Believers suffer (Discipleship part 3)

Dear believers,

Recently I have experienced a measure of suffering in my life, which has caused me to consider how I should respond to that suffering.

Some teach that all suffering is evil and there is no reason for a believer in Jesus to suffer.  If we suffer, they say, we must be doing something wrong.  Probably there is sin in our lives that we are being punished for, or maybe we don't pray enough, they say.  If we just have faith, we should never suffer, they assert.

But, is this a Biblical view of suffering in the life of a believer?  I don't think it is.

A few days ago, the Lord graciously led me to make a discovery with respect to suffering, simply by studying the different ways that one Greek word in the New Testament was translated.

It turns out that the Greek word translated "witness" is the same word translated elsewhere in the New Testament as "martyr."  The King James Version translates this word as "witness" 29 times, as "martyr" 3 times, and as "record" twice.

However, modern translations such as the New King James Version translate those two occurrences of "record" as "witness" (my guess is that "record" is an archaic way of referring to a specific type of witness).  So we end up with 31 occurrences of "witness" and only 3 occurrences of "martyr."

So, there is no difference between the Greek word used to mean "witness," which is generally defined as someone who sees an event take place (for example, Jesus' resurrection), and the word used to mean "martyr," which means someone who is killed for his or her beliefs (for example, that Jesus Christ is Lord and the Son of God).  "Witness" and "martyr" are the same word in Greek.

What is the significance of this discovery?

Let's look at the three occurrences where the word is translated "martyr" and try to find out.

If you like, you can also go here to view the page I was looking at for this study.

Here are the three passages, from the New King James Version:

And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.  (Acts 22:20 NKJV)

I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne [is]. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas [was] My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.  (Rev. 2:13 NKJV)

I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.  (Rev. 17:6 NKJV)

In the first passage, the Apostle Paul is praying to Jesus.  He is acknowledging that he consented to Stephen's death and that he guarded the clothes of those who stoned him to death.
Now, Stephen was a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, described as being "full of the Holy Spirit" even just prior to being murdered (see Acts 7).

Stephen's faithfulness to Jesus was evidenced by the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ opened Stephen's view into heaven and allowed Stephen to see Him just before he was murdered!

Even while being violently stoned, Stephen prayed to Jesus, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

Therefore, Stephen was not suffering for anything spiritually amiss in his life.  On the contrary, he was a faithful and honored follower of Jesus, one who was privileged to see His Lord before he departed this earth.  That is an awesome honor indeed.

In the next passage (Rev. 2:13 NKJV), the Lord Jesus Christ Himself spoke, after His resurrection, to one of His churches.  Here it is again:

I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne [is]. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas [was] My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.  (Rev. 2:13 NKJV)

Here, Jesus called a man named Antipas "My faithful martyr" and acknowledged that he was killed among them, where Satan dwelt.  In this time of great persecution, the Lord Jesus Christ commended these believers for holding fast to Jesus' name and their refusal to deny His faith.

Antipas was called Jesus' "faithful martyr" and was killed in a place where Satan dwelt.  If believers are not to suffer, how is it that the Lord Jesus would refer to Antipas as being faithful even in his death?

The third passage (Rev. 17:6 NKJV) is from the perspective of John (I believe he is the Apostle John who wrote the other books named after John).  Here it is again:

I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.  (Rev. 17:6 NKJV)

This passage refers to a woman, who is identified in the following passages:

"So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast [which was] full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.  The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.  And on her forehead a name [was] written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." (Rev. 17:3-5 NKJV)

"And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth." (Rev. 17:18 NKJV)

This woman, then, is described as being "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (from Rev. 17:6 NKJV).  It is clear then, that this woman, this city which reigns over the kings of the earth, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth, was in a very strong way connected to the deaths, the murders, of believers in Jesus.

What I get from all of this is primarily one thought.  That is:

Not only do believers suffer, but suffering could be considered the expected, or normal, state for a believer.

Unlike the Apostles and early believers, we did not technically witness the risen Christ.  But we are witnesses in the sense of being able to testify to the name of Jesus.  We can tell and show others what He has done for us.  We can acknowledge His presence in us and seek to do the things that honor His name.

And so, if we want to be witnesses for Jesus, we can expect to suffer with Him.  Given the examples we have seen in Antipas and Stephen, it should not surprise us if we suffer.  The more faithful we are to the name of Jesus, the more we should expect to suffer.  Stephen and Antipas were highly commended by the Lord Jesus, and they were killed.  They proved their faithfulness because they were willing to die for Jesus.

So when we suffer for His name, how do we respond?  Are we angry?  Fearful?  Resentful?  Do we feel that we have done something wrong when we suffer?  Rather than being upset, we should rejoice.  Our suffering, if it is for the name of Jesus, is something to be proud of!

What if we rarely, or never, suffer for Jesus' name?  It might be because we are afraid to speak up for the name of Jesus.  If that is so, we should repent.  We should pray and ask for the strength and grace and wisdom to be bolder witnesses to the glory of our Savior.

Look at the words of Jesus Himself.

Then He said to [them] all,

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His [own] glory, and [in His] Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

(Luke 9:23-27 NKJV)

The Apostle Paul wrote:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected [it] in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

Not only [that], but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for [it] with perseverance.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 

Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit [is], because He makes intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.

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.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to be] conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God [is] for us, who [can be] against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? [It is] God who justifies.

Who [is] he who condemns? [It is] Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [Shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:16-39 NKJV)

And finally, it is written:

And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten [them], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

(Acts 5:40-42 NKJV)

 

Lord Jesus, help we who believe in You and trust in Your Name to be bold witnesses and even, if You will, martyrs for Your Name.  Amen.

Abide in Jesus (Discipleship part 2)

2012 began not long ago, and many of us are thinking of and committing to resolutions for the next year. Generally, these are things we would like to improve on, things that we would like to accomplish. Or, to put them in Biblical terms, we could call them 'good works.'

However, I would like to suggest that for we who believe in Jesus, the most important thing is not to do works for our Lord, but that we maintain fellowship with Him. Our fellowship -- our sharing in common -- is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (See a previous post on this topic here.)

I'm not saying that we should not be busy and actively engaging in ministry and other works. Jesus Himself was very active, especially during His years of major ministry. However, there's a distinction between frantic workaholism and calm, trusting, peaceful, properly balanced work, done in obedience to the Lord.

I think the following short passage gives a good illustration of the difference.

Luke 10:38-42

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

While Martha was indeed doing a good thing by serving Jesus, she neglected the more important thing, which was to simply sit at Jesus' feet and hear His word. Martha became so 'distracted', 'worried', and 'troubled' that she actually questioned Jesus' intentions and tried to tell Him what to do. Her desire to serve was not necessarily wrong, but she, in these moments, allowed her work to become more important than her Lord.

Jesus reminded her, though, that "one thing is needed," not the many things that Martha was occupied with. Mary, having "chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" chose the wisest option.

Likewise, we today should remember that 'doing things for the Lord' is not as important as 'sitting at Jesus' feet and hearing His Word.'

On another occasion, Jesus spoke these chilling words:

Mattthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’

And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ "

Notice that these people's works were not as important as their relationship with Jesus. These people used the name of Jesus to do many great things, but Jesus never knew them. Despite their ostensibly 'wonderful' works done in His name, Jesus called their works 'lawlessness'!

Our works, no matter how great, can't qualify us for the kingdom of God and Christ. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away our sins. God's righteousness is freely given to those who have faith in Jesus. Jesus alone earned our righteousness, and it would be an insult to Jesus and His Father to reject the Son of God's completed work.

As the Apostle Paul wrote so clearly,

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.

For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

(Romans 3:21-26)

God justifies those who have faith in Jesus. The blood of Christ Jesus is sufficient in God's sight for God to justify us, as long as we simply believe.

Now, shortly before He was arrested and led away to be crucified for our sins, Jesus fellowshipped with His disciples and had a personal, intimate conversation with them. The Apostle John recorded many of His words. Many of the things He said here apply to us.

John 14:19-28

“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I [am] in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

He who has My Commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the Word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming [back] to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I."

This has been a calming and encouraging Scripture to me. Jesus gives us His peace. He has given us His Spirit. He tells us, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." He tells us that He loves us, and not only He, but His Father loves us as well. He tells us that we must keep His commandment, His Word. If we keep Jesus' Word, we are keeping the Father's Word as well.

And later, He continues on to describe our relationship with Him:

John 15:1-17

"I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every [branch] that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

“I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw [them] into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and [that] your joy may be full.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another."

God wants us to do good things in Jesus' name. That is what it means to 'bear fruit'. But the truth is that we cannot do this apart from Jesus. Branches alone are good for nothing but firewood. To bear fruit, they must be connected to the vine that they are a part of. Without Him, we can do nothing.

Only by sharing in the nourishment that flows forth from being in Jesus' presence and humbly listening to His word that we can bear fruit that He is pleased with. Otherwise, our works will be considered as 'lawlessness' by the Lord.

It is interesting that Jesus uses the symbolism of a vine to represent Himself, and we as the branches. Well, I have heard many believers use the term 'seasons of life' to describe the different phases of life we go through. I'm no farmer, but I do know that there are times of the year when fruit is planted, times when it grows, and times when it becomes ripe and is ready to be plucked and enjoyed.

If we consider this in terms of our relationship with Jesus, we should realize that every part of life is not meant to be the same. Some parts are for 'planting'... others are for 'growing'... and during others, we may be rapidly producing large quantities of fruit. But there is no such thing as us producing fruit apart from Jesus. There is no 'season' in which the branch needs not abide in the vine.

If we don't abide in Jesus, 'we can do nothing'. Therefore, let us obey Him. Let us sit at His feet. Let us hear and obey His Word. Let us trust Him for our salvation and our daily needs. And let us praise Him when we are able to bear fruit that glorifies His Name.


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All boldface emphases are mine.
Scripture references are from the New King James Version (NKJV).
Italicized words in the NKJV have been [bracketed] or omitted.
Some punctuation and Capitalization may have been altered from the NKJV text.
The NKJV, and many other translations, are freely available at http://www.biblegateway.com/

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)

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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 gave it all up for us (Discipleship part 1)

Discipleship is a word rarely heard today. It is simply a combination of the word 'disciple', meaning 'follower', and 'ship', which makes it both a noun and buoyant. Or something like that.

Those of us who place our faith in Christ Jesus as Savior recognize Him as our Lord, our Master, and our Owner. Therefore, we follow Him. We are His disciples. The Christian life is largely about learning how to follow Him more closely, becoming more like Christ. That's discipleship.

So for us to be good disciples, or followers, of Christ Jesus, we must continuously learn about Him and apply what we have learned. In theory, it's simple. But in practice, it's a lifelong journey. We can all learn from the following passage:

Philippians 2:1-18 NASB

(verses 1-4)
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not [merely] look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

(verses 5-11)
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(verses 12-18)
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for [His] good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, [I urge you,] rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

This passage is from the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers (saints) in Philippi. For our purposes, we can look at these 3 paragraphs like this:

1. Application ("Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ...") - verses 1-4
   
2. Looking at Jesus' example ("Have this attitude in yourselves...") - verses 5-11
   
3. Application ("So then, my beloved...") - verses 12-18
   

For the moment, let's focus on the section describing what Jesus did for us.

Jesus, who was in the form of God and had every right to the authority and power and glory belonging to God, gave it all up. He was made in the likeness of men and found in human form.

The one who deserved to be revered as God's Word became the servant of all. The Almighty became the Christ. The Lion became a meek and humble Lamb.

Christ Jesus made himself of no reputation. Bible scholars tell us that He was homeless, poor, and physically unattractive.

Instead of riches, He chose poverty. He chose to associate with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. He broke cultural taboos, speaking with Samaritans, even a Samaritan woman, considered by Jews to be the lowest of the low.

Actually, Christ Jesus lived such a humble and faultless life that those who critique Christianity rarely critique the character of Christ. They can't find anything bad to say about the way that He lived. It was absolutely honest, pure, transparent, faultless, and complete.

Why is it that so many who call themselves Christians are unwilling to truly forsake all for Him? I think it is because our belief is weak. We are like spoiled children. We have so many material luxuries all the time that we don't even consider the notion that our Lord might be asking us to give them up. Even the poorer among us have a roof over our heads, electricity, running water, a bed to sleep in, several changes of clothing.

Christ enjoyed none of these things. The first century church, composed of some rich and some poor, lived like this:

Acts 4:32-37 ESV

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

In our churches today, some complain of a lack of power and a lack of grace. We pray for more power and we pray for more grace. And we should. But look at the way Luke describes the early church:

• with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus...
• great grace was upon them all.

Both were great. The testimony of the apostles was powerful. People were floored by the sheer spiritual force of the messages preached by these men. It wasn't because they had great educational backgrounds that these messages were persuasive. The chief speaker among them, Peter, was a fisherman -- hardly a PhD. It was their obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord and their surrendering to the Holy Spirit that allowed this to happen. And despite the fact that the church was poor, the Lord blessed them with abundant grace.

But unfortunately, maybe some of us are more like Ananias and Sapphira:

Acts 5:1-11 ESV

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.

But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." And she said, "Yes, for so much."

But Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

This was a very extreme example of the result of dishonesty among people in the church.

But it shows us that it does no good to pretend that we're more spiritual than we are. We don't want to beat ourselves up for not being perfect. Of course we're not perfect. Christ Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. But He is calling us to a higher standard than the one we're currently at. We must grow. How? By surrendering ourselves.

What have we given up for Him? What are we willing to give up?

Jesus spoke many times of the requirements of those who would follow Him.

Matthew 6:19-34 NKJV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great [is] that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, [will He] not much more [clothe] you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day [is] its own trouble."

Jesus' words strike with power and precision at the very things that characterize many of our lives. I am humbled by each word here.

And, if He wills, we will continue this series soon.

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Scripture citations are from the corresponding versions: NKJV: New King James Version; ESV: English Standard Version; NASB: New American Standard Bible.

All boldface emphases are mine. In all Scripture citations, pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ are Capitalized. Italicized (added) words have been omitted or [bracketed].

Search a free online Bible with lots of translations at http://www.biblegateway.com

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.

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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.

Jesus suffered

Sometimes I wish I could skip over the parts of life that are difficult, painful, or dull. Perhaps you've felt, or feel, the same way. If so, I pray that the following Scriptures will encourage you.

(If you don't believe that Jesus is the Lord, the Christ, and the Son of God, please read this post instead to learn about Him.)

Hebrews 5:7-10

In the days of His flesh,
Jesus offered up prayers and supplications,
with loud cries and tears,
to Him who was able to save Him from death,
and He was heard because of His reverence.

Although He was a Son,
He learned obedience through what He suffered.

And being made perfect,
He became the source of eternal salvation
to all who obey Him,
being designated by God a High Priest
after the order of Melchizedek.

If there was anyone who deserved to skip over the difficult parts of living on this earth, it was the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ. He, as the Scripture above points out, "was a Son" (verse 8) - in fact, He was God's Son (verse 5). But, He had to learn "obedience through what He suffered" - and so must we. Jesus suffered for us, not just on the cross, but in each aspect of His earthly life leading up to that ultimate act of sacrifice and humiliation.

Here is one example:

Luke 22:39-46

And He came out and went, as was His custom,
to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him.

And when He came to the place,
He said to them,
"Pray that you may not enter into temptation."

And He withdrew from them
about a stone's throw,
and knelt down and prayed, saying,

"Father, if You are willing,
remove this cup from Me.
Nevertheless, not My will,
but Yours, be done."

And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven,
strengthening Him.

And being in an agony
He prayed more earnestly;
and His sweat became
like great drops of blood
falling down to the ground.

And when He rose from prayer,
He came to the disciples
and found them sleeping for sorrow,
and He said to them,
"Why are you sleeping?
Rise and pray
that you may not enter into temptation."

Living in this highly scientific and skeptical age, one is tempted to discount the idea that Jesus' "sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (verse 44). However, I do not take these words lightly, since the author of this book, Luke, was a well-educated physician and would not have included this detail in his account of Jesus' life if he had not considered it plausible. (An article more fully describing this phenomenon can be found here.)

But to get back to the main point, this passage demonstrates Jesus' intense suffering even before the cross. He knew what was going to happen to Him: On the cross, He would bear the sins of the world. My sins and yours would be put upon His back, and He would drink the last drop from the "cup" of God's wrath against sinners.

When considering what Jesus endured for me, I cannot help but ask two questions:

• Why did He do it?
• What should I do in response, or return?

The answer to the first question is difficult for me to understand, since I know that I did not deserve it. I believe that the answer has to do with Jesus' love for us and His obedience to His Father. At this point, I don't know how to explain that.

But, my response to that is to thank Him. Not only with words, but with a changed lifestyle. I cannot continue to live in the sins that Jesus died for. Instead, I choose to honor Him as best I can.

The Apostle Paul writes to believers:

But whatever gain I had,
I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Indeed, I count everything as loss
because of the surpassing worth
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things
and count them as rubbish,
in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him,

not having a righteousness of my own
that comes from the law,
but that which comes through faith in Christ,
the righteousness from God
that depends on faith—

that I may know Him
and the power of His resurrection,
and may share His sufferings,
becoming like Him in his death,
that by any means possible
I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect,
but I press on to make it my own,
because Christ Jesus has made me His own.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.
But one thing I do:

forgetting what lies behind
and straining forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Let those of us who are mature think this way,
and if in anything you think otherwise,
God will reveal that also to you.
Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Brothers, join in imitating me,
and keep your eyes on those
who walk according to the example you have in us.

For many, of whom I have often told you
and now tell you even with tears,
walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly,
and they glory in their shame,
with minds set on earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we await a Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform our lowly body
to be like His glorious body,
by the power that enables Him
even to subject all things to Himself.

Therefore, my brothers,
whom I love and long for,
my joy and crown,
stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.
Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women,
who have labored side by side with me in the gospel
together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers,
whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your reasonableness
be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand;
do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence,
if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.

What you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me—
practice these things,
and the God of peace will be with you.

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length
you have revived your concern for me.
You were indeed concerned for me,
but you had no opportunity.

Not that I am speaking of being in need,
for I have learned in whatever situation I am
to be content.

I know how to be brought low,
and I know how to abound.
In any and every circumstance,
I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger,
abundance and need.
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

(Philippians 3:7-4:13)

There are a number of applications here for us. Consider which portions of the Apostle's exhortation apply to you.

I personally resonate with the command, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." As we struggle through life's difficulties, we must keep our minds "on things above" (Colossians 3).

The Apostle Paul writes, "Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us."

And as we strive to be more like Jesus Christ by imitating those, like the Apostle Paul, who are more spiritually mature than we are, we must remember where we are going: We will be with Jesus, with glorified bodies like His, one day!

"But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we await a Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform our lowly body
to be like His glorious body,
by the power that enables Him
even to subject all things to Himself.

Therefore, my brothers,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved."

With these things in mind, we can return to Hebrews:

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
for whoever has entered God's rest
has also rested from his works as God did from His.

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest,
so that no one may fall
by the same sort of disobedience.

For the Word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit,
of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And no creature is hidden from His sight,
but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him
to Whom we must give account.

Since then we have a great High Priest
who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast our confession.

For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize
with our weaknesses,
but One who in every respect
has been tempted as we are,
yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence
draw near to the throne of grace,
that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need.

(Hebrews 4:9-16)

When we fail to live up to a lifestyle that perfectly honors God and His Son, we must remember that Jesus, our High Priest, endured the wrath of God against our sins for us. Let's endure our daily struggles by relying on Him and looking to Him.

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Scripture references from English Standard Version
Pronouns for God and the Lord Jesus Christ capitalized

JESUS Is Our Peace with God: Part II

Can our good deeds
earn peace with God?

If we know that it is our sins that separate us from God, we may think we can do good things to make up for them. Many people live this way in an effort to get their good works to outweigh their bad ones. Perhaps, one might think, God will overlook the evil and focus on the good.

Fortunately, God did not leave us without a way to tell whether good deeds can actually win peace with Him or not. He gave us His Word, which tells us exactly what His standards are. As we will see, God's standards for someone trying to earn his or her own righteousness are very high.

Let's start with a familiar passage. God spoke to the people of Israel, giving them commandments which they had to follow. We know colloquially of a few of them as the "Ten Commandments." Here they are (although they sure look like more than ten to me):

Deuteronomy 5:6-21

“I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery.

“‘You shall have no other gods before Me.

“‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image,
or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is on the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them;
for I the LORD your God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children
to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me,
but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me
and keep My commandments.

“‘You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain,
for the LORD will not hold him guiltless
who takes His Name in vain.

“‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,
as the LORD your God commanded you.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.
On it you shall not do any work,
you or your son or your daughter
or your male servant or your female servant,
or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock,
or the sojourner who is within your gates,
that your male servant and your female servant
may rest as well as you.
You shall remember that you were a slave
in the land of Egypt,
and the LORD your God brought you out from there
with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
Therefore the LORD your God commanded you
to keep the Sabbath day.

“‘Honor your father and your mother,
as the LORD your God commanded you,
that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you
in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

“‘You shall not murder.

“‘And you shall not commit adultery.

“‘And you shall not steal.

“‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

“‘And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
And you shall not desire your neighbor's house,
his field, or his male servant, or his female servant,
his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. "

According to this passage, God required the Israelites to be very upstanding citizens, to say the least, if they were trying to earn peace with God.

For example:

God required that the Israelites, and any who would worship Him, "have no other gods before" Him. But, we have already established in Part I that none of us have consistently kept this commandment (according to Romans 1 and 3). We do not necessarily worship the sun, moon, or statues, but we do devote ourselves to our own pleasures and desires, giving ourselves the credit for our achievements instead of God.

Jesus explained the true depth of the other two commandments that I placed in bold above: adultery and murder.

On adultery, Jesus said:

"You have heard that it was said,
'You shall not commit adultery.'

But I say to you that
everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.
For it is better that you lose one of your members
than that your whole body be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
For it is better that you lose one of your members
than that your whole body go into hell."

(Matthew 5:27-30)

And on anger, He proclaimed:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old,
'You shall not murder;' and
'whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'

But I say to you that
everyone who is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment;
whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council;
and whoever says, 'You fool!'
will be liable to the hell of fire.

So if you are offering your gift at the altar
and there remember that your brother
has something against you,
leave your gift there before the altar and go.

First be reconciled to your brother,
and then come and offer your gift."

(Matthew 5:21-24)

We can see here that God's standards are much higher than a superficial reading of the commandments might seem to indicate. They extend beyond deeds into thoughts, motives, and desires. While we do not always act on our sinful impulses, God knows that we sometimes would if there were no consequences.

Due to my own lust and anger, I know that I have already failed to meet God's criteria; in His eyes, as far as my own righteousness is concerned, I am a murderer and an adulterer.

Consider each of the commandments for yourself. Have you broken any of them? If so, you have disqualified yourself from peace with God. But don't take my word for it. James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, wrote this:

James 2:8-11

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.

But if you show partiality,
you are committing sin
and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

For whoever keeps the whole law
but fails in one point
has become accountable for all of it.

For He who said, "Do not commit adultery,"
also said, "Do not murder."
If you do not commit adultery but do murder,
you have become a transgressor of the law.

James doesn't pull any punches in telling us this. But maybe that's just his opinion. Let's turn to another writer and see if there's any disagreement.

Psalm 15

O LORD, who shall sojourn in Your tent?
Who shall dwell on Your holy hill?
He who walks blamelessly
and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the LORD;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.

This Psalm, written by the king and prophet, David, seems to agree with the sentiment expressed by James. For example, can any of us honestly say that we have done "no evil" to our neighbors? While I aspire to this standard, I can't honestly say that I meet it every day.

But perhaps the testimony of James and David is not convincing enough. Well, here is what Jesus told a man who wanted to know how he could earn eternal life through good deeds.

Matthew 19:16-22

And behold, a man came up to Him, saying,
"Teacher, what good deed must I do
to have eternal life?"

And He said to him,
"Why do you ask Me about what is good?
There is only One Who is good.
If you would enter life,
keep the commandments."

He said to Him, "Which ones?"

And Jesus said,
“'You shall not murder,'
'You shall not commit adultery,'
'You shall not steal,'
'You shall not bear false witness,'
'Honor your father and mother,'
and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”

The young man said to him,
"All these I have kept.
What do I still lack?"

Jesus said to him,
"If you would be perfect, go,
sell what you possess and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow Me."
When the young man heard this
he went away sorrowful,
for he had great possessions.

Now, there's a man who was morally superior to me. He had not, to his knowledge, committed any sins! He, in his own eyes, was nearly morally perfect. But he failed to do two things: He did not "go, sell what [he possessed] and give to the poor." He also did not follow Jesus.

Jesus went on to explain something about this rich man.

And Jesus said to his disciples,
"Truly, I say to you,
only with difficulty will a rich person
enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I tell you, it is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."
When the disciples heard this,
they were greatly astonished, saying,
"Who then can be saved?"
But Jesus looked at them and said,
"With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible."

(Matthew 19:23-26)

The rich man, because of his riches, had a greater responsibility than a poor man: He had to give up those riches. He failed to do so, and he also failed to follow Jesus. Therefore, he could not earn peace with God either, although he was unaware of any other sin in his life. In fact, failing to follow Jesus was really the most critical issue. On another occasion, Jesus had the following interchange with some Jews:

Then they said to Him,
"What must we do, to be doing the works of God?"

Jesus answered them,
"This is the work of God,
that you believe in Him Whom He has sent."

(John 6:28-29)

But, we will get to what that means in a later part of this series, Lord willing.

On another occasion, Jesus told a parable to illustrate the difference between a man trying to earn peace with God by perfectly obeying the law (a Pharisee) and a man who knew he was hopelessly evil (a tax collector) but asked God for mercy.

Luke 18:9-14

He also told this parable to some
who trusted in themselves that they were righteous,
and treated others with contempt:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray,
one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus:
‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

But the tax collector, standing far off,
would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast,
saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified,
rather than the other.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In the Jewish society of the day, tax collectors were despised for their extortion and fraud of their Jewish brothers. They would become rich by cheating their fellow Jews, taking more taxes than were actually owed, and pocketing the change. Jesus' original audience understood this. Therefore, Jesus did not need to explain that the tax collector was right to call himself "a sinner." Not only was he a sinner, but he was one of the worst in a Jew's eyes.

But in God's eyes, it is not those who believe themselves to be righteous who are actually counted righteous. It is rather the ones who know that they are not good enough to merit God's peace whom God extends mercy to.

To sum up, the tricky thing about trying to earn your own righteousness is that there is absolutely no room for error. If you have wealth and wish to enter the kingdom, you must give it all away and follow Jesus, or else, like the rich young man did, you sin. If, like the Pharisee in the parable, you feel righteous but speak against those who are not as righteous as you are (even though they may be wicked and hated people!) you sin. And any sin, no matter how small in our eyes, is sin enough to disqualify us from the holy presence of Almighty God.

Luke 18:15-17

Now they were bringing even infants to Him
that He might touch them.
And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

But Jesus called them to Him, saying,

"Let the children come to Me,
and do not hinder them,
for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

Truly, I say to you,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God
like a child shall not enter it."

There is only one way to receive the kingdom of God. Instead of demanding that God grant us salvation and life based on our good works, we must simply trust, as a child does. But Who are we to trust in, and why are we to trust Him? We will examine that question, if the Lord wills, in Part IV and the following parts of this series.

We have touched on the inability of religion to save us from God's wrath in this section. However, because religion and the Gospel are so often and so easily confused, we will take one more section to distinguish the two before moving into the heart of this series.

See you then, if the Lord wills.

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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.