A Blog Recommendation

If you have checked the side bar at all, you have seen that one of the recommended blogs is Challies.com. I appreciate the variety and depth of content which Challies posts virtually every day.

Right now Challies is offering a free give-away of a dvd series you might be interested in. I'm providing a link below. You can use this link to sign up to win and in doing so , you improve my chances to win. So you see, there is a motive behind my encouraging you to sign up.

Whether you do or not, you'll enjoy reading what Challies has to say as part of your regular blog-reading routine.

Faithfulness and Obedience

I was reading this morning in I Kings 15 about Abijam, one of the kings of Judah. Even though he did evil, God left him in power because of God's promise to David. In verse 5 there is a statement that should server as a challenge to each of us. "David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite."

Now we all know the story of David's sin with Uriah's wife and that gets a lot of attention. Sometimes we, in our attempts to excuse sin, point to David as a man after God's own heart, but see what a sinner he was. We would do well to consider rather the quote from First Kings. Other than in that one matter, David did not turn aside from anything that God had commanded him all the days of his life.

What a challenge for our own lives this day.

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer -- Part 10

I’d like to take one more day to follow up on our previous two discussions. Look this time at Romans 8:28-30. Most of us know verse 28 where God says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Two posts ago we discussed the fact that God has given to Christ a people and that God has drawn them to Christ. We learned that all authority had been given to Christ for this purpose. The focus is on the saving work of God in the life of people. In the case of Romans 8:28, the people discussed are those who love God, i.e. those who are the called according to His purpose.

It’s important to notice that the thought does not end at the end of verse 28. Verse 29 begins with the word “For”. Those who were called were predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son and in this way Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren. This should remind of us of the previous post where Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers.

Verse 30 gives us the order of events involving the people referred to in verse 28. Notice that each of these verbs is in the past tense. They have already been accomplished as far as God is concerned. Also notice the order. We’re looking at Romans 8:30. Those he predestined He called. That means that if someone is called, He has been predestined. The ones who were called were justified. Sometimes we think some people who have been called were not justified, but here we see that if a person is called, he ends up justified as well. Those who were justified were also glorified.

So, if we work backwards from the conclusion, we can see that those who end up glorified in the end were those who were justified. If they were justified, they had been called and if they were called they had been predestined.

My purpose in bringing this up is not to extend controversies and debates that have gone on for centuries without agreement. My purpose is to strengthen our faith and joy in the power of God in the gospel. Our salvation is not based upon flimsy decisions that we make in ways similar to the way we decide whether to drive a Chevy or Ford or whether we want to be a Democrat or Republican. The decisions we make regarding Christ are rooted in His eternal love for us and the power of God in drawing and keeping us. These are eternal certainties that we know will save and keep us secure to the end.

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer -- Part 9

Last time we saw how all authority had been given to Christ for the purpose of providing salvation to all those God had given Him. I would like to expand on that a little bit this time by looking at another couple of passages outside the gospels. Look at Hebrews 2:10-13 for example. In this passage the writer talks about the fact that God is bringing many sons to glory. The part that amazes me is in verse 11 where it says that Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. Think about that. Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers.

The reason I bring this passage up in light of our previous discussion is that the writer in verse 13 quotes from Isaiah where he says, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.” He talks about the children God has given Him. Last time we saw that God has given Jesus a people who He has covenanted to save and secure. In this passage He mentions them again and talks about them as children whom God has given Him and says that He is not ashamed to call them His brothers.

Let’s see if we can understand what God is saying. God the Father has given people to the Son to save and to keep. All of these will certainly come to Him because the Father draws them. Those who come will never be cast outside, but they are kept by God the Father and God the Son for eternity and will in fact be raised up the last day. And further more, these people who he is saving He calls His brothers and is not ashamed to do so.

Take some time today to think that all through and see what it does for your spiritual life and health.

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer -- Part 8

You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. John 17:2

In the last couple of posts I have emphasized the fact that Christ has been given authority over all flesh. We looked at what that means and how far-reaching that authority is. In this passage though, the focus for that authority is on the fact that He uses it to give eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him.

In John 6:37-40, Jesus states that all that the Father gives to Him will come to Him. Apparently there are some people whom the Father has given to the Son. Whoever they are, all of them without exception will come to Christ. If the Father gives them to the Son, they must be the Father’s to give. They belong to Him and He gives them to the Son. Everyone He gives, comes.

And how is it that this coming can be insured? Verse 44 of John 6 says that no one can come unless the Father draws him. Verse 65 says that no one can come unless it has been given to him by the Father. So we see that the Father has given some people to the Son. Those He has given are drawn by Him to the Son and the Son is under obligation by the will of God to keep them and not lose them and ultimately to raise them up on the last day. None of those who come will be rejected or cast out. In fact, he says, it is the Father’s will that He lose none of those He’s been given but will raise them up on the last day.

John 10:27, 28 talks about this same thing but using a different picture. In this case Jesus uses the illustration of sheep and a shepherd. In speaking of His sheep, Jesus says that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him. There are no sheep that don’t follow. They hear and follow. He gives them eternal life and they will never perish. That is the same thing He said in chapter six where He said that He would raise them up on the last day. In explaining why they will not perish He says that the Father who gave them to Him is greater than all. Here we see the parallel with chapter six and chapter seventeen. He speaks of the Father having given Him these sheep. They are a gift from God the Father and Jesus is to keep them just as the Father is keeping them.

So the point for today is that the authority that God has given to Christ was given to secure the permanent salvation of all of those people God has given to Christ. Their coming to Him is certain because the Father draws them and their keeping and security is assured because both the Father and the Son are holding on to them. None will be lost because this is God’s will and Christ’s mission.

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer -- Part 7

God has given Christ authority over all flesh. Nebuchadnezzar learned that “the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He chooses.” (Dan 4:32) He also learned that, “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done?’” (Dan 4:35) In Paul’s speech to the Athenians he says, “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.” (Acts 17:26)

The authority that God has given Christ is much more extensive than we usually think. In the verses just mentioned, He clearly is in charge of the affairs of men. He does as He wills among men putting those in charge He chooses and removing from power others. He has predetermined the extent of the various nations both in geography and time. There is no limit to His power among the inhabitants of the earth.

In Amos 3:6 we see a further example of the extent of His power. Amos says, “If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city will not the Lord have done it? Isaiah 45:6,7 says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I , the Lord do all these things.”

The so-called calamities and disasters that befall us are from the Lord’s hand. We certainly do not understand all His ways or why He brings these things upon us, but with God on the throne, there is no such thing as bad luck or chance events. God is in charge and has passed on all authority to Christ. As we learned earlier, the reason for Christ to have that authority is so that he might give eternal life to all those whom God has given Him.

There is purpose in all that happens. That purpose is rooted in the salvation of God’s people. Everything revolves around this purpose with the ultimate aim of bringing glory to God.

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer -- Part 6

We’re still studying and meditating on the Lord’s High Priestly Prayer in John 17. The last time we observed in verse 2 that Jesus acknowledged the fact that God had given Him authority over all flesh so that He should give eternal life to all those whom God had given Him.

As we continue to think about this, we notice that Jesus has been given all authority over all flesh. It was God the Father’s to give and He has given it to Christ. Paul told the men of Athens in Acts 17:30,31, “Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.”

This man, Jesus Christ, who has been given authority over all flesh is the ultimate judge. All will be judged by this one man and therefore God commands all men to repent. People seem content with the thought that one day they will die and face judgment. There seems to be very little fear of that day. But John 5:22 tells us that “the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son.” This means it isn’t God the father but God the Son that people will be confronted with on that day. How will that feel to be confronted by the very man that has been rejected, mocked and scorned as a fraud; the one who has been disbelieved and ignored?

Being confronted with that fact in this life is the God-given reason why all men should repent and are commanded to do so.

May God help those of us who know Him to be faithful in being a strong witness and testimony of this One who has been given such authority because He was faithful to suffer and die in our place.

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer -- Part 5

It’s been a couple of weeks since we last looked at John 17 together, but it’s important to keep moving forward and thinking through what we have before us. This is a most amazing passage because it gives us a listening ear into the conversation between two of the persons of the trinity. It is God the Son talking to God the Father.

In verse 2 we read, “as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.”

To me, the key word in this verse is “that”. Jesus is saying that God has given Him authority over all flesh for a reason. In our conversations we say things like, “I’m going to drive to town so that…” As soon as you hear that you know you are going to hear the reason why I’m going to town. It might be to buy groceries or to put gas in the car or to mail a letter.

Jesus is doing the same thing here. He says that He has been given authority over all flesh so …what? So that He should give eternal life to all of those the Father has given Him. The purpose of His authority is so that eternal life might be given. Without the authority the eternal life could not have been given.

In order for eternal life to be given, the gospel must be preached because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Jesus says in Matthew 28:18, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” There it is again. He has been given authority. In this passage He goes on to say that His disciples should therefore go and make other disciples.

Notice the focus in John 17:2. All of the focus is on the authority God gave the Son to give eternal life to all of those who the Father had given Him. This is the essence of what Jesus said in John 6:39, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” He goes on to say in the next verse that it is God’s will that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

Everything God is doing is centered on glorifying Himself by giving eternal life to those whom God has given to Christ. God is in the saving business.

When we think of the words of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good…” we should not think of it in trite terms like people so often do during hard circumstances, i.e. “Don’t worry, it will all turn out for the best.” It is a statement of Almighty God telling us that He is at work in all things for the eternal good of His children.

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer -- Part 4

Jesus’ prayer is, “Father glorify your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.” The glory of God is so important to Him that it forms the motivation for all He does. So many times we turn everything around and make ourselves the center of all God does. Even when we preach the gospel and talk about the death of Christ we focus on ourselves as the center and reason for all that took place. We attribute the entire event to God’s love for us. Granted, He does love us, but that is not the center, focus and reason for the saving work of God.

In Isaiah 48:9ff for example, we read, “For My name’s sake I will defer My anger, and for My praise I will restrain it from you, so that I do not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for my own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.”

In Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”

After speaking about His judgment on Israel for profaning His holy name, God says in Ezekiel 36:22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God.’”

Lest you think this is found only in the Old Testament, 1 John 2:12 says, “I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.”

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18) Why is this wrath unleashed against us? Verse 21 tells us the answer: “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful…”

The glory of God is extremely important to Him. It is the reason He does what He does, it is what we are to be about even down to the most mundane aspects of our physical life, and the lack of such glory is the reason for His wrath being poured out upon humanity.

Shouldn’t this knowledge motivate us to be more focused on how we can do a better job at reflecting God’s glory in our lives – our homes, marriages, recreation, work, and churches?

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer -- Part 3

Continuing now with our discussion of Jesus’ prayer, we can see the purpose for His request is that the Father glorify Him. Jesus prays, “Father glorify your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.” Jesus’ desire is that God might be glorified.

What does it mean to glorify God? To me it means to make God look good in all the facets of His character. Jesus spent His entire life seeking to be obedient to God and to show what He was like so that people would see God in all His beauty and praise Him as a result.

Just as for Jesus, our motivation as we pray ought to be based on the glory of God. Even in the “Lord’s Prayer” we read the phrase, “Hallowed be thy name.” Even the seemingly mundane aspects of our life are to be to the glory of God. See for example I Corinthians 10:31 where we are told that even our eating and drinking should be done to the glory of God.

Some people try to separate the material world from the spiritual. This attempt has its roots in Gnosticism and is rejected by the Word of God. In I Corinthians 6:19 we read, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

The reason I bring this up is because God’s glory is at stake in the way we treat and use our body. This fleshly, material thing we call our body belongs to God. It is not our own. It has been given to us to use in this material world to interface with the world around us and to interact with others. It is not evil as the Gnostics teach. It is not to be used for our own sinful purposes, but to demonstrate the glory of the almighty creator God.

Scripture brings the goal of glorifying God right down to the nitty gritty of our life in our body in this physical world.

Jesus' High Priestly Prayer -- Part 2

We’re continuing our series of thoughts on Jesus’ high priestly prayer of John 17.

In the next phrase of Christ’s prayer He says that the “hour has come.” At least three times (John 7:6 John 2:4 John 7:30) the Scripture says that His hour had not yet come. Here though the time has come. The whole purpose of His coming was to die on the cross to pay the penalty of sin. That time was upon Him at that very moment. The crucial events immediately leading up to the crucifixion had begun. This was it.

It’s interesting though to observe the way He describes this hour. It is the hour of His glorification. Sometimes we look at the betrayal of Christ and His rejection by the people and His ultimate crucifixion as anything but glorious. But to Jesus and to God, this was what it was all about. This was the purpose for his coming. In John 12:27 Jesus’ soul is described as troubled and Jesus says clearly that for this purpose He had come to this hour. The glory of God is revealed in the cross and to unpack all of that would take an entire book, but what strikes me as crucial is what Romans 3:26 says. The cross was a demonstration of the righteousness of God in that God was just in His condemnation and judgment of sin and at the same time gracious in that He is able to justify those who have faith in Jesus.

To me this is the glory of the Gospel. Some people look at God as a kind loving grandfather figure who lovingly embraces all. And while that picture has some sentimental beauty, it does not accurately show forth the glory of God’s righteousness and justice. Who else but God could have thought of a means whereby both aspects of His glory could be shown in one event!

Jesus High Priestly Prayer - Part 1

I’m enjoying a beautiful Michigan day while listening to a Brahms symphony on my ipod and taking some time to think and meditate on the Word of God in preparation for teaching Sunday School tomorrow. This is blueberry country and our daughter gave us some blueberry flavored coffee for our anniversary and so I am enjoying that as well.

We’re studying John 17 in our adult Sunday School class and so this passage is dominating my thinking during this stretch of the late summer.

This passage is often referred to as our Lord’s high priestly prayer. Given the fact that He is praying for all of those His Father had given Him, we can understand why people have given the passage this heading.

He begins the prayer, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.” John 17:1

Many things could be observed here. For example, he addresses God as Father. Obviously He is the Son of God and therefore it makes sense that He would address God this way. My thoughts immediately shifted to the “Lord’s Prayer” where Jesus taught us how to pray. He told us that we should pray, “Our Father”. Isn’t it an amazing thing to think about the fact that Jesus would teach us to address God in the same way that He does? What right could we possibly have to pray this way?

The reason of course is that we have been adopted as one of God’s children. Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”

Some people would generalize this to say this applies to all human beings, but John 1:12 tells us that “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

Because of our adoption as God’s children we have the right and privilege to address Him as Father just as He did. The next time you address God as Father in your prayers, do it consciously and with gratitude for your adoption as one of His sons.

Check back frequently as we consider more of Jesus' prayer in the days ahead.

Free From the Law

One of the most powerful and life-transforming truths that we need to grasp when it comes to our death with Christ is our relationship to the law.

Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:56 “the strength of sin is the law.” In Romans 7:8 we read, “But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.” He goes on to explain that it isn’t the law’s fault. It is sin that is the problem, but sin used the opportunity that the law provided and brought death.

Romans chapter 7 begins by discussing the marriage relationship. Basically if a woman marries another man while her first husband is still alive she is committing adultery, but if her husband has died, she is free from the law of her husband and is therefore not committing adultery if she marries another man. Paul’s point is that in the same way we died to the law when we died with Christ. The law no longer has jurisdiction in our case.

The sinful passions that were aroused by the law brought forth fruit for death. But now (verse 6) having died to what we were bound by we are able to serve in the newness of the Spirit. In this way, as verse 4 tells us, we are able to bring forth fruit to God.

The law, although good, gives sin its power. When our relationship to the law changed through our death with Christ, sin’s ability to gain strength through the law has been destroyed.

The key to victory as we deal with temptation and sin in our lives is to realize our position in Christ which is that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1) Neither the law nor Satan, the accuser of the brethren, can hold over us the threat of death and punishment for sin. The penalty for sin is death – but – we have already died with Christ. The punishment has already taken place. We have died and been raised to a new life and the guilt is gone. The law that would accuse us doesn’t apply any more.

Take some time to mull these things over in your mind and meditate on them. Read through Romans 6-8 every day for a week and see what God will do in your life as you begin to live out the truth of your death and resurrection with Christ.

Out with the old, in with the new.

It’s hard for me to believe that it has been nearly a month since I last wrote on this blog. It has been an extremely busy stretch of time for us, but most of the pressures and time constraints have eased and I’m hoping to get back into the discipline of writing. I don’t know how many readers are out there. If you come upon these entries and are inclined to do so, I would enjoy hearing from you. My main goal is to be an encouragement to my brothers in Christ as well as to challenge myself to stay in the word and really think through and meditate on what it says.

The last time I wrote about the cross and its power in our lives I spoke about the fact that Scripture speaks very clearly about what our natural heart is like. Even if Christ saved us at an early age, all of the propensities of the sinful nature of our natural self were there. I won’t repeat all of that but I do encourage you to go back and read through it before you continue.

The purpose of salvation is not just to provide us with a home in heaven some day. The purpose is to save us from our sins. Mary and Joseph were told to name him “Jesus” because He would save His people from their sins. The verses we looked at last time list for us sinful characteristics that were part of the old man but which now in Christ are to be put away. If you go back and review these passages you will see that many of these traits are repeated over and over. If we consolidate the lists and admonitions, we have something like this:

The following attitudes and behaviors should not even be hinted at among the people of God. They belong to the old life and we have spent enough time in the past living like this. These are the kinds of things that are the cause of the wrath of God that is going to descend on the world and so they have no business being a part of the Christian’s life. I’m speaking of things like fornication, lewdness, uncleanness, filthiness, covetousness (a.k.a. idolatry), foolish talking, coarse jesting, evil desire, passion. These things should be put to death in your life and should be replaced by things such as love, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, thankfulness, etc. (Summarized from Ephesians 5; Colossians 3; I Peter 4)

This list aims at the heart of what dominates most of our thinking as men. Even we who are Christian men struggle with many of these natural, sinful tendencies. The secret to overcoming is in reckoning ourselves to be dead, buried and risen with Christ and learning to reshape our thinking to be in accordance with the truth of God’s Word.

More on that next time.

New Attitude Conference - Discerning our Idols

I want to bring your attention to a great series of messages on Discernment -- a much needed topic these days. The New Attitude conference featured such men as Joshua Harris, Al Mohler, John Piper, C.J. Mahaney and others

I found CJ's messages on Discerning the Heart particularly challenging. The focus was on discerning the idols in our heart. This message was challenging and encouraging at the same time. It's so easy for us to harbor idols in our lives. CJ presents the clear teaching of Scripture that God condemns idolatry in whatever form it surfaces. Idolatry is condemned probably more than any other sin. Feed your soul by listening to this message. You will find it along with the other messages here.

CJ makes reference to some other materials to help focus our attention on the idols lurking in our souls. These resources can be found near the bottom of this page.

Human Nature

As a result of the fact that we have died and been raised together with Christ, we are to think in certain ways concerning the natural inclinations of the heart.

Ephesians 2 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

Our natural condition was one of being dead in sins. We walked according to the way the world walked which itself is after the plan of Satan who Paul calls the prince of the power of the air. This spirit is a real being who is even now working in the sons of disobedience. Scripture teaches us that every one of us was among this group who conducted our lives fulfilling the lusts of our flesh and the desires of our mind. This is a condition which is natural. It is characteristic of us as we are born into this world.

Paul tells us again in Ephesians 5, “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

And in Colossians 3, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.”

Peter tells us in his first letter in chapter 4, “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has 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 for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”

As I observe the world around me, the constant stream of images from television and movies, and the tendencies of my own heart, I recognize that what God says to us through His Word in these passages is true. The amazing this is that while we were still sinners Christ died for us and it is through His death and resurrection that we not only have forgiveness of these things, but we have the new life and power to be changed.

Adjusting to Life after Resurrection

The last time we observed that our death with Christ on the cross is not only death to something, but more importantly represents our living for something. We are to count certain things to be true and then to live accordingly. Our death and resurrection with Christ means that we should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4) Life after death and resurrection is not the same as it was before!

This is what Peter says in the first three verses of First Peter 4, “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” In other words, we are to arm ourselves with the way of thinking that truly looks at our life as being post-resurrection. We are to “arm” ourselves with this way of thinking. That means that when we reckon these things to be true of us and live in the light of that truth, it is a means of defense for us against the onslaughts of sin coming from the world, the flesh and the devil.

Paul told us in Romans 6 that our death with Christ was a death to sin and the resurrection we had with Christ was a resurrection to God. The old needs to be put behind us and the focus needs to be God-ward. Isn’t that what Paul meant when he wrote in Colossians 3, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. Since we’ve been raised with Christ we are to set our minds and seek those things which are above. These exhortations tell me that I need to think differently. I need to train my mind to approach life differently. Paul told the Romans that they should be transformed by a renewing of their minds. Our minds, our thought life play such an important part in living the Christian life. Living by faith means we need to believe what God has said about our position with Him and the reality of our having been raised with Him. Because of the reality of this, we need to refocus our attention and learn to adjust our thinking to focus on the things of God and not the things of this earth.

This is not an easy thing. Most of us have been steeped in our culture long enough to have gained patterns of thinking that need to be totally undone and renewed along biblical lines. It takes effort and personal discipline through the power of the Spirit applying the Word of God in our lives. May God help us to be faithful men in making this kind of reality thinking a priority in our lives.

Dead With Christ

“Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” As we mentioned last time, Paul asks this question because he is working on the deeper question of how we can live in sin when we have died with Christ. He asks us if we realize that when we were placed into Christ by the Holy Spirit we were placed into His death. Our victory is fundamentally rooted in the fact that we died with Christ, but it is also necessary that we know that so that we count it as true and live accordingly.

Paul walks us through the logic of his argument in Romans 6. Death with Christ leads to resurrection with Christ. It isn’t just death to the old, it is death to the old AND a new life on the other side of the resurrection. But that resurrection is not just the actual future resurrection, it is a resurrection to new life now. Consider verse 4. “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (See Adrian Warnock's blog here: Adrian's Blog: Resurrection Empowered Life - Dying to Live)

This also is the point in verses 5-11. If we have been in the likeness of His death, we will also be in the likeness of His resurrection. Verse 8 tells us that if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. Verse 10 says that the death He died, He died to sin, but the life He lives, He lives to God. Therefore (verse 11) we are to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.
Christ, of course, did not sin, but He was tempted in all points like we are. He died to all of that on the cross. On the other side of the cross, death no longer has dominion. The temptations were over. In that same way we are to count it as so that we died also so that we can walk in newness of life, that we should no longer be slaves to sin and that we might be alive to God.

The Power of Reckoning

To reckon means to count on, to account for something. We are going to look at several places in Scripture where we are told to reckon something to be true. That means to count it as true and live in light of its truthfulness. It means to align our lives with the truthfulness of particular facts.

The best place to begin to understand this is in Romans 6. In verse 11 Paul writes, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We’ll go back and look at the context in a moment, but what exactly is God telling us to do here? He is saying that we should count ourselves dead to sin. We should live in accordance with the truth that has been presented that we died with Christ. It is inconsistent to live any other way. Living a life in sin is contrary to what is true about us. The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, is making that argument from verse one of the chapter. “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?” What is the answer? God forbid! What is the reason? Because it is against the will of God? It is against the will of God, but that is not the reason that is given here. The reason is an appeal to the consistency of how we live compared to what is true about us. He says, “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”

He challenges us based upon the reality of our death to sin in Christ. He then considers the possibility that we might not know that we were in His death when He died. The presumption is that if we know this truth, it should affect our lives. This struck me as kind of interesting since we often say that it is up to the Holy Spirit to work in us to get us to do the right thing. This is true of course, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t work in a vacuum. He works using the Word of God.

….to be continued

The Cross -- Part 3

In my last article I discussed the fact that Christ’s death for us was substitutionary. That means He took our place on the cross. Because He took our sin and its penalty there, we are able to receive the forgiveness of God and actually have imputed to us the righteousness of Christ.

There is an important scriptural truth that we need to study in order to fully lay hold of the victory Christ won for us on the cross. In Romans 6:3 it says, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

I Corinthians 12:13 says, “For  by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”

When we trust Christ and receive Him, the Holy Spirit places us into the body of Christ. We are joined to Him. So Paul wrote in Romans 6 that those who were baptized into Christ Jesus were also baptized into His death. He tells us in verse 6 that our “old man” was crucified with Christ. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says it this way, “I have been crucified with Christ….”

Because of the fact that we have been placed into Christ, we were present in Him when He died on the cross.

The Bible not only teaches that we died with Christ, but that we were buried, risen and ascended with Him as well. Consider the following Scriptures:

Colossians 2:12-13 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

Colossians 3:1-3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in  His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Notice the tense of the verbs in the Ephesians passage. They are all past tense. God made (past tense) us alive together with Christ. He raised (past tense) us up together, and made (past tense) us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We need to believe these statements as the truth whether it feels true or not. We are to reckon them as being the reality in which we live and the true condition of our lives before God. Next time we’ll look at how we are to use the truth of these statements to help us live lives that are pleasing to God.