Mon, Apr 22nd - 9:56PM
STUDYING BIG CONCEPTS, PART V
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another (I John 4:9-11)."
The world is full of so much evil and wickedness, how can we be sure God loves us? We can know that God loves us because He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins. We live through Jesus Christ. It is why Jesus proclaimed that He was the Way, the Life, and the Light. People commit all sorts of wicked and evil acts each and every day, all over this grand planet of ours. In addition they curse God, ignore God, neglect God, disobey God, disbelieve God, reject God, rebel against God, deny God, and oppose God. So, by loving one another we are able to see God's love of us.
God still loves mankind and still wants to help and to take care of mankind. Mankind has the most serious problem imaginable: not only is mankind engulfed with all the evil/wickedness of the world, but mankind dies and ceases to be on this earth. We all live at most for just a relatively short number of years and then we are gone forever from this earth. But God is love and He has proven His love toward us. He has already sent His Son into this world from heaven so that we all might live eternally through Him. We know God's love by salvation. Because God saves us we know that He loves us. How can we live through Christ? How does God give us life through Christ? By simply sending Christ to be the propitiation for our sins.
The conclusion of this whole matter is compelling: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another." If God loved us even when we still opposed Him, cursed Him, denied Him, and hated those who believed in Him; then we ought to love one another in response to that divine love of us. There ought to be no person we are unable to love. If God chose to go to such lengths for me, then who am I to deny the same response to each and every person I come into contact with? I am to love those who oppose me, curse me, reject me, ignore me, persecute me, distrust me, and even kill me. No matter who the person is, God loves him/her and has already shown in the most supreme way possible that He loves them. Thus, we are to love them as well and to demonstrate that love. We are to sacrifice ourselves and try to bring life to each person. This is done by loving him/her, by showing there is a better way, the way of Christ.
Now I come to the term "justification." "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (Romans 5:6-11)."
What mind boggling compassion and love demonstrated by God toward us! We were enemies of God, and still He came and provided reconciliation for us. We were without strength: weak, worthless, useless, helpless, hopeless, destitute, powerless. We had nothing of any value to offer up to God. Yet God came and substituted Himself in our place on that wooden cross. When we were yet filled with profanity, vileness, darkness, carnality, and fleshly lusts, still God loved us enough to come and set us free from the bondage of sin. We see here in this passage that "in due time" Christ came and died for the ungodly, us. God had appointed the time from before the beginning of time itself. He had ordained it to happen at a precise point in time. It was destined to happen. Once people had become prepared for receiving Christ then He could come. The entire purpose of the Old Testament and the Mosaic Law was to prepare people to realize that they needed God's only begotten Son, they desperately needed a Savior.
From within the Old Testament scriptures we are taught that a sacrifice of a perfect animal was required to cover sin. The animal could not be aged, crippled, with blemish, or sick/diseased. It was into this type of sacrifice that Christ willingly entered. He became our sacrifice, we must therefore properly identify ourselves with Him, as in the Passover rituals. He took our place of shame. I Corinthians 5:7 points out that He, our passover, was sacrificed for us. II Corinthians 5:21 teaches us that Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And Hebrews 9:25-26 informs us that Christ does not annually offer up His blood to cleanse us, as did the Jewish High Priests on a continual basis, year in and year out. For it Christ did it this way He would have to suffer often since the foundations of the world came into being.
We also must seriously consider the fact that Christ died as our ransom. No one coerced Christ into doing this act of redemption. He chose to do so out of love for us. Righteousness is only possible through justification. Justification is a free gift of God's. I do not earn it. I am justified by God's grace and by God's grace alone. Justification is only obtained through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Since God is righteous, and since He came in Jesus Christ to redeem me, therefore, if I choose to believe that He came and did do this for me out of love for me, then I too become righteous through Jesus Christ. Through His act of love upon that cross God has shown for all of eternity how just He is. He accepts the death of Christ Jesus as the substitute for all of my sins. The wages of sin is death and therefore Christ has taken my place. My death is not required of me in order to pay the penalty of my sins. God did the just and right thing. I am also justified by my belief in Christ. God takes my faith and counts it as righteousness, just as He did with Abraham. He takes my faith and judges me acceptable to Him. Every thinking person on the planet knows that he/she is not righteous: not pure, not holy, not sinless. The fact that God accepts the death of Christ as the sacrifice for my sins and justifies me shows a marvelous truth: That God is righteous and just.
"For in this is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17)."
Very simply put, the entire life of a Christian disciple is to be a life of faith, from beginning faith to ending faith. It is the only way to be considered by God to be "just." The answer to all mankind's problems is faith. When a person choose to believe the gospel---really believes that Christ saves him/her---God takes that person's faith and counts it for righteousness. The person is not suddenly righteous; that person remains imperfect, still corruptible, and still falling short of God's glory. But that person does believe that Christ saves him/her. That belief honors God's Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore that person becomes acceptable to God. That person becomes justified. But that person must continue to believe. That person must continue to live by faith for it is this faith that God takes and counts as righteousness.
I offer up to you Galatians 3:1-4:7 as proofs that a person is justified by faith alone and not by their works. My actions do not justify me in the eyes of God. My faith in Christ Jesus is what justifies me. Once I have faith in Christ and I am justified, then I must begin doing works of kindness and love to demonstrate my faith in Christ. Jesus did not simply sit around playing ball, playing video games, or watching TV from the couch. He was out and about interacting with people who were in dire need of rescue. What about us? What are we doing after finding faith in Christ? In Galatians 4:8-5:12 we then discover a five-fold appeal to be justified by faith alone. Appeal number one: do not turn back to your former life. Remember that you did not know God and that you served self and other "gods." Consider carefully what the consequences of turning back will be: bondage and a wasted life. Appeal number two: Revive affection for the minister of God. Do not forget to treat the minister as a brother or sister. Do not hold any grievances with anybody. Always welcome true ministers of God and receive their witness lovingly. Help them with their infirmities, empathize with them. Guard against and reject out of hand any and all false ministers. Appeal number three: Listen to what the Law really says. Never forget that Abraham had two sons, one born free and one born a slave. The slave was born naturally, by man's efforts to please God. The free man was born by promise. Ishmael represents the Law, it enslaves and leads to legalistic religious practices. Isaac represents heavenly Jerusalem, sets men free and results in joy and far more children. Believers are the children of promise. Legalism persecutes and enslaves believers. Legalism is to be cast out for it is not to be part of our inheritance. Legalism has no claim upon the children of grace. Appeal number four: Stand fast in the liberty of Christ. We are to stand fast for Christ has freed us from bondage to the Law and sin. The Law is not God's way for man to be justified since it is ritualized and profits us nothing. If I ritualize the Law, I am obligated to do the whole Law. If I seek to be justified by the Law, Christ can have no effect upon me. I am cut off, fallen from grace. STand fast because the hope of righteousness is by faith. It comes through the Spirit, comes through Jesus Christ alone, and comes by faith created by the love of God. Appeal number five: Obey the Truth. I am to obey the Truth for my Christian life is a race, a very long race. I am to obey the Truth for God has called me to freedom. A little untruth corrupts the whole. Obey the Truth and false ministers will not have an affect upon your life.
That is not an in-depth study of justification. It gets you started on the road that must be traveled. Reading through Romans will reveal many instances of the results of justification. And then one can look into Luke 18:14 to again see who is justified. That is all for tonight, beloved. May Christ's grace and peace fill you to overflowing!
~Eric
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Sun, Apr 21st - 11:01PM
STUDYING BIG CONCEPTS, PART IV
"Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (Romans 3:25):"
Propitiation (Greek hilasterion) means to be a covering, a payment, an appeasement. It must be noted that "through faith in His blood" is to be taken in immediate connection with "propitiation." They can't be separated into two different things. God is the One who set forth (proetheto) Christ Jesus to be the propitiation for mankind's sins. This was no accidental occurrence on the part of God, rather, He determined/purposed Christ to be the payment for our sins. Not only this, but God also set Christ before the entire world as the payment for the world's sins. This occurrence was not done in secret, in some backroom deal behind closed doors. No, God did this publicly, showing that he is definitely the payment for the world's sins.
Is the payment for our sins contained in Christ's actions? Not really. Is the payment for our sins contained in Christ's words? Again, not really. It is not His teachings, power, example, or life that make Him the payment. It is His blood, His physical sacrifice, His death, His sufferings, His cross, that causes God to accept Jesus as the payment. It is Christ's blood that God accepts as the sacrifice for our sins, the covering for our sins, the satisfaction for our sins, the payment for the penalty of our sins, and the appeasement of His wrath against our sin. But I must choose to accept that Christ actually paid my penalty for my sins in order that I may be redeemed. No faith in Christ's blood, no redemption coming any time soon from God.
What does the Bible mean by "the blood of Christ"? Christ did willingly shed His blood and die for me. It means the supreme sacrifice Christ paid to bear my sins. It means the horrible sufferings Christ went through to bear my sins. It means the voluntary laying down of His life for my sins. "Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like His brothers, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:17)." "My little children, these things I write to you, that you do not sin. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (I John 2:1-2)." "And the publican, standing far away, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but struck his chest, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13)." This last verse we find "merciful" meaning also "propitious." The publican desired God to be appeasing, covering, remitting to him as he admitted openly that he was a sinner. We find in looking at Romans 5:6 this same concept being taught. And if we turn over to I John 2:2 we again find the term hilasmos, to sacrifice in order to appease; to satisfy; to cover; to pay the penalty for. It means to turn away anger or to make reconciliation between God and man. We must not forget, or overlook, the fact that God is holy and just. He is perfect love, but He is also perfect holiness and justice. Thus He must execute justice against sin. He must judge and condemn sin. His justice must be perfectly satisfied. The Perfect Man could step forward and bear the punishment for sin and satisfy the justice of God. Here then is the glorious gospel, the wonderful love and provision of God. Jesus Christ came as the Perfect Man who could step forward and willingly bear the punishment for all sin, and therefore satisfy the perfect justice of God.
This term "propitiation" is a sacrificial word. In Old Testament times when a person sinned or something went wrong, that person brought a living sacrifice to God. The concept was that the sacrifice would appease and pacify and satisfy God. He had to identify with the animal in order that his sin would then be identified with the animal and thus God's punishment would be executed upon the animal and not the man. It is very true that God told Israel to offer sacrifices. But the reason was to teach the people, and then through the people teach the rest of the world, that the answer does not lie in human or animal sacrifice. Human sacrifice can't bring about a right relationship with God. Each person's problem is too deep for human sacrifice to cover it; the contamination is too severe; the disease of sin is too terrible; the infection is too deadly. Man's sin has cut him off from God, completely severed his/her relationship with God, put God out of arm's reach. Instinctively we all sense this. It is why if we choose to sacrifice and get no satisfaction in return, we often return to our prior behavior and actions. What must be done to each of us is to be disinfected, to have our sins covered. This comes about through propitiation. God has to be appeased, satisfied, and paid. The Bible does not speak about God having to be reconciled to man. It is man who needs to be reconciled to God. Man is the one who holds enmity, who ignores, neglects, and/or rejects God. Propitiation also satisfies God's holiness and righteousness. This can only be accomplished in a person who is perfectly righteous and holy. How to do this? By having faith in Christ Jesus, believing that He has already come and paid your debt, thereby making you righteous and holy through Him. Christ's perfect sacrifice completely covers all sins, providing atonement through faith in Christ Jesus. This concept can be found in the Old Testament as well. Propitiation finds its type in the mercy seat upon the ark of the Covenant. Hebrews 9:5 speaks about it as well. God has said even back in ancient times that man was to approach Him through the sacrifice of a pure animal, through the shedding of its blood. The cover of the Ark was sprinkled once per year with the blood of a perfect animal. This signified that the life of the people was being offered to God in the blood of the animal/victim.
That is all for today, beloved. Next time I will finish up by looking at I John 4:9-11. Grace and peace be yours this day!
~Eric
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Sun, Apr 14th - 8:47PM
STUDYING BIG CONCEPTS, PART III
"Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, to whom God imputes righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whom the Lord will not impute sin (Romans 4:6-8)."
Impute comes to us from the Greek word logizomai. It means "to reckon, take into account, or to put down to a person's account." Another Greek word, ellogao, is used in Romans 5:13 for imputation. Looking a bit farther in chapter four of Romans we find that faith is imputed to a person as righteousness "And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification (4:22-25)." We also see this concept in the book of James "And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God (James 2:23)."
The point made in these passages is that imputation is a reckoning, a taking into account, of what a person really believes. Imputation is putting something down to a person's life account. The entire account will one day be reviewed by God. What is being imputed is righteousness through faith in Christ Jesus.
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:19)."
Thankfully, God through Christ Jesus is not crediting our sins to our account once we accept Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior! Instead, God is reconciling the world and commits to each and every believer in Christ the word of reconciliation. It is our task as His ambassadors here on earth to continue His work.
"Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin (Romans 4:8)."
We return to this verse again in order to highlight the fact that whom the Lord chooses to not impute sin to, they are blessed. Instead of being condemned, being judged unworthy of entrance into heaven, the individual whom God does not impute sin to becomes reconciled with God. There no longer is any animosity between that person and God. Their sin has been covered by the blood of Christ on the cross. Now, as I continue reading in chapter four of Romans, I notice that the self-righteous attitude of the Jew does not satisfy God even though he is part of the Chosen People of God. The Jew forgot that their physical connectedness to Abraham was not the criteria that would get them into heaven, or that would make them acceptable in the sight of Jehovah. They had chosen to believe that animal sacrifice was sufficient to cover their personal and national sins when God had never told them that. Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How? God, through the words revealed in Romans, informs the reader that when Abraham was still uncircumcised was when his faith in God was imputed to him as righteousness. Abraham then received circumcision as a "sign", as a seal. Through this sign Abraham might now become the father of all them that believe in Christ, even though they might not even be circumcised. Further more, reading on through verse 22 it is seen that Abraham steadfastly held to his faith in God's promise to him. Being a hundred years old and Sarah's womb being barren did not prevent Abraham from believing that God would somehow produce an heir to him and his wife. So what? So God promised Abraham something and then followed through on it. Verse 23 informs the reader of Romans chapter four that these things were not written down for Abraham's sake alone, that his faith in God was imputed to him. These things were written down for us, the readers of God's Word, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. That Jesus who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Remember that big word, for I shall cover that in the future as well.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all people, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law (Romans 5:12-13)." We are taught here that until Moses was given the Law sin was not imputed. It still existed, it just was not credited to a person's account. Sin still required death, but no imputation occurred. In Romans 6:11 it can be seen that imputation is being spoken of. We need to take a reckoning of our own spiritual condition, a personal accounting which will reveal to us where we stand in the eyes of God. If I wish to know that I am now dead to sin I must be alive to God through Jesus Christ my Lord. In order for sin to not remain reigning in my mortal body and force me to obey it in physical lusts I must turn completely towards Christ and open my heart fully to Him. Following verses in chapter six of Romans reveal that I am to yield, to surrender, myself to God. My body is to become an instrument of righteousness to God, something that He may use as a tool to reach out into this dark world and change peoples' hearts. I am blessed in the work that God does through me, becoming a witness to His power, His truth, His love, and His reconciliation.
So that is what imputation means and what it does. Next time I shall discuss propitiation, its meaning and its source. Grace and peace be with you all.
~Eric
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Wed, Apr 3rd - 8:28PM
Big Concepts, Part II
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Romans 3:28)."
Justification and righteousness are inseparably united in Scripture by the fact that the same word, dikaios, dikaioo, "righteous, to justify" is used for both. The believing sinner is justified because Christ, having borne his/her sins on the cross, has been "made to him righteousness (I Corinthians 1:30)." Justification originates in grace, "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24)." "But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:4-6)." The thoughts of humans is that they can earn their way to salvation and heaven, the thoughts of God are that they can not. Justification is through the redemptive and propitiatory work of Christ, who has vindicated the law. This redemption comes because of God's kindness and love of all mankind. It was offered to the Jew first, but it is now open to all who would come to Christ to be regenerated and then washed and renewed by the Holy Spirit of God. "Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (Romans 3:25)." "Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him (Romans 5:9)." Christ Jesus came to be a propitiation to those who believe through faith in His shed blood. God has therefore declared Christ's righteousness sufficient for the remission of sins that are past, or have already been committed. God then forbears and withholds His judgment from those who have been declared righteous through faith in Christ. Without the covering of our sins by Christ's shed blood we remain exposed to the coming wrath of God Almighty. Redemption/salvation only comes through faith in Christ, not through doing good things. "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no person be justified (Galatians 2:16)." "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1)." "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, In you shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham...Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:8-9, 24)." This justification may be defined as the judicial act of God in which He justly declares righteous the person who believes on Jesus Christ. It is the Judge of the Universe Himself who does declare this (Romans 8:31-34). "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk after their flesh, but after the Spirit...Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yes rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us (Romans 8:1, 33-34)." The justified believer has been in court, only to learn astonishingly that nothing is being charged against him/her. They have been exonerated through the blood of Christ.
It must be noted, and then studied, that from Romans 3:21 to 5:11 we are taught justification is through righteousness of God by faith in Christ. From Galatians 2:15 to 3:24 we are taught justification is by faith without the Law. From James 2:14-26 we are taught the following: "What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith, and does not have works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them none of those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit? Even so faith, if it does not have works, is dead, being alone. Yes, a person may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But will you know, O vain person, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see how faith created with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead as well (James 2:14-26)." This passage is not against the doctrine of justification, it verifies it. If I claim faith in Christ Jesus, but I do not do anything that demonstrates that faith, then I am merely talking the talk but not walking the walk. If I go about doing good works, but I do not accept Christ my efforts are a help to others but are misdirected. Since Christ came and helped me in my hour of need, I must go and help others in their hour of need. "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Christ came and served me, therefore I will go and serve Him.
Next time I am going to look into what "imputation" is all about since we came across that term in this last passage from James chapter two. Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness. Big concepts, big words, and we need to clearly understand them if we wish to live full Christian lives that are lampposts which stand out in the darkness of this world, beckoning other seekers of truth to come, and follow. Grace and peace follow in your footsteps, wherever you may go in life.
~Eric
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Name: E J Rajaniemi
