Sun, Mar 17th - 10:15PM
STUDYING BIG CONCEPTS, PART ONE
I embark upon an undertaking that will cover large amounts of the Bible. Not all passages will be visible on this site, you will need to find and read them yourself. I will strive to include as many as space will allow. I provided a list of these "big concept" terms at the end of my last posting. I will begin with the umbrella term under which all of the others are to be found in logical order. What is this term? It is none other than "salvation." So let's get started without any more delay!
Salvation comes to us from the Greek term soteria. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16)." Both the Greek and Hebrew words for salvation imply the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and soundness. This term is one of the greatest inclusive words of the entire gospel. It gathers to itself all the redemptive acts and processes; as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification. Salvation itself comes in three tenses:
1. The believer has been saved from the guilt and penalty of their sin, and is safe. "And He said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace (Luke 7:50)." This is the woman who washed His feet with her shed tears and wiped His feet dry with her hair. She kissed His feet as she washed and dried them. "Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;), For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God(Ephesians 2:5.8):" Other passages to read are I Corinthians 1:18, II Corinthians 2:15, II Timothy 1:9.
2. The believer is being saved from the habit and dominion of sin. "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14)." The Mosaic Law revealed sin to all people who observed it. But the Law could not deliver anyone from sin, it could only provide a means to cover the sin in a person's life until such time as Messiah came to deliver all once and for all time from sin. "Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13)." This does not teach us that our salvation arises from out of good works on our part. No, it teaches that once we have obtained salvation through faith in Jesus Christ we are to begin working out our salvation through good works. This active working out of our salvation is what causes our fear and trembling since God will ask us to do things which are "outside of the box" in our personal experience. Other passages to read regarding this can be found in II Thessalonians 2:13, Romans 8:2, Galatians 2:19-20, II Corinthians 3:18.
3. The believer is to be saved in the sense of complete conformity to Christ Jesus. "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:11)." "For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise (Hebrews 10:36)." "Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (I Peter 1:5)." "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him: for we shall see Him as He is (I John 3:2)." Now, today, I can't see clearly what it is I am to exactly become in heaven. I am a son of God, a member of His cherished household of saints, waiting patiently to receive Christ's promise of a glorified body that will be just like His. I am also to work each day towards becoming more and more conformed to the image of Christ in my conduct towards others and God. Salvation is by grace through faith, a free gift, and completely without works (Romans 3:27-28; 4:1-8; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8). The proper divine order is salvation first, then works (Ephesians 2:9-10; Titus 3:5-8).
Of course, I am speaking about having faith in Christ Jesus. Believing in Him is what allows a person to be saved from the guilt and penalty of their sin, to continue being saved from the habit and dominion of their sin, and to to be saved in the future into complete conformity with Him. Without first accepting that God is real and that Jesus Christ is God manifested in human flesh a person can't claim to be a Christian and can't be freed from the guilt and penalty of their sin. It does not require belief in sin to be forced into the consequences of being sinful. Ignorance of being sinful does not erase the consequences. You would merely be perplexed at why these things keep on happening to you, despite your best efforts to live a "good life."
Well, that kicks us off on this study. My next exploratory term is "justification." Hope you gain greater understanding and/or appreciation of all the concepts that will be covered in this new study! I hope that your journey through Lent this year has become more meaningful than in years past. God's grace and peace be with you.
~Eric
Comment (0)
|
Sun, Mar 10th - 10:18PM
TO WATCH, OR NOT TO WATCH, THAT IS THE QUESTION!
"And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate to the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw a man running alone. And the watchman cried, and told the king. Andthe king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came alongside and drew near (II Samuel 18:24-25)." By reading these two verses, plus the next two, we find that even kings rely upon watchman. They are the sentries up high, intent upon what may be approaching. In this instance the watchman is up on the wall on the lookout for any person approaching the city's walls. It is wartime between David and his son, Absalom. Civil war has broken out in Israel and they are uncertain times. Watchmen were needed to relay early information from up on the walls down to the people within the city. Watchmen were a necessity to survive attack by an enemy. What about today? Do we have an enemy who will attack us without warning? Shouldn't we have watchmen then? We also learn from this passage that the watchman did not simply stand upon the wall and watch, and say nothing to anyone else. No, the watchman called out, relaying what he could see happening outside of the city's walls. We also notice that the watchman is not blamed for reporting what he saw, he is simply expected to do his job diligently and professionally. In this instance king David received grievous news that Absalom had been killed in battle. So we do not always receive joyous news from watchmen, but we do receive it earlier rather than too late. "And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus says the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What do you have to do with peace? turn behind me. And the watchman reported, The messenger came to them, but he does not come back(II Kings 9:17-18)." Again, continue reading the ensuing eight to ten verses and you realize that the watchman reports upon what he can see happening, but others can't see. In this instance, Jehu had been declared king by the army of Israel for God had anointed him to be their next king. The two existing kings of the split kingdom, Joram and Ahaziah, were not God-fearing men and were to be removed. Joram was the son of the deceased king Ahab and his mother was none other than Jezebel. Jehu removed all of them from ruling Israel, through the mighty power of God working through him. Joram's watchman could report what he saw, but he could not halt what was to transpire. Jehu had done what God had willed be done. But he forfeited God's blessings given to the next four generations of his family by not repenting from the sins of Jeroboam. "Except the Lord build the house, they work in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain (Psalms 127:1)." "The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Did you see Him whom my soul loves (Song of Solomon 3:3)?" "The watchmen that went about the city found me, they struck me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me (Song of Solomon 5:7)." Intriguing verses. Do they refer to Christ Jesus? Perhaps. As a believer, I look for the One whom I love; I would ask those who are watchmen if they have spotted Him. The cited 5:7 is the believer seeking out Christ and running afoul of unscrupulous watchmen who persecute him/her. Often we may find ourselves in this position if we stray from following Christ closely. "Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, you princes, and anoint the shield." "The burden of Dumah. He calls to me out of Seir, Watchmen, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman says, The morning comes, and also the night: if you will ask, ask: return, come (Isaiah 21:5,11)." "Your watchmen shall lift up their voices: together they shall sing: for they shall see eye to eye; when the LORD shall bring again Zion (Isaiah 52:8)." Whether we are eating, drinking, farming, digging ditches, setting fenceposts, or trading on Wall Street; we must remain vigilant and aware of what is going on around us at all times. Those who watch over the congregation of believers are to be commended. They are to remain in communication with the body of Christ for when Christ returns they shall sing out their joy at the sight! "Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Listen to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not listen (Jeremiah 6:17)." God sets watchpersons up within the body of Christ. They are charged with alerting the body of believers when danger approaches or when there are those within the body who are beginning to stray spiritually from the Way. They watch outwardly and inwardly. Sad is the day when a watchperson voices the alarm but the congregation turns a cold shoulder to the "sound of the trumpet." Jeremiah watched over Israel, sounded the alarm, and was rejected out of hand by the people. The result? They were taken into captivity and lost their freedom. Is this to happen to any of us today? "For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise, and let us go up to Zion to the LORD our God (Jeremiah 31:6)." A time is approaching when Christian watchpersons will be crying out to the rest of the body of believers to mobilize, to get up and move to Zion to meet our God. Who will be listening, who will heed the call? Anyone? "Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the Word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me (Ezekiel 3:17)." "I will stand upon my watch, and set me up on the tower, and will watch to see what He will say to me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved (Habakkuk 2:1)." "His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they can't bark: sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber (Isaiah 56:10)." God has made each Christian a watchman. We do not watch over Jewish people nor do we watch over nation Israel. We have been set to watch over the Church of Jesus Christ. Congregations of believers all over this earth have watchmen set over them by God. He has chosen people to be overseers, to stand upon the walls and in the towers, diligently guarding the safety of the body of believers. Chapter 56 of Isaiah contains ethical instructions for believers, as do chapters 57-59. What I must understand is that God sets me upon the wall. He tells me to be watchful. The reference from Habakkuk points out that part of the reason for me to remain watchful is to discover what God will say to me. What He says to me I am to then pass on to the other members of my congregation, unless He tells me otherwise. God may reprove my behavior while I am watching. What shall I say in response to this? Will I become bitter at God and turn away from my faith in Him? Heaven forbid! Shall I become humbled, wise, and increase my faith in Him? Shall I respond to God's reproof by repenting of my wayward behavior? But none of this is possible if I am not being watchful to begin with! To watch or not to watch, that is the big question. Of course, we also see that some watchmen are blind. They appear to be on guard duty, protecting their families, their congregations, their neighbors; but they are wasting their time since they can't see anything threatening. Spiritually they can't see the realities all around them each and every day. They can't see that their daughters are slipping away into sin, corruption, and ultimately ruined lives. They can't see that their sons are turning into stereotypes of manhood. They are loud, boisterous, selfish, profane, and unloving. They seek only to satisfy their urges and desires, never looking to satisfy the needs of someone else. There is no question that Christ expects us all to become watchmen. He has set us up to be watchmen, and there will be accountability for our conduct as watchmen. Hopefully none of us will classified as being "blind." Hopefully none of us will be charged with being ignorant dumb dogs. Hopefully we will remain awake, alert, and diligently on the lookout for Satan's attacks upon us, upon our biological families, and upon our spiritual families of faith. This completes this study. Next time I will begin a study of sanctification, remission of sins, consecration, purification, justification, and salvation. Let's see what these terms mean, how they relate to one another, and what they mean in a person's life today. There may very well be other terms that will join this list as we go along, since questions may crop up along the way. If you have a question do not hesitate to contact me, for I wish to help answer the questions that surround all of these terms in the Christian walk. Grace and peace be with you all! ~Eric
Comment (0)
|
Name: E J Rajaniemi
