Jesus spoke of faith that could move mountains, but often our doubts seem to create those mountains. Trusting God and His promises is a constant challenge, faced by everyone who has ever tried to chase away doubt.

Sometimes doubt comes from unbelief – an attitude that doubts God will keep His word or can keep His promises. Other times doubt is connected to faith that is growing and maturing; a doubt that recognizes that there is no weakness or wavering in God, but we are weak in our ability to trust. This was the kind of doubt that led a desperate father to say to Jesus, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

God promised Abram a son and he waited ten years. Abram was successful in business and every other enterprise, but he thought “what good is all that without the fulfillment of God’s promise?” This was the ache of Abram’s heart, and it prompted his doubt-filled question to God in Genesis 15:8: How shall I know that I will inherit it?

Abram did what we all should do with our doubts: he brought them to God, and let God speak to his doubts. Again, understand this was not doubt that denied God’s promise, but doubt that desired God’s promise. God is always willing to help that kind of doubt.

God, in effect, answered: “Abram, do you want to be certain? Then let’s make a contract.” In that day, one way to make a contract was to have both parties walk together through the split carcasses of sacrificed animals, while they repeated the terms of the contract. It seems bloody and barbaric to us, but to them it represented two things. First, it showed this was a blood covenant – something serious. Second, it was a dramatic warning: if one failed to live up to the contract, he could expect that his animals, and perhaps himself, would end up cut in two.

God wants to help our doubts with a contract. But our contract is not Abram’s; it is the contract Jesus called the new covenant (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 9:15). The new covenant was also established by sacrifice – by what Jesus did on the cross towards God the Father and for us.

When we want to believe but still seem to doubt, we don’t have to think God is angry and irritated with us. We can even ask God to prove Himself. But when you ask for proof, God will speak to you the same way He did to Abram. God will point you to a covenant made by sacrifice that proves God’s love and concern for you is real and His promises are true. God will point you to the new covenant.

Today, ask God to help you with your doubts, and to remember He proved His love for you by the new covenant and what Jesus did at the cross to establish it.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 15

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” (Genesis 14:22-24)

Abram was the great patriarch of the Jewish people and the father of all who believe, those who trust God and are declared to be righteous. We don’t often think of him as a military man, but on at least one occasion he was. In Genesis 15, a group of four kings attacked a group of five kings, to punish them for rebellion. In the attack, the armies of the four kings took Abram’s nephew Lot as a hostage, and they returned to the north.

That didn’t make Abram happy. Lot was family, and Abram would protect him. Abram gathered an army of 318 trained fighters among his servants and pursued the armies holding Lot. In a bold night attack, Abram defeated the four kings, rescued Lot, and recovered all the spoil the kings had seized from the five cities. After the battle, the king of Sodom wanted to reward Abram, offering him all the plunder.

Abram replied, I will take nothing – not even a thread! Abram would not take any of the plunder because of a vow he made to God Most High. Abram made the vow because he didn’t want any man to rightly say, I have made Abram rich. Abram determined that all the credit for his success and wealth should go to God and God alone.

As a man of faith, Abram had decided to live so that whatever outward success he gained, everyone could see that it was because of the blessing of God, not because of any generosity or help from man. His faith was in God not man; his reward would be from God and not man.

This is wise living, and especially a wise way to serve God. If apparent success comes through man-centered methods and strategies, then it is difficult to confidently say the blessing came from God. It is much better to rely on God’s methods and wisdom, so if apparent success comes, then God receives the glory, and everyone sees it was God’s work.

However, at the same time, Abram did not impose his principles on his Amorite allies – they could take their portion. They were entitled to as much of the spoil as was appropriate under the customs of the time. If they wanted to live by Abram’s faith, they could choose to do so. Abram wouldn’t force it on them.

Dear brother or sister in Christ, determine to live by faith in God instead of looking to or leaning on man.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 14

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” (Genesis 13:8-9)

God did something special when He called Abram (later named Abraham) out of Ur of the Chaldees and promised Abram all of Canaan. But when Abram brought his nephew Lot with him into the land, it wasn’t long until there was conflict. Abram and Lot each had big herds of livestock, and their workers fought over the better grazing lands.

Abram and Lot each claimed to serve Yahweh as God instead of the local Canaanite idols, and their conflict made them look like hypocrites. The logical solution was to separate the flocks and take them to different grazing lands. But who would go where? That is when Abram used his right to lay down his rights.

Abram said to his nephew, If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. Abram was the eldest and God promised the land to Abram (not to Lot), this was pure generosity.

This was true generosity, not weakness. Abram could fight when it was the right thing to do (Genesis 14). He didn’t yield to Lot out of weakness but out of love and trust in God. Because Abram lived with an eternal perspective, a few acres of grazing land didn’t seem worth fighting for.

The giving up of rights is a theme throughout the Bible. God was glorified when Jesus, out of love, waived his right to an existence that knew no human suffering or trial by experience (Philippians 2:5-11). God was glorified when Paul, out of love, waived his right to be supported by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14-18). In Genesis 13, Abram fulfilled the New Testament principle of love: Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)

But if we give up our rights, who will look out for us? Abram could do this because he learned that God would provide for him, and so Abram did not have to worry about being too generous. In this case, Abram was willing to let God look out for his interests. Right or left, it didn’t matter to Abram, because God would be there.

There are times to stand on principle and claim a right – the Bible also gives examples of this. Sometimes doing this is good for others and not only for us. Yet we are grateful for the generosity God shows to us, and we seek to show that to others.

We can do what is right by committing our rights to God.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 13

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:2-3)

God told a Mesopotamian man from an idol-worshipping family to leave his land and his family, and to receive a wonderful promise. God promised Abram a land, a nation, and a blessing.

Abram only partially obeyed. First, he traveled half-way to the place God told him to go, and he brought his father and nephew with him, though God had told him to leave his family. Yet in God’s grace and goodness, He worked with Abram’s partial obedience and eventually Abram came to the land of Canaan – the land God promised him.

Abram would become a giant of faith, even being the father of the believing (Galatians 3:7-9); yet he did not start as a hero of faith. We see Abram as an example of growing in faith and obedience. Through faith and patience, he inherited the promises of God.

God promised Abram a land. In Genesis 12:1 God directed Abram to the land He would show him.

God promised to make a nation from Abram. He would have children, grandchildren, and further descendants, enough to populate a great nation. This would make the name of Abram great. There is probably no more honored name in history than the name of Abram, who is honored by Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

God also promised He would bless those who bless you and to curse him who curses you. This promise – inherited by the covenant descendants of Abram, the Jewish people – remains true and is a root reason for the decline and death of many empires. Historically speaking, nations that have treated the Jewish people well have often been blessed. The opposite may be seen in the fall of the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Spain radically declined after the Inquisition and Poland fell after her pogroms. Germany was severely humbled after the Holocaust, and Britain lost her empire after breaking faith with Israel.

God promised to bless Abram, but also that he would be a blessing, even to the point where all the families of the earth would be blessed in Abram. This amazing promise was fulfilled in the Messiah that came from Abram’s lineage. God’s blessing to Abram was not for his own sake, or even the sake of the Jewish nation to come. It was for the whole world, for all the families of the earth through Jesus Christ. Revelation 5:9 tells us that the work of Jesus will touch every people group on the earth.

Whether you are a genetic descendant of Abram or not, this blessing is for you – in and through Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of the blessing promised to Abram. By faith, receive that blessing in Jesus today.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 12

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:3-4)

After the flood humanity began to multiply quickly. God told Noah and his descendants to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 9:1), and they did. Instead of spreading over the earth, people stayed close, settling in southern Mesopotamia, near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The area was called Shinar (Genesis 11:2), also known as Babylon (Genesis 10:10). All this was in disobedience to another command God gave in Genesis 9:1 – the command to fill the earth, instead of sticking close together.

We could say that humanity was determined, ready to build and to accomplish things. Unfortunately, they didn’t surrender that determination to God. Speaking one language (Genesis 11:1), man advanced quickly in technology and organization. They used their determination, potential, technology, and organization to rebel against God and God’s will.

Because we are made in the image of God, people have a lot of potential – especially when they work together. First, they built themselves a city. Then, they built a tower. Using the technology of well-baked bricks and asphalt for mortar, they started building a tall tower.

Allow me to suggest something. It’s not my original thought, and we don’t have enough information to be certain. Yet, I think they made the Tower of Babel out of well-baked bricks and asphalt for mortar to make it strong and waterproof. The Bible says that Noah used the same material in waterproofing the ark (Genesis 6:14). The mother of Moses used the same material in waterproofing Moses’ basket (Exodus 2:3).

If this is true, then Babylon and the Tower of Babel were not only expressions of disobedience to God’s command to fill the earth (Genesis 9:1). The Tower of Babel means that man did not believe God’s promise to never again flood the earth. A waterproof tower was made to protect mankind against a future deluge.

The top of the tower was intended to be in the heavens. It is doubtful they thought they could build a tower all the way to heaven. It is more likely they built the tower as an observation point of the heavens; it was built “unto the heavens.” Most astrological and occult practices have a history back to Babel. This tower was real. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus said the remains of the Tower of Babel still stood in his day and he had seen it.

Disobeying God and doubting His promise didn’t do them any good. God easily defeated their plan by confusing their languages and scattering them over the earth.

You are made in God’s image and capable of amazing things. Don’t waste all that potential in disobedience and unbelief.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 11

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood. (Genesis 10:32)

Genesis 10 gathers together the names of the descendants of Noah, from whom came all the nations of the earth. It’s a remarkable chapter, and some scholars call it “The Table of Nations” – that’s “table” like a chart, not something you sit at. The great archaeologist William F. Albright often did not take the Bible literally, but of Genesis 10 he wrote: “The tenth chapter of Genesis…stands absolutely alone in ancient literature, without a remote parallel, even among the Greeks, where we find the closest approach to a distribution of peoples in genealogical framework.… The Table of Nations remains an astonishing accurate document.”

There is value in looking at each name and working to understand which people group came forth from that ancestor, but there is also value in simply drawing out three significant ideas from Genesis 10.

The Unity of the Human Race. Genesis 10 tells us that all humanity came from Noah and his family, and the book of Genesis also explains we have a common origin in Adam and Eve. As the apostle Paul explained to the philosophers on Mars Hill, God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth (Acts 17:26). We truly are collectively of “one blood,” and while there are some differences between generations and races and ethnic groups, what they have in common is far greater than their differences. We are all made in the image of God.

The Generosity of God. Genesis 10 makes us consider just how wide all creation is, and how there are billions of people on the earth today, even more in the past, and should Jesus tarry, there will be many more in the future. Yet the love of God is broad enough to include all humanity. Remember that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16), and that in some way God shows His love to all humanity, and the blessings of sun and rain are just one example of this (Matthew 5:45). Since God is this generous with all humanity, we can rest with even greater confidence in His generous love to His people, those who trust in, rely on, and cling to the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The Reason for a Missionary Heart. God divided and spread-out humanity, but not for the purpose of taking people away from His good news and salvation in Jesus Christ, who is the Savior of the World (John 4:42). Rather, Jesus gave His disciples specific instructions before He ascended to heaven: go and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded His disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). We must have the missionary heart to reach the world as Jesus commanded.

Today, remember God’s heart for all humanity.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 10

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. (Genesis 9:4)

When Noah left the ark, God gave him some commands suited to the world after the flood. God gave Noah the same kind of mandate He gave Adam in the beginning of creation, to “be fruitful and multiply,” (Genesis 1:28) because Noah, in a sense, began all over again.

Noah also received specific permission to eat animals, permission Adam was not given (as far we know). The Bible doesn’t tell us why after the flood God told humanity to eat the meat of animals. Perhaps this was because the earth was less productive agriculturally after the flood, considering the ecological changes mentioned in Genesis 9:1-3 and 8:22. Maybe meat was good for humanity after the flood in a way it wasn’t before the flood.

God also commanded that if animals were killed and eaten, there must be proper respect for the blood, which represents the life principle (Leviticus 17:11-14, Deuteronomy 12:23). The respect for blood isn’t based on mysticism or superstition, but because blood represents the life of the being, whether animal or human. When blood is poured out, life is poured out.

The importance of the idea of blood in the Bible is shown by how often the word is used. It is used 424 times in 357 separate verses (New King James Version).

One could say that blood is all over the Bible:

– Blood was the sign of mercy for Israel at the first Passover (Exodus 12:13).
– Blood sealed God’s covenant with Israel (Exodus 24:8).
– Blood sanctified the bronze altar for sacrifice (Exodus 29:12).
– Blood set aside the priests, consecrating them for service (Exodus 29:20).
– Blood made atonement for God’s people (Exodus 30:10).
– Blood sealed the new covenant (Matthew 26:28).
– Blood justifies believers (Romans 5:9).
– Blood brings redemption (Ephesians 1:7).
– Blood brings peace with God (Colossians 1:20).
– Blood cleanses believers (Hebrews 9:14, 1 John 1:7).
– Blood gives God’s people entrance to His holy place (Hebrews 10:19).
– Blood sanctifies the Christian (Hebrews 13:12).
– Blood enables believers to overcome Satan (Revelation 12:11).

Some people read all this and think, “God must be a blood-thirsty monster, something from a horror movie.” Not at all. The key is found in two principles.

First, blood is vitally connected to life (Leviticus 17:11). When blood is lost, life can be lost. Poured out blood often means a poured-out life.

Second, this points to the most important giving of life of all: the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, when His poured-out life accomplished redemption for the people of God.

Even today, blood should be respected and treated honorably. But of greatest importance is the blood of Christ; His life poured out for means new life for all who trust in, rely on, and cling to Jesus and all His saving work at the cross and in His resurrection.

Today, thank God for the preciousness of blood – the blood of Christ.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 9

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.” (Genesis 8:21)

When the rains were over and the waters subsided, Noah and his family were able to leave the ark. One of the first they did was to sacrifice animals to God. This was both risky and costly. Noah understood there were few animals on the earth, yet he offered some in honor to God.

Yet, Noah’s costly sacrifice pleased God: the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Here, the Bible speaks anthropomorphically, using a human analogy of a divine action or attribute. God was more pleased by the heart of Noah in his sacrifice than the actual smell of the offering. It was as if the scent of such a costly, faith-inspired gift of roasting meat was pleasant to God. In response, God made this wonderful promise to Noah and to humanity: I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake.

God promised to never again visit the earth with judgment by a flood on this scale, to destroy every living thing. God did this even as He understood that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. This was a promise full of mercy.

It was a strange combination of truths. First, that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and second, God’s promise to never again curse the ground for man’s sake. Man’s evil would seem to invite God’s curse, not put it away. The strange combination is accounted for by Noah’s altar and sacrifice, and God’s pleasure in the sacrifice.

The sacrifice Noah made and God received was the key. Without a sacrifice, sin demands judgment and vengeance, like the judgment sent by God in the flood. But Noah’s costly sacrifice pointed to the ultimate sacrifice, one that was and is infinite in value: when God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, laid down His life, dying to bring all who believe into right relationship with God.

We can say that after the flood, Noah’s story when the flood was over illustrated many things relevant to the life of the believer.

– When he left the ark to possess the earth, Noah showed the believer’s freedom.
– When he made such a costly sacrifice, Noah showed the believer’s faith.
– When he honored God with a worshipful offering, Noah showed the believer’s heart.

Better than anything Noah showed, God showed His great covenant of mercy after Noah’s sacrifice. He promised to never again judge the world in the same way as He did with the flood of Noah’s time. That covenant has stood the test of time.

God has been completely faithful His covenant made in Noah’s day. Even so, in Jesus Christ, God will be completely faithful to His covenant with you. Rest in that today.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 8

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

And that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

No one saw the actual resurrection of Jesus. No one was present in the tomb with Him when His body transformed into a resurrection body. If someone were there, perhaps in a brilliant flash of light, they would have seen the dead body of Jesus transformed. We know that Jesus could miraculously appear in a room with all the doors locked and the windows shut (John 20:19, 26). Yet the resurrected Jesus was not a phantom; He had a real flesh and bone body.

Though no one saw the actual resurrection of Jesus, many people did see the resurrected Jesus. Paul presented these witnesses to the resurrection, to establish beyond all controversy that Jesus was raised in a resurrection body.

The first witness presented was Cephas. Jesus made a special resurrection appearance to Peter (Cephas) in Luke 24:34. We can assume that Jesus spoke to some special need for comfort and restoration in Peter.

Paul presents the twelve as witnesses. This probably refers to the first meeting Jesus had with His assembled disciples, mentioned in Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-43, and John 20:19-25. This was the meeting where Jesus appeared in the room with the doors and windows shut and breathed on the disciples, giving them the Holy Spirit.

The meeting of Jesus with over five hundred brethren at once is suggested by Matthew 28:10, 16-17. Paul is saying, “Go ask these people who saw the resurrected Jesus. These are not a handful of self-deluded souls; there are literally hundreds who saw the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes.”

The James mentioned here would be James, the brother of Jesus, who was a prominent leader in the early church (Acts 15:13-21). In the gospels, Jesus’ brothers were hostile to Him and His mission (John 7:3-5). But after His resurrection, Jesus’ brothers were among the followers of Jesus (Acts 1:14).

All the apostles refers to a few different meetings, such as in John 20:26-31, 21:1-25, Matthew 28:16-20, and Luke 24:44-49. Jesus ate with them, comforted them, commanded them to preach the gospel, and told them to wait in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, Paul could add his testimony (last of all He was seen by me), and his encounter with the resurrected Savior was after Jesus ascended to heaven.

The changed character of the apostles and their willingness to die for the testimony of the resurrection, decisively eliminate fraud as an explanation of the empty tomb.

Understand and appreciate all these but add a final piece of evidence – your own experience of the resurrected Jesus.

Click here for David’s commentary on 1 Corinthians 15

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.(Genesis 7:15-16)

Genesis 7:5 says that in preparation for the coming flood, Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. Nothing was left incomplete or undone. Noah, his family, the animals on the ark, and the ark itself were ready for the tremendous flood about to happen.

Having entered the ark, they waited for rain. Genesis 7:10 says they were in the ark for seven days before the rains started and the fountains of the great deep were broken up. Those seven days of waiting were a test of faith, and it’s easy to imagine Noah’s skeptical neighbors mocking everyone on the ark. “You said the waters would come, and nothing has changed. You said God would send judgment, and everything is fine.” If they said something like this, it was only temporarily true. The waters came from both above and beneath, and soon the only refuge was the ark they had mocked and despised.

As God had promised (Genesis 7:4), after the seven days of waiting the waters poured forth for forty days and nights. In the Bible, the number 40 is associated with testing and purification, especially before entering something new and significant. This is seen in several cases.

• Moses was 40 days on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:18, Deuteronomy 9:25).
• The spies were 40 days in Canaan (Numbers 13:25).
• Israel was 40 years in the wilderness (Numbers 14:33, 32:13).
• Elijah made a miraculous journey to Sinai over 40 days (1 Kings 19:8).
• Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days (Mark 1:13).

Forty days isn’t a short time, but it also isn’t terribly long. It was long enough to stretch the faith (and patience) of Noah, his family, and the animals onboard, but it had an end. The finish was promised just as certainly as the beginning was.

Notably, the LORD shut him in. Noah did not have to shut the door to keep anyone out of the ark; God alone did it. After the same pattern, it is never the duty of God’s servants to disqualify people from salvation. If the door is to be shut, God will shut the door. God’s servants may warn, but God holds final judgment – not man.

In Noah’s time, one could say that God kept the door open until the last possible minute, but eventually the door had to shut. When the door is open, it is open, but when it is shut, it is shut. Jesus is He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3:7).

The time of testing has an end (40 days), but so does the day of grace. While the door is open, come to Jesus and find refuge from the judgment to come.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 7

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. (Genesis 6:14-16)

In light of coming judgment, God told Noah to build an ark. At least in the English language, when we say the word “ark,” we picture a boat with a lot of animals on it. But that isn’t the actual meaning of the word ark. The ark of the covenant wasn’t a boat, it was a box – something like a trunk used to store things.

What God told Noah to build was not much of a boat, but more of a well-ventilated barge meant only to float and give refuge. It wasn’t built to sail anywhere.

The ark was as long as a 30-story building is high (about 450 feet/150 meters), and it was about 75 feet (25 meters) wide and 45 feet (15 meters) high. Roughly the shape of a shoebox, the ark was about the size of the ocean liner Titanic and it had a cubit-wide opening (18 inches, one-half meter) all the way around the top.

It was not until 1858 that a bigger boat was built. The ark was certainly big enough to do the job. If the ark carried two of every family of animals, there were around 700 pairs of animals; but if the ark carried two of every species of animals, there were around 35,000 pairs of animals. The average size of a land animal is smaller than a sheep. The ark could carry 136,560 sheep in half of its capacity, leaving plenty of room for people, food, water, and whatever other provisions were needed.

At this point of the story, all Noah knew was that God will judge the earth, and he was supposed to build a big barge. Since it had not rained yet on the earth, it is reasonable to suppose Noah didn’t know what God was meant yet.

There is secular, non-Biblical evidence for the remains of Noah’s ark starting almost three centuries before the birth of Jesus stretching all the way to 20^th century. Many believe that the Durupinar boat-shaped formation in Turkey is the landing spot for Noah’s Ark.

God told Noah to cover the ark with pitch inside and outside, which would both waterproof and preserve some of the ark for a long time. Perhaps God still has a purpose for the ark, to use it to remind the world of a past judgment shortly before a soon-coming judgment (2 Peter 3:1-7).

Perhaps, before Jesus returns, God will remind any who will listen about His righteous judgment. We must listen, believe, and be ready.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 6

After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters…. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:22, 24)

These verses from Genesis 5 introduce two remarkable men. Methuselah was noted as the man in the Bible with the longest recorded life: 969 years (Genesis 5:27). Enoch was the man who walked with God in such a special way that God took him – presumably, to God’s immediate presence in heaven.

We wouldn’t believe it unless the Bible said it, but it is clear. Enoch, the son of Jared, was carried away to God in a miraculous way. These verses emphasize that Enoch walked with God, repeating the phrase to make sure we understand the idea. Walking with God, in this sense, speaks of a true, deep relationship.

It is impossible to walk with a person unless you know they exist and have a vital sense of their presence. Walking next to someone, you may not see their face, but you can sense and hear their steps. When friends walk together, they communicate, enjoying a bond that goes beyond words. This was the kind of deep relationship Enoch enjoyed with God, and God enjoyed with Enoch.

Enoch walked with God, and walking with God means walking by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), walking in the light (1 John 1:5-7), and walking in agreement with God (Amos 3:3). Hebrews 11:5 tells us the foundation of Enoch’s walk with God: By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. You can’t walk with God or please God apart from faith.

After walking like this with God, it was as if one day God told Enoch, “You don’t need to walk home. Why don’t you just come home with Me?” The text simply says, God took him. Charles Spurgeon wondered if perhaps some of the great patriarchs saw Enoch rising through the sky even as Jesus, many years later, ascended to heaven.

It seems Enoch began to walk with God in a special way after he begot Methuselah. The name Methuselah may mean, when he is dead, it shall come. At the birth of Methuselah, Enoch had a special awareness from God that judgment was coming, and this was one of the things that got him closer in his walk with God.

Jude v. 14 also tells us Enoch was a prophet; even from his vantage point long ago, he could see the second coming of Jesus (…the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all).

I don’t know which comes first: a close walk with God, or a deep anticipation of the return of Jesus. Whichever comes first, they are linked. Walk with God closely and look for the return of Jesus. One day God may take you away!

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 5

And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:3-5)

The two oldest sons of Adam and Eve were both farmers, but Abel kept flocks of sheep, and Cain grew things from the ground. Agriculture and the domestication of animals were practiced from the beginning. As a farmer, Cain brought to the LORD the product of his labor – the fruit of the ground. Abel brought something from his flock.

It’s entirely possible that Cain and Abel brought their offerings to the tree of life because cherubim guarded the way to that tree (Genesis 3:24), and cherubim seem to be associated with the dwelling place or meeting place with God (Exodus 25:10-22).

Their offerings were not both received by God. The LORD respected not only Abel’s offering, but Abel himself. The LORD did not receive (did not respect) Cain and did not respect his offering.

Many people have thought that God accepted Abel and his offering because it was a blood-offering, an animal from a flock (likely a sheep or a goat). In this thinking, Cain and his sacrifice were rejected because this offering of the fruit of the ground, an offering made without blood. In this thinking, only a blood sacrifice could please God.

This isn’t true at all. The offerings were not accepted or rejected based on blood, but on the basis of faith. The writer to the Hebrews clearly explained why the offering of Abel was accepted and the offering of Cain was rejected: By faith Abel offered up a more excellent sacrifice than Cain (Hebrews 11:4).

Cain’s offering was the effort of dead religion, while Abel’s offering was made in faith, in a desire to worship God in spirit and in truth. In the sacrificial system God later gave to Israel, grain offerings were acceptable before God (as seen in Leviticus 2), though not as an atonement for sin.

The offering of Cain was no doubt more pleasant to look at. A nice arrangement of produce looks better than a dead and dismembered lamb. But God was more concerned with faith in the heart than with artistic beauty.

Here, it was one lamb for a man. Later, at the Passover, it would be one lamb for a family. Then, at the Day of Atonement, it was one lamb for the nation. Finally, with Jesus, there was one Lamb who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Jesus was and is God’s perfect sacrifice, and His sacrifice makes it possible for His people to bring their own sacrifice of praise, and to give themselves as living sacrifices to God. Receive His sacrifice and brings yours to God in faith.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 4

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24)

God created Adam, then He created Eve out of Adam. He gave them dominion over the earth, but they wasted that great privilege by yielding to Satan’s temptation, eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve hid from God, but He confronted them, and pronounced a series of curses against the serpent (Satan), the woman, and the man. Then God clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of sacrificed animals.

God then sent Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden. In mercy, God protected Adam and Eve from the horrible fate of having to live forever as sinners by preventing them from eating from the tree of life.

Not only did God prevent them from eating from the tree of life, but the Lord also sent them out of the garden of Eden. We don’t know if Adam and Eve wanted to stay in the garden. Perhaps they felt if they left the garden, they might never see God again because it was the only place where they had met Him.

God didn’t just ask Adam and Eve to leave the garden; He drove them out. On top of that, God placed a guard – several angelic beings known as cherubim – at the entrance. Cherubim are always associated with the presence and glory of God (Ezekiel 10, Isaiah 6, Revelation 4). When cherubim are represented on earth (such as in the tabernacle, Exodus 25:10-22), they mark a meeting place with God. Though Adam and Eve and their descendants were prevented from eating the fruit of the tree of life, they could still come there to meet God. This was their “holy of holies.” Therefore, it was important to send cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

They guarded the way so that Adam and Eve could come before the Lord, perhaps at the entrance to the garden or the tree of life. This is the last historical mention of the garden of Eden in the Bible. We can speculate that God did not destroy it but left it to the effects of the curse and suppose that it generally deteriorated from its original condition, blending into the surrounding geography.

We can make an analogy, seeing that Jesus is the gatekeeper to the Garden of God. When Jesus promised the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43) that he would be with Him in Paradise, He used a word that means “Garden.” It is the same word used in the ancient Greek Bible to describe the Garden of Eden.

Jesus is the one who brings people back to God’s garden – no longer on earth, but in heaven (2 Corinthians 12:4, Revelation 2:7). Today, by Jesus Christ, you can come to the presence of God – Jesus guards the way.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 3

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

On the last day of creation – the sixth day, before God rested from His work as Creator on the seventh day – God created man (Genesis 1:26-31). This passage from Genesis 2 tells us how God created man, making him out of dust, out of dirt.

The verse plainly says that God formed man of the dust of the ground. When God created man, He made him out of the most basic elements, the dust of the ground. There is nothing “spectacular” in what man is made of, only in the way those basic things are organized. God took simple substances and so brilliantly combined them that truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made – the human body is marvelous (Psalm 139:14).

When the Bible uses dust in a figurative or symbolic sense, it means something of little worth, associated with lowliness and humility. In the Bible, dust isn’t evil, and it isn’t nothing; but it is next to nothing.

When Abraham spoke of himself as being merely dust and ashes, he emphasized his humility (Genesis 18:27). When Hannah thanked God for lifting her up, she proclaimed that God raises the poor from the dust (1 Samuel 2:8). When God spoke to King Jehu of Israel of his humble beginning, the LORD said that He lifted Jehu out of the dust, making him a ruler (1 Kings 16:2).

God did something wonderful with that lowly dust. He breathed into Adam the breath of life. With this Divine breath, man became a living being, like other forms of animal life. Genesis 1:20-21 describes animals as living creatures and living things, and the same phrasing is used in describing Adam as a living being. Yet only man is a living being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).

The word used for breath in Hebrew is ruach, a word that imitates the very sound of breath. This same word can also be translated as spirit. God created man by putting His breath, His Spirit, within him. God breathed some of His own breath into mankind, making man after His likeness.

Dear friend, in one sense you are a collection of very normal, not-very-costly chemicals. By some calculations, the value of all the chemicals and compounds in the human body (oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus and so forth) is worth less than $600 USD. That’s something, but for many people it is not a fortune.

In a greater sense, you are so valuable that it is difficult to comprehend. You are so valuable that Jesus Christ laid down His life for you as a demonstration of His love.

What makes humanity so valuable? It is the breath of God that gives us life, making us in His image. Today, appreciate both your lowliness and your great value before God – both are true!

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 2

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

When we realize who God is and who we are, it sets a foundation for a life full of meaning. Why is there a universe at all? Why is there something, instead of nothing? The answer to those questions can lead one either to a life full of meaning, or a life without meaning. If everything around us, including ourselves, is the result of random, meaningless occurrences, apart from the work of a creating God, then it says something about who I am – and where I, and the whole universe is going. Then the only dignity or honor we bestow upon men is only sentimental because I don’t have any more significance than a worm. Then, there is no greater law in the universe than survival of the fittest.

Genesis 1:1 simply and straightforwardly declares that the world did not create itself or come about by chance; it was created by God – who, by definition, is eternal and has always been. If God created this world, and He has a plan for both the world and for us as individuals. We can find meaning in our lives by fulfilling the purpose our Creator made for us. If I take a screwdriver and try to use it as a hammer, it won’t work very well and may break the screwdriver. The screwdriver is not fulfilling its created purpose, and all we have is frustration. When we look to our Creator and His word, we discover His purpose for us.

Many people think Genesis 1:1 doesn’t have anything to do with scientific facts. They look to other things for meaning in life. One day, students in the class of a great scientist spoke among themselves and decided that there was no God. The scientist asked them how much of all the knowledge in the world they had among themselves collectively, as a class. The students discussed it for a while and decided they had 5% of all human knowledge among themselves. The scientist thought that their estimate was a little generous, but he replied: “Is it possible that God exists in the 95% that you don’t know?”

Some 100 years ago, there was a great German philosopher named Arthur Schopenhauer. He was sitting on a park bench in Berlin, deep in thought. A policeman asked the philosopher “Who are you?” Schopenhauer answered, “I wish to God I knew.”

And the only way we can ever really find out who we are is from God – and the place to begin is Genesis 1:1.

Today, spend some special time considering what it means that God is your Creator and you are His creature. Then look to His word to learn more about His purpose for you. God did not make a mistake or roll the dice when He made you.

You have an important place in His plan, and Jesus’ death for you on the cross shows how important you are to God.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 1

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Sometimes we find it difficult to ask for what we need. I read once of an Antarctic explorer who was working in his tent one day when he heard a muffled cry from outside. The voice asked, “Are you very busy?” and the explorer recognized that it was his co-worker calling out to him. “Yes I am busy,” he replied. “What’s the matter?” The man outside asked again, “Are you really very busy?” “Yes!” the man in the tent snapped, “What is it you want?” After a moment’s silence, the man outside responded apologetically, “Well, I have fallen down a crack, and I don’t think I can hang on much longer.”

In prayer, believers sometimes are hesitant to simply ask for what they need. Maybe we worry that we are bothering God, so instead of asking we settle for less, do the best we can, and decide to wait until things arereally bad before we pray about it.

It shouldn’t be that way. In Philippians 4:6, God tells us at least two things:

– NO-thing should fill us with anxiety.
– EVERY-thing can be made a matter of prayer.

Remember: be anxious for nothing is presented as a gentle command, not as an option. Undue care trespasses into God’s territory for our lives. Chosen anxiety make us to be the father of the household instead of a child. Of course, there is a difference between chosen anxiety and a godly concern, but every worry and undue concern the believer chooses to cling is an unknowing criticism of God. It is almost like saying, “get off the throne God, let me worry about this for both of us.”

Paul said everything is the proper subject of prayer; there are not some areas of our lives that are of no concern to God. We should come to God with both prayer and supplication. Prayer and supplication are similar, but distinct; prayer is a broad word regarding all our communication with God, but supplication is a direct asking for something from God. It’s not wrong to ask God for things. We ask leaving it all in His will (that’s best for us anyway), yet many prayers go unanswered because they don’t ask God for anything.

God simply tells us to let your requests be made known. Doesn’t God already know our requests before we pray them? Of course He does; yet He will often wait for our participation and partnership through prayer before granting.

Finally, with thanksgiving cautions against a whining, complaining spirit before God when the believer asks. God wants us to be:

– Anxious for nothing.
– Prayerful for everything.
– Seeing reason to be thankful for all things.

Bring your needs to God. Don’t wait until you can’t hang on much longer. Make prayer your first resource instead of your last resort.

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 4

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)

There was a simple goal and plea in the life of Paul the Apostle: to know Jesus. He summed it up in these words: That I may know Him. The legalists troubling the Philippian Christians couldn’t know this longing to know Jesus. Legalism focuses on self, not God. But Paul wanted Jesus, not self.

To know Jesus is not the same as knowing His historical life; it is not the same as knowing correct doctrines regarding Jesus; it is not the same as knowing His moral example, and it is not the same as knowing His great work on our behalf.

– We can say that we know someone because we recognize him: because we can distinguish what is different about him compared to other people.
– We can say that we know someone because we are acquainted with what he does; we know the baker because we get our bread from him.
– We can say that we know someone because we actually converse with him; we are on speaking terms with that person.
– We can say that we know someone because we spend time in his house and with his family.
– We can say that we know someone because we have committed our life to him and live with him every day, sharing every circumstance as in a marriage.

Knowing Jesus also means knowing the power of His resurrection, the new life that is imparted to the believer now, not at death.

– The power of His resurrection is the evidence and seal that everything Jesus did and said was true.
– The power of His resurrection is the receipt and proof that the sacrifice of the cross was accepted as payment in full.
– The power of His resurrection means that those connected with Jesus Christ receive the same resurrection life.

Knowing Jesus also means knowing the fellowship of His sufferings. This is all part of following Jesus and being in Christ. Being in Christ also means being conformed to His death. Yet, Paul was not morbidly focused on suffering and death in the Christian life. His focus was on the resurrection from the dead. Paul understood that any suffering and death allotted to the Christian are a pathway to resurrection life right now and the ultimate resurrection from the dead. Paul faced true hardship, but the suffering was worth it, considering the greatness of the resurrection from the dead.

Remember that Paul wrote this having experienced more suffering than we will ever experience, and he wrote it from the custody of Roman soldiers. This wasn’t merely theological theory and ideas, but a lived-out connection with God.

Dear friend, do you pursue the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Is the plea of your life, that I may know Him?

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 3

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy. (Philippians 2:1)

Philippians 2 contains a powerful and poetic description of the nature and work of Jesus. But Paul’s purpose for that description was to help the Christians of Philippi to get along better. So, he challenged them by introducing the basis for unity, humility, and love among believers. If the Philippian Christians had received what he mentions in this verse, then they had a responsibility to do what he was about to teach them.

If there is any consolation in Christ. Do Christians receive consolation in Christ? Yes, they do. Every Christian should know what it is to have Jesus console their soul. Luke 2:25, says Jesus is the Consolation of Israel. And in 2 Corinthians 1:5, For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:16, says that God has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace. Of course, in Jesus Christ there is great consolation – but are you experiencing it?

If there is any…comfort of love. Do Christians receive any comfort of love? Yes, they do. Every Christian should know what it is to have Jesus give them the comfort of His love. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says that God is the God of all comfort. There is no circumstance beyond His reach to comfort. The word comfort in this passage has the idea of more than sympathy. It also has the idea of strengthening, helping, and making strong. The love of God in the life of the believer makes them strong and brave. Of course, in Jesus Christ there is comfort of love – but are you experiencing it?

If there is any…fellowship of the Spirit. Do Christians receive any fellowship of the Spirit? Yes, they do. Every Christian should know what it is to have the fellowship of the Spirit. “Fellowship” here is the ancient Greek word koinonia. It means the sharing of things in common. Believers share life with the Spirit of God that they never knew before. The Holy Spirit fills, guides, and moves in our lives in a powerful and precious way. Of course, in Jesus Christ there is fellowship of the Spirit – but are you experiencing it?

If there is any…affection and mercy. Do Christians receive any affection and mercy? Yes, they do. As Paul wrote in Romans 5:5: the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Every Christian knows something of the affection of God, and the mercy of God – but are you experiencing them?

Paul suggests that these should be obvious parts of the Christian’s experience. These things should be just as real in our lives as the wetness of water, the hotness of fire, and the hardness of rocks.

Are they obvious parts of your life?

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 2

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)

Paul had a special relationship with the Christians in Philippi; they were not only part of a church he founded, but they were also his friends. Sometimes our friends are confused at what God is doing in our life – and sometimes we are even more confused! In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul wanted to reassure the Philippians that God was doing good even when it looked bad.

When Paul was in Philippi, he was arrested and imprisoned. But God miraculously freed him, and he continued preaching the gospel (Acts 16:25-34). When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he was in a jail in Rome. Paul’s Philippian friends were probably thinking, “God used a miracle to set Paul free before. Why doesn’t God do it now? Is He letting Paul down, or is Paul in sin?” In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul assured them that God’s blessing and power were still with him, even in prison – he was not out of God’s will.

Considering how God set Paul free in Philippi, we shouldn’t be surprised they wondered where the power of God was in Paul’s present imprisonment. If Paul wasn’t being advanced, that was all right – because his passion was to see the gospel advanced. Even though Paul was in prison, the circumstances around his imprisonment, and his manner during it, made it clear to everyone he was not just another prisoner, but he was an emissary of Jesus; this witness led to the conversion of many including his guards.

In fact, Paul’s imprisonment gave the Christians around him, who were not imprisoned, greater confidence and boldness, because they saw that Paul could have joy in the midst of adversity. They saw that God would take care of Paul and still use him even in prison. We also know this turned out for the furtherance of the gospel because during this time he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. When Paul was in bad circumstances, God was using him.

God didn’t waste Paul’s time in Rome. God never wastes our time, though we may waste it by not sensing God’s purpose for our lives in our present situation. Are you in a bad place – even a “prison” of some sort? God can use you right where you are, and He wants to. Stop thinking your situation must change before God’s power can be evident in your life. It can be evident right now.

God gave Paul the ability to see the good in a Roman prison – this God is with us!

Click here for David’s commentary on Philippians 1

And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:19-20)

At the end of Paul’s great letter to the large Christian community in Ephesus, he asked for prayer. After telling them to take up the whole armor of God and to pray (Ephesians 6:10-18), then Paul specifically asked for prayer. His request was personal, asking they pray that God would give him utterance to preach, and to preach boldly. This means that we can battle in the spirit for others, not only for ourselves. If the Ephesians could do it for Paul, then we can and should do it for others.

The idea behind utterance is clear speaking. Added to boldly, Paul asked for prayer that he might proclaim the gospel both clearly and with a fearless power. It is easy to neglect one or the other. Preachers need more clarity in their preaching today. It’s easy to get lost in small details, side issues, and speculations. Clear preaching is a gift to both the church and the world, and preachers need prayer for clear speaking (utterance). When this clarity is combined with boldness, great things happen.

When Paul asked his readers to pray for the grace to be a clear, bold preacher of God’s truth, he probably had in mind his upcoming defense before Caesar. When Jesus first called and rescued Paul, God told him he would preach to kings (Acts 9:15). Another opportunity to do that was coming soon, and Paul needed and wanted the prayer support of fellow believers.

Paul might have asked for other things, such as relief from his imprisonment or other comforts. But his heart and mind were fixed on his responsibility as God’s ambassador.

Think about Paul’s wonderful self-description: an ambassador in chains. Of course, the ancient word used here for chains usually meant a prisoner’s shackles. At times, Paul wore the iron bands around his wrists and carried the chain that held him to the prison.

But that ancient word we translate chains could also be used for the gold adornment worn around the neck and wrists of the wealthy and powerful. On special occasions, ambassadors wore such chains to show the riches, power, and dignity of the government they represented.

Which sense did Paul mean when he called himself an ambassador in chains? I think he meant it in both senses! Paul looked at his prisoner’s chains and considered them to be the glorious adornment of an ambassador of Jesus Christ.

In Jesus Christ, what the world uses with the intention of shaming and binding the believer may be transformed to something glorious. It was true for Paul; it can be true for you today. Acknowledge the chains, but don’t focus on them: you real identity is to be God’s ambassador.

Click here for David’s commentary on Ephesians 6

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

The thought in these lines from Ephesians 5:1-2 continue the thought from the end of Ephesians 4, where he described how Christians should relate to one another. The believer has an example for how they should treat other believers: God Himself. Christians are to be imitators of God.

The idea is simple – that believers are to make God their example and model. It does not say here, “Think about God” or “Admire God” or “Adore God,” though those are all important Christian duties. This is a call to practical action, going beyond our inner life with God.

We could say this is a continuation of the same idea Paul mentioned in Ephesians 4:13 regarding the extent of Christian growth: to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We could also say that this is a continuation of the idea from Ephesians 4:32, where we were commanded to be forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. God’s behavior towards us becomes our measure for our behavior towards one another.

It is important to see that God is far more than our example. Many errors come into the church when Jesus is presented only as an example of behavior. We are not saved by the example of Jesus, but once we are set in right relation with God by the work of Jesus, then His example is meaningful to us. God is more than our example, but He is also our example.

We are to imitate God as dear children: Children are natural imitators. They often do just what they see their parents or other adults do. When we act according to our nature as children of God, we will imitate Him.

We all imitate someone or something. We meet a person and are impressed by them – and unconsciously want to be like them. We see a video of someone we admire and want to be like them. Christians should make the conscious choice to let God be their example, God as He is displayed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, believers should walk in love, as Christ also has loved them. As in all things, Jesus is our example. As He has loved us and has given Himself for us, we are to display the same kind of self-giving love.

We sometimes think we could lay down our life in a dramatic way to show our love for others. But God often calls us to lay down our life little by little – in small coins (as it were) instead of one large payment – but it is laying down our lives, nonetheless.

As Christ dwells in you, be an imitator of God. It is fitting for the children to imitate their father.

Click here for David’s commentary on Ephesians 5

Your year-end gift to Enduring Word helps millions globally. Click here to donate.

To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, whom the Bible teaches is God the Son, the Second Person of the eternal, triune God. At a specific moment in history God the Son added humanity to His deity and was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb. Nine months later He was born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet said would happen (Micah 5:2).

That was the first appearance of Jesus, and it is all worthy of celebration. It’s wonderful to see how many people have Jesus somewhere in mind in the Christmas season. The world’s emphasis during Christmastime is on vacation, holidays, giving and receiving gifts, spending time with family, and special meals. Yet even with their attention on those things, many people still find themselves thinking about Jesus and His birth, even if only a passing sense.

Hebrews 9:28 points to this first appearance by implication, saying Jesus will appear a second time. The author of this letter to the Hebrew Christians set the first coming of Jesus beside His second coming because they are in many ways similar.

At His first coming, Jesus brought light. When He appears again, Jesus Himself will be a light that replaces the light of the sun (Revelation 21:23).

At His first coming, Jesus came as the fulfillment of God’s promise. When He appears again, Jesus will complete those promises of God’s reign over the earth and the fulfillment of all things.

At His first coming, Jesus brought honor to the lowly and made the honorable humble themselves. The shepherds were honored with an angelic visit, and the wise men bowed low in worship before the young child Jesus. When He appears again, Jesus will bring honor to His humble people, and will judge those who think of themselves to be so great and mighty that they don’t need Him.

The focus of Jesus’ first coming was to deal with the sin problem through His atoning sacrifice. But now, having dealt with the sin problem perfectly, He comes again apart from sin – for the salvation, for the rescue, of His people.

At the time of the first coming of Jesus, the world was eagerly waiting for a messiah, a savior. The author of Hebrews assumed that God’s people today would eagerly wait for Him. It’s a sad case that this assumption doesn’t always turn out as true.

To paraphrase a quote from Charles Spurgeon, believers should be a bit disappointed every day if Jesus does not come in that day. Instead, many Christians today assume that Jesus won’t be coming soon. They aren’t eagerly waiting for Him. This isn’t good.

It’s a great thing to celebrate the first appearing of Jesus. From Bethlehem to the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus won salvation for His people at His first appearing. It’s good to let Christmas make you long for the glorious return of Jesus.

Click here for David’s commentary on Hebrews 9

Your year-end gift to Enduring Word helps millions globally. Click here to donate.

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. (Luke 1:32)

Nazareth was a small town 70 miles (113 km) north of Jerusalem. It was a tough place, a town known for its corruption and low morals. Yet in this dark setting a brilliant gem shined: a young woman named Mary, who was engaged to a man named Joseph. Mary was engaged, but not yet married; the Bible plainly says she was a virgin. One day, Mary had a spectacular angelic visitation. The angel spoke highly of Mary, but the focus of his message was not on Mary but on a Son to be named Jesus, who was unmistakably identified as the Messiah predicted by the Old Testament.

It’s not unusual for someone to buy a baby book when they first learn they will have a child. They often begin to record their thoughts and feelings during their time of pregnancy, writing their hopes and dreams for their unborn child. But no one, even the proudest parent, would ever write for their child what the angel said of Jesus before He was born: He will be great.

It was true: He would be great. Simply said, no one has influenced history more than Jesus Christ. Years ago, Fred Bock expressed this powerfully in a piece titled “One Solitary Life”:

Born in an obscure village, He was the child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty years old, and then for three years He traveled around the county, stopping long enough to talk and to listen to people, and help where He could.

He never wrote a book, He never had a hit record, He never went to college, He never ran for public office, He never had a family or owned a house. He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. But when He was only thirty-three years old, the tide of public opinion turned against Him, and His friends rejected Him. When He was arrested, very few wanted anything to do with Him. After the trial, He was executed by the State along with admitted thieves. Only because a generous friend offered his own cemetery plot was there any place to bury Him.

This all happened nineteen centuries ago, and yet today He is the leading figure of the human race, and the ultimate example of love. Now it is no exaggeration to say that all the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that have ever set sail, all the rulers that have ever ruled, all the kings that have ever reigned on this earth, all put together have not affected the life of man on earth like One Solitary Life.

The question remains: has Jesus affected your life? The angel said, He will be great – has the greatness of Jesus touched your life?

Click here for David’s commentary on Luke 1

Your year-end gift to Enduring Word helps millions globally. Click here to donate.

With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3)

Ephesians 4 begins a whole new part of Paul’s letter. The first three chapters explain in glorious detail all that God has done for believers, freely by His grace. Starting with chapter 4, he tells believers how to live rightly, but only after having explained what God did for His people in Jesus Christ.

Having considered and received all that God has done for us, we are to live with all lowliness and gentleness, not a pushy desire to defend our own rights and advance our own agenda. Before Christianity, the word lowliness always had a bad association to it. In the minds of many it still does; but it is a glorious Christian virtue (Philippians 2:1-10). It means that we can be happy and content when we are not in control or steering things our way.

Having considered and received all that God has done for us, we are to have longsuffering and to bear with each other. We need this so that the inevitable wrongs that occur between people in God’s family will not work against God’s purpose of bringing all things together in Jesus – illustrated through His current work in the church.

Having considered and received all that God has done for us, we should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This humble, patient attitude towards each other naturally fulfills this gift of the unity of the Spirit.

Note that we must endeavor to keep this unity – we do not create it. God never commands believers to create unity among themselves. God has created it by His Spirit; our duty is to recognize it and keep it.

This is a spiritual unity, not necessarily a structural or denominational unity. It is evident in the quick fellowship possible among Christians of different races, nationalities, languages, and economic classes.

We can understand this unity of the Spirit by understanding what it is not. This isn’t the unity of lies, of evil, of superstition, or the unity that cowers under spiritual tyranny. This isn’t the unity of geography, as if all the Christians in a city had to be weekly gathered in the same building to fulfill this. It isn’t the unity of church government or denominational arrangements.

This is the unity of the Spirit and false forms of unity work against the true. We are confident that this unity is found in Jesus Christ, by the Spirit of God. As true, born-again believers from different backgrounds and experiences draw closer and closer to Jesus, they will also draw closer to one other. Jesus Christ is the source of our unity; He is one who broke down every wall (Ephesians 2:14).

Jesus purchased this powerful unity at great cost: with His own blood. Believer, what are you doing to keep this unity?

Click here for David’s commentary on Ephesians 4

Your year-end gift to Enduring Word helps millions globally. Click here to donate.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.(Ephesians 3:17-19)

This was part of a wonderful prayer Paul prayed for the Ephesians. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul gave us more than an eloquent prayer; in a special way this prayer reveals what God wants for His people.

Here is one small nugget from this glorious prayer. In verse 18, Paul prayed that believers would know the dimensions of the love of Christ (width and length and depth and height). This means that the love of Jesus has dimensions and that it can be measured. It is a solid, substantial thing; not merely a beautiful fiction, a sentimental believe, or philosophical theory. The love of Jesus is a measurable fact.

The love of Jesus has width. You can see how wide a river is by noticing how much it covers over. God’s river of love is so wide that it covers over my sin, and over every circumstance of my life, so that all things work together for good. When I doubt His forgiveness or His providence, I am narrowing the mighty river of God’s love. His love is as wide as the world (John 3:16).

The love of Jesus has length. When considering the length of God’s love, ask yourself, “When did the love of God start towards me? How long will it continue?” These truths measure the length of God’s love. Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

The love of Jesus has depth. Philippians 2:8 tell us how deep the love of Jesus goes: He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. You can’t go lower than the death of the cross, and that is how deep the love of Jesus is for us.

The love of Jesus has height. To see the height of God’s love, ask yourself, “How high does it lift us?” The love of Jesus lifts the believer to heavenly places where they are seated with Christ. He has made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6).

Can we really comprehend the width and length and depth and height of God’s love? To come to any understanding of the dimensions of God’s love, we must come to the cross. The cross pointed in four ways, essentially in every direction, because:

God’s love is wide enough to include the whole world.
God’s love is long enough to last through all eternity.
God’s love is deep enough to reach the worst sinner.
God’s love is high enough to take His people to heaven.

Look to Jesus Christ and His cross and live in all the dimensions of God’s love.

Click here for David’s commentary on Ephesians 3

Your year-end gift to Enduring Word helps millions globally. Click here to donate.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

There is something deep in human nature that demands to earn its own way, its own standing before God. But right standing with God isn’t something earned. It’s a gift we receive by faith. Additionally, it is important to remember that faith is not a good work that earns right standing with God. Although good works accompany true faith, faith is not a “work.” Faith merely sees the offer God makes and believes it is true. It looks at God’s promises and says, “I believe they are for me.” Faith is refusing to call God a liar, taking God’s word at face value, and trusting that God and His word are reliable. When we do not have faith, we deny God’s word is true, and we call Him a liar. There isn’t any merit in not calling God a liar; it’s only common sense.

There is a story about a man who was teaching a Sunday school class full of small boys. One day he offered a boy in the class something prized in that day: a brand-new watch. But the boy thought that it was just a trick. Fearing his classmates would laugh at him when the trick was revealed, he refused the watch. The teacher then offered it to the next boy, but he followed the example of the first boy. One by one, each boy refused the watch because the offer seemed too good to be true; certainly, the teacher just wanted to trick them. But the last boy was bold enough to accept the watch when the teacher offered it to him. When the teacher gave it to him, the other boys were amazed and angry. The teacher used this to show his class that no matter how good a gift was offered to them, they must believe the word of the giver and receive the gift before it could do them any good.

In 1829, a Pennsylvania man named George Wilson was sentenced by the United States Court to be hanged to death for robbery and murder. President Andrew Jackson pardoned him, but the prisoner refused the pardon. Wilson insisted that he was not pardoned unless he accepted it. That was a point of law never raised before, and President Jackson called on the Supreme Court to decide. Chief Justice John Marshall gave the following decision. “A pardon is a paper, the value of which depends upon its acceptance by the person implicated. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.” And he was.

Even so, God’s offer of pardon and salvation in Christ Jesus is offered to many, but only those who trust in God and His word will gain the benefits of that pardon.

Today, why not simply believe what God says and receive His gift of grace?

Click here for David’s commentary on Ephesians 2

That you may know…what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:18-20)

In this passage from Ephesians, Paul prayed a powerful prayer, longing that God’s people would know several things. One of those was great the power of God towards those who believe.

This is the same mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead. If the death of Jesus is the supreme demonstration of the love of God, then the resurrection of Jesus is the supreme demonstration of God’s power.

We could say that what the resurrection is really all about is power. The essence of the cross is love; but love without power isn’t enough. Without power, love may be noble or well intentioned, but it isn’t enough. We need both God’s love and His power, and the resurrection is a demonstration of the fact that God’s self-giving love is full of power.

The great power of God brought life to the dead, but this mighty power that raised Jesus went beyond His resurrection. That same power raised Him to the heavens after His resurrection, raising Him above all demonic foes and every potential enemy in all ages.

This power – that which raised Jesus from the dead and lifted Him to the heavens – this same power is for those who believe! What can be said about this power?

This power is greater than the worst evil and harm of humanity. Jesus was subjected to the very worst in mankind when He was crucified; yet this mighty power of the resurrection made Him triumph over it all. No matter how bad man is, God is greater.

This power brings healing. When Jesus rose from the dead, He no longer suffered from His wounds, even though they were still visibly present with Him. The power of resurrection is healing power.

This power is toward some people – toward us who believe, according to Ephesians 1:19. We might think that this power is toward those who do great things, or toward who have achieved some high spiritual, mystical place. That’s not what the Bible says; this power is towards those who simply believe.

This power is for continued living, not just for a one-time experience of resurrection. The power was not only to raise Jesus from the dead, but to raise Him permanently above every enemy and spiritual foe. This is an abiding power, not a one-time experience that ended when once used.

The wonderful truth Paul explained in Ephesians 1 is that resurrection power is here for the people of God, those who believe now. It is not only for when they die, and God wants the same power that raised Jesus from the dead to live in His people today. It is toward us who believe; believe and receive it today.

Click here for David’s commentary on Ephesians 1

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7)

When we read the Bible, it’s important to consider context. If Galatians 6:7 were taken as an absolute statement, something always true in every case, then no one would go to heaven and the Bible would contradict itself. This isn’t a law of karma or the principle of attraction; this is a true statement in its context, considering what comes before and after the verse.

In the verse before (Galatians 6:6), Paul told believers to support those who teach them in the faith, to “share in all good things” with them. This is a basic, though sometimes neglected spiritual principle. Those who feed and bless believers spiritually should be supported materially (1 Corinthians 9:11, 9:14, 1 Timothy 5:17).

Therefore, for those who are hesitant to “share in all good things” (Galatians 6:6) with those who teach them, Paul reminded them of God’s principle of sowing and reaping. Their giving would not be like throwing away money; it would be like planting seeds, and whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Paul’s main point was not that God’s people should support those who teach them because it is good for the teacher. Rather, they should be supported because it is good for the one who is taught and shares, shown by the principle of reaping and sowing.

This is clearer when we consider the verse after Galatians 6:7. There, Paul wrote of sowing to the flesh and sowing to the Spirit, and the harvest gained by each kind of sowing. If believers want to reap to the Spirit, they should not hesitate to sow to the Spirit with whatever resources God gives them.

The farmer reaps the same as he has sown, but not exactly. The apple seed doesn’t merely grow more apple seeds, but more apples containing seeds. Even so, when we sow to the Spirit – even with material things – what we reap is not necessarily material things, but something better: we reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:8). We don’t give as a crude “investment” or money-making scheme, though believers are confident they will never be the loser for giving.

In context, the statement whatever a man sows, that he will also reap has application beyond giving and supporting teachers and ministers. It applies generally: what we get out of life is often what we put in. Yet, if only good people received good things from God, then we would all perish – because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Here, Paul simply relates the principle of sowing and reaping to the way resources are managed (as in 1 Corinthians 9:11 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-10).

We may fool ourselves by expecting much when we sow little, but we cannot fool God and the results of our poor sowing will be evident. When managing what God gives to you, sow abundantly and reap abundantly.

Click here for David’s commentary on Galatians 6

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)

Paul makes it clear – Jesus sets us free but need to take care we do not become entangled in bondage again. How can we be brought under bondage?

Long ago, two brothers fought for piece of land in what is now Belgium. The older brother’s name was Raynald, but everyone called him “Crassus,” a Latin nickname meaning “fat,” for he was terribly overweight. After a tough battle, Raynald’s younger brother Edward took his lands. But Edward didn’t kill Raynald. Instead, he had a room in the castle built around “Crassus,” a room with only one skinny door. The door wasn’t locked, the windows weren’t barred, and Edward promised Raynald he could regain his land and title anytime he wanted. All he had to do was leave the room. The obstacle to freedom wasn’t the door or the windows, but Raynald himself. He was so overweight, he couldn’t fit through the door. All that Raynald needed to do was diet down to a smaller size and walk out a free man.

However, his younger brother kept sending him tasty foods, and Raynald’s desire to be free never won out over his desire to eat. Some accused Edward of being cruel to his brother, but he simply replied: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he wants to.” But Raynald stayed in that room for ten years, until Edward himself was killed in battle.

This is a dramatic picture of how many Christians live. Jesus has set them forever free legally, and they may walk in that freedom from sin whenever they choose. But since they keep yielding their bodily desires to the service of sin, they live a life of defeat, discouragement, and imprisonment. Because of unbelief, self-reliance, or ignorance, many Christians never live in the freedom Christ paid for on the cross.

The Evangelist D. L. Moody used to speak of an old black woman in the South following the Civil War. Being a former slave, she was confused about her status and asked: “Now am I free, or am I not? When I go to my old master, he says I’m not free, and when I go to my own people, they say I am, and I don’t know whether I’m free or not. Some people told me that Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation, but master says he didn’t; that Lincoln he didn’t have any right to.”

That is exactly the place many Christians are. They are, and have been, legally set free from their slavery to sin, yet they are unsure of that truth. And of course, our “old master” is always trying to convince us that we are not free from his dominion.

Today, don’t listen to your old master. Do all you can to walk in the liberty for which Jesus has set you free.

Click here for David’s commentary on Galatians 5

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)

The idea behind the phrase the fullness of time is “when the time was right.” Jesus came at just the right time in God’s redemptive plan when the world was perfectly prepared for God’s work.

At just the right time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman. Jesus came not only as God’s Son, but also as one born of a woman, born under law. The eternal Son of God in heaven added humanity to His deity and became a man, born of a woman, born under law.

God’s great purpose in doing this was to redeem those who were under the law. Because Jesus is God, He has the power and the resources to redeem those who believe. Because Jesus is man, He has the right and the ability to redeem His people. He came to purchase believers out of the slave market, from their bondage to sin and death.

The famous hymn Amazing Grace was written by John Newton, a man who knew how to remember his redemption. He was an only child whose mother died when he was only seven years old. He became a sailor and went out to sea at eleven years old. As he grew up, he worked on a slave ship and had an active hand in the horrible degradation and inhumanity of the slave trade. But in 1748, when he was twenty-three, his ship was in immediate danger of sinking off the coast of Newfoundland, John Newton cried to God for mercy, and he found it. He never forgot how amazing it was that God had received him, as bad as he was. To keep it fresh in his memory, he fastened across the wall over the fireplace mantel of his study the words of Deuteronomy 15:15: You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you. If we keep fresh in our mind what we once were, and what we are now in Jesus Christ, we will do well.

But God’s work for the believer doesn’t end with redemption; it goes on to adoption. It would be enough that believers are purchased out of the slave market. But God’s work for His people doesn’t end there; they are then elevated to the place of sons and daughters of God by adoption.

Notice we receive the adoption of sons; we do not recover it. In this sense, we gain something in Jesus that is greater than what Adam ever had. Adam was never adopted as believers are. God doesn’t merely restore what was lost with Adam. Believers are granted more in Jesus than Adam ever had.

Cherish the glory of the standing God gives to His people: redeemed and adopted.

Click here for David’s commentary on Galatians 4

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:26-27)

The false teachers among the Galatian Christians taught one could only come to Jesus through Judaism. This went against the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel that Paul preached. This good news said we are made right before God because of who Jesus is and what He did for us, especially what He did for us in His sacrifice at the cross and His victory in resurrection.

Therefore, compared to what some taught among the Galatians, this was a revolutionary statement: you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. In some traditional Jewish thinking, standing before God was measured by obedience to the law. To truly be close to God – as His sons – one had to be extremely observant of the law, just as the Scribes and Pharisees attempted (Matthew 23). Believers are considered sons of God in a completely different way: through faith in Christ Jesus.

The standing is impressive. To be among the sons (and daughters) of God means we have a special relationship with God as a loving and caring Father. It is a place of closeness, affection, special care, and attention.

The method is impressive. To become a son (or daughter) of God through faith in Christ Jesus means much more than believing that He existed or did certain things. It is to put trust in Him, both for now and eternity.

Using the picture of baptism, Paul illustrated what it means to have faith in Christ. He didn’t say believers were baptized into water but baptized into Christ. In water baptism one is immersed in water, so when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, we are immersed in Jesus.

Some Christians seem content with just dipping a bit into Jesus. God wants us to be fully immersed in Jesus; not sprinkled, not just moistened. When one is immersed in water, you don’t even see much of the person anymore – you mostly see the water. When we live as baptized into Christ, you don’t see much of “me” anymore; you mostly see Jesus.

Another way of expressing our immersion in Jesus is to say that we have put on Christ. This phrase has the idea of putting on a suit of clothes. So, we “clothe ourselves” with Jesus as our identity.

Some might wonder if this is only play-acting, like a child playing dress-up. The answer is simple. It is only an illusion if there is no spiritual reality behind it. In this verse, Paul really speaks of the spiritual reality – those who were baptized into Christ really have put on Christ. Now they are called to live each day consistent with the spiritual reality.

If you by faith are in Jesus, then you are a child of God. You are immersed in the Savior. You have put on Christ. Now live it!

Click here for David’s commentary on Galatians 3

But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?” (Galatians 2:14)

Superficially, it was an argument over seating arrangements. In truth, it was a confrontation about the truth of the gospel.

At the church fellowship meal in Antioch, certain men from Jerusalem had pressured Peter, Barnabas, and other Christians from Jewish backgrounds to refuse to sit at the same table with Christians from Gentile backgrounds, believers who did not observe Jewish customs.

In doing this, they said loud and clear, “You can only be right with God if you put yourself under the demands of the Law of Moses. You must be circumcised, eat a kosher diet, and observe the feasts and rituals.” Thatmessage told Paul this was an issue concerning the truth of the gospel.

When Paul confronted Peter before them all, what a scene it must have been! In Antioch, the Gentile Christians weren’t allowed to sit with the Jewish Christians or share food with them. Peter – the honored guest – went along with this. So did Barnabas and the other Jewish Christians in Antioch.  But Paul would not stand for it. Because this was a public affront to the Gentile Christians and because it was a public denial of the truth of the gospel, Paul confronted Peter in a public way.

This wasn’t easy knowing who Peter was. Peter was the most prominent of all the disciples of Jesus. Peter was the spokesman for the apostles, and probably the most prominent Christian in the whole world at the time.

This wasn’t easy, knowing who Paul was. This was before any of Paul’s missionary journeys; before he was an apostle of great prominence. At that point, Paul was far more famous for who he was before he was a Christian – a terrible persecutor of the church – than he was for who he was as a Christian.

This wasn’t easy, knowing who agreed with Peter. There were the strong, domineering personalities of the men from Jerusalem. There was also Barnabas, who was probably his best friend. There were also the rest of the Jewish Christians in Antioch. Paul was in the minority on this issue – it was him and all the Gentile Christians against all the Jewish Christians.

As difficult as this was, Paul did it because he knew what was at stake. This wasn’t a matter of personal conduct or mere personal sin on Peter’s part. If that were the case, it is unlikely that Paul would have first used such a public approach. This was a matter about the truth of the gospel; proclaiming, “This is how a man is made right before God.”

Dear brother or sister: when the truth of the gospel is at stake, stand strong – especially when it isn’t easy.

Click here for David’s commentary on Galatians 2

Which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:7)

Paul planted several churches in the Roman province of Galatia on his first few missionary tours. Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians because he was concerned that they had embraced a false message, a different gospel.

Galatians 1:7 reveals three things about this different gospel. First, it was an illegitimate gospel (not another true message). Second, it was not good at all but trouble. Third, it was a distortion or perversion of the true gospel.

Paul recognized this different gospel was not really another gospel at all. Those who promoted this different gospel perhaps said, “We know our message is different than Paul’s message. He has his truth, and we have ours. He has his gospel, and we have ours.” Paul rejected the idea that their message was a legitimate alternative gospel in any way.

The word gospel literally means “good news.” Paul meant, “There is no ‘good news’ in this message. It is only bad news, so it really isn’t a ‘different good news.’ It is bad news. This is not another gospel at all.”

Those who brought this other gospel to the Galatians brought them trouble. They didn’t advertise their message as trouble, but that is what it was. False gospels don’t just happen. People bring them, and the people who bring them may be sincere and have a lot of charisma.

The message of these false teachers was to pervert the gospel of Christ. It was a distortion of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. It didn’t start from nothing and make up a new name for God and pretending to have a new Savior. It used the names and ideas familiar to the Galatian Christians, but it slightly twisted the ideas to make the message all the more deceptive.

Paul plainly wrote that these people want to distort the good news of Jesus. It is sometimes hard for us to understand why someone would want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

When we understand how offensive the true gospel is to human nature, we better understand why someone would want to pervert it.

– The gospel offends our pride. It tells us we need a savior, and that we cannot save ourselves. It gives no credit to us at all for our salvation; it is all the work of Jesus for us.
– The gospel offends our wisdom. It saves us by something many consider foolish – God becoming man and dying a humiliating, disgraceful death on our behalf.
– The gospel offends our knowledge. It tells us to believe something which goes against scientific knowledge and personal experience – that a dead man, Jesus Christ, rose from the dead in a glorious new body that would never die again.

The good news of Jesus Christ isn’t ours to edit, twist, or transform. That message is ours to believe and proclaim in all its life-changing power.

Click here for David’s commentary on Galatians 1

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified. (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)

Paul wanted the believers in Corinth to ask themselves a sobering question: “Is Jesus Christ really in me?” It’s a question that believers today should also ask.

We are rightly concerned that every believer has the assurance of salvation and knows how to endure the attacks that come in this area from Satan. At the same time, we also understand that there are some whoassume or presume they are Christians when they are not. It is a challenge to every believer: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?

We are often very ready to examine and test others, but first – and always first – we must examine and test ourselves. The Corinthians were quick to examine and criticize Paul, but they were slow to examine themselves.

Paul thought there might be some among the Corinthian believers who were disqualified for eternal life and salvation. Their thinking was worldly because they were more of the world than of the Lord. This is a hard truth to confront, but it is better to know now than when it is too late. If we don’t examine ourselves and testourselves now, we may find that we ultimately don’t pass the test and are disqualified.

What should we look for when we examine and test ourselves? We should see if Jesus Christ is in you. We are not to look for perfection in ourselves or in others, but we should see real evidence that Jesus Christ is in us. The main point isn’t to look for sin, but to look for Jesus Christ, and to ask Him if there is anything in my life that grieves the Holy Spirit, then to ask for the grace that it may be accounted as cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus and put away from the habits of my life.

In verse 6, Paul anticipated a counter-question. “Paul, you ask us to examine ourselves. Well, why don’t you examine yourself? Maybe you aren’t a Christian after all.” Paul dismissed this question out of hand. It was so apparent that we are not disqualified that he simply trusts that they recognize the truth of it.

There are some believers who torture themselves with excessive self-examination. They often doubt the many assurances God gives them regarding their salvation. Those believers exist, but they are far outnumbered by those who give little or no attention to self-examination. There are many more who assume they are right with God and destined for heaven, when they should examine themselves for real evidence of God’s work in their life.

Ask yourself: What evidence is there that Jesus Christ is in you?

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 13

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Paul was troubled by an affliction – a thorn in the flesh – that was not removed by prayer. Yet God had a response for Paul. God told Paul, My grace is sufficient for you. Instead of removing the thorn from Paul’s life, God gave and would keep giving His grace to Paul. The grace God gave Paul was sufficient to meet his every need.

To receive this, Paul had to believe that God’s grace is sufficient. We usually don’t believe God’s grace is sufficient until we believe we are insufficient. For many of us, especially in American culture, this is a huge obstacle. We are the people who idolize the “self-made man” and want to rely on ourselves. But we can’t receive God’s strength until we know our weakness. We can’t live in the truth that God’s grace is enough until we know that we, in ourselves, are not enough.

My grace is sufficient for you is a great declaration, and you may emphasize any aspect of this sentence.

“My grace is sufficient for you.” Grace is the favor and love of God in action. It means He loves us and is pleased by us. Can you hear it from God? “My love is enough for you.” Isn’t it true?

“My grace is sufficient for you.” Whose grace is it? It is the grace of Jesus. Isn’t His love, His favor, enough? What will Jesus fail at? Remember too that Jesus also suffered thorns; He cares, and He knows.

“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is right now. Not that it will be some day, but right now, at this moment, His grace is sufficient. You thought something had to change before His grace would be enough. You thought, “His grace was sufficient once, His grace might be sufficient again, but not now, not with what I am going through.” Despite that feeling, God’s word stands. “My grace is sufficient for you.”

“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is rather modest of God to describe His grace as sufficient. That word can be used of something that barely meets the need, but God’s supply is far more than sufficient. The grace of the triumphant, resurrected Jesus is enough – and more than enough!

“My grace is sufficient for you.” I’m so glad God didn’t say, “My grace is sufficient for Paul the Apostle.” I might have felt left out. But God made it broad enough. God’s grace is sufficient for you! Are you beyond it? Are you so different? Is your thorn worse than Paul’s or worse than many others who have known the triumph of Jesus? Of course not.

Brother, sister: this sufficient grace is for you. By faith, receive it in Jesus’ name.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 12

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. (2 Corinthians 12:7)

Paul was a man who had some impressive spiritual experiences, so much so that it might be easy for him to become proud, exalted above measure. Because of this danger of pride, God allowed a thorn in Paul’s flesh– something to trouble him.

It seems that everyone could see the thorn in the flesh Paul suffered from – it was no secret. His heavenly vision (2 Corinthians 12:1-4) was a secret until now, but everyone saw the thorn. Some among the Corinthian Christians probably thought less of Paul because of his thorn in the flesh, but they knew nothing of the amazing spiritual experience that lay behind it.

What is a thorn in the flesh? When we think of a thorn, we think of a somewhat minor irritation. But the root word Paul used for thorn here describes a tent stake, not a thumbtack. This trouble was a messenger of Satan to Paul. In a strange way, the thorn was given – ultimately given by God – but it was also a messenger of Satan.

To buffet me means that this thorn in the flesh – the messenger of Satan – “punched” Paul. He felt that he was beaten black and blue by this messenger of Satan. Paul, punched about by the devil? Who would have thought it?

The following verse tells us that Paul prayed about this thorn, pleading three times that God would take it away. Yet God, in His wisdom, allowed it to remain. When his passionate and repeated plea was not answered, it must have concerned Paul. It added another dimension to this trial.

It had a physical dimension in that it was a thorn in the flesh.
It had a mental dimension in that it was a messenger of Satan.
It had a spiritual dimension in that it was an unanswered prayer.

What exactly was Paul’s thorn in the flesh? We simply don’t have enough information to say precisely. Some see it mainly as spiritual harassment. Others think it was persecution. Many suggest that it was a physical or mental ailment. Some say this was Paul’s struggle with lustful and sinful thoughts.

Each of these suggestions is possible, but God had a definite purpose in not revealing the exact nature of Paul’s thorn. If we knew exactly what Paul’s thorn was, then everybody who was afflicted – but not in exactly the same way – might doubt that Paul’s experience and God’s provision was relevant for them. God wanted everyone with any kind of thorn in the flesh to be able to put themselves in Paul’s place.

God’s answer to Paul’s thorn is revealed starting at 2 Corinthians 12:9 – but that answer is relevant to your thorn. God cares about and provides for your trouble.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 12

For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted; you may well put up with it! (2 Corinthians 11:4)

Paul’s godly jealousy (2 Corinthians 11:2) was offended that some of the Corinthian believers were being seduced by a false understanding of what Christian ministry and being an apostle were all about.

Many of the Corinthian Christians didn’t admire Paul’s apostolic credentials because they thought in a worldly way, not having the mind of Jesus. They didn’t like Paul’s apparent weakness and unimpressive appearance. Their minds were being corrupted from the simplicity of faith that was found in Jesus Christ.

It was important that the Corinthian Christians understand and trust Paul’s apostolic credentials because Paul knew they were attracted to the false apostles who preached another Jesus.

The troublemakers among the Corinthian Christians who stirred up contention against Paul didn’t only attack Paul; they also attacked the true Jesus by preaching another Jesus. Who was this “other Jesus?” Because of the way the Corinthian Christians despised Paul’s image of weakness and unimpressive appearance, the false Jesus promoted among them was probably one who knew no weakness, persecution, humiliation, suffering, or death. This “super Jesus” was another Jesus, not the real Jesus, and another Jesus isn’t real and cannot save.

The Jesus different from what Paul and other faithful apostles had preached was from a different spirit andpresented a different gospel. This was the dangerous, even spiritually deadly error that Paul had warned the Christians in Galatia against (Galatians 1:8-9). In that Galatians 1 passage, Paul explained that those who preached a different gospel should be accursed by God.

Paul described these “different gospel” preachers as he who comes. This set them in contrast to God’s true apostles. An apostle is “one who is sent.” These troublemakers were the opposite of apostles. One could say of them, he who comes. Of an apostle, one would say “one who is sent” by God. These false apostles had simply come; they were not really sent by God.

The problem wasn’t so much that these false teachers had come among the Christians in Corinth. The more significant problem was that the Corinthian Christians put up with them when they should have rejected them and cast them out. These false teachers were a bad influence that were accepted among the Corinthian believers.

The church has the same problem today. It is not surprising that there are false teachers in the church today; the problem is that the church puts up with them and embraces them. Christians of this generation will have to answer to Jesus for their lack of discernment when it comes to the false teachers and leaders accepted and promoted by the church.

Don’t put up with those who preach in a different spirit than Jesus, presenting a different gospel than the New Testament presents.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 11

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

Many among the believers in Corinth relied on fleshly, worldly thinking and methods. As an apostle of God, Paul insisted that he was different, and the weapons of his warfare were not carnal. When Paul fought, his weapons were not material but spiritual, suited for spiritual war.

The carnal weapons Paul refused were not material weapons such as swords and spears. The carnalweapons he renounced were the manipulative and deceitful ways his opponents used. Paul would not defend his apostolic credentials with carnal weapons others used.

In Ephesians 6, Paul listed the spiritual weapons he used: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. To rely on these weapons took faith in God instead of carnal methods. But truly, these weapons are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

Many Christians rely on and admire carnal weapons for the Christian battle.

Instead of the belt of truth, they fight with manipulation.
Instead of the breastplate of righteousness, they fight with the image of success.
Instead of the shoes of the gospel, they fight with smooth words.
Instead of the shield of faith, they fight with the perception of power.
Instead of the helmet of salvation, they fight with lording over authority.
Instead of the sword of the Spirit, they fight with human schemes and programs.

We must remind ourselves that Paul spoke to carnal, worldly thinking among Christians. He wasn’t writing of the world but the Corinthian Christians. They were the ones with the strongholds in their minds and hearts. They made the arguments against God’s mind and methods. They held on to every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We miss it entirely if we think the love of manipulation, the image of success, smooth words, the perception of power, lording over authority, and human schemes and programs are just problems among unbelievers. God deals with this heart and mind in the church.

To battle against this carnal way of thinking and doing, our thoughts must be brought captive and made obedient to Jesus. Jesus relied on spiritual weapons when He fought for our salvation (Philippians 2:6-8). This kind of victory through humble obedience offended the Corinthian Christians because it seemed so “weak.” The carnal, human way is to overpower, dominate, manipulate, and out-maneuver. The spiritual, Jesus-way is to humble yourself, die to yourself, and let God show His resurrection power through you.

Our spiritual weapons are scorned by the world but feared by demonic powers. When believers fight with true spiritual weapons, then no principality or power can stand against them. Fighting with God’s armor, we can’t lose.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 10

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

The Corinthian Christians had promised to gather a collection for needy believers in Judea, and they had yet to gather the money and give it to Paul so he could take it to those who needed it. Paul gave the Corinthian Christians many reasons to follow through in their generosity.

In this verse, Paul reminds all believers that God is the ultimate giver, who is able to make all grace abound toward His people. As believers give, they must be persuaded that God is able to reward their giving. Just as God is able to make the sowing of seed abound to a great harvest, so God is able to bless the generosity of His people.

In rewarding our giving, God does it with all grace. Our giving is rewarded in many ways, including both the material and the spiritual. Materially, God may bless our giving by job promotions with better pay, by unexpected gifts of money, or by making things last so we don’t suffer the cost of replacing them. Spiritually, God may bless our giving by freeing our hearts from the tyranny of greed and materialism, by giving us a sense of blessing and happiness, and by storing up rich reward in heaven. There is no end to the ways we can be blessed when God is able to make all grace abound toward us.

Part of God’s blessing to the giver is for their always having all sufficiency in all things. That word sufficiency may also be translated contentment and is so in 1 Timothy 6:6. God gives a special gift to the giving heart: always having all contentment in all things. That is a lot of all!

It’s easy for many Christians to say they have this contentment; but whether they have it or not is often more truthfully known by their spending and shopping habits. How much of a place does shopping and buying have in your life? How much does material loss affect your happiness? How happy do you get from having some material thing?

With this contentment, believers can be the richest people in the world. A man might have the wealth of the richest man in the world yet lack contentment. But if we have this contentment, it really does make us better off than the wealthiest people who don’t have it.

Also notice that God blesses His people materially and spiritually so that they will have an abundance for every good work. We are blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. God wants us to be channels of blessing, not reservoirs of blessing.

Dear believer, learn to live in the generosity that is fitting for the people of God. It’s an important step in the path of God’s great gift of contentment.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

This single verse is a powerful explanation of who Jesus is and what He did for His people. This verse presents:

– The riches of Jesus.
– The poverty of Jesus.
– The manner of His poverty.
– The reason for His poverty.
– The result of His poverty.

First, we learn that Jesus was rich. Before Jesus added humanity to His deity and walked this earth, Jesus was rich beyond measure. Jesus, as the eternal Second Person of the Trinity, as God the Son, living in the riches and splendor of heaven, was surrounded constantly by the glory, power, and majesty of God. These make any amount of wealth on earth seem poor. He was rich in possessions, honor, power, love, and happiness.

Second, Jesus became poor. Look at the whole nativity scene. The newborn King was not laid in a cradle of gold but in a feeding trough for animals, set in a humble stable, wrapped in the swaddling bands of poor children. His whole life was lived humbly. At a very young age, He was banished from His own country. Raised as the son of a humble carpenter, Jesus had no fancy clothes, no home of His own, and often relied on others for food. He never even owned His own grave.

Third, notice the manner of His poverty: He became poor. It does not say that Jesus was made poor by others; He volunteered to become poor Himself. Every moment of His life on this earth, Jesus made the conscious choice to live as a relatively poor man.

Fourth, the reason for His poverty: yet for your sakes He became poor. There was a real reason why Jesus did this, and it was not for His own sake. It was for your sakes – the sake of His people – that He became poor.

Look at the result of His poverty: that you through His poverty might become rich. Because of Jesus’ poverty (in all that related to it), His people can become rich. Believers have a share in Jesus’ eternal, heavenly wealth because He came and had a share in their poverty.

– As Jesus was rich in possessions, so are believers – especially contentment.
– As Jesus was rich in honor, so His people have the honor of being sons and daughters of God.
– As Jesus was rich in power, so Christians can come as sons and daughters to the God of all power.
– As Jesus was rich in love, so believers have the love of God poured out into our hearts.
– As Jesus was rich in happiness, so are His people with the peace that passes all understanding.

Finally, consider that Jesus isn’t poor any longer. If this is what Jesus did for His people when He was poor, how much more do you think He will do for them with His heavenly wealth?

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 8

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

2 Corinthians 6 ended with God’s promise of a close, meaningful relationship with those among His people who separate from the corrupt thinking and working of this world, Considering those promises, in 2 Corinthians 7:1, God gives His people two things to do.

First, there is something to take away, as we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness. There is a main aspect of cleansing that comes to God’s people as they trust in Jesus and His work for them. This work of cleansing is really God’s work in us and not our work. But there is another aspect of cleansing that God looks for us to do with the participation of our own will and effort; not that it is our work apart from God, but it is a work that awaits our will and effort: let us cleanse ourselves. This aspect of cleansing is mostly connected with a closer relationship with God and usefulness for service.

Sometimes it is easier to deal with the filthiness of the flesh than of the spirit. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, those who were stained by the filthiness of the flesh (such as harlots and tax collectors) found it easy to come to Jesus. But those stained by the filthiness of the spirit (such as the scribes and Pharisees) found it very hard to come to Jesus. Pride, legalism, self-focus, self-righteousness, bitterness, and hatred can all be far worse to deal with than the more obvious sins of the flesh.

Then, there is something to add, as disciples are perfecting holiness in the fear of God. It isn’t enough to only cleanse ourselves from all filthiness. The Christian life is not only getting rid of evil, but also continually doing good and growing complete in holiness. Paul wasn’t writing about a state of sinless perfection. Perfecting has the idea of “complete” and “whole.” Instead of a state of sinless perfection, Paul wrote about a complete, “whole,” holiness.

There are a couple more things to notice in the phrase, cleanse ourselves. Note that Paul included himself among the Corinthian Christians in the category of those who need to be cleansed. If Paul includes himself among those who needed to be cleansed, then what about us?

Also, note that we must take care that we cleanse ourselves and not concern ourselves with cleansingothers. Most of the time we are more concerned with the holiness of others than our own holiness! It’s easy to point at the sins, failings, and weaknesses of other people, but first we should give attention to our own. This is a principle from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:3-5).

If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, there are things God wants you to take away, and things He wants you to add. In the power of God’s Spirit, give attention to these today.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 7

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

One reason the Corinthian Christians were in a bad relationship with the apostle was because they had joined themselves to unbelievers, and this prevented their reconciliation with Paul.

The idea of do not be unequally yoked together is based on Deuteronomy 22:10, which prohibited yoking together two different types of animals. It speaks of joining two things that should not be joined.

For some reason, this verse has been mainly applied as a warning for Christians to not get married to those who are not also disciples of Jesus Christ. However, Paul meant much more than that one point of application. This applies to any environment where a believer allows the world to influence their thinking above the influence of God’s word and His Spirit. When believers are being conformed to this world and are not being transformed by the renewing of their mind (Romans 12:2), they join with unbelievers in an ungodly way.

This speaks especially to the issue of influence. Paul is not suggesting that Christians never associate with unbelievers (this is clear in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13). The principle is that believers are to be in the world, but not of the world, like a ship should be in the water, but water shouldn’t be in the ship. If the world is influencingGod’s people, clearly they are unequally yoked together with unbelievers. This unequal yoke, or ungodly influence, may come through social media, a book, a video, a song, or even through worldly-minded Christian friends. Most Christians are far too undiscerning about the things they allow to influence their thinking and actions.

We all like to believe that we can be around ungodly things as much as we want and that we are strong enough to ward off the influence. But we must take seriously the words of Scripture: Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33). It needs to come back to the simple question from Romans 12:2: Are we being conformed to this world, or are we being transformed by the renewing of the mind?

The Corinthian Christians thought like worldly people, not like godly people. They gained this way of looking at life – or at least they stayed in it – because of their ungodly associations. Paul told them to break those yokes of fellowship with the ungodly.

The Corinthian Christians were too loving and affectionate in the sense they thought it was “accepting” and praiseworthy to allow lawlessness with righteousness, to accept darkness along with the light. By using the term communion, Paul indicates that he really meant influence more than presence.

Christian, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you: to what extent have you allowed the thinking of the world to influence you? Are you unequally yoked? In the name of Jesus, break those unequal yokes, and take the yoke of Jesus on you (Matthew 11:29-30).

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 6

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Physical appearance is relatively easy to change, but it is much more difficult to genuinely become a new person. No one has the power to make themselves a person made in the image of Jesus Christ. But Jesus can and does change us. Once He does, then we are called to go out and live like “the new you.”

This promise of 2 Corinthians 5:17 is remarkably broad, being for anyone. It doesn’t matter what class, what race, what nationality, what language, or what level of intelligence. In Jesus Christ, anyone can be a new creation. However, it is a promise for anyone who is in Christ. This is not a promise for those who are in themselves, or in the religion of men, or in someone or something else. This is for those in Christ.

Paul here taught the great principle of regeneration. Jesus Christ changes those who come to Him by faith and who are in Christ. The saved are not “just forgiven.” They are changed into a new creation.

In 1954, Billy Graham led a remarkable crusade in London. It lasted for weeks and weeks, and ever since, Billy has met people all over the world who were brought to Jesus Christ during that crusade. One story was worthy of mention.

One of Billy Graham’s associates noticed two men come into the crowded arena, and the men sat near the back. They apparently did not know each other, but in just a few moments of loud conversation, they found two things to agree upon: they did not like Americans, and they especially did not like American evangelists like Billy Graham. They agreed that they had both come to see the show, just to make fun of it.

So, they sat in the back and joked around through the whole service. But as Billy Graham presented the message of the gospel – the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done, especially in His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection – the hearts of both men were touched by the Holy Spirit. Both recognized their need for salvation and decided to go forward at the invitation to express their faith and to commit their lives to Jesus Christ. The first man turned to his new companion and said, “I’m going forward.” The other one said, “I am too. And here’s your wallet back – I’m a pickpocket.”

That’s evidence of new life. Have you been made new in Jesus Christ? If you have, are you living like it?

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 5

Jun Sato, 25, couldn’t find work in downtown Tokyo, so he created his own job. Dressed in protective padding, he let people on the street put on boxing gloves and beat him for three minutes for the equivalent of about $10. Sato said, “I enjoy being used as a punching bag, it is another way to experience life. I want to continue as long as my body holds up.”

Most people don’t feel that way. Most of us don’t knowingly seek out suffering, and when we’re in it, we want to get out of it as soon as possible. This makes the Apostle Paul’s description our afflictions as light hard to accept. If Paul wanted to think his afflictions were light, that was his business – but our afflictions usually seem heavy.

Looking at the kind of life Paul lived and the afflictions he suffered changes our perspective. 2 Corinthians 6:4-5 gives a start in understanding what Paul went through personally: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness. Paul certainly did not have an easy life, yet he could still call his afflictions light.

Your afflictions may be lighter than you first think.

Our afflictions are light compared to what others are suffering. No matter how bad we have it, there are many who are suffering worse. Are we really better people than they are?

Our afflictions are light compared to what we deserve. We often don’t like to think about it, but we sin against God again and again. If you believe God is teaching you through your affliction, don’t you have far more to learn than He could confront in you right now?

Our afflictions are light compared to what Jesus suffered for us. There is simply no comparison between what we are going through, and all Jesus suffered spiritually, emotionally, and physically – and He suffered it all for us, not for Himself.

Our afflictions are light compared to the blessings we enjoy. In a time of affliction, we may ask God, “Why do I deserve this?” Instead, we should be asking that question in our times of blessing, which are far greater than our afflictions.

Our afflictions are light compared to the sustaining power of God’s grace. He can and does strengthen us if we will only come to Him humbly – and we anticipate that His help may come through another servant of His.

Our afflictions are light compared to the glory it leads to. God has eternal glories to work in His people through their present afflictions. Olympic athletes are willing to afflict themselves, knowing the glory it can lead to.

Your affliction may seem more painful than athletic training, but the glory is infinitely more certain, and ultimately more wonderful, than any prize this world can give.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 4

The first Bible of my own was a paper-back version given to me when I came forward at an altar call to give my life to Jesus Christ. It was just a New Testament, The Living Bible version, and on the front, it had a picture of a child on his father’s shoulders and said, “The Greatest of these is Love.”

I have many more translations of the Bible now, and it seems like there is a never-ending stream of new Bible translations. No matter what Bible you like to read, the principle of 2 Corinthians 3 is still true: The Bible others will read is your life.

You yourselves are our letter, Paul wrote. Every letter has an author, and we are a letter from Christ. Every letter has readers, and we are known and read by everybody. Our life is like a letter, and we can’t hide it. People you meet every day read the letter of your life. We can’t blame them for doing this, because if the work of Jesus is real, it will be real in our lives.

Because every Christian is a bible, perhaps it’s time to recognize some new translations:

The “Ashamed to Follow Jesus” version (AFJ)
The “Sin Doesn’t Apply to Me” version (SDAM)
The “Other Christians are Terrible” version (OCT)
The “Christian Life is Miserable” version (CLM)
The “Holier than Thou” version (HTT)

How do we become a “good translation” for others to read? Again, look at 2 Corinthians 3:3. Every letter is written with a pen, and Paul says the letter of their Christian life is the result of our ministry. This means we should never neglect what other Christians can do in our life. Isolating ourselves as Christians is a bad thing to do.

Every letter is written with ink, and Paul says we are written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. Have you yielded your life to the Spirit of God? Are you walking in stress, or walking in the Spirit? If you are “translating” the Bible poorly, perhaps it’s because you are walking in stress, and not the Spirit.

Every letter is written on something, and our “bible” is written not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. This means we have to let God write His Word on our heart.

It’s sad to think that perhaps we haven’t translated the Bible very well into our lives. When we provide a poor translation, other people read it and get the wrong idea about Jesus. If you aren’t a follower of Jesus Christ, I’m sorry for the bad “letters” you’ve read. But remember that ultimately, it’s all about Jesus Christ. Instead of criticizing – sometimes with good reason – the poor ways people translated God’s truth and power into their daily life, why not let Jesus write into your life?

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Corinthians 3

Paul dealt with criticism from the Corinthian Christians, who said he was unreliable and fickle because his travel plans had unexpectedly changed. Earlier, Paul carefully explained himself and his reasons for not arriving when he had previously planned. More than anything, he wanted the Corinthian Christians to know he was following Jesus Christ like a soldier in an army follows their general. Like any organized person, Paul made his travel plans, but more importantly he was a follower of Jesus Christ.

To illustrate the point, Paul said that Jesus always leads His people in triumph. The illustration used an image from the Roman world, presenting Jesus as the victorious, conquering general in a triumphal parade. A Roman triumphal parade was given to successful generals when they returned from their conquests.

For a person in the ancient world, a Roman Triumph was probably the greatest pageant, the greatest spectacle, they would ever see. Today we’re used to see amazing sights and spectacular productions on screens or in person. In ancient times, such things were both rare and amazing.

In a Roman Triumph, the focus was on the victorious general who came through the streets of Rome to the Capitol. In the parade, first walked the government officials and the senators through the streets richly decorated. Then came a procession of trumpeters, followed by those carrying spoils taken from the conquered countries. After that were pictures of the defeated lands with models of the vanquished fortresses and ships. Then came a white bull for sacrifice, followed by prisoners in chains: princes, leaders, generals who would soon be executed. After them were more government officials, then musicians, and priests bearing fragrant incense. Then the general himself appeared, followed by the army who shouted “lo triumphe!” – the cry of triumph.

This spectacle was a one in a lifetime event, and for most people in the ancient world it was the biggest production they had ever seen.

This was the scene in Paul’s mind. Jesus Christ marched in triumph through the world, and His church marched with Him. Paul wanted the Corinthian Christians to realize that he followed his general, Jesus Christ. Paul could see Jesus’ triumphal parade winding its way through the whole Roman Empire, throughout the entire world.

Fragrance, in the form of incense, was common at the Roman triumphal parade. In Paul’s mind, this fragrance is like the knowledge of God, which people can smell as the triumphal parade of Jesus comes by.

Dear brother or sister in Christ, you have a place in the greatest spectacle in all creation: the victory parade of Jesus Christ. Through you, God wants people to see and to “smell” the fragrance of the victory of Jesus.

Look to your victorious general. Follow Him. March in the place He sets you. Rejoice in His victory; He shares it with you.

For more on 2 Corinthians 2, click here

Many people feel they must exaggerate their hardships. For them, nothing small ever happens; every inconvenience is a heavy cross to bear, and they suppose they bear it for Jesus. The Apostle Paul was not that kind of man; he spoke about his suffering reluctantly and in understated terms. So, when Paul wrote, the sufferings of Christ abound in us, he meant it. Paul had a life filled with suffering including beatings, whippings, stoning, imprisonments, shipwrecks, hunger, thirst, sleeplessness, and more (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Yet, Paul knew that all his sufferings were really the sufferings of Christ.

It’s a striking statement. We almost want to correct the Apostle: “Paul, those are your sufferings, not the sufferings of Christ.” Nevertheless, Paul’s life was so completely identified in Jesus that if he was blessed, it was the blessing of Christ. If he suffered, they were the sufferings of Christ. Not every hardship we face can be thought of as the sufferings of Christ. If a believer is in sin, foolish, or unloving towards others and they hurt for it, that isn’t suffering for following the way of Jesus. Peter knew the distinction between the two kinds of suffering when he wrote that we should not suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. (1 Peter 4:15-16)

Paul knew something about the glory of God in suffering. In fact, Paul knew both sides well: the sufferings and the consolation. He could say, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Because Paul’s sufferings were the sufferings of Christ, Jesus was not distant from Paul in any hardship. He was right there, identifying with the apostle, and comforting Paul. It seems like the hotter the day, the greater the dew at night. Even so, the hotter the time of trouble, the greater the dews of refreshing come to God’s people.

We can count on it: when sufferings abound, then consolation also abounds. Jesus is there to bring comfort, if we will receive it. In fact, God is called the God of all comfort in this very chapter (2 Corinthians 1:3). God has all kinds of comfort for His people in all kinds of hardships.

So, the principle stands: Our consolation also abounds through Christ. God may allow situations in our life where our only consolation is found through Christ. Sometimes we think the only consolation is found in a change of circumstances, but God wants to console us right in our difficult circumstances, and to do it through Christ. Jesus told us about the same principle in John 16:33: In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Are sufferings abounding? Be bold in seeking God for abounding consolation.

For more on 2 Corinthians 1, click here

Near the end of this letter to the Corinthian disciples of Jesus, Paul hoped to stir their sense of responsibility and courage for the Christian life. In these two verses, Paul told them to do four things, and then gave an overall principle for how they must do the four things.

Each of the four things were military in nature, describing things a soldier might do.

Christians are to watch. They are to be continually on guard and live in such a way that they are not surprised by difficulties or by great blessings, such as the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus commanded His disciples to watch (Matthew 24:42, 26:41, Mark 13:37).

Christians are to stand fast in the faith. The idea is that there are many things that would shake or move a believer from their secure footing in the Christian faith. This also has the sense of soldiers standing together, ready to face and fight the enemy. A few scattering soldiers can mean defeat. Like a soldier needs a strong standing position in battle, the disciples of Jesus need to stand strong. Paul warned believers to stand fast in their liberty in Jesus (Galatians 5:1), in Christian unity (Philippians 1:27), in the Lord Himself (Philippians 4:1), and in the teaching of the apostles (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

Christians are to be brave. This is the only place in the New Testament where this word is used (andrizomai). Literally it means, “to act like a man.” There is a place for all disciples of Jesus Christ, men and women, to choose the courage a brave soldier must have in his time of battle: unflinching, pressing forward. This quality is especially necessary among Christian men, but it isn’t limited to them.

Christians are to be strong. The believer’s strength comes not from their own resources, but from the Lord and His power. We can be strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10, 2 Timothy 2:1). The strength of individual believers helps the church of Jesus Christ as a whole.

Those four things are important to the soldier and, by analogy, to the disciples of Jesus Christ: readiness, steadfastness, bravery, and strength. Yet for the solider, there is a sense in which they are enough–but not for the Christian. For the follower of Jesus Christ, all the watching, all the standing fast, all the bravery, and all the strength appropriate for the solider might mean nothing without love. That’s why God told us, let all that you do be done with love. If the Christian loses love, they lose everything (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).

Dear brother or sister in Jesus Christ, take seriously your responsibility as God’s solder. Yet realize you are special kind of soldier, one that needs to do it all with love. God helping us, we will.

The Corinthian Christians wanted to know, how are the dead raised up? The answer is obvious: God raises the dead. As the Apostle Paul said to Agrippa in Acts 26:8, Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

The Corinthian Christians also wanted to know, and with what body do they come? Paul answered this question with the analogy of the seed, explaining that our bodies are like “seeds” that “grow” into resurrection bodies. When you bury the body of a believer, you are sowing a seed that will come out of the earth as a resurrection body. This means that the Christian looks at death in an entirely different way.

No one likes the sound of the coffin lid closing, and the farmer does not like the act of scattering seed on the cold, dry earth just for its own sake. Nevertheless, no farmer weeps when he sows his seed because he sows in genuine confidence of a future harvest. At the open grave, the Christian should have the same confidence when the “seed” is “planted.” Our loved ones in the Lord are not lost; they are sown.

The seed analogy gives us more than hope; it also helps us understand the nature of our resurrection body. Paul describes it like this: You do not sow that body that shall be…. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. When you plant a wheat seed, a big wheat seed does not come up. Instead, a stalk of wheat grows. So, even though our resurrection bodies come from our present bodies, we should not expect that they will be the same bodies as before or even just improved bodies. They will be truly connected to our present bodies, yet in a more glorious form than ever.

The resurrection body of Jesus was connected to His previous body in appearance and general material nature – He was no phantom or ghost. Yet His resurrection body was more than just a better version of His previous body. Something had fundamentally changed in its nature, because it was described as a flesh and bone body instead of the far more typical phrase flesh and blood body (Luke 24:39). Jesus remains in His resurrected glory without aging or diminishing in strength – and that is something completely out of the realm of these bodies we presently know.

God has saved, is saving, and will save those who trust in Jesus and He will save them completely – body, soul, and spirit.

This was about the conduct of the Corinthian Christians when they would come together for worship, fellowship, and God’s word. Those gatherings of the church were to be a time when people came to participate and to give to one another, not merely to passively receive.

Out of necessity, the Corinthian Christians met in small groups in different homes. There were many “house churches” scattered over Corinth. In these small groups, there was freedom and responsibility to receive and give. One might give by reading or singing a psalm. Another might offer a word of teaching. Someone might pray in a tongue, along with an interpretation. Someone else might have a revelation, a word from God’s heart and mind to the gathered church. In a small, home-fellowship type setting, this is how the church should work together.

When more people are gathered, this “everybody shares something with everyone else” is more difficult. Among ten people, ten can share something with all the other ten. But among thirty, or sixty, or a hundred people, there isn’t time to allow everyone to share something with everyone else. Plus, in a larger group, the “I want to feel important by talking to everybody” factor is much more present. It may be present among ten people, but how much more among a hundred! This is why some are blessed and find great spiritual growth through a home group; it provides a better context for the “everyone shares something with everyone else” idea.

At the same time, the heart of “everyone shares something with everyone else” can happen in a larger church, but it is more expressed in “everyone shares something with someone else.” It says, “I am coming to church, but not only to receive a blessing. I come to give a blessing to someone, and I will ask God for an opportunity to bless someone today.” This way of thinking can make the fifteen minutes before a church meeting and the thirty minutes after the best and most exciting time of the gathering. It is a big mistake to think, “If I’m not up on the platform, I can’t minister to someone else today.” Instead, believers should be on the lookout for opportunities to pray with people, encourage, help, meet, bless, counsel, admonish, and love one another every time they come to church.

Big church or little church, house church or “regular” church, God calls us to come to the gatherings of His people not only to receive, but to give. We give our attention, our worship, and our listening ear to the Lord. But we also give to one another in just the way Paul described. This can revolutionize your church-going experience – so let that revolution, a very Biblical revolution, begin.

For many people, 1 Corinthians 13 is their favorite chapter in the Bible. Because it describes the character and nature of love so well, it is sometimes called “The Love Chapter.” These words conclude the chapter and tell of the never-ending nature of love.

The three great pursuits of the Christian life are not miracles, power, and gifts; they are faith, hope, and love. Though the gifts are precious, and given by the Holy Spirit today, they were never meant to be the focus or goal of the Christian life. Instead, the believer’s main pursuit is faith, hope, and love.

What is your Christian life focused on? What do you really want more of? It should all come back to faith, hope, and love. If it doesn’t, we need to receive God’s sense of priorities, and put our focus where it belongs.

Because faith, hope, and love are so important, we should expect to see them emphasized throughout the New Testament. Think of these passages:

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father. (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. (Galatians 5:5-6)

You could add to these 1 Peter 1:21-22, Colossians 1:4-5, and 2 Timothy 1:12-13.

Faith, hope, and love are all important, but the greatest of these is love. Love is greatest because it will continue and even grow in the eternal state. When we are in heaven, faith and hope will have fulfilled their purpose. We won’t need faith when we see God face to face. We won’t need to hope in the coming of Jesus once He returns. But we will always love the Lord and each other and grow in that love through eternity.

Love is also the greatest because it is an attribute of God (1 John 4:8), and faith and hope are not part of God’s character and personality. God does not have faith in the way we have faith, because He never has to “trust” outside of Himself. God does not have hope the way we have hope, because He knows all things and is in complete control. But God is love and will always be love.

The point isn’t to get us to choose between faith, hope, and love. The point is that without love as the motive and goal, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are meaningless distractions. If you lose love, everything is lost.

Let the greatness of God’s love fill your life today.

1 Corinthians 12 is about spiritual gifts, something Paul did not want believers to be ignorant of (1 Corinthians 12:1). Here, Paul explained something relevant to the working of spiritual gifts but applies beyond that topic: the principle of diversity and unity in God’s family.

Paul described three areas of diversity in God’s family: gifts, ministries, and activities. The gifts are diverse, the ministries are different, and the activities are varied. But it is all the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God doing the work through the gifts, the ministries, and the activities.

First, there are diversities of gifts. Paul will later list some nine spiritual gifts in the following verses, and more in other places, demonstrating this broad diversity. Yet there is only one Giver, who works through the diverse gifts.

The word ministries probably has in mind the different “gifted offices” in the church, such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers (Ephesians 4:11-14). Paul’s point is clear: though there are different offices, it is the same Lord granting the offices and directing the service.

The original word for activities is energemata, where we get our words energy, energetic, and energize from. It is a word of active and sometimes miraculous power. Differences of activities means that God displays and pours out His miraculous power in different ways, but it is always the same God doing the work.

What are the differences between gifts, ministries, and activities? The word gifts is used broadly. Some gifts are ministries – standing offices or positions in the church. Some gifts are activities – miraculous events or outpourings at a particular time and place, such as the manifestation of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:7.

Just as in first-century Corinth, it is easy for believers today to focus on their own gifts, ministries, or activities and believe those who are different are not really walking or working with God. Yet the one God has a glorious diversity in the way He does things. We should never expect it to be all according to our own emphasis and taste.

One of the ministries mentioned in the New Testament is evangelist (Ephesians 4:11). If I am an evangelist, it’s easy for me to focus on my gift, my ministry, and think that everyone in God’s family should be an evangelist just as I am. I can try to make others feel guilty that they don’t have my gifts and ministry.

Two things are true and important: the diversity and the unity. By God’s Spirit we are different, but we are all one. Don’t focus so much on the diversity that you miss the unity.

Today, appreciate the powerful diversity and unity God has made among His people, and find a way to thank God for someone else’s gifts and ministry!

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

I don’t know if this saying is used elsewhere, but in the United States people sometimes say, “Nothing in life is certain except for death and taxes.” It’s supposed to be a slightly humorous observation on the uncertainties of life, but I think at least one more thing could be added to the certain things of life: temptation.

We’re all tempted, and none of our temptations are truly unique; what we go through is common to man. Others before you have found strength in Jesus Christ to overcome the same temptation you experience, or even worse. Therefore, you can be victorious, but in the strength of Jesus, not in your own strength. We fight temptation with Jesus’ power, like the girl who explained what she did when Satan came at the door of her heart with temptation: “I send Jesus to answer the door. When Satan sees Jesus, he says, ‘Oops, sorry, I must have the wrong house.’”

The truth is God is faithful and has promised to supervise all temptation, whether it comes at us through the world, the flesh, or the devil. God promises to limit temptation according to our capability to endure it, or at least according to our capability as we rely on Him, not our capability as we rely only on ourselves.

Satan would destroy us in a moment if God would allow him, even as he wanted to destroy Job (Job 1:6-12) and Peter (Luke 22:31), but God will not let him. God faithfully supervises what comes to His children and though we may face grievous hardship, in Him we have the power to endure.

God has promised to not only limit our temptation, but also to provide a way of escape in tempting times. He will never force His children to use the way of escape, but He will make the way of escape available. It’s up to us to take God’s way of escape.

One commentator noted that in the original language, the word for a way of escape has the idea of a mountain pass, with the idea of an army being surrounded by the enemy, and then suddenly seeing an escape route to safety. Like a mountain pass, the way of escape isn’t necessarily an easy way—but it is available.

At a market, a little boy stood by a candy display, looking as if he was going to take some without paying. A clerk watched the boy, and finally said, “Looks like you’re trying to take some candy.” The boy answer, “Mister. I’m trying to not take any.”

For the time, that boy was able to bear it. In Christ, you can also bear temptation.

To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.(1 Corinthians 9:22-23)

In the big picture, Paul was helping the Corinthian Christians how to deal with the controversy regarding believers eating meat that had been offered to a pagan idol. For background on that controversy, look at last week’s devotional.

In helping the Corinthian Christians think through the issue, Paul stressed an important principle in chapter 9: that Christians should often lay down their rights for the benefit of either believers or the lost.

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul used his own life as an example of this. Paul had rights as an apostle (9:1), rights as a Christian minister (9:1), and the right to be supported in ministry (9:3-14). Yet he often set these rights aside. Paul didn’t always give up these rights, but when he knew it would be for God’s glory and the benefit of others, he denied himself what he deserved, what was his “right.”

All this came back to the issue of Corinthian believers eating meat that was sacrificed to pagan idols. A believer in Corinth might say, “I have the right to eat that meat!” Paul would answer, “Yes, you do have that right. But in this situation Christian love compels you to set that right aside. I have done this kind of thing many times. In this situation, eat a salad instead.”

Paul lived and taught this because he wanted to win the world for Jesus Christ. He even said, I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. We should not think Paul changed his doctrine or message to appeal to different groups. In fact, he specifically denied this in 1 Corinthians 1:22-23. However, Paul would change his behavior and manner of approach. To those under the law, he would come as under the law. To the weak, he would sympathize with their weakness. He would make themselves a servant to all, that he might win more to Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:19).

I don’t know if Paul, as a Christian believer, ate pork, shellfish, or other non-kosher foods. I do think Paul understood he had the “right” to eat those things, as he wrote in Colossians 2:20-23. Yet Paul would never eat shrimp while trying to talk to Jewish people about faith in Jesus!

Paul would set aside such things and do it for the gospel’s sake. Paul was willing to offend people over the gospel, but he wanted to offend them only over the gospel.

Finally, notice Paul did this for the gospel’s sake. Not for the sake of pleasing the world, not for the sake of denying God’s truth. Paul knew where he could bend, and when to stand firm. May God give us the same wisdom!

Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. (1 Corinthians 8:1-2)

Having dealt with their questions about marriage and singleness, Paul then addressed the questions Corinthian Christians had regarding eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. 1 Corinthians 8-10 gives a lot of attention to these things offered to idols.

In this case, it was meat that was offered to idols. In the Roman world, the meat offered on pagan altars was usually divided into three portions. One portion was burnt in honor of the god, one portion was given to the worshipper to take home and eat, and the third portion went to the priest. At a busy temple, a lot of meat came to the priests. They often sold the meat they didn’t eat, either at a restaurant at the temple or a take-away meat market at the temple. In addition, the meat served and sold at the temple was generally cheaper. Then, as well as now, people loved a bargain (including Christians).

The whole issue of buying, eating, and serving meat that was offered to idols raised many questions for the Corinthian Christians.

– As I Christian, can I eat at the restaurant at a pagan temple?
– As I Christian, can I purchase and eat meat purchased at the temple meat market?
– As I Christian, if I am served meat as a guest at someone’s home, should I ask if it came from the pagan temple before I eat it?

These were sometimes complicated and controversial subjects among the Christians in Corinth. While most of us don’t deal directly with the issue meat offered to idols, there are many places where the practices and thinking of the world around us are a challenge for believers.

Pay attention to how Paul first addressed these issues. Instead of talking about food, Paul first spoke of the principles of knowledge and love. Christian behavior is founded on love, not knowledge; and the goal of the Christian life is not knowledge, but love.

Both knowledge and love make something grow. In the way Paul meant it here, knowledge often leads to swelling pride. Love often leads to growing in grace and the likeness of Jesus. The difference between puffs up and edifies is striking; it is the difference between a bubble and a building. Some Christians grow, others just swell.

Here is a great starting point for controversial subjects, those that relate to Christian holiness: recognize that when it comes to getting along in God’s family, love is more important than knowledge. The “love-them-all” honors God more than the “know-it-all,” especially when we mean real love, not mere unoffensive niceness.

Don’t be afraid of controversy, but make sure to lead with love – real love, not superficial niceness.

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? (1 Corinthians 6:2–3)

Paul had to directly confront the Corinthian Christians because some among them were suing each other, taking each other court, over matters that Christians should have been able to settle among themselves. It showed immaturity and selfishness among Christians, which made them a bad witness to their pagan neighbors.

In explaining how wrong it was for them to act this way, Paul pointed out that Christians were – or should be – fully capable to judge these matters on their own. After all, Paul noted, the saints will judge the world. Believers shall even judge angels. Christians should be fully able to judge their own matters because of our destiny. As we reign with Jesus Christ, we will (in some sense or another) judge the world, and even judge angels.

The idea of Christians judging angels is fascinating. It does not mean we will sit in judgment of faithful angels, as if we could penalize them for letting us down or not being there for us in a critical time. However, we will have a part in judging evil angels. We can’t exactly say when or how this will happen, but it does remind believers of their glorious future.

The destiny of redeemed men and women – to one day be higher than the angels and to even sit in judgment of them – must greatly annoy a certain high angelic being. He did not want to serve an inferior creature in the present age and did not want that inferior creature to be raised up higher than he in the coming age. So, this high-ranking angel rebelled against God, and remains determined to keep as much of humanity as possible from sitting in judgment of himself. We can imagine the perverse, proud pleasure Satan takes over every soul that goes to hell: “They won’t sit in judgment over me!”

Knowing this leads to a few practical applications. First, Christians should take to heart the importance of solving issues among themselves, without taking things to secular courts. Of course, this doesn’t mean criminal matters, but disputes among believers should be kept out of law courts. There is wisdom among God’s people to decide such things.

Second, take to heart the amazing destiny God has appointed for His people. Redeemed men and women will be so glorified in the age to come that they will judge angels. This is one of the ways God gives His people more in Jesus than they ever lost in Adam’s fall: in some sense raising them above angelic beings. God’s salvation is great in where it lifts His people from, and where it lifts them to. Let your heart rest in that today!

And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. (1 Corinthians 5:2)

There were a lot of problems among the Christians of Corinth. Some of the problems were “mental” – in the sense of being problems of wrong thinking. Many of the Corinthians had wrong ideas about God’s power, work. and servants. But the Corinthians didn’t only have problems in how they thought; they also had problems with what they did. They had both “mental” and “moral” problems. In some sense, the two were connected. Their moral problems came because they didn’t think rightly about God and His world.

In 1 Corinthians 5, the problem was sexual immorality. Verse 1 explains that someone counted among the Christians of Corinth openly lived in an on-going sexual relationship (either as married or living together) with his stepmother. The woman involved wasn’t a believer because Paul didn’t address her.

Paul said that they must take the man away from among the church: This was part of God’s answer to the problem – to take this notoriously unrepentant man away from the protection of the fellowship of God’s people. Yet, the Corinthian Christians didn’t do this. Why not? How could this kind of thing be allowed?

They allowed it because they were influenced by their surrounding culture. Remember that Corinth was a city notorious for sexual immorality, and the pagan religions did not value sexual purity. It wasn’t hard for a Corinthian to think you could be religious, yet still act any way you pleased when it came to sex. Greek culture matter-of-factly said: “Mistresses we keep for the sake of pleasure, concubines for the daily care of the body, but wives to bear us legitimate children.”

They allowed it because they didn’t know or didn’t apply the Scriptures, such as Leviticus 18:8, which forbids a man to have sex with his stepmother.

More than anything, they allowed it in the name of “tolerance.” The Corinthian Christians said to themselves, “Look how loving we are. We accept this brother just as he is. Look how open-minded we are!”

The Corinthian Christians were proud (puffed up) over their acceptance of this man; they thought it said something good about them. Instead of glorying, they should have grieved, both for the man and over what God wanted them to do with the man: put him out of the church until he repented.

Generally, Christians are to be a tolerant people. In the broader world, we should love even those who are enemies to the Christian faith (Matthew 5:44). Yet leaders among God’s people have the responsibility of dealing with believers who are in open sin, refusing to recognize it as sin or to repent. In those situations, it’s a grave error to pretend everything is OK or the church should be praised for its so-called tolerance.

May God give leaders in the church the wisdom and strength to deal rightly with open sin among God’s people.

Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:1–2)

The apostle Paul had a complicated relationship with the Christians in Corinth. He founded the church in that city and poured into them for a year and a half – longer than he stayed in most places. Yet many among the Corinthians had a low opinion of Paul.

In these carefully chosen words, Paul showed them Corinthians how to have a proper regard – not too exalted and not too low – of himself and the other apostles.

Paul asked that he, and the other apostles (us), be regarded by the Corinthians as servants. There are several different words in the language of the New Testament to describe a servant. Here, Paul used the word hyperetas, describing a subordinate servant functioning as a free man. He did not use the more common word for a servant (doulos) which designated a common slave.

The word hyperetas literally means an “under-rower,” in the sense that someone was a rower on a big galley ship. So, though it is not the lowest word for a servant, it certainly was not a prestigious position. It’s a place a bit lower than the “over-rower.” A rower on a galley ship simply did what they were required to do, and they worked hard. That’s a good picture of how Paul and other apostles served Jesus and His people.

In addition to servants, Paul asked to be considered as stewards, who were the managers of a household. In relation to the master of the house, stewards were slaves; but in relation to the other slaves the steward was a master. They planned and managed the work, the finances, the strategy, and the records of the master.

What did Paul and the other apostles “manage” in the household of God? Among other things, they were stewards of the mysteries of God. They “managed” (in the sense of preserving and protecting) and “dispensed” (in the sense of distributing) the truth (mysteries) of God. Whenever Paul heard criticism of his style or manner, he could simply ask, “Did I give the truth to you?” As a good steward, that’s what he first cared about.

For stewards, the important thing was faithfulness – to be found faithful. They had to be efficient managers of the master’s resources. A steward never owned the property or resource he dealt with; he simply managed it for his master and had to manage it faithfully.

Today, God people (especially those responsible to lead in some way) should have the same attitude: “Consider us servants and stewards.” As servants, they shouldn’t think too much of themselves, and work hard. As stewards, they should faithfully manage on behalf of their Master.

We don’t need more celebrities and superstars; we need more faithful servants and stewards. If we faithfully fulfill those roles, God will be honored, and His kingdom will progress.

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:1)

Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, those part of the congregation Paul founded when he spent a year and a half there (Acts 18:1-11). The Corinthian church had plenty of problems, and here Paul dealt with the root of those problems: many of them were carnal.

It’s important to recognize that those whom Paul addressed were part of the family of God; they are called brethren. In a sense, that was their problem. They were not behaving like spiritual people, but like carnalpeople – that is, fleshly people. They behaved like immature Christians, as babes in Christ.

There are some who think that there is no such thing as a carnal Christian. Some say it is a contradiction in terms; that what Paul really meant was that these carnal ones were not Christians at all. Yet Paul clearly called them brethren, and he said they were babes in Christ. It’s hard to see how Paul could consider them brothers and call them babes in Christ if they weren’t in the family of God and as babes in Christ, had made a genuine start in the Christian life.

These Corinthian Christians, to some extent, were thinking and acting according to the flesh, not the Spirit. Of course, the flesh did not dominate every aspect of their life, or they would then have had no evidence of being born again. But Paul confronted them where they were clearly thinking and acting in a carnal (fleshly) manner.

Paul didn’t mean that our material substance – the cells and tissues that make up our body – are inherently sinful. There is weakness associated with being “made of flesh,” but this weakness isn’t automatically sinful (2 Corinthians 3:3). Here, the problem with the Corinthian Christians was they were carnal, that is “fleshly” – they were characterized by the flesh. This speaks of the believer who can and should live differently but does not. They aren’t spiritually minded, but they are fleshly minded.

Paul told the Christians of Galatia that they must “walk in the Spirit” and then they would not “fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:6). There were more than a few among the Corinthian Christians who were losing that battle; they were believers, but at least in some ways, their life was marked more by the ideas and actions of their flesh instead of the ideas and actions of the Spirit of God.

Paul spoke of three categories.

– The natural man (1 Corinthians 2:14), is patterned after Adam and rejects the things of God.
– The spiritual man (1 Corinthians 2:15), knows the things of God and endeavors to think and live according to the Spirit.
– The carnal man knows the things of God, yet in some significant ways doesn’t walk in the Spirit, but is characterized by the flesh.

Which one are you?

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)

Paul’s arrival to Corinth is described in Acts 18. He came and met a Christian couple named Aquila and Priscilla, who were tentmakers (leatherworkers) by trade, like Paul. He served in Corinth for more than a year and a half, supporting himself (Acts 18:3).

In Paul’s day, Corinth was already an old city, a commercial center with two busy. Because of its busy economy and many visitors, Corinth had a remarkable reputation for loose living and especially sexual immorality. In classical Greek, to act like a Corinthian meant to be sexually immoral, and a Corinthian companion was a prostitute. This immorality was permitted (even encouraged) under the widely popular worship of Aphrodite (also known as Venus, the goddess of fertility and sexuality).

When Paul came to such a challenging field of ministry, he did the only thing he could: preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Only Jesus could be the answer for such an immoral place. Preaching to entertain wouldn’t work. Preaching the gospel of self-help couldn’t help. The messages of salvation by good works or noble intentions wouldn’t change lives.

That’s why Paul didn’t come to Corinth as a philosopher or a salesman, worried about the excellence of his speech. Paul came as a witness (declaring to you the testimony of God). Paul was a smart man who could reason and debate persuasively, but he didn’t use that approach in preaching the gospel. He made a conscious decision (I determined) to put the emphasis on Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul was an ambassador, not a salesman.

In taking this approach, Paul understood he didn’t cater to what his audience wanted. He already knew the Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:22), but he didn’t care. He was determined to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

If a preacher is not careful, he will get in the way of the gospel instead of being a servant of the gospel. Paul could say, “All I know is Jesus Christ, and Him crucified for me.”

There’s a story of a little girl who went to a traditional church with her family every week. The church had stained glass windows, and there were beautiful images of different Bible characters in the window behind the preacher. One day a very short man was the guest preacher, and because he was much shorter, the girl could see the stained-glass window with Jesus behind the guest. She wanted to know where the regular pastor ways, so she asked: “Where’s the man who usually stands in the pulpit so we can’t see Jesus?” Whether you’re a preacher or not, make sure you don’t get in the way of Jesus. Proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge (1 Corinthians 1:4-5)

The church in the ancient city of Corinth was started through the work of the Apostle Paul. After visiting Athens, Paul came to Corinth (Acts 18:1–17) and spent a year and a half there, bringing many to faith in Jesus Christ and doing the work of discipleship among these believers, young in the faith.

As his two letters to the church in Corinth show, the Corinthians Christians had a lot of problems. 1 Corinthians shows that at times, they had moral problems, doctrine problems, church government problems, spiritual gift problems, church service problems, and authority problems.

What do you do with a “problem church”? Paul thanked God for them. That’s what he said: I thank my God always. Paul spent a lot of time in this letter rebuking sin and correcting error, yet he was still sincerely thankful for God’s work in the Corinthian Christians.

Those who feel called to rebuke sin and correct error in the church today should follow Paul’s example. Unfortunately, many of them never communicate any encouragement with their correction and advice.

Paul was especially grateful for the grace they received by Jesus Christ. Everything good, everything worth being thankful about among the Corinthian came to them by grace. Grace means that God gives freely, for His own reasons.

God’s grace had an effect among the Corinthian Christians. The Corinthians were a “rich” church, not only materially, but also in their speech and knowledge of Jesus (all utterance and in all knowledge… the testimony of Christ, 1:6), in their abounding in the gifts (come short in no gift, 1:7), and in that they lived in anticipation of Jesus’ coming (eagerly waiting, 1:7). In these things, they were genuinely enriched.

On could say that the work of God in the Corinthian Christians could be seen by what they said, by what they learned, by a supernatural element in their lives, and by their expectant anticipation of Jesus’ return.

When Paul looked at the Corinthian church, he could say: “These people proclaim Jesus, they know about Jesus, there are the supernatural gifts of God among them, and they are excited about Jesus’ return.” All those things made him thankful, so Paul’s gratitude was sincere.

Whatever problems the Corinthians had, they also had these impressive strong points. Can even this much be said about many churches today? We may pride ourselves on not having the problems of the Corinthian Christians, but do we have their positives?

Yet, these positives were no great credit to the Corinthian Christians themselves. They were not the spiritual achievements of the Corinthians, but the work of the grace of God in them.

If you’re around some problem people or problem churches, there are probably still reasons to give thanks for them. Be real about the problems; but find a way to give thanks.

Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ. Greet Mary, who labored much for us. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. (Romans 16:5b-8)

In Romans 16:1-16, Paul begins concluding his letter to the Christians in Rome. In those verses, he mentioned 26 people by name, giving some greeting or recognition to each. This is remarkable because Paul had never visited Rome, but because so many traveled to and from the great city, he knew many among the Christians there.

There are important things to learn from a long list of names.

First, it teaches us that this was a letter written to real, everyday people. It’s true that Paul’s letter to the Romans is worthy of the deepest, most intellectual attention. I wonder how many PhD dissertations have been written examining Romans! Yet the original readers words were ordinary people. They weren’t qualified as professional theologians, but they were people who loved the Lord. This teaches us that God’s word is written for ordinary people. There are depths in God’s word that the most brilliant can’t fully reach, but its main message is accessible to everyday, simple people.

Second, notice the women mentioned in this chapter: Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, the mother of Rufus, and Julia. Junia (16:7) is also possibly a woman’s name. These women served the Lord in wonderful ways and were noted by Paul. We can be sure they served according to the pattern given by the New Testament, giving honor the Lord.

Third, notice their work for the Lord. Among these 26 there are servants, helpers, fellow workers, fellow prisoners, those who labored, and those who labored much. In God’s family there are all different kinds of servants, with different roles, and who do their work to different degrees. It’s good to be among those who labor for God’s cause; it is even better to be among those who labor much.

Fourth, of the 26 names, 13 also appear in inscriptions or documents connected with the emperor’s palace in Rome. We know that there were Christians among Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22). Paul may be writing many of the servants who worked for Caesar who became Christians. God has His people in unexpected places.

Finally, the 26 names show us how much God loves common people. It is perhaps unavoidable that our attention is drawn to those thought to be important, or prominent. We’re quick to think of people as celebrities and stars, and to think they should be first in line. That’s not how God thinks. As a group, these weren’t prominent leaders, and only a few of the 26 of are mentioned in the Book of Acts. Yet Paul, and the Lord Jesus he served, took note of them.

God must love everyday believers – He made so many of them!

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. (Romans 15:1-2)

I suppose it’s obvious that spiritually speaking, Christians differ in their spiritual strength. Some of very young believers, others are mature. Some have great strength and knowledge of God’s truth in His word, others are just beginning to learn that truth. Some have little history of trusting God through difficult times, others have grown strong through many hardships.

Are you a strong Christian? If so, hear what the Holy Spirit says to you: we then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. If you consider yourself strong in comparison to your brother, use your strength to serve your brothers and sisters in Christ, instead of using your “strength” just to please yourself. You should think of how you can use your superior strength to support and help your weaker brother. That’s the idea of bear with.

This goes against the spirit of our age, which tells people to look out for number themselves and often despises those who live lives of real sacrifice for the sake of others. Yet undeniably Paul points the way to true happiness and fulfillment in life: get your eyes off yourself, start building up others and you will find yourself built up.

This does not mean that the church is ruled by the whims of the weak. In a healthy church, those who are weak are gently, continually challenged to grow in Jesus Christ and become stronger. There’s something wrong when weak believers stay weak for extended periods of time.

That was God’s word to the strong. Then God had something to say to every believer, weak or strong: let each of us please his neighbor. This is a simple yet challenging call to simply put our neighbor first. Paul later wrote much the same thing in Philippians 2:3–4: Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

“Wait,” someone says. “I thought we were to be concerned with pleasing God, not pleasing man. How can it be said that I should therefore please my neighbor?” The answer is found in the next few words: let each of us please his neighbor for his good. This shows that Paul did not mean being a “man-pleaser.” Such a person may want to please his neighbor, but not for his neighbor’s good.

We do this all because it leads to edification. If you’re strong in the Lord, use the strength to build others up, instead of tearing them down. That’s a great way to honor God and further the work of His kingdom.

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written:

“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
End every tongue shall confess to God.”

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10–12)

In Romans 14, Paul dealt with the problem of Christians judging each another. There were several potential issues that could divide Christians of that time. It could be over what they ate, what days to observe as special, or several other things. It wasn’t that there was no right or wrong in these matters, but there was no clear command or universal right or wrong applying to every believer. Perhaps some Christians worshipped on the Jewish Sabbath, others on Sunday. Perhaps some felt they could eat meat, even if it wasn’t kosher; others were convinced they should not eat meat at all. The Holy Spirit had the liberty to deal with individual believers as He pleased.

The strict Christian found it easy to judge his brother, regarding him as an unspiritual compromiser. The freeChristian found it easy to show contempt against his brother, regarding him as an uptight-legalistic do-gooder. Essentially, Paul’s answer was “In these matters, stop worrying about your brother. You have enough to answer for before Jesus.”

All this does not apply to things that are clearly right or wrong according to the Scriptures. What the Bible says is sin is certainly sin. Yet there are many things about which the Holy Spirit deals with believers individually. He may say “Yes” to one and “No” to another for His reasons and as He pleases.

In these matters, it wasn’t right for believers to judge their brother. It wasn’t right to show contempt for theirbrother. Those who did those things forgot that they themselves would stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We shall all do this; every Christian will stand before Jesus. Paul used the idea of the judgment seat, sometimes called the bema seat, where the judges sat in the ancient Olympic Games. When a race or competition was over, the winners came to the judgment seat to receive their reward.

Paul also reminded believers of this judgment seat in 2 Corinthians 5:10. This judgment is only concerned with the believer’s reward and responsibility in the age to come, not with salvation. The point in Romans 14 is emphasized with the quotation from Isaiah 45:23, explaining that we all must appear before God in humility, and give account of himself before God. If this is the case, we should let God deal with our brother.

Knowing we will face the judgment seat of Christ adds importance to everything we do. Every day gives the opportunity to honor God and do things that matter for eternity. Knowing we all give account to God, we should live each day to His honor and glory.

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. (Romans 13:11)

Accident investigators say the car was airborne for about 150 feet (30 meters) before it crashed through the roof of Joanne and Mahlon Donovan’s house in Derry, New Hampshire. It was about 3:00 in the morning, and a 20-year-old woman who was later arrested for drunk driving drove the car. Her car came crashing through the ceiling and dropped right over the Donovan’s bed. “The thing was right in front of my face,” Mr. Donovan, 65, said. “I could feel the heat from the exhaust system coming right through the sheets.”

Scary enough. Yet even more frightening was that, according to the Associated Press story, the wife of the home didn’t wake up. Joanne Donovan slept right through it. Mr. Donovan had to shake her awake after the crash.

It’s amazing what we can sleep through. God can do an awe-inspiring work among many, but others can sleep right through it, spiritually speaking. In Romans 13:11, we find out what it takes to keep us awake, or to awaken us from our spiritual slumber.

First, Paul wrote about knowing the time. Often, when we oversleep it is because we didn’t know the time. We wake up late, and in a panic look for the time, and get a sick feeling – “I’m late! I overslept!” Spiritually speaking, if we know the time we won’t sleep when we shouldn’t. And when we look around at the world today with open eyes and an open Bible, we see that the time is short. If we really believe Jesus is coming soon, if we know the time – then we will wake up.

Second, Paul wrote about what would happen at the right time: now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The coming of Jesus, and the completion of our salvation, is closer than ever. Every day since God worked in your life and you first decided to follow Jesus, the time has become closer and closer, and the finishing of your salvation comes nearer and nearer. When we remember how wonderful it will be to have our salvation finished – no more sin, no more death, no more of the weakness of this flesh – that will keep us awake.

Right now, are you taking a spiritual nap? Perhaps there is some spiritual activity in your life, but you might as well be sleepwalking through it. So, the right prayer for you today is, “Lord, wake me up. Help me to know it is time to awaken. Get me excited about the completion of my salvation.” God loves to answer that kind of prayer.

Even if you are sleeping so soundly that if a car crashed through the roof of your house, you wouldn’t know it, God can still make you awake and keep you awake for His glory.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

Romans 1 through 11 is heavy on right thinking, on good theology. Starting with chapter 12, the Apostle Paul focused more on living out the truth already presented. Because of what God has done in the believer, they should not be conformed to this world. This warns us that the popular culture and thinking in rebellion against God will try to conform us to its ungodly pattern, and we must resist that process.

The opposite of being conformed to this world is to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The battleground between conforming to the world and being transformed is in the mind of the believer. Christians must think differently. “I don’t want to be conformed to this world. I want to be transformed. How do I do it?” By the renewing of your mind. The problem with many Christians is they live based on feelings, or they are only concerned about doing.

The life based on feeling says, “How do I feel today? How do I feel about my job? How do I feel about my marriage? How do I feel about worship? How do I feel about the preacher?” This life by feeling will never know the transforming power of God because it ignores the renewing of the mind.

The life based on doing says, “Don’t give me your theology. Just tell me what to do. Give me the four points for this and the seven keys for that.” This life of doing will never know the transforming power of God, because it ignores the renewing of the mind.

God is never against the principles of feeling and doing. He is a God of powerful and passionate feeling, and He commands us to be doers. Yet feelings and doing are completely insufficient foundations for the Christian life. The first questions cannot be “How do I feel?” or “What do I do?” Rather, they must be “What is true here? What does God’s word say?” This is how minds are renewed and lives are transformed.

As we are transformed on the inside, the proof is evident on the outside, as others can see what the good and acceptable and perfect will of God is through our life.

Here is how to live out the will of God:

– Keep in mind the rich mercy of God to you – past, present, and future.
– As an act of intelligent worship, decide to yield your entire self to Him.
– Resist conformity to the thoughts and actions of this world.
– As you focus on God’s truth and follow Jesus, God will transform your life.
– Your life will prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Don’t conform – transform by the power of God’s Spirit and His truth.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?
Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

This is Paul’s triumphant conclusion to the consideration of Israel in the place of God’s eternal plan. As Paul thought about God’s great plan of the ages, he broke into praise. Paul realized that God’s ways are past finding out, and God’s wisdom and knowledge are beyond us.

Only God has this depth of the riches. The wisdom and knowledge of God are beyond us, and we should always speak humbly of our knowledge of His counsels and decrees. The quotations from Isaiah 40:13 and Job 41:11 emphasize God’s wisdom and sovereign conduct; no one can put God in debt to them. You can try all you want – but you can’t out–give God. He will never need to repay a debt to anyone.

Though we can’t go to the depth of God’s wisdom and knowledge, we rest in knowing that He has all things under His care. It is stated with such simple words, we can miss the power of the truth that of Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

God’s great plan is all of Him. This plan came from God. It wasn’t man’s idea. We didn’t say, “I’ve offended God and must find a way back to Him. Let’s work on a plan to come back to God.” In our spiritual apathy and death, we didn’t care about a plan, and even if we did care we aren’t smart enough or wise enough to make one. It is all of Him.

God’s great plan is all through Him. Even if we had the plan, we couldn’t make it happen. We couldn’t free ourselves from our own prison of sin and self. It could only happen through Him. The great work of Jesus on our behalf is the through Him that brings salvation.

God’s great plan is all to Him. Ultimately, it’s not for me, it’s not for you, it’s all to Him. It is all to the praise of the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6). It’s for His pleasure that we are created, and we find our fulfillment in bringing Him glory and honor.

At the end of it all, we can only say this of God: To whom be glory forever. The fact that we can’t figure out God makes us glorify Him even more. When we understand some of the greatness of God, we worship Him even more passionately.

If you’re caught in the quicksand of a self-centered life, joyfully receive the liberating truth: all things are of Him, through Him, and to Him.

So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

We often want to think faith or unbelief has to do with the circumstances or environment we find ourselves in. When faith is weak or unbelief is strong, it is easy to think, “Of course I’m having a hard time trusting God. Look at the mess I’m in.” Yet the link between our situation and our trust in God isn’t what we might think.

We find an example of this from the Book of Numbers. In Numbers 13, Moses sent twelve spies into the promised land. They each saw the same things as they surveyed the land, and all twelve spies came back to report to Moses and the nation of Israel. Ten of the twelve spies said the land was indeed good, just as God had said – yet they said that the enemies of the land were too strong and taking the land would be a suicide mission.

Among those twelve spies, two objected. They presented the minority report. They also agreed the land was good, just as God promised, but they believed God would work through them to conquer even the strongest enemies in the land of Canaan. Those two faithful spies knew if God’s word was right about the land – the LORD said the land was good and it was – then God’s word would also be proven right about the promise to give them the land despite the strong enemies. Seeing God’s word fulfilled gave them the faith to believe God’s promise for the future.

The ten unfaithful spies and the two faithful spies saw the same things – they saw the same grapes, the same men, the same land, and the same cities. Yet two of the spies came back singing in faith, and the other ten were filled with a sense of certain doom. It wasn’t their experiences that made the difference – all twelve spies had the same experiences. It was something more profound than what they had experienced.

Ultimately, faith does not come from circumstances or environment, but from our heart – specifically, from the work of God’s word in our heart. We often want to blame our unbelief on the difficult times in life, but faith or unbelief are not connected to our circumstances.

A story illustrates this principle. There were two sons who had a terrible, alcoholic father, but the sons were different from each other as adults. One was a responsible, godly man, successful in family, business, and life. The other became an abusive alcoholic just as his father was. When asked why they turned out the way they did, each had the same answer: “With a father like mine, how could I have turned out any differently?”

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Today, bring yourself to God and His word, with their faith-building power, and don’t wait for an environment or circumstance to build faith in you.

As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” (Romans 9:13)

The Apostle Paul wanted to explain why it might seem that God had forsaken Israel. In this part of Romans 9, he showed that it was all according to God’s careful plan. The seeming rejection by the Jewish people of their Messiah, Jesus Christ, didn’t surprise God. His wise plan was working out through history.

In the past, this plan hasn’t always been easy to understand from a human perspective. It isn’t immediately clear why God chose Jacob to be the heir of God’s covenant of salvation instead of Esau. God chose Jacob over his older brother Esau before the twins were born, and it wasn’t because God knew their works in advance. In Romans 9:11 Paul explains that it was not of works. Instead, the reason for choosing was found in God who calls and plans. It was God who decided that the older brother Esau should serve the younger brother Jacob.

In the days of Malachi the prophet, God repeated His choice, saying Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated (Malachi 1:2–3). That sounds harsh, doesn’t it? It’s a hard thing to have God against you, much less to have God hate you.

Strangely, it seems that Esau was a blessed man. He had a blessing from his father Isaac (Genesis 27:39–40). He eventually had a blessed family and all the material blessings he could desire (Genesis 33:4–9). He fathered a nation and many descendants (Genesis 36). In whatever way God hated Esau, it wasn’t a curse that cast a shadow over his entire life.

The thought in Malachi 1 and Romans 9 is much more like “accepted” and “rejected” more than our normal understanding of the terms “loved” and “hated.” God did not hate Esau in the sense of cursing him to a doomed life in either this world or the next. Yet regarding the inheritance of the covenant, it could be rightly said that God hated Esau and loved Jacob. One become the heir of the covenant of Abraham, one would not.

Our greatest error in considering the choices of God is to think God chooses for arbitrary reasons, as if His choices were random and senseless. God chooses according to His divine wisdom, love, and goodness. We may not be able to understand God’s reasons for choosing, and they are reasons He alone knows and answers to, but God’s choices are not random or impulsive.

God has an unfolding plan of the ages, and He guides all things towards the glorious fulfillment of that plan. He chooses who and what He wills according to His genius and wisdom. Though God may choose one and reject another for a specific role in His plan, all are invited to receive what God freely gives in Jesus Christ. You can rest in the wisdom and love of God today.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)

This declaration is both great and simple. It is great because of its staggering implications; it is simple because it is so straightforward and easy to understand. There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Since God the Father does not condemn Jesus, neither can the Father condemn those who are in Christ Jesus. They are not condemned, they will not be condemned, and they cannot be condemned.

The use of therefore is important. It means this comes from a logical argument. It’s as if Paul begins, “I can prove what I say here.” This is what he proves: if we are one with Jesus and He is our head, we can’t be condemned. You can’t acquit the head and condemn the hand. You can’t drown the foot if the head is out of water. Joined to Him, we hear the verdict: no condemnation.

Please notice that the verdict is not “less condemnation.” That’s where many believe they are – thinking our standing has improved in Jesus. It has not been improved, it’s been completely transformed, changed to a status of no condemnation.

We need to consider the corollary: If you are not in Jesus Christ, there is condemnation for you. It’s not easy or pleasant to speak of, but it is necessary. If you are not in Christ Jesus, you have not escaped condemnation.

This place of confidence and peace comes after the confusion and conflict that marked Romans 7. But this chapter is more than just the answer to Romans 7; it ties together thoughts from the very beginning of the letter. Romans 8 begins with no condemnation; it ends with no separation, and in between there is no defeat.

It must be said that the words, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit are not found in the earliest ancient manuscripts of Romans and they do not agree with the flow of Paul’s context. They were probably added by a copyist who either made a mistake or thought he could “help” Paul by adding these words from Romans 8:4. While it is true that those who are in Christ should not and do not consistentlywalk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, this is not a condition for their status of no condemnation. Our position in Jesus Christ is the reason for the standing of no condemnation.

We receive this glorious declaration from God’s throne. We receive it though we certainly deserve condemnation. We receive this standing because Jesus bore the condemnation we deserved, and our identity is now in Him. As He is condemned no more, neither are we.

It’s a great way to begin every year, every month, every week, every day: “I am in Christ, there is no condemnation in Him.” Believe and receive it today.

JESUS CAME TO DIVIDE MEN: For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind. (John 9:39)
Jesus is the great divide of humanity; we either accept Him or reject Him. Our choice does not determine who Jesus is; it determines who we are. What we think about Jesus says more about us than it does Him.

JESUS CAME TO GIVE LIFE: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
In Bible terms, eternal life isn’t just long life, it is a quality of life we enjoy right now in Jesus Christ. For the Christian, eternal life doesn’t begin when we die but as soon as we receive it as a gift from our rescuing God. Jesus came to give us this life.

JESUS CAME AS A LIGHT: I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:46)
We sing this idea in the song, “O Little Town of Bethlehem”: “Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light.” It wasn’t only the streets of Bethlehem that were dark, but the whole world was in spiritual darkness until Jesus came. He brings light, not only to the world, but to every life who will receive Him.

JESUS CAME TO BRING THE TRUTH: For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. (John 18:37)
Jesus came to earth for a purpose greater than making people feel good. He came to bear witness to the truth. With the eye of your heart, look at the Babe in the manger, and consider why He came. Is He not greater than you and greater than us all? If He is, the fact of His coming matters more than any good feeling we might have or do not have. His person and His truth give us something greater to live for – something greater to give Him.

O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. (Romans 7:8)

Romans 7 powerfully shows the weakness of God’s law when it comes to solving our sin problem. In fact, sin within us has a way of taking opportunity by the commandments. Paul described the way in which the warning “Don’t do that!” may become a call to action because of our sinful, rebellious hearts. It isn’t the fault of the commandment, it’s our fault.

In his book Confessions, the great theologian of the ancient church Augustine described how this worked in his life as a young man. I’ll paraphrase a bit from his well-known book: “There was a pear tree near our vineyard, heavy with fruit. One stormy night we naughty youths planned to steal the pears. We took off a huge load of them – not to eat them, but to throw them to the pigs, but we ate just enough to have the pleasure of forbidden fruit. They were nice pears, but it wasn’t the pears that my miserable soul craved, for I had plenty better at home. I picked those pears just to steal them. The only feast I got was a feast of iniquity, and I fully enjoyed it. What was it that I loved about stealing? Was it the pleasure of acting against the law? The desire to steal was awakened simply by the prohibition of stealing.”

What Augustine wrote about the pears rings true. Once God draws a boundary for us, we are immediately tempted to cross that boundary – which is no fault of God or His boundary, but the fault of our sinful hearts.

So, sin within us can take opportunity by the commandment. The weakness of the law isn’t in the law – it is in us. Our hearts are so wicked that they can find opportunity for all manner of evil desire even from something good like the law of God.

There was a beach hotel in Florida worried that people would fish from the balconies. They put up signs, “NO FISHING FROM THE BALCONY.” After that, they had constant problems with people fishing from the balconies, with lines and sinker weights breaking windows and bothering other guests. They finally solved the problem by simply taking down the signs – and no one thought to fish from the balconies.

Because of our fallen nature, the law can end up working like an invitation to sin. This shows how great the evil of sin is – it can take something good and holy like God’s law and twist it to promote evil. Sin warps love into lust, an honest desire to provide for one’s family into greed, and the law into something that ends up prompting sin.

As Paul so beautiful shows in Romans, this is why we need Jesus. God’s law is good and has its purpose. But only Jesus can solve our sin problem. Look to Him today.