Author: believersarmedanddangerous

Philippians 2:4-8 (ESV)
⁴  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
⁵  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

When I was a kid, there was a “Character Development” section in every bookstore.  Individuals were interested in become better human beings.  They sought to learn where the sharp edges of their character were and how to round them.  That section of the bookstore has now been replaced with books on self-love and how to influence others.   JFK’s famous statement just 60 years ago, “Ask not what your country can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your country” now falls on deaf ears.

The passage above from Philippians tells us Christians we are not to think like that.  The idea of God the Son emptying Himself of the use of His divine attributes in order to come to be with us is staggering.  The God who spoke and all that exists came into existence from nothing came to wash the feet of men (John chapter 13).  The Person Who had never known pain, endured the horrible pain of a Roman flogging and then of crucifixion.

He saw a world in need of salvation and humbled Himself in order to provide it.

If we’re to be Christlike, we’re to humble ourselves in order to provide for the needs of others.  Is that the sort of concern you and I have for others in need?  Do we ask “how can I help spiritually and physically?” 

“Maybe this is just one of those impossible goals like Jesus telling us to be perfect.”  We tell ourselves that, but is it true?  Even if it were, can’t we do better?  Are we yielding to the Spirit of God?  That would be humbling.

Humility means to bring ourselves low, lower than we think we ought to be.  C.S. Lewis defined humility as not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less.  We are a selfish people.  Humbling ourselves is hard, harder for some than for others, but it’s not a suggestion.  It’s a command.  No loopholes.

Why is this important?

The United States is currently seeing cities burning, people killed randomly, and corrupt officials standing by allowing this to happen.

Isaiah saw Jerusalem in the same situation, and God noticed:

Isaiah 1:21 (ESV)
²¹  How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.

God told Isaiah the reason He didn’t destroy the land was that there were still survivors, sincere followers of God there.

Isaiah 1:9 (ESV)
⁹  If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.

 It turns out humility is a powerful defense for the Christian. The very presence of humble believers had kept God’s total wrath from the city of Jerusalem.  The city was destroyed by the Babylonians a hundred years later but only because the people failed to humble themselves.

There are survivors here, sincere followers of God in our nations today holding back the total wrath of God.  But, God wants more from us.  God honors our faithfulness, but humbling ourselves before God can have an even greater effect:

1 Kings 21:29 (ESV)
²⁹  “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (ESV)
¹³  When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, ¹⁴  if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Let us humble ourselves before the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Let us have the mind of Christ and reach out humbly to those in need.  In doing so, God may heal our land.

“Be perfect?”  That’s a pretty big bite to chew.  How in the world can we humans be perfect?  And, we’re not just to be perfect as we understand it but as God the Father is perfect.

Christians are “perfect” in the eyes of God through the cleansing of Christ’s blood, but I don’t think this is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 5:48.  The Greek word here for “perfect” is teleios.  It means perfect in the sense of being mature, and it is translated several times in the New Testament as “mature.”

Ephesians 4:11-13 (ESV)
¹¹  And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
¹²  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
¹³  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

The Greek word translated “mature” here is the same teleios.  I think that’s what Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:48.  We are to grow into maturity.

2 Peter 3:18 (ESV)
¹⁸  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

How do we become more mature?  Growth toward maturity is simple but not easy.  Prayer is certainly a path to maturity.  We are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).  Some Christians don’t know Who exactly to pray to.  God is triune.  In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray to the Father, so we should certainly pray to Him.  In John 14:14, Jesus tells us to pray to Him, so He is another Person we should pray to.  In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit speaks to the faithful in answer to their prayer, so I think we should pray to Him as well. 

I do think there are basics to prayer.  We should approach God cleansed of sin.  We do that by confessing our sins to Him (1 John 1:9).  From there on, we’re free to ask, adore, praise, and thank or whatever we wish.  Sometimes, it’s nice to just hold a conversation.  Don’t you like that from your kids?

Bible study is also an important element of becoming mature.  We don’t’ become Christlike solely by talking with Him.  We need to see what He is told us to do.  In 2017, I presented several methods of personal Bible study.  They are Topical, ABCD, Character, and Word Studies.  If you would like to learn more about how to study the Bible for yourself from a plainly written and extremely valuable book, you might pick up a copy of the Navigator’s book on Bible Study methods.

One more thing adds to our Christian maturity: church attendance and mingling with other believers.  We learn from one another, comfort one another and are comforted by one another.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
²⁴  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Why is this important?

To become more Christlike is to fulfill the will of God.  Like the rich man in Matt. 19:21, we need to put Christ-likeness first over all other things we love. 

Christ-likeness is the goal set before us.  We will never achieve it this side of heaven, but we are to try and to work toward it.

Some will do better than others in our quest to become more like Christ, mature.  Don’t be discouraged.  I like the analogy of standing on the Santa Monica Pier and trying to jump to Catalina Island, 26 miles away.  Some will jump closer to the island, but no one will reach it.  Still, God is telling us to jump as far as we can, become as mature in Him as we can.  Our relationship with God is personal.  It is not our friend’s relationship, it’s ours.  We should follow what God has for us. 

Exodus 3:14 (ESV) ¹⁴  God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

At the end of Exodus 3:14, the God of the Bible tells us His name, at least one of His names, is I Am.  He is called the Great I Am in literature and hymns.  In Exodus 3:14, the Hebrew word is ehyeh which is a form of the familiar Yahweh. 

The name Yahweh appears 6,519 times in the Old Testament.  “I Am” is as much God’s name as Yahweh.  He used it to identify Himself through Moses to the Egyptians and to God’s people.  To both Jew and Gentile, the God of the Bible can be known as the Great I Am.

Yahweh is based on the Hebrew word “to be.”  In the first part of Exodus 3:14, God calls Himself “I Am That I Am.”  Hebrew scholars Keil and Deilitzsch in their commentary on this passage say Moses almost certainly knew God’s name, the name of the God of his fathers.  They believe Moses was asking about God’s nature.  “I Am that I Am” means “The Becoming One” or that God can be whatever is needed.

Now let’s move on to the New Testament.  In John chapter 8, Jesus is in a long argument with the Pharasees.  He embarrasses them with the woman caught in adultery by asking the one without sin to cast the first stone.  They accuse Jesus of being illegitimately born, but Jesus continues to tell them He is the Light of the World, that He is the Messiah Who will die for our sins, and what He is teaching is true.  Then Jesus tells them they are of their father, the devil. And the Pharisees’ angry accusations continue.

The Jews accuse Jesus of being demon possessed, and Jesus says Abraham saw Jesus’ day and was glad.  The Jews accused Him of having a demon again since Jesus was still a fairly young man and claimed to have known Abraham.  Jesus’ answer was interesting.  He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am” (vs.58).  Jesus used the divine name and applied it to Himself.  How do we know?  In the very next verse, we’re told the Jews picked up stones to stone Jesus.  This was the punishment for blasphemy.

Just two chapters later in John, the Jews once again pick up stones to stone Jesus.  Why?  John tells us:

John 10:33 (ESV) ³³  The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

Jesus used the divine Name and applied it to Himself.  Look at one more passage in John:

John 18:4-6 (ESV) ⁴  Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”   They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. ⁶  When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Have you ever wondered why they fell to the ground?  Was Jesus’ reply so overwhelming?  Who were these guys who came to arrest Jesus anyway?  John 10:3 says these were the chief priests, soldiers and officers who came with them.  Were these soldiers Romans?  Luke tells us who they were:

Luke 22:52 (ESV) ⁵²  Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?

So, all these guys who came for Jesus were Jews and officers in the Temple.  They knew God’s Name.

What’s interesting is that “he” is not in the Greek In John 18:6.  Jesus didn’t say “I am he.”  He said “I Am” using the divine name.  This was so powerful and so shocking to the Jewish officials and soldiers they fell to the ground in fear.

Why is this important?

We as Christians need to understand who Jesus really is.  I’ve spoken with some who believe Jesus is God but a sort of lieutenant god; that He’s certainly called God but just doesn’t rise to the level of the Father. 

That’s not true.  The Jesus who stood before the soldiers and Pharisees proclaiming He was the I Am is the same God who spoke from the burning bush in Exodus 3:14, the God who delivered the Jews from the Egyptians, the same God who walked with Abraham in Genesis 18 and destroyed Sodom in Genesis 19.

Our God in the Person of Jesus Christ is equal in power and authority to the Father and the Holy Spirit.  So, when we pray to Jesus we pray to the God who brought the universe into being (Col. 1:16).  The wonderful truth is that same power lives in us (Rom. 8:9-11).  The Jesus we know is the same Jesus who carries the divine Name.  He is the Great I Am!

There are lots of words in the Bible describing the concept of infinity: everlasting, forever, eternity, and such.  But, what is infinity?  “Well, infinity is something which will never end,” we think.    But, I don’t think that statement really grasps what infinity truly is.  Maybe we can never grasp it, but we can get a bit of a handle on it.

To begin with, there are two kinds of infinity.  There is actual infinity, something which has no beginning or end.  God is the only One in this category.

Then there is potential infinity, something which begins to exist but will never cease to exist.  This is called “potential” because we will always have a numbered amount of days we have lived, but our days will never end.  

Infinity is a difficult number to comprehend, and, in fact, no infinite number of things exist in our universe.  There is a specific number of electrons at any precise moment in time in the universe, for exazmple.  That number is 1 followed by 80 zeros.  It’s a pretty large number but still a number.

Infinity is a number that is too large to count.  Nothing can be added to it that will increase its size and nothing can be subtracted from it to reduce its size other than itself.

My point is infinity is unfathomable.  Still the Bible uses the term to describe God.  He is an actual infinite (Ps. 90:2, Mic. 5:2).  The idea of an actual infinite amount of something is present in Rom. 1:20 where God’s power is described as infinite.  The Greek Word (aidios) means without beginning or end.  God’s power has always been and always will be.

In the New Testament, the word “eternal” is nearly always used to describe human beings and is, therefore, speaking of a potential infinity, a condition which will continue forever.  The Bible speaks both of infinitelife and infinite punishment.

Matthew 25:44-46 (ESV)
⁴⁴  Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’  ⁴⁵  Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’  ⁴⁶  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Why is this important?

Infinite life for us is a promise as is infinite punishment for those who do not know Christ personally and intimately.  Infinite life will include constant joy and praising of our Savior.  The other side of the coin should frighten us all.

The Bible describes what infinite punishment will be for non-believers.  Matt. 8:18 says it is utter darkness and torment.  This will also go on for infinity.

Our job as Christians is not to save people, the Holy Spirit does that.  Our job is to inform people, to warn them of the consequences of turning from acceptance of the free gift of God’s Son.

We often hear Christians say, “Just believe in Jesus, and you will be saved.”  They get that from John 6:29 (ESV) ²⁹  Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”    That’s a beautiful verse, but the word “believe” there involves commitment to that belief, to live your life as Christ commanded, to follow Christ’s words, to live the life He modeled. 

James tells us just a belief in the fact that God exists or even that Jesus is our Savior is not enough:

James 2:19 (ESV)
¹⁹  You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

If we are telling people a simple faith in Christ without commitment is the path to salvation, we are misinforming them.  The Christian life is not based simply on a belief but involves a commitment to Him in Whom we believe.  Otherwise the joyful eternity we expect may not come to pass.

Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV)
²¹  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Are we shortchanging those with whom we share the Truth and perhaps condemning them to a different infinity than we’re promising them?

It’s 300 a.d.  Your pastor and his wife along with 100 church members have been arrested.  They’re being held for trial for the crime of sedition, a crime that carries a 15 year sentence.  Your church has been stripped clean.  The pulpit and cross have been torn down and burned, and a business has taken the place where your church rented space.  Roman soldiers stand outside the building where your church met turning people away with a warning and taking names.

Many of those who escaped are in hiding.  Some who were caught have been exiled never to return to their home town. After almost a year of waiting, your pastor is sentenced to 9 years in prison, and his assets are seized.

This is what life was like under the Great Persecution, 250 until 314 a.d.  It is also the story of what is happening in Communist China today.  The scene above is actually taken from an article in The Guardian of January of 2019 and another article from The Federalist this last December.  Only the time and names are different.

The pastor’s name is Wang Yi, pastor of the Early Rain Covenant Church in the city of Chengdu, China.  He was sentenced just this past December.  His wife and others arrested have been released but their movements are monitored and restricted.

The Chinese government is very aware that Christianity is growing swiftly in China.  Currently, about a fifth of the population is Christian. The government’s idea is to turn the church into a government-friendly and regulated movement.

Since I began this blog three years ago, it has reached 47 different countries with more than 5,000 views.  Even some in Mainland China view our blog.  The first year (2016), Communist China was seventh on our “hit list.”  Last year, it was fourth.  So far this year, China is second only to the United States in the number of views.  Amazing considering English is not their common language.  Something is going on there.

I wanted to let the readers in China know we are aware of some of what they are going through and ask you, the reader, to please pray for these people being persecuted in their own country.  Many Christians must meet in secret in fear of being arrested, tortured, and killed.  Even so, Protestant Christianity is the fastest growing religion in China.  Christianity is not technically illegal in China but is supposed to operate under the authority of the municipal and Provincial council.  In other words, the legal church is government ruled.  It is one without denomination or any overarching church authority.  The government has authority to censor and control local churches if they wish to meet openly.

Because of the restrictions on church teachings, the House Church Movement arose where congregations will meet after hours in bars and restaurants and homes.  These churches are, of course, illegal and openly persecuted, but there is no oversight from the Communists.  To these congregations, Christ should still the Head of the church.

The Gospel Coalition puts it this way:  “The church in China is often lauded in the West as the pinnacle of modern Christian discipleship and church planting. And in some ways it’s a reputation well deserved. The church in China has been forged through the fires of persecution, and the Christians there are men and women of immense faith with great joy in the Lord.”

Why is this important?

Christ spoke of persecution.  We should expect it.

John 15:18-21 (ESV)
¹⁸  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹  But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

I have to say I admire the Chinese Christians who hold fast to their faith through terrible persecution.  I wish that I had the depth of faith they must possess.  We need to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters.  They are most certainly on the front line of the battle. 

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (ESV)
¹¹  To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹²  so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We in the west can pray, and we can do everything possible to help the persecuted around the world.  China is only one battleground.  In some Islamic countries, you can be killed for preaching on the street.  In India, Christians are persecuted and killed by Hindu nationalists. 

Persecution of Christians didn’t end with Constantine ending the Great Persecution in 314.  It’s alive and well today.

I don’t usually give outside sources of information, but might I suggest you look here: Open Door. ChristianPost

Angels — Just what or who are they?  Are they just people who have gone to heaven as we were told when we were kids – or are they something very different?  Last week I wrote on demons.  I thought it only fair to discuss the other team this week.

In both the Old and New Testaments, “Angel” simply means messenger, someone who has been sent.   In the case of angels, they are sent to announce something, comfort and direct a believer, and to fight battles for God.  They are members of God’s army.  Angels were manifest both at Jesus’ birth and His resurrection.

The first appearance of the word “angel” in the Bible is in Genesis 16:7 when Hagar was fleeing Sarai.  The Angel of the Lord came to her to tell her to return to Sarai and submit to her and that He would make a great nation of her son, Ishmael.

The term, “The angel of the Lord” has special meaning, and we’ll look at that later. 

We believe just three angels are named in Scripture: Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer.  Gabriel gave the vision to Daniel in Daniel chapter 8.  He came to Zechariah in Luke chapter 1 telling him his aged wife would bear a son, John the Baptist.  When Zechariah doubted, Gabriel also told him he wouldn’t be able to speak again until John was born.  Gabriel , in Luke 1:26-33, announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear a Son Who would be the Messiah.

Gabriel isn’t the only superstar.  Michael is pretty important, too.  He fought with the demon prince of Persia in Daniel 10.  In Jude 1:9 we find Michael argued with the devil about the body of Moses, and in Revelation 12:7 we see him in command of an army of angels fighting against the dragon.

We looked at Lucifer last week, but suffice it to say he was and still is powerful but fell from heaven along with a third of the angels as they rebelled against God.

Now for “The Angel of the Lord.”  Remember this is “The” Angel of the Lord and not “An” angel of the Lord.  The difference is “The.” It seems to imply one of a kind.  Most theologians believe this to be Jesus Himself in the Old Testament.  In Exodus 3:2, the person in the burning bush is called “The Angel of the Lord” but is identified as God Himself in the following verses.

In Genesis 22:11-12, The Angel of the Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac and said he now knew Abraham would not hold his son from Him.  Sacrifices are made to God not to angels.

In Judges 2:1-4, The Angel of the Lord says He is the one who made a covenant with Israel.  Only God has made covenants of this sort.  So, there is pretty good evidence Jesus, God the Son, is in fact The Angel of the Lord.

What about guardian angels?  Are they real?  Some of us can’t believe we’ve done all the things we’ve done and survived without a guardian angel (or more) helping out.   In Daniel 10:21, Michael is called Daniel’s angel.  In Acts 8:26, Philip seemed to have an angel sent to direct him.  There are lots of other places in Scripture where angels seem to be watching out for the believer.  Hebrews 13:2 says we’ve entertained angels unawares. 

We certainly have angels watching us and what we do.  1 Cor. 4:9 says we’re a spectacle to the angels, and 1 Cor. 6:9 says we’ll be judging the angels.  Even though they are these fierce powerful beings, we will be the ones holding them accountable.

1 Peter 1:12 says angels are fascinated by our salvation through the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Why is this important?

Angels are instrumental and important in the life of the Christian.  They watch us and accompany us in our battles.  I think the most fascinating and impressive thing about angels is they are not just on our side but were created to minister to us:

Hebrews 1:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

The God who created you and me sees our need for protection and guidance, and He has sent angels to serve Him for our sake.  Pretty cool if you ask me.  God is Good!

In case you were still wondering, yes, angels were created by God the Son, Himself:

Colossians 1:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Someone once said there are two mistakes Christians make in talking about the devil, thinking of him too much or not thinking of him enough.  This might be a good time to take a brief look at who he and his minions are.

He’s known by several names including “Lucifer,” “the devil,” “Satan,” and the “Accuser of the Brethren.”  If you would like to see a description of Lucifer, there’s one in Ezekiel 28:11-19 where he’s described as the “King of Tyre.” Demons are sometimes described as princes of various areas such as in Daniel 10:12 when a demon is identified as the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” and Michael the archangel is called “one of the chief princes in verse 13.  So, we see the demons and angels have rankings and seem to have responsibilities over particular geographical areas.

We can also see this ranking in both the demons and angels when we look at verses such as Ephesians 3:10 where we see “principalities and powers” mentioned in heaven.  Then later in the same book (6:12), the same terms are used for demonic powers.  So, angels and demons have rankings.  But, back in Ezekiel 28, Satan is not a prince but a king. He doesn’t actually seem to be called the “Prince of Darkness” anywhere in Scripture, but He is called the prince of the power of the air.

One common misunderstanding is that Satan and God are equal, two powers fighting for control of the earth.  Certainly there is a battle, but the sides are far from equal.  This  is made clear in Mark 1:24 where demons ask Christ if it’s time for Him to destroy them yet. In Matthew 8:28-32, demons beg for Jesus not to punish them and ask if they might possess a nearby herd of pigs.  In asking and then obeying Jesus, we see they are certainly submissive to His authority.  Satan is no different.  In the book of Job, especially the first chapter, we see Satan can do nothing that God has not approved.  He’s a created being.  He is powerful but finite.  He is brilliant but not omniscient. 

There is an old legend of John Calvin waking up one night and seeing Satan himself standing at the foot of Calvin’s bed.  Calvin said, “Oh.  It’s just you,” and rolled over and went back to sleep.  There’s a great truth in that legend.  Satan is powerful, but greater is He Who is in us (1 John 4:4).

Some think Satan’s goal is to destroy the world, taking as many souls with him as possible dragging them deep into sin, and there is a lot of truth in this.  Satan is interested in souls.  He seeks after souls, but I think he’s as happy with a cultist or atheist who leads a wonderfully happy life but is lost because he doesn’t know Christ as he is with drug pushers, human traffickers, and mass murders.

God’s desire is to make heaven as full as possible and hell as empty as possible.  Satan’s is just the opposite.

True, Satan wants people to be separated from God, but he gives special gold stars for those who drag others with them.  The lost going door-to-door trying to drag others into their deception get honorable mention in Satan’s book as much as pimps might by driving others away from God.  But, it’s not just that.

You might wonder why Satan’s so busy messing with your life and mine.  We already have the Spirit of God in us. We can’t lose that. It’s because he’s interested in keeping us from spreading the Truth.  He wants us so distracted plugging up leaks in our lives that we neglect our service to Christ.  As Walter Martin used to say, “For Satan, the next best thing to a lost soul is a sterile Christian.”  If Satan can keep us from doing God’s will, he’s happy.

Don’t get me wrong.  Satan is much more powerful than we are.  Even Michael the archangel in Jude 1:9, would not accuse the devil of wrongdoing, but said “The Lord rebuke you!”  An archangel, the greatest and most powerful of angels, didn’t dare rebuke Satan himself but turned to the Lord to do that.  The cool thing is we have the same option.  If Satan comes after us, we can call on Jesus to rebuke him.

Over the past few years I’ve included some information about the deity of Christ in various posts as a part of another subject like the Trinity or the incarnation.  I realized this week that I had never addressed directly the fact Jesus is God the Son, second Person of the trinity.

In my discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses, I’m often asked to show anywhere in Scripture where Jesus claimed to be God.  You may have faced this same challenge.  In John 5:18, John tells us the act of calling Himself the Son of God was claiming to be equal with the Father.

John 5:18 (ESV) ¹⁸  This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

There are a lot of passages pointing to Jesus’ deity.  In Titus 2:13, Paul calls Jesus our God and Savior.  In Hebrews 1:8, God Himself calls Jesus “God,” and there are many more places in Scripture where Jesus is identified as God.

Titus 2:13 (ESV) ¹³  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Hebrews 1:8 (ESV) ⁸  But of the Son he  [the Father]  says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

Jesus accepted worship without rebuking the worshipers  (Matt. 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52, etc.)

Matthew 14:33 (ESV) ³³  And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Even the angels were instructed by God to worship Jesus:

Hebrews 1:6 (ESV) ⁶  And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

“But,” say some, “He is the Son of God, not God Himself.”  The answer to that is in my posts on the trinity and the incarnation, but briefly, Jesus voluntarily emptied Himself of the use of His divine attributes and became submissive to the Father (Phil. 2:5-11).

So, Jesus is equal in nature with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Why is this important?

As Christians, it’s important for us to know exactly Who our God is.  If we’re not worshiping the true God of the Bible, we’re worshiping a false God.  Jesus is God the Son, second Person of the trinity.  When we pray, we need to know Who we’re praying to.  Jesus told us to pray to Him:

John 14:14 (ESV) ¹⁴  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

2,000 years ago, the God of the universe took on human form and walked the earth.  He walked and talked with men and women.  He taught them and us by word and by example exactly Who God is.

John 14:9 (ESV) ⁹  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  

In reading about Jesus life, His love for others, His willingness to sacrifice for the good of others, His patience with people like Peter and Nicodemus, we see the character of God the Father as well.  This same Jesus that John looked at face to face, Whom he touched, and learned from daily, who washed John’s feet and suffered death in front of John, this same Jesus is the God who spoke all that exists in the physical universe into existence. 

1 John 1:1-4 (ESV) 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.

Jesus isn’t just a sacrificial Lamb.  He is the Holy One of Israel, the Great “I Am!”

I’ve heard grace defined as “God’s unmerited favor,” or “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.”  But, these definitions come nowhere near what grace is.  Grace isn’t just unmerited.  It’s freedom from what we do merit.  And, even that isn’t enough.

Grace is a very natural arm of God’s love nature.  I’ve written about this before in here, actually on May 2nd, but it’s a large topic with many facets.  In this article, we’ll look at the problem both Christians and non-Christians have with grace.

Grace is one of those things we can’t explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it.  It’s like trying to describe the color blue to a woman who has been blind her whole life.  In one of the early Star Trek movies, Spock had died, his body had been cloned, and his consciousness implanted into his cloned body.  McCoy turns to him in one scene and asks Spock to describe what it was like to be dead.  Spock says McCoy would need a common point of reference for them to discuss it at all.  Grace is like that.  We can only discuss it fully with someone who has experienced it.

Christians may know in their minds they have been completely forgiven of their sins.  We have a clean slate.  We have been justified to stand in the presence of the Great and Holy God.  That’s what we “think,” but do we “feel” that is true.  Have our hearts accepted it?  Do we lead our lives as if God looks at us as a clean vessel?  When we feel God is leading us to do something huge and exciting for Him, do we jump at the chance to serve Him, or do we listen to another spirit telling us we’re unworthy to serve?  Sadly, I think the latter is very often true of our responses.

I don’t blame Christians, though.  I feel the same way.  I have to consciously press through it.  Like you, sometimes I don’t and God raises up someone else.  I’ve missed the blessing and not fulfilled my job description.

In his book, The Seven Laws of the Learner, Bruce Wilkinson tells a story of one time when he needed to fire a worker at “WalkThrough the Bible.”  He thought he would just sit her down and ask her how she liked her job, and she would fire herself.  To his surprise, she loved her job, and she started to describe all the things she was doing to support the ministry and to serve God.  Wilkinson said when the interview was over, he felt like giving her a raise.  Then it struck him.  She wasn’t fulfilling her job description.  One day, we will stand before God, and He will hand us two lists: a list of what He had for us to do and a second list of what we actually did.  We all want those two lists to match, but our disbelief in grace may prevent that.

Grace is a problem for the non-Christian as well.  It sounds too good.  It isn’t reasonable, though.  “But, you don’t know what I’ve done” is a common response.  Grace is both the answer to the sin of the world and a major hurdle.  Compared to most, I’ve lived a pretty clean life.  I was in the Navy, yes, but I never went to sea, never left California for that matter.  I spent most of my time off visiting my Christian girlfriend.  So, my opportunities for sin were lessened.  Even with that, I felt unworthy to accept God’s grace when I asked for it on Oct. 16, 1975.  Other non-believers feel the same.

I’ve pressed all of God’s buttons over the years.  I’ve sinned like the rest.  I know how I am, and so does God.  I also know enough about God that I know He wouldn’t allow someone like me in His presence . . . unless.  It’s the “unless” that makes all the difference.  “Unless” Someone has cleansed me so I can stand before Our Holy God without fear.

When the women went to the tomb in Matthew 28, they encountered an angel.  There were also Roman guards there.  What the angel said speaks clearly of grace:

Matthew 28:5 (ESV)   But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

The angel didn’t tell the pagan Roman soldiers not to be afraid.  He told the women.  Why?  Because they were seeking Jesus.

Why Is This Important?

Often we as Christians need to step out in faith and just do what God tells us without examining ourselves to see if we’re worthy.  We’re not.  It is Christ in us who does the work.

The rub comes when we try to explain grace to a non-believer.  It’s hard for them to accept this emotionally.  We need to recognize this in order to better share the gospel.  The resistance we see may not be a resistance to Christ but a logical problem.  Explaining that God is anxious to wipe the slate clean and start a new for them is breathtaking and difficult to accept.  It will take the work of the Holy Spirit to show them.

Augustine said, “I must first believe in order to understand.”  That is certainly true of God’s grace.

For us, a good exercise to better grasp God’s grace in our lives is to review the things God has done for us.  David did this often, and so should we.  When we remember God has brought wonderful things into our lives, spared us from certain disaster, or used us to greatly do His will, it’s easier for us to step out believing God and do what He asks no matter how difficult it may seem.

We are anxious when someone we love is sick or dying.  Suffering isn’t pleasant, so why would God allow it in the life of the Christian?  I looked into it this week, and here’s what I found.

Sometimes suffering is meant to show God’s power:

Matthew 8:6-7 (ESV)  “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”
⁷  And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

Jesus’ miracles were performed to validate the Gospel message.   He wasn’t sharing just words.  His words were and are Truth greater than the reality of our universe.  To demonstrate this, He altered natural events.  He ended suffering in some to show His power, to validate His message.

Suffering helps us grow:

Romans 5:3 (ESV) ³  Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

If our lives were perfect, if every day was sunshine and lollipops, we would be superficial human beings.  Worse than that, we would be superficial Christians.  Our faith would have no depth.  It is the sufferings in our lives that most powerfully direct us to rely upon God to do what is right.

Suffering draws us closer to one another

I once asked a veteran pastor what he said to people who had lost someone or were about to.  How did he handle the hopeless hospital visits or devastating funerals?  He told me he says very little.  Mostly the family is comforted when he cries with them sharing in their grief. 

Suffering alongside of and with those who are suffering loss creates and expresses fellowship with them.  It brings us closer together.  Suffering as a Christian brings us closer to the brethren around the world who are suffering as well.

1 Peter 5:9 (ESV) ⁹  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

Above all, through suffering, we experience a closer fellowship with Christ Himself:

Philippians 3:8-10 (NKJV) ⁸  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ  ⁹  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

Why is this Important?

Understanding suffering is important to the Christian because we often believe we are suffering do to our own actions, that we’re being disciplined by the Lord.  That happens, but I don’t believe it happens as often as we might think.  Not all suffering is our fault:

John 9:1-3 (ESV)
¹  As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ²  And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³  Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

We should understand as Christians that suffering is an expected part of the Christian’s life.  We are not exempt from suffering because we know Christ.

Romans 8:17 (ESV)   ¹⁷  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

In fact, I have often wondered why God allows non-believers to suffer.  They have it a terrifying end ahead of them.  Why suffer here on earth, too.  But, God’s Word says He treats us all the same:

Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV)
⁴⁴  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Besides, who would come to Christ if only the Christians suffered.

When suffering enters our lives either through our own suffering or that of loved ones, remember it is a benefit to the Christian.  All things which enter our lives are loving acts of our Father in heaven.  Sometimes, it hurts.