What Does It Mean to Have a New Identity in Christ?

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It is pretty common nowadays, especially on the political left, to hear people talking about “identifying” as or with different things. Some people “identify” with whatever ethnic, national, cultural, or gender identity they were actually born into (although doing that usually doesn’t cause much controversy). Others “identify” as a gender other than their biological sex.

Some people of mixed ethnic background choose to “identify” with only one of the several ethnicities or cultures corresponding to their biological makeup. Some people of adoptive family choose to “identify” with the ethnic heritage of their biological parents rather than that of the family in which they were raised. 

On the other side of the issue, it is not uncommon to hear condemnations of people for “appropriating” aspects of cultures to which they have no biological connection.

Despite all the talk about it, though, the idea of taking on new identities is not just a recent thing. For example,

• We frequently hear people talking about what “we” (by which is meant the United States) did long ago, despite the fact that whatever is being discussed took place before their ancestors had immigrated.

• People talk about their school’s or city’s sports teams as “we” even though they’re not actually on that team.

• Many people strongly identify with a particular religious tradition even though none of their ancestors belonged to that tradition and they themselves were not brought up in it.

These are examples of people identifying themselves with groups in a way that transcends their own personal experience, ethnic background, national heritage, or ancestral religion. So what does this have to do with the Christian life?

Believers are given a new identity in Christ.

It might surprise you to find out that one of the most central events that takes place when God converts us is that we become identified with Christ. Quite literally, we are given a new identity: an identity in Christ. When we are given new life in Jesus, God makes us part of a “we” who collectively participate in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. This new “we” that we belong to, and that participates in these things, is his Church.

The apostle Paul unpacks this for us in 1 Corinthians 15:45-49. Paul contrasts the first, earthly man, Adam, with the second, spiritual man, Jesus Christ. Whereas “the first man was from the earth, a man of dust,” Paul tells us that “the second man is from heaven” (1 Cor. 15:47). We are told,

As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Cor. 15.48-49)

This passage puts front and center the fact that there are two Adams. Each Adam is the head of a race of humanity. The first humanity, headed by Adam is a “dusty” humanity, polluted by sin and destined for death. The second humanity is a spiritual humanity, people who were first born of Adam, and then born again as children of God through adoption in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:4-5).

When God converts us, we take on a new spiritual identity: “in Christ.” We “have been baptized into his death” (Rom. 6:3). We died with Christ: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). In Colossians 3:3, Paul tells us that “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” In Ephesians 2:6 we are told that God has “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” 

So in the deepest possible sense, from the time we are converted, our central identity is that we are “Christ people”—Christians. This identity dominates every other identity that we have. The new identity severs some old identities that we had and modifies others.

Our new identity in Christ is not something we bring about for ourselves.

A key difference from the way people usually talk about “identifying with” a person or group, though, is that this kind of identification is not something we do ourselves—at least not at first. It was God who predestined us to adoption (Eph. 1:4-5). It was God who gave us new life for the sake of Christ, who caused us to believe and repent, who sanctifies us, causes us to persevere, and who, through Jesus Christ, will someday raise us bodily from the dead. 

Although it’s true that we do identify publicly as Christians (we do this first and foremost when we receive the sacrament of baptism and celebrate our participation in Christ in the Lord’s Supper), we do this only because God chose to identify us with Christ first.

We choose Christ because he first chose us (John 15:16). We believe in him because he gave us the gift of faith (Eph. 2:8-9). We love him because he loved us first (1 John 4:19). It is because of him that we are in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 1:30).

How and when can we take on a new identity?

Returning for a moment to the present debates about “identification,” one of the big questions people argue about is when we can legitimately take on a new identity. My own belief about the matter is that you can only legitimately choose to “identify as” something when the taking on of that new identity does not negate or contradict those characteristics which are fixed by your physical birth. I can choose to identify as a married man, as a United States citizen, and a USC fan, but I cannot identify as a bear. Apart from the fact that it would be utterly repellent to a self-respecting USC fan to identify as a Bruin (the mascot of archrival UCLA), I can’t be one anyway, because I was born with human DNA.

Now what does this have to do with our identity in Christ? Here’s the issue: Adam’s flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50). We are born in Adam and can no more give ourselves a new spiritual identity than a fish can suddenly become an elephant (Jer. 13:23). Only God can give us a new identity by giving us the new birth (John 1:13). The new birth takes place at the time we hear and believe the gospel announcement that everyone who calls upon the Lord will be forgiven their sins for the sake of Jesus and will inherit eternal life.

Those who hear this promise and trust in it receive what is promised to them: a new identity radically distinct from the old one, and a new life which lasts forever. Those who don’t believe the gospel promise can appropriate external aspects of the identity of a child of God. They can pretend. But God’s true children are the ones who have been born again. They hear the heavenly call, trust in his promise, and begin to experience the new life God gives them.

God calls those in Christ to set their faces heavenward.

This call to a new life is like God’s call to Abraham to leave Ur and go to Canaan. God calls us to leave our country and our kindred and our fathers’ houses to go to the land he will show us (Gen. 12:1). In our new identity we are Jesus’ family (Matt. 12:48-50). In taking on our new identity, we turn our backs on our past and set our faces heavenward. Our words to Jesus become those of Ruth:

“Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

So, yes, I do “identify as” a Christian. But I am not a Christian first and foremost because I have the correct theory of justification, or because I follow certain rules, or associate with certain people, or listen to preaching, or participate in the sacraments. I am a Christian because God in Jesus Christ united me to himself and gave me his life. And the same is true of all of God’s children. From the point in time when we heard and believed his gracious call, we have been given a new life, a new destination, a new family—a new identity. We are Christ’s.

I am a stranger, with a stranger’s indifference;
My hands hold a pilgrim’s staff,
My march is Zionward,
My eyes are toward the coming of the Lord,
My heart is in thy hands without reserve,
Thou hast created it,
redeemed it,
renewed it,
captured it,
conquered it.
Keep from it every opposing foe,
crush in it every rebel lust,
mortify every treacherous passion,
annihilate every earthborn desire.

— Arthur Bennett, ed. The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

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This article was originally published on October 4, 2018.

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3 Ways You Can Foster Kindness Among Your Children

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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.

Having been a stay-at-home mom with three children under the age of seven, I have always placed fostering kindness high on my priority list. Living with bickering children can feel like you’re doing hard time in a prison of your own making. I have an older brother and a younger sister with whom I am very close now; but when I think back to our childhood, there were definitely patterns and behaviors in the way that we treated each other that I didn’t want to see in my own children.

As parents, we can get caught up primarily in correcting negative behavior, which—don’t get me wrong—is very much needed at times. I’ve been through “survival mode” seasons with a baby, a toddler, and an elementary-schooler, when it seems that all I can do to get through the day is bark orders. Thankfully, those seasons don’t last forever. Once the dust settles and some calm has returned, I’ve been able to reflect and give thought to what I really want the interactions between my children to look like.

They know the basics: no name-calling, tantrums, or outright disrespect towards Mommy and Daddy or siblings. Those actions warrant immediate discipline, and they are aware of that. But what about kindness? While correcting children for negative actions is an important part of being a parent, encouraging positive actions to replace negative ones is the final step that can really begin to change the way children interact with one another. Here are three tips that I have found helpful in my family:

1. Pray not only for your kids, but with your kids.

Much of my personal prayer time is devoted to the health, safety, and future of my children. I also pray for their spiritual condition, their ability to obey and resist sin, and the relationships they have within our family. Praying for these things aloud with them is also important. Before bed each night, I pray with them that they will serve one another, love each other, and remain close all their lives.

These things can easily be overlooked or assumed, but hearing them every day will reinforce the importance of the relationships children have among their siblings. That it is not something that can be taken for granted. The thought of them possibly growing apart going into adulthood breaks my heart, so I keep closeness in their relationships with each other at the forefront.

2. Teach your children the art of edification (building up one another).

As much as I loved my siblings growing up, I can’t really remember giving or receiving from them compliments on a regular basis. Just like any other good thing, it takes practice to create a habit. I often ask my children to list three things about their siblings that they love or to think of a quality one of their siblings possesses that they admire. This is especially helpful after conflict. I ask them to be specific—“because she is nice” doesn’t cut it.

You would be surprised at how children’s faces light up when they receive a real, meaningful compliment from a sibling. If you think about how small their worlds are and how few influencers they have, it is very powerful to hear kind words spoken of them by a sibling. I love the idea of getting them in the habit of this when they are young, so that it hopefully becomes second nature to them as they grow into adolescence and young adulthood—when they will need to hear those kind words even more.

3. Encourage “team spirit” in your family.

It has been amusing to watch how—as soon as they have a handle on the rules—the first thing my children want to do is to make sure everyone around them is obeying them. Part of this is human nature and a God-given desire for justice. But it can also take a turn and be very divisive.

The temptation to be a tattletale is common among our little ones, and there are a couple of things I have found with mine that seem to help. With my oldest, who is often charged with “watching over her little sisters,” being a tattletale was something she did out of instinct. Part of it was her natural inclination to be the little reporter, but there was often the intention of wanting to get her little sister “in trouble” as well.

Explain to your children that their family is a team. Every member of the family has a part in teaching the other family members how to behave: “Instead of tattling on your sister, could you gently correct her and teach her how she could have done something differently?”

Taking it a step further also allows them to start learning empathy: “If it were you who took the toy out of someone’s hand, would you want them to tattle on you, or ask you nicely to have it back?” They begin to feel a little empowered at the opportunity to teach and take more ownership of their options. It is a beautiful thing to watch them turn into encouraging, nurturing little beings.

I have noticed a distinct difference in the way my daughters interact when I am diligent and consistent with these small changes. There are still those long days that I seem to be barking orders, policing arguments, and weeding through tattles, but it helps to have a few tools in the tool belt to get through the day and keep focused on our Savior and his grace.

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This article was originally published on February 13, 2018, under the title “3 Ways You Can Foster Kindness Among Your Children Today.”

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If God Is Loving, Why Doesn’t He Just Forgive People?

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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.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to die on a cross for people’s sins? After all, if God is loving, why couldn’t he just forgive everyone instead of putting his Son through all that suffering to make atonement for sin?

We find the answer to this question in God’s attribute of simplicity. A lot of people view simplicity as meaning “uncomplicated,” something that is easy to do. True, the word is certainly used that way. When referring to God as being simple, however, we mean that God is not complex. God is pure spirit; he is not made up of a bunch of parts (John 4:24).

God is simple, not complex.

Let’s use an everyday cooking example to make this point. When making stew, people usually use a variety of ingredients, including meat, potatoes, grains, vegetables, broth, and various spices, to name a few. All these ingredients are combined together to make a nourishing meal.

Many people view God in a similar way. They look at all of God’s attributes—including his love, holiness, goodness, righteousness, mercy, justice, and greatness—and think that all these things are combined together in the being of God.

God must be true to all his attributes.

Because he is spirit, God is always purely all of his attributes in complete perfection and unity. It is impossible for God to allow, say, his mercy to override his justice. His holiness never conflicts with his love.

God must be true to all his attributes, because to do otherwise would be to deny his own self. As theologian Michael Horton so aptly states in his book The Christian Faith, “God would not be God if he did not possess all his attributes in the simplicity and perfection of his essence” (p. 229).

In order to uphold all his attributes, God must punish sin.

It is because of God’s simplicity that he sent his Son to die on a cross for our sins. In this world we cry out against injustice. We are outraged over incidences where people hurt others and don’t bear the consequences of their wrongdoing.

How much more is this the case when God sees his righteous law violated? He cannot look the other way. In order to uphold his attributes of holiness, righteousness, and justice, God must judge and punish sin (Num. 14:18; Nah. 1:3).

Jesus, the God-man, fulfilled the whole law and was the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf.

God became the solution to the problem of sin. Since there was no way for sinful humans to keep God’s law perfectly or completely atone for their sins, Jesus was born in the flesh so he could fulfill the whole law and be the perfect sacrifice on behalf of all who put their faith in him:

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Heb. 10:11–14)

At Golgotha, we see the God who is both “just and the justifier” (Matt. 27:33–35; Rom. 3:26). Horton points out that it is at the cross where “we see how far God is willing to go in order to uphold all of his attributes in the simplicity of his being” (p. 266).

Such a good, holy, loving, just, and merciful God we have! 

It was entirely fitting that such a loving God did not spare even his own Son but rather delivered him up for his sin-laden image bearers so that we could be restored to fellowship with him (Rom. 8:32; 2 Cor. 5:19). Jesus was not forced to make this sacrifice either. He told his disciples that no one could take his life away, but he laid it down of his own accord because of his unfathomable love for his sheep (John 10:18; 15:13).

Take a moment and think about the attributes of God we see on display at the cross, and marvel at what a good, holy, loving, just, and merciful God we have! Rest today in the knowledge that because our God is simple we can trust him to uphold all his glorious attributes. The greatest proof of this is the finished reconciling work of Christ, which is counted to all who trust in him alone for salvation.

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This article was originally published at Beautiful Christian Life on August 22, 2018.

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4 Questions a Pastor Should Ask Himself Before and After Giving a Sermon

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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: J. V. Fesko is the Harriet Barbour Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi.

There is a myriad of books about preaching on the market at present, and each of them presents useful information, tips, and methods for preaching a good sermon. Yet, when I’m evaluating a sermon or preparing my own messages, there are four simple questions that I ask myself:

1. Did I exegete the text?

Why should you ask whether the preacher exegeted the text? Believe it or not, there are many preachers who mount the pulpit, speak for thirty to forty minutes, and never really engage the biblical text in any significant way. I have personally sat under “preaching” where the message, at least in my mind, had no clearly discernable connection to the sermon text. The pastor spent more time offering personal observations, opinions, and commentary on recent news events than the biblical text.

Another type of “sermon” that I’ve heard is when a preacher reads a biblical text and then picks up a word, phrase, or concept that appears in the text and uses it as a springboard to a message that might be vaguely related to the passage at hand. I have heard some, for example, cite Deuteronomy 6:7, “You shall teach them [the words of Deuteronomy 6:4] diligently to your children…” as grounds for advocating home schooling as the only legitimate form of childhood educating. The text, I have been told, explicitly assigns education to parents, not to a public or Christian school.

Such an interpretation picks up on two elements in the verse—parents(implicit in the passage) and teach. But these two words have a greater context—the context is the law of God and the first greatest commandment:

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deut. 6:4-5)

The context is not about education in general but rather instructing children to love the Lord with all their being. In Pauline terms, the passage addresses, among other things, raising children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).

Hence, a fundamental question the preacher should always ask himself is, did I exegete the text? Did I examine the surrounding context? Did I historically locate the passage? Did I pay attention to specific or unique terminology? If I’m preaching from an Old Testament passage, did I examine how the New Testament appeals to, alludes to, or echoes the text? These are all vital questions that the preacher should ask to ensure that he properly handles the text and “draws out” (what the term exegesis means) from the passage the intended meaning, rather than inserting ideas that are foreign to the text.

In your sermon, you might not refer to all of your exegetical work. Preaching is akin to telling what time it is rather than disassembling the clock and showing how it’s made. Nevertheless, a good sermon still needs properly functioning inner gears and whirring wheels so that the preacher can accurately tell his congregation what time it is. But just because you don’t reveal the inner workings of the clock does not mean you don’t need those internal mechanisms. On the contrary, exegesis is the foundation of any good sermon. So always ask, did I exegete the text?

2. Did I explain the text?

When I evaluate a sermon or my own preaching, the second key question I ask is whether I adequately explained the biblical text. This is a distinct issue from the first question, namely, did I exegete the biblical text? Exegesis is foundational to a solid sermon—it ensures that you accurately represent the text in your sermon and don’t introduce foreign ideas to the Bible. In other words, in a sermon the preacher wants to open a window to the voice of God—in the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), which is “the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture” (WCF 1.10). But as important as exegesis is to a solid sermon, another vital element is explanation.

In the post-exilic Israelite community, we find the principle of explanation recorded in the text:

They [the Levites] read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. (Neh. 8:8)

The priests did not merely read the word and leave the people floundering. Yes, as the Westminster Confession of Faith teaches, the Word of God is abundantly perspicuous (clear) in matters of salvation (WCF 1.7). Yet, it also acknowledges that there are some portions that are not “plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all.”

Hence, preachers need to exegete the Scriptures to ensure their message is text-driven, but they also need to explain the text to their congregation. Above I wrote that preachers need to tell their congregations what time it is rather than tell them how the clock was made, and now it might appear as though I’m giving contradictory counsel. How can you explain a text without showing all its parts in great detail?

There is a difference, I believe, in spouting off about Greek and Hebrew terms for which the congregation has no knowledge versus ensuring that the congregation understands what’s going on in the passage. I once preached from Isaiah 6 and told the congregation that the word for holy was the Hebrew term qadosh (queue the sound of a fighter jet screaming by at Mach 2 over the heads of the congregation).

While it was important for me to know the meaning of this term in my exegesis of the passage, it was unnecessary for me to quote the Hebrew. I only needed to say that holy means set apart and that the seraphim repeated the term three times to indicate the superlative to convey that God is the holiest of all beings. Quoting Hebrew to people who don’t know Hebrew might sound impressive, but it’s telling the congregation how the clock is made. Telling the congregation what the term holy means and why the text repeats it three times lies at the heart of explaining the text.

So, did I explain the text? Related questions are, Did the congregation walk away from the sermon and have a better understanding of the biblical passage? Did the congregation learn something about the text? The last thing you want your congregation to do is to walk out of church and be filled with awe and wonder, but ultimately be unable to tell you why they are filled with these affections.

The only way that people will mature in their faith and move from milk to solid meat is if they have a better understanding of the biblical text. While preaching and teaching are distinct things, part of the task of preaching involves teaching your church what the text says. In so doing, you will train and equip your congregation for every good work and lead them, most importantly, to a greater relationship with our triune God.

3. Did I preach Christ from the text?

The third question I ask when evaluating sermons (including my own) is whether I preached Christ organically from the biblical text. Many preachers regularly ask this question of themselves, but at the same time they’re not quite sure how to do this. Charles Spurgeon once famously stated, “I take my text and make a beeline to the cross.” In other words, it didn’t seem to matter what the text said; Spurgeon always introduced Christ. On the one hand, this is a good desire. On the other hand, preachers must responsibly preach Christ from the Bible.

You want to avoid two things in this regard: 1) failing to preach Christ, or 2) preaching a “Christ shingle-sermon.” The Christ shingle-sermon is where you never organically connect Christ to your sermon text but you know you’re supposed to talk about Jesus, so you tack Christ on to the end of your message like a shingle. Or to use another metaphor, the preacher shoe-horns Christ into the sermon. This is why I regularly ask myself the question, Did I organically preach Christ from the biblical text?

I believe that all biblical texts relate in one way or another to the person and work of Christ, but determining how, precisely, is the exegetical challenge. Numerous examples of bad exegesis litter the interpretive landscape—preachers appeal to various aspects of the text and claim spurious connections to Christ. I once read a sermon where the preacher claimed that when Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, the wood Isaac carried for the burnt offering was a type (foreshadow) of sin.

Such claims may appeal to people because it gives the appearance of unlocking a secret portion of the Scriptures, but the problem is that such an explanation lacks sufficient biblical warrant. Are there any other passages of Scripture that liken sin to a bundle of sticks? Is there any interpretive warrant for taking every minute detail of a narrative text and assigning a specific meaning to it? If the wood was supposedly symbolic of sin, what about the mountain, the donkeys they rode, or Abraham’s servants?

The safest way to ensure that you organically preach Christ from a passage of Scripture is to follow the interpretive patterns you see in the Bible itself. For example, look at the book of Hebrews and see what it does with the various Old Testament passages it cites. The author of Hebrews makes a connection between Moses, a servant in God’s house, and Christ, the One over God’s house (Heb. 3:5). The Bible itself connects the ministries of Moses and Christ. Hebrews repeats this pattern throughout its thirteen chapters regarding the Levitical priesthood, the tabernacle, the temple, the old covenant, and so forth.

Another surefire way to preach Christ is to ask, Is this text before, during, or after the earthly ministry of Christ? If it’s before, for example, then the text likely points forward to Christ’s work. Sometimes a text may have a latent connection to Christ. When you read the book of Ruth, Christ does not explicitly appear. Yet, several important factors do point to Christ, revealing God’s continued faithfulness to his covenant promises to Abraham to bring about the birth of the descendant of Abraham, the offspring of David. The fact that Ruth’s name appears in Christ’s genealogy (Matt. 1:5) gives us a clue regarding how we can organically preach Christ from this book of the Bible.

In the end, these observations only touch upon some of the principles that ensure that you preach Christ responsibly from every text of Scripture. For a more detailed explanation of these principles, definitely read Dennis Johnson’s Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ from All the Scriptures. It’s an excellent resource for Christ-focused preaching. Nevertheless, always ask the question, Did I preach Christ organically from the biblical text? Always strive to do so as you want always to feed your congregation with Christ, the manna from heaven.

4. Did I apply the text?

The last question I ask myself when I’m evaluating a sermon, including my own, is, did I apply the text? This is an important question, though perhaps it’s often debated because people disagree on what constitutes application. In the minds of some preachers, application is a well-intended but nevertheless sinful effort to impose moral obligations upon a congregation apart from biblical warrant. In eighteenth-century Germany, preachers were typically evaluated on whether their sermons were practical. Church historian Jaroslav Pelikan recounts how pastors would therefore give gardening tips in their sermons so they would be perceived as being practical.

Others believe that it’s the job of the pastor only to hold out Christ and that the Spirit of God is the only one who can apply the text. I certainly acknowledge the vital truth that only the Spirit makes the word effectual in the conversion and sanctification of God’s people. That being said, the Bible certainly presses the point that preachers must apply the text of Scripture to their congregations.

But what do I mean by application? In grammatical terms, we want to preach both the indicatives (what Christ has done and who we are in him) and the imperatives (what the Scriptures expect of us in terms of our conduct). The Bible is filled with indicatives and imperatives. Take, for example, the book of Ephesians. While this is a slight exaggeration, Paul largely dwells on indicatives in the first half of the book and then imperatives in the latter half.

A similar pattern appears in the book of Romans—Paul expounds the indicatives in Romans 1-11 and then addresses imperatives in chapters 12-16. This is not an airtight pattern, as there are undoubtedly imperatives and indicatives in both portions of Ephesians and Romans, but it illustrates the unbreakable bond between both categories.

Preachers, therefore, have the responsibility to preach both indicatives and imperatives, but we must always be mindful of their logical order. Indicatives (what Christ has done for us) always serve as the foundation for the imperatives (our Christian conduct). We can never reverse this logical order. Christ, through the work of the Spirit, is the source of our capacity and ability for growth in sanctification.

We do not offer our good works (imperative first) so we can then somehow secure the indicative of redemption. We can reverse the order in our sermonic rhetoric—i.e., you can begin with the imperatives but then show that you need Christ to carry them out. You’re still preserving the logical order between the two even if you invert their presentation.

The Westminster divines were adamant about the importance of applying the text when they wrote their Directory for Public Worship. They state:

“He [the preacher] is not to rest in general doctrine, although ever so much cleared and confirmed, but to bring it home to special use, by application to his hearers.”

Application might look different depending on the text that you preach. In some texts (e.g., John 1:1ff) the indicative is: Christ is God; and the imperative might be: worship him! In other texts, such as Joseph's flight from Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39), the indicative would be: we are called to holiness and set apart through our union with Christ, and the imperative would be: we must therefore flee sexual immorality—even at great personal cost—because devotion to Christ and holiness outweighs the consequences (such as Joseph’s imprisonment). Context ultimately determines the nature of the application.

So remember to ask these four simple questions any time you write (or evaluate) a sermon:

• Did I (or the preacher) exegete the text?

• Did I (or the preacher) explain the text?

• Did I (or the preacher) organically preach Christ from the text?

• Did I (or the preacher) apply the text?

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This article by J. V. Fesko is adapted from the following four articles at Westminster Seminary California's Valiant For Truth blog: “A Pastor’s Reflections: Did I Exegete the Text?”; “A Pastor’s Reflections: Did I Explain the Text?”; “A Pastor’s Reflections: Did I Preach Christ?“; and “A Pastor’s Reflections: Did I Apply the Text?” and was originally published at Beautiful Christian Life on January 24, 2019. For more helpful content by Dr. Fesko, please visit jvfesko.com.

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Why Did the People of Nazareth Scorn Jesus?

Meister der Kahriye-Cami-Kirche, Nazareth as depicted on a Byzantine mosaic; 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.

There is a sentiment going around nowadays with increasing frequency, which can be summed up as, “That offends me!” People seem to get offended at the drop of a hat as though there is no greater sin than to offend someone. If you offend someone, then you have deep moral failings and phobias that need to be acknowledged and fixed. The offender is always in the wrong, while the offended one is blameless and beyond reproach.

If someone is so easily offended, maybe the issue isn’t with others but with them. At times, it is surely wrong to be offensive, but what if there are times that it is equally problematic to be offended? And it is this line of reasoning that our Lord sets before us as he takes the weekend to visit his hometown:

[Jesus] went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. (Mark 6:1-6)

Our Lord just raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. A mom and dad got to hold the warm flesh of their girl, who was just moments before a cold corpse. The power of our Savior shattered the grip of death, and it tenderly hands a daughter back to her dad. Yet, Jesus is not one to let the grass grow underneath his feet. The Father sent him to be a traveling preacher, so he must continue his journey. And Mark places him next in his hometown. The approximately thirty-mile walk from the Sea of Galilee to his family estate is glossed over without event.

Nazareth was the family residence for the clan of Jesus.

We know from chapter 1 that Jesus is from Nazareth. An impure spirit even called him Jesus of Nazareth. Mark, though, is not interested in the name of this village, but he underscores that this is the fatherland of our Lord. This is where Jesus grew up, went to school, and found a job. Despite any connections his family had with Bethlehem, Nazareth is the family residence for the clan of Jesus.

Estimates put the population of Nazareth maybe as high as 1,600 in the first century, not very big, and family extended beyond just your immediate household to include cousins, aunts, and grand-parents. In a small village like this, it was not uncommon to be related to half the town. Yet, your hometown was not just about the address of where you went to elementary school. Rather, in the ancient world, your origin forecasted your destiny. Heroes hailed from prestigious locations. Insignificant hamlets gave birth to people of little consequence. Your fatherland determined your station and lot in life.

And if you attempted to advance beyond your station, it was looked upon with suspicion and contempt. A warm welcome is by no means guaranteed for our Lord. Though, as is his habit, Jesus heads to the synagogue on the Sabbath to do some teaching, and the elders are happy to let Jesus fill the pulpit for the day.

The Nazarene congregation’s response to the teaching of Jesus takes a sour turn.

The people hear Jesus’ teaching, and they are amazed and astonished. This is not a happy surprise; rather, it is disturbing and overwhelming. They are impressed—but not in a good way. Where did this man get these things?

The people of Nazareth are bothered by a gross mismatch. On the one hand, these teachings are impressive and excellent. They admit Jesus’ instruction is full of wisdom; it is astute, profound, and relayed with the confidence of an expert. Yet, how can such big words come from such a small man? Note they won’t even name Jesus. They point to him as this man and basically charge Jesus with plagiarism, with stealing intellectual property. Where did this guy get such teaching? Who gave him such wisdom? It sure couldn’t come from him! 

By this question, the people actually testify against themselves. To give or grant wisdom is a biblical idiom; it is found throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. And everywhere it appears, the clear and unambiguous answer is God. God alone is the true source and giver of wisdom. They recognize wisdom in Jesus, but they consider it unthinkable. They question not just the possibility of it, but the suitability of it. And they think the same about his mighty works. How can this guy do miracles? It just feels wrong to them.

The people think teaching is for rabbis and intellectuals, not for illiterate carpenters like Jesus.

The people of Nazareth make this clear by answering their own questions: Where did this guy get such excellent instruction? Is he not a carpenter? There is no way a carpenter should be able to teach like this. Teaching is for rabbis and intellectuals, not for illiterate carpenters. Now, the word here for carpenter is the more general word meaning smith.

The word smith refers to a craftsman, who can work with a variety of materials. In Greek sources, this word does more often refer to a craftsman of wood and lumber, a carpenter. Yet, in the Old Testament it is used for those who work with wood, stone, bronze, or iron. Jesus could be a blacksmith, a stone-mason, or a carpenter. We don’t know his preferred material.

Either way, the point of mentioning Jesus’ profession is about class; namely, the contrast between the class of smiths and that of the intellectuals. A smith would generally be illiterate, except for business dealings, while the skill of wise instruction comes from those who were wealthy and could afford fancy private schools or tutors.

The Nazarenes are affronted that Jesus exceeds and overreaches beyond his station.

Being a smith was not necessarily a shameful thing; in fact, skilled craftsmen were an important part of human capital for a city. Yet, the educated elite did look down on them, as being below them. The sophisticated nobility were too good for such labor as working with their hands, to get sweaty and a tan.

More so, if a blacksmith attempted to be a scholar, to rub shoulders with nobles, then it was dishonorable. The smith was exalting himself above his station; he was doing things not proper for him. Thus, the people are affronted that Jesus exceeds and overreaches beyond his station. He is a smith; how dare he play the rabbi! 

Jesus is trained in swinging a hammer, not in eloquent teaching. This hometown boy, who had a fifteen-year career in smithing, should not be so wise with words. This is offensive. And the people don’t merely disparage Jesus, but they also lump in his family.

It’s interesting that the people only mention Mary as Jesus’ parent.

In the first century your family heritage determined your character and capacities. Where did Jesus get such wisdom? Well, it cannot be his mother. He is the son of Mary, who is just a plain-Jane lady. Now, it’s interesting that they only mention Mary because the typical way to identify a person was by the father. The son of Joseph is basically Jesus’ last name. Yet, the people ignore Joseph and name him the son of Mary. Why this is the case is not entirely clear. Though, given the insulting tone, this is likely disparaging because they know Jesus was a shot-gun baby.

The math is simple. Nine months before Jesus was born, Mary was not yet married to Joseph. She got pregnant before she was rightfully betrothed to Joseph. Maybe Joseph is the father; maybe he is not. This son of Mary is an illegitimate child. Mary is a simpleton peasant and immoral in their eyes. Jesus was the product of an impure union. Wise teachers ought to have aristocratic and upright origins, and Jesus fails on both accounts. And they lump in his brothers as further evidence. They list off all four of his nothing-special and well-known brothers: James, Joses, Judas and Simon. Furthermore, they even point at Jesus’ sisters, who seem to be present in the synagogue.

Look, there are his sisters. The brothers and sisters that the townsfolk have known their whole lives further disqualify Jesus from being a wise intellectual and miracle worker. Of course, this is a fascinating window into the family of our Lord and the most information we are given about the household of Joseph and Mary in Scripture.

Jesus is most likely in his thirties, which puts Mary into her mid-to-late forties. And in addition to Jesus, Mary bore another four sons and at least two daughters. Mary is at least the mother of seven. This verse has been offensive not just to the Nazarenes, but to much of church history.

The idea that Mary was a perpetual virgin has no Scriptural support.

In the first few centuries of the early church, there arose a doctrine, which became increasing popular, about the perpetual virginity of Mary. This teaching stated that Mary was a virgin when she bore Jesus and she was a virgin for the rest of her life. The taint of sex was too repellent to be applied to Mary. Thus, Jerome understood brothers here to mean cousins—these four boys were the children of Mary’s sister. Another view was that the brothers were Joseph’s children from a previous marriage. The problem with these interpretations is that they have no Scriptural support. The Bible never even insinuates that Mary was a permanent virgin. In fact, virginity is not a proper, full-rounded virtue in Scripture.

Before marriage, virginity is proper and right. Pre-marital sex is a sin against God. Yet, after marriage, virginity becomes a vice. The created purpose of marriage is to become one flesh. To get married and not to share yourself with your spouse is a sin; it would be legal grounds for a divorce (1 Cor. 7:1-5).

Ironically, the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity, which claims to increase the holiness of Mary, actually makes her a worse sinner. Moreover, to be offended by the truth that Mary had other children puts you in the same place as the Nazarenes here, which is not a good spot to be in, as we are about to see.

The Nazarenes are scandalized by Jesus touching the holy teaching of the synagogue.

The proper reading is that these are true siblings of our Lord, and Mary conceived and bore at least six more children by Joseph. And the congregants within the synagogue categorize Mary’s family as too plain, mundane, and uneducated to be the source of Jesus’ wisdom and power. Therefore, Mark registers that they are offended by Jesus. The moral alarm of their conscience sounds as they deem Jesus as unworthy, revolting, and doing what should not be done.

Their taking offense also means the people caused themselves to sin. Their feelings of repugnance at Jesus are a stumbling block for them into sin. They are offended out of a sense of justice, from a position of superiority, but the offended ones are the ones in the wrong.

Thus, Jesus notes a proverb that was just proven true. A prophet has no dishonor, except in his hometown. When a prophet goes on tour, he is applauded and respected as God’s authoritative emissary, but he comes home and gets no respect. And Jesus extends this proverb to include his relatives and his own household. This implies that his mother and siblings are not supportive of Jesus. They are ashamed of him and judge him as taboo. Our Lord forms this proverb based on the Old Testament. He claims for himself the office of prophet, and he resembles the prophets of old.

Nearly all the prophets were dishonored and treated with contempt by the people of their homeland.

The clearest example we have of this is the prophet Jeremiah, who was from the city of Anathoth. The men of Anathoth attempted to murder Jeremiah, and there are numerous similar examples. Moses was rejected by his fellow Hebrews in Exodus 2, and David was scorned by his brothers in 1 Samuel 17.

In fact, nearly all the prophets were dishonored and treated with contempt by the people of their homeland, and what did all this disrespect have in common? It arose out of a sense of justice. People were offended by what they considered to be unjust, improper, and unworthy. Moses had no office to be their judge; thus, he had no right.

David was the runt of the family—how dare he show up his older brothers. Jeremiah preached judgment against his hometown—what a failure of loyalty. Indeed, by this proverb, Jesus alludes to Isaiah 53:3, where it says, he was dishonored and rejected by men. Jesus acknowledges that he is the suffering servant.

Yet, disrespect and dishonor are shown to those considered unworthy. You dishonor the one who is morally unacceptable, socially inferior, or whose character is deeply flawed. So, the Nazarenes are offended because Jesus is not good enough. Additionally, what is the fruit of their being offended?

The product of the people’s dishonor of Jesus is unbelief. Thus, Jesus was unable to do miracles in Nazareth. Besides a few healed sick people, Jesus couldn’t perform wonders in his hometown. The problem is not with Jesus’ power; rather, our Lord administers his wonders through faith. As Jesus said to the bleeding woman, “‘Daughter, your faith has made you well’” (Mark 5:34).

So, by the faith of Jairus, Jesus raised his daughter from the dead. In contrast to these great examples of faith, the Nazarenes have no faith. And without faith, our Lord will not unleash his powerful grace to heal, to save. These people know Jesus the best, but their familiarity only fuels their unbelief. As it says, Jesus marveled because of their unbelief.

Being offended makes us feel like the innocent victim, while feeling comfortable in our own moral superiority.

Jesus is astounded that they are offended unto disbelief. Their being scandalized rules out any faith in Jesus. And what a sober warning is this for us! For, we live in a time where offense is a growing trend. It is so cool to be offended; there is a competition to see who can be the most offended. For being offended makes us feel like the innocent victim; it allows us to demonize the other, while feeling comfortable in our own moral superiority. And the offense of Christ has not diminished.

Sure, as Paul tells us, we should put no stumbling block to faith, except Christ and him crucified. We are called to labor to remove all offense except the gospel of Jesus. Yet, in a world where the social gospel is so prized, the offense of Christ increases. One side is scandalized that Jesus is not woke enough. The other side is offended that he isn’t right-wing enough.

We must be on our guard not to be offended by Christ.

Theocrats on both ends of the spectrum are indignant with Jesus unless they twist him to fit their particular agenda. In the Middle Ages, for Mary to lose her virginity was scandalous. Heaven forbid you believe in a Savior whose mother slept with her husband, and our modern sensibilities that are offended by Jesus are no less trite and shallow.

We must be on our guard not to be offended by Christ. As Jesus said, “blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matt. 11:6). To be offended by Christ is poison to faith. Being scandalized by Jesus Christ strangles true faith and eventually gives birth to marvelous unbelief. To be offended by Christ is not a problem with Jesus, but it means we have a problem.

Dear saints, guard your faith from the unbelieving offense of the world. When we feel the urge to be scandalized by Jesus, may we repent and trust in him. May we let go of our moral superiority, since in truth we have none, and in faith may we cast ourselves upon Jesus Christ.

May we take comfort in the fact that a Nazarene smith was the wisdom of God for our salvation. A marginal Jewish carpenter died and rose for your justification. A Galilean stonemason is your only comfort in life and in death, for he was the Suffering Servant who was dishonored upon the cross for your eternal glory.

All your sins are washed away and heaven is given to you as a gift of grace and through faith alone in Jesus Christ, the smith from Nazareth, who became the Lamb of God. Praise the Lord for his infinite grace and the wisdom of Christ that is both folly to the world and the power of God for our resurrected redemption. Blessed is the one who is not offended by Christ.

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This article is adapted from the Rev. Zach Keele’s sermon on Mark 6:1-6, preached on November 28, 2021, and was was originally published at Beautiful Christian Life on September 1, 2022.

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25 Bible Passages about Peace in Christ

Photo by Henry Fraczek on Unsplash

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 it mean for Christians to have peace? Sometimes we don’t feel all that peaceful because of various concerns, trials, and anxieties we experience in this world.

It’s critically important for believers to recognize that they are declared righteous in Christ and always have objective peace with God that can never be taken away from them. While our subjective feelings of peace can ebb and flow, these feelings never change our status before God. Here are 25 Bible passages about peace in Christ (all Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version):

Believers can feel anxious under various trials and lack a sense of peace.

1. I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Ps. 42:9)

2. Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
I am weary with my crying out;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God. (Ps. 69:1-3)

Believers are no longer under condemnation but rather are declared righteous in Jesus Christ because of his perfect obedience and single sacrifice for sin that are imputed (counted) to them.

3. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

4. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:1)

5. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. (Rom. 5:19)

6. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:1-2)

7. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)

8. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. (Phil. 3:8-9)

9. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Heb. 10:12-14)

10. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Pet. 2:24)

Believers are a new creation in Christ, and the Spirit of God dwells in them.

11. Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:5-6)

12. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (1 Cor. 3:16)

13. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own. (1 Cor. 6:19)

14. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor. 5:17)

15. Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. (1 Pet. 1:23) 

Believers can have a greater sense of peace by focusing their hearts and minds on God.

16. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isa. 26:3)

17. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7)

18. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)

19. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Pet. 5:6-7)

Even though believers can get discouraged by the struggles of this world, they can be confident that they will be sanctified completely upon Christ’s return and live forever in glory with God.

20. “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:39-40)

21. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Rom. 8:29-30)

22. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 5:23)

23. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Pet. 2:1-4)

24. Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:2)

25. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Rev. 21:3-5)

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This article was originally published on March 11, 2019.

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Are Good Works Good Enough?

Photo Credit: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A / Shutterstock.com

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.

Works—they are what we do—our actions. But what does it mean if we add “good?” What makes a work good?  

Some may answer that they know a good work when they see it; others may say it is anything that is helpful or loving to another person. But who determines what is good? Does each person decide for themselves? No, it is only God. He is our Creator who has revealed to us what is a good work. Let us consider what he says.

How does God define good works?

When we look at God’s definition of good works in the Bible we find three criteria. A good work is an act that:

• is done in accordance with God’s Word (e.g., Rom. 12:2; Heb. 13:21); 

• proceeds from a heart purified by true faith (e.g., Rom. 14:23; Heb. 11:6); 

• is performed for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31; Pet. 4:11).

Any work we do that fails to meet God’s criteria of what constitutes a good work is sinful and cannot please God (see Mark 7:6-7; Titus 1:15).

What about works done by people who do not believe in Christ Jesus? 

Surely some of what unbelievers do can be deemed a good work? No. By the biblical definition of good works, the reprobate—that is, those who are not in Christ Jesus by faith—cannot do good works. Their works may appear good and even be in accord with God’s law and of benefit to others; however, because they do not proceed from a heart purified by faith, they are sinful and cannot please God nor merit anything from him (see Mark 7:6-7; Titus 1:15).

The point the Lord is making is that good works are not merely external. In order to be good, they must proceed internally from a heart purified by God with an internal motive that aims at God’s glory. 

What about works done by people who do believe in Christ Jesus?

We must first understand that even as redeemed sinners we are still battling sin. Perfection does not come to us in this creation, but only in the new creation (see Job 9:20; Gal 5:17; 1 John 1:8). Apart from Christ Jesus our works are like filthy rags (Isa. 64:5-7), and even when we have done what was our good duty, we are still unworthy servants (Luke 17:10). 

Yet, God sovereignly created us in Christ Jesus for good works, having saved us by grace through faith, not by our own works, so that we cannot boast in anything we have done (Eph. 2:8-10). It is only in Christ Jesus that we do anything that can be called a good work, for such acts proceed only from the Spirit of Christ. 

In John 15:4-6, Christ Jesus reveals that any fruit (i.e., good works) that comes from us is only because Christ abides in us and we in him; apart from Christ we can do nothing good—absolutely nothing. This is particularly important for those who attempt to argue that Christ Jesus saves sinners based on their own works. Contrary to this sinful notion, Christ says in no uncertain terms, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

Note that Jesus says “nothing”—an absolute statement. He doesn’t say: You need to do something, and then I will save you and show you how to do good works. He says that you cannot do anything apart from Christ Jesus.

Even the faith a person exercises—and that some wrongly think is a good work that merits salvation—is a work of the Spirit of Christ in a person’s heart done by the ordinary ministry of God’s word (Rom. 8:9). Ephesians 2:8 could not be clearer on this point (see also John 3:5; John 6:44-45; 1 Cor. 12:3; Phil. 1:29; Titus 3:5).

On the other hand, some will argue that we have free will; thus, we must be the ones to take the initiative before God will do anything for us. However, this wrongly inverts the order. We freely respond to God only because he has already made us spiritually alive in Christ Jesus (John 15:4, 5). In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul makes this very point:

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)

Doesn’t James 2:24 say that a person is justified by works and not faith alone?

Good works proceed from saving faith; faith that does not bear fruit is not saving faith (see James 2:19). James 2:24 is talking about works as fruit and evidence of saving faith, not meritorious works that save us. In fact, James reminds us what kind of perfection is required in order for our works to merit salvation:

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” (James 2:10)

Thus, if you want to boast in your works, or even in your work of faith, James reminds us that you must keep every point of the law, since even one miss justifies our condemnation for the entire law (see Gal. 5:3-4). And there is only one man who kept the law perfectly, the man Christ Jesus (Heb. 4:15).

Christians can boast in God alone.

Is your boasting in God alone? Hopefully it is:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)  

Do you believe so much in your free will that you think you can will yourself into God’s grace, or do you fall to your knees and cry out to God knowing that apart from Christ Jesus you can do nothing?

We cry out in prayer because we believe that with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). He is our strength—our strength is not in ourselves, especially not in our works, since they are so weak and unworthy. Our power to do good works is only in Christ Jesus—apart from him we can do nothing.  

Therefore, we ought to say along with Paul,

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor. 12:9)

We work because God works in us (Phil. 2:13). May all our works be according to his perfect word, coming from a heart purified by God through true faith, and with a right end—and that is the glory of God.

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Justification: Understanding the Classic Reformed Doctrine by J. V. Fesko

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For further study see the Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 16, “Good Works” or the Belgic Confession, Article 24, “Man’s Sanctification and Good Works.” Other related topics in the Westminster Confession include chapter 9, “Free Will”; chapter 10, “Effectual Calling”; and chapter 14, “Of Saving Faith.” See also the Belgic Confession, Article 22, “Our Justification Through Faith in Jesus Christ” and Article 23,” Wherein Our Justification Before God Consists.” 

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