8 And a roadway will be there, a highway,
And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not pass by on it,
But it will be for him who walks in that way,
And ignorant fools will not wander on it.
9 No lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;
These will not be found there.
But the redeemed will walk there,
10 And the ransomed of Yahweh will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting gladness upon their heads.
They will attain delight and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 35:8-10 (LSB)

5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.1 John 1:5 (LSB) 

God is holy and immutable. There is not now nor has there ever been nor will there ever be any darkness in Him. He is eternally holy. In James 1:17 we read that with God, there is no variation or shadow due to change. The Puritans referred to God as the “Thrice Holy God!” Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:14-19 that the redeemed of the Lord are commanded to be holy as He is holy then he tells us why and how we are to do so.

14 As obedient children, not being conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your conduct; 16 because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
17 And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your sojourn, 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your futile conduct inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:14-19 (LSB) 

Christians who are walking according to the flesh, which is being conformed to their former ignorance, are not walking according to the spirit. What is not of faith is sin. (Romans 14:23) When believers walk according to the flesh they are seeking fulfillment from the world. This is sin. Therefore, to be holy is to walk in accordance to our sanctification. Sanctification is the act of God removing His flock from sin. God is intimately involved in our sanctification, but our role in it is not passive.

18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. James 1:18 (LSB) 

All in Christ are begotten of God. This is speaking in part of our regeneration where the word of truth is written on our hearts as His grace, in accordance with our faith, quickened us from spiritual death unto eternal life. Therefore, we are to “lay aside every weight and sin as we run the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) We are commanded to cleanse out the old leaven from our hearts. Why? For Christ our Lord, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.

7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, also was sacrificed.1 Corinthians 5:7 (LSB) 

1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 6:18 – 7:1 (LSB) 

Much of the teaching in “churches” these days never speak of these things. The emphasis is on the “Social Gospel” or the “Feel Good and Be Positive Gospel” or the “Be Healthy and Wealthy and Prosperous Gospel.” I believe that God is drawing His sheep into the light in these last days because time is short. The end of this age is swiftly approaching. We are being prepared. We must understand what it means that Christ is our Passover sacrifice. Because we believe on Jesus Christ, His righteousness has been imputed to us and we also received justification. God the Father has declared us righteous; therefore, we have entered a relationship with Him as though we have never sinned.

The expectation of God is that those whom He has saved commit themselves to maintaining that relationship by living a holy life, not under our own power, which would be self-righteousness, but through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit teaching and convicting through that Word. This is why it is vital that believers become spirit-filled by saturating their lives with the Word of God and being obedient to it.

In the last phrase in 2 Corinthians 7:1 above, we read that our maintaining of our relationship with God by “perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” I wrote a series several years ago on how vital it is for Christians to walk in the fear of God. I was inundated with hundreds of complaints that we are called to love God, not fear Him. It is Biblical that our fear of God is a necessary component in running the race set before us by God. One look at the utter nonsense that passes for “church” these days should tell us that this fear of God is largely unknown. This is why we have “cussing” pastors and others who use secular movies in place of sermons or who attempt to entice the world to come into their churches by using worldly music and sermons that never touch any aspect of the genuine Gospel. There is no fear of God in those who do these things.

We are calling for our Christian leaders to repent of these things and become conformed unto the real Gospel, not the various facsimiles of it. We are in desperate need of hearing the real Gospel because it is through reading the Word in its proper context and the Holy Spirit’s revealing that Word by which we are conformed to Christ’s character, which is our sanctification, for He is holy. The very work of the Holy Spirit after our salvation is to conform us to the image or character of the Lamb of God, which is holiness.

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. 29 Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers; 30 and those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified; and those whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8:28-30 (LSB) 

Much of the “debate” between those of us who have been called “ODM” or “Orthodox” and the progressive crowd is centered on the veracity of one’s salvation. We need to understand that the only standards that we can use here is the Bible. What does the Bible tell us that separates the genuine believer from the disingenuous one? To know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior is good, but that is not enough because the demons believe that. No, the Biblical mark of genuineness as a Christian is commitment to God to live a holy life. This means that the genuine believer has a commitment to grow in the knowledge of Him and be conformed unto His image and likeness by and through the work of the Holy Spirit within.

6 Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and being built up in Him, and having been established in your faith—just as you were instructed—and abounding with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7 (LSB) 

All genuine Christians have believed on Christ because they realized He was the holy Lamb who was the sacrifice for them as born sinners and the sins they commit. However, they also must continue their Christian walk according to that knowledge of His holiness. As they have received Christ Jesus the Lord, they do walk in Him. This is so much more than mumbling a few words about receiving Him into one’s heart! Genuine salvation is the product of commitment to be holy and a commitment to Him who is holy! This is also a commitment to treat God’s Word as holy and to dwell in it. This commitment is wrapped in the fear of God because we know that God totally expects us to walk as Jesus walked because we accepted His offer of salvation and His Spirit now indwells us. Salvation is not a “Get Out of Jail Free Card” that is given to those who simply do some religious act then live for self from that point on.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of either the witness about our Lord or me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been manifested by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 2 Timothy 1:8-12 (LSB) 

God delivered and saved us and called us with a holy calling which leads to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness. God did not do this because of anything we have done, but because of and to further His own purpose and Grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love, 5 by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6 (LSB) 

What was the purpose of God towards those who believe? It is that they be holy and blameless before Him. Therefore, let us seek to remove the leaven from our ‘house’ because the Lamb of God, our Passover Lamb, is with us. We are commanded to be holy, which means that we are to live lives of commitment to be separate from the world and its ways, to not be conformed to it. If you are a genuine Christian then the Holy Spirit is working in you to cleanse you of your enslavement to your flesh. Your part is to draw near unto God that He may draw near unto you.

Soli Deo Gloria!

21 Therefore what benefit were you then having from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit, leading to sanctification, and the end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:21-23 (LSB) 

Holiness is one of those subjects that everyone seems to know everything it pertains to, but no one knows how to define. What is it? If you look up “Holiness” in a dictionary, it will tell you that it means to be “Holy.” That is not a lot of help is it? What does the word “Holy” mean? One dictionary definition is, “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.” Of course, that could only be speaking of God.

A synonym for “Holiness” is “Sanctification.” If we look it up, it is defined as “the state of growing in divine grace as a result of Christian commitment after baptism or conversion.” That’s close. A believer’s holiness comes as he or she matures in Christ through grace. It comes from there, but what are its qualities? As believers mature they begin to take on Christ’s very character. They become Christ-like. One of the “fruits” of salvation, a huge part of the godly treasury of the Heart, is separation from the World. What does this mean?

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the depths graciously given to us by God, 13 of which depths we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual depths with spiritual words. 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 (LSB) 

The Holy Spirit resides in the Spirit of each believer. His presence not only makes the Spirit of the believer Holy He is also constantly at work sanctifying the believer. What’s the big deal? Why can’t we stay conformed to the world and grow in Christ? The ways of the world are the antithesis of God’s ways. God’s ways are right; the world’s ways are not.

7 Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to Yahweh,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares Yahweh.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:7-9 (LSB) 

If a believer refuses to jettison things or thoughts that are clearly “of the world,” as the Holy Spirit leads them to do so, it is nothing more than rebellion or disobedience. What happens when a believer does this? They are refusing to submit to the will of God. When the Holy Spirit convicts you and me about anything our conscience, if healthy, will condemn us about it as well. If we refuse to heed God and our conscience, we are contributing to our own Hard-Heartedness. We are diminishing our treasure instead of laying it up. The treasury of our Heart is building up worldliness instead of holiness. Holiness is the quality of godliness that speaks of conformity to Christ’s character and non-conformity to the world.

Only the believers who are led by the Spirit are seeking to live holy lives. All others may want to be holy, but without the power that is inherent in the life led by the Spirit, they cannot do it. They try to be holy via will power, but that is doomed to failure. If we live lives that are characterized by holiness what will we be like? We will be in a constant state of cleansing. We will be denying self by feasting on God as we fast from fleshly things and worldliness. We will not be doing or saying things to draw attention to ourselves, but instead we will be in a state of genuine humility knowing that all we have that is good is that which have in Christ according to his will and his work.

I used to think that self-denial was no fun, hard work and only led to boredom. That would be true if my entire fulfillment came through self-gratification. However, God has graciously granted me repentance as I feasted on Him and fasted from fleshly desires. He is in the process of changing my entire value system and remaking my conscience so that it will be pure and cleansed. He is in the process of washing away all defilement therein. I pray everyday that I will be given ears to hear Him, that I will heed my conscience which is held captive to the Word of God and  that I will be led by the Spirit and that the Lord will not stop leading, guiding and directing my steps. This is learning how to hear God.

Now when I slip, stumble, and blow it I know it immediately. I know I have taken my eyes off Christ and feasted on something that is defiled while I fasted from Him. I hate it, but it is a good thing that I cannot get away with anything for any length of time! When we do blow it what do we do? The following passage is a word picture that is the “best” way to get back on track.

7 Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:7-10 (LSB) 

Reading a passage like this is great, but we need to apply it to our lives so we can start living Holy lives. Here is what I do and do not do: I submit to God in all humility. I confess my sin to Him. I do not work up some false tears and try to feel bad about my sin while I wallow in self-pity. That is a waste of time. However, the Lord shows me the harm my sin has caused and then I mourn and weep. When I submit to God this way, my enemy flees from me. This should tell me how I stumbled in the first place. I have left God’s presence and feasted on something the enemy used to entice me. I must reverse this so I seek God’s face. I draw near to Him. When I do that, He draws near to me. He grants me repentance. I jettison whatever He tells me to and am cleansed. He then lifts me up. This ongoing process is demolishing the strongholds in our Hearts that pull us away from God for self-gratification.

Think of this as the method or process of attaining and maintaining holiness in your life. We must have zero tolerance for worldliness in our lives. If we do not then we are not living holy lives. If we live holy lives, we have a deep treasury of goodness in our Hearts. If we are not then the treasury of our Hearts will be full of worldliness. Which honors and glorifies God?

As the Israelites prepared to cross the Jordan God came to Joshua and commanded him to listen and obey. He told him that if he wanted success he must follow a certain pattern in his life.

5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous to be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn aside from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be prosperous wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way successful, and then you will be prosperous. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be in dread or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:5-9 (LSB) 

God told Joshua that if he saturated his life with the Law, meditated on it day and night, and did not turn from following it to the right hand or the left then God would prosper Him in all that he did. That sounds like holiness and its reward to me.

The Lord will not allow us to mature and grow past certain points where we resist His conviction. I know believers who deeply desire to grow in grace, but cannot because they have some uncleanness or lack of holiness in their life. Does that mean God does not love them? No! It means they are resisting His demand to be holy. They are still His children, but they cannot go on with God in seeking the Treasure until the sin is dealt with. What was God’s demand to Joshua if he wanted to prosper and be successful in all that God led him to do? Be holy! He was called, as we are, to be believers who are led by the Spirit who walk by faith, not by sight. We must hear God and obey Him. We must value holiness in our lives as our Treasure.

Many believers may say, “I’m not so bad.” Or, “I’m not a big sinner; I just like to have fun now and then.” Or, “I’m not ready to give up <put some favorite worldly thing here> yet.” These types of statements reveal the presence of a serious problem. This type of attitude comes from those who compromise. They are saying,” My value system is okay as is. Holiness is not attainable anyway. People who live like that can’t be having any fun.” It is not our feelings about this that matters. What is important is God’s will. God does not compromise on holiness. Unless that is our value system as well we are in trouble. What kind of trouble? Our consciences are not functioning properly so our Hearts are hard. We cannot be led by the Spirit and compromise. It is impossible. To be led by the Spirit means to have a pure and clear conscience held captive to the Word of God so we can be holy, humble, cleansed, and pure before our Lord.

For those who think that being saved by grace means we can live any way we want I have bad news. That is a lie. Who is the father of all lies? Satan is the father of all lies. His mission is to keep as many people as possible from living lives that glorify God. Only those who have learned to walk in the Spirit live lives that glorify God. Why?

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for prior to being taken up, he was approved as being pleasing to God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who draws near to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:5-6 (LSB) 

Those who “seek Him” are those who please God because they walk the Walk by Faith. They are those who are led by the Spirit.

Who lays up treasure in Heaven? Those who are led by the Spirit do that. Who builds up Goodness in the Treasury of the Heart? Those who are led by the Spirit do that. Does anyone else? No! Who lives in a way that pleases and glorifies God? Those who are led by the Spirit do that. What about professing Christians who are not led by the Spirit? They live according to the flesh and are worldly. They seek fulfillment by the flesh. How can that glorify God?

Holiness is the hallmark of the believer who is led by the Spirit. This attribute will lead to persecution. Why? The holy believer is in the World, but is not part of it. They do not conform to it in any way. The holy believer’s righteousness confronts the lost with the uncompromising message of the Gospel. It also flies in the face of fleshly, professing believers who resent those who are led by the Spirit and their godly wisdom and knowledge. This can also bring persecution. Should we fear being holy then?

10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12 (LSB) 

That sounds like treasure to me. If we live uncompromising lives led by the Spirit then we will be holy and our righteousness will be used by God to reveal the unrighteousness of the lost and dying World. That will lead to persecution, but it will also lay up treasure in Heaven for those who go through it. What happens to treasury of the Heart when this happens? Jesus said to rejoice and be exceedingly glad when we are persecuted for righteousness sake. The goodness in the treasury of the Heart enables the believer to go through it this way.

Do you have a different view of holiness now? We can’t try to be holy. However, if we diligently seek God, submit to His Lordship through complete obedience He will cleanse us and make us holy. We will become led by the Spirit. Then we are well on our way to possessing the Treasure.

Soli Deo Gloria!

3 ἀρκετὸς γὰρ ὁ παρεληλυθὼς χρόνος τὸ βούλημα τῶν ἐθνῶν κατειργάσθαι πεπορευμένους ἐν ἀσελγείαις, ἐπιθυμίαις, οἰνοφλυγίαις, κώμοις, πότοις καὶ ἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαις. 4 ἐν ᾧ ξενίζονται μὴ συντρεχόντων ὑμῶν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν τῆς ἀσωτίας ἀνάχυσιν βλασφημοῦντες, 1 Peter 4:3-4 (NA28)

3 For we have wasted enough time participating in the desires of the Gentiles, having proceeded in licentiousness, lusts, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties and unlawful idolatry. 4 Wherein they think it strange you are not running with them into the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 1 Peter 4:3-4 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

I got the following A.W. Tozer quote from a friend.

The Loneliness of the Christian

“The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone. The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.

“The man who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.

“It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else.”

AW Tozer

I know of what Tozer was talking about. I was amazed when this happened to me at a Deacon’s meeting one Saturday morning when I wanted to share that my walk with Christ had a great deal more to do with my time in the Word, in prayer, in worship, than it did in being a Deacon or whatever. I did indeed long for some of those men, perhaps just a few of them, would be in that same spiritual place. However, I remember the cold stares and from that day forward, I became an outsider looking in even though I was one of the senior deacons and was a Bible teacher at that church. It was only about 6 months or so later that all that Purpose Driven stuff started. I fought it, but it became apparent that those who made the decisions there were not going to listen to anyone that did not agree with them so my wife and I left.

However, what we must remember is that this sort of thing is very much a part of our suffering as Christians. I do not let this get me down at all because when the fiery trials come, I look at what Christ did for me and for all who are in him by faith.

18 ὅτι καὶ Χριστὸς ἅπαξ περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἔπαθεν,
δίκαιος ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων,
ἵνα ὑμᾶς προσαγάγῃ τῷ θεῷ
θανατωθεὶς μὲν σαρκὶ
ζῳοποιηθεὶς δὲ πνεύματι·
19 ἐν ᾧ καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασιν πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν,
20 ἀπειθήσασίν ποτε ὅτε ἀπεξεδέχετο ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ μακροθυμία ἐν ἡμέραις Νῶε κατασκευαζομένης κιβωτοῦ εἰς ἣν ὀλίγοι, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν ὀκτὼ ψυχαί, διεσώθησαν διʼ ὕδατος. 21 ὃ καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀντίτυπον νῦν σῴζει βάπτισμα, οὐ σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις ῥύπου ἀλλὰ συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς ἐπερώτημα εἰς θεόν, διʼ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, 22 ὅς ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ [τοῦ] θεοῦ πορευθεὶς εἰς οὐρανὸν ὑποταγέντων αὐτῷ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἐξουσιῶν καὶ δυνάμεων. 1 Peter 3:18-22 (NA28)

18 For Christ suffered once for sins, a righteous man on behalf of unrighteous men, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh yet being made alive in the Spirit,
19 by whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison,
20 who disobeyed when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not from the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into Heaven, Angels, Authorities and Powers having been subjected to him. 1 Peter 3:18-22 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

Christ is no longer on the cross. His atoning work there is finished. He suffered once and there will be no more. His atoning sacrifice for our sins was sufficient. Those who teach, and have always taught, that salvation by grace through faith is indeed free, but we must still earn our way to heaven through good works cannot be taking those doctrines from the Word of God. No, those come from the traditions of men or religious systems. Christ’s one sacrifice for sins was of such perpetual validity that it was sufficient for all and would never need to be repeated. Why was it sufficient? The answer is found in v18, He was righteous and suffered on behalf of the unrighteous. This sacrifice was acceptable in the eyes of the righteous judge, God the Father; hence, our Lord Jesus Christ became our propitiation.

The saving of Noah and his family in the ark was an antitype, that is, it corresponds to the baptism into Christ by the Holy Spirit in our salvation. His resurrection is what seals our salvation as being true. In response to what Christ has done for us, how then should we respond to this wicked age and so much apostasy in the visible church?

1 Χριστοῦ οὖν παθόντος σαρκὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς τὴν αὐτὴν ἔννοιαν ὁπλίσασθε, ὅτι ὁ παθὼν σαρκὶ πέπαυται ἁμαρτίας 2 εἰς τὸ μηκέτι ἀνθρώπων ἐπιθυμίαις ἀλλὰ θελήματι θεοῦ τὸν ἐπίλοιπον ἐν σαρκὶ βιῶσαι χρόνον. 3 ἀρκετὸς γὰρ ὁ παρεληλυθὼς χρόνος τὸ βούλημα τῶν ἐθνῶν κατειργάσθαι πεπορευμένους ἐν ἀσελγείαις, ἐπιθυμίαις, οἰνοφλυγίαις, κώμοις, πότοις καὶ ἀθεμίτοις εἰδωλολατρίαις. 4 ἐν ᾧ ξενίζονται μὴ συντρεχόντων ὑμῶν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν τῆς ἀσωτίας ἀνάχυσιν βλασφημοῦντες, 5 οἳ ἀποδώσουσιν λόγον τῷ ἑτοίμως ἔχοντι κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς. 6 εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ νεκροῖς εὐηγγελίσθη, ἵνα κριθῶσιν μὲν κατὰ ἀνθρώπους σαρκὶ ζῶσιν δὲ κατὰ θεὸν πνεύματι. 1 Peter 4:1-6 (NA28)

1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, because the one having suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but in the will of God. 3 For we have wasted enough time participating in the desires of the Gentiles, having proceeded in licentiousness, lusts, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties and unlawful idolatry. 4 Wherein they think it strange you are not running with them into the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will given an account to the one ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 To this end indeed was the Good News preached to the dead that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit. 1 Peter 4:1-6 (translated from the NA28 Greek text) 

Because of our Lord’s triumph at the Cross in his suffering and death and resurrection on our behalf, we should also be willing to suffer in the flesh knowing that it potentially produces the greatest triumph. We put ourselves in this position only by following our Lord’s command to “take up our own crosses and follow him…” All else is wasting time in the flesh living for the lusts of men. Instead, we must be after the pursuit of the will of God and we find that only as we abide in Christ. I do not find that in simply being religious. I do not find that in pietism or pragmatic Churchianity. I find it in seriously living in the Word of God, that is, studying it, and applying it, and walking in repentance as I confess my sins daily before the throne of grace. I pray as I walk through this life and I live this life in light of my walk with Christ.

Do I fail at this? Sadly, yes I do. I confess to you just as I confess to God, that I fail at this and I must deny my flesh just like everyone else. The lust of the eyes, the pride of life, all of that pulls on me just as it does you. None of us are immune to that. However, we can do some things to live in the will of God rather than in the pursuit of the flesh. That is, we do all we can not to expose our flesh to what it wants. I hardly ever watch television for example. When I do, it is excruciating for me because of all the digs into my flesh it makes. I can barely make it through the local news let alone the national news because I get so angry about some things. In any case, Whatever it is that gets our lusts going, we must mortify. That is our part. How can we mortify our sins if we are continually exposing our flesh to what it wants? No, we have to eliminate what it wants as much as possible as we pursue our Lord and obedience to all of his commands.

What’s going to happen? God will test our faith. Yes, that is right. He will allow Satan to tempt us and/or our flesh to be tempted and we will be given a test that will have only one way out. What was Jesus’ way of escape when he was tempted in the wilderness by Satan? He used the Word and that is why we must live in the Word as well. We must learn it, become as familiar with it as we can be so that when the tempter comes, we can turn to the truth of God’s Word, and say no.

Never forget my brethren that we always have 1 John 1:9, “ἐὰν ὁμολογῶμεν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, πιστός ἐστιν καὶ δίκαιος, ἵνα ἀφῇ ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας καὶ καθαρίσῃ ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἀδικίας.” Or, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, that He may forgive us our sins and may cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

Soli Deo Gloria!

5 εἰ γὰρ σύμφυτοι γεγόναμεν τῷ ὁμοιώματι τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐσόμεθα· 6 τοῦτο γινώσκοντες ὅτι ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη, ἵνα καταργηθῇ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τοῦ μηκέτι δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· 7 ὁ γὰρ ἀποθανὼν δεδικαίωται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Romans 6:5-7 (NA28)

5 For if we have grown together in the likeness His death, yet so also we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be made ineffective, that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 For the having died has been justified from sin. Romans 6:5-7 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

Post-modern preaching is man-centered, that is, it is geared to cause hearers of it to be self-focused instead of God-focused. In this seeker-sensitive approach to preaching with all the emphasis being on self-awareness and self-improvement and self-esteem, is there any need for Christ and the Cross or repentance with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit? If you are honest you must say no and then as you think theologically about it consider this, this is just another example of the natural outflow of Pelagianism, which is at the root of post-modern “christianity.” The leaders in the seeker-sensitive movement discount the Cross of Christ and the Gospel and put the person at the center of all things. This is why they continually insist that their disciples look within to find their true self while covenanting with them to keep certain values and obey their commitments. In other words, this is a form of law keeping and has nothing to do with grace nor the Gospel. Let’s look at what the Bible says about our true nature and what we can and cannot do as Christians.

Romans 6:6 clearly shows us that true believers become holy in Christ. However, there is confusion because many do not look correctly at the Greek verb tenses in this passage. If they simply read it in English or some other translation it is easy to not see that the all the verb tenses here are past tenses (aorist or perfect). What this means is that every verb tense here that refers to our identification with Christ in His death refers to it being completed in the past. Romans 6:6, therefore, says  ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη or “our old humanity was crucified together” way back when Christ died and that it was completed then and there. What it does not say is that we must each morning get up and “crucify ourselves again to sin.” Instead, it says that by God’s judicial act, not by our experiential effort, our old humanity was “crucified” and therefore “destroyed.”

The word translated here as “old” is παλαιὸς, which means “old in the sense of worn out, decrepit, useless.” So, the old, worn out, decrepit person we used to be has been rendered inactive or put out of use. It has been replaced by the new man. This “old man” is all that we were in Adam, that is, all the guilt, penalty, power, and dominion of sin that was in Adam. In his Epistle to the Romans Paul made it clear that we most definitely still have a sin nature so we do still sin, but as new creations in Christ the rule of life is not like it was before. We are not dominated by sin as we once were. The old man (or self) is gone because of what Christ accomplished on Calvary. We are not sinless, but we do “sin less” because we are no longer dominated and controlled by sin. While sin used to rule, it is now Christ who rules.

My brethren, all truly in Christ are so by the grace of God not according to works or merit. Our salvation destroys the old man (our old self) and replaces that with the new man (our new self), but our flesh remains. Until we are reunited with our Lord in eternity, we must remain in these bodies to under go our sanctification. This Christianity is not about manmade religiosity my brethren. It is not about keeping rules and/or being part of the “right group.” All of that stuff is just attempts at law keeping. All in Christ are so according to His mercy and grace and have received salvation and have been justified because of what Christ has done not what they have done. Since then we who are so blessed must continue to stand firm seeking to please only Him. Let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on Him and the prize, not the accolades of men or the things of this world. God’s will be done.

Soli Deo Gloria!

28 Καὶ νῦν, τεκνία, μένετε ἐν αὐτῷ, ἵνα ἐὰν φανερωθῇ σχῶμεν παρρησίαν καὶ μὴ αἰσχυνθῶμεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ. 29 ἐὰν εἰδῆτε ὅτι δίκαιός ἐστιν, γινώσκετε ὅτι καὶ πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγέννηται. (1 John 2:28-29 NA28)

28 And now little children, abide in him that when his is manifested we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29 Since you know that he is righteous, you also know that everyone practicing righteousness has been born of him. (1 John 2:28-29 translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

Antinomianism is an attempt to claim to be Christian without Christ being Lord of a believer’s life. Christless Christianity is a man-made religiosity in the form of Christianity, but totally denying the power of our Saviour and Lord because those within are neither rooted nor grounded in Christ. This man-made religion offers only “feelings” and the forms of religiosity (dead works) in an attempt to assuage the consciences of those ensnared in it  just as does Antiomianism. On the other hand, genuine Christianity can be put to the test and those who are in Christ can know if they are truly saved. This is called assurance. All false religions have people looking within to find that change within the inner person to see if that “salvation has really happened.” Only genuine Christianity looks at undeniable proof. 

Carefully read 1 John 2:28-29 which I placed at the top of this post. What do those who are genuine Christians do that disingenuous Christians do not do? They abide or remain in Christ and in so doing their lives are patterned after the righteousness of Christ. The Greek verb μένετε (abide) is the Present, Imperative, Active case of μένω. That means that this is a command to do something involving continuous or repeated action. In other words, John is commanding believers to abide or remain in Christ as a way of life.

What about the parallel that “…everyone practicing righteousness has been born of him.”? The hope of Christ’s return not only sustains faith, but makes righteousness a habit. John does not mess around here. The word he used for “born,” γεγέννηται, the Perfect, Indicative, Passive case of γεννάω is the same verb he used in John 3:7 where Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again. According to 1 Peter 1:3 and 1 Peter 1:13-16, those truly born again partake of their heavenly Father’s righteous nature. Even though not perfect, they will display characteristics of God’s righteousness. What John is doing is looking from effect (righteous behavior) to cause (being truly born again) in order to affirm that righteous living is the proof of being born again (James 2:20, 26; 2 Peter 3:11).

1 Ἴδετε ποταπὴν ἀγάπην δέδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ πατήρ, ἵνα τέκνα θεοῦ κληθῶμεν, καὶ ἐσμέν. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ κόσμος οὐ γινώσκει ἡμᾶς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτόν. 2 ἀγαπητοί, νῦν τέκνα θεοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα. οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἐὰν φανερωθῇ, ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, ὅτι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν. 3 καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα ταύτην ἐπʼ αὐτῷ ἁγνίζει ἑαυτόν, καθὼς ἐκεῖνος ἁγνός ἐστιν. (1 John 3:1-3 NA28)

1 See what sort of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and we are, therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are children of God, now, and what we will be has not yet been manifested; but we know that when he is manifested we will be like him because we will see him as he is. 3 And everyone having this hope in him purifies himself, even as that one is pure. (1 John 3:1-3 translated from the NA28 Greek text to English) 

This is actually one of my favorite New Testament passages. In one of my personal email systems, I include it as a link in my outgoing email messages in the footer. Sadly, I have found that many professing Christians who have received those emails have seemed embarrassed by it or they act like its not there. Why is that? I watched a documentary about a former NBA basketball player from the Boston area who lost his career and almost lost his life and family because he became addicted to heroin. The documentary was about his fall then his struggles with recovery and his life now being clean and sober. When he was a junkie he always took his toiletries into the shower with him and did everything like shave, brush his teeth, et cetera, in the shower. However, after his recovery, his wife asked him why she now saw all those things in the bathroom next to the sink, but before they were always in the shower. He thought about it and then told her that when he was a junkie, he could not look at himself in the mirror because of the shame. Now he could.

I am convinced that this passage is incredibly convicting. All those who have the hope of seeing Christ face to face as their Lord and Saviour purify themselves even as our Lord is pure. What this means is that genuine believers live in the reality of Christ’s return and this makes a difference in their behavior. Since, on that day when he returns, believers will be like him, a desire should grow within them to become like him now. We see this in Philippians 3:12-14 as well. This calls for a purifying of sin that is a cooperative or synergistic work that God does with us in us (2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Timothy 5:22; 1 Peter 1:22).

Christ’s work of redemption was complete on the cross. All in Christ are fully justified with his righteousness and perfect obedience to the law imputed to their account. However, we still sin. We are not humble. We are self-centered, et cetera. Therefore, we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling until God takes us home or Christ comes for us, whichever comes first. We are both righteous in God’s eyes because of the work of Christ and yet we are still in the flesh, sinners saved by grace who must work to purify ourselves even as he is pure.

Those professing Christians who refuse to do this run after the world and so seek antinomianism and/or Christless Christianity thereby proving their disingenuousness.

Soli Deo Gloria!

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Matthew 16:13-18 (LSB)

A few weeks ago a close friend of mine who recently returned from a trip to Israel showed me some photos he took at Caesarea Philippi, which is at the Golan Heights. He said they were pictures of the Gates of Hell. Please watch this video about this site and what happened when Jesus took his disciples there.

1 Six days later, Jesus *took with Him Peter and James, and his brother John, and *led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Peter responded and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. 7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” 8 And raising their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. Matthew 17:1-8 (NASB 2020) 

From what I have observed, and please correct me if I am wrong, it seems that telling a false prophet or false teacher from those who are true is not as difficult as some think. Those who are true understand and teach the centrality of our Lord Jesus Christ in all things. It really is all about Him and His glory. On the other hand, those who are false will focus nearly all of what they preach and teach from the perspective of Man. Instead of teaching our role in the Kingdom as subjects of God, they expound things for the benefit of what is fair or what seems right to men, making excuses for fleshly indulgences and not calling it sin. They refuse to accept that the Bible teaches that sin is what separates Men from God and those who die in their sin will spend eternity in Hell. Of course these teachings echo the lie that our enemy told Eve in the Garden, “Has God really said?” Genuine Christianity is based on Christ and we learn the truth about Him and us from the prophetic Word of God. There is a huge difference between the made-up religious writings by men and those we find in the Word of God.

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”— 18 and we ourselves heard this declaration made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:16-21 (NASB 2020) 

God is good. Our Lord Jesus Christ left eyewitnesses to what He said and did while on Earth. Peter tells us here that when he shares the truth with those who read what he writes and hears what he preaches, they had better pay attention and heed it. What he has written in this book as well as his first epistle (1 Peter) is God breathed. It is the Word of God. It is God centered, not man centered. It is light shining in a dark place and will result in our Lord’s light taking root and in the hearts of men at their rebirth. Peter then says that the truth from God’s Word is not the interpretation of Men. It is God spoken as the Holy Spirit guided those who wrote it. However, there have always been men who are of Satan’s seed who try to pass themselves off as prophets of God.

1 But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 2 Peter 2:1-3 (NASB 2020) 

The following 12 Theses are from the late Bishop John Shelby Spong of the Episcopalian Church in America. He died in 2021 at the age of 90. He was the epitome of a liberal theologian. He continually called  for a new Reformation of the Church based upon these 12 Theses:

1. Theism, as a way of defining God, is dead. So most theological God-talk is today meaningless. A new way to speak of God must be found.

2. Since God can no longer be conceived in theistic terms, it becomes nonsensical to seek to understand Jesus as the incarnation of the theistic deity. So the Christology of the ages is bankrupt.

3. The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which human beings fell into sin is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense.

4. The virgin birth, understood as literal biology, makes Christ’s divinity, as traditionally understood, impossible.

5. The miracle stories of the New Testament can no longer be interpreted in a post-Newtonian world as supernatural events performed by an incarnate deity.

6. The view of the cross as the sacrifice for the sins of the world is a barbarian idea based on primitive concepts of God and must be dismissed.

7. Resurrection is an action of God. Jesus was raised into the meaning of God. It therefore cannot be a physical resuscitation occurring inside human history.

8. The story of the Ascension assumed a three-tiered universe and is therefore not capable of being translated into the concepts of a post-Copernican space age.

9. There is no external, objective, revealed standard writ in scripture or on tablets of stone that will govern our ethical behavior for all time.

10. Prayer cannot be a request made to a theistic deity to act in human history in a particular way.

11. The hope for life after death must be separated forever from the behavior control mentality of reward and punishment. The Church must abandon, therefore, its reliance on guilt as a motivator of behavior.

12. All human beings bear God’s image and must be respected for what each person is. Therefore, no external description of one’s being, whether based on race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, can properly be used as the basis for either rejection or discrimination.

What is very disturbing to me is that there are people out there who actually believe this is a man of God. Of course these theses are simply the words of our enemy put in religious form for people to say, “Yeah! Now I can live any way I want!” Do you see the human orientation of this? It is as if Bishop Spong has deliberately robbed God of His glory and given it to Man. What is awaiting false prophets like this?

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, held for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example of what is coming for the ungodly; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the perverted conduct of unscrupulous people 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and despise authority.
Reckless, self-centered, they speak abusively of angelic majesties without trembling, 11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a demeaning judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, using abusive speech where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions as they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having hearts trained in greed, accursed children; 15 abandoning the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the reward of unrighteousness; 16 but he received a rebuke for his own offense, for a mute donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the insanity of the prophet. 2 Peter 2:4-16 (NASB 2020) 

How do we tell a false prophet from a real one? His message will somehow remove God from the center of all things, rob Him of His glory and somehow make Man sovereign in some way. They may fool many people who will join them in their destruction, but God is not fooled and, if we are discerning, neither will we.

Soli Deo Gloria!

14 Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας. John 1:14 (NA28)

14 And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us, and we gazed upon His glory, glory as of an only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English) 

All genuine Christians are involved in some form of spiritual conflict. They are tempted to doubt their salvation because their assurance is under attack or they are being tempted to turn aside for some fleshly “diversion” or they are tempted to compromise in some fashion in a way that would be an act against conscience, et cetera. Some reading this have contacted me for prayer because of family or health issues. We are all in desperate need of our hearts being strengthened in the resignation of ourselves unto the Lordship of  Jesus Christ. We need our affections as the Bride of Christ to be stirred up and made more apparent to our regenerate hearts. How do we do this? What can we do that will endear our hearts unto Christ?

Let us consider one of our Lord’s names. He is “The Lord our Righteousness.” This tells us that our standing before God is because of Christ’s Righteousness, not ours. His Righteousness is imputed to the account of all who believe.

“He is exceeding excellent and desirable in he Deity, and the glory thereof. He is “Jehovah our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6). In the rejoicing of Zion at his coming to her, this is the bottom: “Behold your God!” (Isaiah 40:9). “We have seen his glory,” says the apostle. What glory is that? “The glory of the only-begotten Son of God” (John 1:14). The choicest saints have been afraid and amazed at the beauty of an angel; and the stoutest sinners have trembled at the glory of one of those creatures in a low appearance, representing but the back parts of their glory, who yet themselves, their highest advancement, do cover their faces at the presence of our Beloved, as conscious to themselves of their utter disability to bear the rays of his glory (Isaiah 6:2; John 12:39-41). He is “the fellow of the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 13:7). And though he once appeared in the form of a servant, yet then “he thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Philippians 2:6). In the glory of this majesty he dwells in light inaccessible [1 Timothy 6:16]. We “cannot by searching find out the Almighty unto perfection: it is as high as heaven; what can we do? Deeper than hell; what can we know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea” (Job 11:7-9). We may all say one to another of this, “Surely we are more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a a man. We neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. Who has ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his Son’s name, if you can tell?” (Proverbs 30:2-4). “ – John Owen from Communion With The Triune God pp159-160

Because our Lord Jesus Christ is God, those who are His have received endless, bottomless, boundless grace and compassion. This grace is not the grace people can create and express. No, this grace is of our Lord’s divine nature. There was  a fullness of this grace in Christ’s human nature (John 3:34). This fullness was as the light of the sun, or of water in the sea. This fullness was above all creation. The grace in our Lord Jesus Christ is that of Deity. This grace is sufficient to fill all who come and drink. Christ was both Man and God. His humanity is inseparably united to the infinite, inexhaustible fountain of the Deity. Therefore, through Christ, believers are saved and sustained and preserved in grace enough because it is from our all-sufficient God.

Those who refuse to accept that Christ is Deity have some severe theological problems, to be sure, however, we must wonder in what or whom they place their faith. Those who believe that justification is by grace through faith plus works (or anything else) have not learned of God’s grace aright. Those who edit the gospel like this have placed themselves in a situation and process that will only produce doubt and create even deeper unbelief. However, Christians who have come to terms with grace and necessity of the imputation of Christ’s Righteousness to their account will also come to Love their Lord even more and more as they learn to mediate on Him. How wonderful, how awesome, how inexpressible is our Lord! Glory, Glory, Glory unto Him!

16 “Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the first I have not spoken in secret,
From the time it took place, I was there.
And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.” Isaiah 48:16 (NASB) 

Christ’s love is eternal my brethren because He is eternal. He is “yesterday, today, and forever!” ( Hebrews 13:8 ) He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, which is, which was, and which is to come. (Revelation 1:11)

Christ’s love is unchangeable. His love is not like ours for we are flawed and are bound to our flesh. However, Christ’s love is like himself. We are like water, but He is unchangeable. He is the same always and so is His love.

10 καί·
σὺ κατʼ ἀρχάς, κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας,
καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί·
11 αὐτοὶ ἀπολοῦνται, σὺ δὲ διαμένεις,
καὶ πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσονται,
12 καὶ ὡσεὶ περιβόλαιον ἑλίξεις αὐτούς,
ὡς ἱμάτιον καὶ ἀλλαγήσονται·
σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσιν. Hebrews 1:10-12 (NA28)

10 And,
“You, in the beginning, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
11 They will perish, but You remain,
And they all will grow old like a garment,
12 And like a coat You will roll them up;
as a garment they will also be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.” Hebrews 1:10-12 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English) 

Christ is the Lord, and He never changes. We must rejoice in this my brethren because if our Lord’s love for us changed as we change then we would be consumed. However, we have our Lord’s promises and can trust that when we are declared righteous by God the Father in Him then we are sealed eternally. Whom our Lord loves, He loves unto the end. (Malachi 3:6; John 13:1) Our Lord’s love is such as never had beginning, and never shall have ending.

Christ’s love is fruitful. Our Lord’s love is both effectual and fruitful in producing all the good things which He wills unto His beloved. What treasure we have who are in Christ! We have good things from our Savior who wills them unto us. These would be eternal life, grace, and holiness. He loves us into covenant with the Father. He loves us into Heaven. Love in Him is properly to will good to His people. Whatever good Christ by His love wills to us, that willing is operative of that good.  Think of the millions of sins in Christ’s elect. Even just one per person is enough to condemn them all to an eternity in the Lake of Fire. However, Christ’s love has overcome them all! Think of the unbelief in each of those hearts prior to our Lord’s effectual call. Because of Christ’s love for them, that huge mountain of unbelief is removed. Look inward my brethren. What spots and stains, defilements and infirmities, exist in our hearts! Does not our defilements in this also stain and contaminate our Lord? Ah, but what magnificent love our Lord has for us in His bearing this all. It should shame us and lead us to repentance in that we take His love for us for granted like this.

Our Lord is not our bro, the Big guy, our buddy, or our pal. No, He is God who bore our sins upon Himself. Why? He did this in order to redeem His bride. The Father gave us to Him and He did the work that only He could do to purchase us. All who believe are washed clean through regeneration, given a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone. This new nature has faith that is alive. It believes God and can obey Him. It is Christ who is both God and Man who loved us even before we loved Him.

Look at your salvation my brethren. Who accomplished that? Was it you by being religious or was it His work from beginning to end? Have you been taking for granted His love and sacrifice on your behalf? Let us all mediate on our Lord as Deity and why this is essential to our salvation. Give Him the glory due Him. Worship Him in Spirit and Truth. He is our most excellent Savior whom we will meet face to face soon. Oh, to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant!” He loves us beyond our understanding my brethren. Let us devote our entire lives to serving and obeying Him.

Soli Deo Gloria!

3 Εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ εὐλογήσας ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ εὐλογίᾳ πνευματικῇ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ, 4 καθὼς ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ, 5 προορίσας ἡμᾶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς αὐτόν, κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ, 6 εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἧς ἐχαρίτωσεν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ. Ephesians 1:3-6 (NA28)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He favored on us in the Beloved One. Ephesians 1:3-6 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English) 

For what reason did the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ choose (elect) all in Christ before the foundation of world? It was that they would be holy ‘ἁγίους’ and blameless ‘ἀμώμους’ before him. The Puritans have always been accused of being legalistic and way too concerned about Christians living holy and blameless lives. I heard a Jeopardy clue once that actually defined this aspect of them as being “harsh” and “stern.” Perhaps the Puritans took things a bit too far becoming legalistic while forgetting that the believer’s justification is based on the righteousness of Christ not on any works done by them. Also, the Word is clear that in 1 Corinthians 1:2  that believers are also sanctified in Christ Jesus. These things being true, what does it mean for believers to become holy and blameless before our Lord Jesus Christ?

Αγίους (hagious), an adjective meaning “holy, set apart, consecrated”, is the Accusative, Plural of ἅγιος ‘hagios’. In Paul’s letters those who name Jesus as their Lord are called ἅγιοι ‘hagioi’, which is translated as “saints.” However, this is not primarily an ethical expression but is parallel to being “called” (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2), “chosen” (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12), and “faithful” (Colossians 1:2). Being one among the ἅγιοι implies association with the Holy Spirit. Christ is the one in whom believers become holy to the true God (1 Corinthians 6:11). This power comes from the risen Christ, who operates according to the Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:4). In these cases holiness refers to a relationship with God that is not mediated through ritual (ceremonial) observation but through the leading of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14). Spiritual worship is the offering of oneself as a living, holy sacrifice, acceptable to God (Romans 12:1).

To help us define what “holy living” really means, let us take a closer look at ἀμώμους ‘amōmous’, “without defect, unblemished, blameless, faultless.” The Greek adjective ἀμώμους is the Accusative, Plural of ἄμωμος ‘amōmos’, which is derived from the root μῶμος ‘mōmos’, “spot, blemish,” and the prefix ἄ, the “alpha-negative that means “without.” Therefore, ἄμωμος means that nothing is amiss in a sacrifice that would render it unworthy. It was also used in the Septuagint to show that sacrificial animal was to have no spot or blemish (e.g., Leviticus 22:21). Therefore, this is how we are to live—pure in attitude and action. Christian lives must be above reproach. People should be able to examine our lives and find nothing unholy or ungodly there.

13 Διὸ ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν νήφοντες τελείως ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ τὴν φερομένην ὑμῖν χάριν ἐν ἀποκαλύψει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 14 ὡς τέκνα ὑπακοῆς μὴ συσχηματιζόμενοι ταῖς πρότερον ἐν τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ ὑμῶν ἐπιθυμίαις 15 ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν καλέσαντα ὑμᾶς ἅγιον καὶ αὐτοὶ ἅγιοι ἐν πάσῃ ἀναστροφῇ γενήθητε, 16 διότι γέγραπται ἅγιοι ἔσεσθε, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἅγιός . 1 Peter 1:13-16 (NA28)

13 Therefore, having girded up the loins of your mind, being self-controlled, hope completely on the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former ignorance of your passions,15 but like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves also in all conduct; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English) 

Peter quoted Leviticus 11:44-45 in v16 commanding us to be holy just as God is holy. Yes, we are positionally holy and blameless before God because of the finished work of Christ, but in our sanctification, we are called to actually become holy and blameless through the work of the Holy Spirit as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling as living sacrifices.

12 Ὥστε, ἀγαπητοί μου, καθὼς πάντοτε ὑπηκούσατε, μὴ ὡς ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ μου μόνον ἀλλὰ νῦν πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ἀπουσίᾳ μου, μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν κατεργάζεσθε· 13 θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ τὸ θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας. Philippians 2:12-13 (NA28)

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work on behalf of His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 (translated from the NA28 Greek text to English) 

Soli Deo Gloria!

1 Ὃ ἦν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς — 2 καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἐφανερώθη, καὶ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν καὶ ἀπαγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον ἥτις ἦν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἐφανερώθη ἡμῖν — 3 ὃ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν, ἀπαγγέλλομεν καὶ ὑμῖν, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε μεθʼ ἡμῶν. καὶ ἡ κοινωνία δὲ ἡ ἡμετέρα μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 4 καὶ ταῦτα γράφομεν ἡμεῖς, ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη. 1 John 1:1-4 (NA28)

1 That was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 indeed the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and we give testimony and proclaim also to you the life eternal, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and we have heard we proclaim also to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be made full. (1 John 1:1-4 translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

Most, if not all, of the contention that I have experienced in this ministry has to do with people’s demand to be “justified” on their own terms. For instance, one fellow angrily told me that the genuine gospel was to do good works, to feed the hungry and minister to the homeless. Another one insists that all he has to do is love God and love everyone and that is how he experiences “salvation.” There are others who insist that Christians are to live the Gospel rather than being concerned about preaching the message of it. Are these valid forms of the Gospel?

Dr. James White wrote that the heart of the Gospel is “Justification.” He said, “The word [Justification] should bring to mind “the gracious act of God the Father through the perfect work of Jesus Christ whereby I have been pardoned and made right before God!” It should be a personal word, a thrilling word, a word filled with rich meaning. For many, by God’s grace, it is. And by that same grace, it always will be.”¹

Martin Luther wrote, “[Justification is] the chief article of Christian doctrine. To him who understands how great its usefulness and majesty are, everything else will seem slight and turn to nothing. For what is Peter? What is Paul? What is an angel from heaven? What are all creatures in comparison with the article of justification? For if we know this article, we are in the clearest light; if we do not know it, we dwell in the densest darkness. Therefore if you see this article impugned or imperiled, do not hesitate to resist Peter or an angel from heaven; for it cannot be sufficiently extolled.^“2

When the Gospel is preached biblically, God-Centered rather than Man-Centered, then those God supernaturally regenerates will believe. They have saving faith. (Ephesians 2:1-10) As a result God justifies them.

‘You are justified only when God the Father, based upon the meritorious work of Jesus Christ in your place, declares you to be so upon the exercise of the gift of faith. This faith is directed solely to the God who “justifies the ungodly” (NASB). To be justified means to be declared right with God by virtue of the remission of sins accomplished by Jesus: Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the believer, and the believer’s sins are imputed to Christ, who bears them in His body on the tree. Justification is from beginning to end a divine action, based upon the mercy of God the Father and the work of Jesus Christ the Son.’³

After a new believer is justified by faith, God sanctifies them. What is sanctification? Sanctification is to be removed from sin, to become separate from it. Both Justification and Sanctification are actions of God’s free grace. All who are justified will also be sanctified. The act of removing a believer from sin is God making each believer experientially holy and conformed unto the image of Jesus Christ. They are made more like Him through spiritual growth by and in the grace and the knowledge of Christ. We clearly see the uniqueness of Justification and Sanctification in the following passage.

1 Δικαιωθέντες οὖν ἐκ πίστεως εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ 2 διʼ οὗ καὶ τὴν προσαγωγὴν ἐσχήκαμεν [τῇ πίστει] εἰς τὴν χάριν ταύτην ἐν ᾗ ἑστήκαμεν καὶ καυχώμεθα ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ. Romans 5:1-2 (NA28)

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through whom we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2 translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

This passage tells us that our Justification is the grounds and basis of our peace with God. That means that is clearly a past action in relation to our Sanctification. Justification is a declaration by God that happens once and is done forever. However our Sanctification is what we experience for the remaining length of our lives.

As a result of genuine salvation, which is the result of the working of the God-Centered Gospel, believers, having been declared righteous by God, are now able to fellowship with Him. Here is part of the passage I placed at the top of this post.

3 ὃ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ ἀκηκόαμεν, ἀπαγγέλλομεν καὶ ὑμῖν, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς κοινωνίαν ἔχητε μεθʼ ἡμῶν. καὶ ἡ κοινωνία δὲ ἡ ἡμετέρα μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. 4 καὶ ταῦτα γράφομεν ἡμεῖς, ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡμῶν ᾖ πεπληρωμένη. (1 John 1:3-4 NA28)

3 what we have seen and we have heard we proclaim also to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be made full. (1 John 1:3-4 translated from the NA28 Greek text to English)

Genuine believers, having been justified by faith, have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. The word fellowship in v3 above translates the Greek word κοινωνία or “koinonia.” This word literally means “partnership” or “participation.” This would be impossible without God’s declaration of righteousness for He is Holy and perfectly Righteous while we are imperfect and sinful people as the result of the fall. (Genesis 3) Therefore, the effect of the Gospel in salvation is Justification, which enables and establishes a relationship between God and people who are now new creatures by His grace. They are actually joined together in Christ by faith as the sons of God. Notice the fellowship starts between God and those whom He saves then it joins together all believers as sons of God in Christ.

Sadly, there is a rampant problem in the church of the 21st Century. It has departed sound doctrine and has melded marketing techniques with a man-centered gospel. This “other” gospel starts with people and their need to “go to heaven.” Since there is no mention of the need for sinful people to be justified in order to be reconciled to God who is Holy, people are told to pray a sinner’s prayer and become part of a local “church” then be religious. Since the gospel they hear is man-centered it is powerless to save anyone. Why? There is no need of grace in the man-centered gospel. It is all a matter of will power. It is a decision. It is an act of man’s will. Salvation is seen as a reward for making that decision. There is no mention of being reconciled to God nor is sanctification given any emphasis. Because of this and the fact that repentance is never mentioned in the man-centered gospel, these unregenerate professing Christians or nominal Christians have no spiritual power to become removed from sin.

5 Καὶ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ ἀγγελία ἣν ἀκηκόαμεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν καὶ σκοτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία. 6 Ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ὅτι κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ σκότει περιπατῶμεν, ψευδόμεθα καὶ οὐ ποιοῦμεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν· 7 ἐὰν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατῶμεν ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ φωτί, κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετʼ ἀλλήλων καὶ τὸ αἷμα Ἰησοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καθαρίζει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας. 8 ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ὅτι ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἔχομεν, ἑαυτοὺς πλανῶμεν καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν. (1 John 1:5-8 NA28)

5 And this is the message which we have heard from Him and we proclaim to you, ‘That God is light and there is not any darkness in Him. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and we walk in darkness we lie and are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:5-8 translated from NA28 Greek text to English)

The Greek word for “light” here is φῶς or “phos.” This word refers to light that is not kindled nor put out by men such as the light of the Sun. In a spiritual sense it refers to joy and peace with God. To walk in God’s light is to live one’s life in fellowship with Him thereby being Spirit-filled and walking in repentance. The Greek word for “darkness” here is σκοτία or “skotia.” It means dimness or obscurity. It carries with it the idea of unhappiness or ruin. In a spiritual sense it refers to the consequences of sin. To walk in darkness, therefore, would be to continue in sin and suffer its consequences.

With whom do genuine believers who have been justified by faith and are being sanctified enjoy fellowship? They walk with God in His light so they fellowship with Him, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They also have fellowship with other genuine believers. These practice the truth because the truth is in them. On the other hand, there are many who profess some form of salvation, but who are walking in darkness because they are unregenerate and, therefore, the truth is not in them.

The fruits of genuine saving faith declare whether the believer is joined in God. God is the essence of purity and light and will not have fellowship with those who lie in their sin and the walk in the resultant darkness. The genuine believer who is walking in the light will not be looking for loopholes to see how far he or she can go in a certain direction and it not be called sin. No, they are walking in repentance and that means they are moving in the opposite direction from their past sins. They seek holiness and purity in their lives because that is the nature of God to seek our sanctification. On the other hand, a Soul that is enslaved to the flesh will do the opposite. The nominal Christian may want to be justified, but that desire is that it be on one’s own terms. They want to know how far they can go down paths of darkness and it not be called sin.

The effect of the God-Centered Gospel is new life in those whom the Lord touches with His grace. Justification creates fellowship with God and other believers while sanctification results in them walking in the light down the narrow path of repentance. There will be good fruit produced by it. On the other hand, the Man-Centered Gospel only leaves people in darkness, but fooled into believing they are on the road to heaven.

Soli Deo Gloria

¹James R. White, The God Who Justifies (Bloomington: Bethany House Publishers, 2001), p. 31.

²From his exposition of Galatians 2:11 in What Luther Says: An Anthology, Vol 2, ed. Ewald M Plass (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959), p 705, entry 2200.

³White, Ibid p 73