Covetousness, Conduct, and Contentment

Hebrews 13:5-6 (New King James Version) states,

[Let your] conduct [be] without covetousness;
[be] content with such things as you have.
For He Himself has said,
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
So we may boldly say:
"The LORD [is] my helper;
I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

During this Christmas season, many are giving and receiving gifts. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with that practice. It is good to share what we have with others. However, during these times I think there is also a danger to allow covetousness to creep in.

Covetousness is not a word that is commonly used in modern English. So, many modern Bible translations simply translate the term as "the love of money." It is a good translation of the word. However, if we look more closely at the implications of covetousness, I think it extends beyond simply "loving money" (which few would admit to) to "loving possessions" (which is easier to do).

Jesus said,

“Take heed and beware of covetousness,
for one’s life does not consist
in the abundance of the things he possesses."
(Luke 12:15b NKJV)

The Apostle Paul told a group of believers,

"And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace,
which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance
among all those who are sanctified.
I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.You yourselves know that these hands ministered
to my own needs and to the men who were with me."
(Acts 20:32-34 NASB)

If coveting is limited to money, then how could the Apostle Paul say that he coveted no one's clothes? Why did Jesus refer to the things [one] possesses rather than just money?

It's not much of a stretch to say that people love money not because they like its texture or appearance, but because they like the power and security provided by the things money can buy. Hence, to love one's material possessions, and to desire more of them, is to covet.

The Apostle Paul wrote to believers,

Do you not know that
the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived.
Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit
the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you.
But you were washed, but you were sanctified,
but you were justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God.

(1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV)

I realize that I myself am guilty of coveting, as well as of other sins on this list. But this passage gives me hope, because I know that I trust Jesus to save me. I (and you, if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God) might have been covetous - "such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

And so my aim in life is no longer to seek security and power through the things I possess; it is to please my Lord Jesus Christ, who is my life. I'm not perfect, but that's why I need the blood of Christ to wash me, the Spirit of our God to sanctify me, and God the Father's justification. Instead of getting depressed and thinking that there is no way to escape the bonds of sin, we believers should allow the Word of God to renew our minds.

Firstly, consider these words written by the Apostle John:

Do not love the world or the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world—
the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life—
is not of the Father but is of the world.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it;
but he who does the will of God abides forever.

(1 John 2:15-17 NKJV)

Finally, if you will, meditate on this passage from the letter to the Colossians:

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.
When Christ, our life, appears,
then you also will appear with Him in glory.

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,
in which you yourselves once walked
when you lived in them.

But now you yourselves are to put off all these:
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy language out of your mouth.
Do not lie to one another,
since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
and have put on the new [man]
who is renewed in knowledge
according to the image of Him who created him,
where there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave [nor] free, but Christ is all and in all.

Therefore, as elect of God, holy and beloved,
put on tender mercies, kindness,
humility, meekness, longsuffering;
bearing with one another, and forgiving one another,
if anyone has a complaint against another;
even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.

But above all these things put on love,
which is the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
And [whatever] you do in word or deed,
all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

(Colossians 3:1-17 NKJV)

---

All boldface emphases are mine.
Italicized words in the translated texts have been [bracketed] or simply omitted.
Some punctuation and Capitalization may have been changed.

Jesus died so that God could forgive us

To regular readers of the blog: I'm aiming to post more regularly. So, I might not hold each post to quite as strict standards for quality. They should still be readable, but I might let a few grammatical or formatting errors slip through. Hopefully this is a good decision for all of us. Your feedback is very welcome!

Not long ago, a citizen of Georgia, Mr. Troy Davis, was executed for the alleged murder of a police officer, Mr. Mark MacPhail.

However, questions remain about whether Mr. Davis was truly guilty of murdering Mr. MacPhail or not.

It's not my intention in this post to go into the details of the case or attempt to figure out whether Mr. Davis was innocent or guilty. However, I would like to briefly consider a quote by Reverend Al Sharpton, which he made concerning the execution of Mr. Davis.

According to a news article posted about the time of the execution, Rev. Sharpton said:

"Our hearts go out to them [the family of Mr. MacPhail]. We have nothing but sympathy and prayers for them, but they are not getting justice if the wrong person is paying for what happened to their son, their brother."

Rev. Sharpton asserted that justice is not done if the "wrong person" pays for the sins of another. And in fact, no justice was done if Mr. Davis was innocent.

However, Rev. Sharpton's quote reminded me of something similar and all the more profound: The death of Jesus for us. Was Jesus the "wrong person"? Was His death a mistake? Moreover, what did it accomplish? And how should we respond?

In this post, I'll try to answer those questions with some Scriptures.

A well-known Bible quote, written by Jesus' Apostle, Paul, is this:

For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 ESV)

This Scripture states, or implies, at least three paradoxical truths:

1. God is just; He gives everyone what they deserve. The one who earns death because of his sin receives death.
   
2. Jesus was not guilty of sin, but God gave Him death. In other words, Jesus died, but He didn't sin. He died despite the fact that He didn't earn death.
   
3. We are guilty of sin, but God gives us life. In other words, we sin, but instead of death, we get eternal life.
   

How can this be? How can God be just and still pardon our sins?

Here is the answer. Jesus' Apostle, Paul, wrote this:

He [God] made Him who knew no sin [Christ Jesus]
to be sin on our behalf,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him [Christ Jesus].
(2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB)

Unlike you and I, Jesus did not sin. He never did anything that displeased God. He obeyed God perfectly. Therefore, Christ Jesus "knew no sin".

But "on our behalf", for our sakes, God did something both terrible and glorious. He made the sinless one, Christ Jesus, "to be sin on our behalf"!

But how can this be? Why would God do such a thing to His only Son?

Two reasons are that God is just and that God is love. Because of God's justice, He does not tolerate sin. In fact, there is no one who hates sin more than God. But at the same time, God is love. He hates sin, but He loved us sinners. He never designed us for death; He designed us for life with Him. We were the ones who opted to break God's rules by sinning. And we were the ones who earned death, not life, as our just wages.

But the Apostle John also wrote:

I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake.
(1 John 2:4 ESV)

We know that God is just. His judgments are always perfect. But how could He love us if we were sinners? How could he forgive our debts? Who would pay the price of death?

God found a way to forgive us and yet maintain His justice. That was by killing Jesus instead of us. Jesus wasn't just symbolically sacrificed. He actually tasted the death we should have tasted. The payment was made in full with each drop of blood and each undeserved second of agony He felt.

The Apostle Paul wrote at great length to describe what Jesus did in our place. Here is a section of his writings from the letter to the believers in Rome:

Now we know that whatever the Law says,
it speaks to those who are under the Law,
so that every mouth may be closed
and all the world may become accountable to God;
because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight;
for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

But now, apart from the Law,
righteousness of God has been manifested,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
even righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all those who believe;
for there is no distinction;

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
being justified as a gift by His grace
through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.

[This was] to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God
He passed over the sins previously committed;
for the demonstration of His righteousness at the present time,
so that He would be just
and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Where then is boasting? It is excluded.
By what kind of law? Of works?
No, but by a law of faith.
For we maintain that
a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

(Romans 3:13-28 NASB)

God justifies those who have faith in Jesus. That means that He declares believers righteous. Our works (e.g. going to church, reading the Bible, being nice to people) do not and cannot earn this righteousness. Why? All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We already proved our inability to live up to God's perfect standard, and God provided His sinless Son as a propitiation in His blood through faith to suffer His just wrath against our sins. This was and is all done as a free gift by God.

Consequently, God justifies those who have faith in Jesus, but He refuses to justify those who depend on their own works to save themselves. No one who is justified can boast, because only one man's sacrifice for sins was considered effective in God's judgment. Only through faith in Jesus Christ can we be seen by God as righteous. Don't depend on your works. Depend on Jesus!

After God raised Jesus from the dead, the risen Lord Jesus sent His Apostles out to preach the Gospel to all men. The Apostle Peter preached a powerful sermon to those who had demanded that Jesus be crucified. In part, he said:

“Men of Israel, listen to these words:

Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—

this [Jesus], delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put to death.

But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

(Acts 2:22-24 NASB)

So, to return to Rev. Sharpton's quote:

"Our hearts go out to them [the family of Mr. MacPhail]. We have nothing but sympathy and prayers for them, but they are not getting justice if the wrong person is paying for what happened to their son, their brother."

In the case of Christ Jesus' death for us, He was not the "wrong person." It was always God's will that His own Son pay our debts. Jesus was delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. So Jesus did not randomly, arbitrarily, or unwillingly die. He died with the full assurance and understanding that what He was doing was His Father's will. It was God who decided that Jesus should die, when, and how. And at the predetermined time, God raised His Son from the dead.

Before His death, Jesus Himself said this:

No one has ascended into heaven,
but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
(John 3:13-16 NASB)

When Jesus speaks of the Son of Man, He is referring to Himself, and when He speaks of being lifted up, He is referring to being crucified. So Jesus' death, and even the specific form of death, were intended by God, and Jesus understood and agreed with His Father's intention.

The Apostle John, who recorded those statements by Jesus, also wrote this:

In this is love,
not that we loved God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
(1 John 4:10-11 ESV)

Here again, just as in the earlier quote from Romans chapter 3, is the term "propitiation". Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. Part of what that means is that He paid the cost for them and took the wrath of God that we deserved for them. Although we were guilty and deserved to die, He died instead of us. Justice and mercy met at the cross. The One who died was not the guilty one. And the ones who live were guilty indeed. But instead of paying our own debts, Jesus paid them in full for us.

How can we respond to these things? We've already seen at least one example from the Scripture above, which I'll quote again:

In this is love,
not that we loved God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
(1 John 4:10-11 ESV)

But these illustrations and examples taken from Jesus' earthly life may help us to get a fuller understanding. Here is the first example of two:

Luke 7:36-50 ESV

One of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him, and He went into the Pharisee's house and took His place at the table.

And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that He was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself,
"If this man were a prophet, He would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."

And Jesus answering said to him,
"Simon, I have something to say to you."
And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."

"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both.

Now which of them will love him more?"

Simon answered,
"The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt."

And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?
I entered your house; you gave me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with ointment.

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven— for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."

And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

Then those who were at table with Him began to say among themselves,
"Who is this, who even forgives sins?"

And He said to the woman,
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

And here is the second example:

Matthew 18:21-35 ESV

Then Peter came up and said to Him,
"Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
As many as seven times?"

Jesus said to him,
"I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.

When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents [one talent was worth more than fifteen years' wages for a laborer!].

And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.

So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii [a denarius was worth one day's wages for a laborer], and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying,
'Pay what you owe.'

So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.

When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.

Then his master summoned him and said to him,
'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant,
as I had mercy on you?'

And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,
until he should pay all his debt.

So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you,
if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

Let's continually forgive our brothers and sisters from our hearts, even though we are all imperfect. Think of the debts we owed God. Think of God's precious gift of His own Son and the greatness of the salvation that we didn't earn and can't boast about. Think of the fact that Christ Jesus did no sin, but God made Him to be sin for us and punished Him instead of us for what we owed. Let us never stop thanking Him for His great love, and let us love Him by keeping His word and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Thanks for reading. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you.

---

All boldface emphases are mine.
Scripture citations are from these translations:
English Standard Version (ESV) and New American Standard Bible (NASB).
Added words in the NASB have been italicized or omitted.
Some capitalization and punctuation have been altered from the translated texts.

Koinonia with God and His Son, Jesus Christ

Word studies: "koinonia" and "homologeo"

(translations from "Englishman's Greek" PDFs)

I John 1:1-4

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—

2 the Life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—

3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too 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 complete.

This is one of my favorite books in the Bible, the short letter of First (I, or 1) John. However, in studying the passage lately with a really low-level, introductory set of Greek-learning PDFs I got online some months ago, I was blessed with a few wonderful insights. (The New Testament was originally written in Greek.)

koinonia - translated "fellowship"
means "sharing in COMMON"

therefore 1 John 1:3 can be translated:

that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have sharing in common with us; and indeed our sharing in common is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

Wow! We share in common with the FATHER and with HIS SON JESUS CHRIST!

Jesus SHARES His Father IN COMMON with us!!

And furthermore:

5 This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say we have sharing in common with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

7 But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have sharing in common 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.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.

We must walk in the light to share in common with God. And if we do, we have sharing in common with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

This doesn't mean that we are perfect! Quite the contrary. Walking in the light actually EXPOSES sin. Then we CONFESS IT. What would we be confessing if we hadn't been made aware of sin?

So this is the transparent, non-hypocritical, humble, and freedom-filled life of the believer. We are free and joyful because our sins are forgiven, we are cleansed, and we share in common with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

confess: "homologeo" : "homo" (same) + "logeo" (to say)

To confess (our sins) is to say the same thing (about our sins) that the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and possibly our brethren do.

That is, when we sin, we agree, with God and Jesus Christ, that what we have done is sin. We don't try to cover our sins up or deny that they are sins.

9 If we say [the] same [of] our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say we have not sinned (anti-confession; this is the opposite of agreement -- denial), we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.

Therefore confession is the opposite of denial. And it's really important!

---

Scriptures from English Standard Version (ESV). Boldface emphases mine. Credit to the authors of the "Englishman's Greek" PDF series. Pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ capitalized, as best I could.

JESUS Is Our Peace with God: Part VII

Life in Christ Jesus, our Peace

So what are believers in Jesus supposed to do, anyway?

Well, trusting Jesus is more than a one-time decision. It is a change in lifestyle. Some believers call it a "walk," while others call it "living right" or "living holy" or "living saved."

Although I am no expert on this new lifestyle, I would like to offer some Scriptures and some of my thoughts here to help fellow believers, and perhaps clear up some misconceptions about our life in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21

For our sake he made Him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

We're not saved just to gloat about being saved, nor so that we can be free to sin without guilt. We are to “become the righteousness of God.”

This is not to be confused with earning our own salvation through good works; instead, because we are legally declared righteous before God, we are called to act righteous in our daily lives. One preacher said that we are to "become what we are" in Christ; that is, we should live in a righteous way because God considers us righteous in Christ.

Writing to believers, the Apostle John reminds us of what God has already done and what we are waiting for:

1 John 3:1-3

See what kind of love the Father has given to us,
that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.

Beloved, we are God’s children now,
and what we will be has not yet appeared;
but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him,
because we shall see Him as He is.

And everyone who thus hopes in Him
purifies himself as He is pure.

This is a wonderful Scripture about why we should live in a new way. We didn't earn our peace with God or eternal life; Jesus purchased them for us. And in what His Son did for us, God showed His love for us.

Notice that God has loved us in this wonderful way: He made us His children through what Jesus did for us. And we are waiting for Jesus to return. We are waiting to "see Him as He is."

On that day, we will be changed. Writing to believers, the Apostle Paul writes below about the resurrection of the dead:

1 Corinthians 15:42-49

So is it with the resurrection of the dead.
What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory.
It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Thus it is written,
"The first man Adam became a living being;
the last Adam became a life-giving spirit."
But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural,
and then the spiritual.

The first man was from the earth, a man of dust;
the second man is from heaven.
As was the man of dust,
so also are those who are of the dust,
and as is the man of heaven,
so also are those who are of heaven.
Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust,
we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Here, the Apostle Paul lets us know that, someday, we who believe will "bear the image" of Jesus! We'll have resurrection bodies that will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. Then, the Apostle Paul gets more specific about when this will happen:

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

I tell you this, brothers:
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Behold! I tell you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed,
in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we shall be changed.

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable,
and this mortal body must put on immortality.

When the perishable puts on the imperishable,
and the mortal puts on immortality,
then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

"Death is swallowed up in victory."

"O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers,
be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

When Jesus returns, believers will inherit our spiritual resurrection bodies. These bodies will be imperishable, like the body of Jesus. If we have died, we will be resurrected. If we are alive, we will be changed. God decided that those who believe in Jesus will be with Him, have immortal, imperishable bodies, and claim victory over death forever. Jesus purchased these gifts for us through His perfect life of obedience, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.

All of this was done by God's grace; we did not earn it. But, since God did this for us, we also have a responsibility to uphold: that is, an obedient lifestyle to our Owner and Master, Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.

For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.

Again, we've done nothing to earn salvation. We've already seen throughout this series that religion, self-effort, moral goodness, or any such things cannot earn us peace with God. Jesus is our only hope to have eternal life and the assurance of an eternity of peace with God and His Son.

While this is all true, the passage above from Ephesians makes clear that we are "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

As far as I understand, the term "good works" refers to things that believers do to benefit others, primarily others who are also saved. It refers to a lifestyle, not just a few scattered acts. Depending on who we are and what situations we find ourselves in, the specific good works will differ from believer to believer, but they share several things in common:

• We can't be saved by doing good works, but since we are saved, we are actually equipped by God to do them as we live this new life.
  
• The passage states that we are the workmanship of God. Therefore, God, working through Jesus, is really doing the work. The credit for our good works does not go to us; all glory goes to God through Jesus Christ.
• God is the One who prepared our good works for us, so we don't need to worry about whether we're capable of living up to God's standards for good works. If He moves us to do them, He also equips us to handle them.
  

Through our good-working, we should remember why we are able to do these good works, and Who we are doing them for. The Apostle Peter writes the following:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action,
and being sober-minded,

set your hope fully on the grace
that will be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

As obedient children,
do not be conformed to the passions
of your former ignorance,

but as He who called you is holy,
you also be holy in all your conduct,
since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

And if you call on Him as Father
Who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds,
conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
knowing that you were ransomed
from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers,
not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

but with the precious blood of Christ,
like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world
but was made manifest in the last times for your sake,
who through Him are believers in God,
Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory,
so that your faith and hope are in God.

(1 Peter 1:13-21)

We believe in Jesus; therefore, we believe in God. Let us not lose sight of our Savior as we live to please Him.

One last Scripture before we part for now:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
has been born of God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves whoever has been born of Him.

By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God and obey His commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Who is it that overcomes the world
except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

(1 John 5:1-5)

"The world" refers to the evil environment we live in, which constantly attempts to persuade us to sin. But this Scripture, written by the Apostle John, gives us hope. Through "our faith" in Jesus, you and I are guaranteed to overcome the evil temptations and sinful patterns of the world system. We will prevail, not because we are mighty, but because Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, our Savior, and the Lord of all, has already overcome the world.

If He wills, we'll conclude this series soon. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you.

---

All emphases are mine.
All Bible quotes are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
All pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ are Capitalized.

For the previous part of this series, go here.
For the final part of this series, go here.
To go to the beginning of this series, go here.

JESUS Is Our Peace with God: Part VI

A Relationship with Jesus
and God, His Father

Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ means that we enter into a new, positive relationship with Him and with His Father, who is God. We are saved from the wrath of God, and we have peace with God. And we finally acknowledge that Jesus, who is already Lord of all, is also our personal Lord, our Master, and that He should govern our lives from here on out.

If we believe in Jesus, God will no longer hold our sins against us, because His Son paid our debt in full by His death. But we must trust in the name of Jesus and depend fully on Him, not on what we have done. As we've seen, our actions, whatever they may be, can never earn us peace with God. Only Jesus could, and only He did.

What does the choice to believe look like? The Apostle Paul explained it in these words:

…you
turned to God
from idols
to serve the living and true God,
and to wait for His Son from heaven,
Whom He raised from the dead,
Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

(1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)

Notice here: We must turn "to God." In order to do this, we must turn "from idols"— anything that we think can earn us salvation other than the One Whom God has appointed and sent. Our idols include our misdeeds, our sinful lifestyles, and also our misguided attempts to save ourselves. Only One can deliver us "from the wrath to come": Jesus.

Jesus alone is our peace with God, and God vindicated His Son by raising Him from the dead, which the Apostle Paul here points out. When we believe in Jesus, both as a one-time act and as a continuing lifestyle, we "serve the living and true God."

Moreover, we "wait for His Son from heaven, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." One day in real history, Jesus will return to judge the wicked and take the righteous to Himself. The wicked will be judged for their own sins, and the righteous will be saved in spite of their sins because Jesus paid for them in full on the cross. Therefore, the Apostle Paul states that Jesus "delivers us from the wrath to come."

For unbelievers, Jesus will come to execute the wrath of God, but for believers, Jesus has already taken the wrath of God upon Himself. Therefore, He is our peace with God and our deliverer. We wait for Jesus to return, so that "our joy may be made complete" (paraphrase of 1 John 1:4) as we enjoy the peaceful presence of God and our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. All these things go together as one package, but the key is Jesus.

The Apostle John addresses this as well:

And we know that the Son of God
has come and has given us understanding,
so that we may know Him who is true;
and we are in Him who is true,
in His Son Jesus Christ.

He is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

(1 John 5:20-21)

If you confess Jesus, you confess that He is the Son of God and that God is His Father. And in so doing, you repent—you turn away from idols that cannot save you, as well as from your other sins, and you turn to Jesus, who can save you completely, assuredly, and eternally. And you are accounted to be “in” Jesus, like a part of His body. And only in that way can you have peace with God, because God loves His Son.

Do you still stand in expectation of God’s judgment? You may be saved if you turn from your sins and trust Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ is ready to forgive all who humbly come to Him.

Romans 10:9-13

...if you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes and is justified,
and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

For the Scripture says,
"Everyone who believes in Him
will not be put to shame."

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
bestowing His riches on all who call on Him.

"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved."

Notice: "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." It does not depend on our background, our education, our money, our age, our ethnicity, or any other criteria. If we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, He will save us.

Notice, though, that calling on His name does not merely mean uttering the words, "Lord Jesus," without any inner conviction. The passage makes clear that we must believe and confess:

• We must believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. In doing so, we implicitly acknowledge that Jesus was a real man who died for our sins -- that is, the Christ -- and that God approved of His Son enough to raise Him from the dead.

• We must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Once God raised Jesus from the dead, He made Jesus the Master of everything and everyone. Therefore, if we confess Jesus to be Lord, we admit that we are not our own masters. We admit that we are not capable of saving ourselves. We're not good enough to earn peace with God, but Jesus is, and He did. Instead of trusting ourselves any longer, we trust Jesus alone. Moreover, we agree that we will turn from the sins that Jesus died for.

When we believe that Jesus, the Son of God, died for us, was raised for us, and presently reigns as Lord, and turn from our sins to ask for His forgiveness and help, we can call upon His name in prayer and tell Him so. There is no magic formulaic prayer that you must pray in this regard. Simply come, and confess that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is Lord.

Some may feel unworthy to call upon the name of Jesus for salvation. Well, none of us are worthy. But our salvation does not depend on us; it depends on God, who has mercy. And He gives mercy to all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus.

Some think that we must make ourselves more presentable to God before asking for salvation, that we must 'clean ourselves up' or be completely perfect before daring to pray for redemption. But this isn't true.

The whole point of this series is that we cannot clean ourselves up; we are hopelessly unclean in and of ourselves. Jesus alone can clean us, and He will. He simply asks that we turn to Him as children, acknowledging our imperfections, but agreeing to trust Him instead of our own efforts.

We are commanded to turn from our sins, but the power to do so does not come from our own strength or wisdom. Rather, once we ask Jesus to save us, He will give us His Spirit, who will equip us to live better lives. But that comes later. For now, let us take an initial step of faith and trust the One who died for us and lives for us.

If you have read this far and are convicted to act, I am convinced that God is for you, and He wants you to take this step. God says:

"Those who were not My people
I will call 'My people,'
and her who was not beloved
I will call 'beloved.'"

"And in the very place
where it was said to them,
'You are not My people,'
there they will be called
sons of the living God."

(Romans 9:25 b - 26)

So, call on the name of the Lord Jesus! If you trust in Jesus' name, God accepts you as His own adopted child. It’s all thanks to His only begotten Son, Jesus!

The Apostle Paul rejoices with us:

Romans 5:1-2

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Him we have also obtained access by faith
into this grace in which we stand,
and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

I pray that you have taken the step of calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, beginning your new relationship of peace and life with Jesus and God. If you have done this, whether recently or in the past, you may be wondering what's next. Well, if the Lord wills, in the next section we will look at some of the things that believers are supposed to do.

---

All emphases are mine.
All Bible quotes are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
All pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ are Capitalized.

For the previous part of this series, go here.
For the next part of this series, go here.
To go to the beginning of this series, go here.

JESUS Is Our Peace with God: Part V

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus

Before He died, Jesus spoke these words:

"Truly, truly, I say to you,
an hour is coming, and is now here,
when the dead will hear
the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.

For as the Father has life in himself,
so He has granted the Son also
to have life in Himself.

And He has given Him authority
to execute judgment,
because He is the Son of Man.

Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming
when all who are in the tombs
will hear His voice and come out,
those who have done good
to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil
to the resurrection of judgment."

(John 5:25-29)

These would have been quite ironic words for someone to say if he was soon going to be dead himself. But, Jesus did not remain in the tomb. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead.

Not only that, but God gave Jesus the highest position of authority in heaven and on earth, to judge and to reign over all.

After He was raised, Jesus told the eleven men He was sending (the Apostles) to preach about Him:

“All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to Me.”
(Matthew 28:18b)

And the Apostle Peter took this message to the people:

"Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain
that God has made Him both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus Whom you crucified."
(Acts 2:36)

Later, the Apostle Paul expounded further on the authority of the Lord Jesus:

Have this mind among yourselves,
which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though He was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God
a thing to be grasped,
but made Himself nothing,
taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form,
He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.

Jesus did what we could not and would not do, and His humility did not go unrewarded by God.

Therefore God has highly exalted Him
and bestowed on Him
the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:5-11)

Since Jesus humbled Himself beneath us all in His death, God exalted Him above all in His resurrection. Jesus, who Himself never deserved anything but perfect fellowship with God, suffered abandonment by God and absorbed God's wrath for our sins. So, God put Him in charge of us.

The Greek term translated "Lord" could equally be translated "Master," as in the master of servants. The last passage from Philippians states that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

In other words, everyone must submit to the truth that Jesus, the One who paid for our sins on the cross, is not only the Savior but the Master of every person.

This is unusual.

It makes sense for God to be our Master, since He is our Creator.

It also would make sense for Jesus to be the Master of those who believe in Him.

But for Jesus, Himself a man, to be the Master of everyone who has ever lived seems extreme. However, since God is the One who gave Jesus that authority, I, for one, am not going to disagree with God.

The Apostle Peter proclaimed the following message to a group of Gentiles:

“Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,
but in every nation anyone who fears Him
and does what is right is acceptable to Him.

As for the word that He sent to Israel,
preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ
(He is Lord of all),

you yourselves know what happened
throughout all Judea,
beginning from Galilee
after the baptism that John proclaimed:
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and with power.

He went about doing good
and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him.

And we are witnesses of all that He did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree,
but God raised Him on the third day
and made Him to appear,
not to all the people but
to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses,
who ate and drank with Him
after He rose from the dead.

And He commanded us to preach to the people
and to testify that He is the One appointed by God
to be Judge of the living and the dead.

To Him all the prophets bear witness
that everyone who believes in Him
receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

(Acts 10:34b-43)

What is the significance of these things, and what do they have to do with Jesus being our peace with God?

I would say this: Not only is Jesus alive, but He holds absolute and final authority over every single person’s fate. Therefore, the issue of peace with God is not something only “religious” or “spiritual” people should be concerned with. Rather, we all must come to terms with who the Son of God is, or else we wait for judgment.

One of the passages above states that God "has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man." Jesus knows what it is like to live a human life. He knows how hard it is to do what is right. He knows the pain and suffering. He knows hunger and weeping and weakness and betrayal. He understands it all. And this is comforting to Christians, for He sympathizes with us and can help us. But it is another reason for terror among unbelievers, for there is no excuse for rejecting Him if He went through the difficulty of a human life and did it perfectly—on our behalf.

Jesus stated:

"The Father judges no one,
but has given all judgment to the Son,
that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.

Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word
and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life.

He does not come into judgment,
but has passed from death to life."

(John 5:22-24)

And the Apostle John, sent by Jesus, wrote this:

If we receive the testimony of men,
the testimony of God is greater,
for this is the testimony of God
that He has borne concerning His Son.

Whoever believes in the Son of God
has the testimony in himself.

Whoever does not believe God has made Him a liar,
because he has not believed in the testimony
that God has borne concerning His Son.

And this is the testimony,
that God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son.

Whoever has the Son has life;
whoever does not have the Son of God
does not have life.

(1 John 5:10-12)

The only way to escape the judgment of God, which will be pronounced by Jesus, is to believe God. But believing God does not mean believing that God exists. Rather, we must believe that "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."

By believing God's testimony about His Son, we can have eternal life. After all, "this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3b). To know Jesus and His Father now, and for all eternity, is eternal life, and peace with God.

Knowing this, what should we do? We must believe in Jesus. We must put our full confidence in Him, in His name, rather than in our imperfect attempts to earn peace with God.

The next few sections will go into more depth on these things. See you then, if the Lord Jesus wills.

---

All emphases are mine.
All Bible quotes are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
All pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ are Capitalized.

For the previous part of this series, go here.
For the next part of this series, go here.
To go to the beginning of this series, go here.