By Faith Alone

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 ESV)

FAITH ALONE

We are saved by God’s unmerited favor.  Anything we add to the mix is useless, distracting, and not really an effective part of salvation.  We are saved by Grace Alone.

But how does God manifest the Grace?  For us to experience it, He chose to use a particular mechanism.

Grace does not just blandly, blindly, or blithely blunder into the broken world.

The way that human-invented religions have concocted to come up with ways a divine being COULD have used to be the means of Salvation display for us some of the options God could have used.

He could have given His Graceful salvation through rewarding good works.  He could have given His Graceful salvation through selecting a nation or people group.  He could have given His Graceful salvation through allowing mankind to develop or evolve into a higher state of being.  He could have given His Graceful salvation though accepting passivity, ignorance, or some sort of randomness or fate.

But He chose to give Grace through Faith.

God gives Grace through His gift of Faith.  We believe, and He gives Grace.  Not as a reward, but as a tightly entwined existence.  Those who have Faith, receive Grace.  Those who Have Grace, receive Faith.

Simply put, Faith is accepting as truth and as reality God, as He has revealed Himself.  It is similar to trust, akin to belief, parallel to hope, and is an affirmation of God’s Word and Spirit.  Faith is not the result of reason, nor is Faith the opponent of reason.

Faith is different, Faith is wonderful, Faith is a gift from God.

Salvation is by Grace alone, and only through Faith.

But we alter our definition of Faith to suit our expectations, personalities, and understanding. 

For the next few days, we will examine Faith and the things with which we have tried to replace it.

Faith alone.

Contest

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9, 10 ESV)

No Contest

I was very excited each year when the international chess rankings were published.  By playing and recording the results of particular matches, a committee somewhere used some algorithm and declared how good a chess player I was.  In the few years I took part, I steadily advanced through the list.  But I was never officially as good a chess player as I thought I was.

Neither our lives, nor salvation, nor our relationship with the one true living GOD are t like the international chess rankings.  While often we use some internal algorithm to compare ourselves to others, such comparisons do not matter.  Even if they were somehow accurate. 

God does not take the top 50 %, or 30 %, or 10%  and give them grace.  If He did, it would not be grace, it would be a reward.

When John recorded what he saw in heaven, he noticed that the number of folk was more than anyone could number.  The number of God’s people in heaven is not infinite.  But instead, we can not figure out that number.  Because, as the heavenly residents sing, “Salvation belongs to our God.” 

We are saved by Grace, not by a contest or comparison.

It does not matter at all if the person sitting next to you, or living downstairs, or by the side of the road is more or less obedient to God than you are. 

It is not a contest.  We all need it.

Grace alone.

Time

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (II Peter 3: 8,9 ESV)

Time

I hate being late.  Yet when I think back on my entire life, I cannot think of a single moment where being ‘late’ actually caused any catastrophe.  Obviously, my focus on time is too pointed, too momentary, too small.

It is not simply that God knows the future and the past, in some time-travel way.  But God rules outside of time.  Time, for the Lord, is but one small mechanism He uses to bring His people to His Son. 

So, when thinking about Grace, consider these timely things:

-          Our existence will be uncountable years in heavenly glory before and with the Triune God.  These few years of this part of our lives, while so very important from our viewpoint, are but a drop in the bucket of our total existence.  And so it makes sense for God to see us as we will be… as we will be for all eternity!  His Gracious love towards us makes sense.  We will be perfectly in His image forever.  This small time of rebellious sinfulness, while terrible because God hates Sin, slides away under His vision of us in glorified eternal Holiness.

-          The way His Grace fills us follows His schedule, not ours.  We righteously yearn for sinless perfection immediately and now.  But from God’s perspective, it is not a long wait.  We are impatient, but He is not.  We are frustrated at the slowness of our sanctification, but He waits.  We are counting hours of sin-struggles, and years of sluggish faith, but He and all heaven rejoice because we ARE His.

-          His Grace is intertwined in His promises.  He is faithful to keep His covenant, made to believers and their children.  It does not seem like He is keeping those promises sometimes.  We want to see the promises working NOW… but God simply says, “I keep my word.”  He does it, though, with His timing.  And while we might not be able to appreciate it yet today, when we see Him as He is, we will see that HOW He kept His promises is someow exactly what we, and our children, and His Kingdom needed all along. 

Grace alone.

Feelings

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19 ESV)

Feelings

I do occasionally change my mind, but my feelings are usually in flux.  Take Star Trek, for instance.  At times I feel excited about the next new episode.  At times I look forward to watching Star Trek at lunchtime.  Other times, I am tired of the Star Trek universe.  And occasionally, even considering an episode that I used to consider exciting and fun, I really just do not want to watch Kirk, or Picard, or Sisko, or Janeway, or even Spock.

While I might become lost in the spiral of feelings towards Star Trek (or my dog, or my car, or my phone, or my meals), how we feel about salvation has nothing to do with whether we ARE saved.

God saved Christians because He is gracious towards His people.  That is an absolute.  God’s methodology, God’s promises, God’s Grace do not change over time.  God’s Grace is as sure as… well, nothing is as sure as God’s Grace!

But I do not always feel saved.  I doubt my reaction to God.  I doubt my growth in the Lord.  I doubt my devotion to Him.  I doubt that He is doing good in my life.  I doubt He is doing good in my community.  Sometimes I feel afraid, or insecure about God.  Even though I know that Christ has promised never to leave me or forsake me, at times I feel alone.  Even though I am cognizant that God saves by Grace, not as a reward of works, I wonder if Grace is strong enough to overcome the darkness of my history, or my today, or my tomorrow.

But those feelings do not change God’s saving work in my life.  Those feelings, as legitimate and understandable as they are, do not matter the tiniest bit in determining my salvation.  Those feelings are important in determining peace, joy, contentment, and understanding… but those feelings are not important in determining salvation.

God saves by Grace, not feelings.

And His Grace is absolute and sure, towards His people.

Grace alone.

Weakness of Grace

He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

The Weakness of Grace

Perhaps it sounds strange to refer to Grace as weak.  We know that God’s Grace is powerful enough to snuff out every spark of sin in our hearts and lives.  The Grace of God is unstoppable, unopposable, and unavoidable, when God sets His love on you.

But there is this odd and wonderful weakness in Grace.

If we add anything to Grace, it is no longer Grace.  When we think that we need to help Grace along with our good intentions, we end up with a Grace/us hybrid that no longer is Grace.  When we think that we need to make Grace better by adding our good behavior, we end up with a Grace/works hybrid that no longer is Grace.  When we think that we need to make Grace stronger by adding our thoughts, words, or deeds, we end up with a Grace/US hybrid that is no longer Grace.

Grace stops being Grace, slipping away into meaningless mumbo-jumbo the moment we add anything of our own to it.

Grace is only Grace when Grace is all God, and not us.  Grace is only Grace when Grace is nothing but pure 100% concentrated God’s doing.  Grace is only Grace when Grace is something we only receive, only accept, only bask in.  Grace is only Grace when our part is not merely small, but non-existent.

The weakness of Grace lies in this.  It is fragile.  Grace stops being Grace, slipping away into meaningless mumbo-jumbo, the moment we add anything of our own to it.

Stop trying to improve Grace.  It is wonderfully free, amazingly one-sided, shockingly generous.  And therein lies Grace’s strength, power, and necessity.

The doubly-amazing thing is, though, that even when we foolishly forget how free Grace is, Christ on the cross paid for that sin, too.

Only Grace.

Only by Grace

 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:8 ESV)

Only by Grace

Some people like to add things to coffee, but I do not.  Coffee is coffee.  Adding other things might taste wonderful, smooth the acidity, and cool the liquid down… but to me, it is no longer coffee.   SOMEONE agrees with me, so we see other names for beverages that are coffee PLUS something.  Latte, Mocha, Americano, Cappucino, Café au Lait, Macchiato, Irish Coffee, Frappe, Affogato, and Red Eye are just a few such options.  Adding something to the cup, and to me, they are simply no longer coffee.

You might not agree with me about my definition of coffee, but salvation inarguably works the same way.  Salvation is by grace.  If we add other things, it is no longer God’s plan of salvation. 

Good deeds, church attendance, good theology, prayer, reading the Bible, memorizing God’s Word, are all great things.  Christians are asked by God to do them.  But they do not save us.

Salvation is, first and foremost, a gift from God.

Imagine having to earn your birthday present.  Imagine Santa Claus asking kids what toys they want to buy.  Imagine any sort of gift that you earned, worked for, or had to prove you deserve.

They would no longer be gifts.

For the next few days we will look at some things we might slip into our coffee.  The good news of the gospel is, that those things are not what save us.

Only grace.

The True Gospel

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6,7 ESV)

True Gospel

I sometimes prepare a casserole that I call, “goulash.”  Basically, it is ground beef, tomato sauce, noodles, and peas.  I have eaten it for years.

But once when I served it, I received a friendly scowl from one participant in the meal.  He had traveled in Eastern Europe, where goulash was invented, and had come to the dinner expecting a particular concoction of spices and ingredients prepared in a particular way. And my goulash was not even close to what he perceived as the real thing.

I am not sure that when it comes to goulash there is a true goulash.

But I am sure that when it comes to gospel there is a true gospel.

These days (and in fact, often, throughout history) we hear a lot of things called ‘gospel’ that are not gospel.

The gospel and its life changing and world altering power has an obvious and desirable effect on everything the gospel touches.  But yet the gospel requires things that the unredeemed are unwilling or unable to give.  So the gospel is imitated, altered, recast, and diminished to make the fake gospel more palatable, less costly, and more attractive on the surface.

And those changes make these gospels not the gospel.

Unlike goulash, it is possible to define Biblically what makes a gospel THE gospel.  Because the gospel is worth defining, worth defending, worth delineating, and worth delighting in.

That is what I will be doing for the next while.

Don’t worry.  This is not about denominations, style, or preferences.

The gospel matters.  Let us state clearly and encouragingly what it is.

Whew

Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. (I Chronicles 13: 9,10 ESV)

Whew

Admittedly, this is a hard story to hear.  Mostly, because we do not appreciate God’s perspective.  Uzzah, in the celebratory parade in which the Ark of the Covenant was finally being returned to Jerusalem, made a mistake.  He reached out to make sure the Holy Ark did not fall over to the ground.

But God had given specific instructions for the parade.  No human hand was to touch the Ark.  Uzzah was trying to keep the Ark unsullied.  Uzzah was trying to be holy, by protecting the Ark’s holiness.  Uzzah had great intentions.  But in doing all of those things, Uzzah disobeyed God.

And God severely punished Uzzah.

I do not understand the details of this tragic story.  But I can understand it as an example of God’s attitude about our sin.  Good intentions do not avoid God’s wrath.  Reacting in an emergency with unrighteous actions are not still being obedient somehow. Making decisions based solely on our logic, our understanding, or our wisdom do not lead to God-pleasing obedience.

I can almost hear you mutter, and in fact, I am muttering myself.  “What was Uzzah supposed to do, let the Ark touch the ground and be defiled?”

I wonder, and perhaps you do, too, if God could have just this once, seeing Uzzah’s enthusiasm for the Ark’s return, expressed His anger, and let the matter lie.

But then I look at the other side of this story.  Perhaps God already had a plan in place to preserve the Ark’s holiness.  Perhaps God was more aware and in control than Uzzah, or I, might have thought.  Perhaps God simply meant what He said:  “Do not touch the Ark.  At all.  Under any circumstances.”

God always means what He says.  Jesus instructs us not to worry, Jesus does not say, “Do not worry, unless things are really bad.”  God requires us to always honor His name.  The third commandment does not read, “Keep God’s name holy, unless you are really scared, or hurt, or angry.”  Jesus told His disciples to forgive always, even 70 times 7 times.  He did not tell them, “Forgive, unless it is really hard.”

God’s perspective is different than ours often is.  We put ‘unless’ clauses in our obedience efforts.

Perhaps that sounds frightening to you.  God’s requirements are so strict.  God’s expectations are so high.  And we can not be THAT obedient.

As guilty as we are… as often as we reach out our hand and grab the Ark… or as often as we reach out our hand and disobey for what seem rational and fair reasons… God has given us a solution.

He is not going to strike you dead for your sins.  He struck Jesus dead for your sins.  God is not going to express His holy wrath against you for your disobedient good intentions.  God expressed His holy wrath against Jesus for your disobedient good intentions.  God is not going to be unjust by ignoring your sins.  God treats them as rebellious as they are.  But then He punishes Jesus for them, instead of you.

We can not endure God’s wrath… but Jesus already did, for you.

Numbers

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared. (Psalm 130:4 ESV)

Numbers

Infinity and countless are not the same thing.  For instance, the number of stars is not infinite, but rather really, really, really big, and incredibly hard to count.

The number of my sins is also very difficult to list.  I have not yet become aware of all of my past sins. I do not understand God’s Word enough to apprehend all of my sins.  My memory of my sins is faulty. 

I could say that because of those (and other) factors that my sins are countless.  But they are not infinite.

And the Psalmist says that if God chose to list every one of those sins, my guilt before God would be obvious and unavoidable. Yet because Christ took away the guilt of every single one of those numbered sins, there is true and full forgiveness.

If my sins were infinite, that forgiveness would be a different sort of thing.  My sins would be surreal.  My sins would be beyond understanding.  In a way, I could not be held accountable for the infinite.

But instead, the number of my sins is known by God, and theoretically known by me.  And so Christ’s work on the cross was particular, pointed, and exact.

You might say the punishment fit the crime.  My (huge) number of sins was matched by Christ’s (huge) number of payments.

That exactness makes Christ’s sacrificial death personal. 

We can not count our sins, but God can, and Christ paid for them.

Sacrificed

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (I Corinthians 2:2 ESV)

Sacrificed

A family paid a scholarship that enabled me to attend seminary.  I do not remember their name, but I sure did while in attendance.  We attended an annual dinner the school sponsored to thank the generous group of donors.  I wrote periodic letters giving status and giving thanks.  I thought of that annual gift often.  Remembering those donations instilled both a sense of general gratitude, and an occasional burst in motivation to study and learn.

Christians do not merely remember Jesus Christ.  We remember that He was crucified.

So here is a thing to try.

Every time you become aware of something sinful in your life, rather than merely grieve and mourn, remember His crucifixion and thank Him for His donation.

Sin does not only require a reaction of sorrow and sin-hatred.  We also get to remember and rejoice that the very sin we are noticing was paid for by the crucified Jesus.

Jesus did not pay for a vague bunch of sins.  He paid for every time you are selfish, jealous, impatient, arrogant, ignorant, and lazy in good works.  So they are gone.  So we can rejoice! 

We can not overcome our sorrow over sin.  But because of Christ, we get to rejoice!

There He Is!

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (I Corinthians 2:2 ESV)

There He is!

I had a difficult task, involving a long drive, some confrontational conversations, some gospel to offer that I did not expect to be received at all, let alone well.

But along the way, I was met by someone who I really enjoy seeing.  It was just a brief visit, barely time for a meal.  But somehow, knowing that I would see him, at times I could almost talk to him in the empty car seat.  And his gentle wisdom, his dry sense of humor, our affection, and just having him there (as both a point on the map, and in his almost-presence in the car) helped a lot.

Jesus is more than that.

Not only is He present as we think of Him, read of Him, and pray in His name, but there is more.  He is present because He created our world (Ephesians 3:9).  He fills all of creation as He is reconciling it to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19).  He is present in His sovereignty, guiding, causing, moving, and effecting every event around us. (Isaiah 45:15).

It was easy, perhaps, for Paul to know nothing but Jesus, because Jesus is present in everything.

We are only at one place, but Christ is everywhere.

Backwards

…the son of Boaz… (Luke 3:33 ESV)

Backwards

Some of us have ancestors that we are not particularly proud of.  I have a many-greats-grandfather who was a horsethief.  You might have worse branches in your family tree. 

And we can not do anything about it.  They are back there, like rocks of shame.

Jesus had some bad eggs in His ancestor-list, too.  Boaz might seem innocuous enough, but Boaz was married Ruth, who was a Moabitess. 

We read her story back in her book with fondness, but culturally, historically, and religiously we have forgotten the impact of that delineation.  People from Moab were, in the history of God’s people, the worst of the worst.

But Jesus fixed that, and some other dark spots in his ancestry, by His very existence.  The grace of Jesus is that powerful.  The grace of Jesus is that wonderful.

And He fixes our histories, too.  Both our personal histories and the histories of more distant pasts are washed with His redeeming blood.

Because Christians are grafted into HIS family tree.  A tree that goes like this:  God, then Jesus, and Jesus’ siblings.

Rejoice in the amazing cleansing and renewing power of Christ Jesus.

We cannot fix our past.  But in one fell swoop, Jesus can.

Home

And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land. (Isaiah 13:14 ESV)

Home

Our school’s debate team had an incredibly successful season.  I realize that does not sound thrilling to most of you, but for me, it was!  We made it to the state championship debates. 

And when we lost, we went home.  The same thing would have happened  if we had won, though.  Or if we had tied.  Or if we had merely gone to the tournament as observers.

When things are finished, we go home.

Isaiah is describing here what happens at the end… the end of a lot of things.  He is informing all people that no matter how secure you might feel, the end is coming.  The end of the universe, the end of society, the end of your dynasty, the end of your nation, the end of your employment, the end of your relationship, the end of your life… the end is coming.

And when that happens, you will go home.

And each of us will go to our own home.  For the world, that will be a dark and tormented place.  Empty of God, empty of love, empty of light.  Empty, in fact, of everything that matters.

But Christians get to go home!  Not because we have built a place, or earned a place, or pioneered a place.  But because Jesus had bought us, and built us a forever place. 

We can not really go home, but with Christ we can.

Counting

“Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.” (Numbers 1:2 ESV)

Counting

I did not count in Middle School. At least not when it came to sports.  I usually was picked last to be on baseball teams, basketball teams, football teams, soccer teams, dodgeball teams, and kickball teams.  I remember one sad recess when we were dividing up to play kickball, I was not even chosen last.  I, and a couple more non-athletic kids, were just thrown on to a team at the end.

“They don’t really count,” someone said.

Standing before the Almighty God, we might feel the same way.  If God were picking who would be on HIS team, He would not look at me twice. 

But then Jesus steps in.  He says, “I choose that one… and I will even die to make sure He makes it on the Christian team, to make sure He is mine, to make sure He counts.”

And along with that, once He has counted me, He never forgets me.

I do not count, but in Christ I do.

Life

So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. (I Chronicles 10:13 ESV)

Life

Saul failed on two accounts, and really three.  First he was disobedient, and God punishes disobedience with death. 

Second Saul sought other counsel.  Not satisfied with God’s Word, Saul took the avenue of the world at that time, seeking help from the occult.  And God punishes wrongly aimed ears with death.

And we, you and I, deserve the same thing.  We are disobedient… a lot.  Perhaps you might think you are not as horrid as Saul, but every disobedience is rebellion against the maker of the universe, the giver of the Law, deserves, in God’s eyes, the same death Saul received.

And while we, you and I, might not be attending seances, or talking to witches, we seek advice and counsel from voices other than God’s Word.  We seek (and praise) what we call common sense, instead of God’s sense.  We seek (and follow) public opinion, instead of God’s opinion.  We seek socially acceptable answers to life’s problems, instead of following and loving the clear guidance of God’s Word.  And in God’s eyes, that purposeful deafness also deserves death.

But we have something Saul also chose to ignore.  We have the Christ.  Saul did not obey or seek the coming Messiah (symbolized perhaps by Saul’s rejection of David), which would have given Saul what Christians today have.

God punished Jesus for our disobedience.  God punished Jesus for our bad ears.

And so, unlike Saul, we do not face eternal death.  And temporal death, for Christians is not the punishment it was for Saul.  Instead, it is the pathway Jesus leads us on to heaven itself.

Saul could not avoid his punishment. And we could not avoid our punishment, either.  But Christ takes the punishment we, like Saul, deserve.

Control

…and he bowed his head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:30 ESV)

Control

We like to think that we are in control of our lives. 

We spend money when we want to spend money.  We enter the college that we choose to attend.  We purchase the groceries we like, the car we like, the home we like, the socks we like, and we have the haircut we want to have.

And all of those choices fool us into thinking we have control.

But we do not have control.

Even though we think we are the masters and mistresses of our destiny, more happens to us than we actually do ourselves.  Consider the two biggest events of our lives. We do not decide when and where we were born.  And we do not decide when and where we die.

But Jesus did.  He chose when and where He was born, and more significantly, He chose where and when He died.

Those words recorded in the fourth gospel are rich with power.

He, unlike any human who ever lived, or will live, gave up His spirit, and died.

This is more than surrendering to illness, or injury, or despair.

This is Jesus saying, “the moment is NOW.”

And He does the same thing for His people, too.  He orchestrates the music of our lives.  He directs our coming and going.  He moves us, stills us, lowers us, and raises us.

And it is a good thing.  Because He knows more than we do, even about ourselves.

We can not control our lives and deaths, but Jesus can.  AND, He is good.

Copies

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. (Hebrews 9:24 ESV)

Copies

While we sometimes turn up our noses at cheap imitations, some copies are good things.  I cannot distinguish generic Rice Krispies from name brand Rice Krispies, but I notice the difference in price.

Generic pain killer has exactly the same ingredients and formula as name brand pain killer, but is dramatically lower priced.

I have an imitation portrait on my living room wall, that I cannot tell the difference from the original, but I enjoy it a lot more because it cost me a lot less.

And Jesus serves as Redeemer, Savior, and connection to God infinitely better than the symbols that God gave us for those things. 

The Lord’s Supper is wonderful, but it is nothing compared to what we will celebrate at the foot of His throne forever.

Singing praise is grand, but it is nothing compared to how we will worship forever in Jesus’ presence.

Love here on earth is full of wonder, but it is nothing compared to the love of Jesus that we will bask in, forever.

The copies and imitations are good… but we have something better!

We can not experience reality, but with Jesus we do!

Certainty

…that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:4 ESV)

Certainty

We can not know very much with certainty.  The publishing industry has motives that are not in line with mine.  Information from the internet is without checks or balances to ensure veracity.  Books that have price tag might be being sold to make money more than to reveal truth.  Books that are free might be being given away because they are without value. 

Knowledge expands, and information becomes obsolete.  Knowledge contracts and information becomes too general.  Knowledge is deemed unreliable both because of too much bias, and not enough bias. 

People lie, people exaggerate, people cast blame, people defend themselves, all of which gives us insecurity when we try to discover, investigate, or read.

But we can trust with certainty (as if trust really existed without certainty) what the God has given us in His Word.  We might misunderstand it.  We might misapply it.  We might not comprehend it, but those are not problems with the Bible, they are problems with our brains.

Jesus is God’s Word, brings God’s Word, fulfills God’s Word, and is in God’s Word.  Jesus teaches God’s Word, applies God’s Word to us, knows God’s Word, and loves God’s Word.

And we, transformed by Jesus-wrought salvation, can know with certainty whatever the Bible teaches.

We can not be certain of truth, but in Christ we can.

Strange Gifts

For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. (Romans 11:32 ESV)

Strange Gifts

I have a neighbor who keeps goats.  Those goats like to wander around the neighborhood consuming things.  Such consumption causes neighbors to be frustrated, or even angry.  So, my neighbor has built a fence.  It might appear that my neighbor likes fences.  But he neither likes nor dislikes fences, his real purpose is having friendly neighbors. 

Presently, my driveway is disrupted by three large potholes.  Those potholes are irritating, dangerous, and ugly.  But to get home, I must drive over them.  They are, at present, a part of my pathway to happiness.

God’s highest intent for His people is that we cling to Jesus, and Him alone.  God’s highest intent for His people is not, since Adam’s fall, simply that we would be obedient.  God’s desire is for us to love His Son.  Our disobedience, while odious to Him, provides the avenue for us to be in that glorious and necessary relationship with Him.

Sin and unrighteousness exist in my life, so that I need Jesus. 

There is no value in our sin, other than that sin leads us through Christ, to God.

Rebuking

And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you![1] (Zechariah 3:2 ESV)

Rebuking

Jesus is not just a mild-mannered smiley-faced speaker of profound thoughts.  He is God’s soldier.  He is God’s right hand.  He is God’s firstborn Son.

God has three enemies: the flesh, the world, and Satan.  And here we see how God deals with Satan.  God rebukes Satan.  And rebuke is a powerful word.

It means more than yell at… it means Satan is put in his place.

It means more than lecture… it means Satan is bound, limited, and powerless.

It means more than make Satan feel bad… It means Satan is defeated, laughed at, and now nearly ignored.

And God did not rebuke Satan quietly… God rebuked Satan with God’s Word, and still does today.  The best defense when you are afraid of what Satan might do is to read God’s Word.

But not just because it is a book.  God’s Word is Jesus Himself.

While keeping in mind that Satan is not the comical cartoon figure of a horned tempter.  Satan represents, in a way, all who oppose God.  He is also a symbol of the part of the spiritual world that we cannot grasp, and therefore are tempted to fear. 

Even the unknown is rebuked by God through Jesus.  Even the mysterious is rebuked by God through Jesus.  EVERY enemy of God is rebuked by God through Jesus.

And we are on His side.

We can not fight what we do not understand.  But Jesus can.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Zec 3:2.