After much prayerful consideration we have decided to take a short break from writing for this blog.
The reasons for this is mainly due to three of our four authors going through major life changes:
- Meredith is getting married very soon after which she will be moving to England!
- Taliah has a new baby boy
- Laura has a new baby boy
Margret also is engaged in many ministry opportunities with her husband Henry so the short break will serve as a time of consolidation and refreshing for us all.
The plan is to restart the study in February, after the flurry of Christmas and starting a new year.
Let me take this opportunity to say that I have been continually blessed to serve with Taliah, Meredith and Margret over the past months. It is my prayer that when we come back together, Lord willing, next year, that we would have grown in our understanding and likeness of our Saviour: that we will be ready to again come together on this blog, and bring glory to His name.
Until then, God bless and keep you,
Laura, Taliah, Meredith & Margret
13 November 2010
02 November 2010
28 October 2010
Colossians 3:12-17
Colossians 3 [NASB]
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
This passage instructs Christians to ‘put on’ the new virtues fitting their position in Christ. We must not only cease to do the evil things we once did, but “we must learn to do well; not only not to hurt any, but to do what good we can to all”(Matthew Henry).
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
Because God has chosen us, He has made us holy in His sight. We are holy- ‘set apart’ for the Lord and for His work and have been cleansed from all unrighteousness. With this in view, we are therefore beloved of God. What was true of God’s chosen people, Israel, can now be said of the believers in Colossae, and all those who are chosen of God. Paul therefore exhorts the believers to put on the following virtues:
Compassion – love for and mercy towards one another. Kindness – “Spirit imparted goodness of heart” (William Hendriksen). Humility – lowliness, having a correct estimate of oneself. Gentleness – a meekness of spirit, “the submissiveness under provocation, the willingness rather to suffer injury than to inflict it” (William Hendriksen). Patience – long-suffering in the face of adversity.
Luke 6 [NASB]
35"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
36"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Galations 5 [NASB]
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Matthew 11 [NASB]
29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
All of these virtues are characteristics of God which He displays to us in the work and person of Christ.
Romans 13 [NASB]
14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ...
If He has dealt with us in this way, so should we deal with those around us. Paul continues with further instructions:
13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
We need to (in the exercise of these virtues) bear with the short-comings of those around us, remembering that they are called to bear with our deficiencies. As not yet perfected and glorified there are many areas we fall short in, and so we need to be ready and willing to endure one another. When a brother sins against us we need to be ready to forgive them. This command of Paul is strikingly similar to the Lord’s Prayer.
Matthew 6 [NASB]
12'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors...
14"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15"But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
We are called to forgive, because the Lord has already forgiven us our sins which are far weightier than any grievances we may have between ourselves. For more on this see the parable of the ungrateful slave of Matthew 18:21-35.
14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Jesus taught love for one another as the fulfilment of the second table of the Law. The love for our fellow believers which Paul speaks of here is the perfect bond of unity. Bruce interprets this as “the grace that binds all these other graces together”. Henriksen comments “love then is the bond of perfection in the sense that it is that which unites believers, causing them to move forward toward the goal of perfection”.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Knowing who Christ is and what He has accomplished for us, we must therefore let His peace rule - govern or direct us. As Matthew Henry points out “We are called to this peace, to peace with God as our privilege and peace with our brethren as our duty”. There is both a peace which we have before our Redeemer and Judge, and also a peace which governs our relationships with one another. If Christ’s peace rules our hearts, we will be enabled to bear with one another and forgive one another, because we are resting in the knowledge of Christ’s forgiveness for our sins. John Wesley points out that the cause and effect of this passage could also be reversed: “And then the peace of God shall rule in your hearts -Shall sway every temper, affection, thought, as the reward (so the Greek word implies) of your preceding love and obedience”. Either way we can apply this test to great advantage: “let the individual, therefore, constantly ask himself, “Will I have peace within if I do this or do that?” Let him be sure to be at peace with God, for only then can he expect to live in true harmony with his brothers” (William Hendriksen). A body made up of many members must be at peace with itself, must exhibit spiritual oneness.
Paul adds that we are to be thankful. This theme runs through the epistle (1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 16, 17; 4:2). As we are thankful for what Christ has achieved we are enabled and empowered to do these things Paul is calling us to.
16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The peace of Christ can only rule in our hearts when the word of Christ is richly dwelling within us. This word should richly dwell - take residence, “be always ready and at hand to us in everything, and have its due influence and use” (Matthew Henry), bear much fruit. It should be read, believed, dwelt upon, it should be hidden in the hearts of the believers. For an example of right appreciation of the word see Psalm 119. As a result of this indwelling of the word we can with all wisdom teach and admonish one another. To admonish is to warn, stimulate, and encourage. We must do this in accordance with the rights and duties of our particular office, but note that all Christians are called to teach and admonish in some aspect even if they are not apostles as Paul was or teachers. One of the means of this teaching and admonishing in wisdom is the singing of God-glorifying songs. Let us not look down on this practice as less spiritual or necessary than other more “noble” pursuits. Spiritual songs “fix the interest upon the indwelling word of Christ and carry the attention away from the worldly cacophony” (William Hendriksen).
17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Paul gives us an overarching command to close this section. ‘In the name of’ refers to “in harmony with His revealed will, in subjection to His authority, in dependence on His power” (William Hendriksen). As Hendriksen gave a test for a decision based on the peace of Christ in verse 15, so F.F. Bruce gives the following: “When faced with a situation, the believer may well ask “Can I do this ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’ whose reputation is at stake in the conduct of His known followers? Can I thank God the Father through Him for the opportunity of doing this thing?”” We can offer our thanks to God through Him because Christ has atoned for our sins, and now lives as our intermediary. Paul ends this section by pointing us back to the one and only, all-sufficient Saviour, Christ Jesus.
These are but a few short thoughts on a huge section of Scripture, I pray that they may spur you on to put these verses into practice. God bless, Taliah.
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
This passage instructs Christians to ‘put on’ the new virtues fitting their position in Christ. We must not only cease to do the evil things we once did, but “we must learn to do well; not only not to hurt any, but to do what good we can to all”(Matthew Henry).
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
Because God has chosen us, He has made us holy in His sight. We are holy- ‘set apart’ for the Lord and for His work and have been cleansed from all unrighteousness. With this in view, we are therefore beloved of God. What was true of God’s chosen people, Israel, can now be said of the believers in Colossae, and all those who are chosen of God. Paul therefore exhorts the believers to put on the following virtues:
Compassion – love for and mercy towards one another. Kindness – “Spirit imparted goodness of heart” (William Hendriksen). Humility – lowliness, having a correct estimate of oneself. Gentleness – a meekness of spirit, “the submissiveness under provocation, the willingness rather to suffer injury than to inflict it” (William Hendriksen). Patience – long-suffering in the face of adversity.
Luke 6 [NASB]
35"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
36"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Galations 5 [NASB]
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Matthew 11 [NASB]
29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
All of these virtues are characteristics of God which He displays to us in the work and person of Christ.
Romans 13 [NASB]
14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ...
If He has dealt with us in this way, so should we deal with those around us. Paul continues with further instructions:
13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
We need to (in the exercise of these virtues) bear with the short-comings of those around us, remembering that they are called to bear with our deficiencies. As not yet perfected and glorified there are many areas we fall short in, and so we need to be ready and willing to endure one another. When a brother sins against us we need to be ready to forgive them. This command of Paul is strikingly similar to the Lord’s Prayer.
Matthew 6 [NASB]
12'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors...
14"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15"But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
We are called to forgive, because the Lord has already forgiven us our sins which are far weightier than any grievances we may have between ourselves. For more on this see the parable of the ungrateful slave of Matthew 18:21-35.
14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
Jesus taught love for one another as the fulfilment of the second table of the Law. The love for our fellow believers which Paul speaks of here is the perfect bond of unity. Bruce interprets this as “the grace that binds all these other graces together”. Henriksen comments “love then is the bond of perfection in the sense that it is that which unites believers, causing them to move forward toward the goal of perfection”.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Knowing who Christ is and what He has accomplished for us, we must therefore let His peace rule - govern or direct us. As Matthew Henry points out “We are called to this peace, to peace with God as our privilege and peace with our brethren as our duty”. There is both a peace which we have before our Redeemer and Judge, and also a peace which governs our relationships with one another. If Christ’s peace rules our hearts, we will be enabled to bear with one another and forgive one another, because we are resting in the knowledge of Christ’s forgiveness for our sins. John Wesley points out that the cause and effect of this passage could also be reversed: “And then the peace of God shall rule in your hearts -Shall sway every temper, affection, thought, as the reward (so the Greek word implies) of your preceding love and obedience”. Either way we can apply this test to great advantage: “let the individual, therefore, constantly ask himself, “Will I have peace within if I do this or do that?” Let him be sure to be at peace with God, for only then can he expect to live in true harmony with his brothers” (William Hendriksen). A body made up of many members must be at peace with itself, must exhibit spiritual oneness.
Paul adds that we are to be thankful. This theme runs through the epistle (1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 16, 17; 4:2). As we are thankful for what Christ has achieved we are enabled and empowered to do these things Paul is calling us to.
16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The peace of Christ can only rule in our hearts when the word of Christ is richly dwelling within us. This word should richly dwell - take residence, “be always ready and at hand to us in everything, and have its due influence and use” (Matthew Henry), bear much fruit. It should be read, believed, dwelt upon, it should be hidden in the hearts of the believers. For an example of right appreciation of the word see Psalm 119. As a result of this indwelling of the word we can with all wisdom teach and admonish one another. To admonish is to warn, stimulate, and encourage. We must do this in accordance with the rights and duties of our particular office, but note that all Christians are called to teach and admonish in some aspect even if they are not apostles as Paul was or teachers. One of the means of this teaching and admonishing in wisdom is the singing of God-glorifying songs. Let us not look down on this practice as less spiritual or necessary than other more “noble” pursuits. Spiritual songs “fix the interest upon the indwelling word of Christ and carry the attention away from the worldly cacophony” (William Hendriksen).
17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Paul gives us an overarching command to close this section. ‘In the name of’ refers to “in harmony with His revealed will, in subjection to His authority, in dependence on His power” (William Hendriksen). As Hendriksen gave a test for a decision based on the peace of Christ in verse 15, so F.F. Bruce gives the following: “When faced with a situation, the believer may well ask “Can I do this ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’ whose reputation is at stake in the conduct of His known followers? Can I thank God the Father through Him for the opportunity of doing this thing?”” We can offer our thanks to God through Him because Christ has atoned for our sins, and now lives as our intermediary. Paul ends this section by pointing us back to the one and only, all-sufficient Saviour, Christ Jesus.
These are but a few short thoughts on a huge section of Scripture, I pray that they may spur you on to put these verses into practice. God bless, Taliah.
14 October 2010
Guest Post: Leave Behind a Legacy of Prayer
Earlier this week I was very challenged when I read the following entry on prayer written by my dear sister in Christ, Asia. I am excited to share it with you for this week's new entry and I hope you will also be challenged to spend more time in prayer.
I remember when I was in high school, I was challenged to get up early in the morning to pray. I decided that around 5:30am, I would get up and pray to God. I had my prayer journal of requests from other people and I would start praying for them. Before I knew it, I saw prayers being answered and I loved spending time with God. There was a delight that grew in me to spend time with God in prayer and reading the bible. I loved that I could communicate with a God I was once separated from because of my sin.
This past week in a small group, everyone was asked, "What do you think you will be remembered by once you're gone?" I thought once I am gone, I want to be remember as a "praying woman of God." I love to pray for others, there is nothing like being before the Father and praying. I do pray that if I ever have a family, they will see my heart for prayer and not only them but others who know me.
I would encourage everyone to spend more time with God in prayer. Getting to know Him is the most amazing thing. Our time in prayer is where we can be honest, offer praise, confess, interceed, offer supplication, and pray for the world around us and pray for those close to us.
Bible Verses:
Psalm 73:28 (New King James Version)
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
Hebrews 10:22 (New King James Version)
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Job 8:5-6 (New King James Version)
5 If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty
6 If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
Quote:
Intercessory prayer is the sweetest prayer God ever hears.... The more your prayer is like Christ's, the sweeter it will be.... Intercessory prayer exceedingly prevails. What wonders it has wrought! It has stopped plagues,...healed diseases,...raised the dead.... There is nothing that intercessory prayer cannot do. Believer, you have a mighty engine in your hand - use it well, use it constantly, use it now with faith, and you shall surely prevail.... Never give up anyone for spiritually dead until they are dead naturally...
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Asia shares about her life and vibrant heart for God at A Lady in the Making.
I remember when I was in high school, I was challenged to get up early in the morning to pray. I decided that around 5:30am, I would get up and pray to God. I had my prayer journal of requests from other people and I would start praying for them. Before I knew it, I saw prayers being answered and I loved spending time with God. There was a delight that grew in me to spend time with God in prayer and reading the bible. I loved that I could communicate with a God I was once separated from because of my sin.
This past week in a small group, everyone was asked, "What do you think you will be remembered by once you're gone?" I thought once I am gone, I want to be remember as a "praying woman of God." I love to pray for others, there is nothing like being before the Father and praying. I do pray that if I ever have a family, they will see my heart for prayer and not only them but others who know me.
I would encourage everyone to spend more time with God in prayer. Getting to know Him is the most amazing thing. Our time in prayer is where we can be honest, offer praise, confess, interceed, offer supplication, and pray for the world around us and pray for those close to us.
Bible Verses:
Psalm 73:28 (New King James Version)
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
Hebrews 10:22 (New King James Version)
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Job 8:5-6 (New King James Version)
5 If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty
6 If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
Quote:
Intercessory prayer is the sweetest prayer God ever hears.... The more your prayer is like Christ's, the sweeter it will be.... Intercessory prayer exceedingly prevails. What wonders it has wrought! It has stopped plagues,...healed diseases,...raised the dead.... There is nothing that intercessory prayer cannot do. Believer, you have a mighty engine in your hand - use it well, use it constantly, use it now with faith, and you shall surely prevail.... Never give up anyone for spiritually dead until they are dead naturally...
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Asia shares about her life and vibrant heart for God at A Lady in the Making.
11 October 2010
Relationships – A Central Focus in the Bible
Last Sunday I was once again impressed by the impact of practicing biblical relationships. I heard that people at church had been praying for me the previous week, and quite a few of them (both women and men!) approached me with sincere inquiries. They were truly concerned, and someone even got me a chair cushion (for my back). We have not been at that church for long, so I was really surprised – and uplifted. It seems that this congregation is committed to prayer and to putting God's word into action. What a huge, spiritual encouragement!My thoughts then moved to actual bible passages. Many of us have read them over and over, but I am hoping that the following collection from the New Testament will once again encourage you the same way it did me while collecting them. Of course this list is in no way exhaustive, but if we read it slowly and with contemplation, it should be enough to spurn us on to handle ALL of our relationships (not just a selected few) the way our Lord intended. The rewards are many, and the way it makes people FEEL is priceless...
Love one another (John 13:35 - this command comes 16 times)
Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Honour one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Be like-minded towards one another (Romans 15:5)
Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16)
Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)
Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5)
Consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
Look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4)
Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
Encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13)
Stir up one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)
Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
Employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10)
Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Confess our faults to one another (James 5:16)
And now for the final wrap-up:
This is God’s commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another (1 John 3:23). Only two things to do - not 20, or 200.
Therefore, whatever we do, let us do ALL to the glory of God! (1 Corinthians 10:31)
I pray you will have a blessed week,
Margaret
25 September 2010
Colossians 3:5-11
Colossians 3:1-11
1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
5Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--
11a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
The passage we shall be looking at is following directly on from what Paul has been speaking on in verses 1-4. He first points us to Christ and then turns the focus to the response of the believer, and begins what has been described as one of the most wonderful passages in Scripture regarding sanctification which continues through to the end of the chapter.
5Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
Here appears a paradox – we have died (verse 3) and we are raised up with Christ (verse 1), yet Paul exhorts these believers to ‘consider the members of your earthly body as dead’, or rather ‘put to death’ as other translations render this section. How can this be that we are both dead and raised, yet required to put something to death? This can be understood when we see that believers are at once perfect and wholly justified before the Lord yet simultaneously undergoing sanctification as we grow in holiness (2 Corinthians 3:18, Phil 3:12-13). Paul elsewhere shows that it is precisely because we have died in Christ that we can put to death sinful practices. Take note specifically of verse 11 below (and sorry but I thought that this whole chapter deserved repeating here).
Romans 6 [NASB]
1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
2May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7for he who has died is freed from sin.
8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
13and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!
16Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
17But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
18and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
22But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And what is it that we are meant to put to death, or consider as dead? Paul begins with ‘immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed’. These five sins refer to the inward sins, whereas the five listed in verse 8 refer to sins against the neighbour. The list begins with sexual sins in their outward expression, namely fornication, and continues with impurity or uncleanness. Hendriksen in his commentary on Colossians states that the first can be understood as evil deeds and the second as evil thoughts and intents. Henderiksen continues; “But though by mentioning passion and evil desire the apostle has, as it were, reached the very bottom of every sin, he adds one more vice, one in which all the others are summarized, namely self-seeking or greed”. The seriousness of sexual sin can be seen as Paul addresses this area immediately following his exhortations of verse 1-4 to seek Christ. These sins can so mar our relationship with the Lord because, Paul states, they “amount to idolatry” as we seek our own desires above the Lord.
6For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
In accordance with Old Testament prophecies we understand that the day of judgement is coming quickly. All through time it has been understood to be close, how much more now – two thousand years after Paul wrote these words.
Zephaniah 1 [NASB]
14Near is the great day of the LORD,
Near and coming very quickly;
Listen, the day of the LORD!
In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
15A day of wrath is that day,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16A day of trumpet and battle cry
Against the fortified cities
And the high corner towers.
17I will bring distress on men
So that they will walk like the blind,
Because they have sinned against the LORD;
And their blood will be poured out like dust
And their flesh like dung.
18Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to deliver them
On the day of the LORD'S wrath;
And all the earth will be devoured
In the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
What encouragement to live holy lives! It is because of these sins that God’s wrath is coming, but Paul states that they are the sins which the believers once walked in. These are serious sins. These sins damn people to hell, so what are we as Christians doing if we are sinning in the same manner?
Peter deals with the same point in his first letter:
1 Peter [NASB]
14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
15but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
17If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
18knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
19but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
So Paul teaches that the sins which were once ours and which deserve God’s wrath are sins which we should consider the members of our earthly body as dead to. We need to deal with these sins and as Peter writes, be obedient children who are holy and ‘conduct [ourselves] in fear’. How are we to put them to death? Paul continues:
8But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
We are to consider the members of our earthly body as dead to these sins by putting them aside. The language of ‘putting on and off’ like clothing is used here, in verse 10 and also later in verse 12 which we will look at next time. These sins are to be discarded as part of our old self for they are inconsistent with our new lives in Christ. These sins progress from inward anger at others to outward slander and abusive speech, however all of these sins affect our relationships with others. I cannot truly love a fellow Christian if I have anger towards them in my heart. Christ himself showed the evil of inward sins in Matthew 5 where he declared that those who hate others have committed murder and are guilty before God’s judgement throne. To these sins Paul adds lying. It is incredible that Paul needed to tell the believers to put these things aside and yet I know in my life I continually struggle with these sins. As believers we should be growing in godliness, and with that comes an increased awareness of our sins. Believers should not however be characterised by these sins, because they have laid aside the old self.
10and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
A helpful note from the ESV Study Bible: “A qualitative change of identity has already occurred in the lives of believers. It now only remains for them to bring their behaviour into line with their new identity. Being renewed (present tense) indicates that the transformation of Christians is an ongoing process.”
We lay aside these sins because we have new clothing, as it were. We put on the new self and so deal with the old. When I read this verse I got ahead of myself and finished the sentence with what I expected to see. I thought it would say that we are being renewed to the image of the One who created him, but that isn’t what it says. The new self is being renewed to a TRUE KNOWLEDGE according to the image of the One who created him.
John 17 [NASB]
3"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
The goal of our renewal is that we may know the Lord more, and in knowing Him more we may be conformed more to His image. We have been created again in a new image when we are born again and God continues this work in us. It is because of this new image that Paul can continue:
11a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
Before God all men are equal because those who have been born again in the image of Christ are in Christ and are sons and heirs with Him. They are equal because all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and there is one Lord over all who believe (Romans 10:11-13). Paul covers all realms of relations in society, as Hendriksen summarises in (a) racial-religious (Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised); (b) cultural (barbarian, Scythian); (c) social (slave and freeman). Once again Paul points to Christ as the all-sufficient Saviour, and Lord over all.
What joy there would be in fellowship among believers if we all put off these old practices, and put on the new self! If we saw one another as new creatures in Christ. What incredible witness there would be to the world.
I pray that this week you may grow in your knowledge of Him and that in so doing you would be putting off the old and putting on the new. God bless.
1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
5Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--
11a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
The passage we shall be looking at is following directly on from what Paul has been speaking on in verses 1-4. He first points us to Christ and then turns the focus to the response of the believer, and begins what has been described as one of the most wonderful passages in Scripture regarding sanctification which continues through to the end of the chapter.
5Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
Here appears a paradox – we have died (verse 3) and we are raised up with Christ (verse 1), yet Paul exhorts these believers to ‘consider the members of your earthly body as dead’, or rather ‘put to death’ as other translations render this section. How can this be that we are both dead and raised, yet required to put something to death? This can be understood when we see that believers are at once perfect and wholly justified before the Lord yet simultaneously undergoing sanctification as we grow in holiness (2 Corinthians 3:18, Phil 3:12-13). Paul elsewhere shows that it is precisely because we have died in Christ that we can put to death sinful practices. Take note specifically of verse 11 below (and sorry but I thought that this whole chapter deserved repeating here).
Romans 6 [NASB]
1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
2May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7for he who has died is freed from sin.
8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
13and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!
16Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
17But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
18and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
22But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And what is it that we are meant to put to death, or consider as dead? Paul begins with ‘immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed’. These five sins refer to the inward sins, whereas the five listed in verse 8 refer to sins against the neighbour. The list begins with sexual sins in their outward expression, namely fornication, and continues with impurity or uncleanness. Hendriksen in his commentary on Colossians states that the first can be understood as evil deeds and the second as evil thoughts and intents. Henderiksen continues; “But though by mentioning passion and evil desire the apostle has, as it were, reached the very bottom of every sin, he adds one more vice, one in which all the others are summarized, namely self-seeking or greed”. The seriousness of sexual sin can be seen as Paul addresses this area immediately following his exhortations of verse 1-4 to seek Christ. These sins can so mar our relationship with the Lord because, Paul states, they “amount to idolatry” as we seek our own desires above the Lord.
6For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
In accordance with Old Testament prophecies we understand that the day of judgement is coming quickly. All through time it has been understood to be close, how much more now – two thousand years after Paul wrote these words.
Zephaniah 1 [NASB]
14Near is the great day of the LORD,
Near and coming very quickly;
Listen, the day of the LORD!
In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
15A day of wrath is that day,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of destruction and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16A day of trumpet and battle cry
Against the fortified cities
And the high corner towers.
17I will bring distress on men
So that they will walk like the blind,
Because they have sinned against the LORD;
And their blood will be poured out like dust
And their flesh like dung.
18Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to deliver them
On the day of the LORD'S wrath;
And all the earth will be devoured
In the fire of His jealousy,
For He will make a complete end,
Indeed a terrifying one,
Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
What encouragement to live holy lives! It is because of these sins that God’s wrath is coming, but Paul states that they are the sins which the believers once walked in. These are serious sins. These sins damn people to hell, so what are we as Christians doing if we are sinning in the same manner?
Peter deals with the same point in his first letter:
1 Peter [NASB]
14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
15but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
17If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
18knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
19but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
So Paul teaches that the sins which were once ours and which deserve God’s wrath are sins which we should consider the members of our earthly body as dead to. We need to deal with these sins and as Peter writes, be obedient children who are holy and ‘conduct [ourselves] in fear’. How are we to put them to death? Paul continues:
8But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
We are to consider the members of our earthly body as dead to these sins by putting them aside. The language of ‘putting on and off’ like clothing is used here, in verse 10 and also later in verse 12 which we will look at next time. These sins are to be discarded as part of our old self for they are inconsistent with our new lives in Christ. These sins progress from inward anger at others to outward slander and abusive speech, however all of these sins affect our relationships with others. I cannot truly love a fellow Christian if I have anger towards them in my heart. Christ himself showed the evil of inward sins in Matthew 5 where he declared that those who hate others have committed murder and are guilty before God’s judgement throne. To these sins Paul adds lying. It is incredible that Paul needed to tell the believers to put these things aside and yet I know in my life I continually struggle with these sins. As believers we should be growing in godliness, and with that comes an increased awareness of our sins. Believers should not however be characterised by these sins, because they have laid aside the old self.
10and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
A helpful note from the ESV Study Bible: “A qualitative change of identity has already occurred in the lives of believers. It now only remains for them to bring their behaviour into line with their new identity. Being renewed (present tense) indicates that the transformation of Christians is an ongoing process.”
We lay aside these sins because we have new clothing, as it were. We put on the new self and so deal with the old. When I read this verse I got ahead of myself and finished the sentence with what I expected to see. I thought it would say that we are being renewed to the image of the One who created him, but that isn’t what it says. The new self is being renewed to a TRUE KNOWLEDGE according to the image of the One who created him.
John 17 [NASB]
3"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
The goal of our renewal is that we may know the Lord more, and in knowing Him more we may be conformed more to His image. We have been created again in a new image when we are born again and God continues this work in us. It is because of this new image that Paul can continue:
11a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
Before God all men are equal because those who have been born again in the image of Christ are in Christ and are sons and heirs with Him. They are equal because all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and there is one Lord over all who believe (Romans 10:11-13). Paul covers all realms of relations in society, as Hendriksen summarises in (a) racial-religious (Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised); (b) cultural (barbarian, Scythian); (c) social (slave and freeman). Once again Paul points to Christ as the all-sufficient Saviour, and Lord over all.
What joy there would be in fellowship among believers if we all put off these old practices, and put on the new self! If we saw one another as new creatures in Christ. What incredible witness there would be to the world.
I pray that this week you may grow in your knowledge of Him and that in so doing you would be putting off the old and putting on the new. God bless.
19 September 2010
The Spirit-Filled Life
I thought this devotional from 1 John was very good and worth sharing for my entry this week. It is written by Dr. Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries.
"By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." 1 John 2:3-6
"There was a time when I was so disheartened that it made me wonder whether I should remain in the ministry. How could I tell people that Jesus would give them peace and joy when I felt discouraged by my own failure to be godly? I understood what “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23) meant but was never sure which of those qualities, if any, would be apparent in me from day to day.
God let me stew in my anxiety until I was fully committed to finding out if His Word was true or not. I encountered my answer in a biography of Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Missions. For a long time he, too, felt that his efforts fell short of the Lord’s expectations. Then Taylor discovered that God wanted believers to take His promises literally. So when Jesus said to abide in Him, He meant that His followers were to stop striving and struggling. Instead they were to trust Him to subdue their flesh.
As a child, I was taught that a person got saved and then went to work for God. You did the best you could to act godly, think right, and speak wisely. When your best wasn’t good enough, well, you tried harder. Such an impossible expectation was wearing me out. This idea of letting Jesus Christ work through me sounded both biblical and liberating.
A grape branch doesn’t bear fruit because of its determined efforts to get sunshine; rather, it simply abides in the vine, and fruit appears. The vine does all the work. In the same way, believers are to be in union with their Savior so that spiritual fruit can grow in their life."
"By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." 1 John 2:3-6
"There was a time when I was so disheartened that it made me wonder whether I should remain in the ministry. How could I tell people that Jesus would give them peace and joy when I felt discouraged by my own failure to be godly? I understood what “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23) meant but was never sure which of those qualities, if any, would be apparent in me from day to day.
God let me stew in my anxiety until I was fully committed to finding out if His Word was true or not. I encountered my answer in a biography of Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Missions. For a long time he, too, felt that his efforts fell short of the Lord’s expectations. Then Taylor discovered that God wanted believers to take His promises literally. So when Jesus said to abide in Him, He meant that His followers were to stop striving and struggling. Instead they were to trust Him to subdue their flesh.
As a child, I was taught that a person got saved and then went to work for God. You did the best you could to act godly, think right, and speak wisely. When your best wasn’t good enough, well, you tried harder. Such an impossible expectation was wearing me out. This idea of letting Jesus Christ work through me sounded both biblical and liberating.
A grape branch doesn’t bear fruit because of its determined efforts to get sunshine; rather, it simply abides in the vine, and fruit appears. The vine does all the work. In the same way, believers are to be in union with their Savior so that spiritual fruit can grow in their life."
12 September 2010
Humility and Humiliation
Christ firstly speaks of the person who "shall exalt himself." The word exalt, Hupsoo, is related to the word altitude and has the idea of height. According to Strongs, to exalt is to lift up to the heights. The man or woman who lifts up themselves is filled with pride. They are guilty of self-exaltation. They promote themselves and promotes their own agenda. They are full of their own importance. Two prime examples from the Word are Satan and Nebuchadnezzar.
Lets take a quick look at the story of Satan's fall in Isaiah 14:12-15. Notice all the "I will’s"?
I will ascend into heaven… (vs.13)
I will exalt my throne… (vs.13)
I will sit also upon the mount… (vs.13)
I will ascend above the heights… (vs.14)
I will be like the most High." (vs.14)
I will exalt my throne… (vs.13)
I will sit also upon the mount… (vs.13)
I will ascend above the heights… (vs.14)
I will be like the most High." (vs.14)
In his pride, he exalted himself. Only what he wanted was important. Nothing else mattered.
Another example is Nebuchadnezzar. He walks in his palace in Babylon and says, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30). Again, his thoughts are totally filled with himself and his accomplishments.
These may be extreme examples, allowing us to remove ourselves from the picture saying, "I do not have that kind of pride; I know that all glory belongs to the Lord." In the New Testament letters Paul brings it home when describing his fellow labourers, "For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's" (Philippians 2:21). Thankfully, he does give Timothy as an exception so their is hope yet can we think ourselves 'naturally' better than the general rule of the apostolic age? If most of Paul's companions selfishly sought their own good above the cause of Jesus Christ, how can we think ourselves any better. Look at the greed, selfishness and pride of the modern church - We speak against others in order to exalt ourselves: we respond in anger when someone else is given an honor we think we should have received: we compare, criticize and contend with others who are also serving the Lord: we are quick to judge others yet glacially slow in judging ourselves. It is time to judge the pride in our own hearts.
In the next part of the this verse Jesus teaches us that the man who exalts himself will be abased. The word abase, Tapeinoo, comes from the root word, Tapeinos (commonly translated as base) meaning not rising far from the ground. To abase means to lower or bring down to the bottom. Colloquially we use the word humiliation. The second half of the verse will use the word humility but what's the difference?
Humility is self-abasement and it is primarily done before God. Humiliation is divine-abasement and it is done before all. One who is humiliated suffers what many Asian cultures refer to as losing face - a serious situation indeed. He is shamed before all.It is important to note that humiliation is a direct result of haughtiness. He is brought down to the ground because he lifted himself up. Other scriptures support this dichotomy:
Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him. (Job 40:11)
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
God's wisdom is so different to that of the world's. If we exalt ourselves, God will bring us down. Self-promotion is not God’s way and those exalting themselves cannot accomplish His will.
In the second contrasting section of this verse, Jesus talks about the man "that shall humble himself." Humility is found first of all in the way we think of ourselves and others. A humble man thinks of God and others first and himself last. He carries the burdens of others but he does not expect anyone else to carry his burden (Galatians 6:2,5). He expects not to be ministered unto, but to minister to others (Matthew 20:28) The man who humbles himself "shall be exalted". Self-exaltation comes before divine-abasement. But divine-exaltation is the result of self-abasement. This is further supported in other scriptural passages;
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. (Proverbs 15:33)
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (James 4:10)
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. (Proverbs 15:33)
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (James 4:10)
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time (1Peter 5:6)
What glory to be exalted by God! Why would you seek the glory and praise of man when you can have the eternal glory of God? What is a moment of glory in this world compared to the riches available in Christ? Biblical humility is the opposite of selfishness; it is selflessness. It is not a hatred or embarrassment of self, which are both still focused on self. It is a removing of self from conscious thought. It is a life so lost in pleasing God that there is no time and no need to please self. Pleasing God brings full satisfaction beyond anything this selfish world can offer. Christian humility is a losing of self in God and in others. God and His will is our focus. This is the servant’s heart. This is the disciple’s calling.
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).
Please pray with me that this may ever be so in our lives.
I hope this has been of some encouragement to you and has wet your appetite to seek out God's Word for all that pertains unto life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
Looking forward to our lovely blushing bride-to-be's post next week :)
31 August 2010
Elijah James
Hello everyone. I have tried several times to write my next blog posting and I feel at the moment that it would not be doing the passage justice to quickly put something together so I am leaving it for this month. When I next post it will be on Colossians 3:5-11, a rather confronting passage so we shall see how I go with the self examination aspect of my preparation!
For now I offer these photos. This is my beautiful family, I hope you enjoy this little snapshot into our lives. Elijah is doing really well (he is four weeks old today), and Abigail is settling into her new role as big sister very well. I hope that you are all doing well at the moment, and thank you for your posts. I have been reading them and enjoying them although I haven't had the time to comment just yet. May God bless you all this coming week and month, Taliah.
22 August 2010
The Preeminence of Christ
Over a year ago I heard a sermon on Colossians 1:15-19 that has come back to my memory many times since then. As I have been considering the insights I gleaned from this sermon, I thought I would share some of my notes and thoughts.
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:15-19
Matthew Henry adds:
"Christ in His human nature, is the visible discovery of the invisible God, and he that hath seen Him hath seen the Father. Let us adore these mysteries in humble faith, and behold the glory of the Lord in Christ Jesus. He was born or begotten before all the creation, before any creature was made; which is the Scripture way of representing eternity, and by which the eternity of God is represented to us. All things being created by Him, were created for him; being made by his power, they were made according to his pleasure, and for his praise and glory. He not only created them all at first, but it is by the word of his power that they are upheld. Christ as Mediator is the Head of the body, the church; all grace and strength are from him; and the church is his body. All fullness dwells in him; a fullness of merit and righteousness, of strength and grace for us. God showed his justice in requiring full satisfaction."
From this we are reminded that Jesus is preeminent in all things and His preeminence is past, present, and future. Jesus is the Creator of all things and the sustainer of all things.
It is worth noting that Jesus never went more than 100 miles from His birthplace of Nazareth, yet nearly 2 billion people describe themselves as followers of Christ! As Christians, we agree that Christ is preeminent, but do our lives show that Christ is preeminent? What does it mean for Christ to truly be preeminent in our lives? Luke 6:46-49 provides the answer to this question:
"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:46-49
We often assume that the man building his house on the sand is not a Christian, but actually, Jesus is talking about people like us. In order to build our lives on the preeminence of Jesus Christ, we must first come to Him. So often, we come to Jesus on our way to something else. We use Him as a ticket to something else. We come to Jesus with our eyes fixed on what He's going to do for us.
Jesus says, "Come to me." Saving faith is faith in Jesus. We often make His teaching more about what we can do "for Him", not what He has done for us. The rock of our faith is the person of Jesus Christ. Everything we do should be an expression of what Jesus has done for us.
Next, as we endeavor to make Christ preeminent in our lives, we must hear His words. Jesus is speaking to us, but are we hearing Him?
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away."
Our doctrine should be made up of truths from the Bible. Studying Jesus' words and understanding what they mean involves effort. This is so challenging to me because I often struggle with going through my entire morning devotions without even really taking the time to think deeply about what I am reading!
"If you want to feel deeply, you need to think deeply." - CJ Mahaney
"A lot of us want an experiential, deep feeling, but feeling built on feeling is empty. Emotion and feeling need to be built on something solid and unchanging. Dig your way to the truth and then the emotions will come. You will be founded on the unchanging truth of who He is." -Joshua Harris
The third step is to put His truth into practice.
"You can know 'Christianity' backwards and forwards, but if you don't put it into practice, it is nothing. Christian doctrine is for living." - Joshua Harris
"It is not enough to have your life in close proximity to the rock. When Jesus is preeminent, He pushes other things aside. His demand on us is the greatest expression of His love for us." - Joshua Harris
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:15-19
Matthew Henry adds:
"Christ in His human nature, is the visible discovery of the invisible God, and he that hath seen Him hath seen the Father. Let us adore these mysteries in humble faith, and behold the glory of the Lord in Christ Jesus. He was born or begotten before all the creation, before any creature was made; which is the Scripture way of representing eternity, and by which the eternity of God is represented to us. All things being created by Him, were created for him; being made by his power, they were made according to his pleasure, and for his praise and glory. He not only created them all at first, but it is by the word of his power that they are upheld. Christ as Mediator is the Head of the body, the church; all grace and strength are from him; and the church is his body. All fullness dwells in him; a fullness of merit and righteousness, of strength and grace for us. God showed his justice in requiring full satisfaction."
From this we are reminded that Jesus is preeminent in all things and His preeminence is past, present, and future. Jesus is the Creator of all things and the sustainer of all things.
It is worth noting that Jesus never went more than 100 miles from His birthplace of Nazareth, yet nearly 2 billion people describe themselves as followers of Christ! As Christians, we agree that Christ is preeminent, but do our lives show that Christ is preeminent? What does it mean for Christ to truly be preeminent in our lives? Luke 6:46-49 provides the answer to this question:
"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:46-49
We often assume that the man building his house on the sand is not a Christian, but actually, Jesus is talking about people like us. In order to build our lives on the preeminence of Jesus Christ, we must first come to Him. So often, we come to Jesus on our way to something else. We use Him as a ticket to something else. We come to Jesus with our eyes fixed on what He's going to do for us.
Jesus says, "Come to me." Saving faith is faith in Jesus. We often make His teaching more about what we can do "for Him", not what He has done for us. The rock of our faith is the person of Jesus Christ. Everything we do should be an expression of what Jesus has done for us.
Next, as we endeavor to make Christ preeminent in our lives, we must hear His words. Jesus is speaking to us, but are we hearing Him?
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away."
Our doctrine should be made up of truths from the Bible. Studying Jesus' words and understanding what they mean involves effort. This is so challenging to me because I often struggle with going through my entire morning devotions without even really taking the time to think deeply about what I am reading!
"If you want to feel deeply, you need to think deeply." - CJ Mahaney
"A lot of us want an experiential, deep feeling, but feeling built on feeling is empty. Emotion and feeling need to be built on something solid and unchanging. Dig your way to the truth and then the emotions will come. You will be founded on the unchanging truth of who He is." -Joshua Harris
The third step is to put His truth into practice.
"You can know 'Christianity' backwards and forwards, but if you don't put it into practice, it is nothing. Christian doctrine is for living." - Joshua Harris
"It is not enough to have your life in close proximity to the rock. When Jesus is preeminent, He pushes other things aside. His demand on us is the greatest expression of His love for us." - Joshua Harris
I pray others will be challenged by these scriptures, notes, and quotes!
15 August 2010
Biblical Translations - Will There Be a Rapture?
Today I listened to a sermon on Revelation that was particularly disappointing. Why? Because some very plain passages foretelling the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy were simply spiritualised away. That propelled me to post this particular study because I believe that the Bible is to be understood in a literal sense (which, of course, does not exclude the normal use of metaphors, analogies and the like).
Imagine for a moment that you are going about your daily business and then, all of a sudden, you are gone. People no longer see you, but you have not died. You have simply vanished to enter another realm. Am I talking about science fiction or alien abduction? The answer is ‘No’. I am thinking of actual historic events, of encounters experienced by Enoch and Elijah. What’s more, I am thinking of something that is yet to happen, something that may affect you and me. Looking forward in time, the Bible predicts a third occurrence of transformations...
ENOCH
First, let us take a look at Enoch’s experience. This man was born into the seventh generation from Adam and had a son called Methuselah. Paradoxically, Methuselah became the longest-living man on earth – 969 years, to be exact – while Enoch had the shortest life experience among his contemporaries. He was only 365 years old when he left this world, merely one third of the average ante-diluvian age. Why am I emphasizing this fact? Because it is due to his transformation: “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). As simple as that – God took him home, and Enoch became the first person to be translated into the realm of God without experiencing physical death.
No further reason is given for this unusual event except for one short sentence in the book of Hebrews (11:5): “By faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death, and was not found because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Nothing more is said, and Enoch is never again mentioned in the Bible except for Jude 14, where he is said to have foretold the judgment of false teachers, and Luke 3:37, where he is confirmed as representing the seventh generation from Adam and as part of the earthly lineage of Christ through Mary. Could this short account of Enoch’s translation be the initiation and foreshadowing of similar occurrences? This seems very likely, because the Bible records three such events in total; two that are past and one yet to come.
ELIJAH
The second event involved Elijah, who was also taken away from this earth without going through physical death. He had the same experience as Enoch, although the circumstances were a little more flamboyant: Elijah was whisked away by a fiery chariot drawn by fiery horses, taken up into heaven by a whirlwind - read his story in 2nd Kings, Chapter 2. The Bible recalls another interesting fact about this particular translation: both Elijah and his successor Elisha knew about it in advance, and Elisha kept waiting for the unusual event to occur. Could this have a foreshadowing significance for the last event of this kind?
You may not have heard about these disappearances before today, but God had a purpose for recording them in the Bible. Furthermore, you may be wondering what Enoch and Elijah’s experiences have to do with you in today’s world. Well, event number three has not yet happened, and if you belong to God, you could be involved in it. How do I know? Because I believe what is written in the Bible.
CHRISTIANS
The apostle Paul spoke about this exciting moment as something new, something hitherto unknown: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we [who are alive at that time] shall be changed” (1 Cor.15:51-52). He also emphasized the fact that this revelation came directly from God: ”For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
What an exciting event to look forward to! The writer of Hebrews agrees: ”Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb.9:28). Should we ask ourselves whether WE are eagerly waiting for His appearing? Are we expecting Him to return from heaven to whisk us away? Are we looking forward to the possibility of being transformed while still alive in order to meet Him in the air? What a wonderful expectation for those who have trusted in the Son of God for their salvation, for those who are near to the heart of God through faith.
Imagine for a moment that you are going about your daily business and then, all of a sudden, you are gone. People no longer see you, but you have not died. You have simply vanished to enter another realm. Am I talking about science fiction or alien abduction? The answer is ‘No’. I am thinking of actual historic events, of encounters experienced by Enoch and Elijah. What’s more, I am thinking of something that is yet to happen, something that may affect you and me. Looking forward in time, the Bible predicts a third occurrence of transformations...
ENOCH
First, let us take a look at Enoch’s experience. This man was born into the seventh generation from Adam and had a son called Methuselah. Paradoxically, Methuselah became the longest-living man on earth – 969 years, to be exact – while Enoch had the shortest life experience among his contemporaries. He was only 365 years old when he left this world, merely one third of the average ante-diluvian age. Why am I emphasizing this fact? Because it is due to his transformation: “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). As simple as that – God took him home, and Enoch became the first person to be translated into the realm of God without experiencing physical death.
No further reason is given for this unusual event except for one short sentence in the book of Hebrews (11:5): “By faith Enoch was translated so that he did not see death, and was not found because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Nothing more is said, and Enoch is never again mentioned in the Bible except for Jude 14, where he is said to have foretold the judgment of false teachers, and Luke 3:37, where he is confirmed as representing the seventh generation from Adam and as part of the earthly lineage of Christ through Mary. Could this short account of Enoch’s translation be the initiation and foreshadowing of similar occurrences? This seems very likely, because the Bible records three such events in total; two that are past and one yet to come.
ELIJAH
The second event involved Elijah, who was also taken away from this earth without going through physical death. He had the same experience as Enoch, although the circumstances were a little more flamboyant: Elijah was whisked away by a fiery chariot drawn by fiery horses, taken up into heaven by a whirlwind - read his story in 2nd Kings, Chapter 2. The Bible recalls another interesting fact about this particular translation: both Elijah and his successor Elisha knew about it in advance, and Elisha kept waiting for the unusual event to occur. Could this have a foreshadowing significance for the last event of this kind?
You may not have heard about these disappearances before today, but God had a purpose for recording them in the Bible. Furthermore, you may be wondering what Enoch and Elijah’s experiences have to do with you in today’s world. Well, event number three has not yet happened, and if you belong to God, you could be involved in it. How do I know? Because I believe what is written in the Bible.
CHRISTIANS
The apostle Paul spoke about this exciting moment as something new, something hitherto unknown: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we [who are alive at that time] shall be changed” (1 Cor.15:51-52). He also emphasized the fact that this revelation came directly from God: ”For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
What an exciting event to look forward to! The writer of Hebrews agrees: ”Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb.9:28). Should we ask ourselves whether WE are eagerly waiting for His appearing? Are we expecting Him to return from heaven to whisk us away? Are we looking forward to the possibility of being transformed while still alive in order to meet Him in the air? What a wonderful expectation for those who have trusted in the Son of God for their salvation, for those who are near to the heart of God through faith.
08 August 2010
Who is God?
“There is none holy as the LORD” (1 Sam. 2:2).
To worship God properly we must know something about Him. True worship must be based on a deep heartfelt appreciation of who God is, what He has done for us, and what He has promised to do: it must be based on truth rather than the inconsistency of our feelings. “They that worship [God] must worship Him … in truth” (John 4:24). Today I just wanted to impress upon you, mainly through scripture verses, one characteristic of God, His holiness. This understanding brings the sinner into a relationship with God that is founded on Him: His character, His work, His promises.
“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness” (Psa. 30:4).
“He sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name” (Psa. 111:9).
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims … and one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
The declaration of the holiness of God will ring out in heaven throughout eternity: “And the four beasts … rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Rev. 4:8).
What then do we do with this information? How should it change our perceptions, our actions and our attitude? Go back to Isaiah, hearing the seraphim proclaim in rapturous chorus, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. What was Isaiah’s response to this truth?
“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).
However holy Isaiah may have been in comparison to the other Israelites, in the presence of God and His holiness Isaiah became thoroughly aware of his own utter unholiness. So many people, Christian and non-Christian alike, say they are a “good person” and therefore do not deserve the judgement of God which culminates in Hell. If only we would compare ourselves to Him, then we would gain a more realistic assessment of our own sinfulness and see how fitting His judgement is.
Understanding our sinfulness in the eyes of God is not simply a self deprecating experience that ends in despair. No, no! It leads to joy indescribable, appreciation unable to be uttered and a liberty unequalled. In Christ we are no longer held held under the bondage of our sin: we are no longer separated from our Creator. Through the saving work on Jesus Christ on the Cross the relationship God always wanted for us to have with Him is established. When He returns this relationship shall be fully consummated and we shall be as He sees us.
I hope this short study on the holiness of God has been of some encouragement to you. Doing a word study on holiness is a good place to start should you wish to understand this topic in further depth.
God bless,
Laura
PS: On a personal note let me publicly congratulate my dear sister Taliah on the birth of her second child; Elijah James. We are all praying for you and your family (hubby Shane and daughter Abigail) as you welcome this new addition into your homes and lives.
To worship God properly we must know something about Him. True worship must be based on a deep heartfelt appreciation of who God is, what He has done for us, and what He has promised to do: it must be based on truth rather than the inconsistency of our feelings. “They that worship [God] must worship Him … in truth” (John 4:24). Today I just wanted to impress upon you, mainly through scripture verses, one characteristic of God, His holiness. This understanding brings the sinner into a relationship with God that is founded on Him: His character, His work, His promises.
“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness” (Psa. 30:4).
“He sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name” (Psa. 111:9).
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims … and one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
The declaration of the holiness of God will ring out in heaven throughout eternity: “And the four beasts … rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Rev. 4:8).
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning let songs arise to Thee!
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty—
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! all Thy saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea,
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which were, and art, and evermore shalt be!
Early in the morning let songs arise to Thee!
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty—
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! all Thy saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea,
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which were, and art, and evermore shalt be!
R. Heber
What then do we do with this information? How should it change our perceptions, our actions and our attitude? Go back to Isaiah, hearing the seraphim proclaim in rapturous chorus, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. What was Isaiah’s response to this truth?
“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).
However holy Isaiah may have been in comparison to the other Israelites, in the presence of God and His holiness Isaiah became thoroughly aware of his own utter unholiness. So many people, Christian and non-Christian alike, say they are a “good person” and therefore do not deserve the judgement of God which culminates in Hell. If only we would compare ourselves to Him, then we would gain a more realistic assessment of our own sinfulness and see how fitting His judgement is.
Understanding our sinfulness in the eyes of God is not simply a self deprecating experience that ends in despair. No, no! It leads to joy indescribable, appreciation unable to be uttered and a liberty unequalled. In Christ we are no longer held held under the bondage of our sin: we are no longer separated from our Creator. Through the saving work on Jesus Christ on the Cross the relationship God always wanted for us to have with Him is established. When He returns this relationship shall be fully consummated and we shall be as He sees us.
I hope this short study on the holiness of God has been of some encouragement to you. Doing a word study on holiness is a good place to start should you wish to understand this topic in further depth.
God bless,
Laura
PS: On a personal note let me publicly congratulate my dear sister Taliah on the birth of her second child; Elijah James. We are all praying for you and your family (hubby Shane and daughter Abigail) as you welcome this new addition into your homes and lives.
21 July 2010
Colossians 3:1-4
1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Last study we looked specifically at the heresies which the Colossian church faced, and the answers to these heresies found in Christ and His finished work. This study we are blessed to look at these four short verses which contain incredible truths.
1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
This language is similar to chapter 2 where through baptism the believers are buried and raised up with Christ.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
If the believer has been granted these great privileges through the death and resurrection of Christ, then naturally it follows that they should continue to seek the things pertaining to Christ. Hendriksen in his commentary on Colossians states “the verb ‘seek’ implies persevering effort; hence the rendering, “Be constantly seeking,” is not incorrect. This seeking, moreover, is more than a seeking to discover. It is a seeking to obtain... The emphasis, though, is not on the seeking but on the object sought. A precise rendering would be, “the things that are above be constantly seeking.””
Our hearts and minds have been bought by the precious blood of Christ, and so we should be constantly seeking the things where Christ is. Our Saviour is not only the spotless Lamb of God, but He has been exalted to the right hand of God.
Christ Himself made this claim before Caiaphas, the high priest, referencing Psalm 110.
Matthew 26 [NASB]
63But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God."
64Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."
65Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy;
Psalm 110 [NASB]
1The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."
What an encouragement it should be to us to know who Christ is, what honour He has been bestowed, and what He has done for us when we were raised up with Him.
Ephesians 1 [NASB]
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him...
For this reason we are told to keep seeking the things above where Christ is.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
The idea behind this verse is that we are to ponder and yearn for these things above. Paul is giving the Colossian believers very practical teaching, this admonition is the answer to all their temptations which they are faced with. Some of the things which are in view here are listed later in chapter 3.
Colossians 3:12-16 [NASB]
...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing ... forgiving ... love... peace of Christ ... thankful...
If we compare these things with the alternatives of ‘self-made religion’ offered in chapter 2 it becomes clear that if these Christ-like virtues fill our hearts and minds then they shall be of great value against fleshly indulgence.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
As Christians we can have assurance that we will receive these things because of the truths in verse 1 - we have already been raised from the dead with Christ, and this same Christ has been bestowed power and authority at the right hand of God.
We are however often tempted to set our minds on the things of earth. Peter walked on water, but began to sink when he looked away from Christ and looked to the wind and the storm around him (Matthew 14:22-32). I so often am dismayed when I am setting my mind on my circumstances and not on Christ. As Meredith shared last week, as Christian we can choose joy in Christ because we can rejoice IN THE LORD. It is in Him that we have these great and magnificent promises.
1 John 2 [NASB]
15Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
How incredible it is when we see who Christ is and what He has done that we still need to be exhorted to set our minds on Him! May the Lord help us.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Paul repeats here the language of death. We are dead, buried and raised with Christ.
Galatians 6 [NASB]
14But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
These things on earth which we once sought after with our whole being have been crucified to us in Christ. As Matthew Henry states “If we are dead to the earth, and have renounced it as our happiness, it is absurd for us to set our affections upon it and seek it. We should be like a dead thing to it, unmoved and unaffected towards it”.
As the earth is dead to us we are likewise made alive to a new world – Christ. Paul constantly speaks in this way in his epistles.
Galatians 2 [NASB]
20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Philippians 1 [NASB]
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Christ is now the “principle and end of the Christian’s life” (Matthew Henry). By hidden we understand that our lives are safe in Him. Our lives are also hidden as He is from this present world. The world did not understand Him and does not now see Him as He is – likewise the believer.
1 John 3 [NASB]
1See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
What a hope we have laid up in Christ!
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Our hope is not only for now, but for the future at His second coming. When Christ appears we will be like Him, and so we will be revealed with Him in glory! If we have been raised up with Christ, all of this is our hope. If our life is now hid with Christ it will then be revealed in Him also. Praise the Lord!
Matthew Henry concludes “Do we look for such a happiness, and should we not set our affections upon that world, and live above this? What is there here to make us fond of it? What is there not there to draw our hearts to it? Our head is there, our home is there, our treasure is there, and we hope to be there forever.”
What great things Christ has done for us. He is the Only and All-Sufficient Saviour. He is our hope, our life, our joy.
God bless.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Last study we looked specifically at the heresies which the Colossian church faced, and the answers to these heresies found in Christ and His finished work. This study we are blessed to look at these four short verses which contain incredible truths.
1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
This language is similar to chapter 2 where through baptism the believers are buried and raised up with Christ.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
If the believer has been granted these great privileges through the death and resurrection of Christ, then naturally it follows that they should continue to seek the things pertaining to Christ. Hendriksen in his commentary on Colossians states “the verb ‘seek’ implies persevering effort; hence the rendering, “Be constantly seeking,” is not incorrect. This seeking, moreover, is more than a seeking to discover. It is a seeking to obtain... The emphasis, though, is not on the seeking but on the object sought. A precise rendering would be, “the things that are above be constantly seeking.””
Our hearts and minds have been bought by the precious blood of Christ, and so we should be constantly seeking the things where Christ is. Our Saviour is not only the spotless Lamb of God, but He has been exalted to the right hand of God.
Christ Himself made this claim before Caiaphas, the high priest, referencing Psalm 110.
Matthew 26 [NASB]
63But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, "I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God."
64Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."
65Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy;
Psalm 110 [NASB]
1The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."
What an encouragement it should be to us to know who Christ is, what honour He has been bestowed, and what He has done for us when we were raised up with Him.
Ephesians 1 [NASB]
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him...
For this reason we are told to keep seeking the things above where Christ is.
2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
The idea behind this verse is that we are to ponder and yearn for these things above. Paul is giving the Colossian believers very practical teaching, this admonition is the answer to all their temptations which they are faced with. Some of the things which are in view here are listed later in chapter 3.
Colossians 3:12-16 [NASB]
...compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing ... forgiving ... love... peace of Christ ... thankful...
If we compare these things with the alternatives of ‘self-made religion’ offered in chapter 2 it becomes clear that if these Christ-like virtues fill our hearts and minds then they shall be of great value against fleshly indulgence.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
As Christians we can have assurance that we will receive these things because of the truths in verse 1 - we have already been raised from the dead with Christ, and this same Christ has been bestowed power and authority at the right hand of God.
We are however often tempted to set our minds on the things of earth. Peter walked on water, but began to sink when he looked away from Christ and looked to the wind and the storm around him (Matthew 14:22-32). I so often am dismayed when I am setting my mind on my circumstances and not on Christ. As Meredith shared last week, as Christian we can choose joy in Christ because we can rejoice IN THE LORD. It is in Him that we have these great and magnificent promises.
1 John 2 [NASB]
15Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
How incredible it is when we see who Christ is and what He has done that we still need to be exhorted to set our minds on Him! May the Lord help us.
3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Paul repeats here the language of death. We are dead, buried and raised with Christ.
Galatians 6 [NASB]
14But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
These things on earth which we once sought after with our whole being have been crucified to us in Christ. As Matthew Henry states “If we are dead to the earth, and have renounced it as our happiness, it is absurd for us to set our affections upon it and seek it. We should be like a dead thing to it, unmoved and unaffected towards it”.
As the earth is dead to us we are likewise made alive to a new world – Christ. Paul constantly speaks in this way in his epistles.
Galatians 2 [NASB]
20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Philippians 1 [NASB]
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Christ is now the “principle and end of the Christian’s life” (Matthew Henry). By hidden we understand that our lives are safe in Him. Our lives are also hidden as He is from this present world. The world did not understand Him and does not now see Him as He is – likewise the believer.
1 John 3 [NASB]
1See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
What a hope we have laid up in Christ!
4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Our hope is not only for now, but for the future at His second coming. When Christ appears we will be like Him, and so we will be revealed with Him in glory! If we have been raised up with Christ, all of this is our hope. If our life is now hid with Christ it will then be revealed in Him also. Praise the Lord!
Matthew Henry concludes “Do we look for such a happiness, and should we not set our affections upon that world, and live above this? What is there here to make us fond of it? What is there not there to draw our hearts to it? Our head is there, our home is there, our treasure is there, and we hope to be there forever.”
What great things Christ has done for us. He is the Only and All-Sufficient Saviour. He is our hope, our life, our joy.
God bless.
18 July 2010
Choosing Joy
Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend a Christian conference promoting life and families. As I have recalled the many sessions held throughout the weekend, covering everything from Haitian adoptions to euthanasia to embryology, one small point mentioned in passing by one of the speakers has stood out to me beyond any other. The woman being interviewed, Mrs. Michelle Duggar, mother to nineteen children, emphasized the importance of choosing joy even when we don't feel like it. She recounted how, during one especially trying season, she would go around her home singing, "The Joy of the Lord Is My Strength" to remind herself of this important truth.
As followers of Christ, we have an inner joy and peace that the world cannot understand, but sometimes in the day to day tasks we can lose sight of our primary purpose and get so easily caught up in the menial tasks of the day. While I should not put on a fake front, I also should not adopt a spirit of negativity in the midst of my many responsibilities. Lately, as I juggle serving my family at home through housework, cooking, and running one of our businesses, homeschooling two of my siblings, trying to "finish strong" as a daughter and sister in my final few months in my family's home, and attempting to be a sweet fiancée to my gracious soon-to-be husband, all the while planning a wedding, I have consistently found myself in an overwhelmed state more often than not. I have felt tremendously guilty that I am not using the final months at home to their fullest.
Mrs. Duggar's words on choosing to be joyful rang true in my heart and have been a source of comfort to me. As I pondered her words of admonition, I decided to study more scriptures on choosing to be joyful, which I have included here with the hope that they may be encouragement to others as well:
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." Psalm 5:11
"...For this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold." Nehemiah 8:10
"This is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
Many blessings for a joyful new week!
As followers of Christ, we have an inner joy and peace that the world cannot understand, but sometimes in the day to day tasks we can lose sight of our primary purpose and get so easily caught up in the menial tasks of the day. While I should not put on a fake front, I also should not adopt a spirit of negativity in the midst of my many responsibilities. Lately, as I juggle serving my family at home through housework, cooking, and running one of our businesses, homeschooling two of my siblings, trying to "finish strong" as a daughter and sister in my final few months in my family's home, and attempting to be a sweet fiancée to my gracious soon-to-be husband, all the while planning a wedding, I have consistently found myself in an overwhelmed state more often than not. I have felt tremendously guilty that I am not using the final months at home to their fullest.
Mrs. Duggar's words on choosing to be joyful rang true in my heart and have been a source of comfort to me. As I pondered her words of admonition, I decided to study more scriptures on choosing to be joyful, which I have included here with the hope that they may be encouragement to others as well:
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." Psalm 5:11
"Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him." Psalm 33:1
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4
"Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!" Psalm 32:11-12
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Habakkuk 3:18
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:11"...For this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold." Nehemiah 8:10
"This is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
Many blessings for a joyful new week!
11 July 2010
Generational Curses Affect Christians - True or False?
I have come across quite a few women lately who believe that generational curses affect Christians today, and that these curses need to be dealt with before change can occur. But is this true?All too often, well-meaning believers simply take on board what they are taught. In an ideal world that would be commendable, but in a fallen world, where our old nature still exerts itself, we need to be careful. We should refer EVERYTHING to Scripture because that is what Jesus did. In Matthew 4:6-10, for example, He answered three times with the words, “It is written…”
Another example is that of certain Jews at Berea. When Paul spoke to them about Jesus Christ they did not believe him without “checking the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). And apparently they did find sufficient proof because many of them believed.
Talk of generational curses has become quite commonplace among certain Christian groups. The two big questions are, “Does this concept have biblical validity for members of the body of Christ?" And, "Can we find New Testament evidence for such terminology and practice?” This little study will help you find out for yourself. It is designed to lead sincere Christians into truth by searching Scripture for themselves.
When we search Scripture we cannot simply take a Bible text and apply it to every situation throughout all of history. We need to read the Bible contextually, i.e. place what we read into its immediate (chapter), surrounding (book) and overall (whole Bible) context. Today’s Christians need to be especially careful because many current teachings are not consistent with Bible truth in this contextual sense. In the case of generational curses, for example, we cannot automatically transport Old Testament references into today’s church context. We need to check both Old and New Testaments for occurrences of this concept and then make contextual comparisons.
If you want to find out for yourself, get out a concordance and do a word study. For those of you who don’t know what a concordance is, it’s a reference work that lists every English word of a specific Bible translation. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is particularly helpful because it also lists the original Greek or Hebrew words and has a dictionary. If you don’t have one, you can use a free online version at www.biblestudytools.com/concordances/strongs-exhaustive-concordance/ (this site hosts a variety of helpful study tools).
Prove to yourself that the New Testament does not mention generational curses or sins being visited on following generations! Look up the word ‘curse’ in all it’s forms in a concordance, and you will see that the New Testament does not support this erroneous teaching one bit! Romans 12:1-2 tells us that we are to renew our minds according to Scripture (not according to teachings and traditions of men). When you have done your own study, compare your findings with the following:
Exodus 20:5 and 34:7 - the curse was pronounced as part of the 10 commandments. Note: the curse is God’s response to idolatry.
Nu.14:18 and Deut. 5:98 refer to the same situation. The sins of the fathers are visited on their children to the 3rd & 4th generation.
Deut. 24:16 and other texts state that fathers are NOT to be put to death for their children and visa versa. This context refers to ‘sins unto death’, not idolatry in particular.
Jer. 31:27-34 also refers to the suffering of children for their fathers’ deeds, yet Jeremiah promises that this will change under the New Covenant!
The New Testament contains no references whatsoever regarding generational curses or sins being visited on following generations.
Such a concept is totally inconceivable in regard to the church (Christ's body) because the Bible clearly states that all believers receive the righteousness of Christ and are pronounced ‘not guilty’ in a judicial sense when they come to faith and are born again. At this time ALL of their sins are washed away and they embark on an extended journey from spiritual infanthood to adulthood. Along the way they are conformed to the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit (although never perfectly so) and are also chastised by God when necessary (for their benefit, learning, and guidance – see Hebrews). But they are never cursed, nor do they inherit a curse.
Think about it logically: if generational curses were still in operation today, based on the Scriptures we read and the New Testament principles that affect believers, these curses could only affect idolatrous non-believers, with the result that their following 3-4 generations would be prevented from becoming believers. However, we know this is not true! Even severe idolaters have become Christians, and so have their sons and daughters. One such person, for example, a Hindu Avatar and the son of an Avatar, became a Christian and wrote Death of a Guru, a very interesting book.
Always search Scripture IN CONTEXT so that you won't be deceived.
Many blessings, Margaret
26 June 2010
Colossians 2:8-23
Colossians 2 [NASB]
8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
16Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--
17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
18Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
22(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
-
8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
What was positively stated in Colosians 2:6-7 is now negatively emphasised in verses 8-10. Paul is saying ‘Ýou have received Christ, do not allow yourself to be carried away by anything less than what you already have which is found in Christ’.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Through this whole section (chapter 2) Paul is showing his deep concern for the Colossian church and presents the reality found in Christ as the answer to any temptation they may face.
As Paul states earlier in the letter, the believer has been transferred out of the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s Son (Col 1:13-14) and so to be taken captive once more would be the greatest tragedy.
The things Paul warns against are the futile, empty deceptions which accompany the philosophies of men. These are not godly men but rather earthly, worldly. What fellowship has Christ or the Christian with such things (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)? We are to be taken captive only by those things which are according to Christ, firmly rooted, established and built up in them.
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Here is the reality of Christ presented in all its glory. Paul has already expounded on Christ’s supremacy in chapter 1, and declared that in Him is the mystery of God and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3), but now Paul crowns this with the declaration that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. Hendriksen summarises the meaning of this phrase as ‘all the fullness of the indwelling essence of God is completely concentrated in Christ’ and goes on to say that this means that ‘there is no need of or justification for looking elsewhere for help, salvation or spiritual perfection’ (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
Paul goes on to say literally ‘in Him you have attained to fullness’. Again, Hendriksen helpfully paraphrases ‘in Christ you have reached the Source whence flows the stream of blessings that supplies whatever you need for this life and for the next’. Why go to any other source when you have Christ? Why submit to any other rule or authority when He is head over all and all things have been put in subjection under His feet?
Ephesians 1 [NASB]
19b These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
F.F. Bruce puts it that ‘those who are in Christ have no need to pay respect to the forces over which He has vindicated His pre-eminence’.
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
As Paul has presented the supremacy of Christ, he now presents the supremacy of the ‘religious system’ (for want of a better term) which Christians now have a part in. It is as if he is saying: ‘if any religious system is presented to you, the Christian, which appears to have value or weight compare it to what we now have in Christ’. If someone speaks to you about physical circumcision then compare it to the spiritual circumcision which deals with the sanctification of the whole self by dealing with the body of flesh. The Christian has the spiritual circumcision in their baptism where they are buried and raised again. We were dirty sinners who were dead in our transgressions, and He made us alive and changed us from objects of wrath and condemnation to recipients of forgiveness and justification. Praise be to God! All of this is possible not simply through the physical action of baptism in and of itself, but ‘through faith in the working of God’.
Paul presents the parts involved in ‘making us alive’: forgiveness, setting aside the law (as the means to obtain righteousness) and the disarming of the rulers and authorities. Paul comforts the believers by setting out what privileges Christ has won in the cross. The battle with sin, death and the spiritual hosts of evil has been won for us in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Once again, all that we need is found in Christ.
16Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--
17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Here we begin to see more specific examples of the teachings which the Colossians were faced with. Paul has dealt with the philosophical teachings which were creeping in and now looks at the Jewish aspects of the regulations others are trying to impose on the believers. In light of the previous section Paul can say ‘therefore no one is to act as your judge’. As in Romans 8:32-34, if it is God who has justified us and who will judge us, then what can any man say regarding a way to God which exceeds the way He has outlined for us? Any man who questions the sufficiency of our salvation found in Christ is questioning God Himself because “...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB). These things which people are pointing to as necessary for salvation (food, drink, festivals) take away from the all-sufficiency of Christ who came as the fulfilment of the Old Testament ‘shadows’. Paul has just listed in verses 11-15 the things which Christ’s life, death and resurrection have achieved for the believer. How can these external observances add anything at all to what we have in Him? Hendriksen points out that “if even the law of God, as a code of ceremonial ordinances and rules and as a means unto salvation, was blotted out and nailed to the cross, then surely man-made instructions regarding eating, drinking etc. must be discarded”.
18Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
Paul uses strong language here of ‘defrauding you of your prize’. Do not let others try to make you feel inferior to them with regards to their ‘spirituality’ because this special ‘knowledge’ he claims to have is a source of pride as 1 Corinthians 8:1 says: “...Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.” Note that those who live this way have a ‘fleshly’, unregenerate mind. The false humility is a disguise for sinful pride and all of this without cause. There is no real weight behind the assertions of someone like this, and Paul exposes this to encourage the believers to hold fast to Christ.
Those who take their stand on visions they have seen have not held fast to Christ, the head and they have forgotten that in Christ “...are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3 NASB). It is “to Christ that the entire church owes its growth. The church need not and must not look for any other source of strength to overcome sin or to increase in knowledge, virtue, and joy” (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
22(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Paul moves on to another area of teaching which, although it may appear to be ‘wisdom’ does more harm than good. If righteousness comes through the keeping of the Law then Paul concludes elsewhere that Christ died needlessly.
Galatians 2 [NASB]
18"For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19"For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.
20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
How much more so for man-made ordinances and restrictions such as ‘do not taste’? The perfect God breathed Law was unable to secure our salvation. If we are putting our hope of salvation in anything which is ‘destined to perish’ then we are foolish.
Jesus spoke of this when the Pharisees questioned Him over the traditions of the elders.
Matthew 15 [NASB]
7You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
9'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN'
...
17Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?
The conclusion of this section is a scathing rebuttal of any system of religion outside of the all sufficiency of Christ. Paul says that it may appear wise, but this is a thin facade which covers something of ‘no value’. Hendriksen summarises “Any system if religion which is unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as the only and all-sufficient Saviour is an indulgence of the flesh, a giving in to man’s sinful conceit, as if he, by his own contrivances, were able to perfect Christ’s imperfect work. It makes matters worse instead of better.”
Paul in this letter has continually presented Christ in all His glory as the all-sufficient Saviour of the believer and supreme One over all. He is the answer to anyone who seeks to present a different way to God. He is our hope, our assurance, and our wisdom. “In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete” (Col 2:9-10). May we take Pauls words to heart and be protected against any judge or any who would defraud us of our prize.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
God bless.
8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
16Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--
17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
18Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
22(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
-
8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
What was positively stated in Colosians 2:6-7 is now negatively emphasised in verses 8-10. Paul is saying ‘Ýou have received Christ, do not allow yourself to be carried away by anything less than what you already have which is found in Christ’.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Through this whole section (chapter 2) Paul is showing his deep concern for the Colossian church and presents the reality found in Christ as the answer to any temptation they may face.
As Paul states earlier in the letter, the believer has been transferred out of the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s Son (Col 1:13-14) and so to be taken captive once more would be the greatest tragedy.
The things Paul warns against are the futile, empty deceptions which accompany the philosophies of men. These are not godly men but rather earthly, worldly. What fellowship has Christ or the Christian with such things (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)? We are to be taken captive only by those things which are according to Christ, firmly rooted, established and built up in them.
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Here is the reality of Christ presented in all its glory. Paul has already expounded on Christ’s supremacy in chapter 1, and declared that in Him is the mystery of God and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3), but now Paul crowns this with the declaration that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. Hendriksen summarises the meaning of this phrase as ‘all the fullness of the indwelling essence of God is completely concentrated in Christ’ and goes on to say that this means that ‘there is no need of or justification for looking elsewhere for help, salvation or spiritual perfection’ (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
Paul goes on to say literally ‘in Him you have attained to fullness’. Again, Hendriksen helpfully paraphrases ‘in Christ you have reached the Source whence flows the stream of blessings that supplies whatever you need for this life and for the next’. Why go to any other source when you have Christ? Why submit to any other rule or authority when He is head over all and all things have been put in subjection under His feet?
Ephesians 1 [NASB]
19b These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
F.F. Bruce puts it that ‘those who are in Christ have no need to pay respect to the forces over which He has vindicated His pre-eminence’.
11and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
12having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
As Paul has presented the supremacy of Christ, he now presents the supremacy of the ‘religious system’ (for want of a better term) which Christians now have a part in. It is as if he is saying: ‘if any religious system is presented to you, the Christian, which appears to have value or weight compare it to what we now have in Christ’. If someone speaks to you about physical circumcision then compare it to the spiritual circumcision which deals with the sanctification of the whole self by dealing with the body of flesh. The Christian has the spiritual circumcision in their baptism where they are buried and raised again. We were dirty sinners who were dead in our transgressions, and He made us alive and changed us from objects of wrath and condemnation to recipients of forgiveness and justification. Praise be to God! All of this is possible not simply through the physical action of baptism in and of itself, but ‘through faith in the working of God’.
Paul presents the parts involved in ‘making us alive’: forgiveness, setting aside the law (as the means to obtain righteousness) and the disarming of the rulers and authorities. Paul comforts the believers by setting out what privileges Christ has won in the cross. The battle with sin, death and the spiritual hosts of evil has been won for us in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Once again, all that we need is found in Christ.
16Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--
17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Here we begin to see more specific examples of the teachings which the Colossians were faced with. Paul has dealt with the philosophical teachings which were creeping in and now looks at the Jewish aspects of the regulations others are trying to impose on the believers. In light of the previous section Paul can say ‘therefore no one is to act as your judge’. As in Romans 8:32-34, if it is God who has justified us and who will judge us, then what can any man say regarding a way to God which exceeds the way He has outlined for us? Any man who questions the sufficiency of our salvation found in Christ is questioning God Himself because “...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB). These things which people are pointing to as necessary for salvation (food, drink, festivals) take away from the all-sufficiency of Christ who came as the fulfilment of the Old Testament ‘shadows’. Paul has just listed in verses 11-15 the things which Christ’s life, death and resurrection have achieved for the believer. How can these external observances add anything at all to what we have in Him? Hendriksen points out that “if even the law of God, as a code of ceremonial ordinances and rules and as a means unto salvation, was blotted out and nailed to the cross, then surely man-made instructions regarding eating, drinking etc. must be discarded”.
18Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
Paul uses strong language here of ‘defrauding you of your prize’. Do not let others try to make you feel inferior to them with regards to their ‘spirituality’ because this special ‘knowledge’ he claims to have is a source of pride as 1 Corinthians 8:1 says: “...Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.” Note that those who live this way have a ‘fleshly’, unregenerate mind. The false humility is a disguise for sinful pride and all of this without cause. There is no real weight behind the assertions of someone like this, and Paul exposes this to encourage the believers to hold fast to Christ.
Those who take their stand on visions they have seen have not held fast to Christ, the head and they have forgotten that in Christ “...are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3 NASB). It is “to Christ that the entire church owes its growth. The church need not and must not look for any other source of strength to overcome sin or to increase in knowledge, virtue, and joy” (W. Hendriksen on Colossians).
20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
22(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Paul moves on to another area of teaching which, although it may appear to be ‘wisdom’ does more harm than good. If righteousness comes through the keeping of the Law then Paul concludes elsewhere that Christ died needlessly.
Galatians 2 [NASB]
18"For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
19"For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.
20"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
How much more so for man-made ordinances and restrictions such as ‘do not taste’? The perfect God breathed Law was unable to secure our salvation. If we are putting our hope of salvation in anything which is ‘destined to perish’ then we are foolish.
Jesus spoke of this when the Pharisees questioned Him over the traditions of the elders.
Matthew 15 [NASB]
7You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
9'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN'
...
17Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?
The conclusion of this section is a scathing rebuttal of any system of religion outside of the all sufficiency of Christ. Paul says that it may appear wise, but this is a thin facade which covers something of ‘no value’. Hendriksen summarises “Any system if religion which is unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as the only and all-sufficient Saviour is an indulgence of the flesh, a giving in to man’s sinful conceit, as if he, by his own contrivances, were able to perfect Christ’s imperfect work. It makes matters worse instead of better.”
Paul in this letter has continually presented Christ in all His glory as the all-sufficient Saviour of the believer and supreme One over all. He is the answer to anyone who seeks to present a different way to God. He is our hope, our assurance, and our wisdom. “In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete” (Col 2:9-10). May we take Pauls words to heart and be protected against any judge or any who would defraud us of our prize.
Colossians 2 [NASB]
6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
God bless.
20 June 2010
Overcoming the Storms of Life
Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Matthew 8:23-27
Whether or not we are presently encountering storms in our lives, we can be certain that storms will come as we live in this fallen world. How do we overcome these storms? Do we turn to God or do we foolishly try to calm our storms in our own efforts? Are we disciples or followers of God only when He is making our lives comfortable? Do we only love the Lord when good things happen?
Some keys I have recently learned for overcoming storms in life are to acknowledge my fears, trust God to handle my fears, and grow through my fears.
First, we are to acknowledge our fears. God is always pleased when we come to Him. He wants us to allow Him to handle the storms in our lives.
Next, we are to trust God. It is interesting to note that the story of Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8 was immediately after Jesus healed many people and performed miracles. The disciples had just watched Jesus heal a man with leprosy (Matt. 8:1-3), the centurion's paralyzed servant (Matt. 8:5-13), Peter's mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15), and many others (Matt. 8:16-17), yet they were still overcome with fear when the storm came. We can learn from their lack of faith.
Last of all, we should look at the storms in our lives as opportunities to grow in our faith. We must wait on the Lord to work, but we can be confident that He will either cause our storms to cease to carry us through them.
May we make it our prayer to remember to turn to the Lord in the midst of our storms, so that He will be glorified and we will grow nearer to Him as we trust Him!
Whether or not we are presently encountering storms in our lives, we can be certain that storms will come as we live in this fallen world. How do we overcome these storms? Do we turn to God or do we foolishly try to calm our storms in our own efforts? Are we disciples or followers of God only when He is making our lives comfortable? Do we only love the Lord when good things happen?
Some keys I have recently learned for overcoming storms in life are to acknowledge my fears, trust God to handle my fears, and grow through my fears.
First, we are to acknowledge our fears. God is always pleased when we come to Him. He wants us to allow Him to handle the storms in our lives.
Next, we are to trust God. It is interesting to note that the story of Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8 was immediately after Jesus healed many people and performed miracles. The disciples had just watched Jesus heal a man with leprosy (Matt. 8:1-3), the centurion's paralyzed servant (Matt. 8:5-13), Peter's mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15), and many others (Matt. 8:16-17), yet they were still overcome with fear when the storm came. We can learn from their lack of faith.
Last of all, we should look at the storms in our lives as opportunities to grow in our faith. We must wait on the Lord to work, but we can be confident that He will either cause our storms to cease to carry us through them.
May we make it our prayer to remember to turn to the Lord in the midst of our storms, so that He will be glorified and we will grow nearer to Him as we trust Him!
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