wordofgod: June 2024

Sunday, June 30, 2024

How Do We Cast Our Burdens on Jesus?

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

As a teenager I read a paperback Living Bible. At the back was a section entitled: “Where to find help when you are...” Bible references were given for “Angry,” “Grieving,” “Tired,” “Lonely,” and so on. The section that I most often went to was "Anxious": "Where to find help when you are feeling Anxious." I guess everyone went to that section.

Anxiety is a nasty thing. It gnaws at your stomach and looms dark and heavy over everything else. It wakes us in the middle of the night and makes it difficult for us to sleep again. And when we finally wake in the morning (after that brief moment of blissful forgetfulness), that sense of foreboding soon arises.

We all feel anxiety, and it is not just the grownups. When I think back to childhood, it was probably the time of greatest anxiety: anxiety about a school project that was due soon; anxiety about a piano lesson for which I hadn’t practiced (Mrs. Lewis could be fearsome); or anxiety about a teacher or student who made me miserable at school. These anxieties are no less real just because you are young!

The Reality of Anxiety

Our Father knows that we feel anxiety, and he wants to remove it from us—and not by just throwing it away or ignoring it and pretending that the things that make us anxious are not there. He does not ask us to use mental tricks or mantras to make us forget our anxiety. Instead, he says in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you” (NIV).

Peter was writing to Christians who had lots of reasons to feel anxious. They were “scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,” which were provinces of Asia Minor under Roman rule, and culturally pagan.

Peter was writing when Nero was Rome’s emperor. Nero was notorious for his monstrous vanity, his deep-rooted paranoia, and his vicious persecution of Christians beginning in AD 60. Peter is writing to Christians who, because of their faith, were losing family members, losing work, and losing their status in the community. Each day they were exposed to arrest, torture, beatings, and death. They had a lot to be anxious about. And Peter said, “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”

How Does Your Dictionary Define Anxiety?

My dictionary tells me that the adjective "anxious" means to feel “uneasy with fear and desire regarding something doubtful,” and that in 1947 the poet W. H. Auden described Western society as “the age of anxiety.” (Is that not every age?)

The Latin word anxietas is itself derived from angor, which refers literally to being choked, and metaphorically to mental distress. Angor refers to a transitory distress, and anxietas to prolonged distress. All of this matches what we think of as anxiety. But what did Peter himself mean by anxiety? We know what we mean by the word, but it is more important to ask what he meant.

What Did Jesus Mean by Anxiety/Worry?

The Greek word μεριμνα (merimna, noun), was used by Jesus to describe “the worries (merimna) of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth” (Matt. 13:22), that choke and destroy a person’s Gospel faith. Jesus also used the word in a strong warning in Luke 21:34: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties (merimna) of life.” In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus commands his disciples not to be anxious about life’s necessities and says that a fixation on these things is inherently pagan:

"So do not worry (merimnaō, verb), saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." (Matt. 6:31-32)

In Luke 10:41, Jesus tried to calm poor harassed Martha, who was cross that Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him rather than bustling around cooking for him:

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried (merimnaō) and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

Notice how Jesus pairs "worry" with "upset" and "distraction." And in Matthew 10:19, Jesus reassured his disciples, who were certain to be persecuted for the gospel: "But when they arrest you, do not worry (merimnaō) about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say."

What Did Paul Mean by Anxiety/Worry?

In 1 Corinthians 7:32-34 Paul, with surprising candor, urges unmarried Christians to consider remaining single, for the practical reason that marriage and family bring many concerns and anxieties that make it difficult to focus on promulgating the gospel:

I would like you to be free from concern (merimna). An unmarried man is concerned (merimnaō) about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned (merimnaō) about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.

In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes his many sufferings, including, in verse 28, “the pressure of my concern (merimna) for all the churches.”

So we can see that merimna is not in itself an evil: a person can be filled with sinful anxieties or good and worthy anxieties. In either case, we are to take these anxieties, worries, concerns, and pressures, and we are to “cast them all upon the LORD.”

What Does “To Cast” Mean?

The Greek word cast (ἐπιριπτω, epiriptō) is a rare word in the Bible. In Joshua 23:4 it describes how God "allotted" the Promised Land as an inheritance for the tribes of Israel. And in Luke 19:35 it describes the people "throwing" their cloaks upon a colt as a makeshift saddle for Jesus. It is derived from another word ῥιπτω (rhiptō) that usually describes the forceful propulsion of something: throwing those who lead little children astray into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck (Luke 17:2); a demon throwing a man down on the ground (Luke 4:35); and sailors throwing their ship’s tackle and anchors overboard (Acts 27:19, 29).

An exception is Matthew 15:30, where “great crowds came to Jesus, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.” They didn’t of course literally toss their loved ones at the feet of Jesus, but there was energy in their action—they were desperate to get those in need to Jesus for healing.

Peter commands us to take our worries, cares, and anxieties and to energetically transfer them from ourselves. But notice that he does not simply say, “Throw them away!” “Forget about them!” “Pretend they don’t exist.” No. We are to cast them “onto the LORD.” We place them in his care.

One the of the most beautiful scenes in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables is when Cosette, an abused orphan struggling bare-footed on a black forest path with a gigantic wooden pale of water half her weight, suddenly feels the weight miraculously lifted. A kind and powerful stranger approaching from behind miraculously and effortlessly lifts the bucket out of her hands. This is Jean Valjean, who cared for Cosette’s dying mother, Fantine, and has now come to adopt Cosette and care for her as his own. Her heavy burden is lifted by him. Her lifelong pain and struggle is now borne by him.

How Do We Cast Our Burdens on Jesus?

The apostle urges us to take our burdens, not to drop them or walk away from them, but to put them into Jesus’ hands. You are weak, he is strong. You are sinful, he is pure. You are foolish, he is wise. You are the creature, he is the Creator. You are fallen, he is the Savior!

Which anxieties? He wants all of them. He wants your unworthy anxieties for transitory things and wicked things. With him you don’t need to worry about what you will have to eat, drink, and wear. He will take care of these things! He will show you that you don’t need sinful things to be happy—that all you need is him.

How exactly do we “cast our cares” upon him? By asking him to take them. By prayer. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6). “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (Ps. 55:22).

Jesus—the One Who Cares for You

Why should we do this? Yes, because he is strong and capable to lift the things that crush us. But Peter points us far beyond the strength of the LORD, to his love: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

The word “care” is usually used negatively to describe a real or perceived lack of care. The disciples on the stormy lake cried out to Jesus, who was slumbering deeply on a cushion, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38). And busy, bustling Martha said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?” (Luke 10:40). Jesus described the hired shepherd as the mercenary “who cares nothing for the sheep” (John 10:13), and John described Judas as someone who did not care about the poor, but only about money (John 12:6).

Thus to understand “care,” we need to reverse these scenarios. Jesus did care for his disciples in the storm. He did care about Martha. He cares about his sheep and the poor. And he cares for you.

Your government will usually do its best for you, but it doesn’t love you. It has no more affection for you than your computer or dishwashing machine. Cast your worries, cares, and anxieties on the Lord, because not only is he strong and capable, but he also cares for you, loves you, and has great affection for you. He wants the absolute best for you and will ensure that you do not miss out on a single good thing, or suffer even one thing that unnecessarily or finally harms you.

I finish with a beautiful quote from the nineteenth-century French theologian Adolphe Monod:

Am I poor? All the riches of this world are mine; for they belong to Christ, who belongs to God. He knows exactly how to give to me, with him and by him, all the riches of the world, if they are useful to me.

So if in the place of riches he gives me poverty, this is better for me, and the result of God’s choice.

The entire world with all its glories and its power belongs to me, for they belong to my Father, who would give them to me tomorrow, and who could give them to me today, if this was good for me; for he disposes of these things according to his will.

I am sick? Health is mine, strength is mine, wellbeing is mine, and a perfect enjoyment of all the good things of life is mine. For all these things are Christ’s, who belongs to God, and who gives these things according to his will.

Upon whom will he scatter these things if not upon me, his child? So if he refuses these things to me today, for a fleeting moment which passes like a weaver’s shuttle, he has his reasons for this: that there are in these sufferings and in this bitterness hidden blessings, which are better for me than this health which seems so precious, and this wellbeing which seems so sweet.

He does not withhold anything good, except to give me something better. This is my consolation, it is everything in His love.

What is making you anxious right now? Cast your anxieties upon the Lord. He cares for you.

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Why Can’t an Unbeliever’s Good Works Please God?

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

It’s hard for the unconverted heart to receive the truth that we are, apart from Christ, in a state of perpetual rebellion against God (Rom. 8:7). Such a notion grates against our reason, our own self-assessment, and our experience. “Surely God doesn’t despise the good things I do,” we conclude. Such an aversion to the truth of our depravity came to light in a recent gospel conversation I had with a young man.

This man had been recently attending a local church, but he had yet to hear the gospel. I was grieved to hear that he had no acquaintance with the good news because he was presently attending an evangelical church. Nevertheless, I took a few minutes to explain to him the basic truths of the gospel—the reality of God’s holiness (Isa. 6:1-3), the nature of our sin (Rom. 3:10-18), the condition of the unredeemed heart (Jer. 17:9; Eph. 2:1-3), God’s solution in Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom. 3:21-26), and the appropriate response to these truths: repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 4:17; Rom. 4:5; 2 Cor. 7:10-11).

“I have a problem with that.”

As is often the case in these gospel conversations, this young man was troubled by hearing that nothing he did apart from Christ could please God. He couldn’t countenance the idea that all the noble things he had accomplished in serving others and in being a good friend were not pleasing to God. “I have a problem with that,” he said. Indeed.

In truth, we all have a problem with such devastating news until God graciously opens our hearts to believe that, “There is none righteous, no not one….There is no one who does good, not even one” (Rom. 3:10, 12), and helps us to see Jesus as our all-sufficient Savior.

When sharing the gospel, it’s important to remember that humans are naturally religious and designed by God for worship (Rom. 1:18-25). Ever since the fall, we’ve been on an intentional trajectory away from the one true God, but worship we must, so we invent all kinds of religions and labor to soothe our consciences with self-made rituals and good works.

But when people find it difficult to grasp why God doesn’t accept their good deeds, I like to offer a few illustrations to help them better understand their standing with God and the nature of the good works. One illustration I like to use involves an estranged neighbor and my front lawn.

Good works done outside of Christ are pure presumption.

Let’s say a man who had committed a crime against me some years earlier recently moved into my neighborhood. He never reconciled with me or sought to repair any damages at the time of the incident, so we are presently estranged from one another. But unbeknownst to both of us, he now only lives a block from my home, and every morning he walks past my house for his daily exercise.

One day, out of zeal to help his unknown neighbor, he picks up some trash out of my yard. The next day he surveys my landscape, concludes that it needs some work, and trims a few hedges and prunes some of my trees.

When I see my yard the next day, however, I am upset. Why? Because I didn’t want those hedges trimmed—I wanted them to grow larger. And that tree shouldn’t have been pruned because it is the wrong part of the season. Out of zeal to help his anonymous neighbor, this man acted presumptuously, and his efforts were harmful, not helpful.

So the next day I wait on my porch for the person who had recently decided it his prerogative to care for my landscape. But when I recognize him, I say, “Friend, we have been estranged with each other for many years. Let us be reconciled. I am ready and eager to forgive your wrong to me.” Sadly, he responds, “No. I have done nothing wrong. I refuse to admit any fault,” and then continues on his way.

Over the next few days, his guilt starts to bother him. But instead of coming to my door, admitting his wrong, and asking for my forgiveness, he sets himself to really helping with my landscape. He is not presently in a right relationship with me, nor has he taken the time to learn what I want done to my yard. But because he thinks highly of himself as a helpful neighbor and skilled landscaper, and in order to ease his troubled conscience, he begins to really go to town on my yard. Trees are felled, bushes are removed and replaced, and hedges are vigorously trimmed. In truth, he is destroying my yard and aggravating the situation between us. He is far from pleasing me. But in his mind, he is helping me and making up for the wrong he committed against me few years ago.

The problem with our religious good works is that we are attempting to “serve God” or “do good things” without being in a right relationship with God and without understanding how he wants to be served. Our good works are pure presumption and cannot be the means by which we are reconciled to God. We are like that self-important, unrepentant neighbor who was unwilling to confess his sins and humbly learn how the homeowner wanted his yard to be cared for.

We need Christ, not more good works.

What we need, therefore, is not to perform more good works, but to trust in Jesus’ perfect obedience to the Father. In everything the Son did, he pleased God. The Lord Jesus Christ obeyed God the Father in his every thought, emotion, word, and deed, so that he can stand in our place as our Savior. We now have Christ’s real-time righteousness that he achieved during his earthly life. We also have Christ’s death on the cross where he died in our place to pay in full the penalty of sin that we deserve.

Once we come through the narrow gate of repentance and faith in Christ, we then can pursue genuine obedience and service to God (see Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 2:14). We will be filled and guided by God’s Spirit and directed by his Word. No longer will we be ignoring our guilt and audaciously attempting to right our wrongs with more ill-informed good works. Rather, we will rest in Christ and serve the Lord with gladness, according to his Word and will.

This article was originally published under the title “Why An Unbeliever’s Good Works Can’t Please God: An Illustration” at fromthestudy.com.

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Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Weeping with Those Who Weep (and Letting Others Weep with You)

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

We have all dealt with a loss or heartbreak of some kind in our lives. Tragedies can strike out of nowhere, and when they do they hit hard. Some people have felt pain that is so extremely potent and horrific that it may seem that they are left alone, drowning in a sea with no hope in sight. One of the beautiful things about belonging to a church and Christian community is the familial care that is unlike any other. It not only gives us an opportunity to receive care, but also to come alongside others and be there when they need us most, which is especially valuable when they have no other family members to whom they can turn.

As Christians we are called in Romans 12:15 to rejoice with those who rejoice, and we are also called to weep with those who weep. This verse, in fact, is located in a section of the Bible that is often labeled “The Marks of a True Christian.” So what can we do to fulfill this command? What are ways that we can be a comfort to others? What are things we can do to find peace and comfort?

1. Attend church and be present.

Making ourselves available to the preaching of the Word and communion of the saints is one of the most important things we can do, whether that be seeking comfort or being there to give it. Surrounding ourselves with our brothers and sisters in Christ and opening ourselves up to what the Scriptures have to say through the preaching and teaching of Christ’s “under-shepherds” will sometimes give us timely answers to our sorrows or what to say to those grieving. It will also allow us to get out of our own heads and sorrows and share them with those who genuinely care for us as we share in communion and fellowship. Do not face your griefs alone. Find comfort in God, his Word, and his people. Enter into the proverbial arms of Christ by entering into his church.

2. Read Scripture.

Explore what the Word has to say. Not only can we speak to God but he speaks to us in the Scriptures. We can see how saints have expressed their sorrows and how they have also given and received comfort. Job’s friends did best when they just sat there and were silent with him after he lost everything. Hezekiah, after finding out that he was about to die, prayed to the Lord. David cried to the Lord and attended worship after the death of his son. We can also see that it is perfectly appropriate to grieve.

The Psalms prove once again to be a treasure trove of biblical examples of what it is to cry out to God in honest, raw anguish and frustration. They also teach us how to redirect that cry towards spiritual resolution, peace and God-honoring trust. They even give us words that we can pray verbatim when we ourselves have no words.

Even Jesus himself wept. We can see this when he cries in front of Lazarus’ tomb. Not only does he mourn the death of his friend whom he loved, as the Jews also noted, but perhaps, as Matthew Henry writes in his commentary, he is even looking forward to his own death on behalf of all the saints that he loves. The full weight of the fall is weighing on him as the Creator who knows that things are not the way they should be. Jesus came to defeat that enemy of old and put an end to decay and death one day.

3. Pray.

Speak to God. Pray for your fellow brothers and sister in Christ who are weeping. Unload your pain and sorrow on him. Again, turn to the Psalms for some wonderful examples of how we might do both of these. However, if we do not know what to pray for exactly or still find ourselves unable to express our anguish, Romans also tells us, “likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26). He takes these directly to Christ, who intercedes on our behalf as he stands at the right hand of the Father.

4. Give comfort.

It may be hard and uncomfortable, but this is what we are called to do. If you do not know what to say to those in heartache, just be there with them. Open up your hearts and your homes, make yourself available to them, and help them to grieve. Remind them of the light of Christ when they are in the darkness of sorrows. And for those that have faced tremendous pain, open up to others and speak to them, especially to those who are going through similar situations. Some of you have gone through things that are unimaginable, but those of you who have been raked deep by tragedies often have the deepest trenches through which grace can flow forth to others (see 1 Cor. 1:4, 5). And let us all rest in God as we look forward to that day when every tear will be wiped away (Rev. 21:4).

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

2 Important Things to Remember about Fighting Sin—Romans 7:13-25

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The longer I am a Christian, the more I realize how great a sinner I am. This realization is not necessarily a virtue in and of itself: if I am only acutely aware of my sin, I will wallow in despair and fear. On the other hand, it is by recognizing the depth of our sin that we can be brought to greater joy in Christ. This appears to be Paul’s understanding in Romans 7:13-25.

In verses 13-24, Paul openly and honestly wrestles with the sin that still resides in his heart and that actively opposes his new nature. The thing he wants to do—fully obey Christ—he is not able to wholly accomplish; at the same time, he finds himself committing the very sin he hates. This struggle with indwelling sin culminates in verse 24 where Paul cries out, “Wretched man that I am!”

Perhaps you have felt like this—perhaps you often feel like this. The question is whether or not the pervasiveness of our sin causes us to search for a remedy the way Paul did. Immediately after Paul cried out in agony over the depth of his sin, he asks rhetorically, “Who can save me from this body of death?” The answer? “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v. 25). The implication? It is only God through Jesus Christ who can save Paul from the relentless power of sin. With this in mind, I see two conclusions we can draw from this passage.

1. Dealing honestly with our sin can and should lead us to resting and rejoicing in Christ.

Paul would not be a good example of spiritual growth and discipleship had he stopped at verse 24. Yes, we are wretched. Yes, we are sinners of the highest order. Yes, we have despised and ignored and spurned a holy God. But that is not the whole story. There’s more. It’s called the gospel.

For Christians who have come to a saving understanding of their guilt before God and have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, the ensuing battle against remaining sin can often seem overwhelming and mostly discouraging. But to remain in a state of doubt and despair too long without looking to Christ is neither wise nor helpful. Dealing frankly with our sin should lead us to confession, forgiveness, and thankfulness in Christ, not perpetual hopelessness. I realize that some people’s spiritual situations are far more complex than what I have implied here, but I do think God’s goal for someone who is beleaguered by battling with sin is that their battling would lead them to find hope and rest in Christ—not incessant misery.

2. Our battle against sin will be lifelong.

Paul had been walking with Christ for several years at the time he penned these words, yet the intensity of his battle against sin had not lessened over time—it had increased. Growing in spiritual maturity means that we will become more discontent with ourselves, not less. That is not to say that we can find and should look for areas where the Lord has given grace and growth; even Paul had the spiritual capacity to say that he was mature enough to be imitated (Phil. 3:14-17) and had been able to accomplish many things by the grace of God (1 Cor. 15:10). But the clearer our spiritual sight becomes as we grow in sanctification—from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18)—the more acute will be our recognition of remaining sin.

This is why Paul follows Romans 7:13-25 with Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Despite the fact that we are involved in a battle against enemies who seem, at times, immune to our attacks and unlimited in their resources, the glorious truth is this: the victory has already been won—on a cross outside of Jerusalem 2000 years ago. These current battles with sin, though brutal and serious, are the concluding skirmishes with a defeated and desperate insurgent force. Our Captain is also the uncontested Victor.

This article was originally published under the title “Fighting and Resting—Thoughts on Romans 7:13-25” at fromthestudy.com.

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Monday, June 24, 2024

I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church — The Apostles' Creed, Article of Faith 9

St. David's Cathedral, Hobart; image from Wikimedia Commons.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Editor’s note: This is the eighth installment of a series on the Apostles’ Creed. Rev. Campbell Markham is a Presbyterian minister in Perth, Australia.

“[I believe in] the holy catholic church; the communion of saints.” (The Apostles’ Creed, Article 9)

The above photo is of Saint David’s Cathedral in Hobart, the city where my family lived for twelve years. I used to rile up John, a very good old Hobartian friend of mine, by pointing to this and saying, “What a beautiful church!”

He would reply, crossly, every time: “That’s not a church! That’s a building! The church is the people!”

In the Bible, ekklēsia, “church,” never refers to a building.

I liked provoking John in this way. I liked how vehement he was about this. We cannot be reminded too often that churches are not buildings but instead groups of people.

In the New Testament the word for church is the Greek ekklēsia, from which we get the word “ecclesiastical,” something that relates to the life of the church.

In the Bible, ekklēsia, “church,” never refers to a building. It only ever refers to a group of people who assemble to worship Jesus together, and who love and care for one another as Jesus loves and cares for us.

In fact, a church can meet anywhere. Hundreds of churches in Australia meet in schools or community halls. Thousands of churches in China meet secretly in people’s homes. In the 1700s French Protestants met at night in the bush, because it was illegal to attend Protestant church services.

My friend John is exactly right: churches are groups of people who gather together for worship.

Two questions: Who are these people who make up the church? And, what do they do when they gather?

A church is a family, united by the Spirit of Jesus.

A church is made up of believers, of those who have repented of their sin and who trust in Jesus Christ as their only God and Savior. They have been baptized in Jesus’ name and so have received the outward sign that Jesus has washed away their sins. Jesus is their Shepherd, and they are the flock that he cares for (John 10). Jesus is their King, and they are his loving subjects and servants (Rev. 17:14). They are a building of living stones, and Jesus is the cornerstone of that building (Eph. 2:19-22). They are joined together like a body, and Jesus is the head of the body (1 Cor. 12).

A church is not a club, a business, or a social group. A church is a family, united by the Spirit of Jesus. Christians are brothers and sisters, and God is our Father.

What does a church do when it gathers together? We have this beautiful description from Acts 2:42-47:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (v. 42)

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (vv. 44-45)

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. (vv. 46-47a)

So, the church gathers to learn from God’s Word, to encourage one another, to care sacrificially for each other’s needs, and to be spiritually nourished by the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper, and to pray.

Every true local church—a church devoted to Jesus and his Word—is a part of the one church that he is building.

Though belonging to a church does not make a person a Christian, every Christian is called to belong to a church. That’s because, having saved us, Jesus gathers us together with other believers into a flock, a living body. He cares for us by the loving hands and gifts of our church and by the teaching of his Word. We gather with him, and with other believers to praise him,

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matt. 18:20)

In the Creed Christians say, “I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints.” Catholic means universal. Saint means “someone set aside and cleansed by Jesus for salvation.” Every true local church—a church devoted to Jesus and his Word—is a part of the one church that he is building. Every Christian is a “saint,” set apart by him.

Though churches are far from perfect places, every Christian must commit themselves to some local manifestation of Jesus’ great and universal church, which he purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28).

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Sunday, June 23, 2024

Choosing the Good Portion — Luke 10:38-42

Andrea Vaccaro (1604-1670), Mary and Martha; image from Wikipedia Commons; .

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In Luke 10:38-42 we read about Jesus visiting the home of two sisters, both of whom he loved: Mary and Martha:

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” — Luke 10:38–42

Mary recognized that the most important thing she needed to do was to know Jesus.

It might seem that Jesus wasn’t very considerate of Martha’s feelings when he told her that Mary had “chosen the good portion” (Luke 10:42). After all, Martha was the one rolling up her sleeves and making sure everyone had a good meal. Serving people is important work, but there was something more important taking place at Mary and Martha’s home, and Mary had figured this out. She was sitting at the feet of Jesus, getting to know him and learning from him. According to Charles Spurgeon:

Here then was Martha’s dish of well-cooked meat, but there was Mary’s gift of a humble obedient heart; here was Martha decking the table, but there was Mary submitting her judgment to the Lord, and looking up with wondering eyes as she heard his matchless speech. Mary was bringing to Jesus the better offering. (Spurgeon, “Martha and Mary,” Sermon on Luke 10:38-42, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 16)

Like Mary and Martha, the most important thing we need to do is to know Jesus.

The story of Mary and Martha in the Bible reminds us of the priority of knowing and trusting Jesus over doing good deeds. Mary realized that Jesus had something of the greatest importance to teach her, and she was going to learn what that was first and foremost. Good deeds have an important place in the Christian life, but first and foremost we need to listen to Jesus.

Our hearts need cleansing from sin, and that purity only comes by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Through faith in Jesus, Mary could go forth and live in light of what Jesus was teaching her. And this is true for everyone who follows Jesus: we have to learn about Jesus in order to follow him. Choose the good portion like Mary did and listen to Jesus—today and always.

Friday, June 21, 2024

"The Lord Bless You and Keep You" — Numbers 6:22-27

*Ascension* by John Singleton Copley (1738–1815); image from Wikimedia Commons.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

What does the Bible teach us about blessings, and what does the blessing Jesus gave before he ascended to heaven mean for God’s children today?

The Lord’s blessing puts his love, grace, and mercy on us.

There are three kinds of blessings in the Bible:

First, we can bless each other. One person says, “May the Lord bless you,” which is essentially a prayer. As we bless another, we are praying that God would do them good. (Example: Ruth 2:4)
Second, we can bless God, which is basically an act of praise and thanksgiving. “Blessed be the Name of the Lord!” This is praising and glorifying the Lord. (Examples: Psalm 113:2; Luke 24:53)
Third, the Lord can bless us, which is not a prayer but a decree. The Lord’s blessing is a performative word where he actually puts his love, grace, and mercy on us. In the Aaronic benediction, the priest wasn’t praying; rather, he was a mere channel or conduit for the Lord’s decree of favor (Numbers 6:24-26).

The benefits of belonging to the Lord are stated in the Aaronic blessing.

With the Aaronic benediction the priest was putting God’s name upon his people, which expresses ownership and care:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Num. 6:22-27)

For the Lord to put his name on you means you belong to him as a precious possession. In fact, the benefits of belonging to the Lord are stated in the blessing. God’s favor could only be put on his sinful people after full atonement had been made—the sacrifices paid for Israel’s sin. The sacrifices appeased God’s wrath, and they sealed the covenant bond in grace and gratitude.

The blessing Jesus gave before he ascended to heaven pronounced his priestly work was finished.

In Luke 24:50-53 Jesus blesses his disciples:

And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

For Jesus to give a priestly benediction before he ascended to heaven (Luke 24:50-53) means that his priestly work of atonement was finished. In the uplifted hands of Jesus, he pronounced that in Christ all our sin was paid for and destroyed in his sacrifice upon the tree.

On the altar of the cross, the blood of Christ made our crimson sins white as snow. No more sacrifice is required. Christ’s one death is more than sufficient for all our sins. With wrath appeased and sin dealt with, the blessing of God can flow to us.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

5 Ways People Worship Themselves

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

“If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of yourself” (Tim Keller). It turns out that the gods people design in their minds think pretty much like the people themselves. Here are five ways people go about designing their own god to worship.

1. They dismiss the existence of God.

People put it out of their minds that one true God could possibly exist who created them and upholds certain standards they must keep. The gods of people’s imaginations don't have any problems with their personal beliefs and actions. Thinking this way won’t change anything about the real God, but it will affect a person’s current and eternal relationship with him.

2. They decide what their deity should be like.

People give the god of their design the attributes and powers that they think he/she/it should have. They also decide what qualities they don’t want their god to have, including the right to require anything of them that they would prefer not to do.

3. They judge for themselves what should happen after they die.

Many people choose to believe in an afterlife that appeals to their own personal sense of what is fair and just. If they don’t like the Bible's teaching regarding the reality of hell, they may design in their minds an eternity where everyone gets to live in some kind of paradise—except, of course, for the really bad people.

4. They discount evidence of God in creation and the Bible.

People look away from God’s revelation of himself in creation and the Bible and choose to believe alternate explanations regarding how the world and humans came into existence. Even though the earth is filled with countless varieties of creatures and elements that all point to an ultimate designer, many people choose to attribute the world’s existence to happenstance. Instead of investigating the truth claims, historical accuracy, and divine inspiration of the Bible, they prematurely dismiss Scripture as mere writings by men that are a mixture of truth and fable.

5. They choose to be the ultimate authority in their own life.

Self-ruling people refuse to bow the knee to their Creator. They insist on being the masters of their own ships without ultimate accountability to anyone—except their own will.

God wants—and commands—everyone to worship him alone (Deut. 6:13; Luke 4:8). The gods of our imaginations have no power to love or rescue us from anything, including ourselves. Seek to know and love the one true God who created us in his image, and sent his Son into the world to redeem us and restore us to a right relationship with him.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

God’s Gracious Nature

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

“What have I ever done to deserve even one of the pleasures I’ve known?” So goes the Gold hit song “Why Me” (1972) by singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson. The lyrics continue,

Tell me, Lord
What did I ever do
That was worth lovin’ you
Or the kindness you've shown?”

Grace is what captures and inspires Kristofferson. There is nothing any of us have done that justifies the joy, the love, the kindness that God shows us. This is grace—the unmerited and undeserved favor and love that God bestows on us in spite of the fact that all we truly deserve is justice—judgment for the offense of our sins against God.

By our own behavior we have earned death, not life.

In other words, what we deserve for our sinful nature and works are death and punishment. This is what we have merited, or earned. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). Scripture describes these earnings as wages because the metaphor fits—by our own behavior we have earned (i.e., merited) death. God is just and his justice requires our receiving what we are due—our wages—which is ultimately death.

Paul continues in Romans 6:23: “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Here is the stark contrast between what is earned and what is a gift. God is gracious—he graciously gives eternal life—it is not earned. You cannot merit it. Nothing you do can earn it. Eternal life is God’s unmerited gift, and it is God’s nature to give it.

God graciously gives to us what we haven’t earned—his favor and love.

In the Old Testament, God reveals his graciousness right from the beginning. Adam and Eve should have died immediately, but God graciously promised the seed of the woman (Christ Jesus) who would destroy Satan (Gen. 3:15). Adam and Eve, though banished from the Garden, lived by God’s gracious provision of care for them. They didn’t deserve God’s grace, and we, descendants of Adam and Eve, don’t deserve it either. Yet, from the goodness of God he graciously gives to us what we haven’t earned—his favor and love.

Another example is from the time of Moses and Israel. When Moses asked God to show his glory to him (Gen. 32:18), the Lord hid him in a cleft of a rock on Mount Sinai and passed before him declaring,

"The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” (Exod. 34:6-7)

God revealed his graciousness, his favor toward those who would fail at nearly every step of the way, just like we fail in so many ways. Yet God, by his grace, is merciful, loving, faithful, and forgiving. This is his nature to give gifts to us, even though they are undeserved, never earned or merited, and always beyond what we could ever imagine.

God provides so much we do not deserve—this is grace.

For example, my wife is currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Though the prognosis is good, it is no easy path to walk as millions who have gone before her surely know. Yet, even in this difficult trial God has graciously answered prayers for steadfast faith, for healing, for encouragement, and for the strength to persevere. God has given her the gifts of friends and family who pray with her, who love and encourage her, and send cards and notes to remind her she is never alone. God has given medicines and health care professionals to provide good treatments and lessen the difficult effects of the treatments. I could go on and on.

We have not earned, nor do we deserve, any of the good pleasures we enjoy even in this challenging time, and yet God is gracious and loving. He provides so much we do not deserve—this is grace. This is who God is, the one who provides all we need beyond measure, especially life itself and eternal life though faith in Christ Jesus.

Salvation in Christ is the greatest gracious gift of God to us.

God giving his only begotten Son to bear the punishment we deserve, the wages of sin and death that we justly have earned, is the greatest gift of God. What greater love is there and what greater gracious gift is there but that another lays down his life for us? God is love and he graciously gives it to those who trust in Christ Jesus for salvation. Believe in him—that he lived, died, was resurrected from the dead, and has ascended into heaven—so that you might enjoy pleasures beyond number together with him with eternal life.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Ps. 16:11)

This article was originally published in BCL’s April 2024 monthly newsletter.

Why You Should Love to Go to Church

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

Psalm 84 says, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts.” The words “dwelling place” refer to God’s tabernacle. The tabernacle was the place that God had chosen to come down and meet with his people in the wilderness. The God of heaven and earth had descended to meet with his people that they might call upon his name and worship him in the beauty of his holiness.

Notice the fervency of the psalmist; he is describing his love to come to worship. Deep within his being he longs, even faints, to think about the worship of God.

Worship in the Old Testament was filled with joy!

We often think of Old Testament worship as full of requirements, laws, and sacrifices so that there must have been no joy in coming to worship. But here the psalmist is rebuking the idea that the worship of God was some sort of chore, or some hard demand God put upon his people. That is not what it was at all.

The psalmist is describing that he found coming to the Lord’s house as the exact opposite, it’s lovely. How lovely is your tabernacle! It’s as if he says, “The worship of the Lord thrills my soul; it is my greatest passion, to be where God dwells. The worship of you, O Lord, is the most satisfying thing I have ever done with my life.”

This isn’t the only place such a description of worship is given. Psalm 27 states,

One thing have I asked of the Lord,

    that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

    all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

    and to inquire in his temple. (Ps. 27:4)

The worship of the Lord for these saints was the ultimate blessing.

The psalmist is speaking about the spiritual blessings that flow from God’s presence.

Why is worship so important? The Psalmist is not putting emphasis on places of stone or wood nor the physical structure of the tabernacle. He is speaking about the spiritual blessings that flow from God’s presence as he had chosen to come down and tabernacle among them. There is an understanding presented to us in this psalm that when God’s people gathered corporately for worship on the Sabbath, there was something happening that you couldn’t get anywhere else.

You will notice in Psalm 84 that the psalmist’s heart and his flesh are crying out for the living God:

My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God. (Ps. 84:2)

God himself had chosen to come and dwell among them in that place.

The Lord always wanted his people to call the Sabbath a delight.

For the Old Testament saints, it wasn’t a question of how often they had to come to worship. Forcing worship would be the most unnatural thing to do in light of what they understood. The Lord always wanted his people to call the Sabbath a delight (Isa. 58:13). Whenever it became a duty of forced servitude, you ended up with people drawing near with their mouths while their hearts were far from him. They went through the forms, devoid of sincerity of heart, and they missed the intention of the Sabbath.

For the Old Testament saints, the whole Sabbath was a day of rest and gladness. They gathered morning and evening for corporate worship. We see this in the only designated psalm for the Sabbath, Psalm 92. As the worshippers would come to the LORD’s house on the Sabbath, they would sing,

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night. (Ps. 92:1-2)

This is remarkable. The only psalm with a superscription expressly designating this as a psalm for the Sabbath presents a pattern of God’s people gathering for worship morning and evening.

People are spiritually languishing because of a disregard for the Sabbath.

It’s sad in our day that there is so much ignorance not only as to what worship is, but why this is needed. Today, people love to quote Jesus who said that we no longer worship on this mountain or on that mountain but in spirit and in truth, and they have taken this as license to say that they no longer need the church because we have the Spirit. This may have a sound of wisdom, but it has led to something very wrong.

There is a reason God had to give a commandment in the New Testament to let no one neglect the assembling together of God’s people as is the manner of some (Heb. 10:24-25). The Scriptures warned that there would be a problem of people saying they don’t need to come to church. We live in those times. And I suggest that people are spiritually languishing because of this disregard.

Is it too much to come one day out of our week to worship the Lord?

It is a great tragedy that people today treat the worship of the Lord as a burden to their already busy lives. Can you imagine what God is hearing from someone who asks, “Do I have to worship the Lord?” Has the Lord burdened us? Is it too much to come one day out of our week to sing to him, enjoy him, acknowledge his goodness, and receive his grace to us in our struggle as sinners?

In this light, the excuse of someone who says that they don’t need to come and worship the Lord has nothing to do with being pushed or pulled, but it has everything to do with what Jesus said about men loving the darkness more than the light. Coming to the light is only welcomed by those who are assured that the Lord has been gracious in making his face to shine upon them.

There is a power in worship that cannot be experienced elsewhere.

When the child of God knows the smiling countenance of the Lord, worship is the most splendid blessing of his life. Here a power is given that cannot be found anywhere else. Christ calls us to him that he might give us the food and drink of eternal life. Christ stoops down and washes our feet. This is where gospel is announced, that Christ died for our sins, that he rose for our justification, and that he is coming again to take us to be with him. There is a power in worship that cannot be experienced elsewhere.

Pastor and theologian James Boice once stated,

There is something to be experienced of God in church that is not quite so easy to experience elsewhere. Otherwise, why have churches? If it is only instruction we need, we can get that as well by an audio tape or a book. If it is only fellowship, we can find that equally well, perhaps better, in a small home gathering. There is something to be said for the sheer physical singing of the hymns, the sitting in the pews, the actual looking to the pulpit and gazing on the pulpit Bible as it is expounded, the tasting of the sacrament and the very atmosphere of the place set apart for the worship of God that is spiritually beneficial.

Here, in worship, we are set upon a rock. Here God looks upon the face of his anointed and blesses us. Come to the waters and be refreshed. Come, put your foot into the hands of the Savior and he will cleanse you from all your sins. Come, worship the Lord!

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Works in the Book of James—“Fruits and Evidences of a True and Lively Faith”

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning Beautiful Christian Life LLC may get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through its links, at no cost to you.

“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”— James 2:24

It’s not uncommon to hear some people appeal to James 2:24 in order to argue that God saves people by faith plus works. In particular, some argue against the doctrine of justification by faith alone by appealing to this verse. They tend to pit Paul, who writes that we are justified by faith and not works, against James, who apparently writes that we are justified by faith plus works. This raises the question, who is right? What are we to believe? Are Paul and James actually at odds with each other? No, they are not.

What Are Paul and James Saying about Justification?

Simply put, although they are using the same verb, justification (in Greek it is also the same verb, dikaioō), they are using it differently. Paul is using it in its legal declarative sense, but James is using it in an evidential sense. They are complementing each other, not opposing each other.

Questions concerning Paul and James begin with Paul writing in Romans 3-5 about justification as a declarative act of God grounded in the work of Christ and received by faith. James, on the other hand, is writing about sanctification—the gracious work of God that necessarily follows from justification.

James’ primary concern is that a person who has been justified will have good works that demonstrate their faith. True saving faith—the instrument of justification (e.g., Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8)—necessarily leads to sanctification, and sanctification is evidence of saving faith versus merely a faith that believes in mere knowledge (see James 2:19).

Justification and Sanctification—Two Benefits of Salvation in Christ

In order to help understand how Paul and James complement one another, there are two important terms to define: justification and sanctification.The Westminster Shorter Catechism provides good and concise definitions of each one.

According to Question 33, “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone.”

Question 35 defines sanctification as “the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.”

Notice that the actor in both is God, and both are of free grace (e.g., not our works, but grace—a gift of God). The difference, however, is that justification is God’s “act” and sanctification is God’s “work.” The word act means a single event at a distinct point in time. In the case of justification, it is a single declarative act by God. On the other hand, sanctification is a “work” of God that changes us—in particular, enabling us to die more and more unto sin and to live unto righteousness.

James is writing about how true justifying faith leads to sanctification—to good works. He writes that a mere intellectual faith that does not lead to good works is dead (2:17). The question is then, what do good works do? Do they make us right with God? Or do they show that God has justified a person and is now sanctifying that person?

The Verb To Justify—Two Senses

The Westminster Confession of Faith describes part of James’ argument this way: “These good works, done in obedience to God's commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith” (WCF 16.2). Notice the word “evidences.” James seems to be using the verb justify in an evidential sense—our good works are evidence that show what kind of person has saving faith, the faith which is the instrument by which God justifies us.

Paul, on the other hand, is using the verb in the sense of a judicial declaration. (For examples of justify used this way, see Deuteronomy 25:1, Proverbs, 17:15.)

James, however, is using the verb justify in a sense similar to a way it is used elsewhere in Scripture. (See Matt. 11:19, Luke 7:35; and 1 Tim. 3:16 where the verb is used of Christ who, being absolutely perfect, needed no declarative justification like sinners need.) In fact, previous to James 2:24, James writes, “show me your works” (James 2:18). It’s as though James is saying, “Show what kind of person you are.” Let your good works show that God is sanctifying you such that you are bearing the fruit of good works. Paul and James are not using the verb justify in precisely the same sense, nor are they opposing one another.

When James writes in 2:10 that we are guilty if we fail to keep even a single point of God’s law, he is helping make clear to us that our works cannot lead to justification in the sense in which Paul is using the word. All humans have sinned, making all guilty before God—works cannot change that. In other words, our works cannot make us right with God (justification). Rather, God graciously justifies his people on the basis of Christ’s work, which is received by faith. Once justified, God further sanctifies his people whose works are evidence that they are actually God’s people through faith in Christ.

Justification and Sanctification in the Life of Abraham—and All Believers

James uses Abraham as an example to help us understand these points. In James 2:23, he quotes Genesis 15:6 where it is written that Abraham believed God and it (Abraham’s faith) was counted to him as righteousness. This is justification as a declarative act of God in the same sense that Paul wrote about in Romans 4:2-5 concerning Abraham being justified by faith and not works. In verse 2:23, James quotes the same Scripture (Gen. 15:6) as Paul quoted it.

To bolster his argument that faith without works is dead, James refers to the example of Abraham when he offered up Isaac on an altar. In Genesis 22 (after Abraham’s faith was counted by God as righteousness; Gen. 15:6), Abraham showed what kind of man he was: a man of true faith; a man who believed God and was justified by faith; a man who showed by his actions that he was a man of saving faith; a man who believed that if he had put Isaac to death, God would raise him from the dead because God had sworn that the promised offspring would come through Isaac (Gen. 15:4; Heb. 11:17-19). Abraham’s justification by faith—an act of God—was shown to be real in his sanctification, a work of God—his faith was tested and yielded the fruit of good works (James 2:22). God’s justification necessarily leads to God’s sanctification.

Abraham and those whom God has justified by faith in Christ show themselves to be true people of faith by their sanctification as they bear the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith.

Sunday, June 30, 2024

The Reality of Anxiety

How Does Your Dictionary Define Anxiety?

What Did Jesus Mean by Anxiety/Worry?

What Did Paul Mean by Anxiety/Worry?

What Does “To Cast” Mean?

How Do We Cast Our Burdens on Jesus?

Jesus—the One Who Cares for You

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Thursday, June 27, 2024

“I have a problem with that.”

Good works done outside of Christ are pure presumption.

We need Christ, not more good works.

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Wednesday, June 26, 2024

1. Attend church and be present.

2. Read Scripture.

3. Pray.

4. Give comfort.

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Tuesday, June 25, 2024

1. Dealing honestly with our sin can and should lead us to resting and rejoicing in Christ.

2. Our battle against sin will be lifelong.

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Monday, June 24, 2024

In the Bible, ekklēsia, “church,” never refers to a building.

A church is a family, united by the Spirit of Jesus.

Every true local church—a church devoted to Jesus and his Word—is a part of the one church that he is building.

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Sunday, June 23, 2024

Mary recognized that the most important thing she needed to do was to know Jesus.

Like Mary and Martha, the most important thing we need to do is to know Jesus.

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Friday, June 21, 2024

The Lord’s blessing puts his love, grace, and mercy on us.

The benefits of belonging to the Lord are stated in the Aaronic blessing.

The blessing Jesus gave before he ascended to heaven pronounced his priestly work was finished.

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Wednesday, June 19, 2024

1. They dismiss the existence of God.

2. They decide what their deity should be like.

3. They judge for themselves what should happen after they die.

4. They discount evidence of God in creation and the Bible.

5. They choose to be the ultimate authority in their own life.

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Tuesday, June 18, 2024

By our own behavior we have earned death, not life.

God graciously gives to us what we haven’t earned—his favor and love.

God provides so much we do not deserve—this is grace.

Salvation in Christ is the greatest gracious gift of God to us.

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Worship in the Old Testament was filled with joy!

The psalmist is speaking about the spiritual blessings that flow from God’s presence.

The Lord always wanted his people to call the Sabbath a delight.

People are spiritually languishing because of a disregard for the Sabbath.

Is it too much to come one day out of our week to worship the Lord?

There is a power in worship that cannot be experienced elsewhere.

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Sunday, June 16, 2024

What Are Paul and James Saying about Justification?

Justification and Sanctification—Two Benefits of Salvation in Christ

The Verb To Justify—Two Senses

Justification and Sanctification in the Life of Abraham—and All Believers

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