God Intervened and Sent the Last Adam

Today we have another new writer to introduce. Terry Brown lives in Minnesota (which, climate-wise, is as far from Florida as you can be) and writes at Pondering His Holy Word and there you’ll find a few different pages with information about him.

We’ve said before that the message of Christianity is so simple a child can understand it, but so wonderfully intricate that we can never stop writing about it. This article contains a basic gospel message, but is written in a way to get you thinking. Click the title to read it where it first appeared.

The First Adam and the Last Adam

1 Romans 5:16-17

And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”;the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

In Genesis 3, we learn of the fall of man as the first man who was created in God’s image disobeyed God by eating of the tree of good and evil. God told Adam that he could eat of every tree in the garden, but he can not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the day he eats of it, he shall die (Genesis 2:16-17). Eve was deceived by the serpent and ate of the tree and offered Adam some of the fruit, and he ate of it. Yet they didn’t immediately die physically, but it was at that moment that they faced spiritual death. When they heard God walking in the cool of the day, they ran and hid themselves (Genesis 3:1-8). Ever since then, we, as humans, have been hiding from God’s presence and we were all cursed to all the way of the earth in death. However, God didn’t completely curse us to be without him. He promised that He would send the offspring of the woman to crush the head of the serpent. The Lord promised us a redeemer. Yet Adam and Eve died without seeing offspring who would crush the serpent’s head.

Yet, humanity expanded and multiplied as God commanded, but they did so much evil in his sight that he regretted ever creating man because man’s heart was continuously set on doing evil. As a judgment, God would blot out an entire generation by way of the flood. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:1-8).

Because Noah was a righteous man, God preserved him and his family (his three sons and their wives). During the time that Noah built the ark, he preached righteousness to the people of the earth, but they did not listen. (2 Peter 2:5). This is evident in the fact that none of the people except Noah and his family were saved. After the flood, God promised that He would never flood the earth because of man again (Genesis 8:21). However, in this same statement, God said that the intention of man’s heart is set on evil from his youth. There has rebellion in man’s heart since the fall. Again, the man rebelled against God when they attempted to build a tower to heaven to make a name for themselves. As a judgment, God confused their languages and man scattered to the different parts of the world (v1-9).

Though the nations went their own ways, God didn’t forsake us but sought to bless the world through man. He set apart Abraham son of Terah to make a great nation. Even though Abraham was nearly 100 years old and Sarah could not have kids, Abraham believed that God would keep His promise. “Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Yet, Abraham died without being a great nation.

It wasn’t until Moses delivered the people out of Egypt and Joshua would lead them into the land of Canaan. It was during the conquest that the prostitute Rahab helped the two spies escape from Jericho. She knew that it was the purpose of God to turn the land over to Israel as a judgment to Canaan. As a result, she made a covenant with the two spies for her life. Then, she married Salmon and had a child named Boaz. Then, Boaz married Ruth and fathered Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David, the King of Judah. (Matthew 1:5-6 and Ruth 4:18-21).

David’s faithfulness to God never wavered. He put all of his faith in God so that God made him prosper wherever he went. Even when the Prophet Nathan confronted David for committing adultery with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba, getting her pregnant, and getting Uriah killed to cover it up, David humbled himself and confessed his sins to God. Later, David wanted to make a house for God, but God said that He would make a house for David. He promised that the Messiah would come from David’s line and He would “Establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” and he said, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” (2 Samuel 7). Yet even then, David died and did not see the Messiah that would come to reign forever.

About a 1,000 years later, Joseph, a righteous man, obeyed the angel of God when he married Mary who was with child from the Holy Spirit and Joseph took Jesus as his son and raised him.

Jesus, a descendant of David by the flesh and the Son of God, by the Spirit lived a holy and blameless life (Hebrew 4:15). He kept the law in spirit and truth. Jesus, the second person of Trinity, emptied Himself of His glory and took the likeness of man and was tempted in every way as man, but He never sinned. He served the man and led him to the living water. He was obedient to the Father even unto death (Philippians 2:6-8). Even when the people, who he came to save, hated Him, He, at the right time, died for them so that those who believe in him would have an everlasting life (Romans 5:6-8). At the cross, Jesus crushed the head of the serpent. Even in life, He saw Satan fall from the sky like lightning (Luke 10:18).

In our natural life, we are born under the headship of the first Adam.  As a result, our first instinct is to flee from God when we hear of Him like our ancestor, Adam. In our natural life, we are not able to seek God; Our natural inclination is directed away from seeking God. Consequently, we cannot obtain righteousness by our own works because our own work’s purpose is to make a name for ourselves like the people of Babylon. In our physical birth, we are the sons of Adam. Without God’s intervention, we are headed straight to the judgment seat to face the righteous wrath of God.

Yet because God loved us, He intervened. He sent the Last Adam who was blameless and Holy before God. God, Himself, emptied Himself to become a man (Phil 2:6-8). Jesus, 100% God and 100% man paid, two natures in one person, became the Last Adam. The first Adam led to the death of man, but the Last Adam opened the door not only to life but to life abundantly. God loved us so much that He sought us. On our own, we can’t seek God, but He revealed Himself to us so that those who believe in the Person and works of Jesus will be credited as righteous like our spiritual father Abraham and justified before God (Romans 4).

When God looks at a believer, He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ because Jesus received the wrath of God and God’s wrath exhausted so there is no condemnation for those who believe (Romans 8:1). Through Jesus, we receive the free gift of being in right standing before God because of His grace. It was His unmerited favor that gave us abundant life. Our Lord, who became a life giving Spirit, gave the Spirit as a down payment to those who believe (Ephesians 1:14). This is the reason that God’s power is manifested in us so that we can point people to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Because We Couldn’t Save Ourselves

^{NLT 2 Tim. 1:9} For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

Sometimes people will tell you they’re reading and a verse “just leaps off the page.” I’ve known that to be true, but I also find in a world of podcasts, audio books and sermon videos, sometimes a verse that someone is reading hits you as though for the first time.

It’s often because the person reading really knows the verse or passage in question and are able to bring it with the authority the writer intended.

That was the case with today’s opening verse. I can’t remember who was speaking, but I quickly set the playback a few minutes so I could hear it again and write down the reference. This verse in 2 Timothy reminds me of another passage that has been meaningful to me in more recent years.

^{CEV Titus 3:4} But “when God our savior’s kindness and love appeared, ⁵ he saved us because of his mercy, not because of righteous things we had done. He did it through the washing of new birth and the renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ which God poured out upon us generously through Jesus Christ our savior.

(We looked previously at this passage in this article.)

The key phrase in both verses speaks to the idea that we did nothing to deserve this favor or mercy. “Not by works of righteousness that we have done” (the Titus passage in the KJV) and “Not according to our works” (the Timothy passage, in the NASB).

In Romans Paul says the well-known words, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (5:8) Eugene Peterson in The Message renders these words as,

^{MSG Rom. 5:6-8} Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

(This passage was actually the text of the sermon we heard preached in the Spanish church we visited in Cuba in 2020.)

– o – o – o –

So why is there a stray (unresolved) quotation mark in the Titus passage? It appears in verse 4 and (for you OCD people!) the quotation continues to the end of verse 7. In the NLT the passage is indented. In the NIV, there are no such notations in the text.

Furthermore, N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, in The New Testament in its World introduce the idea that a majority of scholars feel Paul didn’t write the pastoral epistles at all, but two sentences later includes Titus 3:5 in a short list of passages that are “quintessentially Pauline.” (p.362)

I spent a long time online and with most of my go-to print commentaries seeing no other mention of this.

The key is apparently verse 8:

⁸ This is a trustworthy saying

But then Ruth suggested the NET Bible notes which say,

Verses 4-7 are set as poetry in [certain original manuscripts]. These verses probably constitute the referent of the expression “this saying” in verse 8. This is … a single skillfully composed sentence in Greek showing the goals of God’s merciful salvation…

This would make it similar to the Philippian Hymn of Philippians 2 which is more commonly indented in a larger number of translations. So if we use that passage as our guide, and say, ‘This was a hymn that was commonly known to the people to whom Paul was writing,’ we would have to say the same thing here.

Or conversely, Paul may have been doing a centuries-ahead-of-his time thing that the manuscripts the NET Bible translators checking the early manuscripts observed, and that is including what we today call a “shout out” or “call out” in the text to highlight a particular word or phrase. Remember, they had no bold face font, no italics, no large font, no underlining and no colored ink process at their disposal. If you were trying to make a point, you either made it in prose or poetry or by the sheer force of the words themselves.

It makes the passage more noteworthy, and that means it bears repeating here (and may I suggest bears memorizing), all the way to the end of verse 7 and with this we conclude, quoting from the NET Bible itself.

^4… “when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, ⁵ he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. ⁷ And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.”

– o – o – o –

I’m reminded here of the song, The Reckless Love of God. I know that in some churches, the use of the word ‘reckless’ is controversial, but it’s these words that I feel fits the above verses so well.

…I couldn’t earn it I don’t deserve it

Still You give Yourself away

O the overwhelming never-ending reckless

Love of God yeah…

When Shame is Necessary

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.”  – John 18:15-17 NIV

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Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “I am not.”

One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. – John 18:25-27 NIV

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Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly. – Matthew 26:75 – NLT

Sometimes we return to a website from which we borrowed material long ago, only to find it has become inactive. At the same time, we often find an abundance of un-mined treasure. This piece was written in 2018. At the time Byron Myers was a Christian high school principal. You’ll find this and other great articles still available at Weekly Devotional Thoughts, or you can click the link in the title below.

Does shame have a place…?

In our current Bible class at Church, the teacher has been covering the theme “Encounters with Jesus”. Recently, the teacher led us to the story in John chapters 18 and 21 where Peter denied Jesus and then Peter’s reinstatement after the resurrection.

During the discussion, the teacher spent some time defining the difference between guilt and shame. I believe it is a safe assumption that Peter experienced both. Here are the working definitions of each:

Guilt – This is something I have done. The message I hear is, “I’ve done something bad.”

Shame – This is something about me. The message I hear is, “I am bad.”

Guilt is important to help us to grow and move toward re-establishing integrity and righteous living. This re-establishment is based on what we have done. Shame on the other hand, many times, drives us to re-live our sin. We begin to take on a negative message about ourselves instead of living in our God-given giftedness. When I stay in a place of shame, I do not believe I have value. I do not believe I am redeemed. It affects my relationship with God and others. For the most part, shame can be damaging.

I was having a recent conversation with a friend I was mentoring. The subject of “Does shame have a place?” came up. It must have some place in our restoration…I could sense that in my soul. However, I could not get past the damage that shame has caused in my life and in the lives of some many others I have coached, mentored, and ministered. Yet, I know it has a place. Where is this place? How does shame produce goodness?

During this Bible class, my eyes were opened to Peter and his guilt and shame. Should Peter have felt guilt for his choice to deny Jesus three times? Yes. Should Peter have felt shame for whom he was in that moment? Yes. Guilt pointed to what Peter had chosen to do in that moment. Shame exposed a part of Peter’s character that needed an adjustment and healing from Jesus. The mistake many of us make is not bringing our shame to Jesus so that we can recognize possible “problems” in our character that need addressing. Furthermore, when we do not bring our shame to Jesus, then we cannot receive healing for our heart, soul, and character.

Let us look at what happened with Peter:

• Peter denies Jesus three times. Guilt exposes what he has done. We assume shame exposes something in Peter’s character. Peter weeps bitterly (Matthew 26:75). Peter is at a crossroads, he could allow shame to deceive him into believing he cannot be redeemed.
• Peter returns to what he knows. Peter met Jesus while fishing. He goes back to fishing. He goes back to something familiar. Moreover, possibly, like Jacob, returns to a place where he encountered God through Jesus (Jacob set up altars and pillars to represent his encounters with God and revisited them. Other Old Testament characters have similar experiences).
• Jesus meets Peter in that place. Jesus speaks truth into Peter about his true character. Jesus re-instates Peter.
• Peter goes on to be a great leader. Filled with the Holy Spirit and armed with his gift of passion, Peter establishes the Church.

I would love to say that is how I handle shame in my life. Unfortunately, I typically allow my shame to get the best of me. I begin to believe that my character is flawed rather than believe the truth about how God has gifted me. However, Peter gives me a great example of how to handle shame. His story gives me hope in the midst of my failings. Using Peter’s example, here is a great way for me to approach my shame:

First – Shame can be useful to expose areas of my character that may need work. It can show me where I am moving away from who I truly am. I can choose to believe I am flawed, or use it to begin deeper growth work toward moving to be God’s man.

Second – I can do something about what shame has exposed. The other choice is to stay stuck. It is time to take action that is different from how I have handled shame in the past. It is time to choose truth.

Third – I need to go back to what I know. I need to go back to where I encountered Jesus. Going back to something I am familiar with and capable of accomplishing will put me in a place to invite Jesus in to help.

Fourth – I pay attention and listen for Jesus. I allow him to show me the truth about my character. I begin to allow his healing touch to help me move forward with what He has planned for me.

Shame and the messages associated with it is very powerful. However, with practice and intentionality, shame is useful to expose and motivate. The key, like Peter’s story is the pointing to Jesus. Peter was so excited to see Jesus that he jumped out of the boat and swam ashore to be with him. When I am burdened by the messages of shame that I am “bad”, it is an indicator that I need to go to Jesus and hear truth.

How have you let shame burden you? Where do you need to go to encounter Jesus? Make a commitment to spend time with him in a familiar place. When you do, listen for His truth and healing voice.

Familiar Stories, Part Five: Jonah

On the Same Page: Jonah and Nineveh (Jonah 2:1-6)

by Ruth Wilkinson

Everybody hated Nineveh.

Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, one of the great empires that that tromped around the Middle East, conquering and destroying and enslaving. The Assyrian empire was conquered by the Babylonian empire, who were conquered by the Persian empire, who were conquered by the Greek empire, who were conquered by Rome, who ruled the world when Jesus was born. The Assyrian empire was just one in a chain of manifest-destiny, survival-of-the-fittest, might-makes-right, doctrine-of-discovery military machines, taking territory, enslaving people, destroying crops, cities, and lives just because they could.

The Prophet Nahum wrote a message from God, addressed directly to the city of Nineveh:

The Lord is slow in anger and great in power. The Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished… Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without prey. The crack of the whip and the rumble of the wheel… Behold, says the Lord of Hosts, I am against you, and all who hear the news of your downfall will applaud, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty? (Nahum 1:3, 3:1-5, :19)

People hated Nineveh.

God was angry with Nineveh, so God does what He does when He is angry; God gave them one last chance. And that last chance was Jonah.

But Jonah didn’t want to be Nineveh’s good news. Jonah did not want to be Nineveh’s last chance. Jonah wanted Nineveh gone. He wanted to see their downfall and applaud. So when God told him to go up to Nineveh, he went down instead. God told him to go east: he went west. God told him to travel inland: he went out to sea.

So God provided a storm to stop the boat.

Jonah volunteered to be thrown overboard to save the boat because he preferred death over submission.

So God provided a fish, that sheltered Jonah for three days, and then put him back on land where he started.

God again said, “Jonah. Go to Nineveh and deliver my message.” Jonah took the hint.

He made that long walk to Nineveh, 550 miles—900 kilometres—to do something that he did not want to do, but must. Jonah arrived at Nineveh, held his nose, and walked through the city gates. He delivered the message:

40 days and Nineveh will be overturned.

‘Put an end to your evil, or,’ says God, ‘I will.’

The message found its way to Nineveh’s king, who took it seriously. He mandated days of repentance, and fasting for every living creature in the city, saying,

Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent. He may turn His fierce anger so that we will not perish. (Jonah 3:3)

And Jonah was like, ‘Yeah, I am not gonna be here for this. I’m not sticking around to see what happens next.’ He went out into the into the wilderness. He built himself a little lean-to, and he sat back and waited. And he waited. And eventually it sank in that the fireworks were not happening. God was not overturning Nineveh because God saw their actions. He saw the people of Nineveh turn from their evil. He relented from the disaster that He threatened to bring upon them. Nineveh had a reprieve.

Jonah flipped out, shaking his fist, kicking the sand, and yelling at God, “I knew it! I knew this is what you would do.”

This is why I was so quick to flee. Because I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God. I knew that you were slow to anger. I knew that you were abounding in love and devotion. I knew that you were one who relents. I am so angry right now. I just want to die. (Jonah 4:2ff)

So Jonah sat in the sand by himself complaining in the desert.

God looked down on Jonah, shook His head, and thought, “What am I gonna do with Jonah?”

God provided Jonah a vine with big green leaves for shade. It grew up quickly and sheltered Jonah from the desert sun and wind. The text says that Jonah was greatly pleased. He really liked this plant. Maybe Jonah thought that this was God’s way of apologizing, of trying to make up for letting him down. It’s not a dozen roses, but that kind of a gesture.

But the next day, just when Jonah was appreciating his plant, God sent a worm to weaken it. Then God provided a hot, dry wind from the desert and the plant died, and Jonah got a sunburn. One more thing for Jonah to complain about. He was furious with God for killing his plant.

(*This is how the story of Jonah ends–this is the cliff hanger… This is the question mark that leaves us asking, “what happened next?”) The Lord said to Jonah, “That plant sprang up in a night. It died in a night. You care so much about that plant. Why should I not care about the thousands of people—innocent and guilty—in the great city of Nineveh?”

Curtain.

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Last week we looked at how God worked through Esther and Mordecai to further God’s promises to Israel—promises as yet unfulfilled. Promises that (because they were God’s) were unbreakable.

Covenant promises foreshadowed when Adam, Eve, and the serpent are told that God’s enemy will be crushed by the child of a woman. (Genesis 3:15)

A covenant ratified later in Genesis when God tells Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3)

A covenant advanced in Isaiah: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each one turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid upon Him [the servant, the king to come] the guilt of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

A covenant reinforced in Micah: “Many nations will come and say, “Let’s go to the mountain of Yahweh God, to the house of the God of Jacob, so that He can teach us His ways so that we can walk in His path.”” (Micah 4:2)

A covenant given a face in Malachi: “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me, and then the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple—the messenger of the covenant.” (Malachi 3:1)

A covenant detailed in Joel: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. On my servants, men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29)

A covenant entrusted to us by Jesus himself: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

A covenant we see fulfilled in Romans: “Some of the branches of God’s vine have been broken off. And you—Gentiles from all the nations, from all the earth—although you were outsiders, you have been grafted in among the others.” (Romans 11:17)

A covenant complete and celebrated in Revelation: “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, every tribe, every people, every language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God Who sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb.”” (Revelation 7:9-10)

That is the story of God’s covenant, God’s promises that He is keeping.

The story of Esther reminds us of Israel’s perspective on that covenant: they were going to become a blessing to all families, to many nations. To all the earth.

If Esther is heads, I would suggest that Jonah is tails.

Jonah’s story is the covenant from the perspective of the nations, the families, the outsiders–the perspective of all of the earth.

Through Esther, God preserved His people so that they could share His loving-kindness with the world.

Through Jonah, God shows us what it looks like when He preserves the rest of us, however bad we are, so that we can share in His loving-kindness. God’s covenant is for the insiders and the outsiders. For the guilty and the forgiven. It’s for Jerusalem. And it’s for Nineveh.

Scripture writers talk about God’s loving-kindness—His mercy, grace, and love shown to people who don’t deserve it. But God’s love flows from who He is. That loving-kindness is the power behind His covenant. Throughout the Old Testament God showed loving-kindness to Abraham, to Joseph, to Israel in the wilderness, to Ruth and Naomi. He showed His loving-kindness to the kings David and Solomon.

How precious is your loving-kindness, O God, that the children of humanity might take refuge in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 36:7)

Not just the ‘children of Israel’—the children of humanity.

Jesus spoke of Jonah in His teachings, as an example of what it looks like when a messenger comes with the good news of the opportunity to be part of what God is doing in the world. Jesus said:

As Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so I will be a sign to this generation. (Luke 11:30)

Matthew quotes Jesus further:

The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation [with the insiders] and condemn it. Because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. (Matthew 12:41)

Jesus’ question for them and for us today is… So what are you gonna do about it?

How are you going to respond to the message of Jonah—the message of Jesus?

God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to keep His covenant—to fulfill His promise—to give both Jerusalem and Nineveh the opportunity to say yes. To God’s calling. To God’s standards. To God’s loving-kindness.

God’s covenant has two faces.

Israel through whom the blessing comes, and the rest of the world in which the blessing plays out, and is perpetuated into eternity.

Jonah shows us what it looks like when we, the outsiders, face that open door. When we have the chance to take our place in His promises.

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Rev. Ruth Wilkinson, a longtime contributor to Christianity 201, is now a pastor in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. Her sermon blog is Pastor Percipia. Click the title of this post for a link to the full article and a video sermon of which this is an excerpt.

Recognizing the Depth of our Sinfulness

Today we’re back with another article by Doug Eaton at his blog Flight of Faith.  Doug is the Executive Director of Admissions for Trinity International University, which consists of: Trinity College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Trinity Law School, and Trinity Graduate School. Clicking the title below will take you to where today’s devotional originated.

If We Say We Have No Sin

I once encountered a professing Christian who boldly declared he had not sinned in over ten years. The Apostle John’s words resound: “He has deceived himself, and the truth is not in him.” False teachings occasionally surface, suggesting that individuals can rise above the struggle with sin entirely in this life, but the Word of God says otherwise.

John provides this profound truth in 1 John 1:8: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” He is speaking to believers about walking in the light. When he talks about our sin, it is in the present tense, which means our having sin is not merely a thing of the past. It is current. Biblical history, Church History, and even our own experience all confirm there is a war between the flesh and the Spirit within every born-again believer.

Claiming sinlessness is not only saying they have stayed away from everything prohibited by God in word, thought, deed, and desire, but it also claims to have done everything he commanded perfectly. For someone to claim they have loved the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and loved every neighbor as themselves every second of every day for ten years is beyond delusional. It is saying their righteousness is equal with Christ himself in their earthly humanity.

To assert sinlessness, even as a Christian, is self-deception, and it exposes a lack of truth within us—it is walking in darkness. John’s words hold a vital lesson for those striving to walk in the light—it doesn’t demand perfection. Instead, it beckons a disposition of the soul toward Jesus. It involves recognizing our struggle with sin and constant trust in the imputed righteousness he provides through his death on the cross and resurrection.

Though Jesus has forgiven our iniquities and even our conscience has been washed clean by his blood, we are still aware of our indwelling sin and commanded to fight against it. Though our sin no longer condemns us, we still must acknowledge it and strive to put it to death.

Renowned theologian Matthew Henry wisely noted that Christianity is a religion of sinners. Understanding our sinful nature is essential, for if you do not think you are a sinner, then you do not think you need a Savior. If you do not think you need a Savior, then you do not know Jesus—the truth is not in you.

Awareness of the depth of our sinfulness brings us face-to-face with the reality of the cross. The more we grasp the extent of our transgressions, the more our understanding of what Jesus endured for our sake becomes profound. Conversely, the more we comprehend the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice, the more we will know the depth of our own sinfulness.

Not only does deceiving ourselves about our current sinfulness darken our hearts about what Christ accomplished for us, but we will not fight against the sin we deny exists within us. In essence, 1 John 1:8 teaches us that humility before God involves acknowledging our ongoing need for His grace. Walking in the light is not about claiming perfection but embracing our dependence on Jesus. By recognizing our sinfulness and working to mortify it, we find a deeper connection with the crucified Savior, understanding the magnitude of His sacrifice on our behalf.

Like Paul, we cry out, “Who will save me from this body of death?” The only answer to that question is Jesus. He has justified us, he is sanctifying us, and he will one day make us sinless through glorification when we awaken in his presence and see him face to face. Until that day in glory, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

The Forgiveness Message People Need to Hear

I love it when someone’s website has been planned out for maximum impact for whosoever happens to drop by. This is our fourth time with writer Mathew Simon at his blog, Revelation of God’s Love. If you click that link it takes you to his home page.

But I want to invite you to click to his blog feed. Notice the array of articles, but especially how the titles of each offer potential encouragement and hope to people who perhaps are searching or want to know more about Jesus. (There may be things here you want to copy and email to someone you know.) The devotional today is simple, but for those of you who want to work at the “201” level, the lesson in effective evangelism is the real takeaway.

To read today’s article, click the title which follows.

Jesus Restores Failures

When Jesus was about to die on the cross, His disciple Peter promised to die for Him.

John 13 “Jesus said,‘My children, I will be with you only a little longer… ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.’ Peter asked, ‘Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ Then Jesus answered, ‘Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”

Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Jesus three times and the disciples would be very sad when He died on the cross. But He would rise again to give them great joy.

John 16 “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy……You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.”

John 18 “Then the group of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus.”

Peter disowned Jesus three times because Peter was afraid to die.

John 18 “Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus….‘You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?’ a servant girl..but Peter denied it..……..meanwhile the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching……..So some people asked Peter, ‘You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?’ He denied it, saying, ‘I am not.’ One of the high priest’s servants…challenged him, ‘Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?’ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.”

Matthew 26 “Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

John 19 “Finally Pilate, the Roman governor handed Jesus over to them to be crucified…..So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to Golgotha. There they crucified him”

John 19 “Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit…..At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid…..they laid Jesus there.”

The disciples were weeping when Jesus died because all their hopes were dashed…..But Jesus rose from the dead.

John 20 “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance….Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying…..Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’….Go to my brothers and tell them……Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her……On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together… Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”

Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples who now had great joy!

John 21 “Afterwards Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee… Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’ Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’ The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.””

Just like Peter denied Jesus three times, the Lord restored Peter, making Him confess His love three times. Jesus restored Peter and forgave Him.

Jesus rose from the dead to prove that He forgave our sins on the cross to give us great joy and peace!

DECLARATION:

Thank you Lord Jesus. You are the Son of God.

You died for my sins and rose from the dead to forgive me.

I believe in you Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

Thank you for your forgiveness. Help me live a life pleasing to you.

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A message from Paul to C201 readers:

We’re about 10 articles away from Post #5,000! Thank you for your continued interest in this somewhat unusual daily devotional/study. And thank you to the writers who’ve allowed us to borrow their material daily since April, 2010.

The Cups of Scripture

Going through my files, I discovered this outline from a weekend retreat we attended nine years ago. The author is unknown.

When we think of scripture references involving the word cup, most of us think of what is called “the words of institution” which preceded the serving of the Last Supper/Communion elements; the verses beginning, “Then Jesus took the cup…”

Back in April, 2020 we noted that there were actually four cups involved in the Passover Seder. You’re encouraged to revisit that article at this link.

For whatever reason, the writer of what follows chose not to include that particular use of the term. This is a scripture medley, with questions after each section for you to pause and consider.

The Cup of Blessing

You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Psalm 23:5

I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing… Lord you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.’ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; sure I have a delightful inheritance. – Psalm 16:5-6

What are you thankful for? Name the blessings that are in your cup.

The Cup of Resentment

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. – Matthew 23:25

Where does the inside of your cup need cleaning? Where is resentment building up?

The Cup of God’s Wrath

Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup. – Psalm 11:6

Awake, awake!
Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,
you who have drained to its dregs
the goblet that makes people stagger.
Among all the children she bore
there was none to guide her;
among all the children she reared
there was none to take her by the hand.
These double calamities have come upon you—
who can comfort you?—
ruin and destruction, famine and sword—
who can a console you?
Your children have fainted;
they lie at every street corner,
like antelope caught in a net.
They are filled with the wrath of the Lord,
with the rebuke of your God.
-Isaiah 51: 17-20

Therefore hear this, you afflicted one,
made drunk, but not with wine.
This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
your God, who defends his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again.
-Isaiah 51: 21-22

My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done. – Matthew 16:42

What thoughts or feelings stir in you as you consider the cup of God’s wrath?

The Cup of Salvation

He made himself nothing. [alt translation: He emptied himself.] Philippians 2:7

I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. – Isaiah 53:12

This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. – Matthew 26:28

Is it not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?  – I Corinthians 10:16

Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will from within them. – John 7: 37-38

Jesus offers us the cup of salvation, which is ultimately tied to forgiveness. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray that God would forgive our sins and that we would forgive the sins of others. How might you structure forgiveness into your life? We fail by trying to structure sin out of our lives and communities, instead of trying to structure forgiveness in.

The Law Provides For Forgiveness

One year ago we introduced you to the blog titled Being a Pilgrim. The writer simply goes by KorgRocker, a reference to classic synthesizers! He’s currently working his way through 1 Peter, and this is in fact the second post that uses 1 Peter 2:23 as a springboard. If you have time, to read the first, click here. Then, read the second one here or at the link in the title below.

God Judges

“He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”
1 Peter 2:23 NLT

Our judicial systems in the West are very much based on the principle that if someone commits a crime then they will be punished. Of course, not everyone is found out by the authorities and many escape justice, but those who are caught will find out that there are consequences. The principle of justice in the here and now started in the Garden when Adam and Eve were found out because of their sin. In Genesis 3 we read about the consequences of sin, and God pronounced judgement, starting with the snake, then Eve and finishing with Adam. And there was that poignant moment when we read that Adam and Eve had to be clothed in skins probably from animals they knew and loved. Sin is followed by consequences and it impacts others than just the miscreant. We know the story of Cain and Abel, which we can read in Genesis 4, where Cain killed Abel because of jealousy and had to face into consequences for his sin.

The essence of the Jewish Law, given by God through Moses, was, amongst other things, to provide forgiveness for sins committed. But as we now know, this was only until Jesus came to take on the punishment we deserve for our sin.

Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian” (Galatians 3:24-25). And as we know, there is no purpose in keeping the Mosaic Law to achieve righteousness, because there is a better way.

Referring to the Law’s adherents, Paul wrote in Romans 10:3-4, “For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God“.

I have marked in my Bible the verses highlighting the Good News about Jesus, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord“. There will come a day when sin will have to be accounted for. Jesus suffered greatly here on earth, but He knew He could leave “his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly“. But in this life, in the here and now, there are many who seem totally ignorant of the fact that sooner or later they will have to face into the consequences of all the bad things they have done here on Planet Earth.

We live in a moral universe and the scales of justice will be balanced, either in this life or the next. All those people who abused Jesus will find out the consequences of their sin. And that is why He knew that He didn’t have to retaliate, even though He could. He had the power at His fingertips because He was and is God.

We have to turn to Revelation 20 to find out when justice will finally be administered. And the sad thing is that many people, facing justice and punishment for their crimes in this life, will face it again because God will have the final word. And all those who think they have got away with their wrongdoings, will have a nasty shock. We have an opportunity in this life, through Jesus, to put right all the bad things we have done. But when we leave this life, the opportunity will leave with us. A sobering thought, particularly when we don’t know when we will draw our last breath.

But note what Peter wrote. He said God “always judges fairly”. We will only be judged for what we know. So, for example, those people who have never heard the Gospel won’t be judged as though they had.

We pilgrims know all of this, of course. We have embraced the Son and His redemption. We keep short accounts with God. We love Him and walk each day in gratitude for all He has done for us. And we reach out to those around us with the same redemptive message.

Dear God. Thank You for all You have done for us through Jesus. Amen.

The Cross Was Enough

This week I had the opportunity to spend 40 minutes with our local Adventist pastor. It was the first time we’d met.

When I asked him what he would consider the ‘distinctive’ about Seventh Day Adventist teaching, I expected him to answer in terms of keeping the Saturday Sabbath, or the dietary guidelines the denomination is well known for.

Instead, he answered that it was their prophetic message; and as he elaborated on this, I began to see that they process a lot of their faith and doctrine through the lens of prophesy.

However, I did continue thinking about the relationship between the law and grace, and he did add later that a certain amount of character conformity (my term, not his) will come about as the fruit of loving and serving God.

Time after time, we see Jesus seeming doing away with the law, or somehow superseding the law, or emphasizing the things arising by extension (“but I say to you”) from the law. Matthew 15 is a good example:

That Which Defiles

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’ ”

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”

“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” (1-20 NIV)

For twenty verses, Jesus makes a great object lesson out of the handwashing ritual. He’s pointing out the difference between external conformity to the law and inward transformation of the heart.

But — and this needs to be said — it remains that his disciples had not washed their hands according to the custom, and we can safely infer they probably had not the previous day either, and would not the next.

So Jesus does away with the law?

That’s how some see it, but not how Jesus himself said it. Rather, in Matthew 5:17 he is quoted as saying,

Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

And then, a very interesting verse follows:

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. (both vs NLT)

In other words, the law is a constant theme, or a continuing presence throughout the entire arc of scriptural narrative, one that is present until the end of the age (i.e. “heaven and earth disappear”) and the law’s purpose is fully accomplished.

Psalm 111 states

All His precepts are trustworthy. They are upheld forever and ever. (7b-8a NASB)

I don’t see Jesus automatically tossing the body of teaching we call “the law” in the deleted file. He is definitely ushering in a new teaching, a new covenant, a new way of living. After his ascension, great debates will follow as to how much of the law needs to continue to be kept. (For example, read Galatians.) However, the law had and dare we say has a purpose.

It’s just not all-sufficient.

Let me say that I see my new Adventist acquaintance as a brother in Christ, and I got the impression he sees me the same way. My concern is just that anytime we layer on additional requirements, we are saying the cross was not fully sufficient.

I leave you with a verse that has stayed in my heart since the first time I laid eyes on it, Hebrews 10: 11-12.

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…  (NIV)

He sat down because “it is finished,” the accomplishment of our salvation is complete in him and his cross.

Jesus Didn’t Die for a Few Close Friends

Romans 5:6-8 — When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (NLT)

 

Today’s devotional follows a style that we don’t normally include here, but crisis moments in our lives can be pivotal in helping us see spiritual truths. It also reminded us that while people may wish to debate our doctrines, or the way in which we interpret life events, they can’t argue with the events themselves. To put it another way, they can debate the truths you hold to, but can’t debate the circumstances you experienced.

Twice a year we visit the devotional site of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, which features a different writer every day. The author today is Don Lipsett. Clicking the title below will also provide you with the option of hearing today’s thoughts on audio.

While Still His Enemy

Romans 5:10-11 – For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. (NLT)

While in my early 20s, I was a nominal Christian. I went to church, but did not know Jesus as One Who died to save me from my sins and give me a “wonderful new relationship with God”. Briefly, I worked for a company in Toronto, Canada, that did repairs for ships on the Great Lakes. One day, a section of a propeller shaft had to be straightened slightly. It was a heavy piece of solid steel about eight feet (2.5 metres) long and one foot (30 centimetres) in diameter. The operator suspended it on two rope slings in a press that put great pressure on the shaft to take out the warp.

Joining the other workers, I watched the gauge needle slowly vibrate its way up to a pressure of 600 pounds per square inch. Suddenly, a voice spoke in my mind — neither male nor female — with just a terse, one-word command: MOVE! A second voice instantly followed the first, a kind of wheedling voice that told me, Don’t move! You’ll look stupid if you move! Nobody else is moving! Don’t!

Inside, though, I knew that I had to move, and I did — about ten feet (three metres) away. Seconds later, one of the rope slings broke, and the propeller shaft was launched like a missile from the press. Amazingly, the second sling held and the shaft swung back in an arc until it crushed the operator against the machine. He survived, although with multiple serious injuries. Had I not moved, the shaft would have hit me first and hurled me onto the back of a truck that was loaded with copper piping, on which I would have been impaled.

Why did God graciously warn me and spare my life? He had a plan for my life — as He does for yours. In my experience, I have found two truths that I hope will both warn and encourage us:

• Does our enemy, Satan, exist? YES! He spoke to me in that second voice. What did he hope for me? His desire was simply that I stay and die about five seconds later. Jesus said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10a NLT)
• Does God exist? YES! He chose to warn me, and He did so even while I was still his enemy! Such is His grace and boundless love, not just for me — I’m not special — but for you as well. And why? So that we will invite Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour. Then, “we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Thank You, Jesus!

Prayer: Father, by Your Holy Spirit, allow us to see Your love for us in every way that You work in our lives, no matter how small. Build our faith, and give us the desire and strength to follow You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Clothed in Fresh and Festive Robes

Today we’re again introducing a new Lutheran writer to you, who goes simply by Brother Logan, which is also the name of his website. There are some excellent devotionals there, including the most recent one, linked at the end of this article. Click the title below to get started.

Christ, our Advocate

We go through many struggles in our daily life. These struggles might be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Struggles like these are for our own good (1 Peter 5:10) and are used to grow and strengthen our faith. These struggles mainly are self afflicted, being that most struggles happen because of our sin.

Spiritual struggles are a major issue within modern Christianity. People questioning their salvation, people wondering if they are holy enough for God, or some wonder if God is even loving. This is a terrible thing that has arisen in modern culture and belief.

Whilst the radical reformers tried to be less and less like Rome, they’ve fallen into the same trap. The trap I am speaking of is works based salvation. Now, I’m not saying every modern church has fallen into this nor am I saying that every form of theology other than Lutheranism falls into this. I am stating that it is an easy trap to fall into, especially whenever our nature is truly focused on what we can do rather than what God has done.

This leads me into the focus of this post, whilst we sin and it can be a struggle or cause struggles Christ protects and advocates. We can look to the prophet Zechariah to see this in full force.

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a log snatched from the fire?”

Now Joshua was clothed in filthy garments and was standing before the angel. And he responded and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your guilt away from you and will clothe you with festive robes.”

Then I said, “Have them put a clean headband on his head.” So they put the clean headband on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.” (Zechariah 3:1-5)

Christ (being the angel of the Lord) takes away our guilt and clothes us (being Joshua) with clean robes. As well the Lord rebukes Satan and his accusations.

St. Martin Luther puts it clearly, “When Satan tells me I am a sinner he comforts me immeasurably, since Christ died for sinners.”

If we were not sinners Christ’s forgiveness would not be for us! Now, with this beautiful message what else can we do other than attempt to follow Gods will? But when we fail, because we do, we have the Lord as our advocate rebuking Satan and His accusations. We are no longer looked at based upon our sinfulness but upon our status as clothed in Christ.

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Second Helping: From the same writer, check out Live to Die, a look at Paul’s words, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 

Are We Seeing Godly Sorrow?

Once again we are back at Meanderings of a Minister written by Pastor Jack Jacob. The past five years have brought the downfall of a number of notable Christian leaders. Often restoration happens rather quickly. Too quickly. Men and women who should give up a Christian leadership profile entirely are back on the platform within months (and in one case, six weeks.)

To read this article where it first appeared, click the link contained in the title below.

What is True Repentance?

We are in an era when many public figures have been caught in sin. They have stood before microphones and the media to admit they sinned and feel bad about it. Few, if any, have gone beyond that in their speeches. They left the impression that they were more upset that they got caught than that they sinned. While I cannot judge the hearts of others, I can consider their statements and compare it to what the Bible describes as true repentance.

Consider the Bible’s definition of the marks of true repentance:

“For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.” (2 Corinthians 7:10–11, NASB95)

First, true repentance leads to turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness and that comes from the foundation of earnestness or a true desire to want to be different and be forgiven. The person who has sinned feels the damage to the fellowship they have with God and want it to be forgiven. The lost person who repents first realizes he does not have a relationship with God. Both examples illustrate that godly sorrow comes from God to initiate, strengthen, or confirm relationship with Him.

The desire to be vindicated is a mark of repentance as well. One wants to be cleared of the charge for which he or she knows they are guilty. This does not mean that they attempt to cover up the sin, but that they have a desire to see the sin forgiven by being covered by Christ’s blood. This precludes any desire to have the slate wiped clean just to do it all over again. True repentance comes from a desire to be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 20:7).

Additionally, true repentance includes an indignation, not at anyone who points out the sin, but at self for falling into the sin (again). There comes a hatred of sin that causes one to be indignant about their sin. This indignation is a reminder that we do not have enough strength to avoid sin on our own, but since the Holy Spirit lives in us (1 Corinthians 12:3), God will always give us enough strength and a way to escape temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13) so that we do not have to sin. We do and that is on us, and it ought to bother us.

True repentance comes with a healthy fear of God as well. This is not being afraid of God because we know He loves us, but the awe of and respect for God ought to cause us to see ourselves as falling short of His glory and feeling that we want to be who He is changing us to be. That causes us to see ourselves in the light of His glory and grace.

True repentance comes from a longing to be closer to Jesus. Sin causes damage to the fellowship we enjoy with our Lord. It is not that He avoids or hides from us, but we do from Him. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they ran and hid in the bushes. God came walking in the garden like he always had, but they hid and that caused them not to be close to God like they were before they sinned. They longed for that relationship to be made right, but they would have to wait for many years for the sacrifice of Messiah to come.

True repentance also comes from a zeal or jealousy to protect the name of God, reputation of God, and glory of God. When a believer sins and the Holy Spirit convicts them of the sin, they realize they have hurt the way the world sees God and they want to make it right. This zeal for the Name of God draws them back to God to make things right. Like the criminal that hung next to Jesus, we want the world to stop mocking Him and look forward to spending eternity with Him. This desire draws us to turn from our sin back to our Savior.

Lastly, true repentance involves a desire to avenge the wrong we have done. This does not be self-flagellation, but it means a desire to want to do whatever it takes to make sure that we are close to, walking with, and following Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is way beyond just saying we are sorry.

What would it look like for you to truly repent from the sin you did last night? This morning? How would you know if your repentance is true repentance? What will you do?

The Lord’s Prayer as a Conversation

Today’s devotional breaks all our usual rules, but it provides a sort of commentary on a very, very familiar passage of scripture. It first appeared here twelve years ago when Canada Day and Independence Day (US) also shared a long weekend. It was originally sent to me as an email forward and the source is now unknown. Feel free to share it.

o o o o o o o

 

This is a dialog, between a person praying (in blue type)
and GOD (in red type) in response.

*********

Our Father Who Art In Heaven.

Yes?

Don’t interrupt me. I’m praying.

But — you called ME!

Called you?
No, I didn’t call you.
I’m praying.
Our Father who art in Heaven.

There — you did it again!

Did what?

Called ME.
You said,
“Our Father who art in Heaven”
Well, here I am..
What’s on your mind?

But I didn’t mean anything by it.
I was, you know,  just saying my prayers for the day.
I always say the Lord’s Prayer.
It makes me feel good,
kind of like fulfilling a duty.
Well, all right.

Go on.

Okay, Hallowed be thy name ..

Hold it right there.
What do you mean by that?

By what?

By “Hallowed be thy name”?

It means, it means . . good grief,
I don’t know what it means.
How in the world should I know?
It’s just a part of the prayer.
By the way, what does it mean?

It means honored, holy, wonderful.

Hey, that makes sense..
I never thought about what ‘hallowed’ meant before.

Thanks…

Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.

Do you really mean that?

Sure, why not?

What are you doing about it?

Doing? Why, nothing, I guess.
I just think it would be kind of neat if you got
control,of everything down here like you have up
there..We’re kinda in a mess down here you know.

Yes, I know;
but, have I got control of you?

Well, I go to church.

That isn’t what I asked you.
What about your bad temper?
You’ve really got a problem there, you know.
And then there’s the way you spend your money — all on yourself.
And what about the kind of books you read ?

Now hold on just a minute!
Stop picking on me!
I’m just as good as some of the rest

of those people at church!

Excuse ME..
I thought you were praying
for my will to be done.
If that is to happen,
it will have to start with the ones
who are praying for it.
Like you — for example ….

Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups.
Now that you mention it,
I could probably name some others.

So could I.

I haven’t thought about it very much until now,
but I really would like to cut out some of those things.
I would like to, you know, be really free.

Good.
Now we’re getting somewhere.

We’ll work together — You and ME.
I’m proud of You.

Look, Lord, if you don’t mind,
I need to finish up here.
This is taking a lot longer than it usually does.
Give us this day, our daily bread.

You need to cut out the bread..
You’re overweight as it is.

Hey, wait a minute! What is this?
Here I was doing my religious duty,
and all of a sudden you break in
and remind me of all my hang-ups.

Praying is a dangerous thing…
You just might get what you ask for.
Remember, you called ME — and here I am.
It’s too late to stop now.
Keep praying. ( pause … . )
Well, go on.

I’m scared to.

Scared? Of what?
I know what you’ll say.

Try ME.

Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.

What about Ann?

See? I knew it!
I knew you would bring her up!
Why, Lord, she’s told lies about me, spread stories.
She never paid back the money she owes me.
I’ve sworn to get even with her!

But — your prayer —
What about your prayer?

I didn’t — mean it…

Well, at least you’re honest.
But, it’s quite a load carrying around all that
bitterness and resentment isn’t it?

Yes, but I’ll feel better as soon as I get even with her.
Boy, have I got some plans for her.
She’ll wish she had never been born.

No, you won’t feel any better.
You’ll feel worse.
Revenge isn’t sweet.
You know how unhappy you are —
Well, I can change that.

You can? How?

Forgive Ann.
Then, I’ll forgive you;
And the hate and the sin,
will be Ann’s problem — not yours.
You will have settled the problem
as far as you are concerned.

Oh, you know, you’re right.
You always are.
And more than I want revenge,
I want to be right with You . . (sigh).
All right, all right . …
I forgive her.

There now!
Wonderful!
How do you feel?

Hmmmm. Well, not bad.
Not bad at all!
In fact, I feel pretty great!
You know, I don’t think I’ll go to bed uptight tonight.
I haven’t been getting much rest, you know.

Yeah, I know.
But, you’re not through with your prayer, are you?

Go on.

Oh, all right.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Good! Good! I’ll do that.
Just don’t put yourself in a place
where you can be tempted.

What do you mean by that?

You know what I mean.

Yeah. I know..

Okay.
Go ahead.. Finish your prayer..

For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever.
Amen.

Do you know what would bring me glory —
What would really make me happy?

No, but I’d like to know.
I want to please you now..
I’ve really made a mess of things.
I want to truly follow you..
I can see now how great that would be.
So, tell me . . .
How do I make you happy?

You just did.

Given a New Identity

^{NASB.Is.43.25} “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,
And I will not remember your sins.

^NIV.Heb.8.12 For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.

^{ESV.1John.1.9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

^{CSB.Heb.10.17} and I will never again remember
their sins and their lawless acts.

^{NLT.Ps.103.12} He has removed our sins as far from us
    as the east is from the west.

^NIV.John.112 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Today we have a new source of devotional material, Christopher, who writes at The Good Word blog. Clicking the title below will also get you there, where this article appeared just a few hours ago. The scriptures above were selected from a link in the original article.

Identity

Society has become obsessed with their identity. Labels, pronouns, figuring out who you are and what you identify as.

People go around proudly displaying their sexuality, politics, religion to everyone and in every way possible.

However they end up taking it too far and they let who they are become what their labelled.

Before you know it people are all thinking and doing the same things that fit their label, their identity.

Worse society and the world want to label you as well. They want you categorized like an item, knowing what they can sell you, feed you and ultimately use against you.

Think about it, we live in a society that preaches love, tolerance, justice, forgiveness and many other good things but it is it even authentic?

A man twenty years ago when he was 18 robs a convenience store, he serves his time, changes his life around.

Do you think a big corporate company that makes bold claims on their mission statement about those before mentioned good things above would hire him?

Doubtful. There is a reason on every job application you have to answer if you have ever been convicted of a crime.

To the world and society he will always be a thief.

To the world and society people will always be identified by their mistakes, you will be the glutton, the drunk, the liar, the cheater, the bad person.

They will build you up when it benefits them but when they need to they will tear you down with your bad labels, which now become your identity.

Don’t you want something different?

What if I told you there was an alternative?

To be a part of God’s Kingdom which is not of this world.

When you have faith and repent of your sins how does God look at you?

He will remember your sin no more, He will look at you as His child. Because Scripture tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made in His Image.

Our identity is in Christ.

We are no longer remembered for our sins. The man I mentioned before He would not be a thief in God’s eyes but instead His child.

Your identity shouldn’t be your politics, sexuality, your likes, dislikes it should be something greater. Let your identity be from God, not man.

Prodigal Parable: Both Sons are Welcome

Eligibility for repeating an author here is subject to an oft-mentioned (and occasionally broken) “six month rule.” Material by other writers is not usually repeated however, but original material here is eligible after four years. For this article, this would be the fourth time. Is that too many? If this devotional is familiar to longtime readers, skip down to a new section that’s been added, which considers a different dimension to the parable.

^{AMP Mark 4 : 2a} And He taught them many things in parables (illustrations or comparisons put beside truths to explain them)…

^{PHILLIPS Mark 4 : 1 – 2a} Then once again he began to teach them by the lake-side. A bigger crowd than ever collected around him so that he got into the little boat on the lake and sat down, while the crowd covered the ground right up to the water’s edge. He taught them a great deal in parables…

When you look at the ministry of Jesus there are at least three things that separate Him from all others who came before and all others who have come after:

• Miracles
• Questions
• Parables

While all the parables contain more depth than we see in the first reading, one that is especially rich is the one we call The Parable of the Lost Son, or The Parable of the Prodigal Son. (Or, in deference to the late Tim Keller’s excellent book, simply the Prodigal Parable.)

Years ago, for Father’s Day, our pastor spoke on this parable and as always happens with this particular section of Jesus’ teaching, there is always a new takeaway waiting if you look for it.

Before we gloss over this point too quickly, let me say that we need to approach familiar Bible passages with the attitude of expectancy. I do this every year at Christmas and Easter and I am never disappointed if I have my radar set to look for a new insight or revelation.

I knew of a pastor once who would begin some of his messages with a prayer that ended, “…and God if there’s anyone here who feels they’ve heard this all before, help them to know that your desire is to write this on the tablets of their heart.” (And that was before computer tablets!) Some messages we simply need to hear over and over and over and over and over and over again.

But that’s not what I mean here. I’m talking about where we haven’t heard it all before because there is so much depth to the passage in question. I’ve said that I think all scripture is like that to some degree, but in some passages, the potential message outlines are infinite.

I am continually fascinated by the concept of scripture as a multifaceted jewel which reveals, refracts and reflects with each slight turn. The geometric properties of a large diamond mean that each face is interconnected directly to several others, which in turn are attached to others.

Christianity 201, 1/24/13

At church that Sunday, the takeaway had to do with the father in the story running to meet his returning, contrite, repentant son. Our pastor pointed out that traditionally, because of the son’s shame in losing his money to Gentiles, the town would gather to shame him as he re-entered. But instead, the father runs to meet him, hug him, kiss him and give him a ring.

^{NIV Luke 15: 20b} … But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

Usually, the focus here has to do with the way in which the father runs to meet the son, that he was essentially shaming himself by lifting his tunic to run to do so. He thereby identifies with his son’s shame, his indignity, his disgrace.

But there’s a parallel between this event and what happens minutes later in the story where the father has to take shorter but equally important walk to meet his other son, the elder brother.

^{The Voice Luke 15 : 28b} The older brother got really angry and refused to come inside, so his father came out and pleaded with him to join the celebration.

The NLT has “begged” instead of “pleaded.” Young’s Literal Translation has “entreated.” This was not a 30-second conversation. This other young man required convincing; he needed to be persuaded.

So the parallel is that the father leaves his party of which he is the host, and leaves his home to go outside and beg the older son to come in. He is identifying here with the elder son’s appraisal of the injustice of the situation, his feeling that his performance based approach has counted for nothing.

And in terms of performance, Jesus was sinless. Jesus’ life was characterized by the injustice of the condemnation of an innocent man. Jesus had to leave the comparative ‘party’ of heaven to come to us. Jesus suffered the indignity of the cross…

…I grew up in The Peoples Church in Toronto, Canada under the ministry of Dr. Paul B. Smith. Each Sunday night as the choir sang Just As I Am, Dr. Paul would remind everyone that, “If you take one step toward God, God will take ten steps toward you.”

So imagine how much the speed at which God will move to embrace and welcome and restore you if you yourself come home running…

---

Digging Deeper:

Over the last few years I’ve had many conversations about eschatology with people where there was a passing reference to the Prodigal Parable.

We begin talking about the parable of the ten young women who are sent to meet a bridegroom coming for his bride. (The major point having to do with five of the ten not being properly prepared.) This is keeping with the custom of going to meet your guests “on the way.”

(I’ll often compare it to my kids, on seeing that company has arrived, asking to go out to their car in the driveway to welcome them, and me, not wanting to smother them, suggesting they wait until they ring the doorbell. The latter is more common in Western culture, but going halfway to meet your guests would not be unusual at the time Jesus taught the parable, though the running aspect of it might be.)

The ten bridesmaids go out to a place so desolate that artificial lights (lamps) are a must, and then I compare it to the idea of being “caught up to meet him [the Lord]” that we find in the end-times description in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

Following so far?

Then I diagram the whole thing horizontally.

Then I turn the diagram 90-degrees so that it’s a vertical image.

Then we talk about rapture doctrine and ask the question, in this scene (the horizontal first, then the vertical), who is doing the 180-degree turn? The bridesmaids aren’t staying in their middle-of-nowhere location, and in those “caught up…in the air” aren’t staying in the clouds. Do the bridesmaids (now including the welcomed groom) go with him where he came, or do they follow him to where they started, which is the trajectory of his journey, the meet-up with his bride?

Okay, we need to save that for another devotional. Perhaps we have done it already. The point is that scripture is wonderfully and beautifully woven together, and with all the emotion wrapped up in the Prodigal Parable of the father sprinting to reunite with his long-absent son, there are (not so) hidden connections to other New Testament narratives.

Someone should really cross-reference all these little things.

What’s that? They did?