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Ephesians 1:2-3

Every Spiritual Blessing In Christ

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 13, 2023

Ephesians is another letter by Paul which commends grace and peace to his readers. It begins, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He then sends blessings to God who has blessed us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Believers have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing.” Not physical blessings! The Old Testament promised physical blessings for obedience. Deuteronomy 28 – 32 lays out the Mosaic covenant well. If you obey my commands, you will have fruitful wombs, plentiful crops, fat & prolific flocks, bread to eat, respect in the eyes of your neighbors, and every kind of prosperity. Physical blessings are the result of our hard work. And this rule applies to believers and non-believers alike.  You follow my principles, and I will bless you physically, says the Lord Our God.

It’s hard in a world of nearly 8 billion people to see our individual value. We’re just one of the multitudes. Only the famous have value.  Especially in a world of idolatry! A world in which we take ordinary flesh & blood people and let Hollywood make idols of them. We pay them millions of dollars. In comparison, the world does not value the contribution of teachers, policemen, firemen, or soldiers at all. We are misled to believe as ordinary people, we’re not worth very much. But that’s in the world’s system – the natural, physical realm, not the spiritual realm. This is the place of Christ’s throne! In “heavenly places” believers have every possible blessing. We often pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The last will become first and the first will become last.

Now if I were to take the gender of this phrase to heart as a couple of good translators do, it might mean something a little different. It is masculine in gender, not neuter. Places & things are usually identified with neuters. People & beings are identified by masculine & feminine nouns. This phrase is masculine and might be translated, as “blessed us with every spiritual blessing with or among the heavenly beings.” But God is telling us here that even in that place “the heavenlies” where dwell dominions, powers, and authorities, we have every spiritual blessing. We are better & greater than Satan, than all of the angels, and all the powers, etc…  Not because of anything in us, but because of the little, teeny prepositional phrase, “In Christ.”

The Bible says that in our natural, human state we are all sinners. It doesn’t matter how famous, popular, or wealthy we might be. Our rap sheets contain every sinful thought, attitude, or action we have ever committed. No amount of self-cleansing can make us pure enough to warrant forgiveness and a relationship with a holy God. When we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, He switches accounts with us. He exchanges our list of sins for His perfect account that is totally pleasing to God. A Divine Exchange takes place at the foot of the cross: our old sin nature for His perfect one! To be “in Christ” means that God no longer sees our imperfections; He sees the righteousness of His own Son. Only “in Christ” is our sin debt canceled, our relationship with God restored, and our eternity secured.

 

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Galatians 1:3, 2 Peter 1:1-2

Love Versus Law

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 12, 2023

In Galatians 1:3, Paul begins his address to the Galatians who have wandered away from the truth by saying, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The emphatic subject is “Grace.” He’s commending God’s grace and Jesus’ grace to his readers who are being beguiled by legalists who are commending law to them. Imagine them greeting the Galatians from their gospel (which is not a gospel at all). It would say “Law to you.” It argues that God and Jesus send us laws that we must follow through which we can win God’s favor and acceptance. The phrase might be “Law to you, and strife, or stress, or anxiety, from God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ.” Relating to God on the basis of law is a relationship that is totally unsettling, uncertain, and unloving. I’ve known married couples that relate to each other based on law rather than love. It feeds a miserable life.

Paul wants the Galatians from the very beginning of his letter to them to consider the difference between what is being offered by the legalists and what he has preached to them about what is being offered from God through Jesus Christ. With Grace comes peace from God. Paul isn’t the only Apostle to commend Grace to us. Peter begins his second letter with an even stronger greeting regarding grace and peace. It took Peter some time to comprehend the extent of God’s grace with which He would deal with sinners. But once he got it, grace and peace became the central theme of Peter’s life as well. He writes in 2 Peter 1:1-2, “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” His opening greeting acknowledges that our righteousness is that of “our God and of Jesus our Lord.” It’s not a righteousness earned through obedience to a law. He calls for it to be multiplied! The more we get to know Christ, grace increases exponentially.

Whereas we need law in our societies to maintain peace in the world, we don’t need law in our personal relationships. God wants us to be in a personal relationship with him. That’s why He sent Jesus to die for us. God (like my wife) doesn’t want to relate to us based on laws. We don’t really want our relationships to be based on law. People need God’s grace and peace. Most people are well aware of their failures and shortcomings, even if they are unwilling to admit it. They know they have a need for help. I’ve heard people say they don’t want grace they want justice. If God gave us justice, as we deserve, we would all need to go shopping for a flame-retardant suit. What we want and need from God is grace and mercy. God extends his gracious hand to the whole world from the cross of Calvary. God is so rich in mercy that he saves us by His grace. God loves everyone. He extends a gracious, merciful hand to everyone. He wants no one to perish or none to be fearful of perishing. Through Christ Jesus we find God’s grace and it gives us peace with God. Law brings stress and anxiety. Grace brings eternal life, an abundant life.

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Galatians 1:2

Leaving “Religion” Behind

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 11, 2023

Paul isn’t the only believer or Apostle that preaches the good news of God’s grace. We are saved by grace through faith plus nothing. The law is always alien to the concept of Grace. If it’s by grace, it’s not law. If it’s by Law, there’s no grace. Paul will make this clear in his letter, but in Galatians 1:2 he says that his letter to them on this subject is not only from him but also “…all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia.” I believe Paul is insisting that they are also joint writers with him. He means something very specific when he says that these brothers are “with” him.

I think the Greek preposition will shed some light on this for us. In English the word “with” means many different things and only the context can help us determine which definition is best. I can fight “with” my brother. This actually means “against.” I can fight “with” the 51st Airborne. This actually means “alongside of” for a common cause. It’s this later sense that the Greek preposition “syn” signifies. In this case Paul is saying that the other “brothers” are in complete agreement with him. Paul usually names his co-writers of letters but in this case he left their names out. Many commentators say that they wish Paul had included their names so there would be more information on which to base some interpretation or that “the letter could be better defined historically and geographically” (UBS handbook). But Paul wants his readers to know that his message is not dependent on others. He leaves the “brothers” anonymous. The divine origin of Paul’s message is all that matters as he prepares to defend himself against the attacks of the legalists and religious leaders of his day.

He then identifies his recipients as the “churches in Galatia.” These churches were planted on Paul’s first missionary journey after he had assumed the leadership role from Barnabas. After the event in Cyprus in Acts 13 where Saul – the Pharisee – became Paul the apostle to the gentiles, John Mark left the ministry and returned to Antioch. I’ve always been of the opinion that Paul’s new leadership with a gentile focus was too distasteful for the Jewish John Mark who became Peter’s disciple. Paul’s message was the divinely inspired message of salvation by grace through faith apart from the Jewish Law. Those who had strong religious convictions had difficulty with this message. Even Peter struggled with it when God insisted that he violate the dietary law and eat as the Gentiles ate. People were so offended by the gospel of God’s grace that all across Galatia Paul and his companions were beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and driven out of town. Christ calls us to leave everything behind and follow Him. For most people, the most difficult thing to leave behind is not their money it is their religion.

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2 Corinthians 1:2

Grace and Peace to You

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 10, 2023

Paul opens his second letter to the Corinthians by wishing the best for his readers. He sends, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This address appears often in Paul’s letters. It is his favorite wish for Christians. Hughes says, “It is impossible for us today to hear the word play here—Paul always replaced the Greek word for ‘Hello’ (charein) with the Christian term for ‘grace’ (charis). So when Paul’s readers expected ‘Hello,’ Paul wished them “Grace.”[1] I need grace. You need grace. We all need grace.

I’ve been watching way too much Fox News and am becoming familiar with the commercials they will run over and over. One of them has a celebrity telling those of us on social security to call a toll-free number to see if we qualify for a special benefit. Then he says, “you should get what you deserve.” I hate that phrase and am so glad that God doesn’t give me what I deserve. God is not a vindictive God who is out to get us. Back in Exodus 34:6-7, we read that God is, “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” This is what God is like. He’s not a policeman hiding behind a billboard waiting to catch us speeding. He’s not a boss looking over our shoulder trying to get the most out of us he can. No, that God is gracious means he is favorably inclined toward us. That he wants to show favor to us. To do what is best for us. This is how God wants us to see Him. He has our best interest foremost in mind regardless of our circumstances in life. He may allow suffering and even Job-like trials in our life, but they are tests. Will we continue to see him as a kind and loving God even though we have hardships? I think this is what saving faith is. It’s not believing that God exists. Even the demons do that. It’s always trusting in his good intentions towards us even when it doesn’t look like it. I don’t think Jesus was meant to be a simple illustration showing us how to live. He’s much more than that, but through the Passion, we see the perfect example of holding on to one’s faith while suffering.

Understanding God as the God of Grace will lead us into green, peaceful pastures with still waters. One web article on grace says, “Grace always brings benefits, and one of these benefits is reflected in the word ‘peace’ which the Apostle always associates with God’s grace. In fact, the order is significant. First grace and then peace. Until we know and appropriate grace, we can’t experience peace.”[2] Once we accept God’s gracious gift of His son, Jesus, we can truly experience peace. The Bible is full of God’s promises regarding His graciousness to sinners. As we appropriate these promises “as they relate us to God’s love and care, we can experience the peace of eternal security, the peace of good conscience, the peace knowing god’s will, the peace of knowing that God will supply, and personal peace in many other practical ways.”

[1] Hughes, R. Kent. 2006. 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] https://bible.org/article/grace-and-peace

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To All The Saints!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 9, 2023

Paul along with Sosthenes has something to say to the saints living in Corinth. The message is going to contain some harsh charges, but that’s not the way it begins. He begins his letter to them by saying that they are “sanctified” and they are saints like all the rest of the believers in Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 1:2, the letter is addressed, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.” The first question I have from this verse is “what does Paul mean when he calls the believers at Corinth ‘sanctified?’” Literally, the word means “set apart.” The way things were “sanctified” in the Old Testament was with blood. The Israelites in Egypt were set apart from the Egyptians by the blood of the Passover lamb applied to the lintels of their doors. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that almost everything is “set apart” (purified) with blood. It goes on to say, “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.” They would sprinkle blood on the tabernacle furniture, on the priestly garments, and even on people. One web blog says, “Nothing was considered sanctified until it had come in contact with the blood. This was a picture of the spiritual application of Christ’s blood for our salvation—we are ‘sprinkled with his blood’ (1 Peter 1:2).”[1]

The second issue is that Paul calls the Corinthians “Saints.” This is not quite the same thing as some people understand the title “saint.” I toured Father Flanagan’s house on the famous Boy’s Town Campus in Omaha and the tour guide told us that Father Flanagan has been recommended to the Papacy to be named a “saint.” The only thing they are missing is a testimony of him having performed a miracle. When they get that testimony, he might become a saint. Well, the lives of the Corinthian believers, were anything but “saintly” as you see when you read the rest of the letter. As for you and me, there is little hope of ever being called a saint. Yet, Paul says you are a saint if you believe in Jesus. Like the Israelite slaves in Egypt, the blood of Jesus, God’s Passover lamb, makes us “set apart” people. My family doesn’t like it when I call myself a saint.

All believers are “set apart” and are “saints.” The two words are related. The Handbook for Bible Translators says, “So, the basic meaning of these two words is that Christians belong to God. It follows from this that Christians must live good lives, but it is the idea of belonging to God, not that of sinlessness, that is important here. There is no suggestion here or anywhere in the New Testament that special individuals may have the title ‘saint.’ ‘Saints’ in the New Testament are always a community of Christians; in translation ‘saints’ may sometimes be rendered ‘the people of God.’ There is a slight difference in meaning, though, between saints and sanctified. Called to be saints, like ‘called … to be an apostle’ (Today’s English Version) in verse 1, refers to a single past event. The tense of the word translated sanctified, on the other hand, expresses the idea of a past event whose consequences stretch into the present time.”[2] Notice that the sanctification that Paul is talking about is that which we have “in Christ Jesus.” The Handbook goes on to suggest, “Paul probably means that a Christian’s new life depends closely and entirely on Christ.”

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/sanctified.html

[2] Ellingworth, Paul, Howard Hatton, and Paul Ellingworth. 1995. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

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Romans 1:2-3

It’s Not About Me!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 8, 2023

Jesus made it a point to show how the Old Testament was talking about His coming into the world. He once told the Pharisees that they search the scriptures thinking to find eternal life, and the scriptures are the very thing that talks about Him. Yet, the religious leaders will not come to Jesus for life. He told his disciples that the Law, the prophets, and even the writings all talked about Him. He told those who professed belief in Moses that Moses was writing about Him. At His resurrection appearances, he told the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and then the whole group, how the whole Old Testament was about Himself. Paul continued this teaching also. At the beginning of the book of Romans (Romans 1:2-3) he explains how he was “set apart for the gospel of God which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning His Son, was descended from David according to the flesh.”

Hughes says, “His (Paul’s) task was not to proclaim a theological novelty. The gospel was in the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul longed to announce, ‘that Christ died for our sins according to the [Old Testament] Scriptures’ (1 Corinthians 15:3). So much of the Messiah was revealed in the Old Testament. Who would Jesus’ mother be? A virgin. Of what house was he to be? Of David. Where would he be born? Bethlehem. What name would he be given? Immanuel. What death would be his? The cross—piercing the body without breaking his bones. Where? At Jerusalem, outside the city. Paul’s task was rooted as far back as the Garden of Eden, the patriarchs, and the prophets.”[1] Briscoe agrees and adds, “There was always criticism of Paul’s message, particularly from his fellow Jews, who, as a result of the Dispersion, were scattered all over the regions in which he traveled. Many of them accused Paul of manufacturing his own message, but he was at great pains to show his critics that, far from being a new fad, his message was the one which God had ‘promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures’ (v. 2). Using the only Bible available in those days, the Old Testament, Paul delighted to do what his Master had done with the troubled disciples of Emmaus: ‘beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself’ (Luke 24:27). The fact that Paul was able to show his critics that the gospel he preached was the fulfillment of what the prophets had predicted went a long way toward establishing the credibility of both messenger and message.”[2]

Most preaching and teaching on the Bible today is done in a way to exhort us to be better people. We should be like David in his devotion to God but not in his adultery and murder. We should be like the children in the fiery furnace and stand strong. With this being the normal approach to the scriptures, it is natural to understand the Bible as “a well-meaning series of morality tales, or an anthology of philosophical musings, or an archaic rulebook that ought to remain confined to hotel-room drawers. Indeed, increasing numbers of people today believe that Scripture is downright dangerous, a tool to oppress the weak and prevent the gullible from being true to themselves.  Churchgoer or not, if you resonate even slightly with any of these sentiments, I have some great news for you.” That’s not what the Bible is about. “The Bible has one ultimate plan, one ultimate plot, one ultimate champion, one ultimate King.” The story that Paul is proclaiming as Good News, is the story of Jesus. “If we ever hope to properly handle the stories in the Bible, we must first grasp the story of the Bible. And that story, the one that traverses its way from Genesis to Revelation, though recorded for you, is not finally about you.”[3] It’s all about the Savior of the world.

[1] Hughes, R. Kent. 1991. Romans: Righteousness from Heaven. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] Briscoe, D. Stuart, and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1982. Romans. Vol. 29. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

[3] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/bible-about-jesus/

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Acts 1:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:13

Filled with the Spirit!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 7, 2023

Jesus wanted His disciples to stay in Jerusalem to await a significant event. Something extraordinary was going to happen to them, which the Father had promised, and Jesus explained it to them by comparing it to John’s baptism with water. Just as John baptized with water, Jesus promised they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:4-5 says it clearly, “And while staying with them, he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” There has been no end to the controversy over baptism among Christians since the very early church. They argue about who should be baptized, how they should be baptized, and when they should be baptized. These arguments and denominational distinctions refer only to water baptism. Yet any understanding of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit must relate to water baptism because John’s water baptism is mentioned in this verse as a picture of the baptism that the Father promised in the Holy Spirit.

In water baptism, we are immersed in water. Not all practice baptism by immersion but even sprinkling and pouring picture us in water one way or another. It appears that the baptism of the Holy Spirit has to do not with us being in it but with it being in us. 1 Corinthians 12:13 is an essential verse for understanding the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It says, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

In Acts 2:4, we see that the preaching on the day of Pentecost came about because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the disciples in the Upper Room. It says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” My take on the “tongues” issue is that it refers specifically to other natural languages. Since the crowds were from all over the world and spoke different languages, the disciples were miraculously enabled to communicate the message of Jesus to everyone there. Acts chapter two says that those in the crowd were surprised that they all heard the news in their own language. This purposely reverses the dispersal of the nations at the tower of Babel in Genesis. There they were scattered; here, they are brought together into one body. Paul makes it clear that the baptism of the Holy Spirit breaks down all barriers between people by race, culture, or social status. One website says, “The baptism of the Holy Spirit may be defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation.”[1] The Holy Spirit enables all believers to share their experiences and tell others about Jesus. I think this is what Jesus means when he told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they “have been clothed with power from on high.” Larkin concludes his comments on this passage well, “Jesus promises that in a little while God will supply the church with all the resources it needs for fulfilling its missionary mandate. Lloyd Ogilvie observes, ‘We have been instructed in the things Jesus did, but know too little of what He continues to do today as indwelling Spirit and engendering power.’ Christians who have not done so need to appropriate the power that is already theirs, all because Jesus’ promise was fulfilled at Pentecost.”[2]

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/Spirit-baptism.html

[2] Larkin, William J., Jr. 1995. Acts. Vol. 5. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series. Westmont, IL: IVP Academic.

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John 1:3, Genesis 1:1

Lord, Open Our Eyes!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
March 6, 2023

The first chapter of the Gospel of John is a lot like the first Chapter of Genesis. You could comment on just about every word. Genesis begins, “In the Beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” It’s well said to be a figure of speech called a “merism.” It means he not only created the heavens and the earth but he also created everything in between. It’s like Jesus saying that he is the “alpha and the omega.” He’s not just the first letter of the alphabet and the last letter. He’s also everything in between. I wonder if John was trying to clarify this for us when he speaks of “The Word – Jesus” as being the creator of it all. John 1:3 says, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Jesus was the direct agent of God’s creation as recorded in Genesis 1:1. This settles one of the most important questions ever asked. It was first asked by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, the man who bequeathed us calculus and the binary system which is at the heart of our modern computers. From our study of the planets or the atoms, we try to see what caused them. We see that they exist, but we want to know where they came from. And secondly, why is it the way it is?

“Many earlier thinkers had asked why our universe is the way it is, but Leibniz went a step further, wondering why there is a universe at all. The question is a challenging one because it seems perfectly possible that there might have been nothing whatsoever – no Earth, no stars, no galaxies, no universe. Leibniz even thought that nothing would have been ‘simpler and easier’. If nothing whatsoever had existed then no explanation would have been needed – not that there would have been anyone around to ask for an explanation, of course, but that’s a different matter.”[1] You see, we are around! We are a curious lot and want desperately to know about the cause of all the “effects” that happen around us. Things don’t just happen. John is telling us.

James Boice said, “We know the force of this verse from things in our own experience. When we see a leaf blowing down the street, we do not attribute the powers of self-motivation to the leaf. We assume that a power equal to the effect is behind the leaf and has put it in motion. We call that power wind. When we examine a watch of fine Swiss workmanship, we do not assume that the steel and glass and small bearings possess the ability to organize themselves into a watch. We posit the existence of a watchmaker. So, it should be in the realm of nature. Jesus intended that we should recognize God’s existence and power through nature.”[2] There is nothing more powerful in our lives than sitting quietly by the ocean and gazing in awe at what Jesus created. Seeing God in nature has pulled many people out of deep depression, calmed many fears, and encouraged them in times of trouble. Jesus is God’s demonstration of His love for me. He filled the world with color and gives me eyes. He fills the world with music and gives me ears. One web blogger observed, “The mountains stand strong and powerful, the sun rises no matter how dark the night, the waves gently lap the rocky coast, God’s voice is found in creation, we simply need to train our eyes to see Him.”[3]

[1] https://theconversation.com/answering-the-biggest-question-of-all-why-is-there-something-rather-than-nothing-65865

[2] Boice, James Montgomery. 2005. The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

[3] https://bloggersforthekingdom.com/seeing-god-through-nature/

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