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Revelation 3:14

Jesus: The Source of all thing!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 5, 2022

Many of the Christological heresies in the past focus on the humanity of Jesus and assume that he is simply a created being. When John wrote the book of Revelation he included a brief letter to the church at Laodicea which was struggling with heretical issues itself. Jesus instructs John to write to them and address the message as being from himself. Revelation 3:14 says, “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.’” The Greek word translated “beginning” here also means “ruler.” It’s a title which intends to put Jesus in charge of the creation, not a part of it. That’s why the Lexham English Bible translates the phrase as “the originator of God’s creation…” The same is true of the New English Translation (NET), the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), and The Good News Bible (GN) says that Jesus is the “origin of all that God created.” The Complete Jewish Bible says, “The Ruler of God’s creation.” I would argue that this verse does not present Jesus as being part of God’s creation but a partaker in that creation, the creator himself. That’s why Jesus can say things like he says in John 17:5, when he prays, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” He isn’t part of the creation but the creator with the Father at the very beginning. That’s what John means when he begins his Gospel saying, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” “In the beginning” is the phrase that opens the Bible in Genesis 1:1. John 1:1 refers to Jesus’ presence at the “beginning” and then with the book of Revelation presents Jesus as the creator, not the created.

My favorite commentaries of late have been the various Handbooks for Bible Translators prepared by the United Bible Society. It was prepared to help those who are tasked with translating the Bible in various languages around the world. It’s first task is to clarify the original language to aid the workers to give an accurate rendering of the text. At the expense of being too academic let me show you what they say. Regarding this phrase from the Book of Revelations, the handbook says, “The beginning of God’s creation: in English this could be understood to mean that Christ is the first being created by God; this, however, is not what the text means. As translated by TEV , ‘the origin of all that God has created’ (note REB ‘the source of God’s creation’), the meaning is that Christ is the one by means of whom God created all things, and in many languages it will be translated this way (see John 1:3; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2). The same Greek word for beginning is used also in Colossians 1:18 in the sense of ‘source.’ As the TEV footnote indicates, the word may mean ‘ruler’ (so NIV ), but the other meaning is preferred by the large majority of commentaries and translations. Most translations use ‘origin’; a few use ‘source.’ The phrase God’s creation means ‘what God has created’; in this context it includes everything that God has created.”1

Jesus shares all the “glory” with God the Father for all of creation. He is the “source” of all things. When we think of Jesus in this way, we can truly worship him. Rolls helps is when he writes, “If we examine the vaster things we must admit that the whole earth is full of His glory, whether this glory be reflected from the sublimity of the sky which is so measureless, the splendors of the stars which are so countless, the shining of the sun which is so exhaustless, the spaciousness of the heavens which are so trackless, the surging of the ocean which is so ceaseless, the spectrum of light which is so matchless, the designs of the snowflakes which are so numberless, the springs of fountains which are so traceless, the superiority of mountains which are so ageless or the fragrance of flowers which are so taintless. These few features in themselves introduce a range of wonders that are indescribable.”2

1 Robert G. Bratcher and Howard Hatton, A Handbook on the Revelation to John, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993), 78–79.

2Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

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Colossians 3:11

All Lives Don’t Matter!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 4, 2022

I’m sure that got your attention. Mankind has categorized human beings into various classes throughout history. The Jews were best at this in that they saw everyone outside of their physical heritage as being “Gentiles.” This phrase is sometimes translated as “Dogs.” This could have contributed to the reason they were so hated throughout history. They saw themselves as “God’s Chosen” elite in contrast to the rabble of the rest of the world. To the Jews “all” lives weren’t equal and all lives did not matter. In reaction to this they were persecuted violently. Hitler made the extermination of Jews a high priority in the German nation until the Allied Forces invaded Berlin and he reign of terror ended with his suicide in a cement bunker along with his wife. Hitler elevated the Arian race above all others to the extent he wanted to exterminate the inferior races, not just the Jews. To Hitler and his clan, all lives were not equal and all lives did not matter either. But isn’t this the way of the world? Not all lives matter! This is not an ancient problem. It’s been around since the beginning of time and is still going on today. Here are ten examples of recent horrible genocides. Herero Genocide: 1904–1907. Armenian Genocide: 1915–1923. Holocaust: 1933–1945. Cambodian Genocide: 1975–1979. East Timor Genocide: 1975–1999. Guatemalan Genocide: 1981–1983. Kurdish Genocide: 1986–1989. Bosnian Genocide: 1992–1995. Rwandan Genocide: 1994. Darfur Genocide: 2003–Present. The way of the world has always been “Not all lives matter.” No, as a general rule yet today people don’t like those who look different, dress different, live different, act different, eat different and believe different than they do. The worst part of this is that “religion” has been the most profound distinction between peoples that have cause such devastation. The shame of “Christendom” is that it has been as guilty of this as any others. It’s not only the Crusades that bear witness to this, but also the Inquisition as well as some post reformation atrocities committed by both Catholic and Protestant groups.

This is such a disgrace because Jesus did not come to set up another religion to be at odds with all the other religions in the world. He came to destroy religion as well as all the other human distinctions between the peoples of the world. As the Colossians struggled with the infighting of various groups within their number Paul exhorts them to change their attitude about that. Paul spends some time exalting the Characteristics of Christ. He points out Jesus’ role in creation of all things and calls him the firstborn of all, the preeminent of all, the reconciler of all, the ruler of all, the nourisher of all, the forgiver of all and concludes with the claim “Christ is all and in all.” Colossians 3:11 says, “As a result, there is no longer any distinction between Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, savages, slaves, and free, but Christ is all, Christ is in all.” The Galatians were having a difficult time with these distinctions and Paul had to address the problem with them as well. But there gender had become an issue as well. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

I do not want to preach for the sake of the advancement of Christendom as it has been expressed throughout history. I just want to preach Christ. I like the way Norm Geisler said it in his Colossians commentary, “In Christ distinctions are removed. These include national distinctions… religious distinctions… cultural distinctions… and economic or social distinctions.” When a person comes to Christ in faith, He destroys all other distinctions. Paul tells the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” So, going back to Colossians 3, Paul says that once they have taken off the “old self” they now have “put on” the new self in which there is no distinctions anymore. “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” But there is still one more distinction that cannot be missed. In Christ there are no more distinctions, but outside of Christ the distinctions still exist and rule our world. There are still those who have not received Christ. John says in John 1:12, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

1 Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 681.

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Revelation 3:14

Amen to that!!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 3, 2022

I was listening to a Church History lecture the other night and the professor, Everett Ferguson, talked about the origin of saying “amen” after someone had prayed or after they heard something they agreed with. It is ancient in its origin. It appears as many as 100 times in the Old Testament as far back as Deuteronomy. Moses is instructed to put half the people on one hill and half on another and then the Levites will pronounce a dozen or more curses to which the People will be in agreement. Deuteronomy 27:16 is one of those curses. It says, “Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” It also appears in the Psalms several times. Psalm 89 ends with a double expression in verse 52, “Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.” The New Testament is full of “amens.” It’s not unusual for Paul to end his letters with it. 1 Corinthians 16:24 closes the book with it: “My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” The Lexham Bible Dictionary says that Amen is, “A Hebrew word that has served as a declaration of affirmation and as the closing exclamation of agreement to a doxology or prayer in Jewish and Christian liturgy.” It seems strange that the Apostle John would suggest that Amen is a title for Jesus. In Revelation 3:14, John writes, “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” I think Rolls is correct when he speaks of this as being one of the Names of Jesus when he writes, “We may diligently search the chief cities of the nations, examine all the records of the centuries and ransack the literature of continents the world over, but will never find another bearing this name.”1

Whereas it was customarily used to end statements or prayers, as it is today, Jesus used it to begin his statements. But he doubled it when he was about to say something extremely important as well as unimpeachable in its truthfulness. Most English translations translate the double words as “verily, verily” but they are the same word. The Hebrew word is pronounced the same, Amen. The Greek took the exact same word and put it into their own letters of their alphabet but it is pronounced the same: Amen! When we say Amen today, were reproducing the same sounds the Hebrews spoke and the same sounds that the Greeks spoke. Amen sounds the same and means the same thing in any language. The double “amen” is seen in John 3:5. It reads, “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’”  The New American Bible, (NAB) actually translates Jesus quote as “Amen, Amen, I say to you no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Jesus used the introductory double phrase of “Amen, Amen…” (Truly, Truly or Verily, Verily) 25 times in the Gospel of John alone. He wants his listeners to understand the truthfulness of his words.

As far as being a name or title of Jesus as John records in the book of Revelation it’s referring to the very character of Jesus throughout his life on earth. Unlike the rest of mankind, Jesus “always” did the perfect will of his father. Whatever God asked of him, or whatever the Father said that’s what Jesus did or said. As Rolls adds to his discussion, “We affirm again that no one else, anywhere at anytime, always and altogether, said, “so be it” to every jot and tittle of the will of God. Because He did, he was able to use this claim in John 3:38 when challenged, as the supreme proof of His Sonship, “I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me” (John 6:38). Paul tells us that Jesus, as the great Amen of the Father, is deserving of our complete faith. “We can be certain,” Paul says. He says in 2 Corinthians 1:20 that, as the Great Amen of the Father, we can be certain all of God’s promises will come true. We can say “Amen” to all of God’s promises because Jesus is the great “Amen” who will assure them. Paul writes, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” Paul talks to Timothy about the trustworthiness of the Gospel and the certainty of his salvation through faith in Jesus. Timothy is likely struggling with sin. Don’t we all? But Paul gives Timothy full assurance that Jesus is completely trustworthy in saving sinners. He begins his letter to Timothy with “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

1 Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

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Song of Solomon 5:16

Jesus is “Altogether Lovely”

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 2, 2022

The Old Testament book, “The Song of Solomon” is a real difficult book to preach. Most ancient commentators see this book as only metaphorical and the love descriptions of Solomon and his lover are figurative of the nature of Christ and his bride, the Church. John Owen, from a long time ago, says, “The whole Book of Canticles (Song of Solomon) is nothing but a mystical declaration of the mutual love between Christ and the church. And it is expressed by all such ways and means as may represent it intense, fervent, and exceeding all other love whatever; which none, I suppose, will deny, at least on the part of Christ. And a great part of it consists in such descriptions of the person of Christ and his love as may render him amiable and desirable unto our souls, even “altogether lovely.” 1 J. Vernon McGee says, “He is altogether lovely. Now the important question is this: Is He altogether lovely to you? Are you able to speak of Him with the enthusiasm the bride had for her bridegroom? We must know Christ intimately if we are to witness of Him. And we must love Him. When one comes to Christ it is not a business transaction. He is wonderful, and I do not think that we laud Him, glorify Him, lift Him up, worship Him, and bow before Him with thanksgiving enough. He is wonderful any way that you look at Him”2

More modern exegetical work on the book wants to see it more literal. It’s all about sex and young love. Arnold Fruchtenbaum entitles his commentary on Song of Solomon, “Biblical Lovemaking.” Rob Morgan concludes his comments on the Song of Solomon by writing, “Earlier generations viewed this book primarily as an analogy for Yahweh’s love for His bride, Israel; or Christ’s love for His bride, the Church. There are certainly lessons there, but the primary purpose of Song of Songs is to convey the pleasure God intends to bestow through His invention of love, marriage, and sex.” (Check out: https://www.robertjmorgan.com/devotional/song-of-solomon-the-bibles-pre-marital-counseling-course/) Also, Larry Richards, in his “Teachers Commentary,” takes the book much more literal. Concluding his remarks on the literal nature of the sexual illusions in the Song of Solomon says, “Scripture, of course, forbids sex out of marriage, both adultery and premarital. It also forbids prostitution. A number of passages in the Law, but particularly Leviticus 18, define sexual limits. Yet when it comes to marriage, the biblical message is one of freedom rather than restriction. No passage in Old or New Testaments regulates sexual practices within marriage. Instead the Bible affirms the joys and values of human sexuality.”3

God is the creator of “male and female” and is very much pro-sex within the confines of marriage. Yet, if I’m to truly understand the book of Song of Solomon, I have to see it in light of Christ’s word to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He told them that the whole bible: the Law the Prophets and the Writings were about himself. Song of Solomon is one of the “writings” that Jesus was referring to. Thus, I cast my lot with the older commentators. Further, to see the Song of Solomon as a depiction of exclusive marital bliss misses the mark when we remember that no one in the Bible was less “exclusive” in marital relations than Solomon. Also, to understand all the descriptions of the physical body parts of both male and female throughout the book makes it no more then acceptable pornography. I think Exell has it right when he says, “I am not about to speak of Christ’s loveliness after the flesh, for now after the flesh know we Him no more. It is His moral and spiritual beauty, of which the spouse in the Song most sweetly says, ‘Yea, He is altogether lovely.’ The loveliness which the eye dotes on is mere varnish when compared with that which dwells in virtue and holiness; the worm will devour the loveliness of skin and flesh, but a lovely character will endure for ever.”4 As the text lays out various descriptions of the beloved, as seen through the eyes of the lover, one cannot help but see the beauty of Jesus in it all. O’Donnell says, “That’s the perfect picture of this text. Anyway you turn it, it points us to the cross, to Jesus who is ‘altogether lovely’ (Song 5:16, kjv )—lovely in his person, glory, majesty, resurrection, ascension, grace, power, wisdom, pardon, and in his selfless incarnation and death.”5

1 John Owen, The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, n.d.), 157.

2 J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: Poetry (Ecclesiastes/Song of Solomon), electronic ed., vol. 21 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 174–175.

3 Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 356.

4 Joseph S. Exell, Ecclesiastes & The Song of Solomon, vol. 2, The Biblical Illustrator (New York; Chicago; Toronto; London; Edinburgh: Fleming H. Revell Company, n.d.), 124.

5Douglas Sean O’Donnell, The Song of Solomon: An Invitation to Intimacy, ed. R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 95–96.

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Psalm 137:7-8, Revelation 3:17, Luke 13:5, Isaiah 64:6

A Wretch like me!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 1, 2022

Everyone knows the famous hymn by John Newton, “Amazing Grace.” It’s been around since it was first published in 1779. A web search on the song says, “Amazing Grace is the most popular of the Christian hymns. Many people know this and it is commonly sung in churches or congregations.” There are more than 7,000 cover versions of the song! It’s still being performed today by popular artists of every music genre: Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, Judy Collins, Carrie Underwood. Cher also “covered” the song! Wikipedia says the song is sung 10 millions times every year! It begins, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”

Do I really consider myself to be a “wretch?” According to one of my lexicons (dictionaries) for biblical words, to be a wretch is to be “of very poor quality or condition; perhaps inciting pity.” Poor quality? Me? We moved into a new house about four years ago and this past week I just got around to unpacking my office stuff. I hung up my diplomas on the “I love me” wall. My bachelor’s of theology degree has a gold sticker on it that says, “Summa cum laud.” My Master’s of theology degree has a gold sticker that says “with honors.” They both look pretty good right next to my oversized Doctor of Ministry Degree. I’m a pretty good guy! I don’t like the idea of identifying with being of “poor quality.” I think I’ve done pretty well in life. I own my home and my car and have few debts and have a satisfactory retirement in my old age. I’m pretty well off! I don’t need anything.

But it’s that kind of thinking that makes God want to spit me out of his mouth. Well, that’s what he told the members of the church at Laodicea in the third chapter of the book of Revelation. In verse 17, God tells them he wants to “spew” them out of his mouth because “…you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” God doesn’t see my diplomas or my gold stickers. God sees my heart. He knows behind all the good works in my life lies a deceitful, glory seeking, pitiful man. Thus he tells Isaiah that all your “good works is as filthy rags.” In Isaiah 64:6 we read, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.”

The Greek word for “repentance” literally means “to change one’s mind.” I believe repentance means to change the way we think about ourselves. We must see ourselves as God sees us, as we really are. None of our gold stickers will save us. You have your own “gold stickers” don’t you? They are just filthy rags! When the disciples encountered the Galileans who perished when the tower fell on them, they assumed it was the result of some great sin in the Galileans’ lives that they were not guilty of. Jesus says in Luke 13:5, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Jesus came to save the sick, not the healthy. He came to save the “wretched” not the glorious. It’s the ones who recognize and acknowledge their “wretchedness” that God saves. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 137:7-8, “He picks up the poor from out of the dirt, rescues the wretched who’ve been thrown out with the trash, Seats them among the honored guests, a place of honor among the brightest and best.” Paul knew that he was a wretch. He wrestled with sin in his life and seemed to lose that battle more often than he won it. Finally, he exclaims In Romans 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” He answered his own question in the following verse, Jesus! “Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!”

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Hebrews 3:1-4, Exodus 7:1, 1John 4.1

Jesus as an Apostle!!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 31, 2021

The word that’s translated as “Apostle” in the New Testament literally means, “Sent One.” The Greek English Lexicon gives this definition. “…a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders.” 1 When we hear the word “Apostle” we normally think of the twelve men appointed by Jesus to go out and spread the message of the good news. Indeed they were men sent out with orders. But there is also reference to lower case “apostles” in the New Testament which seems to refer to those sent out on missionary journeys from various churches in the Apostolic age. Some groups today call their missionaries “apostles” today with the idea that any who is sent out to share their faith is also rightly called an “apostle.” We don’t usually think of Jesus himself being an apostle, but that’s what he is called in Hebrews 3:1-2. It says, “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.” We see that Jesus was “sent out” from the “one who appointed him” for a particular mission. Moses was the one that God sent to Pharoah with a mission to set the Israelites from from captivity and just as he was faithful to that mission so too was Jesus faithful to his calling to be the sin bearer of the world. 1 John 4:1 makes this perfectly clear. John writes, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” So, Jesus is an “Apostle” in the true meaning of the word.

According to another Greek Dictionary the word includes the idea of “Ambassador.” Liddell’s entry for the word is, “ἀπόστολος, ὁ, (ἀποστέλλω) a messenger, ambassador, envoy…”2 Regarding this title Charles Rolls says, “Christ as the Apostle was specially called and commissioned by the Father as heaven’s ambassador to earth. He represents the Father perfectly and heaven in reality. The Father placed in Him absolute confidence and sanctioned full exercise of authority to fulfill the divine purposes, confirm the promises and execute the prerogatives.”3 In the handbook that the United Bible Society published to help Bible Translators, we read, “Some of the meaning of the Greek term traditionally rendered “apostle” may be expressed as “God’s messenger” or “God’s ambassador.” In some languages this is expressed literally as “one who speaks God’s words” or “one who announces what God has said.”4 Now, going back to the passage in Hebrews 3:1-2, the writer exhorts his readers to “consider.” Without adding a new group of footnotes here, this Greek verb means, “To think carefully” about something; to “reflect on” the ideas, to “meditate” on this truth.

Since the writer of this verse includes Moses let me give you something to contemplate. Moses was God’s Ambassador to Pharoah. He came with God’s authority and message. When we reflect on the Old Testament we are amiss if we fail to understand it’s message as it relates to Jesus himself. In Exodus 7:1, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh…” Yes, Moses was like God, he spoke for God, he exercised God’s power through the 10 plagues and more but the author of Hebrews will later make it perfectly clear that Moses, the greatest figure in Israel’s history, does not have the same authority that was given to Jesus! Hebrews 3:4 goes on in our passage and says, “For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.” There may be a lot of lower case “apostles” who are sent out for a mission. There were 12 upper case “Apostle” who were sent out specifically by Jesus. But there is only one “Apostle” like Jesus. Whereas Moses spoke for God, Jesus spoke as God. One more quote (sorry). Guthrie says in his commentary, “To look at a beautiful, artfully crafted building may inspire appreciation or wonder, but praise belongs to the craftsman rather than the craft. In this case the author of Hebrews considers Moses as part of the house that Jesus built. The inference to which the analogy points is that Jesus, as God, has made Moses, a member of the people of Israel, and as Creator is worthy of more honor and glory than one of his creatures. Thus, the author continues to point to Jesus as God.”5

1 Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York: Harper & Brothers., 1889), 68.

2H.G. Liddell, A Lexicon: Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996), 107.

3 Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

4 Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 52.

5 George Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 128.

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Hebrews 6:19

Jesus: Our Steadfast Anchor!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 30, 2021

Jesus is the guarantee of God’s love for us. Even while we are sinners, God demonstrated His love for us on the cross of Calvary. The cities of refuge were spread out across Israel so that any sinner could make it to a city of refuge in a day or less. This was so designed so that every citizen would have within reach a place where they could find protection and safety.  At the time of the writing of the letter to the Hebrews, the cities of refuge no longer existed in Israel. But their illustrative value to Bible readers cannot be missed. Jesus took the place of the cities of refuge. Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses on our behalf. Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system. No more blood sacrifices need be made. The Priesthood of Aaron has been superseded by the Priesthood of Jesus in the order of Melchizedek. You see, everything in the Old Testament is about Jesus! The Bible is still relevant today because it all offers mature insights into the person and work of Jesus which nourishes our faith.

In Hebrews 6:19 the writer talks about the most sacred of places in the Old Testament as a picture of where Jesus went on our behalf. He’s talking about the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant rested upon which the mercy seat lay. He writes, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain…” As any good seaman knows, anchors don’t always hold. It depends upon what it takes hold of and on the stability of that object. Jesus is our anchor! Jesus is the subject of the whole Bible. He is the physical embodiment of God’s promises from Genesis to Revelation. He is the Lamb of God that makes atonement for sin. He is the true king, priest and prophet. He is the seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham and the seed of David. He is the full and complete demonstration of God’s love for us all. Priscilla J. Owens wrote the beautiful little hymn that captures this verse’s truth. One of the stanzas goes like this,

“We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Steadfast and sure while the billows roll;

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.”

Once the anchor has dropped we can no longer physically see it. But we know it’s there and when it finds a stable hold we can rest knowing that the ship is not going anywhere. Lenski writes, “As the anchor is out of sight, so the hope, promised and sworn to us, is out of sight. It is in the heavenly Sanctuary. It is the promised salvation through the all-atoning blood of Jesus.”[1] In the early church three images arose as acceptable symbols of the Christian faith. Clement of Alexandria around 200 AD acknowledges these three symbols as the Dove, the Fish and the Anchor. Brown observes, “Clement of Alexandria, an outstanding teacher in the early church, mentions the anchor as an appropriate device for a Christian’s ring: And let our seals be either a dove or a fish … or a ship’s anchor. It is sometimes found on early Christian epitaphs as a symbol of secure hope.”[2]

[1] R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1938), 205.

[2] Raymond Brown, The Message of Hebrews: Christ above All, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 121–122.

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1 John 2:1-2, John 14:16, Hebrews 9:24

Jesus is the best Lawyer!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 29, 2021

Jesus is called the “advocate.” 1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC) adds this comment, “The thought here in 1 John 2:1 is of a defense attorney who takes up the case of his client before a tribunal.” The Greek word, Paraclete, is usually referring to the Holy Spirit who takes up our cause and “comforts” us in all of our trials. But the Apostle John says clearly that Jesus is our “Advocate.” It seems that the Holy Spirit is our “advocate” here on earth while Jesus is our advocate in Heaven before the Father. I think the distinction between our advocate in this life and our advocate in Heaven is clear. When Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure he promises to send them “another” advocate. Of course, this additional advocate is the Holy Spirit. Jesus made this promise in John 14:16, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, in order that he may be with you…” Then another biblical author teaches us like John did that Jesus is in Heaven making intercession for us. Hebrews 9:24 says, “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.”

If I were arrested for any crime I’d really like to have one of the best lawyers to defend me whether I was guilty or not. In American today, Alan Morton Dershowitz is probably the best known if not the best lawyer in our country. The web search on him describes him as “… an American attorney, political commentator, and jurist. He has spent the past fifty years practicing the law and is well recognized for handling a number of high-profile legal cases. As a criminal appellate attorney, Alan has won fifteen, which is a high percentage of the dozens of attempted murder and murder cases he has managed. The attorney has represented several celebrities, which include Jim Bakker, Mike Tyson, and Patty Hearst. His most prominent cases include his role as an appellate consultant in the O.J. Simpson case, and for overturning the conviction of Claus von Bulow in 1984. In addition to his consulting and appellate practice, Alan is a Professor at Harvard Law School. In 1967, at the age of twenty eight, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history. Since 1993, Alan has held the Felix Frankfurter professorship at Harvard.” But even Dershowitz has no argument that could sway God in the least. Any argument he could produce to substantiate the claim of my innocence of all sin in life would be ludicrous at best.

But Jesus doesn’t defend or advocate on our behalf because we’re innocent. He advocates on our behalf because we are guilty and He’s righteous. This is why John adds the final description of Jesus in 1 John 2:1 that our advocate is Jesus Christ “The Righteous One.” The United Bible Societies handbook for translators explains, “The adjective righteous is best taken as a predicate, adding a new trait to the argument. It serves to make the reader aware of the fact that Jesus, since he does what is right before God, is man’s most effective advocate with God. His prayers for man are not hindered by sin and, therefore, will certainly be heard by God.” Kruse in the Pillar New Testament Commentary explains the significance of this. He writes, “Thus it (The adjective “righteous”) would seem that it is used in the present context to indicate that it is the One who has acted righteously, who now stands in the presence of the Father to speak on behalf of those who have not acted righteously. However, Jesus Christ is much more than an advocate who intercedes for those who have sinned, as becomes apparent in the next verse.” 1 John 2:2 says, “he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Again, Kruse explains, “The author emphasises that Jesus Christ is not only our advocate who speaks in our favour in the presence of God despite our sins, but that he is also the atoning sacrifice for those sins. In the first case he appears as an advocate in court, in the second as a sacrificing priest in the temple.”

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