service genset jogja
2 Timothy 1:4, 2 Corinthians 1:4-5

Comforting the Afflicted

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 29, 2023

Paul expresses his deep concern for his son in the faith, Timothy, in his letters to him. His greeting includes the fact that Paul, probably in prison, is spending much of his time both day and night in prayer for his young disciple. He is aware of the battle raging in Ephesus. The pagans are calling the Christians atheists because they won’t offer incense to the gods or to Caesar. The Jews are calling the Christians idolaters because they are claiming that Jesus is God. Paul tells Timothy about his clear conscience in the face of his being in prison at the hands of both the pagans and the Jews. His faith is real, and he is bold in the face of such opposition. He wishes Timothy to be strengthened in his faith as well and to remain faithful during his serious times of persecution by both sides. Paul knows how hard it is for Timothy. On his father’s side, there are pagans. On his mother’s side, there are Jews. He’s under attack from his whole family. Paul knows how Timothy is struggling, and in 2 Timothy 1:4, he tells him, “As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.”

Paul speaks about his deep times of prayer often in his letters. We might normally think of them as times on his knees next to his bed, pleading with God on behalf of his disciples. I have a hard time seeing such a man of action doing that. I know this will sound heretical, but it seems more human for Paul to simply be filled with concern and worry about his young disciples. Since Paul even exhorts us to “pray always.” I think that it has more to do with our thought life and concern than it does with formal words and postures that we might advance to God. As Paul tells Timothy that he “remembers your tears,” it sounds more like concern and empathy than official or formal prayer time. Whatever the memory is here, I don’t see it as a way to motivate Timothy to action. Proctor makes it sound like Paul is exhorting Timothy by pointing to all the people that have expectations of him.  He observes, “Three times in 1:3–5, he speaks of remembering. Specifically, he stirs in Timothy the remembrance of his heritage. Paul begins by mentioning his own heritage: ‘I serve as my forefathers did’ (1:3). He then goes on to mention Timothy’s heritage: ‘I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.’ I heard of a little girl who hesitantly approached her mother, ‘Mommy, do you remember the blue vase in the living room?’ The mother asked, ‘Do you mean the one that’s been passed down in my family from generation to generation?’ The little girl sheepishly answered, ‘Yes, and this generation just dropped it.’”[1] Proctor goes on and says, “Paul’s message here is, “Timothy, don’t be the generation that drops the faith. I am following in the footsteps of faith left by those who’ve gone before me. Now you follow in the footsteps left by those who’ve gone before you.”

The nuns at Blessed Sacrament Grade School and Holy Name High school occasionally asked me why I wasn’t more like my older sister. She was a good student. She was obedient. She never got in trouble. I was just the opposite. Many commentators see Paul telling Timothy something similar. I just don’t see Paul doing that! I just don’t see Paul telling Timothy not to be the one that drops the ball. It’s more like an expression of deep concern for Timothy and understanding of what he was going through. Paul tells Timothy that he knows about the suffering he’s undergoing, and he is concerned for him and wishes that he could be with him to both comfort him and be comforted by him as well. Paul says that it would “fill him with joy.” Paul was not afraid that Timothy would fall away from the faith because of the trials and persecution. Paul just wanted to comfort Timothy through them. He wanted to share with Timothy the comfort he received from God during his trials. After all, isn’t that what he says to the Corinthians in his second letter to them, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

[1] Proctor, Matt. 2009. 2 Timothy: Finish-Line Faith. 3:16 Bible Commentary Series. Joplin, MO: CP Publishing.

Tags: ,
Permalink
1 Timothy 1:5-7, Various

Stick to the Message (Part 2)

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 28, 2023

Paul instructed Timothy to rebuke those who taught the law and accounts of the Old Testament as being commands and illustrations that teach us how we can earn God’s favor. This was the key teaching of the religious leaders in Christ’s day as well as the leaders of the Synagogues in Paul’s day. I think it’s the key teaching as well today from the pulpits of our religious leaders.  But Paul insisted that Timothy focus on the Gospel and insisted that it remain the key message to the people in Ephesus. Focusing on the law, the prophets, and the writings of the Old Testament with no mention of their fulfillment by the savior of the world, the Messiah, was to open the door to speculation rather than accepting the overall message of God’s revelation of His love for us all and the demonstration of that love in Christ. Paul gives Timothy some insights into the ministry in 1 Timothy 1:5-7. He tells him, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.”

This passage begins with an interesting triad. It talks about a love that proceeds from a “pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” Collins says, “This triad is unique in the New Testament. It consists of an element of Semitic anthropology, an element of moral philosophy, and an element of Christian faith. The interpretive phrases come from the religious environment in which the document is to be situated, the first from traditional Judaism, and the latter from the author’s Christian heritage.”[1] Paul is most likely describing the kind of love he wants Timothy to hold for his parishioners. Paul charged his disciples to “preach the word.” Most people interpret that as meaning to teach the whole Bible. I’m not sure that’s what is meant. The “word” as we know is Jesus himself. The clearest and dearest expression of God’s love for the world. Paul’s charge is to preach the gospel, not the law. How do you preach the gospel with a “pure” heart? I would argue that it means from the position of having received God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus. Even the Old Testament teaches us that our unredeemed hearts are wicked. When one preaches the gospel of God’s love as seen in Jesus from the point of having received it, one can do so with a clear conscience. It’s not being proclaimed for profit or to manipulate but to communicate the message of God’s love freely to everyone. Paul often explains that the sincerity of his missionary efforts can be seen in the fact that he’s not asking anyone for anything. He proclaims the message with a pure heart and a clear conscience that comes from sincere faith.

There are still those who want people to focus their attention on the law because that’s what they know, and that’s what they want others to value because it puts them in the “seat of Moses” in the gatherings of the people. Those who teach salvation by works have wandered away from the basic truth of the Gospel. Paul told the Romans, “No one can be saved by the works of the law.” This is the same message he wanted Timothy to preach. The law can save no one, but Jesus can save everyone who will turn from vain discussions of the law and trust Him for their eternal life. One web blogger concludes, “We can only be declared righteous “by faith apart from works of the law” (Romans 8:28), and that faith must rest in the only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: ‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12). To continue to attempt to earn a place in heaven through the works of the law is to ignore the sacrifice of Christ: ‘If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!’ (Galatians 2:21).”[2]

[1] Collins, Raymond F. 2012. 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus: A Commentary. Edited by C. Clifton Black, M. Eugene Boring, and John T. Carroll. The New Testament Library. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

[2] What are the works of the law (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16)? | GotQuestions.org

Tags:
Permalink
2 Thessalonians 1:5

Worthy of the Kingdom

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 27, 2023

The persecution of the new Christians by both Jews and Gentiles was severely felt by the Thessalonians. The persecutors were determined to wipe out the new religion. The Thessalonian Jews had chased Paul out of town because of his preaching and even pursued him to the city of Berea to silence him. Many times, Paul had to resort to some radical methods to escape with his life. Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 that The Jews of Damascus had the local governor and his garrison on their side: “In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.” When Paul escaped Thessalonica, it was like his escape from Damascus. They had to sneak him out of the city. The believers that Paul left behind had to face the persecution on their own, and they fared honorably. Paul commended them for their steadfast faith in the face of persecution. He told them how they were an inspiration to those in all the churches. Then he reminded them of the kingdom that awaited them because of the resurrection of the dead. The persecution that they were undergoing just firmly established their place in God’s kingdom. In 2 Thessalonians 1:5, Paul tells them, “This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.”

We often pray “Thy Kingdom Come” in our regular prayers. When God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven, we’ll see all the trials, sufferings, and hardships of this life fade into the distant past. Those who do the persecuting will face justice, and those persecuted for their faith will receive commendations. It’s not that the believers make themselves “worthy.” It’s that they will be “considered” worthy.  Anyone who studies early church history knows of the depth of persecution that took place against Christians.  Persecution wasn’t something that “some” of them experienced. It was part & parcel of the new life. All 12 of the Apostles were martyred for their faith – some unspeakably. Foxe’s book of martyrs makes excellent but gruesome reading for those interested in learning more about persecution in the early church. The Thessalonians were introduced to persecution very early in their Christian lives. Most born-again Christians know something about it.

Bob Wilkins says, “If you’re like me, your first inclination is to think you rarely ever suffer for the kingdom. No one is throwing us in jail and beating us for our faith. Compared to the apostles and the early Christians, or people in other countries around the world today, we may feel we don’t suffer at all. Yet that isn’t true if we are spiritually minded believers. Have you ever received odd looks from people when you tell them that you are a born-again Christian? Maybe you’ve even received verbal jabs like, ‘Not another holy roller,’ or, ‘Oh, you’re a Jesus freak, huh?’ You may shrug off the looks or the remarks, but they do indeed hurt, and they are persecution.”[1] I once offered the opening prayer at the Nebraska Senate. Earnie Chambers spent the next hour ridiculing it and belittling my faith. I truly felt persecuted at that moment. The hardest part for me was that none of the other senators in the room defended me or my prayer. I truly felt alone in that room of legislators. There were no lacerations from the whip. There were no bruises from stones. There were no abrasions from the club. Yet, I felt whipped, beaten, and clubbed emotionally and spiritually.

[1] https://faithalone.org/grace-in-focus-articles/will-you-be-counted-worthy-of-the-kingdom/

Tags:
Permalink
1 Thessalonians 1:5-7, Various

The Joy of the Holy Spirit

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 26, 2023

After pointing out that the Thessalonians were chosen by God because of His love for them rather than any great characteristic of their own, Paul points out how this truth brings security and assurance in their position with God and works itself out in godly living. Godly living does not work out in salvation, but salvation works out in godly living. 1 Thessalonian 1:5b-7 says, “You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.  And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” Paul had mentioned that they had delivered the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone to the Thessalonians with “full conviction” (verse 4). In other words, their certainty of God’s love for them and their confidence in their eternal destiny had changed them from the inside. This conviction affected the way they lived and related to other people. The Holy Spirits’ job is to open the minds and hearts of people to God’s love expressed in Jesus Christ. Could this be why Paul refers to the “joy” of the Holy Spirit?

Paul suggested that they became the men that they are because of the Gospel of God’s love for them. It wasn’t the law that changed them and made such an impression on those in Thessalonica. It was God’s love. The law might change one’s behavior on the outside, but it doesn’t do anything to change one’s character. Love changes one’s character from the inside. The law works in our lives to inspire strictness with ourselves and with others. Everyone knew that the Pharisees did their best to keep all the laws of the Old Testament, and they were merciless in their judgment of others who may fail in any way to keep the law. Even today, a Pharisee, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is “distinguished by strict observance of the traditional and written law, and commonly held to have pretensions to superior sanctity.” It goes on to say that when used today, it refers to “a self-righteous hypocrite.” So, when Paul, a former well-known Pharisee, arrived in Thessalonica, he stunned the congregation by bringing a new message of God’s love for sinners.

It was the radical change in Paul that made such an impression on others. They knew what kind of person he was before receiving God’s love through Christ, and they now know what kind of person he and his partners have become after receiving God’s love. This is the “kind of men they proved to be.” The Thessalonians were so moved by their example and testimony that they, too, believed in Jesus. Thus, they followed Paul’s example. Legalists don’t face persecution. They are the persecutors. That’s the way it is by the very nature of the beast. But Jesus, Paul, and now the Thessalonians were all experiencing persecution from the religious elite of the day as well as the pagan rulers. There are different kinds of suffering in our world today, but there are only two kinds of responses to it. First, we can get angry and bitter and blame God for the pain in our lives. I have had many, many conversations with non-believers who argue that they could never believe in a God that would allow so much suffering. The other way is Job’s way. He said, “though he slays me, yet will I trust Him.  Naked, I came into the world, and naked from it, I shall go. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” I would argue that love is the thing that makes the difference between the first way and Job’s way. God demonstrated His love for us in this, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus demonstrated His love in that He gave His life without complaining. We can accept pain and suffering when we know that God loves us, and we can trust Him to make it all right in the end, just as He did with Job. When the Bible speaks of God’s love, it uses the Greek word “Agape.” That’s unconditional love. It isn’t dependent on any quality or character of the object of love. It’s just freely offered. This is the way God loves us. When we receive God’s love, we can return it. And only then. Without it, God will always be a brute who allows pain and hardship in our lives.

 

 

Tags:
Permalink
Colossians 1:5-6

Beyond the Pale!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 25, 2023

Paul begins his letter to the Colossians by thanking God for them. He thanks God for their faith in Jesus Christ, their love for other believers, and the shared hope they have that’s been laid up for them all in heaven. The next phrase refers directly to the shared hope they have in heaven. Paul says in Colossians 1:5-6, “Of this, you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.” It’s the ultimate truth that changed the world. Jesus did not start the church during his life. It wasn’t his death on the cross that changed the world. After his death, his close disciples went back to fishing. The two saints on the road to Emmaus were just going about their lives. The women went to embalm the dead body of Jesus as they would anyone that had died. It wasn’t his death that changed the world. It was the resurrection that changed everything. This is the essence of the Gospel preached to the Colossians and received by them. It’s the same truth that changes our lives today. We’ve come to believe with all the saints of old that, as Wordsworth wrote, “Life is real! Life is earnest!  And the grave is not its goal; ‘Dust thou art, to dust returnest,’ was not spoken of the soul.”

I think the gospel “truth,” however, is that eternal life, offered to all through faith in Jesus, comes to our body and soul, not just soul. It seems that an ethereal existence after death might be comforting in ways, but it’s a lot more exciting to see that our bodies will be resurrected to rejoin our spirits for eternity. One blogger explains, “Just as our earthly bodies are perfectly suited to life on earth, our resurrected bodies will be suited for life in eternity. We will have form and solidity to the touch. We will likely be able to enjoy food but will not be driven to it by necessity or fleshly desire. And like Moses and Elijah, we will be able to bathe in the glory of our Maker in the fellowship of His dear Son. The bodies we inherit will be more like what God originally intended rather than what we now abide in. Gone will be the infirmity and weakness of our sinful flesh; rather, we will be glorified with Christ, and that glory will extend to the bodies we will inhabit.”[1] Jesus wanted us to understand that, and that’s why he ate fish in one of his post-resurrection appearances and insisted that he had risen bodily.

This is part of the good news. I’ve often heard on TV shows, movies, and books that people are said to live on after they die in the hearts and minds of their loved ones. That might be comforting for those left behind, but it does nothing for the dead ones! I don’t know about you, but it’s not good news for me to be someone’s fond memory. I don’t want to live on in someone’s heart or mind. I want to live on, really! I want to be me. I want to be able to experience all the wonders of heaven. That’s the good news. It’s what enables us all to go on during times of suffering, war, disaster, or disease. Philipp Nicolai, a Lutheran pastor who had served in several congregations already, came to the parish of Unna in Westphalia in 1596. The following year, the plague struck Unna with dreadful ferocity; in 1597 alone, more than 1,400 residents died. Nicolai relates that the small town often witnessed up to 30 funerals in a single day. Surrounded by terror and engulfed in grief, Nicolai found consolation in the doctrine of eternal life. He writes, “During this time, nothing was sweeter, fonder, or more pleasant to me than contemplating the precious lofty article of eternal life procured by Christ’s blood.”[2] There has to be something beyond the pale. There’s more awaiting you and me. We are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Notice, it’s just a shadow. We are not living in the land of the living, headed for the land of the dead. We’re living in the land of the dying, headed for the land where we will be truly alive.

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/glorified-bodies.html

[2] https://www.wisluthsem.org/joy-of-eternal-life/

Tags:
Permalink
Philippians 1:1, Various

A Book For Normal People

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 24, 2023

Paul identified himself as a “servant” of Christ Jesus. He didn’t use his official “Apostle” title, but the Greek word usually translated as “slave.” I have argued that titles are not necessary to be a servant of Jesus. If we are to follow Jesus’ example of washing others’ feet as Jesus did and invite us to follow His example, no titles are necessary. As a matter of fact, titles can often get in the way. The President doesn’t wash the feet of the Vice President. We just assume that is the way it’s to be. Yet, Christ calls for this kind of leadership. He was the Son of God. He had the highest position of anyone in the world. As a matter of fact, at His name, every knee will bow. It’s a name above every other name. Yet he washed his disciple’s feet. Paul and other writers of the New Testament did use titles in their letters to the churches. In the letter to the Philippians, Paul uses three titles; saints, overseers, and deacons.” Philippians 1:1b says, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.”  So we consider the question, what does saint mean? “In its most basic sense, a saint is a ‘holy one,’ someone who is set apart for God’s special purposes. As a result, every follower of Jesus Christ is a saint. In most of his letters, the apostle Paul refers to the recipients as saints, including the church at Corinth, where there were significant moral and theological problems!” Saints, like the children of Israel, are not perfect people. The nation was called in Exodus 19, “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Then

I Peter 2:9 applies this same language to believers: “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”[1] Paul’s letter is written to all believers. All believers are saints, but not all saints are “overseers.” They are the believers who serve in leadership roles in the church. In the Bible, the terms overseer, bishop, and elder all refer to the same position in the church. I like the way the New Living Translation translates the term “church leader.” The titles Bishop, Elder, and Pastor have baggage attached to them for the modern believer. But simply put, they are simply church leaders. One blogger explains, “Those in the leadership position of overseer should follow the example of Jesus, who ‘did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ Leadership, according to the Bible, is not about puffing oneself up or lording power over others but rather about serving those who have been entrusted to one’s care.”[2]

There are only two official offices mentioned in Scripture: Overseer and Deacon. The church leaders referred to as “overseers” refers to the pastors of the church. As the term suggests, they are responsible for “watching over” the church. Deacons are those who have been selected to serve the church in various ways that give attention to practical matters. In Acts chapter six, when deacons were chosen in Jerusalem to look out for the welfare of the widows in the church, it was done so to free the pastors to focus their attention on God’s word and prayer.[3] Although we see that Paul recognized those in official capacities in the church, he was addressing all believers. It might be helpful to hear what learned pastors might explain about a passage in the Bible, but be assured that it was written to everyone. The language of the New Testament is Greek. But it was unlike the formal classical Greek of Plato and Aristotle. It was the language that ordinary people spoke and understood. It was once referred to as “Holy Ghost” Greek by the church in order to distinguish it from classical Greek. It was something that only learned ecclesiastical leaders could understand and was often kept from normal people. “This all changed at the end of the nineteenth century. In a garbage dump in Egypt, the discovery was made of the letters, contracts, receipts, etc., of ordinary people who lived at the same time as Jesus. It became clear from these writings that the New Testament was written in the same common, everyday language of the people, not some special Bible language. This reinforces the idea that the Bible was written to the masses, not just to an elite few.”[4]

[1] https://seminary.grace.edu/what-does-saint-mean

[2] https://www.gotquestions.org/overseer-in-the-church.html

[3] Ellsworth, Roger. 2004. Opening up Philippians. Opening Up Commentary. Leominster: Day One Publications.

[4] https://www.blueletterbible.org

Tags:
Permalink
Ephesians 1:4b

Now, That Is Good News!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 23, 2023

Paul teaches the Ephesian believers that, like Israel, they were chosen by God. The choice wasn’t based on their quantity or their quality but simply on God’s love. There was nothing special about them over and against anyone else that motivated God’s choice. He just chose them to be His Children. He has the sovereign right as the creator of all things. God’s choice was made “…before the foundation of the world.” Just as God had chosen Israel to be His unique people in the world, so too are Christians chosen by God for that purpose as well. The final phrase of Ephesians 1:4 explains what God’s choice results in regarding each believer. He states this biblical truth,  “that we should be holy and blameless before him.” This is either the most encouraging phrase in the Bible or the most discouraging. It all depends on how it is understood. Jenkins makes it most discouraging. He writes, “Nobel had a purpose in setting up his awards, and God had a purpose in electing those who are in Christ. Paul states the purpose in these words: that we should be holy (separate, set apart, different) and blameless. Saints are to be holy because God is holy (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 19:2). Saints likewise must be blameless (without blemish). The word is used in the LXX with reference to the sacrificial animals (Leviticus 1:3 et al.). In order to be presented unto Christ, the church, as His bride, must be holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:27; cf. Colossians 1:22). This indicates the type of life the Christian must lead.”[1] There is no “good news” in this comment.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament verify the fact that all people are lost sinners and incapable of living Holy lives. Benfield explains this well, “This is where the problem lies. Isaiah declares our righteousness is as filthy rags. Paul declares there are none righteous, not even one. James reveals that if we fail to keep one of the commandments, then before God, we are guilty of all. This reveals one would have to live a perfect life, just like the life Jesus lived on earth, to be accepted by God through an attempt to keep the law. Common sense and simple knowledge of our own sinful tendencies reveal this is utterly impossible. We cannot live righteous enough, in and of ourselves, to merit salvation!”[2]

How can anyone be “Holy and Blameless?” There are two parts of this verse that needs to be understood to explain that to us. First, The Bible is clear that there is nothing we can do to make ourselves such. We either are, or we are not. The two-word phrase “holy and blameless” shows up in the Old Testament description of the sacrifices that would be presented as the sin offering. It is clearly a description of Jesus as the unique one and only perfect individual. We will never be holy and blameless in our practice, but our position in Christ ensures that we will never fall short because he cannot fall short. What He has, He has given to us. This is the good news of the gospel in a nutshell. The second thought to be considered is “before Him.” Obrien explains, “Since the whole expression is dealing with the goal of election, that is, their full perfection in Christ, it is likely that the day of the Lord Jesus is in view. God chose his people in Christ with the ultimate goal that they would be holy and blameless before him when they appear in his presence.”[3] Although we should get better in life, we all know that we will never achieve perfection. But the good news includes the idea that we will have it in the end. This is all good news for us. We try and fail. We try again and fail again. But when it’s all said and done, when we see the Lord, it’s promised that we will not fail anymore!

[1] Jenkins, Ferrell. 1987. “Election.” Edited by Brent Lewis. Christianity Magazine, 1987.

[2] Benfield, Chris. 2015. “The Way of Salvation # 36 (Romans 10:5–10).” In Pulpit Pages: New Testament Sermons, 853. Mount Airy, NC: Chris Benfield.

[3] O’Brien, Peter Thomas. 1999. The Letter to the Ephesians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Tags:
Permalink
Galatians 1:4, 4:3, Ephesians 2:8-9

Redeemed from the Law!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 22, 2023

According to Paul, grace and peace come from God the Father and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Then in Galatians 1:4, Paul says something more about Jesus. He “gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” Notice Paul’s identification of himself as a sinner. It was “our sins,” he says, that Jesus died for. The law condemns us all to hell. If the law is our standard, not only will we live with uncertainty and stress, we will eventually end up condemned to hell. Paul realizes that it includes himself. Jesus had to die for us. If a man could make himself acceptable to God by works of the law, Jesus would not have had to die for our sins. If the legalists of Paul’s day are right in that there are still stipulations of law that are essential for our salvation, we shouldn’t have needed a savior. But Paul knew he did. Sinners know that they do. The healthy don’t need a physician, only the sick. The righteous don’t need a savior; only sinners do.

Many people refer to Jesus as our example. Although this is true in several respects, it’s not exhaustive. Jesus set an example for us to follow and said so after He washed the feet of his disciples. But he didn’t set an example for us when He raised Lazarus from the dead. He is much more than our example. When you’re drowning, you don’t need someone standing on the dock doing the dog paddle and shouting, “go like this.” We need someone to save us. That’s what Jesus did, and then he illustrates a lifestyle that’s worth living. Kenneth Boles writes, “Paul wants to establish from the beginning what is the important theme of Christianity. Salvation is not based on man’s ability to keep God’s rules but on Christ’s ransom, paid with his blood. It was Christ ‘who gave himself as a ransom for all men’ (1 Tim 2:6, cf. Mark 10:45). As the Galatians will be reminded, the atoning sacrifice of Christ is not compatible with man-made salvation. Either Jesus saves us, or we save ourselves.”

It was God’s will that Jesus would die for our sins to “rescue us from this present evil age.” The Greek word for “rescue” or “deliver” in this verse is used five times in the book of Acts to describe how God rescued people who could not rescue or “deliver” themselves: The rescue of Joseph from his afflictions (7:10), the deliverance of Israel from Egypt (7:34), the rescue of Peter from prison (12:11), the rescue of Paul from the temple mob (23:27), and the deliverance of Paul from the Jews (26:17). The interesting thing is that even the Law of Moses was included in the idea of “this evil age” in Galatians 4:3. Jesus died not to enable us to live out the law, but to save us from the consequences of having broken it. The law condemns us all, and it’s too late to win God’s approval by keeping the law. The law never has and will never make anyone acceptable to God. Jesus saves us from the law and makes us acceptable to God by His righteousness, not our own. In Galatians 3:10-11, Paul will lay this out clearly. He writes, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.’ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” In other books, he makes other clarifying arguments as well. In Ephesians 2:8-9, he writes, “ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” John Piper concludes one of his sermons on Galatians by saying, “The substitutionary death of Christ is our only and all-sufficient hope of escaping God’s wrath. And because of it, God is willing to grace us with his very Spirit when we repent and turn away from self-confidence and put all our confidence in him, that is when we are crucified to the old way of legal effort and live, instead, by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us.”[1]

[1] https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/christ-redeemed-us-from-the-curse-of-the-law

Tags: ,
Permalink
sewa motor jogja
© Chuck Larsen 2019. Powered by WordPress.