knees in worship and thanksgiving.
Hebrews 4:16 declares,
“Let us then approach the throne of
grace
with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and
find grace
to help us in our time of need.”
It wasn’t long after
the statue of baby Jesus
wrapped in a Palestinian kaffiyeh
appeared in the Vatican
that the controversial nativity scene
disappeared again.
It wasn’t the main nativity scene at the Vatican, but it certainly got a lot of attention. Pictures of the Pope facing the keffiyeh-clad baby were splashed all over the internet, giving his tacit approval of the political message. Olive wood statues were presented to the Pope by artists Fatem Nastas Mitwasi and Johny Andonia from Bethlehem, now an overwhelmingly Muslim city under the Palestinian Authority. You can buy these beautiful nativity scenes, sets made of olive wood by Palestinian Christians, all over Israel.
However, with the addition of a keffiyeh scarf, this was a particularly
political nativity scene,
suggesting—yet again—that Jesus was a Palestinian.
This determination to pretend
that Jesus
was Palestinian is a diabolical trend.
People are even suggesting
that
Mary wasn’t Jewish
as well now,
following the new Netflix film about her,
played by an Israeli actress.
But of course, Mary was Jewish!
Her Hebrew Name was Miriam and
her husband,
Yoseph, was also Jewish.
And so was her son, Yeshua.
He was born Jewish, He is of the tribe of Judah, and will come back to reign on David’s throne in Jerusalem.
Wrapping a figurine of Jesus in a keffiyeh doesn’t make Him Palestinian any more than a man wearing a dress makes that man a woman. There’s nothing wrong with male and female, and there’s nothing wrong with Jews and Arabs. All are beloved, and all are equal before the Lord.
But make no mistake, Jesus is Jewish, and it matters.
Truth matters.
The problem with this Palestinian Jesus business is not only that it’s just not true but also that it is in direct opposition to God’s plans and purposes. Jesus said He will not return until His people are calling from His holy city, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 23:39).
God has regathered His people to Israel on purpose, just as He promised in His word.
He is preparing the ground for His soon return, and Israel must be there.
There must be Jews in Jerusalem.
God has reestablished Israel, and joining those who fight against it is joining the fight against God.
Click here to read more -> https://www.oneforisrael.org/.../the-keffiyeh-and-the.../
Light of God
The Bayer Family’s Journey Through Tragedy | Full Movie
On Thursday, December 14, 2023, the news arrived that Uriah, a soldier in the “Maglan” commando unit, had been seriously injured and was being treated in the intensive care unit at Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva.
Gideon and his wife, Nelly, have five children, Uriah is the fourth.
Gideon came to Israel with his parents in 1972 when he was two. The family are non-Jewish Germans who love Israel, and especially the God of Israel. After they arrived in the country, they established a convalescent home and a retirement home for Holocaust survivors.
When the war began, four of their five children (the youngest in high school) went out to defend our country. Nelly and Gideon prayed that God would protect their children and bring them home safely.
Then came the phone call with the bitter news of Uriah's severe injury. Uriah fought for three days until the injury overcame the strong, handsome, loving, and beloved young man.
Our team has focused on sharing stories of Faith and Hope during this war on Terror. The Bayer family is one of those exemplary stories of powerful faith and Love for the people of Israel amidst such devastating days.
In Jacob’s blessings
of his twelve sons, he says
this about Judah:
“The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall
come and the
obedience of the nations shall be his”
(Genesis 49:10)
In ancient times a scepter
was often a full-length staff—note that,
in the poetry of Jacob’s prophecy,
the words scepter
and ruler’s staff are used in parallel.
A scepter was usually
made of carved wood and sometimes
embellished with fine metal or gems;
it symbolized a ruler’s absolute power and
authority over a tribe or nation.
The same Hebrew word translated
“scepter”
is sometimes translated
as
“club,” “staff,” or “rod,”
all of which can be used as weapons.
Scepters symbolized
the irresistible civic and military power
that a ruler had at his command
When Jacob said, “The scepter will not depart from Judah,”
he was giving, in part,
a divine prediction concerning the
children of Judah.
Centuries later, when
Jacob’s descendants
formed a nation in the
Promised Land
and kings began to rule,
it was the
line of Judah that became
the royal line.
Starting with David,
the
line of Judah’s kings
continued
through Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah,
and many others, all the way through
Zedekiah,
the last king of Judah.
Jacob’s prophecy came
true:
the tribe of Judah possessed the
scepter--
the kings of the Davidic dynasty
were all descended from
Jacob’s fourth son, Judah.
When Jacob said,
“The scepter will not depart from Judah,”
he was also
giving a divine prediction of one Descendant
in particular
who would come from the
line of Judah.
Jacob says the tribe of Judah would
possess the scepter
“until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor”
(Genesis 49:10, NLT).
Some more literal translations, such as the KJV and the NASB,
render the prophecy
as “until Shiloh comes”--Shiloh being a
title of the Messiah.
Later in biblical history,
God tells King David,
a descendant of Judah,
that his throne
would be established forever,
confirming that the
Messiah
would
be descended from him
(2 Samuel 7:8–16).
The One
who fulfills this prophecy is
Jesus Christ,
the Son of David,
whose
kingdom is eternal
(2 Peter 1:11).
Jesus is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David”
(Revelation 5:5).
Because of Jesus Christ,
the scepter
has not departed
from Judah.
Worldly authority, symbolized by the scepter,
is temporary,
and earthly kings often find their scepters
slipping out of their grasp.
But the scepter wielded by
the
Messiah, Jesus Christ,
will never be lost, stolen,
or set aside.
When He establishes His kingdom on earth, it will be
one of perfect justice:
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice
will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness”
(Hebrews 1:8–9; cf. Psalm 45:6–7).
Jesus’ reign
will include a final judgment of the nations,
and He
“will rule them with an
iron scepter
and will dash them to
pieces like pottery”
(Revelation 2:27; cf. Psalm 2:9; cf. Revelation 19:15).
Just before they
crucified Jesus,
Roman soldiers mocked Him,
placing a
crown of thorns on His head
and a staff
in His
hand as a royal scepter.
They bowed before Him in jest,
saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” then struck Him repeatedly with the fake scepter
(Matthew 27:27–31).
How supremely ironic that the scepter, a symbol of worldly authority,
was used to batter the
One who holds the highest authority in heaven and on earth!
A 4,000-year-old prophecy, “the scepter will not depart from Judah,” will be fully realized some day when Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, returns with His saints and angels. The Lion of the tribe of Judah will wield the scepter: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 1:14–15).
When we base our lives on the truth of God’s Word, rather than on the popular philosophy of our day,
we are going against our natural inclinations.
Second Corinthians 5:6–7 says, "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight" (ESV, emphasis added). Other versions use the word live, rather than walk. The "walk" here is a metaphorical reference to the way a person conducts his or her life. We still use the phrase "all walks of life" to mean a variety of lifestyles or cultures.
The apostle Paul reminds his readers that
followers of Christ
must not build their lives
around things
that have no
eternal significance.
Rather than pursuing the same things the world pursues, a Christian should focus on the unseen realities such as Jesus and heaven. Paul goes on to say, "So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:9–10). Jesus instructed us to store up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19–20; Luke 12:33). He promised rewards to everyone who does His will (Matthew 16:27; 1 Peter 1:17; Revelation 22:12) and punishment for those who reject Him (Matthew 25:24–46; John 3:16–18).
Walking by faith means living life in light of eternal consequences. To walk by faith is to fear God more than man; to obey the Bible even when it conflicts with man’s commands; to choose righteousness over sin, no matter what the cost; to trust God in every circumstance;
and to believe God rewards those
who Seek Him,
regardless of who says otherwise
(Hebrews 11:6).
Rather than loving the things of this world
(1 John 2:15–16),
Christians should spend
their lives glorifying God in everything they do
(1 Corinthians 10:31).
It requires faith to live this way because
we cannot see, hear,
or touch anything spiritual.
To walk by faith
requires that we tune our hearts to the voice
of the
Holy Spirit and the TRUTH of HIS WORD
(John 10:27; 16:13).
We choose to live according to what God
reveals to us,
rather than trust our own understanding
(Proverbs 3:5–6)
The Expression
God is the God
of the
Hills and Valleys
originates from the
narrative of two battles in the
book of 1 Kings.
Essentially, saying that God is the God
of the
hills and valleys
means that God’s sovereign power
is not limited or confined
to any ONE
location or sphere of influence.
The Lord Almighty rules
and reigns supreme over every place
on earth—every hill, every valley
It was common in ancient pagan nations to perceive each god or goddess as having
a particular domain or sphere of power on the earth.
Baal, for example, was the god of fertility and weather.
The god Baal Peor was a local deity whose range seems to have been
confined to a certain geographical area.
There were additional gods for the forests,
the crops, the mountains, the seas, and the rivers.
In this cultural framework, monotheism was
unique,
and the idea that
any god was supreme in all areas
was unheard of.
First Kings 20 opens with King Ben-Hadad, ruler of Aram, attacking the city of Samaria in Israel. Ben-Hadad demands that King Ahab surrender his wealth, wives, and children to him. Initially, Ahab agrees, but when Ben-Hadad adds the condition that he be given anything that his servants lay their hands on, Ahab refuses. His refusal infuriates Ben-Hadad such that he threatens to destroy the city so thoroughly that not even enough dust would remain for each of his soldiers to take a handful.
An unnamed prophet
announces to Ahab that God will grant Israel victory
so that
“you will know that I am the LORD”
1 Kings 20:13
In this instance,
King Ahab obeys God.
True to
God’s promise, the Arameans
are driven back,
and the
siege is brought to an end.
Because
Samaria is in the hill country
of Israel,
the Arameans mistakenly believe
that the God of Israel is only the god
of the hills
and not of the valleys or anywhere else.
Thinking Israel’s ability
to triumph
was limited to higher terrain,
they regroup
and begin
to strengthen their forces for
an attack
on the lower plains.
Once more, the anonymous prophet warns King Ahab that Ben-Hadad’s army will strike again
in the spring: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think
the LORD is a god of the hills
and
not a god of the valleys,
I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD’”
(1 Kings 20:28).
Not only did the Arameans discover that Israel’s sovereign God knows no limitations,
but Ahab and all of Israel did as well.
The one true God proved that He rules everywhere.
Ben-Hadad’s forces were defeated so thoroughly
in the second battle at Aphek that
the king
surrendered to Ahab while pleading for
his life to be spared.
God gave Israel victory both at Samaria
in the hills
and at Aphek in the valleys to show that,
unlike the ineffective and finite gods of Canaan,
God is sovereign over all territories and regions.
It is a mistake to think of God
as only
a “hill god” or a “valley god.”
He is the God of both the hills and the valleys.
In fact,
He is the all-powerful, infinite
Ruler
of the whole earth.
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”
(Psalm 24:1).
The expression God of the hills and valleys was popularized by the 2017
song “Hills and Valleys”
by Tauren Wells.
The Jordan River
is a 156-mile-long river
that
flows north to south from
the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea.
It lies on the eastern border of modern-day Israel and the western borders of both Syria and Jordan. Because of its great length and central location, the Jordan River is mentioned in the Bible over 185 times.
The Jordan River is mentioned indirectly
in Genesis 13,
where Lot and Abraham are dividing up the
land to which God had led them.
Abraham allowed Lot to choose his share first,
and
Lot chose the Jordan Valley,
which
was lush and well-watered due to
the Jordan River
(verse 10).
This was a pivotal moment,
as it not
only established that Lot’s character
was selfish
but also directed Lot toward
the evil city of Sodom, which God later
destroyed
(see Genesis 18–19).
Many years later, as the Israelites journeyed
from slavery in Egypt
to the land God had promised them,
the
Jordan River acted as both an obstacle and pathway
The people had
wandered in the wilderness
for 40
years as a punishment
for
distrusting the Lord’s care
when He first brought them to Canaan;
Moses himself was denied entry into the Promised Land and was only allowed to view it from a mountain across the Jordan before he died (Numbers 27:12; Deuteronomy 31:2; 32:48–52). It was the next generation of Israelites who stood on the banks of the Jordan, ready to enter Canaan at last. Only the Jordan River stood in their way now, and it was at flood stage (Joshua 3:15).
At God’s command,
Joshua
(the people’s new leader)
instructed the priests
bearing the
Ark of the Covenant
to stand
in the water of the river
They obeyed, and the Jordan immediately stopped flowing to make a way for the people to cross over on dry ground (Joshua 3:15–17). Then began the conquest of Canaan; the tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of Manasseh settled on land on the east side of the Jordan River, but
they helped their fellow Israelites
with the
taking of the Promised Land first
(Joshua 1:12–18).
After the miraculous
crossing of
the Jordan River,
Joshua had the people set up two memorials:
twelve stones
from the Jordan River were placed
on dry ground,
and twelve stones
from the banks of the river were
placed in
the middle of the river where
the priests had stood.
Thus the location of God’s demonstration
of power on
behalf of Israel was marked
for generations to come
(Joshua 4:1–9).
The Old Testament
mentions the Jordan River many more times, usually
in stories of the Israelites’ battles and disputes.
The river served as a strategic site
in the war
against the Midianites, led by Gideon (Judges 7:24–25).
Later, King Saul
and several of his sons
perished in a battle near the
Jordan River
(see 1 Samuel 13)
Several other passages mention the Jordan being
crossed
in order to engage an enemy
(2 Samuel 2:29; 17:22; 19:17–18).
The prophets Elijah and Elisha were associated with the Jordan River
on many occasions:
Elijah lived for a time near the Jordan
(1 Kings 17:5),
Elisha told Naaman the Syrian
to bathe in the Jordan to be healed of his leprosy
(2 Kings 5:10),
and Elisha caused
a sunken ax head to float on the Jordan
(2 Kings 6:1–6).
Both prophets crossed
the
Jordan River by miraculous means
in 2 Kings 2:7–14.
In the New Testament,
the Jordan River played an important role
in preparing people
for the
ministry of Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist
preached at the river regularly and
baptized
everyone who repented
(Luke 3:2–3).
Jesus Himself came to John at the
Jordan River
to be baptized (Mark 1:9)--
not to show repentance but to
fully identify with us
and
“to fulfill all righteousness”
(Matthew 3:15).
It was at the Jordan River
that
God the Father
proclaimed His love for and pleasure
with the Son
and the Spirit
descended upon Jesus
at the
commencement of His ministry
(Luke 3:21–22).
The
Mount of Transfiguration
is the
Mountain upon which
Jesus
was
Transfigured
(Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9)
The actual location of the Mountain
is unknown
In Matthew 16,
Jesus tells the disciples
that
He will be killed and raised to life
(verse 21).
Peter rebukes Him: “Never, Lord!” he says. “This shall never happen to you!”
(verse 22).
Jesus has to rebuke Peter and goes on
to explain that
whoever will be His disciple must
“take up his cross,”
that is,
be willing to die also.
In the final verse of chapter 16, Jesus makes a rather enigmatic statement:
“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they
see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom”
(see also Luke 9:27).
In the next event recorded in
Matthew and Luke,
Jesus takes Peter, James, and John
with Him up to a “High Mountain.”
This unnamed mountain
is what we call
the
Mount of Transfiguration today,
because of what takes place next:
“There he
was transfigured before them.
His FACE shone like
the SUN
and his clothes became as
white as THE LIGHT
Just then there appeared
before them
Moses and Elijah,
talking
with Jesus”
(Matthew 17:2–3)
The transfiguration of Jesus
on the
Mountain is significant,
for it
gave those three disciples
a glimpse
of the GLORY that Jesus
had
before the Incarnation
and that
He would have again
Perhaps it was also the fulfillment
of
Jesus’ Prophecy
that some of the disciples
would See Him
Coming in the Kingdom
before they died
(Matthew 16:28)
What happened on the Mount of Transfiguration
has parallels to
what happened on Sinai.
Moses
went up to a mountain
to meet the Lord
and came back with his
face shining
(Exodus 34)
In the New Testament,
Jesus goes up a mountain and meets
with Moses;
however, a voice from heaven
makes it clear
that Jesus
is the primary character, not Moses:
“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them,
and a voice from the cloud said,
‘This is my Son,
whom I love; with him I am well pleased.
Listen to him!’
When the disciples heard this, they
fell facedown to the ground,
terrified.
But Jesus came and touched them.
‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’
When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus”
(Matthew 17:5–8)
Just as the meeting on Sinai between
Moses and the Lord
signified anew era in God’s dealing
with His people,
so this meeting
between the Lord and Moses
signifies
anew era in redemption history
The “high mountain”
that we call the
Mount of Transfiguration
is never clearly identified in Scripture.
Both Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon have been identified as the Mount of Transfiguration by various traditions. Mount Tabor is a little less than 2,000 feet, but it stands alone in the area. The earliest tradition identifies Mount Tabor as the Mount of Transfiguration, and it is the location of the Church of the Transfiguration, which is built on the ruins of fourth-century church.
Mount Hermon is a much higher mountain,
almost 10,000 feet,
and it is closer to Caesarea Philippi
where the previous events in Matthew 16 took place.
For these reasons, some scholars feel
that Mount Hermon is a more likely candidate to be
the Mount of Transfiguration.
In the final analysis, we simply do not know what mountain
is the Mount of Transfiguration.
It could be Tabor or Hermon or another mountain that no one has suggested.
The fact that the transfiguration
happened on a mountain is an important point
in the recapitulation of Moses’
meeting on Mount Sinai.
However,
the importance of the transfiguration is not bound to
what mountain it occurred on.
Years later, Peter refers to this event:
“For we did not follow cleverly devised fables
when we made
known to you the power and coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
For He
received honor and glory from
God the Father
when the voice from the
Majestic Glory
came to Him, saying,
“This is My beloved Son, in whom
I AM well pleased.’
And we ourselves
heard this voice from heaven
when we
were with Him on the
Holy Mountain”
(2 Peter 1:16–18)
Unfortunately, there are too many
“cleverly devised fables”
that try to identify specific locations in
the Holy Land,
such as the site of the
Mount of Transfiguration,
while losing
sight of the more important issues.
The River of Life
Then the angel
showed me a river of the water of life,
as clear as crystal,
flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb
2down the middle of the main street of the city.
On either side of theriver stood a tree of life,
bearing twelvekinds of fruit
and yielding a fresh cropfor each month.
And the leaves of the tree are
for the healing
of the nations.3No longer will there be any curse.
The throne of God and of the Lamb will
be within the city,
and His servants will worship Him.…
Ezekiel 47:12
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for healing.”
Genesis 2:9
Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Zechariah 14:8
And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the other half toward the Western Sea, in summer and winter alike.
Psalm 46:4
There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.
Genesis 3:22
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”
John 4:14
But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 7:38
Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”
Revelation 21:6
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
Revelation 21:1
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Isaiah 35:1-2
The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. / It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.
Isaiah 55:1
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
Jeremiah 17:8
He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit.
Psalm 1:3
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.
Ezekiel 47:1
Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.
Revelation 22:1
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation 21:21
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
Ezekiel 47:1,12
Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south sideof the altar…
the tree of life.
Revelation 22:14
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
healing.
Revelation 21:24
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Psalm 147:3
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Isaiah 6:10
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
The Olivet Discourse
is the NAME
given to the orderly and extended
teaching given by
Jesus Christ
on the
Mount of Olives.
His subject is the end times.
This discourse is recorded in Matthew 24:1 – 25:46.
Parallel passages are
found in Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 21:5-36.
The record in Matthew
is the most extensive, so reference here
will be to Matthew’s Gospel
It is important to recognize
that
Jesus’ teaching in this discourse is in
reference to
Israel and not the Church.
Christ was
speaking of God’s future program
for Israel.
Other passages to consider when studying
the Olivet Discourse
are Daniel 9:24-27 and Revelation 6:1–19:21,
which
refer to the future seven-year period
called the tribulation.
God’s program for the Church
concludes
with the rapture,
which is not taught in the Olivet Discourse.
The rapture of the Church is found in
John 14:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
In Matthew 23,
Jesus had spoken
to the
Pharisees concerning
judgment
This can be seen in the "woe" statements in that chapter
In 24:1, Jesus was leaving the temple when the disciples
called His attention
to the magnificent buildings on the
temple mount.
Jesus then tells the disciples that
“not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down”
(verse 2).
This prophecy was literally
fulfilled in A.D. 70
when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.
The temple was burned.
The gold in the temple melted
in the fire
and ran down
into the cracks between the stones.
As people later searched
for the gold,
they toppled every stone from its place.
This destruction of Jerusalem
was but a
foreshadowing of what is yet to come.
Jesus’ prophecy of doom got the disciples curious,
and
probably more than a little concerned.
When they were alone with
Jesus on the Mount of Olives,
they asked Him,
"Tell us, when will these things be,
and
what will be the sign
of Your coming,
and of the end of the age?"
(verse 3).
What follows in Matthew 24–25 refers to the future,
seven-year tribulation period and the
second coming of
Christ
at the end of the tribulation.
During that time,
God will complete
His chastisement and purification of Israel
and judge the whole world
(Daniel 9:24-27; Revelation 6–19)
Daniel 9:27 indicates that the tribulation will be divided into two equal parts.
Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:4-8refers to the first half.
The “birth pangs”
(verse 8)
refer to the sufferings that Israel will experience during the first 3 1/2 years.
The signs with reference to the end of the age are the coming of false messiahs (verse 5),
the threat of wars and widespread conflict (verses 6-7), and various natural catastrophes (verse 7).
Revelation 6 is a parallel passage.
The apostle John writes
of the
seal judgments.
Revelation 6:2 speaks of a rider on a white horse,
which refers to a false messiah called elsewhere
the Antichrist and the Beast.
Revelation 6:4 says that
peace is taken from the earth.
Revelation 6:6-8 speaks of
famine and death.
Jesus said
these things are only the
“beginning of birth pangs”
(Matthew 24:8).
Worse is yet to come.
In Revelation 13, the second half of the tribulation
begins when the Beast, or Antichrist,
sets up his rule for 42 months (cf. Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15).
In the Olivet Discourse,
the second half of the tribulation is described
in Matthew 24:9-14.
Persecution
of the Jews and death (verse 9) will be the result of
the Beast’s rise to power.
The Antichrist will also persecute anyone who refuses to follow him
(Revelation 13:1-18)
The salvation promised in Matthew 24:13 is deliverance
from the Beast’s persecution.
The one who endures until Christ returns
will be saved
from the Beast. Jesus says that
“this gospel of the kingdom”
will be preached worldwide before
the end comes.
In other words, the good news (gospel) will be available
during the tribulation;
the message will be that
Christ will soon return in judgment
to set up His earthly kingdom
(Revelation 20:4-6).
This message will cause many people to realize
their sinful state
and receive the Savior during the tribulation.
Matthew 24:15-26 gives further details concerning the tribulation. Jesus refers to
an “abomination” and desolation of a future temple in Matthew 24:15-22;
this is more clearly spoken of in Luke 21:20-24.
The Beast will take authority and set up an image of himself
in the future temple
(Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4; Revelation 13:1-18).
When this happens, Jesus says,
head for the hills.
Those in Jerusalem are advised to
flee for their lives
when they see that the Beast has taken his
seat of authority
(Matthew 24:16-20).
The Antichrist will rule from Jerusalem for 42 months
(3 1/2 years),
the latter half of the tribulation,
called
the “great tribulation” in verse 21
Jesus warns that the great tribulation
will be the
worst time ever seen on earth
(verse 21)
In fact, if those days were not
Cut short
by the Return of Christ,
no one would survive
(compare the bowl judgments in Revelation 16)
Jesus again gives a warning of false prophets in the last days
(Matthew 24:23-28).
At the end of the tribulation, there will be astronomical upheaval (verse 29),
and the nations of the world
will see the Christ
“coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory”
(verses 29-30).
Those who were saved
during the tribulation will be gathered
out of the world
by the angels (verse 31).
Jesus emphasizes the facts
that there will be signs leading up to the
day of judgment
(Matthew 24:32-34)
and that His Word is sure
(verse 35).
Jesus says that no one knows
the timing
of these events and that
those upon whom judgment
is coming will
be caught unawares
(verses 36-44).
Jesus ends the Olivet Discourse with four parables.
The first one concerns
a wicked servant whose master punishes him
upon his return home
(Matthew 24:45-51).
The next, the
Parable of the Ten Virgins,
encourages readiness and watchfulness
(25:1-13).
The third parable, relating the story of three servants
and their use (or misuse)
of finances,
teaches faithfulness in view of the fact that
God’s servants must
give an account of themselves one day
(25:14-30).
Jesus ends His discourse by telling the Parable of the Sheep and Goats,
which pictures the dividing of the saved
from the unsaved
at the end of the tribulation
before the
commencement of Christ’s millennial reign
(25:31-46).
Within days of
the
Olivet Discourse,
Jesus was betrayed
into the hands
of
unbelievers
and
crucified for sinners.
The Holy One of God will
one day
return in glory to judge the world,
but first He had to provide
the way of salvation for all who would
trust in Him.
The olive tree is mentioned frequently
in the Bible,
from as early as the time of the
flood when the dove
from the ark
brought an olive branch back to Noah,
to Revelation 11:4,
where the two witnesses are represented
as two olive trees.
As one of the
most highly valued
and
useful trees
known to the ancient Jews,
the olive tree
is significant for several reasons in the Bible.
Its importance in Israel is expressed in the parable of Jotham
in Judges 9:8–9:
“One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves.
They said to the olive tree,
‘Be our king.’
But the olive tree answered,
‘Should I give up my oil,
by which both
gods and humans are honored,
to hold sway over the trees?’”
Rather common in the
Holy Land,
the olive tree is
a multi-branched evergreen
with a knotted trunk,
smooth, ash-colored bark, and oblong,
leathery leaves that are silvery green.
Mature, cultivated olive trees
grow
to 20 or more feet in height and
produce
small flowers of yellow or white around
the first of May.
When the blooms begin
to fall, olives, the fruit of the tree, start to form.
At first, the fruit is green
but turns to a
deep,
blue-black or dark green color
when the olives
are fully ripened and harvested
in early fall.
In the ancient Near East,
olive trees were an essential source of food
(Nehemiah 9:25),
lamp oil (Exodus 27:20),
medicine (Isaiah 1:6; Luke 10:34),
anointing oil (1 Samuel 10:1; 2 Kings 9:3),
sacrificial oil (Leviticus 2:4; Genesis 28:18),
and
wood for furniture (1 Kings 6:23, 31–33).
An extremely slow-growing plant,
the olive tree
requires years of patient labor to reach
full fruitfulness.
Being well-suited to grow in the Mediterranean climate,
the olive tree
played a significant role in the region’s
economy.
The outer, fleshy part of the oval-shaped fruit
is what yields the
highly valuable commodity of olive oil.
Still today, olive oil is considered good for health.
The olive tree and olive
branch
have been symbols
of
peace and reconciliation
ever since the account of
Noah’s flood.
When the dove brought
Noah “a plucked olive leaf in its beak,”
the olive branch represented
new life
sprouting on the earth
(Genesis 8:11).
The olive tree was alive and growing.
The promise of the dove’s olive branch
was
anew beginning for humanity,
peace
and reconciliation with God,
renewal, and revival.
The slow and hearty growth of the olive tree
also implies
establishment and peace.
Some of the oldest olive trees in the world still grow today
in the
Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.
The flowering olive tree
is a symbol of
beauty and abundance
in the Bible
The tree’s fruitfulness and ability to thrive
suggests the
model of a righteous person
(Psalm 52:8; Hosea 14:6),
whose children are described
as “vigorous young olive trees”
(Psalm 128:3, NLT).
Olive oil
was also used in the anointing
and coronation of kings,
making it
an emblem of sovereignty
Olive tree oil is symbolic
of the anointing of the
Holy Spirit,
as it was used as the carrier
for a mixture of spices
that made up the
Holy Anointing Oil
In Zechariah 4, the prophet has a vision of
two olive trees standing
on either side of a solid
gold lampstand.
The olive trees supply
the
oil that fuels the lamps.
The two olive trees represent
Zerubbabel and Joshua, the governor and high priest.
The Lord encourages them
not to trust
in financial or military resources,
but in the power of God’s Holy Spirit
working through them (verse 6).
As in other Old Testament analogies,
God’s Holy Spirit is represented by the oil of the olive tree.
The process by which olives are beaten and crushed
to produce
olive oil contains spiritual significance
as well
Jesus Christ
was beaten and crushed on the cross
so that His Holy Spirit
would be poured out on the church
after His ascension to heaven.
In essence,
Jesus Christ is God’s olive tree,
and
the Holy Spirit,
His olive oil.
It is not mere coincidence that
Christ’s agonized prayer,
just before
His arrest, occured in Gethsemane,
a place
of many olive trees and
whose NAME
means
“olive press.”
God uses the imagery of an olive tree
in Jeremiah 11:16–17
to remind His people of the
covenant relationship He
has with them
God’s people (the nation of Israel)
are depicted as an olive tree
and
God as the farmer.
He planted them as a beautiful olive tree
but warned
He would cut
them down if they disobeyed His laws
and worshiped false gods.
The apostle Paul makes use
of this imagery
to teach a lesson to Gentile believers in
Romans 11:17–24.
Paul chooses the cultivated olive tree
to portray Israel and the
wild olive tree to represent Gentile believers.
The cultivated olive tree is pruned and nurtured
so that it bears much fruit.
The fruitless, ineffective branches are trimmed and discarded,
but the root remains intact. God has preserved the
holy root of Israel and
pruned off the worthless branches
The Gentiles, represented by the wild olive tree in Romans 11,
have been
grafted into the cultivated olive root.
As a wild olive tree,
their
root was weak
Their branches were incapable of
bearing fruit
until they were grafted into the
nourishing,
life-sustaining root of the cultivated olive tree.
Gentile believers now share in Israel’s blessings, but Paul warns,
“Do not boast that you are better than
those branches.
But if you do boast—you do not sustain
the root,
but the
root sustains you”
(CSB).
Paul wants Gentile believers to understand that
they have not replaced Israel.
God has done a beautiful thing for the Gentiles, but
Israel is still God’s chosen nation
and the source of the riches
of salvation that the Gentiles now enjoy.
Jesus Christ, Israel’s
Messiah,
is the
root of Jesse,
or the
root
of the cultivated olive tree.
From Him,
Israel and the Church draw
their life.
In Romans 11:11–24
Paul compares Israel to the natural branches
of a cultivated olive tree
and the Gentile believers to the
branches
of a wild olive tree.
Some of the natural branches (Israel)
were broken off,
and the wild branches (Gentiles)
were grafted in (verse 17).
The Gentiles, then, have been made partakers
of the promises
and inherit the blessings of God’s salvation.
It is important to understand how God called Israel
to be His people
and how they failed to fulfill that calling.
As the seed of Abraham,
the children of Israel were chosen by God
to be a separate people,
HOLY to the Lord.
God’s design
was for them to be a light to the Gentiles
so that they,
too, might know God
(Genesis 18:17–19; Isaiah 42, 49).
Instead, the Israelites chased foreign gods and betrayed their calling
(Ezekiel 23; Hosea 11).
But God, who knew they would do this, had already promised to
restore His kingdom to Israel
after they rebelled and then eventually
repented
(Deuteronomy 30:1–10).
So God sent His Son, preceded by a forerunner,
to invite Israel
to “repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”
(Matthew 3:2; 4:17).
However, when
Jesus revealed Himself as the promised Davidic King who would restore Israel
(Matthew 11—12; Acts 3:19–22),
He was rejected by the Jews, exactly as Isaiah had prophesied
(Isaiah 52—53).
Jesus therefore
called
His disciples
to fulfill
Abraham’s commission
to
bless the nations
(Genesis 12:2–3)
by preaching the
gospel of the Kingdom to all nations
until
the end of this age
(Matthew 28:18–20).
Paul thus
preached the gospel of the Kingdom
to the Jews
and was repeatedly rejected
(Acts 13—28);
in consequence, Paul brought the good news to the Gentiles,
who in turn became
Abraham’s spiritual seed
by faith
and heirs of the promises
to
Abraham and his seed
(Galatians 3—4).
This is what Paul meant in Romans 11
by the Gentiles
being “grafted” into the
“olive tree”
and nourished by
the “root”
(the promises to Abraham).
The tree thus signifies the collective
people of God;
the “wild branches” grafted in are
Gentile believers;
the “natural branches” that are cut off are
the Jews in unbelief.
Jewish believers remain in the tree
but are joined with
Gentiles and “made” into a “new body,”
the Church
(Ephesians 2:11–22).
Paul anticipated a question that would surely
arise
among his Gentile readers:
“I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall?”
(Romans 11:11)
Gentile believers would be
tempted to dismiss Israel because it appeared they would never recover.
Even today, there are those who advocate supersessionism or replacement theology, which holds
that the Church has completely replaced Israel and will inherit the promises
to be fulfilled only in a spiritual sense.
In other words, according to this view, ethnic Israel is forever excluded from the promises--
the Jews will not literally inherit the Promised Land.
What then would happen to Israel?
What about the Old Testament prophecies that
Israel as a nation would repent
and be re-gathered
to the land in the last days as a permanent possession
(Deuteronomy 30:1–10)?
Romans 11 thus conclusively shows
Gentile believers that God is not
yet “done” with Israel,
who has only temporarily lost the privilege
of representing God as His people.
Since “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (11:29),
“all Israel will be saved”
in order to
fulfill God’s covenant with ethnic Israel
(11:25–28),
including the promise of land inheritance
(Deuteronomy 30:1–10).
While some of the “natural branches”
were cut off
because Israel failed,
God’s purposes are not complete
until Israel
is also grafted back
into the people of God to share
in the
promises to Abraham and
his seed.
This brings full circle God’s
larger
redemptive plan
(Romans 11:30–36)
for both Jews and Gentiles as
distinct populations
within the people of God
in the
Davidic (or Millennial) Kingdom.
Indeed, the prophets saw
this Kingdom
as the
“final form” of the olive tree,
so that Israel—reversing roles—would then
bless the Gentiles,
enabling them to join the people of God
(see Zechariah 8:13, 20–23).
The saying
“my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
is part of a larger passage
(Matthew 11:28–30),
in which Jesus tells all who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest. He isn’t speaking here of physical burdens. Rather, it was the heavy burden of the system of works that the Pharisees laid on the backs of the people that Jesus was offering to relieve. Later on in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus will rebuke the Pharisees for laying heavy burdens on the shoulders of the people (Matthew 23:4).
The “yoke of the Pharisees”
is the
burdensome yoke of self-righteousness
and legalistic law-keeping.
It has been said by biblical scholars that the Pharisees had added over 600 regulations regarding what qualified as “working” on the Sabbath. That is a heavy burden! Recall the story of the lawyer who asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment of the Law (Matthew 22:36). You can almost read between the lines of the man’s question: “What law, of all the laws we have, do I absolutely have to keep?”
Jesus was saying that any kind of law-keeping
is burdensome and amounts
to a “heavy yoke” of oppression
because no amount of law-keeping
can bridge the gap
between our sinfulness and
God’s holiness
God says through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah that
all of our righteous deeds
are like a “polluted garment,” and Paul reiterated to the Romans that
“no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law”
(Romans 3:20)
The good news is that Jesus promises to all who come to Him that He will give them rest from the heavy burden of trying to earn their way into heaven and rest from the oppressive yoke of self-righteousness and legalism.
Jesus encourages those who are “heavy laden” to
take His yoke upon them,
and in so doing
they will find rest for their souls.
The yoke of Jesus is light
and easy to carry because it is the
yoke of repentance and faith
followed
by a singular commitment to
Follow Him
As the apostle John says, “For this is the love of God, that
we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome”
(1 John 5:3).
This is what Jesus says in Matthew 11:30. His yoke is easy and His burden light.
Now, we might think that there is really no difference between the commandments
of Jesus and the Jewish Law. Isn’t the same God responsible for both?
Technically speaking, yes.
If anything, one might argue that the commands of Jesus are even more burdensome
because His reformulation of the
Mosaic Law
in the
Sermon on the Mount
(Matthew 5—7)
actually goes above and beyond a mere
outward conformity to the Law
and deals instead with the inner person.
What makes Jesus’ yoke easy and His burden light is that
in Jesus’ own active obedience
(i.e., His perfect fulfillment of the Law of God),
He carried the burden that we were
meant to carry.
His perfect obedience is applied (imputed)
to us through faith,
just as His righteousness
was exchanged for our sin at the cross
(2 Corinthians 5:21).
Our obedience to Jesus then becomes our “spiritual worship”
(Romans 12:1).
Furthermore, we
are indwelt
by the
Holy Spirit who works
in our lives
to mold us into
the
image of Christ,
thereby making the
yoke of Jesus easy
and
His burden light.
The life lived by faith
is a
much lighter yoke
and a much
easier burden to carry
than the heavy and burdensome yoke of self-righteousness
under which some continually strive
to make themselves acceptable to
God through works.
Many times in Scripture,
we see
that personal names have meanings that
relate to the
character of the people
who bore them or to the times in
which they lived.
Noah’s Name
means
“rest” or “consolation”
and is related
to a Hebrew word meaning
“comfort.”
Genesis 5:28–29 says, “When Lamech had lived 182 years,
he had a son.
He named him Noah and said,
‘He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil
of our hands caused by
the ground the Lord has cursed.’”
So, Lamech named his son Noah.
Genesis 5:29
provides the basic idea regarding
Lamech’s thought process.
He specifically mentions that the ground had
been cursed
as part of God’s judgment
(cf. Genesis 3:17–19).
The birth of Noah when Lamech was 182 years old would have
provided “comfort” or “rest” from some of the work of subsistence farming.
A son
would one day be able to join in the
labors of farming,
giving Lamech some relief from his many
years of manual labor
But Noah would provide
more than physical rest.
It appears that Noah’s name is
also
an inspired prediction regarding
his life.
The word Noah is taken from the Hebrew word for “rest,” nuakh
(see 2 Samuel 14:17).
Lamech lived in an evil time, before the Flood (Genesis 6:1).
Noah’s father predicted that, in contrast
to the world’s evil,
Noah would represent
RIGHTEOUSNESS
and
bring rest and peace
in the
midst of God’s judgment.
Later in Genesis, Noah was indeed
used as
God’s agent of peace
He was called by God
to build an ARK
that would save himself,
seven
of his family members,
and
enough land animals and
birds
to
keep the species ALIVE
The dove used by Noah
to help
determine if the flood waters
had receded
would later become known as a symbol
of peace.
In Genesis 9:12–15 God promised that the earth would
never again be covered by water,
and the sign of this
covenant of peace was a
RAIN BOW
The New Testament affirms
Noah’s role
as one
who brought comfort.
Second Peter 2:5 calls
Noah a preacher of righteousness.
No others are mentioned as believing his message,
and no one
joined Noah’s family in the
ARK,
but
Noah had peace with God.
He lived according to God’s ways
and
obeyed His commands
in
preparing for the Flood.
If anyone had heeded Noah’s preaching,
he or she could have
found “rest” in the ark along with Noah,
the man of rest.
In both a literal and prophetic sense,
Noah lived up to his name
as one who would bring comfort.
To this day,
Noah is seen as a man
of peace
who led people
and animals through a time of judgment
and into anew world
Noah’s life
was used as an illustration by
Jesus
in
the Gospels:
“Just as it was in the days of Noah,
so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man”
(Luke 17:26).
There is coming a time
that will be like Noah’s time
when
God’s judgment will come upon
the earth.
The proper response is to be like Noah
and obey the
Lord’s call for salvation now,
while time remains
(2 Corinthians 6:2; John 3:16; Acts 4:12)
Sarah was the wife of Abraham
Hagar was the servant
of Sarah.
God had promised
Abraham many descendants,
but,
ten years after the promise,
Sarah was still unable to have children,
and they were both on the
verge
of becoming too old
to have children at all
Sarah chose to give her servant Hagar
to Abraham,
in accordance with the custom of the day,
so that Sarah
could have a child through her
(Genesis 16:2)
Hagar conceived, and she began to despise her mistress.
Sarah in turn began to deal
harshly with her, and Hagar fled to the desert to escape.
The angel of the Lord
met Hagar in the wilderness, commanding her
to return to Abraham and Sarah.
The angel relayed a promise from God:
“I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude”
(Genesis 16:10).
The angel also predicted Ishmael’s name and character
(Genesis 16:11–12).
Later, God fulfilled His promise to Abraham and Sarah. Sarah gave birth to a son named Isaac
(Genesis 21)
Hagar’s son Ishmael would have been about 14 years old at
the time of Isaac’s birth.
Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away
after Isaac was weaned
(around age 2 or 3, making Ishmael approximately 16), according to
God’s command.
At that time,
God repeated His promise that Ishmael would
father a great nation.
Hagar was in the desert and near death
when the angel of God
called to her, saying, “What troubles you, Hagar?
Fear not,
for God has heard
the voice of the boy where he is.
Up!
Lift up the boy, and hold him
FAST
with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation”
(Genesis 21:17-18).
Ishmael and his mother lived in the wilderness of Paran,
where he became
an EXPERT with a bow and later took an Egyptian wife
(Genesis 21:20-21).
He is seen once again in Scripture when he returned to help bury his father Abraham (Genesis 25:7-10).
Ishmael, the son of a bondservant, became the father of 12 sons who were called princes. He lived to 137 years of age. Sarah died at the age of 127 in Hebron, where she was buried (Genesis 23:1-2). The Bible does not record Hagar’s death. She is last mentioned in Genesis 25:12.
Many observations can be made regarding the story of
Sarah and Hagar.
First, God can and often does
work through ways that appear
unlikely
from a human perspective.
Abraham miraculously became a father
at age 86 and again at age 99.
Isaac’s mother, Sarah, was barren.
God’s promise to Abraham
did not
depend on human strength,
and with
God nothing is impossible
(Luke 1:37).
God used a seemingly impossible situation to make Abraham the father of the Jewish people,
just as He had predicted.
It is clear from this story that God works despite misguided human effort.
Sarah had no business offering her servant to Abraham,
and Abraham had no business sleeping with Hagar.
And Sarah was wrong to mistreat her servant as she did.
Yet God worked
through these situations.
Hagar was blessed, and Abraham and Sarah
were still the recipients of the promise.
God’s mercy is great, and His sovereign will is accomplished
regardless of human frailty.
This unlikely family story is one readers would
expect to end badly
Yet God kept His promise; Isaac became
the son of promise
through whom the tribes of Israel would arise.
Hagar’s son, Ishmael, also became a great leader.
Regardless of how a situation looks from a human perspective,
God continues to work
both to accomplish His will and
to fulfill His promises.
In Galatians 4,
Paul uses the story of
Sarah and Hagar
to illustrate the results of
two different covenants:
the
New Covenant, based on grace;
and the
Old Covenant, based on the Law
In Paul’s analogy,
believers in Christ
are like
the child born of Sarah
free,
the result of God’s promise
Those who try to earn their
salvation
by their own works
are like
the child born of Hagar
a slave,
the
result of human effort.
In Isaiah’s prophecy about
the coming Messiah,
he says:
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be
given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name
will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”
(Isaiah 9:6).
In a world filled with war and violence,
it’s difficult to see how Jesus could be
the all-powerful
God who Acts
in human history and be the
embodiment of peace.
But physical safety and political harmony
don’t necessarily
reflect
the kind of peace He’s talking about
(John 14:27)
The Hebrew word
for
“peace,” shalom,
is often used in reference
to an appearance of
calm and tranquility
of
individuals, groups, and
nations
The Greek word eirene means
“unity and accord”;
Paul uses eirene to describe the objective of
the New Testament church.
But the deeper, more foundational
meaning of peace is
“the spiritual harmony brought about
by an
individual’s restoration with God.”
In our sinful state, we are enemies with God
(Romans 5:10)
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
(Romans 5:8).
Because of Christ’s sacrifice,
we are restored to a relationship of peace with God
(Romans 5:1).
This is the deep,
abiding peace between our hearts and
our Creator
that cannot be taken away
(John 10:27–28)
and the
ultimate fulfillment of
Christ’s work
as “Prince of Peace.”
But Christ’s sacrifice
provides
more for us than eternal peace;
it also allows us to
have a
relationship with the Holy Spirit,
the Helper
who promises to guide us
(John 16:7, 13)
Further, the Holy Spirit will manifest Himself in us
by having us live in ways
we couldn’t possibly live on our own, including
filling our lives
with
love, joy, and peace
(Galatians 5:22–23)
This love, joy, and peace
are all results of the
Holy Spirit working in the life of a believer.
They are reflections of His presence
in us.
And, although their deepest,
most vital result
is to have us
live in love, joy, and peace with God,
they can’t help but
to spill over
into our relationships with people.
And we desperately need it—especially since God calls us to live
with singleness of purpose with
other believers, with humility, gentleness, and patience,
‘being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
(Ephesians 4:1–3)
This unity in purpose
and gentleness would be impossible without
the work of
the Holy Spirit in us and the peace
we have
with God thanks to the sacrifice of His Son
Ironically, the lightest definition of peace, that of the appearance of tranquility in a person, can be the most difficult to grasp and maintain.
We do nothing to acquire or maintain our spiritual peace with God
(Ephesians 2:8–9).
And, while living in unity with other believers can be extremely difficult, living in peace in our
own lives can very often feel impossible.
Note that peaceful doesn’t mean “easy.” Jesus never promised easy;
He only promised help.
In fact, He told us to expect
tribulation (John 16:33) and trials (James 1:2).
But He also said that, if we called on Him,
He would give us the
“peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension”
(Philippians 4:6–7).
No matter what
hardships we are faced with,
we can ask for a peace
that comes from the powerful
love of God
that is not dependent on our own strength
or the situation around us.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son
is given;
and the
government shall be upon
his shoulder,
and his name
shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
(Isaiah 9:6, ESV).
In context, this verse is proclaiming
the redemption of Israel and the activities, titles,
and blessings of the Messiah who is to rule
the earth and usher in a reign of blessing and peace
that will have no end.
One of His titles is “Everlasting Father.”
The Hebrew phrase translated “Everlasting Father” could be translated literally “Father of Eternity.”
For this reason, some have suggested that the title means that this
coming Messiah is also the creator of everything:
He is the father of time and eternity, the “architect of the ages.”
While we know this to be true from the New Testament (John 1:1–3, Colossians 1:16–17), that is not the emphasis in Isaiah. In the Hebrew construction of the phrase, father is the primary noun, and everlasting
(ESV, NIV, KJV) or eternal (NASB)
is the term that describes His fatherhood.
He is Father forever.
The Hebrew word translated “everlasting” has the idea of “in perpetuity” or “without end.”
Indeed, the next verse says of the
Messiah, “Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end”
(Isaiah 9:7).
The emphasis is forward looking, so “everlasting” is probably a better translation than “eternal,” which not only indicates “without end” but also “without beginning.” (Again, from the New Testament we may argue that the Messiah is without beginning, but that is not the emphasis of this term in Isaiah.)
So, as the Everlasting Father, the Messiah will be a father, and His fatherhood will be without end. Some have objected that this designation as father seems to confuse the roles within the Trinity, calling “Father” the one who is really “the Son.”
Some in the Oneness movement use this verse as a proof text
to show that Jesus really is the Father
and that there is only a Unity, not a Trinity.
In both cases, the interpreters are reading New Testament concerns back into the Old Testament.
Neither Trinitarian nor anti-Trinitarian concerns are being discussed in Isaiah 9:6.
In ancient times, the “father of the nation”
was viewed in much
the same way as the
father of a family.
It was the father who was to protect and provide
for his children.
In the same way, this Child to be born
will become a king
who will be a father to the children of Israel--
He will protect and provide for them.
And His role
as protector and provider
will not be
limited by aging or death.
His role as father (protector and provider) will continue in perpetuity.
Just how this will come about is not revealed in Isaiah’s prophecy.
The full identity of the
MESSIAH
—that He is God in the
flesh,
the second Person of the Trinity
who would protect and provide for His people
by
His death and resurrection on their
behalf;
and that Gentiles could also be grafted into
the family of Israel--
may be hinted at in Isaiah,
but God’s people would have to wait almost 700 years
to see the
Messiah revealed in the “fullness of time”
(see Galatians 4:4).
Before we can understand what it means to have
peace with God,
we must recognize that human beings in our natural state are enemies of God.
Because we inherited a sin nature from our first parents, Adam and Eve
(Genesis 3; Romans 5:12),
we are born with a
disposition to please ourselves and be our own gods.
That rebellious nature sets us at odds with
our perfect Creator.
His just nature cannot overlook our sin; justice demands punishment
(Romans 3:23; 6:23).
We cannot create peace with God because our best efforts
on our best day
are nothing but filthy rags compared to His holiness
(Isaiah 64:6).
So, in our sinful state, we cannot be
reconciled,
we cannot have peace with God,
no matter how hard we try.
God took the initiative in pursuing peace
with us by
sending His Son to earth.
Jesus lived a perfect life,
His crucifixion paid for the sins
of all
who would trust in Him
(Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21),
and His resurrection
guarantees
our justification before God
(Romans 4:25).
Jesus is the Prince of Peace
(Isaiah 9:6),
and
He is the One who gives us
peace with God.
That’s why the message of salvation in Christ
is called the “gospel of peace”
(Ephesians 6:15).
The angels’ words to the shepherds on that first Christmas were
“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace
on earth to those with whom God is pleased”
(Luke 2:14).
With whom is God pleased?
God’s pleasure and peace
rest
upon those who receive
God’s Son by faith
(John 1:12).
“Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ”
(Romans 5:1).
Peace with God
means
that our great sin debt has been paid
and
God sees us as righteous
(Colossians 2:14; Romans 3:22).
We are no longer enemies but beloved children
(1 John 3:2).
His holy nature
can have fellowship with us
because
He sees us “in Christ.”
Peace with God means our consciences are cleared
(Hebrews 10:22; Titus 3:5).
The overwhelming weight of guilt
that
plagued us all is gone,
placed on Jesus on the cross
(Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 2:24).
The shame that we rightly felt for the wicked deeds
we had done
was carried by Jesus.
God the Father adopts us as His own children
and invites us
to “come boldly before the throne of grace”
to commune with Him and ask for what we need
(Hebrews 4:16).
For the Christian, maintaining a sense of peace with God
means
we keep our ongoing sins and failures confessed
(1 John 1:9)
We don’t have to keep confessing in order to establish
peace with God;
Jesus did that at the cross when we believed.
Truly born-again
people live in ongoing attitudes of repentance
so that no sin
will take root to defile them again
(John 3:3; Romans 6:1–4).
Unconfessed sin
mars the joyful fellowship
between
a child of God and his Father.
Peace with God
also allows the Christian to live
without fear of death or eternity.
Our hope is secure in the knowledge
that Jesus has done all that was
necessary to make us right with God
(Matthew 5:17; John 3:16–18)
Our last breath on earth will be our first breath in heaven
(2 Corinthians 5:6–8; Luke 16:22).
The Holy Spirit has been given to us
like a promise ring, a certainty
that a greater event will surely take place
(2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5)
Right now, the
Holy Spirit lives within
us to guide, convict, comfort,
and remind us of Jesus’
completed sacrifice on our behalf
(John 14:16–17; 16:8–11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Ephesians 1:13–14).
Human beings were created to live in peace with God.
Sin destroyed that peace
and still destroys it for everyone who refuses Jesus’ offer
of salvation.
However, anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord,
believes in his heart
that Jesus is the only way to God,
and is willing to surrender to Him as Savior and Lord
can have peace with God
(Romans 10:9–10, 13; John 3:16, 36; Acts 2:21, 28).
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.
The role of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
is much like
His role in the New Testament.
When we speak of the role of the Holy Spirit, we can discern four general areas
in which the Holy Spirit works:
1) regeneration, 2) indwelling (or filling), 3) restraint, and 4) empowerment for service.
Evidence of these areas of the Holy Spirit’s work is just as present in the Old Testament
as it is in the New Testament.
The first area of the Spirit’s work is in the
process of regeneration.
Another word for regeneration
is “rebirth,”
from which we get the concept of being
“born again.”
The classic proof text for this can be found in
John’s gospel:
“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again”
(John 3:3).
This begs the question: what does this have to do with the Holy Spirit’s work
in the Old Testament?
Later on in His dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus has this to say to him:
“You are Israel’s teacher…and do you not understand these things?”
(John 3:10).
The point Jesus was making is that Nicodemus
should have known the truth
that the
Holy Spirit is the source of new life
because it is revealed in the Old Testament.
For instance, Moses told the Israelites prior to
entering the Promised Land
that “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts
and
the hearts of your descendants,
so that you may love him with
all your heart
and with all your soul, and live”
(Deuteronomy 30:6).
This circumcision of
the heart
is the work of
God’s Spirit
and
can be accomplished
only by Him.
We also see the theme of regeneration
in Ezekiel 11:19-20 and Ezekiel 36:26-29.
The fruit
of the
Spirit’s regenerating work
is faith
(Ephesians 2:8)
Now we know that there were men of faith in the Old Testament because Hebrews 11
names many of them.
If faith is produced by the
regenerating power of the Holy Spirit,
then this must be
the case for Old Testament saints who
looked ahead to the cross,
believing that what God had promised
in regard
to their redemption would come to pass.
They saw the promises and
“welcomed them from a distance”
(Hebrews 11:13),
accepting by faith
that what God had promised,
He would also bring to pass.
The second aspect of the Spirit’s work in the Old Testament
is indwelling, or filling.
Here is where the major difference
between the Spirit’s roles
in the
Old and New Testaments is apparent.
The New Testament teaches the
permanent
indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers
(1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20)
When we place
our faith in Christ for salvation,
the Holy Spirit
comes to live within us.
The apostle Paul calls this permanent indwelling the
“guarantee of our inheritance”
(Ephesians 1:13-14).
In contrast to this work in the New Testament,
the indwelling in the
Old Testament was selective and temporary
The Spirit “came upon” such Old Testament people as Joshua
(Numbers 27:18),
David
(1 Samuel 16:12-13) and even Saul (1 Samuel 10:10).
In the book of Judges, we see the
Spirit “coming upon”
the various judges whom
God raised up to deliver Israel from
their oppressors.
The Holy Spirit
came upon these individuals
for specific tasks.
The indwelling was a sign
of
God’s favor upon
that individual
(in the case of David), and
if God’s favor
left
an individual,
the
Spirit would depart
(e.g., in Saul’s case in 1 Samuel 16:14).
Finally, the Spirit “coming upon” an individual doesn’t always indicate that
person’s spiritual condition
(e.g., Saul, Samson, and many of the judges).
So, while in the New Testament
the Spirit only indwells
believers and that indwelling is permanent,
the Spirit came upon
certain Old Testament individuals
for a specific task,
irrespective of their spiritual condition.
Once the task was completed,
the Spirit
presumably departed from that person.
The third aspect of
the Spirit’s work
in the Old Testament is His restraint of sin.
Genesis 6:3 would
seem to indicate that the Holy Spirit restrains man’s sinfulness,
and that restraint can be removed when
God’s patience regarding sin
reaches
a "boiling point."
This thought is echoed in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8,
when in the end times a growing apostasy will signal
the coming of God’s judgment.
Until the preordained time when the “man of lawlessness” (v. 3)
will be revealed,
the Holy Spirit restrains the power of Satan
and will release it
only when it suits His purposes to do so.
The fourth and final aspect of the Spirit’s work in the Old Testament
is the granting of ability for service.
Much like the way
the spiritual gifts operate in the New Testament,
the Spirit would gift
certain
individuals for service.
Consider the example of Bezalel in Exodus 31:2-5
who was gifted to do much
of the artwork
relating to the Tabernacle.
Furthermore, recalling the selective and temporary
indwelling of the Holy Spirit discussed above,
we see that these
individuals were gifted to perform certain tasks,
such as ruling over the people of Israel
(e.g., Saul and David).
We could also mention the Spirit’s role in creation. Genesis 1:2
speaks of the Spirit “hovering over the waters”
and superintending the work of creation.
In a similar fashion,
the Spirit is responsible for
the work of the new creation
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
as He is bringing people
into the
kingdom of God through regeneration.
All in all, the Spirit performs much of the same functions in Old Testament times
as He does in this current age.
The major difference is the permanent indwelling of the Spirit in believers now.
As Jesus said regarding this change in the
Spirit’s ministry, “But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you”
(John 14:17).
The first mention of the ark of the testimony
is in Exodus 25:10.
God gave Moses specific instructions for building a tabernacle as they traveled in the wilderness.
The tabernacle would be the place where the glory of God would dwell among His people
(Exodus 25:8–9).
Among hundreds of other descriptive instructions for this tabernacle, God told Moses
to build
an ark of the testimony,
also called the
ark of the covenant
(Exodus 25:21–22).
The words testimony and covenant
both refer
to the conditional agreement
made between God
and the
children of Israel at Mount Sinai.
An ark is,
literally, a box or chest
So the ark
of the testimony
is the
“box of the agreement.”
The ark of the testimony was
a wooden box,
covered in gold inside and out.
It had four exterior rings
through which
poles could be attached for carrying.
No one but the high priest could
touch the ark
(Numbers 4:15).
To do so would result in instant death,
as happened
with a man named Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:1–7).
God was beginning to teach His people
about
His holiness and their unworthiness.
He demonstrated to them that
His commands were not suggestions to be negotiated.
He wanted to teach
them to obey Him in all things,
whether or not
they understood the reason for the rules.
The lid of the ark
was also made of gold and formed
a seat
between two cherubim, called the
mercy seat.
It was there that God would meet with His people
(Exodus 25:22).
Inside the ark of the testimony,
Moses placed the tablets of the Law that God gave him on the mountain.
The ark
was placed inside the tabernacle in
the most holy place,
where only the high priest could go once a year (Exodus 26:34).
Through it all,
God was painting a picture to help us understand
what is required
for sinful man to come into the presence of a holy God.
The ark of the testimony
got its name
from the fact that it would be
the
housing for God’s testimony
to His people.
His Law was not only verbal, but written, etched in stone
(Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 5:22),
so there could be no excuse for disobedience.
Hebrews 9:4 tells us that, later, the Israelites
added to the stone tablets within
the ark of the testimony a jar of manna
(Exodus 16:32–33) and
Aaron’s rod that budded
(Numbers 17:8–10)
The ark of the testimony
represented
the presence of God with
His people,
and
His power went with them wherever
they took the ark
Joshua 3:6; Numbers 10:33–35
The enemies of Israel, the Philistines, stole the ark once
(1 Samuel 5:1),
hoping its power would help them.
They set it in their idol’s temple
and waited
for the good luck it would bring.
But calamity broke out among the Philistines,
until they
begged their leaders to send the ark
back to Israel
(1 Samuel 5:4, 6, 9, 11–12).
God demonstrated that
He was
not a good-luck charm
whose power
could be had by whoever captured
His ark.
The power was not
in the
ark of the testimony itself;
the ark
only represented the
presence of God with His people.
Since the death and resurrection of Jesus
(Romans 14:9),
God no longer uses an
ark of the testimony to dwell
with His people.
We are under a
new testament or covenant.
At Pentecost,
He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell
every believer
(Acts 2:1–4, 38–39)
We become His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19).
When we have been born again
by
faith in Jesus Christ
(John 3:3, 16),
we take God with us everywhere we go.
It did the Philistines no good
to harbor the ark,
because the ark had no power
in itself
if God was not on their side.
Likewise, we do not need physical items—crosses, images, holy relics—to carry
the power of God with us because He already abides in us.
That awareness of His presence,
called the
fear of the Lord
(Psalm 19:9; Proverbs 15:33),
helps us
make decisions that honor Him.
In 1 Corinthians 13:8–13,
the apostle Paul compares the Christian virtue of love to
other highly prized spiritual gifts
and finds
them all lacking. Love is uniquely superior (verse 8).
As Christians,
we share in giving and receiving the grace of God’s love
(see 1 John 4:8, 16).
This earthly experience of God’s divine love
gives us a taste of
His perfect grace and glory.
Through the
love of Christ poured into our hearts
(see Ephesians 3:17; Romans 5:5),
we participate to a limited degree in
the full perfection
we will know and enjoy when
we stand in
God’s presence in eternity:
“For now we see in a mirror dimly,
but then face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I have been fully known”
(1 Corinthians 13:12, ESV).
Paul explains that
spiritual gifts
like prophecy, tongues, and knowledge
are temporary and partial.
Eventually, they “will become useless.
But love will last forever!
Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete,
and even the
gift
of prophecy reveals only part of
the whole picture!
But when the
time of perfection comes,
these partial
things will become useless”
(1 Corinthians 13:8–10, NLT).
In our current state of existence, the gifts
of the Holy Spirit
are valuable to us and to the church,
but their worth will run out when we are
face to face with the Lord in heaven.
These gifts only give us an
obscured, unfinished picture of our spiritual reality,
and they will ultimately pass away.
Paul uses two illustrations to explain this truth.
First, he employs the example of a child maturing into adulthood:
“When I was a child,
I talked like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me”
(1 Corinthians 13:11).
Right now, we are
like children playing with plastic toys that
will wear out and become unusable.
One day we will trade them in for
the enduring, grown-up, perfection of eternity.
Second, Paul contrasts looking at someone
in a dull, dimly lit mirror with meeting that
person face to face.
In the Greco-Roman world, mirrors
were fashioned out of polished metal discs that reflected a blurred,
imperfect image, nothing like
seeing someone up close, in vivid,
eye-to-eye clarity
Thus, now we see in a mirror dimly is Paul’s figure of speech
for “now we have imperfect knowledge and understanding.”
The New Living Translation renders the imagery like so:
“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections
in a mirror,
but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.
All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then
I will know
everything completely,
just as God
now knows me completely”
(1 Corinthians 13:12, NLT).
Flawless understanding and unrestricted knowledge of matters pertaining to
God and His kingdom
will only be achieved
when
we meet Jesus Christ in person
The apostle John affirms that
our knowledge of Jesus is partial now
but will become
clear when we see Him
face to face:
“Dear friends,
we are already God’s children,
but he has not yet shown us
what we will be like when
Christ appears.
But we do know that we
will be like him,
for we
will see him as he really is”
(1 John 3:2, NLT).
Within the Scriptures, we have the complete revelation of God, but our understanding of it remains limited (see 1 Corinthians 8:1–3).
As we grow in the faith,
we undergo a process
of spiritual
maturation as individual believers
(2 Peter 3:18)
and together as the body of Christ
(Ephesians 4:11–16).
Paul calls this progressive development
toward Christian maturity
“the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 3:14, ESV).
It is our heavenward
journey
of intimate
fellowship with
Jesus Christ
Along the way, we must stay laser-focused on Jesus, who is the trailblazing forerunner of our quest
(Hebrews 12:1–2).
He demonstrates the way through His perfect obedience to the Father
(John 4:34; 5:30; Luke 22:42).
As the Author and Perfecter of our faith,
He not only inspires us,
but Christ also empowers us to grow
toward our heavenly stature.
He starts the good work in us and
“will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 1:6).
In the meantime, until the Lord returns or
we reach heaven,
we have limited understanding and knowledge--
we see in a mirror dimly.
But one day our onward and upward growth
in ever-increasing
degrees of Christian maturity
will culminate in heavenly perfection
as “we bear the image of the heavenly man”
(1 Corinthians 15:49)
The word shekinah does not appear in the Bible, but the concept clearly does.
The Jewish rabbis coined this extra-biblical expression, a form of a
Hebrew word that literally means
“he caused to dwell,”
signifying that it was a divine visitation
of the presence
or dwelling of the Lord God on
this earth.
The Shekinah was first evident
when the Israelites set out
from Succoth
in their escape from Egypt.
There the Lord appeared in a cloudy pillar in the day and a fiery pillar by night:
“After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.
By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud
to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,
so that they could travel by day or night.
Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its
place in front of the people”
(Exodus 13:20–22).
God spoke to Moses out of the pillar of cloud in Exodus 33, assuring him that
His Presence
would be with the Israelites (v. 9). Verse 11 says
God spoke to Moses “face to face” out of the cloud, but when Moses asked
to see God’s glory, God told Him,
“You cannot see My face;
for no man shall see Me, and live”
(v. 20).
So, apparently, the visible manifestation of God’s glory was somewhat muted. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock, covered him with His hand, and passed by. Then He removed His hand, and Moses saw only His back.
This would seem to indicate that
God’s glory is too awesome and powerful
to be seen completely by man.
The visible manifestation of God’s presence was seen not only by the Israelites but also by the Egyptians: “During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, ‘Let’s get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt’” (Exodus 14:24-25). Just the presence of God’s Shekinah glory was enough to convince His enemies that He was not someone to be resisted.
In the New Testament,
Jesus Christ is the dwelling place of God’s glory.
Colossians 2:9 tells us that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” causing Jesus to exclaim to Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
In Christ, we see the visible manifestation of God Himself in the second person of the Trinity.
Although His glory was also veiled, Jesus is nonetheless the
presence of God on earth.
Just as the divine Presence dwelled in a relatively plain tent called
the “tabernacle” before the Temple in Jerusalem was built,
so did the Presence dwell in the relatively plain man who was Jesus.
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him”
(Isaiah 53:2).
But when we get to heaven,
we will see both the Son and the Father
in all their glory,
and the Shekinah will no longer be veiled
(1 John 3:2).
Ephesians 5:25–27 uses
Christ’s unique role
as the one who sanctifies the church
as a model for how
a husband should love and care
for his wife.
These verses say that
“Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with
the washing of water by the word,
that He might present her to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
but that she should be holy and without blemish”
(NKJV).
In marriage, a husband should sacrificially love his wife, as Christ loved the church.
Unlike marriage, however, husbands do not “sanctify” or “wash” their wives.
But this is something that Christ does for His church.
In this context, to
sanctify is to set apart for God’s purpose
and
purify from sin.
Through
faith in the finished work of Christ,
believers are set apart
as holy
and dedicated to God’s service
(see Romans 12:1–2; 1 Peter 1:15–16).
In Ephesians 5:26, the expression washing of water is linked to water baptism,
as mentioned in Romans 6:3–4. According to Paul,
baptism symbolizes the believer’s death to sin and
new life in Christ.
The reality is
that “if anyone is in Christ, he is
anew creation.
The old has passed away; behold,
the new has come”
(2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV).
Water for cleansing also
played a part in a bride’s preparation
for her wedding day.
There may also be a link between Ezekiel 16:1–13 and Ephesians 5:26–27.
In the Ezekiel passage, Israel is portrayed
as an
abandoned girl who becomes a queen.
This passage prefigures the New Testament
concept of
the church as the bride of Christ,
who is sanctified and cleansed for Him.
The metaphor is further enriched by Ezekiel 36:25, where
God promises to
“sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you” (ESV)
In Christ, we are thoroughly cleansed.
The culmination of Christ’s sanctifying work
is beautifully illustrated in the eschatological
visions of
Revelation 19:7–9 and 21:2, 9–11.
In these passages, the apostle
John describes the
marriage supper of the Lamb,
an event that represents the
final consummation
of
Christ’s relationship with His church.
This future event is not only a celebration but a
fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan,
where Christ presents
“the church to himself in splendor,
without
spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might
be holy and without blemish”
(Ephesians 5:27, ESV).
Ephesians 5:26 also specifies the agency through which
Christ accomplishes
His “washing” of the church: it is done “through the word.”
In His High Priestly Prayer,
Jesus said, “Sanctify them [the disciples] by the truth;
your word is truth.”
The means by which God justifies, saves,
and sanctifies His people is the Word of God
(see also John 15:3; James 1:18).
It is by the Word that God accomplishes
His purpose
“to prepare and equip his people to do every good work”
2 Timothy 3:17, NLT
While the focus of Ephesians 5:26–27
is on Christ’s role,
there are practical implications for believers.
Because we have been
“sanctified” and “washed,”
God expects us to
“walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
with all humility
and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
eager to maintain the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
(Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV).
Such a “walk,” or lifestyle,
is not about earning salvation; rather,
it is about
responding to God’s grace with reverence and obedience.
The church, as the collective body of believers, plays an important
role in the sanctification process.
This communal aspect of sanctification is emphasized
in Hebrews 10:24–25,
which encourages believers
“to stir one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together,
as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another,
and all the more
as you see the Day drawing near”
(ESV).
The sanctification process is both personal and communal.
Individually, believers are called to engage with Scripture, allowing
the Word of God to cleanse
them from sin and transform their hearts and minds
(Psalm 119:105; James 1:22–25).
Collectively, the church reflects the holiness and
purity of Christ,
given to the church through what
He accomplished on the cross
Ephesians 5:26–27 presents profound insights into
Christ’s role in the sanctification
of
His church, drawing from
Old Testament allegories and culminating in our future union with Him.
Not only does this passage
reveal
the depth of Christ’s love and
sacrifice,
but it also calls us to
a life of holiness
and dedication to God’s service.
Let us, then, live out the
fulness of our spiritual cleansing,
demonstrating
to everyone that we belong to Christ,
who sanctifies us
“by the washing with water through the word.”
The first thing we notice about this parable is its similarity to the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:2-9. In some ways, this parable expands on Jesus’ teaching of how the “good soil” (a receptive heart) receives the “seed” (the Word of God).
In the Parable of the Growing Seed, Jesus tells of a man who scatters seed on the ground and then allows nature to take its course. As the man who sowed the seed goes about his business day by day, the seed begins to have an effect. First, the seed sprouts; then it produces a stalk and leaves, then a head of grain, and, finally, fully developed kernels in the head. Jesus emphasizes that all of this happens without the man’s help. The man who scattered the seed cannot even fully understand how it happens—it is simply the work of nature. “All by itself the soil produces” (verse 28).
The parable ends with a harvest. As soon as the grain is ripe, the sickle is employed, and the seed is harvested. This happens at just the right time.
Jesus did not explain this parable, as He did some others. Instead, He left it to us to understand its meaning. Taking the seed to be the Word of God, as in Mark 4:14, we can interpret the growth of the plants as the working of God’s Word in individual hearts. The fact that the crop grows without the farmer’s intervention means that God can accomplish His purposes even when we are absent or unaware of what He’s doing. The goal is the ripened grain. At the proper time, the Word will bring forth its fruit, and the Lord of the harvest (Luke 10:2) will be glorified.
The truth of this parable is well illustrated in the growth of the early church: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Just like a farmer cannot force a crop to grow, an evangelist cannot force spiritual life or growth on others.
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Growing Seed: “The way God uses His Word in the heart of an individual is mysterious and completely independent of human effort.” May we be faithful in “sowing the seed,” praying for a harvest, and leaving the results to the Lord!
When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying.... 'Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock'" (Matt 5:1-2; 7:24).
What is the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount in the context of Matthew's Gospel? Key allusions to the story of Moses in the framing verses of the Sermon make Matthew's intentions quite clear. Yeshua's ascent up the mountain to give the disciples his Torah (Matt 5:1) alludes to Moses' ascent up Mount Sinai to give Israel God's Torah (Exod 19:2-3). The reference to Yeshua opening his "mouth" is not only a strategic allusion to God's promise to be with Moses' "mouth" in Exodus 4:12, but also to God's promise to put words in the "mouth" of the Prophet like Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18. And yet another allusion to Deuteronomy 18 appears in Yeshua's concluding words that "everyone who hears "these words of mine and acts on them" will live (Matt 7:24; see Deut 18:18).
So when Yeshua says he has come to fulfill (not abolish) the Torah and the Prophets in Matthew 5:17, these strategic allusions to Moses in the Torah show us exactly what he means. Yeshua (and Matthew) is telling us that he is the promised Prophet like Moses.
And now for the "So what?" One could possibly excuse (well, actually not) the pagan nations for rejecting Yeshua because he a Jewish prophet the God of Israel sent to the Jewish people. But there is one people group on earth who cannot say, "Yeshua isn't for me." For since Yeshua is the Prophet like Moses, we of all people are most accountable to his words. Jewish evangelism (i.e., telling Jewish people about Yeshua) is not, therefore, disrespectful to the Jewish people. Quite the opposite is the case. We share our faith with the Jewish people because in the Torah Moses told us we must listen to Yeshua!
Written in the sky all over Israel this morning,
BRING THEM HOME
We won't stop praying for the hostages, especially now that a deal looks so hopeful.
Please pray with us!
Picture: GPO
The New Covenant is the Promise
that God
will forgive sin
and restore fellowship
with those whose
hearts
are turned toward Him.
Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant,
and His death
on the cross is the basis of the promise
(Luke 22:20).
The New Covenant
was predicted while the Old Covenant was still in effect--
the prophets
Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all allude to
the New Covenant.
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.
In Romans 8:2, Paul draws a sharp contrast between the law of the Spirit of life and the law of sin and death with this statement:
“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus
from the law of sin and death.”
This serves as a powerful testament to the action God
has taken on behalf
of those who place their faith in Christ.
The law of sin and death refers to a principle found in Scripture that “the wages of sin is death”
(Romans 6:23).
The law of sin and death is not a reference to the Mosaic Law, but it is linked to it.
The law revealed God’s standard, our shortcomings, the consequences of falling short,
and even our innate proclivity to reject God and defy His standard.
The law of sin counters the Law of God on every point, and it leads to death.
The New Living Translation aptly describes this law as the “power of sin that leads to death”
due to the authoritative grip this principle exerts over us.
When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, their action tainted their nature,
instilling in them a tendency to reject God. We all inherit this inclination, which explains why it’s effortless for a young child to disobey, while obedience must be learned over time.
The more we succumb to our rebellious tendency, the more ensnared we
become by sin, and its consequences grow.
In contrast to the law of sin and death,
the law of the Spirit of life
represents a
reversal of the wages of sin.
Just as sin leads to death, the Spirit gives life.
Much like how God breathed life into Adam, He infuses new life into the regenerated soul
(Genesis 2:7; Titus 3:5–6).
This is tied to God’s grace, as revealed in the gospel.
The sole means to break free from the cycle of sin and death is to embrace the new cycle of Spirit and life by putting faith in Jesus Christ and living to please the Spirit, rather than acquiescing to our sinful nature.
The new life ushered in by
the Spirit,
which severs the hold of sin, is the very reason why we cannot persist in sin. While achieving sinless perfection is impossible in this earthly existence, the one bound to Christ died to sin when Christ died, and he arose to a new life as Christ did. He is now devoted to the Father (Romans 6:1–11).
The fact that we are under the law of the Spirit of life shows that we are still under a law—the law of Christ (see Galatians 6:2 and 1 Corinthians 9:21). We are not called to lawlessness, and no believer can rightly be said to be totally free from all law. The law of Christ is to love God with all our being and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:32–33).
Freed by the Spirit from the clutches of sin, we bear no obligation to yield to our sinful desires (Romans 8:12). Instead, we are guided by the Spirit and should be preoccupied with what pleases Him (Romans 8:5–6). Drawing from Romans 12, we gain a tangible glimpse of what a Spirit-led life looks like, beginning with complete devotion to God as a “living sacrifice” (verse 1).
As we live to please the Spirit, we witness the emergence of godly character, which Scripture calls the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Walking in the Spirit, free from the law of sin and death, leads to life.
The Old Covenant that God had established with His people required strict obedience to the Mosaic Law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the Law required that Israel perform daily sacrifices in order to atone for sin. But Moses, through whom God established the Old Covenant, also anticipated the New Covenant. In one of his final addresses to the nation of Israel, Moses looks forward to a time when Israel would be given “a heart to understand” (Deuteronomy 29:4, ESV).
Moses predicts that Israel would fail in keeping the Old Covenant (verses 22–28), but he then sees a time of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1–5). At that time, Moses says, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (verse 6).
The New Covenant involves a total change of heart so that God’s people are naturally pleasing to Him.
The prophet Jeremiah also predicted the New Covenant. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘
when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. . . .
This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jeremiah 31:31–33).
Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and to establish the New Covenant between God and His people.
The Old Covenant was written in stone, but the New Covenant is written on hearts. Entering the New Covenant is made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His blood to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Luke 22:20 relates how Jesus, at the Last Supper, takes the cup and says, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (ESV).
The New Covenant is also mentioned in Ezekiel 36:26–27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
Ezekiel lists several aspects of the New Covenant here:
anew heart, anew spirit, the indwelling
Holy Spirit, and
true holiness
The Mosaic Law could provide none of these things (see Romans 3:20).
The New Covenant was originally given to Israel and includes a promise of fruitfulness, blessing, and a peaceful existence in the Promised Land.
In Ezekiel 36:28–30 God says, “Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. . . . I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.” Deuteronomy 30:1–5 contains similar promises related to Israel under the New Covenant.
After the resurrection of Christ, God in His grace brought the Gentiles into the blessing of the New Covenant, too (Acts 10; Ephesians 2:13–14).
The fulfillment of the New Covenant will be seen in two places: on earth during the Millennial Kingdom, and in heaven for all eternity.
We are no longer under the Law but under grace (Romans 6:14–15). The Old Covenant has served its purpose, and it has been replaced by “a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22). “In fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).
Under the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9–11), we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).
“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 the 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.”
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 withthe 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.
The coupling of grace and truth is found in numerous places in the Bible, including Colossians 1:6 and 2 John 1:3 in the New Testament, and 2 Samuel 15:20 and Psalm 86:15 in the Old Testament. Then there is John 1:14, 17, which says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
There is a strong possibility that John is referencing the Hebrew terms hesed (“mercy” or “lovingkindness”) and emet (“truth” or “faithfulness”), found together in Exodus 34:6: “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.’” Note that the attributes of God in the Old Testament are applied to Christ in the New. At the beginning of his gospel, John is making a subtle statement regarding the divinity of Jesus. The rest of John’s gospel will expound on that truth.
It is important for grace and truth to work in tandem. An emphasis on grace alone can dissipate into a shallow and sentimental foundation where justice or truth is discarded. However, a focus only on truth can devolve into a cold, hardened dogma. Jesus’ character demonstrates the perfect balance of both grace and truth. He is “full” of both.
Grace and truth meld together in the gospel message to form a key distinction of Christianity over other religions. In all other religions, grace and truth are never balanced. Instead, the deity being worshiped either dispenses justice at the expense of grace or dispenses grace at the expense of justice and truth. Christianity is unique in that God delivers grace through His justice and truth.
The truth is, everyone has fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and deserves God’s justice. However, God’s justice is satisfied, and His truth upheld, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. That act delivers God’s grace to those who will accept it by faith.
In this way, Christianity stands alone as an ontological faith—one that is fully dependent on a person—Jesus Christ—who perfectly balances and embodies both grace and truth in His very being.
In Isaiah 42:8 God states, “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images” (NASB). God’s glory is His honor, splendor, and dignity, and He will not share it with anyone. In telling Israel of how He was sparing them from destruction and giving them new prophecies, God says, “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11).
God will not give His glory to another because all glory, honor, and praise belong to Him alone. He will not allow His works to be attributed to a false god, which is “nothing at all in the world” (1 Corinthians 8:4). Also,
God will not allow humans to take credit for what He does,
as if it were our own skill,
wisdom, and power that deserve the praise.
God will not give His glory to another because it is immoral for someone to take credit for something he or she did not do. Whether it’s cheating on a test, plagiarizing a book, “stealing valor” by posing as a military veteran, or attempting to take credit for what God has done, it’s wrong. Most people understand that siphoning off the reputation of others or accepting accolades due to someone else is dishonest and dishonorable. For a human being to attempt to take credit for God’s actions is the height of hubris.
King Herod made the mistake of trying to appropriate God’s glory: “Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man.’ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died” (Acts 12:21–23). In grasping for glory that belongs only to God, Herod was much like Lucifer, who said, just before his fall, “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14).
God will not give His glory to another.
He is “the blessed and only Ruler,
the
King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone is immortal
and who lives in unapproachable light. . . .
To him be honor and might forever.
Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15–16).
The Lord our God is worthy “to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4:11). His glory is such that even heaven’s mightiest angels cannot look fully upon Him (Isaiah 6:1–4). There is no boasting in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:28–29).
God will not give His glory to another, which makes Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer all the more astounding, because in it Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5). Three things of note here: 1) Jesus prays that the Father would give Him glory; 2) Jesus lays claim to a previous glory that was His before the time of creation; and 3) Jesus asserts that His glory was that of the Father’s. In other words, Jesus asks that the Father would give His glory to another, namely Himself; more than that,
Jesus proclaims that He has already shared in that divine glory as the pre-existent Son of God.
What are we to make of Jesus’ prayer, in light of Scripture’s unambiguous decree that God will not give His glory to another? Either Jesus is blaspheming, or He is indeed who He claimed: the eternal Son of God who is worthy to “sit on his glorious throne” (Matthew 25:31). We believe that Jesus is “in very nature God” (Philippians 2:6) and that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). He is worthy to be praised.
The fact that the
Holy Spirit is God
is clearly seen
in many Scriptures,
including Acts 5:3-4. In these verses Peter confronts Ananias as to why he lied to the Holy Spirit and tells him that he had “not lied to men but to God.” It is a clear declaration that lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God. We can also know that the Holy Spirit is God because He possesses the characteristics of God. For example, His omnipresence is seen in Psalm 139:7-8, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” Then in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, we see the characteristic of omniscience in the Holy Spirit. “These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
We can know that the Holy Spirit is indeed a divine person because He possesses a mind, emotions, and a will. The Holy Spirit thinks and knows (1 Corinthians 2:10). The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27). He makes decisions according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity. As God, the Holy Spirit can truly function as the Comforter and Counselor that Jesus promised He would be (John 14:16, 26; 15:26).
The “seven spirits of God”
are mentioned several times
in the book of Revelation:
Isaiah’s prophecies address not only
God’s judgment but also
God’s grace.
In them God often refers to His earlier promises, as
He does in Isaiah 54:9,
saying, “For this is like the waters of Noah to me.”
Though Israel had broken God’s (Mosaic) covenant and would soon undergo judgment (see chapters 1—3, for example), there would be a remnant and those who would see God’s restoration afterward (Isaiah 14, 27, for example). Isaiah 54:1–3 speaks of the nation having many descendants, enlarging their tent, spreading abroad, possessing nations, and resettling cities that had been desolate. The people would forget the shame of their former disobedience (Isaiah 54:4), because God has redeemed and called them (Isaiah 54:5). The people would not be restored because of their righteousness, but in spite of their unfaithfulness God would deliver them (Isaiah 54:6).
God had judged the people briefly but would with great compassion restore them (Isaiah 54:7). The nation had been judged for a moment but would see God’s everlasting kindness and compassion (Isaiah 54:8). Because of the temporality of God’s judgment and the eternality of His blessing, in this case God says that “this is like the waters of Noah to me” (Isaiah 54:9). In the days of Noah, human wickedness had reached such an apex that God would tolerate it no further and would bring judgment (Genesis 6:5–7) through a worldwide flood. But even in the midst of that judgment God would show His mercy as He chose to protect the line of Noah because of Noah’s righteousness (Genesis 6:8; 7:1). God brought Noah, his family, and representatives from the various animal families through the judgment (Genesis 7:17–24).
After the judgment through the flood, God made a covenant with Noah and with every living thing that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:11). Because of that earlier promise, God said in Isaiah 54:9that the current judgment would be “like the waters of Noah to me.” God had sworn that waters of Noah (or judgment) would not flood the earth again (Genesis 9:11; Isaiah 54:9), and in the same way God was now telling the people that after the judgment they would encounter, He would no longer be angry or rebuke the people (Isaiah 54:9). Even though the mountains may be removed and the hills shaken, God would not remove His lovingkindness or allow His covenant of peace to be broken (Isaiah 54:10).
God is a holy, holy, holy God (Isaiah 6:3) who does not ignore His people’s sin. He had promised that if Israel would obey the covenant He gave them through Moses that they would dwell peacefully in the land (Exodus 19:5–6; Deuteronomy 28:1–15). But if they disobeyed God, they would be judged and removed from the land (Deuteronomy 28:16–66). Yet even after that judgment took place, God would restore the people (Deuteronomy 30). The judgment would not last forever. God’s judgment of Israel would be “like the waters of Noah” to God (Isaiah 54:9) in that it would be temporary and the people would be ultimately delivered.
In a similar way, we see God’s grace poured out on those who believe in Jesus Christ—even though we are worthy of an eternal penalty (death), God loves us and sent His Son Jesus to die as a substitution in our place. He took on Himself the penalty for Israel’s sin and for ours (Isaiah 53:4–12)—in fact, He died for the whole world (1 John 2:2) so that all who believe in Him can have eternal life (John 6:47; 20:31). For those who believe in this Savior, God’s judgment is “like the waters of Noah”—we were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), but God has saved us by His mercy (Ephesians 2:4).
In the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John),
Jesus’ command to "follow me"
appears repeatedly
(e.g., Matthew 8:22; 9:9, Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27; John 1:43).
In many cases, Jesus was calling the twelve men who would become His disciples (Matthew 10:3–4). But other times, He was speaking to anyone who wanted what He had to offer (John 3:16; Mark 8:34).
In Matthew 10:34–39, Jesus stated clearly what it means to follow Him. He said, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."
Jesus’ bringing a “sword” and turning family members against each other can seem a little harsh after words like "whosoever believes on Him shall not perish" (John 3:16). But Jesus never softened the truth, and the truth is that following Him leads to difficult choices. Sometimes turning back may seem very appealing. When Jesus’ teaching went from the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–11) to the coming cross, many who had followed him turned away (John 6:66). Even the disciples decided that following Jesus was too difficult the night He was arrested. Every one of them deserted Him (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50). On that night, following Christ meant possible arrest and execution. Rather than risk his own life, Peter denied that he even knew Jesus three times (Matthew 26:69–75).
To truly follow Christ means He has become everything to us. Everyone follows something: friends, popular culture, family, selfish desires, or God. We can only follow one thing at a time (Matthew 6:24). God states we are to have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7; Mark 12:30). To truly follow Christ means we do not follow anything else. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." There is no such thing as a "halfway disciple." As the disciples demonstrated, no one can follow Christ by the strength of his own willpower.
The Pharisees were good examples of those who were
trying to obey God in their own strength.
Their self-effort led only to arrogance
and distortion
of the whole purpose of God’s Law
(Luke 11:39; Matthew 23:24).
Jesus gave His disciples the secret to
faithfully following Him,
but they did not recognize it at the time.
He said, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing"
(John 6:63).
And "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them” (verse 65). The disciples had walked with Jesus for three years, learning, observing, and participating in His miracles.
Yet, even they could not follow Him faithfully in their own strength.
They needed a Helper.
Jesus promised many times that, once He had ascended to the Father, He would send a "Helper" to them—the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26). In fact, He told them that it was for their good that He was going away so that the Holy Spirit could come (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit indwells the heart of every believer (Galatians 2:20; Romans 8:16; Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). Jesus warned His followers that they were not to begin testifying of Him "until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). When the Holy Spirit came upon those first believers at Pentecost, they suddenly had all the power they needed to follow Christ, even to the death, if needed (Acts 2:1–4; 4:31; 7:59-60).
Following Jesus means striving to be like Him. He always obeyed His Father, so that’s what we strive to do (John 8:29; 15:10). To truly follow Christ means to make Him the Boss. That’s what it means to make Jesus Lord of our lives (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5). Every decision and dream is filtered through His Word with the goal of glorifying Him in everything (1 Corinthians 10:31). We are not saved by the things we do for Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9) but by what He has done for us.
Because of His grace, we want to please Him in everything. All this is accomplished as we allow the Holy Spirit to have complete control of every area of our lives (Ephesians 5:18). He explains the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:14), empowers us with spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), comforts us (John 14:16), and guides us (John 14:26). To follow Christ means we apply the truths we learn from His Word and live as if Jesus walked beside us in person.
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).
First, the Holy Spirit does many things in the lives of believers.
He is the believers’ Helper
(John 14:26).
He indwells believers and seals them
until the
day of redemption--
this indicates that the
Holy Spirit’s
presence in the believer is irreversible.
He guards and guarantees the salvation of the ones He indwells
(Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
The Holy Spirit assists believers in prayer (Jude 1:20)
and
“intercedes for God’s people in accordance
with
the will of God”
(Romans 8:26–27).
The Holy Spirit regenerates and renews the believer (Titus 3:5). At the moment of salvation, the Spirit baptizes the believer into the Body of Christ (Romans 6:3). Believers receive the new birth by the power of the Spirit (John 3:5–8). The Spirit comforts believers with fellowship and joy as they go through a hostile world (1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14). The Spirit, in His mighty power, fills believers with “all joy and peace” as they trust the Lord, causing believers to “overflow with hope” (Romans 15:13).
Sanctification is another work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. The Spirit sets Himself against the desires of the flesh and leads the believer into righteousness (Galatians 5:16–18). The works of the flesh become less evident, and the fruit of the Spirit becomes more evident (Galatians 5:19–26). Believers are commanded to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), which means they are to yield themselves to the Spirit’s full control.
The Holy Spirit is also a gift-giver. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them” (1 Corinthians 12:4). The spiritual gifts that believers possess are given by the Holy Spirit as He determines in His wisdom (verse 11).
The Holy Spirit also does work among unbelievers. Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8, ESV). The Spirit testifies of Christ (John 15:26), pointing people to the Lord. Currently, the Holy Spirit is also restraining sin and combatting “the secret power of lawlessness” in the world. This action keeps the rise of the Antichrist at bay (2 Thessalonians 2:6–10).
The Holy Spirit has one other important role, and that is to give believers wisdom by which we can understand God. “These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10–11). Since we have been given the amazing gift of God’s Spirit inside ourselves, we can comprehend the thoughts of God, as revealed in the Scripture. The Spirit helps us understand. This is wisdom from God, rather than wisdom from man. No amount of human knowledge can ever replace the Holy Spirit’s teaching (1 Corinthians 2:12–13).
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.
• Revelation 1:4–5, “John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ . . .”
• Revelation 3:1, “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God . . .”
• Revelation 4:5, “From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.”
• Revelation 5:6, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”
The identity of “the seven spirits” is not explicit in these passages, but arriving at the proper interpretation is fairly straightforward. The “seven spirits” cannot be seven angelic beings such as seraphim or cherubim because of the context of Revelation 1:4. John says that “grace and peace” are coming to the churches from three sources: “him who is, and who was, and who is to come” (verse 4), “the seven spirits before the throne” (verse 4), and “Jesus Christ” (verse 5). This is a depiction of the Trinity: grace and peace are given by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the three co-equal Persons of the Godhead.
In Revelation 3:1 Jesus “holds” the seven spirits of God. In John 15:26, Jesus “sends” the Holy Spirit from the Father. Both passages suggest the superordinate role of the Son and the subordinate role of the Spirit.
In Revelation 4:5 the seven spirits of God
are symbolized
as seven burning lamps that
are before God’s throne.
This picture agrees with Zechariah’s vision
in which he
sees the Holy Spirit
symbolized as “a solid gold lampstand . . .
with a bowl
at the top and seven lamps on it”
(Zechariah 4:2).
In Revelation 5:6 the seven spirits
are
the “seven eyes” of the Lamb,
and they
are “sent out into all the earth.”
The seven eyes speak of the Spirit’s
(and the Lamb’s) omniscience,
and the fact that He is
sent
into all the earth speaks of His omnipresence.
Once we identify the “seven spirits” as the Holy Spirit,
the question
remains, why are there “seven” of Him?
The Bible, and especially the book of Revelation,
uses the number seven
to refer to perfection and completion.
John’s vision
includes a picture of the perfect and complete Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 11:2 also references the Holy Spirit using a seven-fold description:
“The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him
—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”
The prophecy is that the Messiah
would be empowered not by seven individual spirits
but by the
One Spirit, described seven ways:
1) The Spirit of the LORD
2) The Spirit of wisdom
3) The Spirit of understanding
4) The Spirit of counsel
5) The Spirit of power
6) The Spirit of knowledge
7) The Spirit of the fear of the Lord
The “seven spirits of God”
in the
book of Revelation
are thus a reference to the
Holy Spirit in the perfection of His manifold ministry
The word helpmeet
comes from Genesis 2:18 in the King James Version of the Bible,
which says, “It is not good that the man should be alone;
I will make him an help meet
for him.” Meet in this context is an adjective that
means “suitable.”
What the verse actually says is that
God created
a “help”
for Adam, and this helper
was “meet”
(suitable, fit, proper) for him.
Through the years the phrase help meet morphed
into a single word, helpmeet,
which is sometimes used as a synonym for
helpmate, meaning “spouse” or “companion.”
Modern translations render the phrase in Genesis 2:18 as “a helper fit for him” (ESV);
“a helper suitable for him” (NIV and NASB); or “a helper comparable to him” (NKJV).
It is interesting to note that the only part of God’s creation declared to be “not good” concerns Adam’s solitary state. God stated that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). A man is, by nature, a social creature;
God created us to need companionship. And, of course, a man alone cannot propagate.
Adam by himself was incomplete.
This is why God created Eve as a “help meet”:
to complete Adam, to provide society for him, and to enable him
to produce children.
Eve was exactly what Adam needed—a helper suitable for him.
So what exactly does it mean to be
a suitable helper?
The key
is the word suitable.
A suitable wife is compatible with
her husband
in many respects—physically, mentally, emotionally,
and spiritually.
This doesn’t mean the man and woman are
the same in everything,
only that they fit together in harmony.
They complement each other
The B-flat key
on the piano is not the same as the G,
but together
they make a harmonious chord
Similarly, a suitable helper for a husband is a wife
who is
different from him, but well-suited to him,
one who
completes him in every way and
who brings
harmony, not discord, to the relationship.
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
False apostles are people who masquerade as
Christian leaders,
get other people to follow them,
and then lead them astray.
A true
apostle is one who
is “sent” by God
as an ambassador of
Jesus Christ
with a divine message
A false apostle is a pretender who does not truly represent Christ
and whose message is false.
In 2 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul addresses the problem of false apostles invading the Corinthian church. He describes the false apostles as “those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about” (verse 12). The book of 2 Corinthians is one of Paul’s more “sarcastic” letters, as he contends with the church to recognize the error that had crept into their midst.
He contrasts his selfless service with that of the “super-apostles” (verse 5) who were
seducing the church with their smooth speech and apparent wisdom.
These impostors were pretending
to be true servants of Christ, but they did not know the Lord.
They were deceivers,
preying on gullible Christians in Corinth
to profit themselves and boost their ego.
Paul chides the church that they “even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face” (verse 20). He even compares these impostors to Satan himself, who also “masquerades as an angel of light” (verse 14).
Paul warned the Ephesian elders about false apostles as well: “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29). They must have heeded his words, because in Revelation 2:2, Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for spotting the false apostles in their midst and rejecting them.
False teachers and false apostles have been plentiful throughout the history of the church. They still infiltrate unsuspecting churches and have even led whole denominations into heresy and apostasy (see 1 Timothy 4:1–4). Scripture gives us clear warning if we will pay attention. First John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
The following are some ways we can identify false apostles:
1. False apostles deny any or all truths about the identity and deity of Jesus Christ. In 1 John 4:3–4, John warns his readers against Gnostic teaching; the test, he says, is Christological: “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” There are many ways a spirit may deny that Jesus is the Christ. From demonic cults to denominations that have veered away from the gospel, evil spirits are always behind the slander of Jesus. Any teacher who attempts to take away from or add to Jesus’ finished work on the cross for our salvation is a false prophet (John 19:30; Acts 4:12).
2. False apostles are motivated by their greed, lust, or power. Second Timothy 3:1–8 describes such teachers in more detail: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
“They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.” Jesus said that an identifying mark of a false apostle/prophet is sinful behavior: “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16, 20; cf. Jude 1:4).
3. False apostles distort or deny the Bible as God’s infallible, inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:16). In Galatians 1:8–9Paul counters legalism with these strong words: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (KJV). The inspired writings of the apostles are part of the Word of God, and no one has a right to change their message.
4. False apostles refuse to make themselves subject to spiritual authorities, but consider themselves the final authority (Hebrews 13:7; 2 Corinthians 10:12). They will often adopt lofty-sounding titles for themselves, such as “Bishop,” “Apostle,” “Reverend,” or “Father.” This does not mean that every person carrying such titles is a false prophet, only that evil impostors love lofty titles and will self-title to gain a hearing.
False apostles can arise anywhere the Word of God does not reign supreme. From organized churches to home Bible studies, we must always be on guard against “new teachings” or “revelations” that are not subject to the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
All the members of the Trinity are coexistent, co-eternal, and co-equal. God eternally exists in three Persons who are in complete unity. One God but three Persons. God has revealed Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In Matthew 28:19, as part of the Great Commission, Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is often called the third Person of the Trinity because, in this “Trinitarian formula,” He is listed third.
The Spirit is also the third Person of the Trinity because, in the progress of revelation, He was the third to be revealed as an individual Person. In Genesis 1:2 the Spirit of God is hovering over the waters at creation. Later, the Spirit of the Lord would come upon a person (Samson, for instance, in Judges 13—16) to accomplish a specific task. However, these references would have been understood as “the power of God” rather than a specific personality who is God.
It is not until Jesus is on earth that we begin to understand the Trinity. The Father (the first Person) sent the Son (the second Person). However, the Son said that, when He left the world, He would send a third Person who was God—the Holy Spirit (John 14:16–17; 16:12–15). From Jesus’ words, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is not just the impersonal power of God but God Himself—a third Person who was not previously revealed. The Spirit is God, but He is neither the Father nor the Son. He is a third individual—a third Person.
The Scripture has several words translated
"right"
and the usage of the term,
"right hand"
ranges from a direction, to the opposite of wrong, what is just or what
conforms to an established standard,
and to a place of honor or authority.
In the case of division or appointment in the Bible, the right hand or right side came first,
as when Israel (Jacob) divided the blessings to Joseph’s sons before he died
(Genesis 48:13-14)
In addition, a person of high rank who put someone on his right hand gave him equal honor with himself and recognized him as possessing equal dignity and authority. And this is what the Apostle Paul writes of Jesus Christ in Ephesians. "And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age" (Ephesians 1:19-21). Here we see God exalting Jesus above all others by seating Him at the right hand of the Father.
The term "God’s right hand" in prophecy refers
to the Messiah
to whom is given the power and authority to subdue His enemies (Psalm 110:1; Psalm 118:16). We find a quote in Matthew 22:44 from Psalm 110:1, which is a Messianic Psalm. "The Son of David" is claimed by the LORD Jesus Christ as He is the "greater son of David" or the Messiah. In this passage of Matthew 22, Jesus questions the Pharisees about who they think the "Christ" or the Messiah is. "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make Thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?" (Matthew 22:41-45, KJV). The position of the Messiah is at God’s right hand.
The fact that Jesus Christ is at the "right hand of God" was a sign to the disciples that Jesus had indeed gone to heaven. In John 16:7-15, Jesus told the disciples that He had to go away and He would send the Holy Spirit. So the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) was proof positive that Jesus was indeed in heaven seated at the right hand of God. This is confirmed in Romans 8:34 where the Apostle Paul writes that Christ is sitting at God’s right hand making intercession for us.
Therefore, what we can say is that
"God’s right hand" refers to the
Messiah,
the LORD Jesus Christ,
and He is
of equal position, honor, power,
and authority with God
(John 1:1-5).
The fact that Christ is "sitting" refers to the fact that His work of redemption is done and when the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in (Romans 11:25), Christ’s enemies will be made His footstool. When the end of the age comes, all prophecy will be completed, and time will be no more.
The glory of God is the beauty of His spirit
It is not an aesthetic beauty or a material
beauty,
but the beauty that emanates from
His character, from all that
He is.
The glory of man—human dignity and honor—fades
(1 Peter 1:24).
But the glory of God,
which is
manifested in all His attributes together,
never passes away.
It is eternal.
Moses requested of God, “Now show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18). In His response, God equates His glory with “all my goodness” (verse 19). “But,” God said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (verse 20). So, God hid Moses in “a cleft in the rock” to protect him from the fulness of God’s glory as it passed by (verses 21–23). No mortal can view God’s excelling splendor without being utterly overwhelmed. The glory of God puts the pride of man to shame: “Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the Lord And the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:10–11, NKJV).
Often, in the Old Testament, the manifestation of God’s glory was accompanied by supernatural fire, thick clouds, and a great quaking of the earth. We see these phenomena when God gave the law to Moses: “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently” (Exodus 19:18; see also Deuteronomy 5:24–25; 1 Kings 8:10–11; and Isaiah 6:1–4). The prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the glory of God was full of fire and lightning and tumultuous sounds, after which he saw “what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 1:26–28).
In the New Testament, the glory of God is revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus came as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of [God’s] people Israel” (Luke 2:32). The miracles that Jesus did were “signs through which he revealed his glory” (John 2:11). In Christ, the glory of God is meekly veiled, approachable, and knowable. He promises to return some day “on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).
Isaiah 43:7 says that God saved Israel for His glory—in the redeemed will be seen the distillation of God’s grace and power and faithfulness. The natural world also exhibits God’s glory, revealed to all men, no matter their race, heritage, or location. As Psalm 19:1–4 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
Psalm 73:24 calls heaven itself “glory.” Sometimes Christians speak of death as being “received unto glory,” a phrase borrowed from this psalm. When the Christian dies, he or she will be taken into God’s presence and surrounded by God’s glory and majesty. In that place, His glory will be seen clearly: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). In the future New Jerusalem, the glory of God will be manifest: “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Revelation 21:23).
God will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8; cf. Exodus 34:14). Yet this is the very thing that people try to steal. Scripture indicts all idolaters: “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” (Romans 1:22–23). Only God is eternal, and His perfect and eternal attributes of holiness, majesty, goodness, love, etc., are not to be exchanged for the imperfections and corruption of anything in this world.
The idea of worshiping the Lord “in spirit and truth”
comes from
Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well
in John 4:6-30.
In the conversation, the woman was discussing
places of worship with Jesus,
saying that the Jews worshiped at Jerusalem,
while the Samaritans worshiped
at Mount Gerizim.
Jesus had just revealed that He knew about her many husbands, as well as the fact that the current man she lived with was not her husband. This made her uncomfortable, so she attempted to divert His attention from her personal life to matters of religion.
Jesus refused to be distracted from His lesson on true worship and got to the heart of the matter: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him” (John 4:23).
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.
Many times in Scripture, God’s people are encouraged to seek the face of God.
A familiar verse declares, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
If we can’t see God’s face, how do we seek God’s face?
The Hebrew word for “face” in the Old Testament is often translated “presence.”
When we seek the face of God, we are
seeking His presence.
The call to seek
God’s face
was issued to His people
because they had
abandoned Him
and needed to return to Him.
A person’s face reveals much about his or her character and personality. We see the inward emotions of a person expressed outwardly on the face. We recognize a person by looking at his or her face. In a sense, one’s face represents the whole person. For the writers of the Bible, the human face could represent the entire person.
In Psalm 105:4, God’s faithful ones were
called to “seek his face always.”
Even if we have not abandoned God, there are times when
we neglect to pursue Him.
God’s face, His holy character, is often obscured
by our human condition and fleshly desires.
That is why the Lord urges us to seek His face continually.
The Lord desires to be our constant companion in every experience of life. He wants us to know Him through and through.
If we draw close to Him, God will draw close to us: “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world” (James 4:8, NLT).
When we approach God in prayer, we are
seeking His face:
“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.
They will receive blessing
from the LORD
and vindication from God their Savior.
Such is the generation
of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob”
(Psalm 24:3–6).
The true nature of worship is to seek God’s face.
The Christian walk is a life
devoted to seeking God’s presence and favor.
The Lord wants us to humbly and trustingly
seek His face in our prayers and in our times in His Word.
It requires intimacy to look intently into someone’s face.
Pursuing God’s face is equivalent to
developing
an intimate relationship with Him: “O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!”
(Psalm 63:1–3, NLT).
Having God’s face smile on us is an expression of
His blessing, love, and favor:
“May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you”
(Numbers 6:25, NLT; see also Psalm 80:3, 7, 19).
When we draw close to God, we are blessed with His shining favor.
We do not pursue Him
only to give
Him a list of wants and needs
because we know God is
already aware of what we need (Matthew 6:7–8, 32–33).
We trust that He will take care of us.
Seeking God’s face
means
desiring to know His character
and wanting Him—His presence--
more than
any other thing He can give us.
“Thou shalt not covet.”
Any recitation of the Ten Commandments ends with the prohibition against covetousness, the desire to have the wealth or possessions of someone else. But Exodus 20:17 goes farther than merely forbidding covetousness, giving examples of things people covet: “your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Those particulars help explain covetousness so that we understand God’s intent and why covetousness is sin.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. One way we covet is through lust. Lust is a strong desire for something that God has forbidden. When we covet the spouse of someone else, we are emotionally leaving the one we pledged our lives to. We may never touch the person we covet inappropriately, but, in our hearts, we desire that which is not ours, and that is sin. Jesus equated inward lust with outward adultery (Matthew 5:28). While the latter has more devastating consequences in this life, the former is equally repugnant to God. It is impossible to love our neighbor while at the same time coveting his or her spouse (see 1 Peter 1:22; Mark 12:33). Covetousness causes us to see neighbors as rivals, and that creates jealousy and envy and may eventually lead to acting out our inward sin (James 1:14–15).
You shall not covet his male or female servant. In most cultures, having servants means that the household is doing well financially. Human beings are prone to comparison, and we judge our own success by how we think we compare to others. Modern-day coveting often takes the form of “keeping up with the Joneses” and leads to dissatisfaction with what God has given us.
For example, Mrs. Smith enjoys her small home and doesn’t mind the daily work it requires. Then she visits Mrs. Tate, who has a maid, a cook, and a butler. The home is spotless and the dinner superb. She goes home and feels dissatisfied with her own house. She imagines how much easier life would be if she had servants like Mrs. Tate has. She begins to despise her own simple recipes, the continual chore of laundry, and having to answer her own door. Coveting her neighbor’s servants will lead Mrs. Smith to an ungrateful spirit and a lack of contentment (Proverbs 15:16; Luke 12:15; Philippians 4:11).
You shall not covet your neighbor’s ox or donkey. In ancient economies, service animals represented a man’s livelihood. A man with several sturdy oxen could plow and harvest more crops. Donkeys were pack animals used by traders and merchants. Men with many donkeys were doing well and could even rent them to others, bringing in more revenue. Coveting the work animals of another meant dissatisfaction with one’s own livelihood. The attitude of covetousness created resentment toward God and jealously toward neighbors.
Today, coveting a neighbor’s ox or donkey may sound something like this: “Why does he get all the breaks? I work just as hard as he does, but I get nowhere. If I just had what he has, I could do better, too.” We cannot love and serve our neighbors if we are jealous of their station in life. Coveting another’s livelihood can result in believing that God is not doing a good job caring for us, as we accuse Him of being unfair in the way He has blessed someone else (2 Thessalonians 1:5–6).
You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. This command covers all possessions. We need to guard our hearts against slipping into covetousness in any area.
King Ahab is a biblical example of someone overcome by the evils of coveting (1 Kings 21:1–16). As the king of Israel, Ahab had everything he needed, yet he saw a vineyard he did not own and coveted it. His covetousness led to discontent, pouting, and eventually murder when his wicked wife, Jezebel, seized the vineyard for him and had its rightful owner killed. When we allow covetousness to have its way, it can lead to greater evils.
First Timothy 6:6–10 gives us the cure for covetousness: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 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. 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.” God gave us commands against coveting for our own good. We cannot be covetous and thankful at the same time. Covetousness kills contentment, joy, and peace. When we stay continually aware of all God has done for us, we safeguard our hearts against covetousness (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
In a letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul discusses the ministry of reconciliation, and he uses the term “ambassadors” for Christ: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, emphasis added).
Generally speaking, an ambassador is a respected official acting as a representative of a nation. Sent to a foreign land, the ambassador’s role is to reflect the official position of the sovereign body that gave him authority. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul likens his own calling to that of an ambassador, and he urges all Christians to consider themselves ambassadors for Christ. The gospel of reconciliation was always at the heart of Paul’s preaching: “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:17).
Our reconciliation with God is possible only because Christ went to the cross and received the punishment due for our sin. When our Savior cried out, “It is finished,” the barrier between sinful man and Holy God was removed, making all those who trust in Him “holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22). Our reconciliation is based on the salvation Jesus provides, and it is accepted by faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).
Christians are God’s ambassadors in that they have been “approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). As we go through this world, we represent another Kingdom (John 18:36), and it is our responsibility to reflect the “official position” of heaven. We are in this world, but not of it (John 17:16). God’s ambassadors are to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we must take the message of our King to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), imploring men and women everywhere to be reconciled to God.
Paul charges Titus, “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). Such a mandate makes it obvious that sound doctrine is important. But why is it important? Does it really make a difference what we believe?
Sound doctrine is important because our faith is based on a specific message. The overall teaching of the church contains many elements, but the primary message is explicitly defined: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures [and] . . . he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This is the unambiguous good news, and it is “of first importance.” Change that message, and the basis of faith shifts from Christ to something else. Our eternal destiny depends upon hearing “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:13; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).
Sound doctrine is important because the gospel is a sacred trust, and we dare not tamper with God’s communication to the world. Our duty is to deliver the message, not to change it. Jude conveys an urgency in guarding the trust: “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 1:3; see also Philippians 1:27). To “contend” carries the idea of strenuously fighting for something, to give it everything you’ve got. The Bible includes a warning neither to add to nor subtract from God’s Word (Revelation 22:18-19). Rather than alter the apostles’ doctrine, we receive what has been passed down to us and keep it “as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).
Sound doctrine is important because what we believe affects what we do. Behavior is an extension of theology, and there is a direct correlation between what we think and how we act. For example, two people stand on top of a bridge; one believes he can fly, and the other believes he cannot fly. Their next actions will be quite dissimilar. In the same way, a man who believes that there is no such thing as right and wrong will naturally behave differently from a man who believes in well-defined moral standards. In one of the Bible’s lists of sins, things like rebellion, murder, lying, and slave trading are mentioned. The list concludes with “whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:9-10). In other words, true teaching promotes righteousness; sin flourishes where “the sound doctrine” is opposed.
Sound doctrine is important because we must ascertain truth in a world of falsehood. “Many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). There are tares among the wheat and wolves among the flock (Matthew 13:25; Acts 20:29). The best way to distinguish truth from falsehood is to know what the truth is.
Sound doctrine is important because the end of sound doctrine is life. “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16). Conversely, the end of unsound doctrine is destruction. “Certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4). Changing God’s message of grace is a “godless” thing to do, and the condemnation for such a deed is severe. Preaching another gospel (“which is really no gospel at all”) carries an anathema: “let him be eternally condemned!” (see Galatians 1:6-9).
Sound doctrine is important because it encourages believers. A love of God’s Word brings “great peace” (Psalm 119:165), and those “who proclaim peace . . . who proclaim salvation” are truly “beautiful” (Isaiah 52:7). A pastor “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).
The word of wisdom is “Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28, NKJV). If we can apply this to sound doctrine, the lesson is that we must preserve it intact. May we never stray from “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
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.
Solomon’s advice to parents is to “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Raising and training a child within the context of this proverb means that it begins with the Bible, as “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training…” (2 Timothy 3:16). Teaching children the truths of Scripture will make them wise for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15); thoroughly equip them to do good works (2 Timothy 3:17); prepare them to give an answer to everyone who asks them the reason for their hope (1 Peter 3:15); and prepare them to withstand the onslaught of cultures bent on indoctrinating young people with secular values.
The Bible tells us that children are a reward from God (Psalm 127:3). It would certainly seem fitting, then, that we heed Solomon’s wise counsel to train them appropriately. In fact, the value that God placed on teaching our children the truth is clearly addressed by Moses who stressed to his people the importance of teaching their children about the Lord and His commands and laws: “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:7-9). Moses’ thoroughness underscores his deep concern that successive generations maintain obedience to God’s laws to ensure they would “live safely in the land” (Leviticus 25:18), that all would “go well” with them (Deuteronomy 12:28), and that He would bless them in the land (Deuteronomy 30:16).
Clearly Scripture teaches that training children to know and obey God is the basis for pleasing Him and living victoriously in His grace. Knowing God and His truths begins with the child’s understanding of sin and his need for a Savior. Even very young children understand that they are not perfect and can grasp at an early age the need for forgiveness. Loving parents model a loving God who not only forgives, but provides the perfect sacrifice for sin in Jesus Christ. Training up children in the way they should go means, first and foremost,
directing them to the Savior.
Discipline is an integral part of raising godly children, for we know that the “LORD disciplines those He loves” (Proverbs 3:12). Thus, we should neither take discipline lightly nor become disheartened by it as the Lord “punishes everyone He accepts as a son” (Hebrews 12:5-6). And we know that God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:10). Likewise, when we discipline our children, they receive wisdom (Proverbs 29:15) and they will bring us peace (Proverbs 29:17) and respect (Hebrews 12:9). In fact, even at a tender age children are able to discern that discipline is rooted in love. That is why children who grow up in homes without discipline often feel unloved and are more likely to disobey authority as they grow older. Now, the discipline administered should be commensurate with the offense and physical discipline, such as spanking (rightly motivated), is certainly condoned by the Bible (Proverbs 13:24, 22:15, 23:13-14). Indeed discipline, though it may seem unpleasant when received, will produce a “harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
Parents should have the same zeal for teaching their children that Moses did. Parents have been given the privilege of being stewards of their children’s lives for a very short time, but the teaching and training they provide is eternal.
The first thing we notice about this parable is its similarity to the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:2-9. In some ways, this parable expands on Jesus’ teaching of how the “good soil” (a receptive heart) receives the “seed” (the Word of God).
In the Parable of the Growing Seed, Jesus tells of a man who scatters seed on the ground and then allows nature to take its course. As the man who sowed the seed goes about his business day by day, the seed begins to have an effect. First, the seed sprouts; then it produces a stalk and leaves, then a head of grain, and, finally, fully developed kernels in the head. Jesus emphasizes that all of this happens without the man’s help. The man who scattered the seed cannot even fully understand how it happens—it is simply the work of nature. “All by itself the soil produces” (verse 28).
The parable ends with a harvest. As soon as the grain is ripe, the sickle is employed, and the seed is harvested. This happens at just the right time.
Jesus did not explain this parable, as He did some others. Instead, He left it to us to understand its meaning. Taking the seed to be the Word of God, as in Mark 4:14, we can interpret the growth of the plants as the working of God’s Word in individual hearts. The fact that the crop grows without the farmer’s intervention means that God can accomplish His purposes even when we are absent or unaware of what He’s doing. The goal is the ripened grain. At the proper time, the Word will bring forth its fruit, and the Lord of the harvest (Luke 10:2) will be glorified.
The truth of this parable is well illustrated in the growth of the early church: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Just like a farmer cannot force a crop to grow, an evangelist cannot force spiritual life or growth on others.
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Growing Seed: “The way God uses His Word in the heart of an individual is mysterious and completely independent of human effort.” May we be faithful in “sowing the seed,” praying for a harvest, and leaving the results to the Lord!
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His listeners the difference between earthly treasure and heavenly treasure, and He emphasized the importance of the heavenly: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21). Whatever we focus on dictates our actions. When we focus on earthly success and wealth, we will expend our energies on earthly matters. However, when we focus on God’s priorities, our actions will reflect different priorities—and our reward in heaven will last forever.
Treasure is anything we value above all else and that which motivates us to action. For some it is money. For others it is power. Still other people strive for fame or attention. There are many things in this world vying for control of our heart. According to Jesus, determining where our treasure is also determines where our heart is. Many people claim to look forward to heaven, but their hearts are really not in it—their hearts are caught up in the cares of this world, because that’s where their treasure lies.
Jesus warned us that earthly currency has an expiration date. While it may satisfy us temporarily, it is unstable and fleeting. The ever-changing faces on magazine covers remind us that the famous are here and gone in a blink. The stock market crash of 1929 taught us that the wealthy can quickly lose it all. Power, prestige, and public approval are limited and can be gone in an instant. Even the Son of God experienced the fickleness of human approval. One day people were trying to make Him king (John 6:15), and the next they were leaving Him in droves (verse 66).
“This world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31). The moment we take our last breath, earthly treasure won’t matter anymore. Jesus urged us to think beyond that last breath to eternity. When our focus is on eternity—when our treasure is laid up in heaven—our lifestyles reflect that perspective.
We will all give an account of ourselves before God for every action (Romans 14:12) and every idle word (Matthew 12:36). No one is exempt. Excuses are not accepted. God sees and knows every thought we think and holds us accountable for the truth we’ve been given (Romans 1:18–22). We store up “treasure in heaven” when we make choices on earth that benefit God’s kingdom. Jesus said that even offering a cup of cool water to a fellow believer is worthy of eternal reward (Matthew 10:42).
In Luke 16:19–31, Jesus told a story about a rich man and a beggar. The rich man had invested his life in opulence and pleasure. He cared little for anyone or anything but himself. When he died, his riches could not follow him. His life choices had prepared him only for hell, and all the money and prestige he enjoyed on earth counted for nothing. After death, he would have given everything he ever owned for a single drop of water, but his treasure had been invested elsewhere.
It is no sin to be rich, but our passions follow our investments. Wealthy people who consider their riches as belonging to God will use what they have in ways that have eternal significance, protecting their own hearts from the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10). People whose treasure is in heaven cannot be owned by their possessions. They cannot be bought off because nothing on earth is worth the price of their soul. They value the currency of heaven and use their earthly treasure to purchase “heavenly gold,” which will never lose its value. Investing our treasure in material things keeps our hearts anchored to earthly values; however, when we invest in things of eternal value, our hearts remain loyal to the Lord, and we will not be tempted to foolishly attempt to serve both God and money (Luke 16:13).
In Exodus 32 Moses returns from talking with the Lord on the mountain and finds that the Israelites have turned to sinful actions. Verse 6 says, “The people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” What exactly was this “revelry” that followed the Israelites’ feast?
The context helps identify the main actions that offended the Lord. First, verse 4 notes that the people gave offerings to a golden calf. They had already broken the first of the Ten Commandmentsbefore Moses had even returned to them! And verse 6 mentions that feasting and drinking were part of the festivities.
Second, Moses had identified the noise emanating from the camp as “the sound of singing” (Exodus 32:18). In their pagan revelries, the people of Israel were singing songs of adoration to the golden calf. In the not-so-distant past, they had been singing praise to the Lord after He led them safely through the Red Sea (Exodus 15). Now their tune had changed.
Third, the people of Israel danced as part of their celebration of the golden calf. Verse 19 says, “When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.” Dancing per se is not noted as wrong, but dancing in celebration of an idol made Moses (and God) angry.
Fourth, there was an unrestrained attitude of partying around the golden calf. Verse 25 presents the shameful truth: “The people were running wild . . . Aaron had let them get out of control and so [they became] a laughingstock to their enemies.” Details of their behavior are not given, but their actions were unruly, uncivilized, and ungodly.
In turning to a graven image, the people had turned away from the Lord (see Deuteronomy 9:16). Even though the golden calf had been billed as the god they had been following all along (Exodus 32:4), the True God cannot be reduced to imagery. The Lord will not share His glory with another (Isaiah 42:8). That is why God judged the people of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai
Both Matthew 18 and Luke 15
record Jesus’ parable about a shepherd
who leaves 99 sheep in the fold
to go in search of one that had wandered away.
Jesus gave this illustration in response to the Pharisees who were incensed that Jesus “welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). The religious leaders in Jesus’ day had structured their system to exalt the self-righteous and exclude anyone who did not live up to their often arbitrary standards (Matthew 23:28). They had added so many rules and regulations to God’s law that no one could keep them all, including the ones who drafted them. When Jesus came along, His methodology confused them. He seemed to be from God, yet He rebuked the outwardly righteous and welcomed the wicked. How could this man know God?
So Jesus told them a story, as He did many times in order to explain spiritual truths: “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:12–14). The people of Jesus’ day understood the relationship between shepherds and sheep, but the significance of a shepherd going in search of one lost sheep is sometimes lost on us. It seems strange that a shepherd would leave his flock to search for one missing sheep.
Matthew sat in the tax collector's booth when Jesus saw him and called him. Jesus said, “Follow me,” and Matthew left everything behind – security, status, and power – to follow Jesus
In Matthew 21:44, Jesus says,
"He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."
The key
to understanding this statement lies in the context of the verse
and the larger conversation Jesus was having.
Jesus was teaching in the temple courts when the chief priests and elders approached Him and demanded to know the source of His authority. In response, Jesus asked them about John the Baptist—was he a prophet of God or not? The religious leaders, fearing the people’s response, refused to reveal their true opinion on the matter. In turn, Jesus refused to reveal the source of His authority (Matthew 21:23-27). In doing so, Jesus made it clear that the Jewish leaders themselves had no authority to judge Him.
Jesus then related two parables concerning vineyards. In the first, Jesus told of two sons who were told by their father to go work in the vineyard. The first son initially refused but later changed his mind and went to work. The second son promised to work, but he never went to the vineyard. Jesus applied this to the religious leaders of Israel, who were like the second son—they expressed agreement with the Father but, in the final analysis, were disobedient. The sinners who responded to John the Baptist’s message were like the first son—they seemed unlikely candidates for heaven,
but they repented and thus will enter the kingdom
(verses 28-32).
In the second parable, Jesus tells of a landowner who, at harvest time, sent some servants to his vineyard to collect the fruit. However, the farmers who were tending the vineyard were a wicked lot, and when the servants arrived, the farmers beat some of them and killed others. Finally, the landowner sent his own son to collect the fruit, expecting that the farmers would show him respect. But the farmers treated the son worst of all, throwing him out of the vineyard and killing him (Matthew 21:33-39).
Jesus then asks a question: "When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" (Matthew 21:40). The chief priests and elders respond, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end" (Matthew 21:41). Jesus then presses His point home with a quotation from Psalm 118: "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes" (Matthew 21:42). After a warning that the religious leaders will not inherit the kingdom (Matthew 21:43), we come to the statement in question, which is the culmination of a series of dire pronouncements aimed at the chief priests and elders.
Jesus begins
with a question about John the Baptist in Matthew 21:25,
but by the end of the conversation,
Jesus is plainly speaking of Himself,
referring to a "father" sending
his "son"
who was killed
(Matthew 21:37)
He then immediately quotes a
Messianic prophecy
(Matthew 21:42),
in effect claiming to be the long-awaited
Messiah.
The progression is logical: a rejection of John leads one naturally to a rejection of Christ,
to whom John pointed
(John 1:29, 3:30)
The stone which "the builders rejected" in verse 42 is Jesus. Although rejected,
He nevertheless becomes the
"chief cornerstone" (NKJV).
See also Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; and 1 Peter 2:6-8.
The builders’ rejection of the stone is a reference to
Christ’s crucifixion.
The Lord’s choice of the stone
to be the cornerstone is a reference to
Christ’s resurrection.
God chose His Son, despised and rejected by the world, to be
the foundation of His church
(1 Corinthians 3:11)
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation"
(Isaiah 28:16)
Now, there are consequences for coming into contact with a stone. If you trip over the edge of a rock and fall on it, you may break some bones. If a large enough rock falls on top of you, you may be killed. Jesus uses these truths to deliver a warning to the Jewish leaders.
The stone in verse 44 is also Jesus. In saying that those who fall on this stone "will be broken to pieces," Jesus is warning against opposing Him. Defying Jesus is like beating one’s head against a solid rock—a foolish action. In saying that those upon whom the stone falls "will be crushed," Jesus is warning against ignoring Him or trivializing Him. Apathy towards Jesus is like standing in the way of a falling rock—another foolish action. "I am here to do God’s work," Jesus essentially says. "The foundation for the church will be laid. It is unwise to oppose Me because God’s work is not inconsequential."
Rejection of the Savior is fatal. Unfortunately, many do reject Him. "He will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall" (Isaiah 8:14). To persistently reject the Savior is to court judgment so severe that the only thing left will be dust.
The prophet Daniel gives a similar picture of the Messiah, likening Him to a rock "cut out, but not by human hands," which smashes into the nations of the world and completely obliterates them (Daniel 2:31-45).
Matthew 21:44 is a call to faith, an appeal to open one’s eyes and see that Jesus is indeed the Son of God sent into the world. The verse is also a strict warning against rejecting Jesus Christ.
He is the sure Rock
of salvation for those who believe,
but an immovable
stumbling stone for those who do not.
The statement “God is the Rock of my salvation” occurs several times in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 32:15; 2 Samuel 22:47; Psalm 89:26; 95:1). In each case, the expression evokes vivid imagery and a sense of security. God is a trustworthy, rock-solid Savior.
High cliffs and crags abound in biblical lands, and the Israelites often found themselves hiding in caves and mountain crevices from the enemy (see 1 Samuel 13:6). Considering the many battles fought in Israel, rocky areas were also ideal locations for strong, protective city fortresses. Thus, the phrase Rock of my salvation undoubtedly resonated deeply with God’s people.
The psalms are thick with declarations similar to “God is the Rock of my salvation,” and for good reason. Caves and rocky crevices were often David’s refuge when running from Saul, who sought to kill him (see 1 Samuel 24:3), yet David’s language reveals where he truly placed his hope—not in mountains or great city fortresses, but in God, Creator of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1–3). David declares, “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God: he is my mighty rock, my refuge” (Psalm 62:6–7). David knew that, ultimately, it was up to the God of the cosmos to hide him from danger, material objects being the avenue by which He chose to provide such protection.
During the Old Testament period, specific knowledge about the Messiah had not yet been realized, so saying, “God is the Rock of my salvation,” was not an overt reference to salvation through Christ’s blood. So what might the idea that God is the Rock of salvation have meant in an Old Testament context? The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary explains, “In the OT, salvation refers both to everyday, regular types of deliverance—as from enemies, disease, and danger . . . and to those major deliverances that are specifically interpreted as being a definite part of God’s unique and special involvement in human history as well as special revelations of his character and will” (entry for “Salvation,” definition 1, p. 1272). Salvation’s emphasis in the New Testament is predominantly spiritual, but in the Old Testament salvation speaks much more about liberation within the physical realm. For instance, when Hannah prays in triumph, “I rejoice in your salvation. . . . There is no rock like our God” (1 Sam. 2:1–2, ESV), she rejoices over God’s deliverance from her barrenness as well as His granting that her husband’s name would continue on to many generations.
The meaning of God is the Rock of my salvation enlarges as the biblical narrative progresses. Isaiah 28:16prophesies, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic” (cf. Psalm 118:21–23; Zechariah 10:4). The God who had delivered His people throughout history gradually provided more vivid glimpses, through His prophets, of just how far His salvation would reach. Isaiah’s prophecy clearly points to the hope of the Messiah, yet the truth that God, the Rock of salvation, would become flesh in Jesus Christ was not yet revealed.
In the New Testament as Jesus begins His ministry, His disciples and others still do not understand that He is the climactic saving act of the God of the Israelites. But after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, all doubt is removed (John 20:26–29). The spiritual Rock they had always worshiped had now become physical. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples’ bold preaching demonstrates their certainty that Jesus truly was this same Rock. Peter preaches, “Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone’” (Acts 4:11; see also 1 Peter 2:4–8). The canvas had now been filled with color, the painting now containing details that were once just faint ideas.
Its meaning greatly enlarged, Rock of salvation now resonates even more deeply in our hearts, as it relates not only to God’s deliverance within the physical realm but also to the ultimate spiritual deliverance He provides His people through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Rock of our salvation, a sure and eternal refuge, the foundation on which rests the hope of heaven. “The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6).
In John 7:38, Jesus makes a promise using a metaphor: “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” The statement comes at a key moment during the Feast of Booths. In the Gospels, Jesus had much to say about the idea of water and new life.
Earlier, Jesus had told Nicodemus that one had to be born of water and the Spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). Jesus’ reference to water here was an allusion either to physical birth or to the Jewish concept of washing as a symbol of spiritual cleansing (see Ezekiel 36:25). In John 4:10 Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that He could give her “living water.” This was in contrast to the physical water that the Samaritan woman came to the well to retrieve. That physical water would run out, and she would need to continually return to get more. But Jesus offered the woman water that would never run out—water that would become within the believer “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).
In John 7, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths, or the Feast of Tabernacles. John relates what happened and provides commentary: “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified” (verse 37–39). So, during the feast Jesus offered Himself as the source of the water of life. At the same time, He was signaling the fulfillment of Isaiah 12:3, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” and pointing to Himself as the water-giving rock in the wilderness (see 1 Corinthians 10:4). Anyone could come to Him and receive the Holy Spirit and the never-ending life He provides.
The timing of Jesus’ offer of living water was perfect. One of the rites performed during the Feast of Booths involved water. Every morning for seven days, a priest led a procession with music from the temple to the nearby pool of Siloam. There the priest filled a golden container with water and carried it back to the temple as the people rejoiced. At the altar, the priest poured the water out, while another priest poured a drink-offering of wine on the other side of the altar. During the libation the people sang the Hallel (Psalms 113—118). On the eighth and final day, according to some sources, the water-pouring ceremony was not repeated. It was during that time—the one day when there was no water—that Jesus stood up in the temple and shouted the news that He Himself was the source of living water. The effect would have been profound. Here was the Messiah, offering “water,” conspicuous in its absence, that stood for the Holy Spirit and eternal life. All that was needed was to come to Jesus in faith.
After offering living water, Jesus adds that rivers of living water would flow from the heart of the believer (John 7:38). Here Jesus alludes to Isaiah 55:1 and Isaiah 58:11—passages that similarly present the Messianic hope in terms of life-giving water (cf. Exodus 17:1–6; Psalm 78:15–16; 105:40–41; Proverbs 18:4; Isaiah 12:3; Ezekiel 47:1–11; and Zechariah 14:8). In stating that rivers of living water would flow from believers, Jesus was claiming to be the fulfillment of Scripture’s water allusions and prophecies. Because He is the Life-giver, those who believe in Him will have eternal life within them and no longer need to seek for life from external sources.
God puts His Spirit within each believer (Romans 8:9), and each believer has eternal life (John 6:47) and the evidence of life (in the Holy Spirit) within. It is in that sense that “rivers of living water” flow from the hearts of believers. Commentator Joseph Benson wrote that the believer “shall receive spiritual blessings, or communications of divine grace, in so great an abundance, that he shall not only be refreshed and comforted himself, but shall be instrumental in refreshing and comforting others” (Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments).
Paul describes how, in love, Christ sanctifies His church, washing her with the water of His word (Ephesians 5:25–26). The writer of Hebrews continues the theme, noting that our hearts are sprinkled and “our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22). Peter adds that believers are cleansed as if by water (1 Peter 3:20–21). Finally, in a beautiful portrayal of Jesus’ ministry, John says that the Lamb would be the Shepherd, leading His people to the water of life (Revelation 7:17). This is reminiscent of David’s song of Psalm 23 in which the Shepherd leads David beside quiet waters and restores his soul (Psalm 23:2–3). Jesus is the One who freely gives eternal life. “If you . . . know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).
Release from the Law
…5For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death. 6But now, having died to what 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.7What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”…
Galatians 5:18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
2 Corinthians 3:6
And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
Romans 8:2
For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.
Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.
Hebrews 8:13
By speaking of a new covenant, He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
Colossians 2:14
having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross!
Ephesians 2:15
by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace
Galatians 2:19
For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God.
Romans 6:14
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Galatians 4:4-5
But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, / to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.
Hebrews 7:18-19
So the former commandment is set aside because it was weak and useless / (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
Jeremiah 31:31-33
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. / It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. / “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. / And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.
Romans 7:4
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Romans 6:14,15
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace…
Galatians 3:13,23-25
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: …
that being dead.
Romans 7:1,4
Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? …
Romans 6:2
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
serve.
Romans 1:9
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
Romans 2:27-29
And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? …
Romans 6:4,11,19,22
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life…
Spiritual blindness is a grievous condition experienced by those
who do not believe in God,
Jesus Christ, and His Word (Romans 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:12).
Those who reject Christ are the lost (John 6:68-69).
Being spiritually blind, they are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Revelation 3:17). They choose not to accept the teachings of Christ and His authority in their lives (Matthew 28:18). They are blind to the manifestations of God as revealed throughout His Word and Jesus Christ (John 1:1; Acts 28:26-27). They are described as those who “do not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Peter spoke of such people as “scoffers [who] will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires” (2 Peter 3:3; see also Proverbs 21:24; Jude 1:18). Those who reject Christ and His Word are spiritually blind and cannot understand the truth of the Scriptures. The truth sounds foolish to them (Isaiah 37:23; 1 Corinthians 1:18). The Bible describes those denying God as fools (Psalm 14:1; Matthew 7:26). Because of their blindness and rejection of God and His Word, they are in a perilous, unsaved condition (John 12:48; Hebrews 2:2-4).
The spiritually blind are simply unable to understand God’s Word (Matthew 13:13; Deuteronomy 29:4). Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 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” (John 14:15-17).
Paul echoed this when he told the believers in Rome, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:8-9).
Those outside of Christ are not of God because their lives are steeped in the things of the world with all its passions, their eyes blind to the Spirit of God. The Apostle John said, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” but that person’s love “is from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
The cause of spiritual blindness is made quite clear in the Scriptures: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul refers to Satan as the “god of this world.” Extraordinarily evil (John 8:44), Satan destroys the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5), masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and is the cause of all temptations (Luke 4:2; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Corinthians 7:5). He revels in scheming against and trapping the unbelievers (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:26). Satan’s goal is to devour the weak who fall prey to temptation, fear, loneliness, worry, depression, and persecution (1 Peter 5:8-9).
(John 12:40; Romans 1:24-32).
As believers, we have the Spirit of God reigning in our lives to ward off the debilitating effects of Satan’s power and the world’s influence (1 John 4:13). John tells us, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15). For, in truth, Jesus has given us His wonderful promise: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
In 2 Corinthians 2:17—7:4, the
apostle Paul sets forth
a defense of
his apostolic ministry.
In verses 4:1–6, he focuses on the transparency of his ministry. Paul renounces secret and underhanded methods, stating that he does not “try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this” (2 Corinthians 4:2, NLT).
Paul contends that, if the message of the gospel seems hidden, it is not because he has tried to hide anything. Rather, it is obscured to those who are perishing (verse 3) because
“the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”
(2 Corinthians 4:4)
Who is the “god of this age”?
We can eliminate the possibility that Paul is referring to the one true God here. This “god” is blinding minds and keeping people from Christ and His gospel. So, the god of this age must be an evil being.
One clue as to the identity of the god of this age is that his rule is temporary.
The exact phrase god of this age is found nowhere else in the New Testament. The original Greek word (aiōn) in 2 Corinthians 4:4, translated as “age” (NIV, CSB, NKJV) or “world” (ESV, NLT, NASB, KJV),
means “an era of time or an epoch.” This god’s reign has a limited span.
Another clue on the identity of the god of this age
is the use of similar titles in the Bible.
Ephesians 2:2 speaks of “the ruler of the kingdom of the air”
and
“the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
In John 14:20, Jesus refers to “the prince of this world.”
If all these appellations point to the same being, we have a ruler who wields temporary authority
over the ungodly and blinds their minds to God’s plan of salvation.
As the god of this age, Satan maintains a significant influence on the values, thoughts, beliefs, and objectives of the unsaved people of the world. Satan himself claimed to rule the world in one of his temptations of Jesus (Matthew 4:8–9). But Satan does not control this present world completely.
He is not the ultimate authority.
God is still the sovereign Lord of the universe. Satan is only a “god” in the sense that he controls the lives of unbelievers and blinds their minds to truth. The unredeemed serve and worship Satan (even if they don’t realize it) as if he is their divine master.
As the god of this age, Satan possesses a powerful dominion over this present, fallen, dark world of sin and death (Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:13; 1 John 5:19).
From a biblical perspective, this evil age began with Adam’s fall, not with the creation of the world. Humanity’s rebellion against God was initiated by Satan (1 John 3:8; John 8:44), and people got “caught up in the cosmic and supernatural uprising of Satan against the one true and living God”
(Barnett, P., The Message of 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness, the Bible Speaks Today,
InterVarsity Press, 1988, p. 82).
The Bible teaches that, before salvation, we “were dead in [our] transgressions and sins, in which [we] used to live when [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. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts” (Ephesians 2:1–3). Blinded as unbelievers, we served and followed Satan, the god of this age. But through God’s mercy and grace, we received the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. Our Lord died on the cross “for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:4). The redeemed become partakers of God’s heavenly kingdom (Hebrews 6:5). In the age to come, God’s kingdom will be fully revealed, and every wrong of this present age will be made right (Luke 18:30).
In predicting His death, Jesus said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31), and He assured His disciples that “the prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:11). Jesus is the King of kings, and He came into this world “to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). Until the final judgment, Satan has been allotted an “hour—when darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53). But his time is limited.
As the god of this age, Satan’s greatest superpower is deceit (Revelation 12:9). He blinds people’s minds to spiritual truth (John 3:19–20; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:17–19; 2 Thessalonians 2:9–10). Jesus stated that Satan “has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, NLT). Thankfully, God has made His light shine in the hearts of believers so that they are no longer blind to His truth (2 Corinthians 4:6). Nevertheless, Christians must stay firmly rooted in the Word of God (John 17:17; Psalm 119:11; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 1:23) and put on all of God’s armor so that they can stand firm against Satan’s deceptive strategies (Ephesians 6:11).
Jesus gave Peter a three-fold command to “feed my sheep” in John 21:15-17. Each time Jesus said, “Feed my sheep,” it was in response to Peter’s three-fold declaration of love for Jesus. The setting was one of the last of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances to His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus prepared a breakfast of fish and bread for them, and then commissioned Peter with the task of feeding His sheep and tending His lambs.
The three commands, although often translated the same way, are subtly different. The first time Jesus says it, the Greek means literally “pasture (tend) the lambs” (v. 15). The Greek word for “pasture” is in the present tense, denoting a continual action of tending, feeding and caring for animals. Believers are referred to as sheep throughout Scripture. “For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (Psalm 95:7). Jesus is both our Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and the Door of the sheepfold (John 10:9). By describing His people as lambs, He is emphasizing their nature as immature and vulnerable and in need of tending and care.
The second time, the literal meaning is “tend My sheep” (v. 16). In this exchange, Jesus was emphasizing tending the sheep in a supervisory capacity, not only feeding but ruling over them. This expresses the full scope of pastoral oversight, both in Peter’s future and in all those who would follow him in pastoral ministry. Peter follows Jesus’ example and repeats this same Greek word poimaino in his first pastoral letter to the elders of the churches of Asia Minor: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers” (1 Peter 5:2).
The third time, the literal translation is “pasture (tend) the sheep” (v. 17). Here Jesus combines the different Greek words to make clear the job of the shepherd of the flock of God. They are to tend, care for, and provide spiritual food for God’s people, from the youngest lambs to the full-grown sheep, in continual action to nourish and care for their souls, bringing them into the fullness of spiritual maturity. The totality of the task set before Peter, and all shepherds, is made clear by Jesus’ three-fold command and the words He chooses.
What is this food with which shepherds are to feed the flock of God? It can be no other than the Word of God. Peter declares that Christians are to desire the pure spiritual milk of the Word so that by it, we can mature in our salvation (1 Peter 2:2). As early as the book of Deuteronomy, we see the Lord describing His Word as food for His people who live not by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). Jesus reiterates this thought in His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4). The importance of the Word of God as food for our souls cannot be over-emphasized.
Clearly, the job of the shepherds of God’s people is to provide them with the pure milk of the Word of God so they can move on to the meat and solid food of the spiritually mature (Hebrews 5:12-14).
Pastoral Ministry
should be primarily one of
pastors
feeding
their people the
Word of God
Only then can pastors
declare,
as Peter did,
their
love for the Lord Jesus
The Bible talks a lot about suffering for the sake of Christ. In the era in which the New Testament was written, followers of Jesus were often ostracized by their own families and communities. Some of the worst persecution came from the religious leaders (Acts 4:1–3). Jesus told His followers, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10). He reminded His disciples, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first" (John 15:18).
Second Timothy 3:12 says, "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." As in biblical times, many Christians today have found that making a public declaration of faith in Christ can result in imprisonment, beatings, torture, or death (Hebrews 11:32–38; 2 Corinthians 12:10; Philippians 3:8; Acts 5:40). Often those of us in free nations shudder at the thought, but we feel relatively safe. We understand that there are thousands who suffer daily for the sake of Christ and are thankful we don’t have to. But is there only one kind of persecution?
Jesus stated clearly what it means to follow Him: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" (Luke 9:23–25). Our modern understanding of the phrase "take up their cross and follow me" is often inadequate. In Jesus’ day the cross always symbolized death. When a man carried a cross, he had already been condemned to die on it. Jesus said that, in order to follow Him, one must be willing to die. We will not all die martyrs’ deaths. We will not all be imprisoned, beaten, or tortured for our faith. So what kind of death did Jesus mean?
Paul explains in Galatians 2:20, "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." To follow Christ means we die to our own way of doing things. We consider our will, our rights, our passions, and our goals to be crucified on the cross with Him. Our right to direct our own lives is dead to us (Philippians 3:7–8). Death involves suffering. The flesh does not want to die. Dying to self is painful and goes against our natural inclination to seek our own pleasure. But we cannot follow both Christ and the flesh (Luke 16:13; Matthew 6:24; Romans 8:8). Jesus said, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).
Paul suffered more than most for Jesus’ sake. He said this to the Christians at Phillipi: "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him" (Philippians 1:29). The word granted here means "shown favor, given freely as a gift." Paul does not present suffering as a curse, but as a benefit.
Suffering can take many forms. By choosing to obey the Lord Jesus Christ, we are setting ourselves at odds with the world. Galatians 1:10 says, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ" (NASB). By closely adhering to the teachings of the Bible, we set ourselves up for rejection, mockery, loneliness, or betrayal. Often, the cruelest persecution comes from those who consider themselves spiritual but have defined God according to their own ideas. If we choose to take a stand for righteousness and biblical truth, we ensure that we will be misunderstood, mocked, or worse. We need to keep in mind that no threat of suffering deterred the apostles from preaching Christ. In fact, Paul said that losing everything was worth it "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Philippians 3:10, NASB). Acts 5:40–41 describes the reaction of the apostles after they received another beating for preaching about Jesus: "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."
Suffering in some form is always going to be a part of being a true follower of Christ. Jesus said the path that leads to life is difficult (Matthew 7:14). Our hardship is also a way of identifying with His suffering in a small way.
Jesus said if we deny him before men, He will deny us before His Father in heaven (Matthew 10:33; Luke 12:9). There are many subtle ways to deny Christ. If our actions, words, lifestyle, or entertainment choices do not reflect His will, we are denying Christ. If we claim to know Him but live as though we didn’t, we are denying Christ (1 John 3:6–10). Many people choose those forms of denying Christ because they do not want to suffer for Him.
Often our greatest suffering comes from within as we battle for control over a heart that must die to its own will and surrender to Christ’s lordship (Romans 7:15–25). In whatever form suffering comes, we should embrace it as a badge of honor and a privilege that we, like the apostles, have "been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name."
In speaking to His disciples about a coming time of great destruction, Jesus mentioned what happened to Lot’s wife and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Remember Lot’s wife!” He said. “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it” (Luke 17:32–33).
The story of Lot and his wife is found in Genesis 19. God had determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness (Genesis 18:16–33), and two angels warned Abraham’s nephew Lot to evacuate the city so he and his family would not be destroyed. In Genesis 19 we read, The two [angels in the form of] men said to Lot, ‘Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it’” (verses 12–13).
At dawn the next day, the angels hurried Lot and his family out of Sodom so they would not be destroyed with the city. When Lot hesitated, “the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, ‘Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!’” (Genesis 19:16–17).
When the family arrived in Zoar, “the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens” (Genesis 19:24). But, then, in disobedience to the angel’s command, “Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (verse 26).
Lot’s wife lost her life because she “looked back.” This was more than just a glance over the shoulder; it was a look of longing that indicated reluctance to leave or a desire to return. Whatever the case, the point is she was called to desert everything to save her life, but she could not let go, and she paid for it with her life. In Judaism, Lot’s wife became a symbol for a rebellious unbeliever.
Jesus cites this story in Luke 17, as He describes a future event: “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it” (verses 28–33).
When “the Son of Man is revealed,” it will be time for people to flee. There will be no time to take anything along. If you see the sign when you are on the roof (a rooftop deck with exterior stairs was a common feature of houses at the time), you should not even take time to go into the house to gather up your possessions. You need to get out and “don’t look back.” Lot’s wife is the example of what will happen if you do. If you try to save your life (that is, your things that your life is made up of), you will lose everything. Leave it all to save your life.
The scenario is similar to a person who wakes up in the middle of the night to find the house in flames. That person might be tempted to run around and gather up valuable items, but the delay might prevent escape—all the things will be lost, as well as the person’s life. It is better to leave it all behind and get out with your life. The principle is clear, but the exact referent is more difficult to discern.
The revelation of the Son of Man is the event in view in Luke 17. Mark 13:14–16 records much the same message without the mention of Lot’s wife. There, the sign is “the abomination that causes desolation” (see also Matthew 24:15–18). Finally, Jesus mentions a similar situation in Luke 21:20–21: “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.”
The above passages are open to several different approaches to interpretation, centered on when this will take place. If we are correct that all of these passages describe roughly the same event(s), it would seem that “the day the Son of Man is revealed,” “the abomination that causes desolation,” and “Jerusalem surrounded by armies” all refer to the signal that it is time to flee.
Outside of Luke 17, the warnings to flee are found in the context of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (see Luke 21:5–7 and Mark 13:1–4). In Matthew 24:1–3, Jesus also deals with the destruction of the temple, except there the disciples also ask specifically about “the sign of your coming and the end of the age.” So, at least some of the prophecy was fulfilled in the first century with the destruction of the temple, but that does not preclude a future, fuller fulfillment at the second coming. The wording in Luke 17, in which Jesus speaks of the revelation of the Son of Man, certainly seems to suggest the second coming (see Colossians 3:4).
Jewish believers in the first century faced persecution from Rome, often at Jewish instigation. As long as Christians were considered a sect of Judaism, they enjoyed religious freedom as Jews. However, as they were denounced by Jewish leaders and no longer considered part of Judaism, the full force of Roman expectations applied to them, including the requirement to affirm the creed “Caesar is Lord” and offer sacrifices to Caesar. If Christians failed to do this, they could be punished, imprisoned, or even killed. As a result, believing Jews faced continual pressure to “go back to the temple.” The book of Hebrews encourages believing Jews to remain true to Christ and not return to the Old Covenant system of the temple, priests, and sacrifices. Hebrews explains that the Old Covenant has passed.
There may have been some believing Jews in Judea who still had some attachment to the temple. In Luke 17, Jesus warns that there will come a time when they see a symbol of impending judgment, and they will need to get out of the area as quickly as possible. Just as God rained down wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah, He will judge Jerusalem. The coming wrath is no time for divided loyalties. While many believed that God would never allow the temple to be destroyed, Jewish Christians knew that the usefulness of the temple had passed and its days were numbered. They could stay on in Jerusalem and witness of the resurrected Christ, but when they saw that judgment was about to fall, they knew to get out. Eusebius in his Church History records that they did escape. By abandoning everything and getting out of the city, the Christians not only saved their lives but also gave testimony to the fact that the Old Covenant had been replaced by the New.
A similar sentiment is expressed by Jesus in other contexts, although Lot’s wife is not mentioned. Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In context, Jesus is talking about people who want to follow Him but are hindered by their concern for other things. It is not just that they look back, but they have divided loyalties, like Lot’s wife.
Jesus also used the statement “whoever wants to save his life shall lose it” in a number of different contexts (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24; 17:33). Regardless of the specifics of the context, following Jesus requires turning our backs on the “life” that this world offers. Attempting to “save your life” is the same as “looking back.” Attachment to our “old life” will cause us to lose our lives, and Lot’s wife is the illustration and example that we would do well to remember.
Jesus used the concepts of salt and light a number of different times to refer to the role of His followers in the world. One example is found in Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Salt had two purposes in the Middle East of the first century. Because of the lack of refrigeration, salt was used to preserve food, especially meat, which would quickly spoil in the desert environment. Believers in Christ are preservatives to the world, preserving it from the evil inherent in the society of ungodly men whose unredeemed natures are corrupted by sin (Psalm 14:3; Romans 8:8).
Second, salt was used then, as now, as a flavor enhancer. In the same way that salt enhances the flavor of the food it seasons, the followers of Christ stand out as those who “enhance” the flavor of life in this world. Christians, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, will inevitably influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons. Where there is strife, we are to be peacemakers; where there is sorrow, we are to be the ministers of Christ, binding up wounds, and where there is hatred, we are to exemplify the love of God in Christ, returning good for evil (Luke 6:35).
In the analogy of light to the world, the good works of Christ’s followers are to shine for all to see. The following verses in Matthew 5 highlight this truth: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16, NASB). The idea here is similar—the presence of light in darkness is something that is unmistakable. The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man (John 1:1-10), but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. And indeed, our deeds will be evident if they are performed in accordance with the other principles that Jesus mentions in this passage, such as the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11. Notice especially that the concern is not that Christians would stand out for their own sake, but that those who looked on might “glorify your Father who is in heaven” (v. 16, KJV).
In view of these verses, what sorts of things can hinder or prevent the Christian from fulfilling his or her role as salt and light in the world? The passage clearly states that the difference between the Christian and the world must be preserved; therefore, any choice on our part that blurs the distinction between us and the rest of the world is a step in the wrong direction. This can happen either through a choice to accept the ways of the world for the sake of comfort or convenience or to contravene the law of obedience to Christ.
Mark 9:50 suggests that saltiness can be lost specifically through a lack of peace with one another; this follows from the command to “have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” And in Luke 14:34-35, we find a reference to the metaphor of salt once again, this time in the context of obedient discipleship to Jesus Christ. The loss of saltiness occurs in the failure of the Christian to daily take up the cross and follow Christ wholeheartedly.
It seems, then, that the role of the Christian as salt and light in the world may be hindered or prevented through any choice to compromise or settle for that which is more convenient or comfortable, rather than that which is truly best and pleasing to the Lord. Moreover, the status of salt and light is something that follows naturally from the Christian’s humble obedience to the commandments of Christ. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred and our testimony is hindered. Only by remaining focused on Christ and being obedient to Him can we expect to remain salt and light in the world.
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Of course, it is not technically our light that should shine before others. It is the light of Christ, entrusted to believers as light-bearers (cf. John 1:8). In other words, we do not produce the light within us. God does. And through our good works, people may glorify the One who gives that light.
One of the ways to let our light shine before others is to show compassion to others. Jesus expressed deep compassion for all people, regardless of their ethnic background, social status, gender, or personal beliefs (Matthew 9:36; 15:32; Mark 6:34). As Christians, we should follow His example by showing compassion and kindness to everyone.
Another way to let our light shine before others is to practice humility (Philippians 2:1–11). Christians are called to be humble in all things, knowing that it is only through the grace of God that we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Humility also means the willingness to confess our sins before God and others (Luke 15:21; James 5:16). In doing so, we demonstrate our receptivity to correction and guidance (Proverbs 15:32).
Generosity is another means of letting our light shine before others. Christians are called to be generous with their money, time, resources, and love (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:16). After all, everything that we have belongs to God (Deuteronomy 10:14). So, we should share our God-given blessings with those in need and give without expecting anything in return (Luke 6:30).
Forgiveness, too, is a means of letting our light shine before others. Jesus taught that we should forgive others as we have been forgiven (Matthew 18:15–20; cf. Ephesians 4:32). Thus, we should seek reconciliation with those who have wronged us—and with those whom we have wronged—to promote peace and unity (cf. Ephesians 2:14).
There are many ways to let our light shine before others. We can volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, donate money to a charity, or be kind and compassionate to someone in need. We can also lend an ear to a friend who is going through a tough time and offer words of encouragement, or we can simply smile and say, “Hello,” to a stranger on the street (cf. Hebrews 13:2).
Perhaps the best way to let our light shine before others is to share the gospel, the “good news,” with others. The good news is that God redeems sinners through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). If we believe in the person and work of Christ (who He is and what He did), then we are saved from eternal condemnation. We should not keep this message to ourselves; good news is meant to be shared, and we should make it visible for everyone to see (Matthew 28:19).
The ultimate purpose of letting our light shine before others is not to draw attention to ourselves or to promote our own interests; rather, it is about living in such a way that others will glorify our Father in heaven. Of course, this is not an easy task. It can be difficult to maintain a spirit of compassion, humility, generosity, and forgiveness in a world that is often characterized by hatred, anger, and division. We may even be met with resistance and opposition (Matthew 10:16; John 15:18). But we are not alone. We have the Holy Spirit within us, and He empowers and guides us to reflect the glory of God.
So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him... But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.... for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate" (Luke 15:20, 22, 24).
After reviewing this passage for several days, I have concluded that Yeshua intentionally alludes to the story of Joseph in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The father falls on his son's neck and showers him with kisses (Luke 15:20), which repeats nearly word for word the Greek translation of Genesis 45:14-15, which tells of the blessed reunion of Joseph with his brothers. The father's command to clothe his son with a fine robe is remarkably similar both in word and plot structure to Pharaoh's dressing of Joseph with a royal robe (Gen 41:42). By the time we hear of the father's tear-jerking words:
"This son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found" (Luke 15:24) it is impossible not to think about Jacob's tear-filled reunion with his beloved son Joseph: "Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared before him, he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a long time. Then Israel said to Joseph, 'Now let me die since I have seen your face, that you are still alive'" (Gen 46:29-30).
By drawing a parallel between the indescribable joy of the father in this parable with Jacob's joy when he received Joseph back from the dead, oddly enough, Yeshua also draws a parallel between Joseph and the prodigal son. To reject these prodigal tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1) is to play the part of Joseph's older brothers, who jealously and maliciously rejected Jacob's beloved son (Genesis 37). And so it is today. Our attitude toward the down-and-outers of this world directly reflects our attitude toward the Messiah, the son of Joseph (Yeshua). To turn our backs on sinners is quite literally to turn our backs on him.
לַעֲקֹב
If you’ve got a good eye for Hebrew roots and a familiarity with Biblical figures, you might spot the connection between the פעל verb לעקוב
– to follow, and יעקב
– Jacob, right away: the root ע.ק.ב
means heel, so that when we follow someone, we’re tracing their footsteps.
לעקוב takes the word אחרי
– after – after it.
For example:
תעקוב אחרי השילוט.
Follow (after) the signage. (spoken to a male)
לעקוב can also mean to watch closely, as in:
אנחנו עוקבים אחרי כל התפתחות.
We are following (watching closely) every development.
לַעֲקֹב
If you’ve got a good eye for Hebrew roots and a familiarity with Biblical figures, you might spot the connection between the פעל verb לעקוב
– to follow, and יעקב
– Jacob, right away: the root ע.ק.ב
means heel, so that when we follow someone, we’re tracing their footsteps.
לעקוב takes the word אחרי
– after – after it.
For example:
תעקוב אחרי השילוט.
Follow (after) the signage. (spoken to a male)
לעקוב can also mean to watch closely, as in:
אנחנו עוקבים אחרי כל התפתחות.
We are following (watching closely) every development.
If you’ve got a good eye for Hebrew roots and a familiarity with Biblical figures, you might spot the connection between the פעל verb לעקוב
– to follow, and יעקב
– Jacob, right away: the root ע.ק.ב
means heel, so that when we follow someone, we’re tracing their footsteps.
לעקוב takes the word אחרי
– after – after it.
For example:
תעקוב אחרי השילוט.
Follow (after) the signage. (spoken to a male)
לעקוב can also mean to watch closely, as in:
אנחנו עוקבים אחרי כל התפתחות.
We are following (watching closely) every development.
לַעֲקֹב
If you’ve got a good eye for Hebrew roots and a familiarity with Biblical figures, you might spot the connection between the פעל verb לעקוב
– to follow, and יעקב
– Jacob, right away: the root ע.ק.ב
means heel, so that when we follow someone, we’re tracing their footsteps.
לעקוב takes the word אחרי
– after – after it.
For example:
תעקוב אחרי השילוט.
Follow (after) the signage. (spoken to a male)
לעקוב can also mean to watch closely, as in:
אנחנו עוקבים אחרי כל התפתחות.
We are following (watching closely) every development.
