Psalms 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
____________________________
This chapter makes an amazing claim. It promises a secret to success in every area of life – career, finances, marriage, parenting, every relationship, every venture. Whatever he does prospers (verse 3). Pretty big promise! All that if we will simply not do three things (verse 1) but instead do two things (verse 2).
It is not that delighting or meditating on God’s Word is some magical formula or charm that produces these blessings, rather the blessing comes because we are:
1. not taking our counsel from the ungodly.
2. not taking the same stand (approach to life) that sinners take. We do not follow their patterns or path toward success.
3. not finding our rest or peace (sitting) in the same diversions and amusements where the world goes to seek contentment.
Rather, as we immerse ourselves (delight in and meditate day and night) in that Word we begin to see the world – opportunities that come our way, decisions we must make, relationships, etc – from God’s perspective-walking in His counsel, taking the same stands (for and against) that He takes and finding our rest and peace in Him and His plan. Saturating our mind with God’s thoughts causes us to begin to think and consequently act more like Him That then leads to success in every area, flourishing while those around us are floundering, rest amidst strife.
………………….. Proverbs 13:20
He who walks with the wise (metaphorically what we do as we “walk” with God in His Word) grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Romans 7:20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. _________________
For the longest time I thought Paul was saying. “I am not responsible for my sin”. I didn’t do it. The old “Devil made me do it” excuse. I’m not accountable for the bad things I do. I am just a victim. I am actually a good person but this old sin within me just won’t leave me alone.
This verse troubled me. It just didn’t sound right, didn’t seem to align with other Scripture, but that seemed to be what the passage was saying.
Then, when teaching a series on Romans, I had to spend considerable time pondering and meditating on the entire book. Suddenly, when I came to this chapter, I realized it was saying just the opposite of what it initially seemed to be saying. Instead of shifting the blame it was actually assuming full responsibility for the sin. Paul is saying, I am the problem. It is the sin in me. It is not my parent’s fault, my environment’s fault, society’s fault, anyone else or anything else that is responsible for the evil things I do. The sin in me is my problem.
Of course, the great news is that just as we were once slaves to the sin within us, when born again we become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18) Now righteousness is at work within us causing us to make right choices. Oh, there is still a battle and will be until the old flesh is finally consumed but in the meantime Righteousness is our new master.
The flesh and the spirit are at war within us. Which one wins? An old fellow put it this way, “It is like I have two dogs battling within me. One wants to do good and one wants to do evil?” Someone asked him, “Which one wins?” He responded, “The one I feed the most.”
___________________________ Romans 6:19-22
19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
1 John 4:20
Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
_________________
A statement that irks me like few others is, “I like Jesus. It is Christians I can’t stand.” That statement seems all cool, clever, above the fray, non-judgmental (unlike judgmental Christians) but actually it is a declaration of pitiful ignorance. Why?
If it is a believer saying it, 1 John 4:20 makes it clear it is impossible to say God is OK in my book but I don’t like His people. The Holy Spirit clearly says if you don’t love God’s kids, your brothers and sisters, you don’t truly love God (cannot love God), either.
When unbelievers say they like Jesus but can’t stand Christians they explain it is because Christians are narrrow-minded, judgmental, unloving, intolerant, holier than thou, etc, etc, etc ad nauseam. Jesus, on the other hand, was none of these things. He always walked around with a strange glow encircling His head, flashing the two finger peace sign and kissing babies.
Unlike the ultimate good ole boy that Jesus is, Christians say narrow-minded things like, “you can’t get to heaven unless you follow Jesus.” Where do they come up with these nutty ideas? They say unloving things like “there is a future of eternal torment that awaits those who reject Jesus.” They even say good people like Gandhi or Elvis didn’t go to heaven unless they trusted in Jesus instead of their good works. Get real! Elvis not in heaven?
Why do Christians get such a bum rap when everybody loves Jesus? Because those who say they like “Jesus” but think the church is too judgmental, narrow-minded, unloving, etc, are in love with a “Jesus” that they created in their image. You see, it is (narrow-minded) Jesus who said no one can come to God except through Him. (John 14:6) It is (intolerant) Jesus who warned an eternity of torment awaits those who reject Him. (Matthew 25:46) Judgmental Christians who say Gandhi or Elvis (or you and I) can’t get to heaven based upon our own efforts are simply stating what God’s Word says. (Ephesians 2:8, 9) It is even (holier than thou) Jesus who, when he forgave the woman caught in adultery, told her to go and change her lifestyle – “sin no more”. (John 8:11)
Granted, there are people who claim to be Christians but do not live like Jesus. They give Christianity a bad “image”. But, those followers who truly echo the words and the attitudes of Christ are not very popular either. And it is certainly true that some Christians can be a bit harder to love than others (my guess is they were also “love challengers” before they began to follow Jesus). But it exposes blatant ignorance to say we love God but not His kids – ignorance of Scripture but, even more critically, it usually also betrays ignorance of who God truly is – His nature and character as He has revealed Himself in His Word.
It is a package deal. You want Jesus? He comes with His still flawed, still imperfect, still in process family – the family of God. Gotta love ’em.
______________________________
To live above with the Saints we love,
Ah, that is the purest glory.
To live below with the Saints we know,
Ah, that is another story!
Acts 1:20 [speaking of Judas and how he betrayed the Lord] “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his homestead be made desolate, and let no one dwell in it’; and, ‘let another man take his office.’
The Conundrum:
“If Adam’s sin was all part of God’s plan then his disobedience was actually fulfilling God’s will and therefore, not really sin.” Can it be sinful to do the will of God? In the same way here, it was prophesied that Judas would deny the Lord. This was part of God’s plan of salvation for mankind and yet Judas is condemned for carrying out God’s plan. Doesn’t that seem unjust? The answer isn’t really that difficult to understand.
It should be obvious it is never God’s will that man sin. God doesn’t even tempt us to sin (James 1:13). But God understands our hearts. He knows and remembers what we are made of – dust. Through His foreknowledge of future events and His complete understanding of our hearts, it is not difficult for Him to foretell our actions. Just as a parent can often predict which child will obey and which will disobey, God, who knows the hearts of all men, was able to predict how Adam would respond and Judas’ behavior. The idea of God knowing the hearts of me is even referred to later in this same event when deciding who would take Judas’ place. “And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, … Acts 1:24.
They were praying, Lord, just as you knew the heart of Judas and were able to predict his failure, you know the heart of these candidates to take his place. In your foreknowledge, guide this selection process and help us choose one who will not fail.
Finally, does God’s foreknowledge mean he is responsible for the actions that He predicts? Not anymore than the weatherman is responsible for the rain when he predicts it. Knowing what will happen, even if it is a certainty, is not causal. I know for certain the sun will rise tomorrow but certainly I cannot claim to have made it come up because I know that it will happen. No, man is still left to follow the nature of his own heart and reap the reward or consequences of following it.
_________________________ Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
______________________
This is perhaps my favorite of all passages of Scripture – a passage that promises great hope and change. A sure hope that in our struggle against sin there is a coming change. Let’s look at it.
It says right now, this moment, we are children of God – done deal, sealed and sure – we are His. But often I still act like my old self. I still battle that old nature and get tired of struggling, failing and living below what God has for me. If what I am experiencing now is all there is to being a child of God – wrestling against the flesh, sometimes winning, too often losing in a seemingly endless battle – well, it just isn’t that glorious.
But this passage tells me I have a brighter future. One day, one glorious day, I will see Him and that will produce a most marvelous result – a change – I will be like Him! The battle will be over! I will obtain the goal for which I have been running – I will see Him (the ultimate prize) and I will be made sinless, pure, holy – like Him! What a fantastic promise, to know that I will win this battle, the old nature will be defeated. I will be free! I will see Him and will be able to approach him not just positionally pure because of His work on Calvary but fully purified, like Him, free from the grip of temptation and sin.
Right now I am free from the penalty of sin. Day by day I am becoming free from the power of sin. And one very glorious day I will be free from the very presence of sin! In the meantime, I am a child of God – right now. I don’t have to work for it, try to earn it or wish it were true. I am a child of God.
Knowing I won’t fully defeat sin until He appears should I just give up the fight, accept my failures and sin, since I know they will be with me until the day He appears? Certainly not, as the next passage tells me.
“All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3) This hope is supposed to lead me to change, to purify myself, move in that ultimate direction, though I know the full attainment will be His work and not mine. I want to live pointing my life toward that goal. I want to live in a way that pleases my Heavenly Father, though I will often fail and falter in that goal. But when I get knocked down, beaten up by sin, the flesh or the devil, I don’t have to wallow in the mud of hopelessness. I can get up, run back to Dad, like the prodigal son, and realize I will not be like this forever. One splendid day Jesus will appear. I will see Him and I will be changed, I will be like Him! Such glorious hope and change!
Knowing this gives me courage to get up, get back in the race and run to win – knowing that ultimately I will win because He has already won.
_______________________
As God’s children we have already been set free from the penalty of sin.
As we grow in our conformity to His image we are being set free from the power of sin.
One most marvelous day we will see Him and be set free from the presence of sin.
QUESTION:
Someone told me they believe the Bible but also believe there is no eternal punishment and that the greek word associated with eternal punishment really meant for a limited time but the church translated it “eternal” to control people through fear. Is that true?
ANSWER: Some refer to this teaching as Biblical Universalism trying to distinguish themselves from traditional universalism that denies the Scriptures. While Biblical Universalism claims to believe the Bible it is important to understand which “Bible” they believe.
First, they deny all major translations of the Bible as being accurate. These “mistranslations” include the King James Version, New International Version, New American Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, the Amplified Bible, New Century Version, New Living Translation, International Standard Version as well as almost all others. Instead, they refer you to a few obscure translations which, if you will check it out, you will find were almost exclusively done by other universalists who were not well educated in the original languages and had a point to prove by “correcting” the translations done by scholarly teams of translators from a broad spectrum of doctrinal and theological backgrounds with no “ax to grind”. A key to cult success and heretical teachers is to undermine the trustworthiness of Scriptures so you are left having to depend upon their word, or their translations, for the “truth”.
It does not take a lot of research to torpedo this heresy and you don’t have to be a Greek scholar to do the research yourself. The foundation of their belief revolves around the meaning of the Greek word “aionios” which they say means temporary. (And two hundred years before Jesus it was used to mean temporary but word meaning changes over time and in Jesus’ time the word clearly meant “eternal” as we will see in Scripture.)
Matthew 25:46 says, “Then they (the unrighteous) will go away to eternal (aionios) punishment, but the righteous to eternal (aionios) life.”
Basically, their claim is that the second time the word is used it means “eternal” but the first time it is used in this sentence it means “temporary”. To an unbiased observer it would be clear that since Jesus used the same term to describe the length of both the punishment and the reward then both are equal in duration. If the punishment ends after a period of time then clearly the reward also ends after a period of time. Obviously Biblical Universalism finds elaborate ways to deny this clear connection and say the same word can mean different things even though used in the same sentence. While a word can mean different things though used in the same sentence (A fly landed on my fly and would not fly away), there is no justification for applying differing definitions in the Matthew statement.
But a simple Bible study of the word “aionios” will further sink the univeralist ship and clarify the meaning of the word without referring to any translations – the major ones or their obscure ones.
Looking up the word aionios we see it – or its derivatives – are used 72 times in the New Testament. Of the 72 passages where the word is used, 59 times it is used to describe things even Biblical Universalism would agree are eternal: eternal Life – 43x, Spirit of God eternal – 1, Everlasting God – 2, Eternal glory – 3, eternal consolation – 1, God’s power is aionion – 1, Eternal salvation – 1, eternal redemption – 1, Jesus is alive aionion – 1, Everlasting kingdom – 1, eternal gospel – 1, eternal inheritance – 1, eternal covenant – 1, eternal habitation prepared – 1. All agree these things last eternally, not just for a period of time.
If in all those instances the word clearly means “eternal, without end” how can we suddenly translate it as temporary when it refers to punishment (1x), damnation(1x), destruction(1x), judgment(1x) and hell’s fire (3x)? Based on the fact that aionion clearly refers to things we would all agree go on without end in the overwhelming uses of the word, there is no justification to suddenly change its meaning when we apply it to things we are not so fond of – fire, judgment, punishment, destruction, damnation.
While Universalism pleases our natural senses (it would be comforting to think the horrors of hell are only temporary – or non existent at all) there is no Biblical evidence to support this. Punishment, damnation, destruction, judgment and the fires of hell are serious matters, they are eternal matters as the Bible clearly teaches and as the church has taught since its beginning. Universalism is the same lie the serpent told in the garden, “Go ahead, disobey God. You won’t die.” The serpent still hisses that lie today through Universalism.
Finally, everything within me wants to say, “I wish their interpretation was true” but to do so would be to question the perfection of God’s judgments. Do I dare think I can improve upon God’s method, or call Him too harsh or too strict because in my natural mind I can’t grasp or justify eternal punishment. All I can do is rest in God’s sovereignty, wisdom, mercy and grace and be confident that at the day of judgment I will agree with the multitude in heaven that declare, “true and just are his judgments”, a declaration made twice in the book of Revelation (16:7, 19:2) and affirmed in history and throughout the ages.
___________________ Romans 11:33-34 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?
… everyone paints devotion (to God) according to his own passions and preferences.
– Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Some people love to pray so in their eyes Christians who pray little are little Christians. Some love to serve God with their hands and may condemn those who pray for the hungry instead of bringing them bread. Some have a heart to give and are generous with their goods but miserly with kindness or forgiveness. We tend to put greater spiritual value on those Christian disciplines we find most fulfilling. While all these activities are good none are the true measure of our spiritual depth.
The Bible is clear that our love for God and for one another is the only accurate test of our spiritual life. No gifts, no sacrifice, no spiritual disciplines makes up for an unloving heart – 1 Corinthians 13.
We can disagree on doctrine, the nature of God, the significance and means of baptism, the meaning of election and predestination … but we can’t deny the Lord’s command to love God and love our neighbor. We all agree on the love thing.
So, why do I often set that aside (a clear command there can be no debate about) in order to dispute issues that are not so clear – such as those mentioned above? I suspect that if I were fully engaged in loving God and loving my neighbor, there wouldn’t be much time left to argue with you about all the wacky things you believe.
___________________________ 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I rival Jesus when it comes to gifts, giftings and manifestations of power but don’t love others, it is a big zero on God’s scoreboard. If I’m so smart that sometimes God calls on me for advice but I don’t love others, I am a total loser. All I may do, all I may know and all I may sacrifice for God may as well be flushed down the toilet if I don’t get real and love others.
Luke 7:31-34 – “What can I say about such men?” Jesus asked. “With what shall I compare them? 32 They are like a group of children who complain to their friends, ‘You don’t like it if we play “wedding” and you don’t like it if we play “funeral'”! 33 For John the Baptist used to go without food and never took a drop of liquor all his life, and you said, ‘He must be crazy!’ 34 But I eat my food and drink my wine, and you say, ‘What a glutton Jesus is! And he drinks! And has the lowest sort of friends!’
—–
Though it was not His main message this reminds us of the futility of trying to please people. No matter what you do some will complain you did too much and some will criticize you for doing too little. “You should have danced when you were mourning” or “You were mourning when you should have been dancing.” You can’t please all the people all the time.
“What will people think?” You can’t control that. “What will people say?” You can’t control that either. Even if you always do the right thing people can still think and say you are a scoundrel. So should we just live for ourselves and not be concerned with others or what they think? No, that is the most self-centered choice of all.
Instead, live to please the Lord. Live your life for an audience of One. Constantly trying to please man, the fear of man, is a snare (Proverbs 29:25) but “the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death”. (Proverbs 14:27). Ultimately, when we stand before Him, it is only His opinion that will matter for all eternity. So live for that day.
Live to bring a smile to His face and let the chips fall where they may.
_________________________ Psalm 147:11
The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Proverbs 14:26-27
He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
Proverbs 16:7
When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.
This quote, by Philip Yancey in “Disappointment with God”, explains in five words why many Christians stumble and falter when difficulties come. I lose my job. My child gets sick. I get sick. A loved one dies. Random tragedy shatters my life and dreams. Why God? Why! Why! Why!
Logic says, “If God is all powerful, all good, all loving and I serve Him then His power, goodness and love will ensure I have an easy life with no problems.” That makes sense to me. How about to you? While it is certainly logical, it is not Biblical.
Hard times are part of life – especially the Christian life. Life can stink and Christians are not exempt. I’ll give you a dollar if you can find one Bible character used by God who did not have hard times. They don’t write stories or build statues to men who led easy lives.
Living in this world ensures we are going to have problems, pain, loss and grief. Following Jesus ensures you will have a friend who goes through them with you.
To be honest, I wish following Him ensured He would save us from all the evils that befall normal, mortal men. It sure would make it a lot easier to convince people to follow Jesus. “Come be a Christian and nothing bad will happen to you. You will have no problems and nothing but sunny days.” Who could resist that invitation?
Instead, from the start, Jesus said, take up a cross. Come, follow me and die. Not very good PR. Not the best way to get volunteers to sign up for your program.
But we cannot confuse Life with God. Bad stuff happens because we live in a fallen world. Bad stuff happens because we are not in heaven yet. It rains on good people and bad people. The only choice then is, do we want to face the crises alone or have a Friend who understands loss, grief, rejection, the deepest pain known to man – and will go through it with us.
_______________________ 1 Peter 4:16
So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
Luke 4:13 – When the devil had finished every temptation, he left (Jesus) until an opportune time.
—
You know Satan wanted to stay on top of Jesus 24/7 tempting and attacking Him. But after a period of intense temptation Satan left Him alone. Clearly Satan didn’t want to leave Jesus alone but the Bible promises that if we will do two things the devil has to get out of our face – 1. Submit to God and 2. Resist the devil (James 4:7) . Certainly he doesn’t do that by choice but he must flee. If the devil is constantly knocking at your door and never goes away, something is wrong – either on the submission side or on the resisting side.
Yes, there will be seasons in our life when we will be under greater demonic assault. Note that though only three short temptations are recorded in the story in Luke it says Jesus was tempted the entire 40 days. But as Jesus submitted Himself to God and resisted the devil he eventually had to flee.
If you are in an intense time of temptation don’t forget it will not last forever and there is a bright hope at the end of it all. Matthew 4:11 tells us that after this time of temptation, when Jesus was victorious over the devil, angels came and ministered to him. That is cool because it tells us that God was watching the whole time. Jesus did not go through this alone and neither will you. He is watching, cheering you on. Submit to Him. Resist the devil. Reach out and find friends to help you fight the old serpent.
When the devil flees you will find a new power in your life, too. Luke 4:1 tells us Jesus went into this time of testing filled with the Spirit but He came out in the power of the spirit (v. 14). This testing will result in new power to glorify God with your life. Like lifting weights, resistance builds muscle so resist the devil!
Stand strong soldier! This temptation will pass.
……………………….. James 4:6-7
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” [7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [7] These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
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Psalms 1:1-3
While Biblical Universalism claims to believe the Bible it is important to understand which “Bible” they believe.
