Good Friday
What difference does it make? For many people without Christ, Good Friday is only good because it's the beginning of another weekend. But for us it's hugely different. Because of Christ's death on the cross, we've entered into life eternal with God and we want others to experience new life in Christ as well. Helping someone else come to Christ is a process of huge influence by God and people. (This is the co-mission we are involved with Him in.) May God use us to sow good seeds in others to that end. As we have read our way through Galatians this past week, I seized upon what Paul said, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Gal.6:14. What was so significant about the cross- the death of Christ? Most of us can only name a few things, but pastor and theologian, John Piper wrote a book portraying 50 reasons why Christ came to die. I'd like to give you a copy of his book, The Passion of Jesus Christ. (I'm feeling so generous.) Thanks to the internet, I can do so for free!
1. So please click on the link and influence me-
http://cdn.desiringgod.org/pdf/books_pojc/bpojc_all.pdf
Pick one of the 50 reasons he gives and tell me why you chose that one. It might be something brand new to your thinking or an old favorite reason for rejoicing. How great is our God! His holiness, justice and love all meet supremely at the cross.
The Passion of Jesus Christ is a good book that you can freely pass on to enrich your wealth partner and others. (By doing so, your leadership/influence is showing.)
2. By the time you read this, we will be well into reading our way through Ephesians. It's one of the most popular and powerful of all Paul's letters. So take time to feast on at least the first few minutes of Pastor Ray Stedman's audio overview of Ephesians and then share a gem you gleaned from it with me. http://discipleshiplibrary.com/bible_id.php
(Yes, brownie points for those who listen to all of it.)
3. So would you like to sharpen yourself further? Do you have a desire to learn and grow more? Would like to read and discuss a different, outstanding Christian book each month? Would you also like to meet on a monthly basis with other sharp saints like yourself? Then I'd like you to be in my discussion group. Let me know if 11:30 Sunday mornings, once a month would work for you. The cost? Free! The commitment? To read and then discuss with me and others a great book each month until Christmas. It's going to be an enjoyable and soul shaping time. (Did someone say brownies?) Sure hope you can join me. Whadayasay?
Announcements & Reminders
We will be enjoying more M&Ms this month- Memorizing & Meditating through Eph.2:6-10. What a great passage, especially in light of Easter! Call me as soon as you can quote it.
The holiness and justice of God is our supreme theme- how fitting for this Easter month.
Here's a reminder of our reading schedule for this month of-
April
5th- We began reading Ephesians
11th- We will begin reading Philippians
15th- We will begin reading Colossians
19th- We will begin reading 1 Thessalonians
24th- We will begin reading 2 Thessalonians
27th- We will begin reading 1 Timothy
In honor of Good Friday and Easter, here's a music video by Carman called, The Champion. He wrote it back in the era of the Rocky boxing movies. Yea, I know, that was before you were even born. Now I don't believe such went on in his song, but I still love the ending. Hope you enjoy it too.
The link to point Number 1 doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOr the one in Number 2.
DeleteUgh! Please let me know if you're still having problems with such. Thanks Ken.
Delete1. "To give us a clear conscience." Mind games are mindfully tactical and overly thoughtful. Forgiveness can be heard but not felt. Thoughts are haunting and withstand time. Piper gives good reason to combat this painful process we put ourselves in of having a better conscience towards God. The OT sacrifice and regulations helped the hand but not the heart. But the sacrifice made by Christ on the cross is mind boggling itself that consumes every corner of your mind. Romans 5:8 clears our conscience. We weren't able to try because He was already tried. Piper explains that the blood of Christ gives us the freedom and liberty to alieve the sinful conscience and to rule in enjoyment in Christ's death to our conscience, and life in the new way we should think.
ReplyDelete2. A gem that I heard was when the preacher said that the purpose of the body is the expression of the head. It is the fullness of Christ all in all. We are to be holy, filled, and flooded with God Himself. His powerful point was, "Do you ever dare to think of yourself the way God thinks of you?" I loved how there needs to be more communion and community within the church. Very practical and easy imagery.
3. I would love to but I have a 2 month summer program I'll be working with and I will be mentoring and reading through books with others.
4. Save me some of those brownies.
Very good Ken! Thanks.
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ReplyDelete1. I chose no. 50 " Christ suffered and died to show that the worst evil is meant by God for good" because it shows God's power over circumstances and over evil as well. In other words, God's plan cannot be thwarted by those who hate Him. A good example of this is when Voltaire said [referring to the Bible], "In 100 years this book will be forgotten, eliminated". He also said many other anti-christian remarks. Fast forward 100 years later, and Bibles were being printed in his house.
ReplyDelete2. This stood out in the commentary: "The weakest believer holds in his hands all that is ever possessed by the mightiest saint of God. We already have it because we have Christ, and in Him is every spiritual blessing, and all that pertains to life and godliness."
Well done Alex!
DeleteIn reply to #2. Yes, I love that. Therefore, we have no excuses. God called us to a high standard of living and gave us all the equipment we need to succeed.
DeleteAmen Alex, I enjoy reading and hearing how an individual like Voltaire negatively talked about the Bible, yet in the future he is positively advancing it (Apostle Paul!)
Delete1. Christ suffered and died to show the wealth of God's love and grace for sinners. (#5) Piper says that the measure of God's love for us is shown in two ways: the degree of Jesus' sacrifice and the degree of our unworthiness when He saved us. Looking at what Christ did on the cross, the brutal suffering and punishment He endured, shows the degree of sacrifice. We have visual representations of all that Jesus may have gone through, but how many can say that we would endure that severe punishment for our families or friends? What about a complete strange? But can anyone say that they would sacrifice themselves for their enemy. We were enemies to God when Jesus saved us, furthering Piper's point that the measure of God's love is shown, because of our degree of unworthiness when Jesus died on the cross on our behalf. "We deserved divine punishment, not divine sacrifice." And through a divine sacrifice we see a demonstration and expression of a divine love (#6 - Christ suffered to show His love for us.) Jesus' sacrificial act was not a response to our worth, but an overflow of how worthy He truly is. This act, that we sometimes take for granted, was an expression and demonstration of His great beauty, a personal gift for us all. It was the sins that I, myself, committed that sent Jesus to the cross and for those sins Jesus paid for them all. A personal act of sacrifice that resulted in the glorification of God. The treasure, the gift, "the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:7)
ReplyDeleteHow wealthy is God's love and how abounding is His Grace?!!
2. It is not about us, it is all about Him and His Glory! Our major function, as the body, is to express and glorify the head, that which is Christ. I love how Stedman says that we are the Church, because the Church is people. "Each one of us, as a believer in Jesus Christ, is a microcosm of the whole body." And we have a purpose, as individuals, and as a church, to express "the fulness of him who fills all in all." Our purpose is to express Jesus, the Son, God, the Father, through the Holy Spirit that dwells in all of us. When we come to faith, we are given all that we need, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to live for all that we are called to do. Stedman goes on to say that God is at work building the Church, increasing the Church, for the goal and purpose of revealing the mystery of His wisdom, that will be revealed to all when Christ returns. This revelation will be fulfilled through us, the Church. Why? Because God is already engaged in developing this mystery...presenting us as a new man, a new creation to the world. We have been called to live a new way, with everything that we need for this calling, by a powerful and all-knowing God, for His awesome Glory.
3. I would definitely be interested in meeting once a month to read and discuss different books. Thank you for the opportunity and for making yourself available to us in yet another avenue. It is quite a blessing.
Excellent points Eddie! So glad you want to make time in your busy schedule for this book discussion time. It's going to be very enriching. Best of blessings!
DeleteThanks for highlighting this book Dave! I want to spread it around to others. A wonderful look at some of the amazing realities of the gospel and the work of Jesus on the cross. Maybe it’s because we just read Galatians but #20 stands out to me “To Deliver Us From the Present Evil Age”, which comes mainly from Galatians 1:4. This world has good, beauty, and love but also a lot of wickedness, evil, and tragedy. It’s hard to even look at the news headlines because there is so much death and destruction every day. We work to bring the Kingdom of God here but this age will always have the curse of sin and death. However, this age will pass, and a day is coming with no death, mourning, crying, or pain. (Revelation 21). So the death of Jesus gives us victory!! We will get through this world. We can make it. There will be a great transition into an existence that we were created for and that is beyond what we can imagine. It has been great going through some of the letters written by Paul. As we look at Ephesians I like what Ray Stedman said about Eph 1:3. The blessings we have in Christ are not just about heaven (although that is awesome beyond description!) but also about the invisible reality we experience right now.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike! I agree with you about this present evil age. I long for the Lord to return and make this wrong world right.
ReplyDeleteSee you soon!
#1 To Destroy The Hostility Between Races – Chapter 44
ReplyDelete“He…has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2:14-16).
I enjoyed reading this section and hearing how Paul confronted Peter for his unjust actions towards Gentile Christians with conservative Jews (Galatians 2:11-12). Especially, since Peter would warmly accept Christian Gentiles by eating and being around them, but once conservative Jews came to the scene he wouldn’t associate with them. The Apostle Paul said that his (Peter’s and others) conduct wasn’t in step with the truth of the gospel” (Galatians 2:14). John Piper writes that Peters conduct was “a deadly message: You must become like Jews to be fully acceptable. This was the very thing that Christ died to abolish.” Piper continues by saying that God sent Christ “into the world as the one and only means of saving sinners and reconciling races forever.” One of my former professors used to say when people get their vertical relationship straightened out with God right then they will have a better opportunity to reconcile their horizontal relationship with man.
Peter struggled with his reputation and how people viewed him. Peter was more concerned with thoughts about him versus pleasing God with his actions towards gentile believers. This was evident since he would pull away from the Christian gentiles when conservative Jews came to the scene. I personally see the struggle within me by having a similar attitude like Peter at times because of my sinful flesh towards certain races. However, thanks be to God that He’s been enabling me to get past the prejudice and racist spirit by becoming like Christ and communing with people from different races equally.
For instance, many people assume I’m married to a Hispanic woman, but once they (people from different races) see that I’m not they view me differently. Now I have to admit that at times I become worried and wonder how people will view me after they have met my wife or how they will treat me. Although, often I need to remind myself that I married my wife because the Lord brought us together and I love her (committed to her). Therefore, I need to keep presenting and accepting her and my daughter proudly no matter their skin color. In doing so I am showing what Christ did on the Cross in reconciling all the races together. In addition, some coworkers and people have asked me why I married a Caucasian woman after meeting her. This is when I get over myself and begin to be in step with the gospel by humbly, yet gladly telling them why I married my beautiful wife (Gal. 2:14).
Christ has racially reconciled me to be with my wife, in accepting her and her race, and he continues to teach me how to reflect His racial reconciliation of others. In addition, the Lord has been teaching me how to accept and work well with people from different races. Even though I came from a racist home the Lord has taught me how to do likewise by treating and talking to people from different backgrounds because of His work on the Cross (Ephesians 2:14-16).
#2 Ray Steadman
DeleteEphesians 1:3 “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.”
Wow every time I read this verse I used to think and believe that the heavenly places were in the heavens and not in this present life. Yet Pastor Ray Steadman said that this heavenly place is right now too. He continued by saying that this reality is in the spiritual realm/reality because one is in contact with God and engaged with him daily and in conflict with Satan too. Although, he did add by saying that these heavenly places are also the seat where one is seated with Christ (Eph. 2:6). Some of these spiritual blessing are to live a godly life unto God, thank you Lord. These verses remind me of what the Christ came to do and what Satan has been doing in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
# 3 Sorry I can’t join the group:☹
Thanks for your honest sharing Jose. You strike me as one of the most humble, accepting people I know. Christ has done a great work in transforming you. PS-I'm glad I'm married to my Hispanic wife. :)
Delete1. All 50 reasons are very deep! I chose 41) To Secure Our Resurrection from the Dead. This reason really applies to, obviously, every Christian's life both physically and metaphorically. Physically, a so-called radical Christian, or as I should say, a regular Christian, should always remember that as long as he /she lives on this earth, he/she has nothing to loose, and death is just another worldly thing that will pass. Although it is recommended not to put yourself in life-death situation, Christ secures us from that fear of death. I think metaphorically, especially in baptism, Christians are guaranteed to be resurrected from their sins, and we are in constant baptism whenever we sin and ask God from the heart for forgiveness. It's a gorgeous reason that should forever be recognized.
ReplyDelete2. The gem that I caught was the speaker's reasoning behind the meaning of "heavenly places." He explains how the "heavenly places" are not just some non-physical places in which angels and godly figures stand, but Paul refers to the "heavenly places" of the manifestation of one's holy gifts as their real life lives; their day to day christian lives. I thought that was interesting because It shows how involved God is with his creation and how a godly or heaven-like life starts in a Christian's life on earth, rather than immediately after a christian dies.
3. I most likely won't be able to attend to the reading and discussion groups.
Good stuff Ivan!
Delete1. I chose forgiveness of our sins. i know its the most talked about reason but that is because it is the most important. Without Jesus' sacrifice all of us would suffer forever, but because of his sacrifice we all who believe will be able to live in paradise with him forever. Because of his sacrifice there is no death. The most mind blowing part for me is that his sacrifice wipes are sins past present and future away. That is why it is the greatest reason.
ReplyDelete2."The Church is a bride. And it is to be a bride for the enjoyment of the bridegroom. Paul says Christ’s intention in preparing the Church as a bride is that he might present it to himself."-Stedman This really makes sense to me. Every groom wants their bride to a beautiful wonderful being. The groom also loves the bride even though she is imperfect. Jesus sees us as his bride as weird as that may sound. He wants to enjoy us and want to spend the rest of his eternal life with us even though we are imperfect. Thats the gem i found.
Yes Lucas Christ's forgiveness of our past, present and future sins is the greatest and I think mind blowing. Especially when we realize that our past and present sins have been forgiven, but then we come to hear that even our future ones too? Christ paid it all and it should have been us...
DeleteAnd you've got some gems there Lucas. Isn't it mindblowing that the Groom wants such an ugly bride?! He will transform us greatly in heaven. At the marriage supper of the Lamb His bride will truly be beautiful.
Delete1. From the book The Passion of Jesus Christ, I chose number 13 “To Abolish Circumcision and All Rituals as the Basis of Salvation.” I find this one interesting because before Christ, in order to have one’s sins forgiven a lamb had to be sacrificed to God to make things right. But God sent his son to not only teach the gospel, but to also pay that price and be our lamb (Which is my new Easter motto “Easter is not about the bunny it’s about the lamb”). Imagine if a teacher went through a test you failed, question by question and gave an informative explanation of each answer, then wiped your grade and allowed you to retake the test! Perhaps it’s because finals are under way but that is exactly how I see it. This also reminds me of the phrase “It’s not about religion but about a relationship.” Our relationship with Jesus and declaring him Lord of our life and following him is what saves us. I by no means intend to offend anyone, but just as an example number 13 reminds me of my Catholicism in American History class this semester. In this class we discussed how during the 1930’s and 40’s Catholics had to worship a certain way and go through specific ritualistic prayers and habits daily, yet neglected anyone who did not do so and disassociated themselves with anyone outside of the Catholic Church. I remember listening to this lecture and thinking “What happened to love your neighbor as yourself in this period? If only they remembered that our salvation has nothing to do with the outside but the inside.” I was reminded of how there used to be -and still are- some believers who went through the motions but forgot to give their heart to Christ.
ReplyDelete2. I was unable to play the .mp3 of Ephesians but I was able to read the .pdf article that was available alongside the audio. I enjoy the paragraph about the purpose of the body is to express the “fullness of him who fills all in all.” When I think about how our bodies are to be temples of the Holy Spirit it changes my attitude completely! It gives me a desire to take care of my body more carefully than in the past. When I’m fully embracing this aspect I surprisingly lose the desire to want to eat junk food, I think about the way junk food makes my body feel and I say “I don’t want the Holy Spirit to experience that!” Grapes it is. It also gives me a confidence to love myself for who I am. If God has entrusted me to be a vessel for Him and the Spirit how can I possibly dislike anything about myself? God has made me just as is and thinks I am worthy and beautiful enough to say my body is a temple. And if my body is a temple I only wish to fill it with the best, and what is greater than filling it with God’s love and truth?!
3. Also because of my heavy schedule, I am unable to attend the discussion but I wish it all the best!
Excellent thoughts Socorro! Glad you weren't deterred by being unable to play the audio, but read the the pdf article. Way to go!
DeleteWow, you have such great insights, God is clearly revealing his heart to yours
Deleteand making His Word come ALIVE :)
1.) To gain his joy, and ours. I loved that reason that Piper gave. Our desires should e Gods desires as well. God isn't here to give us just what we want, but what we need. God is more concerned with glorifying Himself than giving us what we want. But good news for us...he promises us the desires of our heart according to His will.
ReplyDelete2.) I love how he refers to Jesus as a soldier. "What is the purpose of a soldier? it is to fight battles, and that is what God is doing in us right now. He has given us the great privilege of being the battlefield upon which his great victories are won." Its so easy to forget that there is a war in us. I love that we don't have to remember all the time because. God is fighting the battle for us because we will lose. It opened my eyes to think of it as a great privilege to be his battlefield. Somes times we just complain "why me?"
3.) Yes i would love to!! I am a youth leader in Soul Purpose (which is mainly every Sunday, Not always) and I am a pre school teacher for the kids zone once, sometimes twice a month. So I will have to double check but i would love to.
Genesis, I laughed with joy and said, "That is great!" when I read what you wrote- "God is more concerned with glorifying Himself than giving us what we want."
ReplyDeleteGlad you want to join the book discussion group, despite your very busy schedule. I'll let you know when we establish a time and place to meet.
“To Cancel the Demands of the Law Against Us.” This is something that I already know, but what a powerful reminder! Just as the book affirmed, good works alone cannot buy our ticket into heaven. My family on my father’s side is Catholic and this is at the heart of the Catholic faith. It is a lie from the devil to believe that our good works can save us. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can do that. But what a tempting trap to buy into! It can be easier to outwardly be someone who abides the law and a “good person”. It is much more difficult to humble ourselves and put our faith on the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first is religion, the second is a relationship, and as we all know, it’s the relationship that brings about true change.
ReplyDeleteWhen Ray C. Stedman spoke about the church being the bride of Christ and therefore being for His pleasure he said that when he really understood this, it completely changed his view of his time spent with the Lord. The Lord prepares and presents the church to Himself, in order to take pleasure in her purity and holiness. What a picture of the heart of God! Our Lord is a person with dimension. He is not simply one sided. On one hand he is loving and compassionate, and on the other he is just and holy. He desires to delight in his creation, but our sin keeps us from him. We were created only for Him, yet we continually give our hearts to idols. It is part of our free will. When Jesus died on the cross he took the punishment, but we still have the choice that we have always had, since the Garden of Eden.
I would be interested in a book discussion, but could I possibly join after the school semester finishes? I apologize for commenting so late, and this is one of the reasons I would appreciate such a group at a time when I can be fully committed.
Good words Sarah!
DeleteWe'd be glad to have you join the book discussion group when you are free.
Best of blessings.
1. "To become a ransom for many"
ReplyDeleteI love that it starts " He came not to be served but to serve". It's mind blowing, earth shattering to even imagine that ONE PERSON, would freely give His life for me. You know there is times I automatically think that God will just wipe my sins, all my sins have been justified. The truth is I fall short of the Glory of God and nothing that i do(deeds or good works) can ever save me from condemnation or His wrath. So what a great reminder that my Lord Jesus Christ born with sin to be sin for me to give himself as offering(sacrifice). So it is through Jesus being my interceder to God that I may have a relationship with and to receive His Grace. Thank you Jesus for your unexpressible love you have for me and being the gateway of salvation!
2. What I gleaned from the audio was the church being the body of Christ and that 2e are that body. I'm kinda in awe to be privileged to be a part of that body, just like Paul was knowing what he did despised many but now blessed now to be equipped by the holy spirit to do what God intended him todo for his kingdom. what caught me is how Ray Stedman played it out of what body is and in other words said that the body is expression of the head. I just love and just privileged to be a part of His kingdom(body).
Thanks for sharing Ismael.
Delete1. “To Reconcile Us to God” There were to many to choose but this one is one so rich and beautiful for me. He is the one every human heart needs and many are not aware of. He is that can meet every deep need. He is the only one that can set us free. He is the one that knows us more than anyone ever will and he is the one that will give us the strength to continue on in this life living for Him. The person that encounters God will want no other, they will know He is the one that they have needed all of their life. So because Jesus died for us for this reason shows the beautiful heart of our God to be good to us when we are so undeserving of Him
ReplyDelete2.
“It’s talking about the life you live right now…with the realm of invisible reality in which the Christian now lives, that contact with God and also that conflict with the Devil In which we are engaged daily.” What a difference it would make in our lives if we were always aware of this truth. What motivation to be fully prepared and ready in season and out of season.
Good sharing Nori. Trust you're feeling better.
Delete1)The reason Christ Suffered and Died… was to “To Show His Own Love for Us. It has always been for me, because of this great love for me. Eph 5:2 “Christ loved us and gave himself for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, ”John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:17-18a “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, I lay it down of my own accord.”
ReplyDeleteAs a young person totally lost and searching for something to fill my empty soul, a friend at work told me about God’s loves for me. I bought a Bible and began to read it and I came across one verse that totally changed my life, in so much that I was never the same. My very 1st bible back in the day was the Living Bible, the verse, from the Book of Isaiah 53:7-8, it read: “He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he never said a word. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he stood silent before the ones condemning him. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people of that day realized it was their sins that he was dying for, that he was suffering their punishment? Isaiah 53:12 “At that moment, it was as though God showed me my sinful existence with the realization that I am the one that should have died on the cross, yet, because of his great love for me, Jesus took my place.
2) I loved the entire insight from Ray C. Stedman on the entire book of Ephesians. It is amazing how he weaves other stories from different books in the Bible to give a complete picture and makes it relevant for today. I especially loved how he tied both the Old and New Testaments with the story of Job & Daniel as soldiers. Most of all how God saw Daniel as spoken by the angel, “O Daniel, man greatly loved…” The writer continues, “Why was he beloved? Because he was a faithful soldier.”
3) I am unable at this time to commit to reading a book a month because of other family & ministry commitments. It sounds really great though. Thank you!
I am very sorry for the late response. I stood up really late last night working on the blog & got up really early to type my thoughts prior to going to church, when I heard stomping of little feet upstairs. My grand-daughter who is 3 yrs old woke up extremely early and was hungry, then she wanted to be my lil helper for Praise & Worship in the Kids Zone for Sunday School. My highlight for the morning - her singing "Jesus Loves Me" for the children :)
Thanks so much for sharing Bea! My first Bible was also a Living Bible. I'm having my son read it to us as I drive him to school each morning.
DeleteThank God for your little grand-daughter!
1. “To Cancel the Legal Demands of the Law Against Us”
ReplyDeleteThe situation: Without the shedding of Christ’s blood on the Cross, there are no good deeds…just “defective” good deeds, and bad deeds.
This I believe is something many Christians feel at some time or another in the Faith walk. The missing of a Bible reading, shortened prayer time, not giving that homeless person the dollar you had in your pocket, not treating someone in Christ-like Love. It can be a very defeating feeling. Upon that basis was the original Law of God. Not to bring about a person of perfection through their deeds, but instead, to bring about a person striving for Christ’s perfection and knowing they need a savior.
The Pharisees of Christ’s era were a perfect example of this. Living lives of outward spiritual prosperity, but with inward decay. They didn’t want a savior. Why would they? They followed and knew the Law more than any of their day. However, the Almighty God, looked down from his throne - - - and never knew them. Jesus confronted them on many occasions, telling them the error of their ways, but precious few are recorded to have accepted God’s message to them. It was a hard love, but Love all the same.
I am so thankful to the Lord for His great love for us. We were not a game to him. Who can do the most good before he dies. Some people may argue that a Salvation by works faith would have been better. It is easier to accomplish “tasks” than asking God to change your heart. I would argue the exact opposite. Giving up a Salvation by Grace faith would mean accepting a defeatist mentality that was described in the above first paragraph. It means not knowing what is enough, and hoping when you die that you achieved it. When you slip into sin, kicking yourself, or falling into depression. It would ultimately mean loneliness….Having only yourself to rely on as you sought out God’s face. Hoping you have the ability to find it. Your Ability Alone.
Instead, we have Christ that died, so our good deeds would not be weighed, instead, the scale would cancelled.…discarded. We need only be accepting of his terms. His Lordship and presence in our lives. Then, through him, and via the Holy Spirit, we would grow Closer to his perfection and Holiness. The Almighty God would look down from his throne - - - and know us intimately. Christ’s blood glowing bright as it covered us. When we slip, we go to Him for forgiveness, and He pours into us what we need to overcome that in the future. We are no longer alone. We no longer are needing to rely on our ability. But instead, the omnipotent ability of God.
We no longer live a life that is a constant battle of Good vs Bad Deeds. We live a lifestyle of Christ, that propels us to do the good that the Lord has already prepared for us in advance to do
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
As the chapter in the book implies, “There is no salvation by balancing the records. There is only salvation by canceling records.” [PAID IN FULL]
(Continued due to Character limit):
Delete2. “God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing” I chose this point for a very simple reason really….It is such a powerful reminder to me specifically, and is to some many others. When we look at Paul, Peter, John, David, Billy, Mark, Martin, etc., we can’t help but compare them to ourselves sometimes, and put them on almost a pedestal. But then God reminds us in no uncertain terms, that He has blessed us all the same. No believer walks with a little more Grace than the next. No believer walks with a little more power than the next. A little more ability, a little more blessing. Nothing. The Lord equips ALL OF US the same, even if our gifts and strengths may vary.
If I went to modern day Rome, and stood in the middle of a marketplace and started preaching the Gospel Message, it would be with the same spirit and power as that of Paul doing so 2,000 years ago. The Lord’s consistency is such a blessing. We do not have to look back and marvel only at the apostles of old, but in the same way, can look at the powerful believers of today for inspiration. As the Word of God states:
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
As He has made a home within us, we bring the same Spirit that helped the early church stand and flourish in a pagan world to our current world.
Nothing has changed. Believers are Believers. Sin is Sin. And God is God.
Well said William!
DeleteI to mention that I would also like to participate in the book discussion :)
Delete