https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Christianity
Whoever is perfect, whoever has no sin,
let him be the first one to throw a stone.
The Bible has much to say about obedience.
In fact, obedience is an essential part of the Christian faith.
Jesus Himself was “obedient unto death, even death on a cross”
(Philippians 2:8)
For Christians, the act of taking up our cross and following Christ
(Matthew 16:24) means obedience.
The Bible says that we show our love for Jesus by obeying
Him in all things: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
A Christian who is not obeying Christ’s commands can rightly be asked,
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
Obedience is defined as
“dutiful or submissive compliance to the commands of
One in authority.”
Using this definition, we see the elements of biblical obedience.
“Dutiful” means it is
our obligation to obey God, just as
Jesus fulfilled His duty to the Father by
dying on the cross for our sin.
“Submissive” indicates that we
yield our wills to God’s. “Commands” speaks of the
Scriptures in which God has clearly delineated His instructions.
The “one in authority” is God Himself, whose authority is total and unequivocal. For the Christian, obedience means complying
with everything God has commanded.
It is our duty to do so.
Psalm 110:1 says: “The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand.”
The New Testament shows that this is a prophecy about the
Lord Jesus
(e.g. Matthew 26:64). Actually, it is the Old Testament verse quoted most often in the New Testament. So being seated at the right hand of God says something of great significance about Jesus. But what exactly?
Jesus conquered Death
Firstly, that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God means that
He conquered death.
Hebrews 1:3 says
“after making purification for sins, He sat down
at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Jesus cleansed our sins on the cross through His death.
After that, the author of Hebrews immediately continues to
Jesus’ ascension to heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God.
So that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God,
shows that death could not hold Him. He conquered death!
Jesus has the highest place
Secondly, that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God means that
He has the highest place.
In the Bible the right hand, and especially
God’s right hand, is the hand of
strength (e.g. Exodus 15:6),
authority (e.g. Revelation 5:1), and
blessing (Genesis 48:14).
So being seated at the right hand of God means that
He shares God’s strength, authority, and blessing.
It is the highest place and the highest honor possible.
When Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, it means
all other things and other beings are under Him.
We read this in 1 Peter 3:22:
“Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and
powers having been subjected to Him.”
Jesus is the priest who took away our sin,
Jesus is seated at the right hand of God means that He is a priest. This is what Psalm 110 tells us, because about the same person who is invited to sit at God’s right hand, it is said: “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, You are a priest forever” (Psalm 110:4). The main task of a priest is to
bring sacrifices to God to take away sins.
Priests had to do that daily (Hebrews 10:11). But Jesus is different.
He offered His own body
as a sacrifice, once and for all,
and everybody who believes in Him
receives forgiveness.
“We have been sanctified through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all… When Christ had offered for
all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:10,12)
Now, just because we say these words that are in scripture,
doesn’t mean they are actually true for us unless Christ has don’t the
work and it proves true in our changed behavior Christ offers it,
not everyone fully accepts it.
Jesus is the king who will rule the earth,
Jesus is seated at the right hand of God means that
He is a king.
Again, we know that because Psalm 110 tells us so:
“The LORD sends forth
from Zion your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!” (Psalm 110:2).
A scepter is the instrument of a king.
Ruling is the job of a king.
The rest of the Bible clearly tells us that
Jesus will rule the entire earth when He returns. For example,
He is called King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
who will rule the nations with a rod of iron
(Revelation 19:15-16).
Jesus will return to judge and to acquit.
So that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God means that
He has the highest place, and that will become
even clearer when He returns to rule the earth.
That is a scary thought for all who resist and reject Him,
for they will be punished and not receive eternal life.
But that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God also
means that He forgives the sins of all who believe in Him;
and it means that He has conquered death and therefore
can and will give eternal life to these believers.
Make sure you are among those who believe in Christ. Then it is great news to know that the Lord Jesus is seated at the
right hand of God in heaven.
Having said that, it is important to remember that
our obedience to God is not solely a matter of duty.
We obey Him because we love Him (John 14:23).
Also, we understand that the spirit of obedience
is as important as the act of obedience.
We serve the Lord
in humility, singleness of heart, and love.
Also, we must beware of using a veneer of obedience to
mask a sinful heart.
Living the Christian life is not all about rules.
The Pharisees in Jesus’ time relentlessly
pursued acts of obedience to the Law, but they
became self-righteous,
believing they deserved heaven
because of what they had done.
They
considered themselves worthy before God,
who owed them a reward; however, the Bible tells us that,
without Christ, even our best, most righteous
works are as “filthy rags”
(Isaiah 64:6).
The Pharisees’ external obedience still lacked something, and
Jesus exposed their heart attitude.
Their hypocrisy in obeying the “letter of the law” while
violating its spirit
characterized their lives, and Jesus rebuked them sharply:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you are like whitewashed tombs,
which indeed appear beautiful outside, but inside they are
full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so you also appear righteous to men outwardly,
but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity”
(Matthew 23:27–28).
The Pharisees were obedient in some respects,
but they
“neglected the weightier matters of the law”
(Matthew 23:23, ESV).
Today, we are not called to obey the Law of Moses. That has been fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 5:17). We are to obey the “law of Christ,” which is a law of love (Galatians 6:2; John 13:34). Jesus stated the greatest commands of all:
“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 22:36–40).
If we love God, we will obey Him.
We won’t be perfect in our obedience, but our desire is to submit to the Lord and display good works.
When we love God and obey Him, we naturally have love for one another.
Obedience to God’s commands
will make us light and salt in a dark and tasteless world (Matthew 5:13–16).
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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 prophet Jeremiah illustrates
Babylon’s destruction and perpetual desertion
as a city whose only inhabitants are desert creatures, hyenas, and owls: “So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation”
(Jeremiah 50:39).
In Psalm 102:3–6, the owl symbolizes the loneliness of the psalmist’s tortured heart: “For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food. In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones.
I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.”
“The tongue” is used throughout Scripture in both literal and metaphorical ways, especially in Psalms, Proverbs, and James. The tongue is a “small part of the body” (James 3:5),
yet Proverbs 18:21 says it “has the power of life and death.”
Spiritual:
What our tongue produces has eternal implications, for it reveals what is in our heart. Jesus said that “the good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him” (Matthew 12:35). Isaiah places words on par with actions for displaying a sinful heart (Isaiah 59:2-3). “Men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36). In and of ourselves, we are utterly unable to “tame the tongue” because “it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). A tongue under control is a mark of the Spirit’s power. Apart from accepting Jesus’ atonement on the cross, we will be judged according to our words: “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).
Physical:
In order to take Proverbs 18:21 literally – that the tongue can cause physical life and death – we do not need to tax our imagination. Words create actions, good and bad. A judge or jury, by simply saying a word, can cause a person to be killed or to live. Words often save lives: a doctor advises surgery, a weatherman issues a tornado warning, a counselor gives hope to a suicidal person. Conversely, words can also kill: murders are often initiated because of arguments or verbalized hatred. In the sense of causing action, then, the tongue does indeed have the power of life and death.
Emotional:
Emotions are powerfully affecting, yet they are vulnerable to injury. James describes the tongue as “a fire” (James 3:6) – and who has not been burned by it? Proverbs 15:4 describes a “healing” tongue as “a tree of life.” As much as love is an action, what would romance be without words? Encouragement often comes through spoken words. So does discouragement. “Reckless words pierce like a sword” (Proverbs 12:18). The wound is emotional, and it is deep. What we say can have a profound effect on others.
:
God made us expressive beings, so we are nearly lost without communication. That is why we have audio recordings and Braille for the blind, sign language for the deaf, and writing for anyone who has something to say from afar. Indeed, speech has enormous implications, especially as a vehicle for sharing the gospel (Romans 10:14). Therefore, we are commanded to control the tongue, to “keep [it] from evil and your lips from speaking lies” (Psalm 34:13). A Christian’s speech should consistently honor the Lord: with the tongue “we praise our Lord and Father.
The term double-minded
comes from the Greek word dipsuchos, meaning
“a person with two minds or souls.”
It’s interesting that this word appears only in the book of James
(James 1:8; 4:8).
Bible scholars conclude that James might have coined this word.
To grasp the full meaning of this word, it is best to understand
how it is used within its context.
James writes of the doubting person that
he is “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That man should not think
he will receive anything from the Lord;
he is a double-minded man,
unstable in all he does”
(James 1:6–8).
A doubter is a double-minded person.
Jesus had in mind such a person when He spoke of the one who tries to serve two masters(Matthew 6:24).
As such, he is “unstable,” which comes from a Greek word meaning “unsteady, wavering, in both his character and feelings.”
A double-minded person is restless and confused in his thoughts,
his actions, and his behavior.
Such a person is always in conflict with himself.
One torn by such inner conflict can never lean with
confidence on God and His gracious promises.
Correspondingly, the term unstable is analogous to a drunken man
unable to walk a straight line, swaying one way, then another.
He has no defined direction
and as a result doesn’t get anywhere.
Such a person is
“unstable in all he does.”
Those who are double-minded do not have the faith
spoken of in Hebrews 11:1, 3:
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. . . . By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
We cannot be both
“certain” and doubting,
as is the double-minded person.
One part of his mind is
sure of something, while the other part doubts.
It brings to mind the “pushmi-pullyu” of the Dr. Doolittle stories, an animal with a head at either end of its body and which
was constantly trying to walk in
two directions at once.
Such is the double-minded man.
Jesus declared,
“No one can serve two masters. Either he
will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other”
(Matthew 6:24).
God and the things of this world
are of such opposite natures
that it is impossible
to love either one completely without hating the other.
Those who try to love both will become
unstable in all their ways.
To be double-tongued means to say
one thing at one time to someone
and quite another thing
another time to someone else.
To have a double tongue can also mean hypocritically saying one
thing and doing another.
The idea of having a double tongue is related to the
idioms speaking out of both sides of the mouth
and speaking with a forked tongue.
If Jane asks, “How do you like my dress?” and June answers, “It’s lovely on you!” then turns to a third party and whispers, “She looks like a moose in that hideous rag!” then June is being double-tongued. Rather than speak privately to Jane about issues in the relationship, the double-tongued will say what’s expected in the moment,
but speak differently when the person is out of earshot.
A double-tongued person is untrustworthy
because he or she will say whatever necessary to get a desired response, with no concern about whether or not it is true or whether he or she has the means to follow through.
In 1 Timothy 3:8,
Paul mentions being double-tongued as something that should
not be characteristic of a church leader:
The words translated “not double-tongued” positively as “sincere.”
Being double-tongued is a sign that someone lacks
integrity, and integrity is of
utmost importance for godly leaders
(Titus 1:6–9).
People pleasers have the greatest difficulty
with having a double tongue because they have
such a strong desire to say whatever
someone wants to hear in the moment.
Bringing a smile to someone’s face, getting a hug or handshake, or receiving a word of gratitude is a sufficient enough reward for the double-tongued to continue their insincerity.
They may intend, at the time, to follow through on their words
but have not taken into account what that will require.
Schemers are also double-tongued. These devious people are not concerned with making someone else feel good;
they care only about their selfish goals.
Schemers are always plotting ways to get what they want,
regardless of the cost to others.
They will promise the moon if it furthers their plans.
Schemers are often pathological liars and can fool even the most cautious with their smooth, convincing words.
First Peter 3:10warns against this type of double-tongued speech: “
Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him
keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”
Judas Iscariot is an example of a double-tongued schemer.
Even after plotting with Jewish leaders to betray Jesus,
he continued as a false disciple, joining with them
even at the Passover meal
(Luke 22:4–6, 21).
Gossips are often double-tongued because they pretend friendship to someone’s face but speak evil behind his back.
Gossips usually embellish the story along the way to gain a bigger reaction from the hearer. They also pretend friendship with a person but reveal their true feelings to others. John wrote about such a person, Diotrephes, who was
disrupting the church with his slanderous gossip (3 John 1:9–10).
It’s possible to be double-tongued toward God as well.
We may offer prayers that sound spiritually admirable but that do not express the reality of our hearts. Jesus condemned people who try to sound spiritual when praying but are
filled with pride and deceit
(Luke 18:10–14).
Having a double tongue is just another way to be a liar.
God strongly condemns all kinds of lying and
warns that liars will be
harshly judged
(Revelation 21:8).
People who are habitually double-tongued should keep in mind the words of
Proverbs 21:23:
“Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep
themselves from calamity.”
The phrase “god of this world” (or “god of this age”)
indicates that Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people.
His influence also encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce.
The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under
his control and have sprung from his 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.
To say, for example, that Satan is the "prince of the power of the air"
is to signify that in some way
he rules over the world and the people in it.
This is not to say that he rules the world completely; God is still sovereign.
But it does mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate in this world within the boundaries God has set for him.
When the Bible says Satan has power over the world,
we must remember that
God has given him domain
over unbelievers only.
Believers are no longer under the rule of Satan (Colossians 1:13). Unbelievers, on the other hand, are caught "in the snare of the devil" (2 Timothy 2:26),
lie in the "power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19),
and are in bondage to Satan (Ephesians 2:2).
So, when the Bible says that Satan is the "god of this world,"
it is not saying that he has ultimate authority.
It is conveying the idea that Satan rules over the unbelieving world in a specific way. In 2 Corinthians 4:4,
the unbeliever follows Satan’s agenda:
"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’s scheme includes promoting
false philosophies in the world--
philosophies that blind the unbeliever to the
truth of the Gospel.
Satan’s philosophies are the fortresses in which people are imprisoned,
and they must be set free by Christ.
An example of one such
false philosophy is the belief that
man can earn God’s favor by a certain act or acts.
In almost every false religion,
meriting God’s favor or earning eternal life is a predominant theme.
Earning salvation by works, however, is contrary to biblical revelation.
Man cannot work to earn God’s favor; eternal life is a free gift
(see Ephesians 2:8-9).
And that free gift is available through Jesus Christ and Him alone
(John 3:16; 14:6).
You may ask why mankind does not simply receive the free gift of salvation
(John 1:12).
The answer is that Satan—the god of this world--
has tempted mankind to follow his pride instead.
Satan sets the agenda,
the unbelieving world follows, and mankind continues to be deceived.
It is no wonder that Scripture calls Satan a liar
(John 8:44).
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
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).
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.
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.
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).
It is the sin nature of man that
causes us to worship modern idols, all of which are,
in reality, forms of self-worship.
The temptation to worship ourselves in various ways is a
powerful temptation indeed.
In fact, it is so powerful that only those who belong to Christ and have the Holy Spirit within them can possibly hope to resist the temptation of modern idolatry.
Even then, resisting the worship of idols is a lifelong battle
that is part of the Christian life
(Ephesians 6:11; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3).
When we hear the word idol, we often think of statues and objects reminiscent of those worshiped by pagans in ancient cultures. However, the idols of the 21st century often bear no resemblance to the artifacts used thousands of years ago.
Today, many have replaced the “golden calf” with an insatiable drive for money or prestige or "success" in the eyes of the world. Some pursue the high regard of others as their ultimate goal. Some seek after comfort or a myriad of other passionate, yet empty, pursuits. Sadly, our societies often admire those serving such idols. In the end, however, it doesn’t matter what empty pleasure we chase after or what idol or which false god we bow down to; the result is the same—separation from the one true God.
Understanding contemporary idols can help us to understand why they prove to be such a powerful temptation. An idol can be anything we place ahead of God in our lives.
Scripture tells us that, whatever we do, we are to “do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) and that we are to serve God only (Deuteronomy 6:13; Luke 16:13). Unfortunately, God is often shoved out of the way as we zealously pursue our idols. Worse yet, the significant amount
of time we often spend in these
idolatrous pursuits leaves us with
little or no time to spend with the Lord.
We sometimes also turn to idols seeking solace
from the hardships of life
and the turmoil present in our world.
may be used as a means of temporarily “escaping” a
difficult situation or the rigors of daily life.
The psalmist, however, tells us that those who place their
trust in this behavior will, essentially, become spiritually useless
(Psalm 115:8).
We need to place our trust in the Lord “who will keep [us] from all harm” (Psalm 121:7) and who has promised to supply all of our needs when we trust in Him. We also need to remember the words of Paul, who teaches us not to be anxious about anything, but rather to pray about everything so the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, can guard our hearts and our minds (Philippians 4:6–7).
There is another form of idolatry prevalent today. Its growth is fostered by cultures that continue to drift away from sound biblical teaching, just as the apostle Paul warned us, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3).
We have forsaken the God revealed to us in Scripture and have recast Him to comply with our own inclinations and desires—a “kinder and gentler” god who is infinitely more tolerant than the One revealed in Scripture. One who is less demanding and less judgmental and who will tolerate many lifestyles without placing guilt on anyone’s shoulders.
As this idolatry is propagated by churches around the world,
many congregants believe they are worshiping
the one, true God.
However, these made-over gods are created by man,
and to worship them is to worship idols.
worshiping a god of one’s own making is particularly
tempting for many whose habits and lifestyles and
drives and desires are not in harmony with Scripture.
The things of this world will never fully satisfy the human heart.
They were never meant to.
The sinful things deceive us and ultimately lead only to death
(Romans 6:23).
The good things of this world are gifts from God, meant to be enjoyed with a thankful heart, in submission to Him and for His glory.
But when the gift replaces the Giver or the created replaces the Creator in our lives, we have fallen into idolatry.
And no idol can infuse our lives with
meaning or worth or give us eternal hope.
As Solomon beautifully conveys in the book of Ecclesiastes,
apart from a right relationship with God, life is futile.
We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)
and designed to worship and glorify Him as He alone
is worthy of our worship. God has placed “eternity in man’s heart”
(Ecclesiastes 3:11), and a relationship with Jesus Christ
is the only way to fulfill this longing for eternal life.
All of our idolatrous pursuits will leave us empty, unsatisfied, and, ultimately, on the broad road that most people take, the one that leads to destruction
(Matthew 7:13).
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?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,
“No one 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”
(Matthew 6:24). This verse comes at the end of a passage in which Jesus tells us to “lay up treasures in heaven” (v. 19). Here, Jesus likens a “love of money” to idolatry. He refers to money as a “master” we serve at the expense of serving God. We are commanded by God to have “no other gods” before the only true and living God (Exodus 20:3; the first commandment).
Anything that takes first place in our lives other than our
Creator God is an idol and makes us
guilty of breaking the first commandment.
Jesus had much to say about wealth. His most memorable conversation about money is His encounter with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16–30). The young man asks Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life, and Jesus tells him to follow the commandments. When the man tells Jesus that he has done all that, Jesus tests his ability to obey the first commandment and tells him to sell all his possessions and give it to the poor and to follow Him.
The young man couldn’t do this; his wealth had become an idol--
it was his master!
The phrase “graven image”
comes from the King James Version and is first found in
Exodus 20:4 in the second of the Ten Commandments.
The Hebrew word
translated “graven image” means literally “an idol.”
A graven image is an image carved out of stone, wood, or metal. It could be a statue of a person or animal, or a relief carving in a wall or pole. It is differentiated from a molten image, which is melted metal poured into a cast.
Abstract Asherah poles, carved wooden Ba’als covered in gold leaf, and etchings of gods accompanying Egyptian hieroglyphics are all graven images.
The progression of idolatry in a
pagan religion generally
starts with the acknowledgement of
a power that controls natural forces.
The presence of the force is then thought to indwell an object, like a stone, or a place, like a mountain. The next step is altering a naturally occurring object, like a standing stone, a deliberately planted tree, or a carved Asherah pole and asking the force to indwell it.
When the idolatrous culture has had time to
contemplate the personality of the god, they then make
corresponding physical images—a statue that looks like a
woman or a relief carving that looks like an animal.
Graven images can be either of the last two steps.
The spiritual progression is similar. People start with wanting something (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5), often children or prosperity or good crops.
They observe the circumstances (which some acknowledge are God-ordained, and others think are independent) that lead to these things and begin to ascribe to the causal forces human characteristics—thus creating gods.
Places are set aside to commune with these false gods.
For convenience sake, smaller items, thought to hold the power or the communication line of the gods, are brought into homes. Before long, the people are ensnared by the compulsion to give homage to a
thing of their own definition
instead of to the God of the universe.
The second commandment, recorded in Exodus 20:4–5, reads, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them.” Likely, this refers back to the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me,” and specifically forbids the creation of idols. But it is equally dangerous to create an image of God Himself. God has given us reminders enough of His power and glory (Romans 1:20) without man attempting to use created things to represent
the Creator.
Functionally, there is no difference between a “graven” image (Deuteronomy 4:16) and a “molten” image (Exodus 34:17). Both are man’s attempt to define and confine the power of God who works over creation.
Both are the result of greed and covetousness, along with the fear that
God does not have the worshipers’ best interests at heart.
Graven images, whether an idol, a crystal, or a charm, are attempts to limit the power of God and reduce it to a small package that we can control. As with any kind of worship, the object of adoration inevitably controls us.
An abomination is something that causes hate or disgust. In biblical usage, an abomination is something that God
loathes or hates because it is
offensive to Him and His character.
The Hebrew words translated “abomination”
are often used in association with things like idolatry and false gods
(Deuteronomy 17:2–5; 27:15; 29:17; Isaiah 66:3; Jeremiah 32:34; Ezekiel 5:9; 11:18; Hosea 9:10). In 1 Kings 11:5, the god Molech is called “the abomination of the Ammonites” (ESV). The NIV translates it
as “the detestable god of the Ammonites.”
The point is that God hates the falsehood, impurity,
and wickedness of these pagan gods.
Occult practices are also called an abomination in Scripture, as is child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 18:9–12; 20:18; 2 Chronicles 28:3). Other abominations in God’s sight are ungodly sexual relationships like adultery (Leviticus 18:22–29; 20:13; Deuteronomy 24:4), cross-dressing (Deuteronomy 22:5), imperfect sacrifices (Deuteronomy 17:1), dishonest business dealings (Deuteronomy 25:13–16; Proverbs 11:1; 20:10, 23), wickedness (Proverbs 15:9, 26), injustice (Proverbs 17:15), turning a deaf ear to God’s instruction (Proverbs 28:9), and hypocritical offerings from the unrepentant (Proverbs 15:8; Isaiah 1:13). Most of the references to that which is abominable or detestable come in God’s Law in Leviticus and Deuteronomy,
in prophecies declaring God’s judgment against Israel, and in Proverbs.
Proverbs 6 contains a list of seven things that God calls an abomination:
“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers”
(Proverbs 6:16–19, ESV).
In Luke 16:15 Jesus tells the Pharisees, “What is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (ESV). The context of Jesus’ statement is a rebuke of the Pharisees’ love of money. He had just been teaching that a person cannot serve two masters and that serving God and serving money are mutually exclusive (verses 13–14).
The Pharisees responded with ridicule,
showing the blindness of a heart
that revels in what God calls an abomination.
Titus 1:16 says that false teachers
may “claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.
They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”
Jesus and Daniel both predicted the abomination of desolation
that would corrupt the holy place of the temple
(Matthew 24:15; Daniel 9:27).
Also related to the end times, the whore of Babylon
is pictured as holding
“a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable
things and the filth of her adulteries”
(Revelation 17:4).
She is said to be the mother of all the abominations on earth
(Revelation 17:5) and identified as “the great city that rules over the kings of the earth” (verse 18).
This city with all of its loathsome acts will be destroyed
(verses 16–17).
From idolatry to unfair scales
to ungodly sexual relationships to wickedness of various kinds,
abominations separate people from God.
Really, all sin (missing the mark of God’s perfection) can be considered an abomination. All sin separates us from God and is detestable to Him
(Romans 3:23; 6:23; Proverbs 15:9).
God’s hatred of sin makes
Christ’s sacrifice on the cross
all the more remarkable.
It was at the cross that “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).
As He suffered and died for our sin,
Jesus could identify with the psalmist:
“I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people” (Psalm 22:6).
Jesus took our abominations upon Himself and
gave us the gift of His righteousness in return.
All who put their trust in Him will be saved.
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”
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).
doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulations for achieving both salvation and spiritual growth. Legalists believe in and demand a strict literal adherence to rules and regulations. Doctrinally, it is a position essentially opposed to grace. Those who hold a legalistic position often fail to see the real purpose for law, especially the purpose of the Old Testament law of Moses, which is to be our “schoolmaster” or “tutor” to bring us to Christ
(Galatians 3:24).
The apostle Paul warns us of legalism in Colossians 2:20-23: “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
Legalists may appear to be righteous and spiritual, but legalism
ultimately fails to accomplish God’s purposes because
it is an outward performance instead of an inward change.
Sadly, there are those who feel so strongly about non-essential doctrines that they will run others out of their fellowship, not even allowing the expression of another viewpoint. That, too, is legalism. Many legalistic believers today make the error of demanding unqualified adherence to their own biblical interpretations and even to their own traditions. For example, there are those who feel that to be spiritual one must simply avoid tobacco, alcoholic beverages, dancing, movies, etc. The truth is that avoiding these things is no guarantee of spirituality.
To avoid falling into the trap of legalism, we can start by holding fast to the words of the apostle John, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17) and remembering to be gracious, especially to our brothers and sisters in Christ. “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4). “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat” (Romans 14:10).
A word of caution is necessary here. While we need to be gracious to one another and tolerant of disagreement over disputable matters, we cannot accept heresy. We are exhorted to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 3). If we remember these guidelines and apply them in love and mercy, we will be safe from both legalism and heresy. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Regarding biblical Christianity, what is heresy? Second Peter 2:1 says, “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” From this verse, we see that heresy is anything that denies the teaching of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 11:19, Paul takes the church to task for having heresies among them—heresies that led to schisms in the body. These verses touch on both aspects of what constitutes heresy in the church: denying the doctrines God has given, and dividing the body He has created. Both of these are dangerous, destructive actions that are soundly rebuked by Scripture. See also 1 John 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 1:3-6; 2 Timothy 1:13-14; and Jude 1.
How does the Bible deal with heresy? Titus 3:10 says, “A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject” (KJV). Other translations say “divisive person,” “factious man,” and “person who stirs up division.”
When a person in the church departs from biblical teaching, the correct response is to, first, try to correct him, but if he refuses to listen after two warnings, have nothing more to do with him.
Excommunication is implied.
The truth of Christ will unify believers
(John 17:22-23),
but heresy, by its very nature, cannot peacefully co-exist with the truth.
Of course, not every disagreement in the church is heresy. Having a different opinion is not wrong, but when the opinion is divisive or maintained in defiance of clear biblical teaching, it becomes heretical. The apostles themselves disagreed at times (see Acts 15:36-41), and Peter once had to be rebuked for divisive and legalistic behavior (Galatians 2:11-14). But, praise the Lord, through an attitude of humility and submission to the God of truth, the apostles worked through their disagreements and set an example for us.
First Corinthians 13:8–10: “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.” In the KJV, the tongues “will cease.” In other words, at some point after Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, the gift of tongues would no longer be in use.
First Corinthians 12–14 is all about the proper use of spiritual gifts. Paul writes to the Corinthian church to correct the improper use of some gifts and the improper emphasis they put on certain of the more “spectacular” gifts. Right in the middle of his discussion, he speaks about the superior quality of love. Even though the Corinthian church was very gifted, they were not using their gifts in love for each other. Paul goes on to say that all of the various gifts will one day cease to function, but love will never fail. The question that many struggle with is just when these gifts will cease. Paul gives the answer in the text: “when completeness comes” (1 Corinthians 13:10).
The next question, of course, is what is the “completeness” or “the perfect” (NASB)? Essentially, there are two views:
One view, often called the “cessationist” view, is that the sign gifts were only in operation during the apostolic era to give special revelation until the completion of the New Testament. Before early Christians had the whole New Testament, they had to rely on words of knowledge, prophecy, and tongues to give them the full revelation of God. Once the church had possession of the full New Testament (the completeness), these gifts faded away as unnecessary. Faith, hope, and love continue to be in operation.
Often, the cessationist view will point out that the words used for the cessation of knowledge and prophecy are in the passive voice, indicating that they will be stopped by an outside force. However, the verb used for the cessation of tongues is in the middle voice, which indicates that they will cease “of themselves.” This is usually seen as further proof that tongues were temporary and would eventually pass away on their own. Regardless of the strength of this argument, the grammatical analysis leaves something out. Some verbs normally take the middle voice, and the verb translated “be stilled” in the NIV is one of them; therefore, there is no particular significance to the change from passive to middle voice in this passage. In Luke 8:24 the storm is “stilled” (same word and voice); however, it is clear that Jesus actively stilled the storm.
First Corinthians 13:10 says, “When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (KJV). The ESV puts it this way: “When the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” The “in part” or “partial” things are the gifts of prophecy, knowledge, and tongues (verses 8–9). There will be a time when these gifts will cease because something better (“that which is perfect”) will replace them. Perfect means “complete”—the incomplete will be replaced by the complete. There is some debate as to what the coming of the “perfect” thing is. The two most common views are the completion of the Bible and the glorification of believers in heaven.
It is our view that the “perfect” thing to come is the glorification of believers in heaven, or, more properly, the eternal state. The completion of the Bible did not put an end to the gift of prophecy (“forth-telling” or preaching) or knowledge (understanding of Scripture). The church is continually being edified today by Spirit-filled preachers and teachers who exercise these gifts. But, for the time being, we are limited in our understanding: “We know in part and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9). When we get to heaven, the “partial” things will give way to the “perfect,” and preaching and teaching will no longer be needed.
What about the gift of tongues, which is mentioned alongside prophecy and knowledge in 1 Corinthians 13:8(but not in verse 9)? The precise wording of verse 8 may hold a clue: the prophecies are said to “cease”; knowledge is said to “pass away”; and tongues are said to “be stilled” (in contrast to love, which “never fails”). Paul uses one Greek verb in reference to the completion of prophecy and knowledge, and a completely different Greek verb in reference to the completion of tongues. The implication is that prophecy and knowledge will be “rendered inoperative or abolished” by an external force, but the gift of tongues will cease on its own. So, when the perfect comes, prophecy and knowledge are actively ended, but tongues will already have ended.
First Corinthians 13:11–12 says, “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. 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.” When shall we see face to face? When shall we know fully, even as we are fully known? This will occur when we pass from this life and enter God’s glorious presence in heaven (see 1 John 3:2). When we are glorified in heaven, the perfect will have come, and we will truly have put childish ways behind us.
Throughout the New Testament, believers are urged to view problems and trials from a heavenly perspective. James says we ought to consider our troubles “an opportunity for great joy” (James 1:2) because they produce in us a character quality that is key to staying the course and finishing well: “The testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:3–4).
The word translated as “perseverance” here (hypomonēn in the original Greek) means “the power to withstand hardship or stress, especially the inward fortitude necessary to endure.” Other translations render this noun “steadfastness” (ESV), “endurance” (NLT, CSB), and “patience” (KJV, NKJV). The testing of our faith produces the power and inner stamina necessary to patiently endure hardship and persecution and grow into spiritual maturity.
In a parallel teaching, the apostle Paul asserts, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance” (Romans 5:3, NLT). The apostle Peter echoes the sentiment: “Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world” (1 Peter 4:13, NLT). The writer of Hebrews explains, “For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:36, HCSB).
Peter also assures us that the testing of our faith through trials proves the genuineness or authenticity of our faith: “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:6–7, NLT).
It is one thing to stand firm in our convictions when everything is going well and our faith remains untested. But how do we react when God seems silent, when everything is falling apart, when our hearts are broken, and our dreams are shattered? It’s then that the trials of this life truly test our faith and provide an opportunity to produce perseverance—a steadfast endurance that develops spiritual wholeness and maturity in us. When our confidence in Christ is proven unshakable through the fires of adversity, we can face any situation with joy, determination, and ever-increasing hope. We can trust God to uphold us through it all and reward us in the end.
We let “perseverance finish its work” when we continue to follow Jesus Christ, letting our “roots grow down into him” and our lives to “be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:7, NLT; see also Colossians 1:10–12). Abiding in Christ calls for patient endurance over time and through testing for the work to be done in us (see John 15:4–10; Romans 12:12; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 10:36–38; 2 Peter 1:5–8; Revelation 2:2–3).
The testing of our faith also produces life. Jesus told His disciples that, amid opposition, they should “stand firm, and you will win life” (Luke 21:19). Knowing they would all face intense persecution, Jesus said, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22; see also Matthew 24:13).
Thankfully, perseverance does not depend solely on our efforts. As followers of Jesus, the Spirit of God is at work in us, giving us the power and strength to persevere (Philippians 2:13; 4:13; Ephesians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:6; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22; Hebrews 13:21).
Perhaps one of the best biblical examples of a person who developed spiritual maturity by persevering through severe testing of faith was the Old Testament character Joseph. He was tricked by his brothers and sold into slavery (Genesis 37:1–36), framed by Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:12–36), and forgotten in prison (Genesis 40:23). But God was working in Joseph through his hardships, fulfilling a plan to save his family and the future nation of Israel. Yet, it wasn’t until many years later that Joseph could see God’s hand in his trials. But then he could say to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20). God permitted the testing of Joseph’s faith to produce perseverance, which finished its work by making him “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” What’s more, Joseph’s determined, steadfast endurance brought about “the saving of many lives.”
Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” In order to understand Paul’s words, we must first look at the context.
The book of Philippians is a letter from the apostle Paul to the church in Philippi. In the epistle, Paul encourages the church, gives them advice, prescribes the life Christians should lead, and more. At the beginning of chapter 1, Paul opens with greetings to the church, letting them know how much he yearns for them (Philippians 1:1–8). He then goes on to speak of his current imprisonment in Rome and attempts to put the minds of the church members at ease (verses 12–14). Paul knows his suffering is happening for a reason, and that reason is to further the message of Christ: “What has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel” (verse 12).
In Philippians 1:19–20, we see the contextual setup for Paul’s “to die is gain” statement. Up to this time, Paul had already suffered much in his missionary journeys. He was beaten, stoned, hated and derided, shipwrecked, and now imprisoned. But Paul found joy in his afflictions, because they had strengthened his faith exponentially and allowed him to serve as a strong witness for Christ. Preaching and living out the Word of God was Paul’s highest goal, and these events had provided him with ample opportunities for evangelism. He literally presented his body “as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) for God’s kingdom. Because he had faithfully run the race set before him (Hebrews 12:1), he knew God would be honored through both his life and his death (Philippians 1:19–20).
This brings us to Paul’s statement, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). As Christians, our whole lives are to bring glory to God, and Paul had the assurance that, even in his suffering, he was accomplishing that goal (“to live is Christ”). But, as we see in the second part of the verse, Paul knew that his death would bring glory to God as well—and not only that, but it would also be the time when his faith would come to fruition and he would live with his Savior forever (“to die is gain”). Paul longed for the day when death would bring him face to face with Jesus (verse 23.)
All Christians feel the pull of heaven and yearn for an eternity with Christ. Heaven will be far better than our earthly life, for we will be present with our Savior in a place devoid of sin, sickness, and death (2 Corinthians 5:8). What we lose in life we will gain in heaven. Before that time comes, our purpose on Earth is to live as a light of hope in the darkness of sin and death (Matthew 5:16). We live a life of sacrifice so we may be assured, as Paul was, that even our death will glorify Christ Jesus.
Several places in the Bible speak of being crucified with Christ or having died with Christ: for example, Colossians 2:20; 3:3; and 2 Timothy 2:11. An extended discussion on the subject is found in Romans 6:3–14. Since no believer was literally crucified with Christ, the phrase crucified with Christ is symbolic for a spiritual truth.
Galatians 2:20 is a key passage: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
The context of Galatians 2 is how the believer is made right with God. False teachers were telling the Galatian churches that faith in Christ was not enough. To be saved, they said, believers must also be circumcised and become “Jewish.” Only then would they be wholly right with God. In Galatians 2:15–16 Paul counters that idea: “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”
Paul says, “Through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God” (Galatians 2:19). While Paul was trying to please God by keeping the Law, he was not really living for God. The more he tried to keep the Law, the more he saw how much he failed. It was only when he gave up trying to achieve righteousness on his own and accepted the righteousness of God by faith in Christ that he truly began living for God. Justification by faithactually makes it possible to live for God.
Being crucified with Christ means that we are no longer under the penalty of the Law. That penalty was paid by Christ on our behalf. When Christ was crucified, it was as if we were crucified with Him. The penalty was fully paid—just as surely as if we had been crucified for our own sins. When Christ rose from the dead, we rose, too. Now the risen Christ empowers us to live for Him in a way that pleases God. We used to seek life through our own works, but now we “live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20).
Being crucified with Christ means that we are new creations. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old life is dead and gone. We walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
Being crucified with Christ means that we have a new love. The lusts of the flesh and the love of the things of this world have been crucified (Galatians 5:24). Now we love Christ, though we have not seen Him (1 Peter 1:8).
Being crucified with Christ means that we have a new commitment. We are dedicated to the service and glory of the Lord, and that dedication destroys selfishness and surpasses ties to family and friends. We have taken up our cross to follow Him (Matthew 10:38).
Being crucified with Christ means that we have a new way of life. At one time we “followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2). But that way of life was nailed to the cross. Now we follow Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and we seek to please Him in every way (Hebrews 12:2).
The idea of being crucified with Christ emphasizes our union with Him and His death on our behalf. We trust in Christ’s crucifixion as payment for our sin penalty, and we rely on His power to live in a way that pleases God. The emphasis is on what He has done for us, not what we have to do for God. Too often, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is Christ who lives in me” becomes “I need to crucify my sinful desires and try harder to live for God.” When this becomes our perspective, we have slipped out of grace-living and back into law-living, and we minimize the power of Christ’s death for us. We are relying less upon the power of Christ and more upon our own power—and that will never work out well!
In short, Galatians 2:20 tells us how we escaped the penalty of sin to live a life that pleases God. Knowing that we are “crucified with Christ” should give us great encouragement in our Christian walk. We have the power to say “no” to sin and “yes” to God.
In Philippians 3:12–16, the apostle Paul compares the Christian life to a disciplined athlete running a race. Although he has not reached the finish line yet, Paul explains, “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14, ESV).
Paul is laser-focused on one goal, one prize—the upward call of God. This call is the heavenward journey of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. It pulls us ever closer toward Christian maturity as we “are being transformed into his [Christ’s] image with ever-increasing glory” by the Holy Spirit’s power (2 Corinthians 3:18). Paul describes the upward call of God to the Romans like this: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29). Eventually, we will reach our goal and win the prize when we meet Jesus in eternity, for we “shall bear the image of the heavenly man” (1 Corinthians 15:49).
Paul discusses the need for spiritual discipline in the upward call of God. Again, he relates it to the strict training of an Olympian runner: “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27, NLT).
Both discipline and unwavering determination are required for the upward call of God: “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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1–2).
We keep our eyes on Jesus because intimate knowledge of Him is our goal. He is the groundbreaking pioneer of the upward call of God. He blazed the trail for us through His life, ministry, and journey to the cross. Jesus showed us how to live for God, exemplifying perfect obedience to the Father (John 4:34; 5:30; Luke 22:42). His example inspires us on our ascending path toward heaven. He is the author and perfector of our faith. The Lord who began His good work in us “will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
A primary function of the New Testament church is to aid believers in the upward call of God: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:11–16). Together, through participation in the body of Christ, we are better equipped to follow the upward call of God.
The writer of Hebrews encourages Christians to dig deep into the study of God’s Word (Hebrews 5:12–14). As we immerse ourselves in Scripture, we graduate from milk to solid spiritual food. We progress “beyond the elementary teachings about Christ” and move “forward to maturity” in the upward call of God (Hebrews 6:1).
The goal and the prize of the upward call of God are one in the same—complete, profound, experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ. While the Christian life embodies this process, its fulfillment is still to come. In the meantime, we press on, developing our gifts in the church and growing in our relationship with Jesus until we fully experience the reality of knowing Christ at His future unveiling (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2).
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).
“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.
The life of Jesus Christ exemplified obedience. He came to earth to fulfill His heavenly Father’s will no matter how painful the task set before Him. Nonetheless, Jesus spoke honestly with God when faced with His crucifixion: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me” (Luke 22:42, NLT). In His human state, Jesus did not want to endure a torturous death. Yet in the same breath, He prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
This scene in Gethsemane records one of the most desperate hours of anguish in the life of Christ (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:40–46). He told His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death” (Mark 14:34). Worse than the thought of death, Jesus, in His humanity, must have dreaded the thought of bearing the sins of the world (1 Peter 2:24). In the garden, the Lord fell to the ground flat on His face and offered God this desperate cry of His soul: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
Christ’s words and actions here serve as a great comfort to us, His followers. God wants His children to pour out their hearts to Him in sincerity (Psalm 62:8). He is our refuge, our safe haven. Like Jesus, we can reveal the deepest longings in our hearts to our loving heavenly Father. He knows what we are feeling, and we can trust Him to carry the burdens of our souls.
Facing the cross, Jesus was able to pray, “Not my will, but yours be done” because He was wholly submitted to His Father’s will. “My food,” He had said, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). “By myself I can do nothing,” explained Jesus, “for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (John 5:30).
Obedience to God’s will was central to Christ’s mission. He told His disciples, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). Hundreds of years before, Scripture foretold Christ’s destiny to come to earth and do God’s will (Hebrews 10:5–7; cf. Psalm 40:6–8).
For Christ’s followers, “Not my will, but yours be done” is the definitive prayer that never fails. According to 1 John 5:14–15, we can pray with confidence “if we ask according to his will.” Praying God’s will guarantees that He hears us and will grant what we ask. In fact, one of the primary purposes of prayer is to allow the will of God to be accomplished and to bring glory and honor to His name on earth. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9–10). Those who pray this way, desiring God’s will above all else, reveal that they are indeed Christ’s disciples (Matthew 7:21; see also Matthew 12:50; Mark 3:35; Luke 8:21; John 15:10; Ephesians 6:6).
The apostle Paul encouraged Christians to seek the Holy Spirit’s help to pray in agreement with God’s will: “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will” (Romans 8:26–27, NLT). Paul also urged believers to “learn to know God’s will” for their lives because God’s will “is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2, NLT).
When Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours be done,” He surrendered His own will to God’s, fully convinced that His Father knew what was best. When we pray this way, we yield ourselves to God’s wisdom, trusting Him to work out what’s best for our lives, too (Romans 8:28).
Jesus states how He has been given the authority to judge by the Father. In John 5:22–23, He says, “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 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.” Yes, Jesus came into the world to save those who put their trust in Him (John 3:16), but His coming also brought judgment (John 9:39). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus brought judgment to Satan (John 12:31–33). Furthermore, unbelievers will ultimately be judged by the Lord Jesus.
Jesus will act as judge over believers and unbelievers. At the Bema Seat of Christ, He will judge believers’ works after salvation to determine reward or loss of reward (1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10). This judgment has nothing to do with salvation, as believers’ eternal destiny is secure in Jesus (Ephesians 1:13–14). Rather, believers will receive rewards according to how faithfully they served Christ (Luke 19:12–27; 1 Corinthians 3:12–15). In contrast, unbelievers will be judged by Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11–15). Again, this judgment has nothing to do with their eternal destiny—at that point, unbelievers have already sealed their fate by rejecting Jesus. The Great White Throne Judgment determines the severity of unbelievers’ punishment based on what they did in life (Revelation 20:12). Notably, all of the people at this judgment are thrown into the lake of fire because their names were not found in the book of life, which means they rejected Christ’s free gift of salvation (Revelation 20:15).
Another judgment that Jesus will preside over is referred to as the Sheep and Goat Judgment or the Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25:31–46). Some interpreters equate this judgment with the Great White Throne Judgment, but there are many notable differences, a major one being that the judgment is based on how people treated Jesus’ “brothers,” that is, the people of Israel (Matthew 25:40). Considering its placement after Jesus’ second coming, the Sheep and Goat Judgment will most likely determine the earthly fate of those who are alive at the time of Christ’s return (Matthew 25:1–30). During this judgment, Jesus will separate the “sheep” from the “goats.” The sheep are believers who gave evidence to their faith by helping the Jewish people during the tribulation; the goats are unbelievers who portrayed their unbelief by failing to help Jews during the tribulation (Matthew 25:33–36, 41–43). Those who rejected Christ and took the side of the beast during the tribulation “will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).
Because Jesus is both God and man, He is the perfect judge of mankind. His judgment will be fair and perfectly just and not subject to appeal (Acts 17:31). He is not like sinful human rulers who at times judge unfairly and seek to fulfill their own agendas. Instead, Jesus states, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 5:30, ESV). We can be assured that Jesus is a fair judge and will enact judgment according to His wisdom and righteousness (Isaiah 11:3–4; John 8:15–16; Revelation 19:11). The Son of God will transform a world full of injustice into a place of peace and safety. No more will the guilty go free; no more will the innocent suffer: “He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37:6).
Scripture gives us a reason not to judge one another: “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. . . . So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10b–12, ESV). None of us are qualified to be the Judge. Only the Lord Jesus is qualified, and all judgment has been entrusted to Him (John 5:22). We will all stand some day before the judgment seat of Christ.
The judgment seat of Christ involves a time in the future when believers will give an account of themselves to Christ. This is the plain teaching of Scripture: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). The warning is to Christians, not unbelievers. As Jesus taught in His parable, the king is going to return, at which time he will require an account from his servants (Luke 19:11–26).
The judgment seat of Christ is different from the Great White Throne Judgment. That will be the final judgment of the wicked prior to their being cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11–15). Appearing before the Great White Throne will be unbelievers. Believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
The judgment seat of Christ does not determine our salvation; that matter was settled by Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf (1 John 2:2) and our faith in Him (John 3:16). All our sins are forgiven, and there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24, emphasis added).
So, believers are secure in Christ, but they still must appear before the judgment seat of Christ. It will be a time of examination and a time of reward. Jesus will inspect our works. What did we do with the resources God gave us? How faithful were we? Were we yielded to the Spirit, seeking to honor Christ and further His work in the world? If so, we will have reward (see Matthew 10:41–42). Did we neglect our opportunities to serve the Lord? If so, we will suffer loss of reward. Paul likens our Christian service to erecting a building:
Each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames (1 Corinthians 3:10b–15).
Note, in the above passage, that our works subsequent to Christ’s salvation are of two different types—good and bad. The “fire” of God’s scrutiny will reveal the quality of our works. As Arthur Pink points out, “‘Gold, silver, precious stones’ are of intrinsic value, whereas ‘wood, hay, stubble’ are a natural growth” (The Redeemer’s Return, ch. 8, pt. 5). Rewards are distributed to those whose works withstand the test. Those whose works have a natural source will “suffer loss.” Their works will be burned up, but they themselves “will be saved.” The judgment seat of Christ, then, does not confer or rescind salvation.
The judgment seat of Christ is also not a time to punish sin. Jesus took our punishment once and for all. The judgment seat of Christ is a time when we will be called on to report, to render an accounting of what we did for Jesus. It will be a serious and necessary time of reckoning, but, as God’s redeemed, we will never be condemned with the wicked. As one theologian put it, “It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the judgment is unrelated to the problem of sin, that it is more for the bestowing of rewards than the rejection of failure” (Chafer, L. S., Systematic Theology, Vol. IV: Ecclesiology-Eschatology, Dallas Seminary Press, 1948, p. 406).
In the Greek, a single word is used for “judgment seat” in Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10—the word is bema. A bema was a raised platform on which judges sat to view athletic games. Their job was to make sure contestants followed the rules and to present awards to the victors (see 1 Corinthians 9:24–27). The bema was never a place to reprimand the athletes or to punish them in any way. It was a place of testing and reward. In the same way, the bema of Christ will not be a place of condemnation or censure.
In anticipation of the judgment seat of Christ, we are careful in what we say and do in this life. James gives this advice: “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom” (James 2:12; cf. Matthew 12:36). We want to give our account with joy on that day, and that is why we strive to serve the Lord faithfully today.
The Bible speaks of believers receiving crowns for different things. The various crowns are described in 2 Timothy 2:5, 2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, and Revelation 2:10. We believe the judgment seat of Christ is when the crowns will be awarded, and this will take place in heaven soon after the rapture of the church (as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).
At the very end of the Bible, Jesus said, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done” (Revelation 22:12). In preparation for the judgment seat of Christ, what are you choosing to “build” with? Gold, silver, and precious stones—things that will last? Or wood, hay, and straw—things that will not stand the day of testing?
There are several references to the throne of God in the Bible. Jesus calls heaven “God’s throne” in Matthew 5:34, recalling God’s statement in Isaiah 66:1, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” Other references to God’s throne are found in 2 Chronicles 18:18; Psalm 11:4; Hebrews 8:1; 12:2; Revelation 1:4; 3:21; 4:2; and many other verses.
A throne is a special seat reserved for a monarch. When the Bible speaks of God’s “throne,” the emphasis is on God’s transcendence, dignity, and sovereign rule. The fact that His throne is in heaven further underscores the transcendent nature of God’s existence.
The throne of God need not be thought of as a literal throne. God the Father is incorporeal (John 4:24). Not having a physical body, God does not literally “sit.” References to a divine throne are akin to biblical allusions to God’s “hand” or “mouth” or “eyes”—they are anthropomorphisms, descriptions of God couched in human terms out of deference to our limited knowledge. God has to describe Himself in ways we can understand.
Isaiah sees the Lord “high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1). At that time, the prophet was having an inspired vision. God’s throne (and His robe) are not to be taken as literal, physical objects. Rather, God was communicating to Isaiah the magnificence, splendor, and exaltation of His Being. Other descriptions of the throne of God are found in other prophetic visions, e.g., in those of Ezekiel and John.
God’s throne is a place of power and authority. In 2 Chronicles 18:18, the prophet Micaiah relates his vision of God’s throne room, in which spirit beings stand in attendance. Compare this to Job 1:6, where God demands answers from the angelic beings summoned there.
God’s throne is a place of majesty and honor. The Bible says that, when Jesus ascended to heaven, He “sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). There is no higher place than heaven. God is the King of heaven, and Jesus holds the place of honor at God’s right hand.
God’s throne is a place of perfect justice. “He has prepared His throne for judgment” (Psalm 9:7; cf. 89:14). The final judgment, described in Revelation 20, is held before “a great white throne” (verse 11).
God’s throne is a place of sovereignty and holiness. “God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne” (Psalm 47:8; cf. 103:19). He does whatever He pleases, and all He does is good.
God’s throne is a place of praise. John’s vision of heaven includes a scene in which a “new song” is sung in praise to the One who occupies the throne (Revelation 14:3). Around the throne, the praise of God is surely “glorious” (Psalm 66:2).
God’s throne is a place of purity. Only the redeemed, those who have been granted the righteousness of Christ, will have the right to stand before His throne (Revelation 14:5).
God’s throne is a place of eternal life. God is the Source of life. In heaven, John sees “the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1).
God’s throne is a place of grace. Not only does the throne of God represent judgment for the unbeliever, but it also represents mercy and grace for His children. “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 4:16). Inside the Jewish temple was the Ark of the Covenant, which was a “copy of the true” (Hebrews 9:24), and it had a “mercy seat” where God’s presence would appear (Leviticus 16:2, ESV).
One day, all creation will bow to the majesty of God’s throne (Philippians 2:9–11). The regal beings surrounding the throne of God will “lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power’” (Revelation 4:10–11).
The tabernacle built by Moses and, later, Solomon’s temple were divided into the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (or Holy of Holies). To understand these places, it will help if we first understand the concept of “holy.” At its most basic meaning, holy simply means “set apart” or even “different.” God is holy because He is absolutely different, completely set apart from everything else. He is completely different from all other things that are called “gods.” He is also completely set apart from sin, which is probably the concept that most people associate with God’s holiness. This example may help explain the concept further: the word bible is simply from the Latin for “book.” Although the word Bible has become a technical (or semi-technical) term for the Word of God, the term itself just means “book.” There are many books in the world. That is why on the cover or the title page we often see the official title as “Holy Bible.” In other words, there are many bibles (books), but this Book (Bible) is holy; that is, it is different, set apart from all other books, because it is the Word of God.
The Holy Place and the Most Holy Place were first and foremost places that were set apart. They were completely different from any other place on Earth, because the presence of God was uniquely present there. The Israelites were forbidden from making any images to represent God (Exodus 20:4–5). However, human beings are physical and visual, so God did give the Israelites an object that would help them sense His presence among them—the tabernacle (a tent that served as a portable temple), which was later replaced by a grand temple in Jerusalem. The Holy Place and Most Holy Place function the same in both settings.
The whole tabernacle was holy in that it was set apart for worship and sacrifices to God. However, the tabernacle was separated into 3 areas, the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place (or Holy of Holies). Priests and Levites ministered in the Outer Court as they offered sacrifices for sin and guilt as well as the other sacrifices. In the center of the Outer Court was a tent that only the priests could enter. This place was set apart—it was holy.
The tabernacle had only one entrance. Upon entering, a priest would be in the Holy Place, where there were three articles of furniture. One was the golden lampstand, which was to be kept burning continually, giving light to the Holy Place. The second article of furniture in the Holy Place was the table for the bread of presence (or the table of showbread). This bread was baked fresh every week, and only the priests were allowed to eat of it as it was holy as well. Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of both of these symbols as the Light of the World (John 8:12) and the Bread of Life (John 6:35). The final article in the Holy Place was the altar of incense. Special incense was to be burned each morning and evening as an offering to the Lord. The Holy Place was set apart (holy) because it was a special representation and reminder of the presence of God.
At the back of the Holy Place was a smaller chamber called the Holy of Holies or Most Holy Place. In this smaller room was the ark of the covenant. On top of the ark was a special area called the mercy seat. This was seen as the throne of God. While God is omnipresent, this location was seen as a special place for God to dwell in the middle of His people. This second chamber could only be entered by the high priest on one day of the year, the Day of Atonement, and only with a blood sacrifice. The high priest would enter the Most Holy Place with smoke (from the altar of incense) to help shield his view and sprinkle blood on the ark of the covenant to atone for the sins of the people. Anyone who entered this chamber when he was not supposed to would be killed.
The tabernacle and the temple emphasized the presence of God in the midst of His people. God was always there and accessible. At the same time, the Holy Place and Most Holy Place emphasized God’s holiness and His inaccessibility due to the sins of the people.
When Jesus died on the cross, three Gospels report that the curtain of the temple, that barrier between the Holy Place and Most Holy Place, was supernaturally torn in two (see Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; and Luke 23:45). The torn curtain symbolized that the way to God was now open to all through the death of Christ. The blood of an animal was no longer needed. Hebrews 10:19–22a explains, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings.”
In John 1:1, the apostle John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In this statement, John reveals three things about the Word (Gk. Logos): that in the beginning, when the world was created, He existed; that He existed with God; and that He was in fact God and therefore made all things. In other words, the Logos existed eternally, distinct from the Father, yet equal to the Father.
In the beginning reminds every reader of Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Both in Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1a, the word beginning refers to the origin of all things, and it is by the Word of God that all things came to be (Genesis 1; John 1:3–4). John uses the word Logos to refer to God’s “divine self-expression” (cf. Hebrews 1:3). If the Word created all things, then it follows that the Word is uncreated. By definition, God is the only uncreated being. Therefore, the Word is God (John 1:1c).
Some have argued that John 1:1c should be translated as “and the Word was a god” because the Greek text lacks a definite article before theos (“God”). They reason, therefore, that the Word was divine but not God. This is unacceptable for the following reasons:
1. The Greek word for “divine” is theios not theos.
2. There are many New Testament passages where a definite article does not precede a subject and yet the subject is specific. For example, in John 1:49 (“you are the King of Israel”), there is not a definite article before King in the original text.
3. In John 1:1b, theos clearly refers to the one true God. Therefore, 1:1c must also refer to the one true God rather than a lesser god.
4. In John 1:1c, the Word is the subject of the sentence, and God is part of the predicate complementing the subject. The word was is a linking verb, or an equative. Thus, the Word is equal to God.
The question arises that, if the Word is God, how can He be with God? Does this mean that there are two gods? The Greek text gives the answer. In John 1:1b, the preposition for “with” is pros, which means “to” or “towards.” The same preposition is used elsewhere in the New Testament (Mark 6:3; 14:49; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philemon 1:13; 1 John 1:2). In these passages, pros shows the relation of two persons who are with each other, usually in a close and intimate way. Hence, the Word is inseparable from God yet distinguishable from God (John 17:5). In other words, God the Son has the same essence as God the Father, but they are not the same person. As the Athanasian Creed says, “We worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being.”
The Word of John 1:1 is plainly identified as Jesus in John 1:14: “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.” In this way, God’s ultimate self-expression made His way to the cross to lay down His life for ours (John 10:11, 15).
The relationship between God and Jesus is eternal and intimately personal. The works of Christ are the works of God. The words of Jesus are the words of His heavenly Father. Because they are one, Jesus reveals the heart and mind of God to us (John 14:9–10). The author of Hebrews explains: “In these last days he [God the Father] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:2–3, ESV).
Jesus, who is the Word, was with God in every sense of the word. Not only is Christ the image of the invisible God (2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15), but He and the Father are one nature and essence (John 10:30). Jesus prayed for His followers to share in this same inseparable, face-to-face union: “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one” (John 17:21–22, NLT).
When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58), He was claiming to be God. There was no doubt among the Jewish people that these words were a declaration of deity, for they reacted by picking up rocks to stone Jesus for blasphemy according to Mosaic Law (Leviticus 24:16).
English readers may have to dig under the surface to understand the apostle’s statement that “the Word was with God” expresses the deity of Jesus Christ and His inseparable oneness with God the Father. But in John’s first epistle, his meaning couldn’t be more evident: “And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life” (1 John 5:20, NLT).
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: “Our 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). 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).
Matthew 12 is a pivotal chapter in the narrative of Jesus’ earthly ministry and one that includes Jesus’ notable statement that “he who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matthew 12:30, NKJV).
Up to the point when Jesus says, “He who is not with Me is against Me,” He had been proclaiming the good news about the kingdom that He was offering, but in Matthew 12He and His kingdom are rejected—particularly by the leaders of the nation. The situation comes to a head when Jesus heals a blind and mute man (Matthew 12:22). The crowds were in awe and were wondering whether He might be the Son of David, the Messiah (Matthew 12:23). The Pharisees, on the other hand, quickly rejected Jesus’ healing work as Messianic and instead asserted that Jesus had healed the man by demonic power (Matthew 12:24). Jesus challenged the absurdity of this critique and the failed logic of a divided kingdom and Satan fighting against Satan (Matthew 12:26–29). He then presented them with a dilemma, asking in whose power their sons cast out demons (Matthew 12:27).
The point Jesus was making was that, if Jesus was casting out demons in the power of God, as He was claiming to do,
then indeed the kingdom
He was presenting had come because
the King had come
(Matthew 12:28).
Jesus then took it one step further by saying that
“he who is not with Me is against Me.”
The people had to make a choice.
Their Messiah had come, offering to them the prophesied and
covenanted kingdom of the heavens
(which was ultimately
God’s kingdom in the heavens come to earth in fulfillment of
God’s covenant to David, with the
Messiah ruling on David’s throne in Jerusalem).
Jesus was the Messiah,
and He was presenting His kingdom to the people.
They had to choose—if they were for Him, they would have to
change their mind (repent) about how they could
gain entrance into the kingdom
(Matthew 4:17).
They would have to recognize that they could
only enter the kingdom by the
internal spiritual righteousness Jesus described,
and not by their
external obedience to the Law of Moses
(Matthew 5—7).
The Pharisees and other leaders were
deeply opposed
to changing their minds about these things;
they could not accept that
He was the Messiah,
lest they have to submit to what He was telling them.
Their rebellion illustrated Jesus’ statement that
“he who is not with Me is against Me”
(Matthew 12:30).
Like the Pharisees of that era,
we also have a choice to make about Jesus.
Jesus famously asked the question of His disciples,
“But who do you say that I am?”
(Matthew 16:15).
Each one of us has to answer that question for ourselves.
Either we acknowledge that He is who He said
He is—the Messiah--
or we reject that and attribute
His words and works
to something other than
the true ministry of
our Creator, Messiah, Savior, and King.
With this choice there is no third option. Jesus did not give His listeners the option of avoiding the choice. “He who is not with Me is against Me,” He said. And if we claim to be for Him, then we must come to Him as He prescribes and not as we might prefer.
The Pharisees were open to God’s involvement
in their lives and the lives of the nation of Israel,
but only on their own terms.
As creations of the Creator,
we don’t get to make the rules; we simply have to
decide whether we are for Him or against Him.
Matthew 12:22-37Jesus cures a man whom *demons controlled
We can read about another event that happened about this time. It shows us what some people thought about Jesus. Men brought a man to Jesus.
The man was blind and could not speak.
Demons controlled him. Jesus immediately cured him.
Then he could both talk and see. This miracle astonished the crowds. However, some Pharisees said,
‘No! This man sends demons away by the
power of Beelzebub [the devil],
who is the prince of demons’.
(Matthew 12:24)
To accuse Jesus like this is terrible. Jesus loved and cared for everyone so much. He was very wise. He blessed people. His miracles helped people.
People who could make such statements were foolish or evil.
We could say that they were blind in their spirits.
They were not able to look at Jesus and to understand him.
(There are still people like that today.)
Jesus was not angry with them – as we might be.
He answered them wisely.
Suppose that this was true! Suppose that Jesus cured people with the help of Satan [the devil]. Or, with the help of demons. Then Satan would be fighting against himself.
Satan would be using his power against himself.
Satan would defeat himself. This could not happen.
The *Pharisees themselves tried to cure people who were in the control of *demons. So, Jesus asked this question as a reply to these *Pharisees:
· If Jesus did this with the help of *demons, how did the *Pharisees do it?
*The sin that God will not forgiveJesus also said some other very strong words to them.
Matthew 12:31, 32 And so I tell you this. God can forgive men for every *sin except one. He will not forgive men who speak against the *Holy Spirit. God will forgive anyone who speaks a word against the *Son of Man [Jesus]. God will never forgive anyone who speaks against the *Holy Spirit, now or ever.
People sin when they do not do what God wants. When Jesus died for our *sins, it was for all kinds of *sin. We can think about king David as an example. He took another man’s wife and he murdered the man (1 Samuel 12). God forgave him.
These *Pharisees said that the work of Jesus by the *Holy Spirit was really the devil's work. This is the sin that God can never forgive. Jesus' statement should have made these *Pharisees think! Nobody should say that the work of God is *Satan’s work. God will forgive anyone who is really sorry. But to say that God’s work is *Satan’s work is a different kind of *sin. It means that a person has decided to oppose God. That person has chosen to be very wicked. But Jesus continued:
Matthew 12:33 'A good tree has good fruit. A bad tree has bad fruit.
We know a tree by its fruit.'
If Jesus had been a servant of *Satan, what Jesus did could not be good. It is impossible for a servant of *Satan to do good things.
How do we know whether someone is good or bad?
How do we know whether someone is good or bad? We look at what that person does. We see how that person behaves. A good person speaks good words and does good things. An evil person speaks bad words and does evil things. Everybody had seen how Jesus behaved. They had heard his words. Now we can understand what kind of people these *Pharisees really were.
Evil deeds begin in a person's heartJesus said words like these on another occasion. The *Pharisees declared that Jesus’ *disciples had not obeyed a law. The *disciples did not wash their hands before they ate food. This was not really a part of the Jewish law. It was a tradition of the *Pharisees. Jesus said this:
· Food, which goes into the mouth, does not spoil a man.
· But the things that come out of a man's mouth can spoil that man.
Jesus meant that evil words and ideas make a person bad. He said this:
Matthew 15:18-20 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart. These are the things that make someone ‘unclean’. [By unclean Jesus meant evil, or bad.] All these things begin in a person's heart: [We might use the word 'mind' instead of 'heart' today]
· Evil thoughts
· Murder
· Sex with another man's wife
· Any sex when the couple do not obey God's rules
· Theft [that is, when a person steals something]
· Lies
· Untrue words about other people
This is the behaviour that makes someone ‘unclean’ [evil or bad]. If you do not wash your hands before a meal, that does not make you ‘unclean
’ [evil or bad].
In the discussion, these
Pharisees had really shown their true character.
Jesus knew very well what man is like.
He knew that we all need anew heart with new desires
and new behaviour.
This is what he came to give us.
He gives it to everyone who believes in him.
He gives it to everyone who trusts him.
Many understand the term repentance to mean “a turning from sin.” Regretting sin and turning from it are related to repentance, but are not the precise meaning of the word. In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8–14; Acts 3:19). In summarizing his ministry, Paul declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20). The short biblical definition of repentance is “a change of mind that results in a change of action.”
What, then, is the connection between repentance and salvation? The book of Acts especially focuses on repentance in regard to salvation (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). To repent, concerning salvation, is to change your mind regarding sin and Jesus Christ. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he concludes with a call for the people to repent (Acts 2:38). Repent from what? Peter calls the people who rejected Jesus (Acts 2:36) to change their minds about that sin and to change their minds about Christ Himself, recognizing that He is indeed “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Peter calls the people to change their minds, to abhor their past rejection of Christ, and to embrace faith in Him as their Messiah and Savior.
Repentance
involves recognizing that you
have thought
wrongly in the past and
determining to
think rightly in the future
The repentant person has “second thoughts” about the
mindset he formerly embraced.
There is a change of disposition
and anew way of thinking about
God, about sin, about holiness, and about
doing God’s will.
True repentance
is prompted
by “godly sorrow,”
and
it “leads to salvation”
(2 Corinthians 7:10)
Repentance and faith
can be understood as two sides of the same coin.
It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior
without first changing your mind about your sin and about who
Jesus is and what He has done.
Whether it is repentance from willful rejection or repentance from ignorance or disinterest, it is a change of mind.
Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ.
Repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation.
No one can repent and come to God unless God pulls that person to Himself (John 6:44).
Repentance is something God gives—it is only possible
because of His grace
(Acts 5:31; 11:18).
No one can repent unless God grants repentance.
All of salvation,
including
repentance and faith,
is a
result of God drawing us,
opening our eyes,
and
changing our hearts.
God’s longsuffering leads us to repentance
(2 Peter 3:9), as does His kindness (Romans 2:4).
While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is impossible to truly change your mind without changing your actions in some way. In the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior. That is why John the Baptist called people to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). A person who has truly repented of sin and exercised faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:19–23; James 2:14–26).
To see what repentance looks like in real life, turn to the story of Zacchaeus. Here was a man who cheated and stole and lived lavishly on his ill-gotten gains—until he met Jesus. At that point he had a radical change of mind: “Look, Lord!” said Zacchaeus.
“Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount”
(Luke 19:8).
Jesus happily proclaimed that salvation
had come to Zacchaeus’s house, and that
even the tax collector was now “
a son of Abraham” (verse 9)—a reference to
Zacchaeus’s faith.
The cheat became a philanthropist;
the thief made restitution.
That’s repentance, coupled with faith in Christ.
Repentance, properly defined,
is necessary for salvation.
Biblical repentance
is changing your mind
about your sin--
no longer is sin something to toy with;
it is something to be forsaken as you
“flee from the coming wrath”
(Matthew 3:7).
It is also changing your mind about Jesus Christ--
no longer is He to be mocked, discounted, or ignored;
He is the Savior to be clung to;
He is the Lord to be worshiped and adored.
To convert is to be “born again.” At the moment of conversion, the converted person is filled with the Holy Spirit and begins a journey of turning away from sin and beginning to worship and serve the Lord.
A “false conversion”
is
no conversion at all.
A false conversion
may look like a
true, Spirit-caused conversion,
but it is not.
The reasons for false conversions are varied. Sometimes the person experiencing a false conversion doesn’t even realize it. At other times, there is intentional deception on his/her part.
Not everyone who claims
to have been converted has,
in fact, been converted.
Just as those trained to recognize counterfeit money become intimately acquainted with the real thing, in order to detect a false conversion,
it is necessary to first know what
true
Christian behavior looks like.
We do this by
studying and knowing intimately
God’s Word.
We learn from the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13:24–30 that Satan works to deceive the church by mingling his children with God’s children, often
making it difficult for
believers to discern the
true from the false.
The more we are familiar with Scripture, the easier it will be
for us to detect the
true Christians from the
false converts
True Christians are “born again”
(John 3:3) and are
controlled
by the
Holy Spirit;
they are no longer
controlled
by
their sinful nature
(Romans 8:9)
Indeed, born-again Christians have
the Spirit of Christ
indwelling their hearts
(Galatians 4:6),
and they become new creations:
“The old has gone, the new has come!”
(2 Corinthians 5:17).
When a person receives Christ, tremendous spiritual changes take place in him, and true converts will indeed display the
characteristics of genuine Christians. For example,
true Christians will understand the importance of abiding daily in God’s Word,
which shows not only how we can be saved from our sins, but also how we may be equipped to serve God and how to obtain true success in life (2 Timothy 3:17; James 1:25).
True Christians will walk in the light and obey God’s commands,
for “God’s love is truly made complete” in those who obey His Word
(1 John 2:5).
Christians live by the Spirit so as not to gratify the desires of the sinful nature, “for the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:17). The things of this world, “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does” (1 John 2:16) no longer have a stronghold on the life of the true believer. Indeed, “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24).
We no longer live for us; rather, we live for the One who died for us, sacrificing our desires and ambitions and replacing them with those of Christ. Granted, we will never be completely victorious in our Christian walk (1 John 1:8); however, Christians will not repeatedly engage in sinful behavior, as “no one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed [nature] remains in him” (1 John 3:9). And this new nature exhibits the habitual character of righteousness produced by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).
In Matthew 7:13–14
Christ tells His followers
the road that leads to eternal life
is narrow and that
“only a few find it.”
The broad road with the wide gate, on the other hand, is the one that leads to destruction, and we see that “many” will take this path.
And many who claim to be converted Christians will never leave the broad road with its worldly allurements.
They desire to live an easy Christianity that
makes few demands on them, yet when
“trouble or persecution comes because of the word”
they quickly fall away
(Matthew 13:21).
Furthermore,
they produce little, if any, fruit.
Yet we know that
true faith in Christ
profoundly changes one’s life
and will cause
us to produce much fruit for
God’s glory.
And, ultimately, fruit is the test of true salvation, and this includes holiness (Romans 6:22), Christian character (Galatians 5:22–23), good works (Colossians 1:10), winning others to Christ (Romans 1:13), sharing what we have (Romans 15:25–28; Hebrews 13:16), and praising God (Hebrews 13:15).
As Christ said, “By their fruit you will recognize them. . . .
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:16, 18).
Truly converted sinners have trusted Christ alone and seek to become more and more Christlike all the time. Those who claim to be Christians should display the characteristics of true Christians: sound doctrine, obedience to God’s Word, and love. They should unashamedly work to spread the good news of the gospel, as we are called to do (Matthew 28:19–20), knowing well that they might be mocked and ridiculed by many in these increasingly secular times. And although false Christians may sometimes be able to deceive us, they certainly cannot deceive God, as nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13). At the end of the age, His angels will separate the true from the false Christians.
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).
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).
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 meaning of perfection in the Bible relates to a
state of completeness
or
absolute wholeness.
Biblical perfection involves
freedom from
fault, defect, or shortcoming.
In the New Testament, a Greek term
for “perfection” can also mean “maturity.”
The Bible expresses perfection in at least three different contexts:
the perfection of God,
the perfection of Christ, and
the perfection of humans.
Absolute perfection is a quality that belongs to God alone. Yet only in Matthew 5:48does the Bible explicitly state that God is by nature perfect: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” As God is the perfect being, all that He does is perfect: “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4). His knowledge is perfect (Job 37:16). His way is perfect, and His Word is flawless: “As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 18:30). God’s laws are also perfect (Psalm 19:7; James 1:25). The apostle Paul describes God’s will as perfect: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
In Hebrews 2:10, Scripture says that Jesus was made perfect through suffering: “God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation” (NLT).
As God incarnate, Jesus was already morally perfect. Christ’s suffering and death made Him “perfect” in the sense of qualifying to serve as the faultless high priest for God’s people (Hebrews 7:28). Only through suffering on the cross was Christ able to accomplish the work of redemption and become the perfect, complete, effective Savior of His people (Hebrews 5:9). Jesus was the perfect example of what it means to live in obedience to the Father’s will.
As we read in Matthew 5:48, God’s children are called to be perfect. This does not mean that humans can obtain the same holy perfection as God, for He alone is set apart in holiness (Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 99:9; Exodus 15:11). The call to be perfect is what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1, ESV). As children tend to imitate their parents, God’s children ought to imitate their Lord and reflect His perfection in the way they live.
The idea of spiritual maturity relates closely to the word perfection in the Bible. Humans are not perfect, but followers of Christ are encouraged to seek perfection: “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4, ESV). Paul said that he had not yet obtained perfection but had made it his goal: “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me” (Philippians 3:12, NLT).
Paul knew that perfection for believers would
only be realized in the life to come (verses 13–21).
Perfection is a gift
that humans receive
through the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ:
“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again,
which can never take away sins.
But our High Priest offered himself
to God as a single sacrifice for sins,
good for all time.
Then he sat down in the
place of honor at God’s right hand.
There he waits until his enemies are humbled
and made a footstool under his feet.
For by that one offering he forever made perfect
those who are being made holy”
(Hebrews 10:10–14, NLT).
Another verse that is key to understanding perfection as it relates to the Christian life is 2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.’” Through the grace God offers in Jesus Christ, Christians are perfected in weakness; through participating in the sufferings of Jesus Christ, they are conformed to His image (Matthew 5:10–12; 1 Peter 2:19–25; 3:14; 4:12–19).
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.
Ephesians 2:8–9 is a familiar passage dealing with God’s grace in the matter of salvation: “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.”
Before looking at the meaning of an individual verse (or two), it is important to get a feel for the context. Ephesians was written by Paul to the Christians in the city of Ephesus, which had a significant population of Gentile believers.
Paul spends Ephesians chapter 1 telling them of the incredible blessings they have in Christ. He tells them how they have been chosen and sealed with the Holy Spirit. He also prays that they will fully understand all of the spiritual blessings they have in Christ.
Chapter 2 begins by contrasting the believers’ current position in Christ with their condition outside of Christ—they had been dead in their sins. In Christ they have been reconciled to God, and Jewish and Gentile believers have been reconciled to each other.
Chapter 3 further elaborates on God’s plan to include Gentiles and Jews together in Christ. This unity is something that most people did not expect. Paul then thanks God for all the Ephesian believers, whether Jew or Gentile.
Chapters 4–6 encourage the believers in Ephesus to live up to their position in Christ. “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). These three chapters contain some of the most pointed and practical behavioral guidelines for Christians. Importantly, people do not obey these guidelines in order to become Christians or to become acceptable to God. Rather, they follow these guidelines as a natural part of living out their position in Christ.
This brings us back to Ephesians 2:8–9. The popular notion is that God accepts good people and rejects bad people. Most people, whether in Christianized countries or those steeped in other religions, usually operate under the idea that God accepts or rejects people based on some level of goodness and/or religious performance. The whole book of Ephesians rejects this premise, and Ephesians 2:8–9 specifically refutes it: “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 2:7 says that God has given incredible blessings to those who are in Christ “in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” In other words, God has chosen to save sinners, not based on their goodness but on His kindness. He does this to demonstrate His grace—that is to say His undeserved favor. By definition, grace is a blessing that is undeserved and unwarranted—grace is a gift freely given based on the kind intentions of the giver to a recipient who has no claim to it.
What God has done for believers in Christ is going to bring Him glory, and Ephesians 2:8–9 further explains how He gets all the glory. First, “it is by grace you have been saved.” If we are saved by grace, this means that it is not because we are good or deserving; rather, it is because God is good and gracious.
Second, we are saved “through faith.” In order to be saved, there is a necessary human response to God’s grace. The response is not trying to be “good enough” to be saved. The response is simply trusting (having faith in) God to save on the basis of Christ’s goodness. Furthermore, we must understand that faith is not a good work in itself that God rewards. Faith is simply casting our unworthy selves on the mercy of a kind and forgiving and gracious God.
The next clause in Ephesians 2:8–9 is a little more difficult to understand: “And this is not from yourselves.” The interpretive issue is what the word this is referring to. Some interpreters think that it refers to faith. Thus, the verse could be paraphrased, “You have been saved by grace through faith, and even this faith is not from within you.” Those who accept this interpretation emphasize that, without the work of God in our lives, we could not even believe the gospel in order to be saved. Undoubtedly, this is true, but it may not be the best interpretation of this particular verse. The reason is that the gender of the word this (in Greek) does not match the gender of the word faith, which would normally be the case if this was a pronoun referring to faith.
Some will take this to refer to grace. Undoubtedly, the meaning is true as well. Grace, by definition, is from God and not from within ourselves; however, grammatically, there is the same problem with making the pronoun thisrefer to grace as to faith—the genders do not match. The same is true if this refers back to the phrase have been saved.
The best explanation is that this refers to the whole plan and process of “salvation by grace through faith,” rather than any specific element of it—although, admittedly, the bottom line is hardly any different. Salvation-by-grace-through-faith is not from ourselves but is “a gift of God, not of works.” Once again, the nature of grace is reiterated. This whole plan and process of salvation comes from God as a gift, not from ourselves as the result of works or good things that we have done.
The result of the process is “so that no one can boast.” In Ephesians 1:14, we are told that the salvation explained in verses 3–14 is “to the praise of His [God’s] glory.” If the plan and process of salvation were from ourselves, based on our good works, then, when we achieved the necessary level of goodness to warrant salvation, we could boast. “I did it!” we might say, or, “I gave it my all and overcame tremendous obstacles, but I finally ascended to the highest levels of goodness and holiness, and God gave me what I deserved!” And we could look down on those who did not make it: “Those others failed because they lacked the fortitude, insight, and piety that I cultivated.” Boasting would abound. If the plan and process of salvation were based on human works, then we would elevate ourselves over other people and even in some sense over God Himself, because our salvation was our own doing, not His. Ephesians 2:8–9 says an emphatic NO. The plan and process of salvation is from God as a gift, it is by grace, and it is accessed through faith in God’s promises in Christ. Nothing about salvation is worked up from within ourselves, and it is not based on good things we do. Boasting in our own achievements is out of place, but, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:17, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Many people memorize Ephesians 2:8–9, and it is an excellent synopsis of the gospel, but the passage does not end at verse 9. Verse 10 is necessary to complete the thought. Someone might wonder what place good works have in the life of a Christian. We have already seen that chapters 4–6 are all about good works and right behavior. Just as chapters 4–6 come after chapters 1–3, so Ephesians 2:10 comes after Ephesians 2:8–9, not only sequentially but also conceptually and chronologically. We are not saved by doing good works, but we are saved for the purpose of doing good works: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Good works are a vital part of the Christian life because doing good is one of the reasons God saves us—He has things for us to do. But the sequence is all-important—good works are not the cause of salvation but the purpose of it. God saves us so that we can go into the world, doing good works in His name, and this brings Him all the more glory (cf. Matthew 5:16).
Given the truth of Ephesians 2:8–9, it is crucial to ask oneself, “What do I rely on for my salvation?” Are you relying upon good things you have done, or do you recognize that you have nothing to contribute and simply cast yourself upon the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ?
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.
This world is a battleground. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:17-19), the world God created has been in conflict with Him (Romans 8:20-22). Satan is called the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and due to Adam’s sin, we are born on his team (Romans 5:12). John Bunyan pictured this conflict in his allegory The Holy War. Prince Emmanuel besieges the city of Mansoul to wrest it from the power of Diabolus. Unfortunately, the citizens of Mansoul are blindly committed to Diabolus and fight against Emmanuel, to their own detriment.
When we reach the age when we can make moral choices, we must choose whether to follow our own sinful inclinations or to seek God (see Joshua 24:15). God promises that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). When we find Him, we have a choice to make: do we continue following our own inclinations, or do we surrender to His will?
Surrender is a battle term. It implies giving up all rights to the conqueror. When an opposing army surrenders, they lay down their arms, and the winners take control from then on. Surrendering to God works the same way. God has a plan for our lives, and surrendering to Him means we set aside our own plans and eagerly seek His. The good news is that God’s plan for us is always in our best interest (Jeremiah 29:11), unlike our own plans that often lead to destruction (Proverbs 14:12). Our Lord is a wise and beneficent victor; He conquers us to bless us.
There are different levels of surrender, all of which affect our relationship with God. Initial surrender to the drawing of the Holy Spirit leads to salvation (John 6:44; Acts 2:21). When we let go of our own attempts to earn God’s favor and rely upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, we become a child of God (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21). But there are times of greater surrender during a Christian’s life that bring deeper intimacy with God and greater power in service. The more areas of our lives we surrender to Him, the more room there is for the filling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we exhibit traits of His character (Galatians 5:22). The more we surrender to God, the more our old self-worshiping nature is replaced with one that resembles Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Romans 6:13 says that God demands that we surrender the totality of our selves; He wants the whole, not a part: “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Jesus said that His followers must deny themselves (Mark 8:34)—another call to surrender.
The goal of the Christian life can be summed up by Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Such a life of surrender is pleasing to God, results in the greatest human fulfillment, and will reap ultimate rewards in heaven (Luke 6:22-23).
The apostle Paul’s singular ambition in life was to know Jesus Christ experientially. More than merely acquiring superficial head-knowledge, Paul wanted to connect with Jesus on the closest possible relational level: “My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10, HCSB).
Nothing else in life mattered to Paul. He was willing to lose every earthly possession and pursuit for the sake of intimately knowing Christ (Philippians 3:7). He considered “everything else worthless,” labeling it “garbage” compared to “the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” His supreme objective was to “gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). For Paul, to experience a relationship with Jesus in this way meant sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings, even if that meant death.
In Galatians 2:20, Paul reiterated his desire to share in a dynamic, all-in union with Jesus: “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). Paul taught believers that “the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:5, NLT).
The early apostles believed that participating in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering was part of our preparation for sharing in His future glory. To his student Timothy, Paul explained, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12, NLT). Peter urged believers not to “be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world” (1 Peter 4:12–13, NLT).
In Philippians 2:5–11, Paul told believers to have the same attitude or mindset as Christ. Our preparation for heaven involves becoming like Christ, being conformed into His image (Romans 8:29; Philippians 3:21). Jesus embodied humility and obedience to God as He walked a path to death. The very purpose God sent His Son was to suffer and die for us that we might be saved (1 John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). To be like Christ, we must enter the fellowship of His suffering and death “so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10, NLT). Paul informed Christians in Colossae, “I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church” (Colossians 1:24, NLT).
We should not be shocked to encounter trials in this life because following Jesus inevitably leads to the cross. One commentator urged, “We must be ready for—and we cannot hope to avoid—the downward path of the Crucified” (Motyer, J., The Message of Philippians, InterVarsity Press, 1984, p. 169). Jesus told His disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24, NLT).
Taking up our cross means being willing to surrender our lives and even die for the sake of following Christ. Jesus didn’t paint a rosy picture of discipleship. Instead, He said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” (Luke 9:24–25, NLT).
Just before Paul spoke of the “fellowship of His sufferings,” he said his goal was to know Christ “and the power of His resurrection.” As we share in hardship and persecution on our downward path to the cross, Jesus is our co-companion on the journey. He promises never to leave us alone (Matthew 28:20). Christ is a living Savior who pledges to impart His resurrection power and give us the strength to endure and even overcome (Romans 8:11; Philippians 3:10; John 16:33).
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Let’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean in this verse. Many people interpret the “cross” to be taken up as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness, etc. With self-pitying pride, they look at their difficulty and say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an idea is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”
When a person carried a cross in Jesus’ day, no one thought of it as a persistent annoyance or symbolic burden. To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by crucifixion. To carry a cross was to face the most painful and humiliating means of death human beings could develop.
Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day the cross represented a torturous death. The Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion (see John 19:17). Bearing a cross meant one was about to die, and that one would face ridicule and disgrace along the way.
Therefore, Jesus’ command to “take up your cross and follow Me” is a call to self-abasement and self-sacrifice. One must be willing to die in order to follow Jesus. Dying to self is an absolute surrender to God.
After Jesus commanded cross-bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:25–26). Although the call to take up our cross is tough, the reward is matchless. Nothing in this world is worth passing up eternal life.
Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Their view of who the Messiah really was—and what He would do—was often distorted. They thought the Christ would immediately usher in the restored kingdom (Luke 19:11). They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Some hoped He would continue to provide free lunches for everyone (John 6:26). Jesus’ statement that following Him requires taking up a cross made people think twice about their motivations and level of commitment.
In Luke 9:57–62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus. When Jesus pressed them, however, their commitment was shown to be half-hearted at best. They failed to count the cost of following Him. None were willing to take up their cross and crucify upon it their own interests.
Jesus’ apparent attempts to dissuade people from following Him surely limited the number of false converts and insincere disciples (see John 6:66). But God seeks “true worshipers [who] will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). Jesus’ call to “take up your cross and follow Me” serves to screen out the disingenuous, double-minded, and dissembling.
Are you ready to take up your cross and follow Jesus? Consider these questions:
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your closest friends?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your reputation?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?
In some places of the world, these consequences are a reality. But notice the phrasing of the questions: “Are you willing?” Following Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean all these things will happen to you, but the disciple of Christ must be willing to suffer loss. Are you willing to take up your cross? If faced with a choice—Jesus or the comforts of this life—which will you choose?
Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, and even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). The reward is worth the price. Remember that, as Jesus called His disciples to “take up your cross and follow Me,” He, too, bore a cross. Our Lord led the way.
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.
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 short answer is that “glorification” is God’s final removal of sin from the life of the saints (i.e., everyone who is saved) in the eternal state (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). At Christ’s coming, the glory of God (Romans 5:2)—His honor, praise, majesty, and holiness—will be realized in us; instead of being mortals burdened with sin nature, we will be changed into holy immortals with direct and unhindered access to God’s presence, and we will enjoy holy communion with Him throughout eternity. In considering glorification, we should focus on Christ, for He is every Christian’s “blessed hope”; also, we may consider final glorification as the culmination of sanctification.
Final glorification must await the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 6:14). Until He returns, we are burdened with sin, and our spiritual vision is distorted because of the curse. “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). Every day, we should be diligent by the Spirit to put to death what is “fleshly” (sinful) in us (Romans 8:13).
How and when will we be finally glorified? At the last trumpet, when Jesus comes, the saints will undergo a fundamental, instant transformation (“we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” – 1 Corinthians 15:51); then the “perishable” will put on the “imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:53). Yet 2 Corinthians 3:18 clearly indicates that, in a mysterious sense, “we all,” in the present, “with unveiled face” are “beholding the glory of the Lord” and are being transformed into His image “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Lest anyone imagine that this beholding and transformation (as part of sanctification) is the work of especially saintly people, the Scripture adds the following bit of information: “For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” In other words, it is a blessing bestowed on every believer. This does not refer to our final glorification but to an aspect of sanctification by which the Spirit is transfiguring us right now. To Him be the praise for His work in sanctifying us in the Spirit and in truth (Jude 24-25; John 17:17; 4:23).
We should understand what Scripture teaches about the nature of glory—both God’s unsurpassed glory and our share in it at His coming. God’s glory refers not merely to the unapproachable light that the Lord inhabits (1 Timothy 6:15-16), but also to His honor (Luke 2:13) and holiness. The “You” referred to in Psalm 104:2 is the same God referenced in 1 Timothy 6:15-16; He is “clothed with splendor and majesty,” covering Himself “with light as with a garment” (Psalm 104:2; cf. 93:1; Job 37:22; 40:10). When the Lord Jesus returns in His great glory to execute judgment (Matthew 24:29-31; 25:31-35), He will do so as the only Sovereign, who alone has eternal dominion (1 Timothy 6:14-16).
Created beings dare not gaze upon God’s awesome glory; like Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:4-29) and Simon Peter (Luke 5:8), Isaiah was devastated by self-loathing in the presence of the all-holy God. After the seraphim proclaimed, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:4). Even the seraphim showed that they were unworthy to gaze upon the divine glory, covering their faces with their wings.
God’s glory may be said to be “heavy” or “weighty”; the Hebrew word kabod literally means “heavy or burdensome”; Most often, the Scriptural usage of kabod is figurative (e.g., “heavy with sin”), from which we get the idea of the “weightiness” of a person who is honorable, impressive, or worthy of respect.
When the Lord Jesus became incarnate, He revealed both the “weighty” holiness of God and the fullness of His grace and truth (“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” [John 1:14; cf. 17:1–5]). The glory revealed by the incarnate Christ accompanies the ministry of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:7); it is unchanging and permanent (Isaiah 4:6-7; cf. Job 14:2; Psalm 102:11; 103:15; James 1:10). The previous manifestations of God’s glory were temporary, like the fading effluence of God’s glory from Moses’ face. Moses veiled his face so that the hard-hearted Israelites might not see that the glory was fading (1 Corinthians 3:12), but in our case the veil has been removed through Christ, and we reflect the glory of the Lord and seek by the Spirit to be like Him.
In His high priestly prayer, the Lord Jesus requested that God would sanctify us by His truth (i.e., make us holy; John 17:17); sanctification is necessary if we are to see Jesus’ glory and be with Him in eternal fellowship (John 17:21-24). “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24). If the glorification of the saints follows the pattern revealed in Scripture, it must entail our sharing in the glory (i.e., the holiness) of God.
According to Philippians 3:20–21, our citizenship is in heaven, and when our Savior returns He will transform our lowly bodies “to be like His glorious body.” Although it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, we know that, when He returns in great glory, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). We will be perfectly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus and be like Him in that our humanity will be free from sin and its consequences. Our blessed hope should spur us on to holiness, the Spirit enabling us. “Everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).
Another word for regeneration is rebirth, related to the biblical phrase “born again.” Our rebirth is distinguished from our first birth, when we were conceived physically and inherited our sin nature. The new birth is a spiritual, holy, and heavenly birth that results in our being made alive spiritually. Man in his natural state is “dead in trespasses and sins” until he is “made alive” (regenerated) by Christ. This happens when he places his faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:1).
Regeneration is a radical change. Just as our physical birth resulted in a new individual entering the earthly realm, our spiritual birth results in a new person entering the heavenly realm (Ephesians 2:6). After regeneration, we begin to see and hear and seek after divine things; we begin to live a life of faith and holiness. Now Christ is formed in the hearts; now we are partakers of the divine nature, having been made new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). God, not man, is the source of this transformation (Ephesians 2:1, 8). God’s great love and free gift, His rich grace and abundant mercy, are the cause of the rebirth. The mighty power of God—the power that raised Christ from the dead—is displayed in the regeneration and conversion of sinners (Ephesians 1:19–20).
Regeneration is necessary. Sinful human flesh cannot stand in God’s presence. In His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said twice that a man must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 7). Regeneration is not optional, for “flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6). Physical birth fits us for earth; spiritual rebirth fits us for heaven. See Ephesians 2:1; 1 Peter 1:23; John 1:13; 1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18. Regeneration is part of what God does for us at the moment of salvation, along with sealing (Ephesians 1:14), adoption (Galatians 4:5), reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–20), etc. Regeneration is God’s making a person spiritually alive, as a result of faith in Jesus Christ. Prior to salvation we were not God’s children (John 1:12–13); rather, we were children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3; Romans 5:18–20). Before salvation, we were degenerate; after salvation we are regenerated. The result of regeneration is peace with God (Romans 5:1), new life (Titus 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17), and eternal sonship (John 1:12–13; Galatians 3:26). Regeneration begins the process of sanctification wherein we become the people God intends us to be (Romans 8:28–30).
The only means of regeneration
is by faith in the
finished work of Christ on the cross.
No amount of good works
or keeping of the Law
can regenerate the heart.
“By works of the law no human being will be justified in [God’s] sight” (Romans 3:20).
Only Christ offers a cure for the total depravity of the human heart.
We don’t need renovation or reformation
or reorganization;
we need rebirth.
In Revelation 1, John describes the person who was speaking to him and who commissioned him to write down what he saw. One of the descriptions John wrote of this person was that
His feet were like
fine brass “
as if they
burned in a furnace”
(Revelation 1:15, KJV) or, in the NIV,
“his feet
were like bronze
glowing
in a furnace.”
For this and many other reasons evident in John’s description,
this was an unusual person.
John describes the person he heard as like a son of man
(Revelation 1:13),
so He at least appeared to be human.
He was clothed in a long robe that reached down to
His feet and had a golden sash across His chest
(Revelation 1:13).
Notice that, when John describes what this person was wearing, he doesn’t use the literary device of simile (describing something by likening it to something similar). Rather, he simply describes what he sees.
But when describing the person Himself, John has to use the word like because he is describing an incredible person who has incredible traits.
This person’s head and his hair were white like wool or snow (Revelation 1:14)--
they were very bright and pure white.
His eyes were like flaming fire (Revelation 1:14). His feet were like fine brass burned in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of many waters
(Revelation 1:15).
In His right hand He held seven stars (asteras),
and from His mouth came a sharp, double-edged sword, and His face was very bright, like the sun
(Revelation 1:16).
This person that John is describing is Jesus.
He calls Himself the first and the last,
connecting His identity to Isaiah 48:12, where He refers to Himself as the one who named Israel (which the preincarnate Christ did in Genesis 32:28–30), as Yahweh (the Lord) the Redeemer (Isaiah 48:17). This One also refers to Himself as the eternal, living One who was dead and as the one who has the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:18). In Revelation 2:18 He describes Himself as “the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and His feet are like burnished bronze.” These descriptions are not merely coincidental; they help confirm the identity of this One as the first and the last—this is not a new character introduced to the story at this late juncture, rather He is—as He claimed—the eternal One.
Many of the descriptions John records are directly related to accounts and prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures, as is the description of His feet as like fine brass burning in a furnace (Revelation 1:15). In Daniel 10, Daniel records an appearance of this One to him personally. Daniel describes this One as a certain man dressed in linen with a gold belt (Daniel 10:5). His face was bright like lightning, and His eyes like flaming torches, and His arms and feet gleamed like polished bronze, and the sound of His words was like a roaring (Daniel 10:6). The parallels between John’s description of Jesus and Daniel’s description of the “certain man” are virtually identical. That Jesus identifies Himself with some of those descriptions also makes evident that He wanted to be recognized as the one whom Daniel saw. He was the Revealer in Daniel’s day, and the Revealer in John’s as well. This is the same Revealer, the One who proclaimed that He would come suddenly and promised blessing for those who would heed the words of the prophecy of the book that John was told to write (Revelation 22:7).
The fact that the feet of Christ appeared to John as if they were white-hot, burning metal points to the glory of the risen Lord. The feet like fine brass as if burning in a furnace may speak of the work of Christ, as our High Priest, ministering on our behalf in the heavenly temple. Or the vision could speak of Christ’s victory over His enemies: in holy judgment, the Lord will trample His enemies in the “great winepress of God’s wrath” (Revelation 14:19–20), and “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25).
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.”
Revelation 1:14 ESV / 8 helpful votes The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,
Daniel 7:9 ESV / 8 helpful votes “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.
Daniel 7:1-28 ESV / 8 helpful votes In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ ...
Revelation 2:18 ESV / 6 helpful votes “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
Revelation 19:1-21 ESV / 5 helpful votes After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.” ...
Revelation 18:1-24 ESV / 5 helpful votes After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.” Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. ...
Revelation 12:1-17 ESV / 5 helpful votes And a great sign 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 pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, ...
Revelation 1:14-15 ESV / 5 helpful votes The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
Revelation 1:1-20 ESV / 5 helpful votes The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ...
Isaiah 53:1-12 ESV / 5 helpful votes Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. ...
Revelation 21:4 ESV / 4 helpful votes He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:1-27 ESV / 4 helpful votes 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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ...
Revelation 21:1 ESV / 4 helpful votes 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 19:15 ESV / 4 helpful votes From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Revelation 14:1-20 ESV / 4 helpful votes Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. ...
Revelation 8:7 ESV / 4 helpful votes The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Revelation 1:13 ESV / 4 helpful votes And in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.
Romans 3:23 ESV / 4 helpful votes For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
John 14:6 ESV / 4 helpful votes Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Matthew 24:1-51 ESV / 4 helpful votes Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ...
Isaiah 14:1-32 ESV / 4 helpful votes For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord's land as male and female slaves. They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, ...
Song of Solomon 8:1-14 ESV / 4 helpful votes Oh that you were like a brother to me who nursed at my mother's breasts! If I found you outside, I would kiss you, and none would despise me. I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother— she who used to teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranate. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me! I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you. There your mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor. ...
Revelation 21:23 ESV / 3 helpful votes And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Revelation 21:22 ESV / 3 helpful votes And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
Revelation 21:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed--
Revelation 21:3 ESV / 3 helpful votes And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Revelation 20:7 ESV / 3 helpful votes And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison
Revelation 20:6 ESV / 3 helpful votes Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4 ESV / 3 helpful votes Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:1-15 ESV / 3 helpful votes Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. ...
Revelation 19:11 ESV / 3 helpful votes 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 17:1-18 ESV / 3 helpful votes Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” ...
Revelation 15:1-8 ESV / 3 helpful votes Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, ...
Revelation 14:1-15:8 ESV / 3 helpful votes Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. ...
Revelation 13:2 ESV / 3 helpful votes And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
Revelation 13:1-18 ESV / 3 helpful votes And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. ...
Revelation 9:1-21 ESV / 3 helpful votes And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. ...
Revelation 7:1-17 ESV / 3 helpful votes After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, ...
Revelation 6:1-17 ESV / 3 helpful votes Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. ...
Revelation 3:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
Revelation 3:5 ESV / 3 helpful votes The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
Revelation 2:7 ESV / 3 helpful votes He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
Revelation 1:16 ESV / 3 helpful votes In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Revelation 1:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,
Revelation 1:9 ESV / 3 helpful votes I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 1:6 ESV / 3 helpful votes And made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 1:4 ESV / 3 helpful votes John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
Hebrews 12:29 ESV / 3 helpful votes For our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 4:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Ephesians 2:19 ESV / 3 helpful votes So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV / 3 helpful votes Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
Romans 8:2 ESV / 3 helpful votes For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Romans 5:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--
Acts 2:38 ESV / 3 helpful votes And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:1-47 ESV / 3 helpful votes When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ...
Acts 1:8 ESV / 3 helpful votes But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
John 14:1-31 ESV / 3 helpful votes “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ...
John 6:53 ESV / 3 helpful votes So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
John 3:16 ESV / 3 helpful votes “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 1:1-51 ESV / 3 helpful votes 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. ...
Luke 10:19 ESV / 3 helpful votes Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
Mark 13:26 ESV / 3 helpful votes And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
Daniel 10:6 ESV / 3 helpful votes His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
Jeremiah 31:33 ESV / 3 helpful votes For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Isaiah 2:1-22 ESV / 3 helpful votes The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. ...
Isaiah 1:1-31 ESV / 3 helpful votes The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. ...
Numbers 6:1-27 ESV / 3 helpful votes And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. “All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long. ...
Genesis 49:10 ESV / 3 helpful votes The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Genesis 6:1-22 ESV / 3 helpful votes When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ...
Genesis 3:15 ESV / 3 helpful votes I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3:1-24 ESV / 3 helpful votes Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ...
Genesis 2:7 ESV / 3 helpful votes 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.
Genesis 1:1-31 ESV / 3 helpful votes In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. ...
Revelation 22:20 ESV / 2 helpful votes He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:14 ESV / 2 helpful votes Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Revelation 22:8 ESV / 2 helpful votes I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
Revelation 22:6 ESV / 2 helpful votes And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
Revelation 22:5 ESV / 2 helpful votes And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Revelation 22:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
Revelation 22:1 ESV / 2 helpful votes Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
Revelation 21:25 ESV / 2 helpful votes And its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
Revelation 21:24 ESV / 2 helpful votes By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
Revelation 21:18 ESV / 2 helpful votes The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
Revelation 21:16 ESV / 2 helpful votes The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.
Revelation 21:15 ESV / 2 helpful votes And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.
Revelation 21:11 ESV / 2 helpful votes Having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
Revelation 21:10 ESV / 2 helpful votes And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
Revelation 21:9 ESV / 2 helpful votes Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
Revelation 21:6 ESV / 2 helpful votes And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
Revelation 21:5 ESV / 2 helpful votes And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 20:11 ESV / 2 helpful votes Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
Revelation 20:10 ESV / 2 helpful votes And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
Revelation 20:1 ESV / 2 helpful votes Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.
Revelation 19:21 ESV / 2 helpful votes And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
Revelation 19:20 ESV / 2 helpful votes And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
Revelation 19:12 ESV / 2 helpful votes His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
Revelation 19:10 ESV / 2 helpful votes Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Word of God
https://www.gotquestions.org/supremacy-of-Christ.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/capstone-in-the-Bible.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Christ-cornerstone.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/quick-listen-slow-speak.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/love-money-root-evil.html
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