But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. 'So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians'" (Exod 3:19-22).

September 11 2001, a date with no particular significance, became a permanent sacred memorial day in America's national calendar. October 7 2023 is, on so many levels, a day which will ever be a day in Israel's calendar associated with America's 9/11.

But it is absolutely essential to point out that October 7 2023 was already a day marked with special significance in Israel's calendar for nearly 3,500 years! The 21st of Tishrei 5784 (October 7 2023) was also the final day of Succoth, a day when Jewish people around the world celebrate the giving of the Torah

(Deut 31:10-11; Neh 8:18).

As providence would have it, on the same day Israel faced yet another horrific national tragedy, we were also gathered around the Torah scroll, physically embracing and celebrating the gift of God's eternal word. Look again at Exodus 3:19-22. Therein, God makes a very detailed promise to Moses about Israel's future deliverance. And in Exodus 12:35-36, everything God promised comes true down to the finest of details.

As painful as the 21st of Tishrei 5784 has now become in our modern calendar, let us never forget that the 21st of Tishrei is also a day in our calendar when we have been holding onto God's irrevocable promises for the entire history of our people! And just as God fulfilled all his promises to Moses nearly 3,500 years ago,

​so He will do it again!

​

​
​  

  


​

Happy Sukkot dear friends!!




​

---

We have each come a long way, and been on an adventurous journey, like the Israelites. It’s a good time to reflect on God’s goodness and provision along the way, and to remember how he brought us through the difficult times, the deserts, in our lives.
​
And the glorious thing about Sukkot is that it also points towards God’s desire to dwell with his people. His provision is not merely physical (although we have much to be grateful for on that account) but he has also not held back his only Son, just so that we can live together with him for eternity.

We can have fellowship with God because he came down to earth as a man, and tabernacled among us. He became flesh and blood, visible and touchable, God incarnate, living among his people on earth, and though his Spirit now lives, or tabernacles, in our lives if we will invite him in. Yeshua says;

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
​I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

Here’s how Yeshua’s best friend put it:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes… that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” (1 John 1:1-4)
And hundreds of years beforehand, Zechariah prophesied this very event:

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell [tabernacle] in your midst, declares the Lord. And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.” (Zech 2:10-11)
​
Sukkot also points prophetically towards Yeshua’s second coming, and the ultimate end of all things, when God will dwell among us, and we will live with him forever. What a reason to rejoice!


https://www.oneforisrael.org/.../the-meaning-of-the-feast...


​

---

“'You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great IMAGE; that IMAGE, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome.' ... Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.... Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up" (Dan 2:31; 3:1, 7).

The book of Daniel is more than a book filled with apocalyptic visions. It is also a highly sophisticated piece of literature, and it's point is easily missed when we don't see how the pieces of the book fit together. Although the translations use "statue" with reference to the object of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter 2 (Dan 2:31-32, 34-35), a better translation of this Aramaic word is "image." Not only is this the same word for "image" in chapter 3 (Dan 3:1-3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14-15, 18-19), it is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word "image" in Genesis 1 (Gen 1:26-27).

The gravity of Nebuchadnezzar's sin for commanding all nations to worship his "image" can only be measured with reference to the original creation story in Genesis. God made man in his own image and made him ruler over creation (Gen 1:26-27). Nebuchadnezzar is claiming (whether knowingly or not) to be the "image" of God whom the nations must worship.

But God will have none of this. For there is only one in his "image" who can rule over creation and it is the in "one like a son of man" Daniel 7. "I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed" (Dan 7:13-14).

When God sets this "one like a son of man" upon the throne (Dan 7:13-14), he will rule over the beast-like kings of this world (Dan 7:3, 5-7, 11-12, 17, 19, 23). In the context of the book, therefore, "one like a son of man" must be understood as God's alternative to the false "image" that was worshipped by all nations in Daniel 3 (Dan 3:4, 7)!
But to receive this kind of worship, "one like a son of man" cannot be Israel, or just a regular human being for that matter. He has to be the essential and eternal image of God. In other words, the one like a son of man must be Israel's Messiah, the "stone not cut by human hands" (Dan 2:34-35, 45), who will reign eternally over his people and worshipped by all nations!
​
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything" (Col 1:15-18).


​


​

All of the biblical feasts are prophetic; rich with symbolism and laden
​with spiritual nourishment for both Jews and Gentiles.

They speak of who God is, our journey with Him and his plans for the future. The Spring feasts speak of the Messiah’s coming: Passover is a foreshadow of Calvary, Firstfruits of the resurrection, and Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks) is a forerunner to the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. The Fall Feasts symbolize the last trumpet that will sound as the Messiah returns, Yom Kippur points to the final judgement, and Sukkot is the final feast where God and man can at last move in together, like a newly-wed couple who have been longing for complete union.

The sukkah (which means tabernacle or booth, sukkot is the plural) reminds us of the wandering in the desert as God led Israel from slavery to the Promised Land.

You are to live in sukkot for seven days. All the native-born in Israel are to live in sukkot, so that your generations may know that I had Bnei-Yisrael to dwell in sukkot when I brought them
​out of the land of Egypt. I am Adonai your God. (Leviticus 23:42-43)

Many times throughout scripture, God paints a picture of Himself as a husband and His people as His bride, often lamenting Israel’s unfaithfulness, as in the book of Hosea. It is a deliberate metaphor that God often uses to communicate His passionate love, the seriousness of his devotion and commitment,
​and the way he wants us to see Him.

The tent of meeting in the desert similarly provided a prototype of the reality of God’s holy temple in heaven. These things are shadows, types, and are temporary and passing away. But they speak of the tremendous and permanent reality to come. Several times throughout scripture God offers a dwelling place and a covering. A shelter and a canopy. He brings us to His banqueting table and His banner over us is love.
​
https://www.oneforisrael.org/.../tabernacling-with-god.../



​

​

All of God’s feasts are full of creativity, wonder; treasures, and promises.

​But in Jewish literature, Sukkot is often called “THE feast”—the biggie – no other clarification is needed. Three times a year, all of Israel were supposed to make the trek to Jerusalem for Passover and Shavuot in the Spring, and then Sukkot in the fall. Sukkot means “shelters”, “booths”, or “tabernacles”.

This is a feast at which God instructs his people to make temporary shelters or booths to camp out in for a week. Why in the world did God want us to make dens?

In his creative genius, seen not only in the natural world around us but also in the law that God himself dictated, we can see that God also knew how effective shelter building would be in provoking thought.
He knew that this activity would help remind people of the journey they had taken with him through the wilderness. That time of desert wandering was when the nation was forged once and for all as a community of faith, following the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Their tents were only temporary
– they were traveling towards a more permanent home where
they could live with their God.

The rabbinic prescription for these dens has become quite intricate, but in essence, there must be at least three walls (made of wood or material, usually) and the roof must be made from natural materials like palm fronds, so that you can see the night sky through the gaps. These shelters are to remind the people of Israel about the time they journeyed through the wilderness in temporary shelters, picking up and moving on as necessary.
For the week, people are supposed to eat in their sukkah, and even sleep in them if they’re feeling crazy! They are usually decorated with seasonal fruits and produce, and it’s a fun family activity to build a sukkah and decorate it together. Nowadays, of course, you can buy ready-to-build sukkot, like tents or portable cabins, and decorations are in the shops all ready made to add the finishing touches!





​

---

​God’s Love and Ours



Dear friends, let us love one another, 

for love comes from God.

Everyone who loves has been

born of God and knows God. 

Whoever does not love does not know God,
​\because God is love. 


This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent his one and only Son 

into the world that we might live

through him.  

This is love: not that we loved God, but

that he loved us and

sent his Son

as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  

Dear friends, 

since God so loved us, 

we also ought to love one another. 


No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another,

God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.



 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment:In this world we are like Jesus.  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in 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.

​

​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.


“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.”


The writer of Hebrews opens chapter 11 with a brief description of faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). This statement should not be regarded as a complete definition of faith. Instead, the author focuses on two critical aspects of a much broader theological concept to introduce a famous gallery of Old Testament heroes of faith. The first vital facet of faith is that it is “the substance of things hoped for.”

The word for “substance” (KJV, NKJV) in the clause faith is the

substance of things hoped for,

is alternatively translated

as “ASSURANCE” (ESV), “confidence” (NIV),

​and “the REALITY”
​

In the original Greek, the term conveys the

idea of “a firm foundation,” “the real being,”

“the actual existence,” “the substantial nature,” and “a resolute trust.”

One sense of the word refers to a title deed

or a legal document

guaranteeing the right to possess a property.



The clause faith is the substance of things hoped

for describes a conviction

that already takes custody—here and now—of what

we hope for and what

God has promised us in the future.

This present-day ownership of things hoped for and promised

in the future is an inner reality.


Right now, amid a global pandemic, financial crisis, and social unrest, as our world seems to be falling apart, we can stand on the rock-solid, unshakeable promises of God’s security, rest, peace, provision, mercy, grace, and salvation. His Word can be trusted.

We can have full confidence in the Lord’s promises

because they are real

and a firm foundation for this life.

This “substance” or “assurance” describes our inward response to God’s trustworthy, unfailing nature. We can be sure of the Lord’s promises because, as the writer of Hebrews goes on to show, biblical heroes of every generation have proven them to be true: “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.

And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life,
so that he did not experience death”

(Hebrews 11:4–5).

On and on goes the list. By faith Noah built the ark, saved
his family, and became an heir of righteousness

(Hebrews 11:7).

By faith Abraham obeyed God and moved from his homeland

(verses 8–10)

​
The writer of Hebrews presents example after example of those who demonstrated faith as the substance of things hoped for: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13).

From the patriarchs to King David to anonymous champions of faith, believers have trusted in God’s promises despite enduring unimaginable challenges (verses 17–38).

Faith, being the substance of things hoped for, is also an outward force. Possessing the reality of hope supplies believers with the motivation to endure trials and hardships. It results in decisive obedience—the kind that caused the ancient heroes of faith to act upon their hope.

Faith, as the substance of things hoped for, activates believers to preach boldly, pray unceasingly, love unconditionally, serve compassionately, and work tirelessly “as long as it is day”

​(John 9:4).


The inward substance of faith

moves our hearts

while the external reality moves mountains.


Jesus came

to establish

a “better covenant”

(Hebrews 7:22),


a “new covenant”

that Jesus said was in His blood.

Jesus shed His blood

on the cross to take away the sins of the world

(John 1:29)

and ratify the new covenant between

God and man
​

On the night He was betrayed,


Jesus took the cup and said to His disciples,


"Drink from it, all of you.

This is my blood of the covenant,

which is poured

out for many for the forgiveness of sins”


(Matthew 26:27–28).


By “this cup,” Jesus referred, by metonymy,

to the contents of the cup,

which was the “fruit of the vine”

(Mark 14:25)


"This was representative of Christ’s blood. Jesus gave

His disciples the cup,

infusing it with new meaning,

and told them drinking it was to be a memorial

of His death:

it was to be drunk “in remembrance of me”

(1 Corinthians 11:25)


Now, “whenever you eat this bread and

drink this cup,

you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”

(verse 26)
​

The New Covenant

is based on faith

in the shed

blood of Christ to take away sin,

not on repeated

sacrifices or any other kind of work

(see Ephesians 2:8–9)



Because Jesus is the holy 

Lamb of God,

His one-time sacrifice is sufficient to atone

for the sins of all who believe

in Him.


We “partake” of Jesus by coming to Him in faith

(John 1:12),


trusting that His shed blood

(and broken body)

is sufficient to pay for our sins.


The elements of bread and wine

​commemorate

His death and the shedding of His blood.


When we eat those elements in communion

with other believers,

we affirm our faith and fellowship

in Christ.


Faith

is more than a superficial understanding,

it's a TRUTH assurance.


Intellectual assent is believing something

to be true.

​
Trust is actually

relying on the fact that the something

is TRUE


A chair is often used to help illustrate this. Intellectual assent is recognizing that a
​chair is a chair and agreeing that it is designed to support a person who sits on it.


TRUST

is actually sitting in the chair


Understanding these two aspects of faith is crucial. Many people believe certain facts about Jesus Christ.
​Many people will intellectually agree with the facts the Bible declares about Jesus.

But knowing those facts to be TRUE

is not what the Bible means

​by “faith.”


The biblical definition of FAITH

requires

intellectual assent to the facts 

​and 

TRUST in the facts.
​

Believing that Jesus is God incarnate who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and was resurrected is not enough. Even the demons “believe” in God and acknowledge those facts (cf. James 2:19).

We must personally and fully rely on the death of Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. We must “sit in the chair” of the salvation that Jesus Christ has provided. This is saving faith.

The faith God requires of us for salvation is belief in what the Bible says about who Jesus is and what He accomplished and fully trusting in Jesus for that salvation (Acts 16:31). Biblical faith is always accompanied by repentance (Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15).

The biblical definition of faith does not apply only to salvation.
It is equally applicable to the rest of the Christian life.

​We are to believe what the Bible says, and we are to obey it.
​We are to believe the promises of God, and we are to live accordingly.

We are to agree with the truth of God’s Word,
and we are to
allow ourselves to be transformed by it

(Romans 12:2).

Why is this definition of faith so important?

Why must trust accompany agreeing with facts?

Because “without faith, it is impossible to please God”

(Hebrews 11:6).

Without faith, we cannot be saved

(John 3:16).

Without faith, the Christian life cannot be what God intends it to be

(John 10:10).


In order to correctly interpret a passage such as Matthew 17:20, we first look at the overall context of the passage. Jesus, along with Peter, James and John, had just come down from the “mount of transfiguration,” and they encounter a man with a demon-possessed child. The man tells Jesus that he brought his son to Jesus’ disciples, but they couldn’t cast the demon out (recall that Jesus earlier, in Matthew 10:1, gave His disciples the authority to cast out evil spirits).

Jesus then chastises them for their lack of faith and then casts the demon out of the boy. When His disciples inquire as to why the demon didn’t obey their command, Jesus replies with the statement in Matthew 17:20.


Their faith,

He says, is small and weak.


If it were the size of even the smallest

of the seeds,

the mustard bush, they would be

able to “move mountains.”

​
 In the context of Matthew 17, Jesus rebukes the disciples for their weak faith and says that even if they had mustard seed-sized faith, they could command the mountain to move. Contextually, the mountain must refer to the demon that was afflicting the man’s son.

​Jesus tells His disciples that, if their faith was stronger, they could have commanded the demon to leave the boy, and it would be so. This was clearly the case in Matthew 10 when Jesus sent them out to cure diseases, cast out demons, and spread the gospel.

​Therefore, it is clear from the context that Jesus does not intend to assert that mustard seed-sized faith can literally move mountains. Rather, the expression Jesus uses was a common colloquialism of that day; to a Jew of Jesus’ day, a mountain is a metaphor signifying a seemingly impossible task.

Faith that can move mountains is not meant to imply

​a faith that can

literally move literal mountains.


The point Jesus was making

is that even a little bit of faith--

faith the size of a tiny mustard seed—can

overcome

mountainous obstacles in our lives.
​
​
We are saved by his Grace

through our Faith

in his

Sacrifice on the Cross.


 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.
​

Romans 4:11-13

Abraham is the father of the physical nation God elected to work in and through, and he is also the father of those He calls to be part of His forming spiritual nation. Appreciating Abraham as the father of the physical nation is easy, but seeing him as father of the spiritual nation is not so simple, as we are more apt to think that, because God begets us, He is our spiritual Father.


We must therefore see

Abraham's spiritual fatherhood

in a different light
​

The Jews of Jesus' day did not grasp Abraham's spiritual fatherhood correctly. Jesus gives the answer to this perplexing title in John 8, where a great deal of the dialogue involves ancestry.

"And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. . . .

I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."


They said to Him, 'Where is Your Father?"

Jesus answered,


"You know neither Me nor My Father.

If you had known Me,

you would have known My Father also." . . .


Then Jesus said to them,


"When you lift up the Son of Man,

then you will know that I am He,

and that I do nothing of Myself;

but as

My Father taught Me, I speak these things.


And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone,

for I always do those things that please Him."

​(verses 16, 18-19, 28-29)
​

Abraham's spiritual fatherhood soon becomes

the focus of Jesus' instruction:

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" . . . "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."

They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this."

(John 8:33, 37-40)

​
Members of the same family bear a likeness to one another.

It is this principle that designates who is a

spiritual child of Abraham.

It is not a matter of physical resemblance but a similarity of

moral and spiritual attitude and behavior.

Christ designates that resemblance to be believing God as Abraham did,

​as well as doing the works that he did.


In the larger picture,

​a spiritual descendant of Abraham

will grow and overcome,

gradually changing into the

spiritual image of 


Jesus Christ


The factor that set Abraham apart above all others was that Faith drove, motivated, inspired, and guided—sometimes dramatically—what he did with his life. Thus, Abraham is not only the physical progenitor of Israelites but also the spiritual, moral pattern that his descendants are to conform to.

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).

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.”

​
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.


James 2:13 says,


“Because judgment

without mercy will be shown to anyone

who has not been merciful.

Mercy triumphs over judgment.” 


In James 2:13, the thought is continued: “Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.” We dare not violate the law of liberty in our hearts by withholding mercy from others. If we who have been shown such great mercy act unmercifully toward our neighbors, then we will be dealt with in similar fashion. Jesus made the same point in the parable of the unforgiving steward (Matthew 18:23–35).

And the principle goes back to Solomon’s time:

"Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor

​will also cry out and not be answered”

(Proverbs 21:13).


James’ mention of “mercy” here corresponds

to his mention of “love”

in verse 8: the “royal law”

is to love your neighbor as yourself.


In the Beatitudes, Jesus proclaims,

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”

(Matthew 5:7)

James gives the converse of that statement in James 2:13, saying, in essence,
“Cursed are the unmerciful, for they will be shown no mercy.”


A Christian is not under God’s curse.

One of the qualities of the Christian

is that he shows

mercy and compassion toward others.


This brings us to the final statement

of James 2:13,
​

“Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

The idea is that mercy “glories” or “boasts”

against judgment, knowing that,

where mercy and judgment seem to conflict,

mercy wins.


The good news for every child of God

in Christ

is that God’s mercy toward us

will triumph over His judgment of us

​(see Romans 8:1).


Our sins may argue against us, but Christ is our loving Advocate who argues for us and prevents us from receiving the judgment we deserve. We, in turn, display God’s type of mercy toward others.

In essence, James 2:13 tells us that, since God will judge us with mercy, we should judge others with mercy. Being merciful is an act that shows our thankfulness for all God has done, and it is made possible through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.


Lamentations 3:22–23 says,


“Because of the Lord’s great love

​we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.”

 God’s mercy

and compassion are “new every morning,”

yet another reason to praise Him.

​
The prophet Jeremiah wrote Lamentations in a time of grief and national mourning, after the once great city of Jerusalem fell to Babylon, circa 586 BC. The book describes great anguish—and great hope—in poetic form.

The main theme of the book is God’s judgment on Judah’s sin as well as His compassion for His people. Lamentations contains “laments” or “loud cries” for Jerusalem and many expressions of anguish and pain, but in chapter 3, right in the middle of the book, there is a beautiful passage of confidence and hope.

Jeremiah’s tone changes from despair to hope in Lamentations 3:21:

"Yet this I call to mind / and therefore I have hope.”

From this and ensuing verses, we know that,

even in the darkest times,

God is faithful

and will not cast off His people forever.


​Every day, every morning,

God shows His mercy and compassion.
​

Taking a closer look at Lamentations 3:22–23, we notice a couple important themes. First, the Lord’s “great love” (“steadfast love” in some translations) abides even in times of trouble and divine judgment. God never stopped loving Israel, despite His discipline of them.

The Hebrew word translated “great love” is used about 250 times in the Old Testament; it refers to love, of course, but it also encompasses elements of grace, mercy, goodness, forgiveness, compassion, and faithfulness.

It is God’s “great love” for His people that spared them from being utterly wiped out by Babylon. As we know from history, God later restored His people to their land and blessed them again.

A second theme is God’s unfailing compassion or mercy. 

Mercy in the Bible is God’s withholding of a just punishment. The particular Hebrew word used in Lamentations 3:22 has to do with tender love, great and tender mercy, or pity. The same word is used in Isaiah 63:7 and translated “compassion”:

"I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.”

The Lord has pity on His suffering children; in fact,

His mercies are new every morning.

​
Jeremiah’s statement that God’s mercies

are “new every morning”

is related to the statement that follows:


'Great is your faithfulness”

(Lamentations 3:23)


God is unchanging, and His mercies toward Israel were unfaltering. His covenant with Abraham’s descendants would be kept (see Jeremiah 31:35–37). This was the bright ray of hope that shone through the smoke of Jerusalem’s ruins.

The dawning of every new day could be seen as a symbol of God’s light breaking through the darkness and His mercy overcoming our troubles. Every morning demonstrates

God’s grace, a new beginning in which gloom must flee.

We need look no further than the breath in our lungs, the sun that shines upon us, or the rain that falls to nourish the soil. The mercies of God continue to come to us via a multitude of manifestations.

There is no expiration date on God’s mercy toward us. His mercies are new every morning in that they are perpetual and always available to those in need.

We have our ups and downs, and “even youths grow tired and weary” (Isaiah 40:30), but God is faithfulthrough it all. With the dawn of each day comes a new batch of compassion made freshly available to us. God’s compassion is poured out from an infinite store;

His mercies will never run out. Some mornings we get up on the wrong side of the bed, but even there we find God’s mercies awaiting us.

Believers still sin and grieve the Holy Spirit, but forgiveness is always available

(1 John 1:8–9).

God’s mercy is ready to forgive our sins,

as they are atoned for

by the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.

We serve a great, loving, and merciful God,

and because of

His great love we are not consumed.

Our God is for us, not against us.


In Jesus Christ we have the

fullest expression of God’s mercy and compassion

(see Matthew 14:14),

and He is

"the same yesterday and today and forever”

(Hebrews 13:8).

Jesus’ mercy is indeed “new every morning.”


Romans 8:37 says, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” To conquer is to be victorious over an adversary. To be "more than a conqueror" means we not only achieve victory, but we are overwhelmingly victorious. If the final score of a basketball game is 142–6, we know that the opposition put up a fight, but they were no match for the victors. The win was beyond the scope of a regular victory.

There are many illustrations in the Old Testament of God bringing miraculous victory to His people, Israel. Humanly speaking, Israel was no match for their enemies. But God cautioned them not to be afraid, that He would fight their battles for them. 

​Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." The Lord told Jeremiah that He was bringing armies against the rebellious Israelites as punishment for their disobedience, but even then, "'They . . . will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 1:19). In one instance, an entire army fled their own camp when God caused them to hear the sounds of a great army coming.

The famine-racked Israelites

were able to plunder the enemy camp

and provide for their families through

no act of their own

(2 Kings 7).

Not only were they saved from an approaching army,

​but they actually benefited from the threat.


They were

​ "more than conquerors."


Faith overcomes any adversary in Romans 8:35–39: trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, and sword. Paul is encouraging us to stand firm in our faith when those attacks come, reminding us that not only will we win in the end, but Jesus enables us to win now. 

Nothing we face worries God in the least. If we are His children through faith in His Son,

​then we have His pledge of love and protection.

In John 10:27–29,

Jesus said,

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

I give them eternal life,

and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

My Father,

who has given them to me,

is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand."

To be more than conquerors means we face the trials of life with the certainty that we are not alone.

We have a mighty Father who fights for us. We approach the darkest valleys with confidence, knowing that nothing can happen to us that is not permitted by our loving Father for our good

(Psalm 23:4; Romans 8:28)


​We have His promise of eternal life (John 3:16; Titus 1:2; 1 John 5:11) and the presence of Almighty God every moment of every day until we see Him face to face (Psalm 139:7–12; Deuteronomy 31:8; Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). No sin of ours and no attempt of the enemy can steal the loving care of God from our lives,

and that makes us more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.


John 3:16 presents Bible readers with

​what is likely the purest, most straightforward summary

of the good news of God’s saving love that

Jesus Christ brings to the world:

"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.”


Jesus, speaking with the Jewish Pharisee Nicodemus,

continued,

“For God did not send his Son into the world

to condemn the world,

but to save the world through him”

(John 3:17)


Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save the world was an important truth and a new revelation that Jewish believers would need to wrap their heads around.

The Jews had no problem accepting the idea of God’s special love for Israel, but the notion that “God so loved the world” was groundbreaking theological material to the Jewish mindset.


With this statement,


Jesus revealed the all-embracing scope

of God’s love

under the New Covenant

​
God’s agape love does not discriminate between Jew and Gentile, enslaved person or free, male or female

​(Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). 

Jesus did not come to condemn the world because the world was already condemned. The Greek word (krinō) translated as “condemn” in John 3:17 means “to declare guilty; to pronounce guilt and a punitive sentence on someone in a legal sense; to judge.” 

(Romans 5:17–19; 6:23)

In Romans 3:21–31, the apostle Paul teaches
​that Jesus Christ took the punishment for our sin upon
Himself when He sacrificed His life on the cross.


He died so that we could be

"made right with God by placing our

faith in Jesus Christ.

And this is true

for everyone who believes, no matter who we are”

​(verse 22, NLT).

Anyone who puts his or her faith in Jesus Christ is restored to fellowship with God

(verse 26).
​

Those who belong to Christ Jesus are

no longer condemned because


“the power of the life-giving Spirit”

frees them

“from the power of sin that leads to death”

(Romans 8:1–2, NLT)


Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to

escape a guilty sentence:

“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”

(John 3:18)


Rejecting Jesus results in condemnation and death

(John 3:36)


Ultimately, salvation for everyone in the world,

​from the beginning of history until the end of time,

is rooted in faith in Jesus Christ

(see Romans 4:1–24; Hebrews 11:6, 13, 26; John 1:12)


There is no other way to be saved

(John 3:14–15; 11:25; 14:6; Acts 4:12)


God sent His one-and-only Son to die, not just for

the people of Israel,

but as a loving Savior for everyone.

He is “the Lamb of God,

who takes away the sin of the world!”

(John 1:29)

Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save those who believe in Him.
Our Savior’s mission was not to sentence people to death:

​“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”

(Romans 6:23)


Love is an attribute of God. Love is a core aspect of God’s character, His Person. God’s love is in no sense in conflict with His holiness, righteousness, justice, or even His wrath.


All of God’s attributes are in perfect harmony.

Everything God does is loving, just as everything

He does is just and right.

God is the perfect example of true love.

Amazingly,

God has given those who receive His Son Jesus

as their personal Savior

the ability to love as He does,

through the power of the Holy Spirit


​ (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1, 23-24).


First Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” This comes just after Paul’s eloquent and famous description of what true love--agape love—is. There are several ways in which love can be said to be the greatest.

First Corinthians 13:13 lists love along with faith and hope as a gift that lasts forever. The lasting nature of faith, hope, and love make them greater than all other gifts of the Spirit, which are temporary; the gifts of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:8 as coming to an end.

Of the three “forever gifts,” love is the greatest.

Love is greater than faith and hope in that both faith and hope depend on love for their existence. Without love, there can be no true faith; a loveless faith is nothing but an empty religious exercise. As Paul says, “If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

Without love, there can be no genuine hope;

​One of the reasons that love is

the greatest gift

is that it is essential to God’s nature. 


First John 4:8 

tells us that God is love.


The book of John and John’s three letters are replete with the theme of love. God gives us His love, and we reflect that love back to Him: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.


My command is this:

Love each other as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this:

to lay down

one’s life for one’s friends. . . .


You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that

you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last--

and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

This is my command: Love each other”

(John 15:9–17).


Here we see that love is something that

has always existed

among the persons of the Trinity.


Love has no beginning and

does not end.


And this is the love into which

we are invited.


Jesus desired for future believers to be part of His love as well:


“I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that
​
the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them”

(John 17:26).

​
Jesus taught that the greatest two commandments both

​ include love, the greatest gift:


"‘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).


John Calvin puts forward a very simple reason

why love is the greatest gift:


“Because faith and hope

are our own: love is diffused among others.”

In other words, faith and hope benefit

the possessor,

but love always benefits another.


In John 13:34–35 Jesus says,


“A new command I give you: Love one another.


As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,

if you love one another.”


Love always requires an “other” as an object;

love cannot remain within itself,

​and that is part

of what makes love the greatest gift.



The law of Christ

​is to love

God and love others


Love infuses all that God does

and should infuse all that we do.
​

“Love never fails ”

(1 Corinthians 13:8),


and it will never cease
​


​The Bible says that “love is of God” and “God is love”

(1 John 4:7–8);


in other words, love is a fundamental characteristic of who God is. Everything God does is impelled and influenced by His love. There is a distinct word for the type of love that God displays. In the Greek, this word is agape, and it refers to a benevolent and charitable love that seeks the best for the loved one.

First John 4:18 says that


“perfect love casts out fear.”


The whole verse says this:


“There is no fear in love. But perfect love

casts out fear,

because fear has to do with punishment.

The one who

fears is not made perfect in love.”


The context here is important: verse 17 says,


“This is how love

is made complete among us

​so that we

will have confidence on the

day of judgment:



In this world we are like Jesus.”



The “fear” that perfect loves casts out is the fear of God’s judgment. We know that Judgment Day is coming, but those who are in Christ know the love of God, which drives away fear of condemnation. The dismissal of the fear of judgment is one of the main functions of God’s love. The person without Christ is under judgment and has plenty to fear (John 3:18), but, once a person is in Christ, the fear of judgment is gone.

He is reconciled to God, and

“there is now no condemnation

for those

who are in Christ Jesus”

(Romans 8:1).


Part of understanding the love of God is knowing that God’s judgment fell on Jesus at the cross so that we can be spared: “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus’ sacrifice propitiated (appeased) God’s justice and won His good favor (1 John 2:2, ESV). Jesus spoke often of His mission: “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17).


The only person who

must fear judgment is the one

who rejects


Jesus Christ:


“Whoever does not believe

stands

​condemned already because they

have not believed in


The NAME 

of God’s

ONE and only Son”


(verse 18).



The Bible says that nothing can separate


​the believer

from the love of God


In Christ


(Romans 8:38–39).



God’s Love

​ does not wax and wane;

it is not

a fickle, emotional sensation. 


God’s love 

for sinners is why Christ

died on the cross.


God’s love for those who Trust
​
in Christ


Is WHY He holds them

in His hand

and

​Promises never to let them go


(John 10:29).


That divine love should take away our fear:


“Do not be afraid, little flock,

for your Father has

been pleased to give you the kingdom”


(Luke 12:32).

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”

(2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).

A spirit of fearfulness and timidity does not come from God. Sometimes this “spirit of fear” overcomes us,
and to overcome it we need to trust in and love God more completely.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,

because fear has to do with punishment.

The one who fears is not made perfect in love”

(1 John 4:18).


If, as a child of God,

we still fear God’s punishment,

we have not yet

reached the point of maturity

in love.
​

To help us be complete in love, God has liberally sprinkled encouragement against fear throughout the Bible. God tells us not to be afraid of being alone, of being too weak, of not being heard in our prayers, or of being destitute of physical necessities. These admonishments cover many different aspects of the “spirit of fear.”

The key to overcoming fear is total and complete trust in God. Trusting God is how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced the fiery furnace without fear (Daniel 3).

Trusting God is how Stephen stood before his killers fearlessly (Acts 7).


To trust God is to refuse

to give in to fear.


Even in the darkest times, we can


TRUST in God

to make things


RIGHT


This trust comes

from knowing

God


And knowing that



He is Good


Once we have learned to put our trust in God,

we will no longer be

afraid of the things that come against us.



We will be like the psalmist who said

with confidence,



“Let all who take refuge in you

be glad;

let them ever Sing for Joy

Spread

Your protection over them,

that those who

Love Your NAME may Rejoice

​in You”


(Psalm 5:11).



In summary, the word perfect

 in 1 John 4:18 

means “complete” or “mature,”


and the love that is referred to is

God’s selfless agape-love.

The fear that this perfect love

drives out

is the fear of punishment.


We have God’s promise that believers

in Jesus Christ

will not be judged with the world:


“God did not

appoint us to suffer wrath but

to receive salvation

through our


Lord Jesus Christ”


(1 Thessalonians 5:9; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:32).


We can say with

the psalmist,


"In God I trust and am not afraid”


(Psalm 56:11).



The apostle Paul

refers to the law of sin and death

in Romans 8:1–2:
​

"Therefore,

there is now no condemnation for

those who are in Christ Jesus,

because through

Christ Jesus


the law of the SPIRIT who gives

​
LIFE

has set you free


from the law of sin and death.”


What is the “law of sin and death”?


In these verses, Paul contrasts

two laws:

the LAW of the SPIRIT and the law of sin and death.


The law of the Spirit is the gospel or good news of Jesus, the message of new life through faith in the resurrected Christ. The law of sin and death is the Old Testament Law of God. The Law is holy, just and good (Romans 7:12), but, because we cannot keep God’s Law on our own,

the result is only sin and death for those under the Law.

Romans 7:5 explains Paul’s focus on the Law as leading to sin and death:

“For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law

were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.”


In contrast,


the “way” or law of the SPIRIT 

is noted in Romans 7:6:


“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.”


The Law itself is not sinful (Romans 7:7).

However, the Law defined sin and

stirred up our natural rebellion

against God’s rules, resulting in sin and death.


Romans 7:10–11 speaks of how sin, death, and the Law are connected: “I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.”



This death refers to spiritual separation from God.


Shackled by our depraved nature, we naturally opposed the Law,

and we found that


God’s life-giving Word served only to sentence us to death.


It is because of this that Paul can refer to

the Law as the “law of sin and death.”


The conclusion of Romans 7 shows
​


the NEED of the GOSPEL 

to deliver us

from the consequences of sin



under the Law:



“For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?


Thanks be to God,

who delivers me

through Jesus Christ our Lord!”


(Romans 7:22–25).


The next chapter, Romans 8,
​begins by declaring there is no longer any condemnation 
or judgment for those who are in Christ.

​We have been released from the law of sin and death.


Paul’s argument from Romans 7 

transitions in Romans 8 


to a REJOICING over

the

CHANGE 


the GOSPEL makes

in the lives


of those who believe


in Jesus



The chapter concludes by confirming, in the strongest terms possible,

that believers can never be separated

from God’s love:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us

from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”


(Romans 8:38–39).




We may Fail, but God's Love for us Will Not