Tag: salvation

Posted on

Blindfolded

. . . since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  (2 Corinthians 4:1-6, NASB)

The Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth was meant to correct some misconceptions within that body.  In the portion above, Paul gives a defense of his ministry. 

He begins by saying that since he has received mercy, he has left behind the sins of his previous life, and wants to set a Godly example for living for others to follow. 

Next, Paul tells us that since he’s out in the open with his example, if some people don’t get it, it’s because God has “veiled” them from the truth.  Some are blindfolded from seeing what they should, because “the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  Why does God allow this to happen?  I don’t know.  The King of the universe doesn’t want anyone to perish, but He doesn’t mandate what we decide.  It could be that God gives them over to Satan when they’ve had ample opportunity to hear the Gospel.  In any case, God uses some unbelievers to further His plan. 

God, Memes, and Image: But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. II Cor 4:3-4
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 image.  Found at Meme, https://me.me/i/but-even-if-our-gospel-is-veiled-it-is-veiled-16813885

Paul concludes this section in the defense of his ministry by stating that it’s not about himself, but he preaches “Christ Jesus as Lord.”  My late mentor, Brigadier General Dick Abel used to say, “It’s all about Jesus, and it’s all about grace.”  Words to live by!  Also, the advice I give to people who are looking for a church is to make sure the pastor teaches from the Bible.  In too many secular churches, the minister gives his or her own opinions, but doesn’t preach “Christ Jesus as Lord.”

We all need to pay attention to those who don’t know Jesus.  Whether they’ve been “veiled” or not, we have to do our part to make sure they have heard the Gospel, and give them the opportunity to make an informed decision.  It’s up to us to plant the seeds.  God will do the rest!  “It’s all about Jesus, and it’s all about grace.”! 

Worship: “I Will Never Be the Same Again,” by Hillsong Worship

Posted on

Heal Me O Lord

Thus says the LORD . . . “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds” . . . Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.  (Jeremiah 17:5, 7-10, 14, NASB)

More from the Prophet Jeremiah!  In this passage, he writes to convict the Kingdom of Judah of its deceitful heart.  Both collectively and individually, Judah had gone astray from the God of Israel, and had worshiped the idols of the surrounding nations.  We’re told that God is jealous for the attention of His people, and this would not stand.  From the time of Moses until the last days of Judah, God had warned all Israel of the consequences of idolatry. 

Jeremiah begins this segment with “Thus says the LORD,” so listen up!  God says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.”  So if “blessed” = “happy,” then we’ll be happy if we put our trust in God.  Indeed!  God next compares the person who trusts in the Lord with “a tree planted by the water.”  The healthy tree isn’t afraid of heat or drought; “its leaves will be green”; and it will always give fruit.  So the person who trusts in the Lord won’t falter when the going gets tough, and will be consistent in his Godly attitude. 

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed...

Jeremiah 17:14 image.  Found at Praise Jesus Today, http://www.praisejesustoday.com/heal-me-o-lord/

Next, God talks about the human heart:  “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”  The Bible tells us to guard our hearts, because that’s the origin of all sorts of evil.  We’re also told to bridle our tongues, because with our mouths we reveal what’s in our hearts.  God answers His own question:  “I,  the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”  Jesus said that the Greatest Commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”  (Mark 12:30)  Coincidence?  I think not!  We’re to love God with everything we are. 

Last, we hear from Jeremiah:  “Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.”  God has the final say on healing and salvation.  I’m still waiting for healing from my ALS.  God may not heal me in this life, but He can.  He doesn’t heal everyone.  And that’s okay with me, because He has the plan, and it’s better than mine (mind you, I’d prefer to sit up, get out of this bed, and walk away, but it’s up to Him!)!  I’ve put my trust in the Lord, and I know my destination when I’m done with this life!  “For You are my praise!”


Worship:  “Healing is in Your Hands,” by Christy Nockels

Posted on

Saved

. . . if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  (Romans 10:9-13, NASB)

The text above is from Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, and deals with the topic of salvation.  Salvation, it seems, is a matter of the heart.  Paul says the mouth is also involved. 

Paul says that we must “confess with [our] mouth Jesus as Lord.”  Indeed, He is King of kings and Lord of lords.  Doing this, Paul says, results in salvation.  At the same time, we must “believe in [our] heart that God raised Him from the dead.”  From the heart, “a person believes, resulting in righteousness.”  The best, simple definition of “righteousness” that I’ve heard is “being made right with God.”  By doing these two things, confessing Jesus as Lord and belief in His resurrection, “you will be saved.”  

Scripture Illustration of Romans 10:9-10, found at heartlight, https://www.heartlight.org/gallery/3162.html

Saved from what?  From the wrath of God.  From eternal separation from the Father.  From eternal damnation.  God sent His Son Jesus to take the punishment we deserve for our sins.  He wants us to confess Jesus as Lord, and to believe He raised His Son from the dead.  Why?  So we can spend eternity in heaven with Him. 

Many people believe they can earn their way into heaven.  Actually, we’re all sinners, and there’s no way for us to make up for our sins by doing good deeds.  One pastor I know refers to this belief as “the old fashioned way,” invoking the actor John Housman’s old Smith-Barney commercials (“They make their money the old fashioned way:  They earn it.”)  
So how do we get to heaven?  Certainly not “the old fashioned way.”  As Paul tells us:  By confessing with our mouth Jesus as Lord; and believing in our hearts that God raised His Son from the dead. 

Worship:  “Here I am to Worship/Call Upon the Name of the Lord,” by Hillsong Worship

Posted on

Love II

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”  .  .  . Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’ . . . “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God . . . “  (John 3:3, 5-7, 16-18, NASB)

The Apostle John records the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, in which Jesus states what would become the most famous verse in the Christian Bible.  John tells us Nicodemus is a Pharisee, “a ruler of the Jews.”  (John 3:1)  Nothing more is mentioned of him until he assisted Joseph of Arimathea to lay Jesus in the tomb.  Nicodemus brought “a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.”  (John 19:39)

John tells us that Nicodemus came to Jesus by stealth, “at night.”  He doesn’t want his colleagues to know.  Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus is from God, that “no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”  (John 3:2)  Jesus answers him in the text above, that “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus is naturally puzzled.  “How can a man be born when he is old?  He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”  (John 3:4)  Jesus replies (again in the text) that it’s not a fleshly birth He’s talking about, but a spiritual birth. 

After some back-and-forth conversation, Jesus tells Nicodemus how to achieve a spiritual birth in that famous verse:  “For God SO LOVED the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him SHALL NOT PERISH, but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16, emphasis mine)  God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us to take our place, and take the punishment we deserve for our sins.  How do we achieve that spiritual rebirth?  By believing in Jesus!  In so doing, we achieve everlasting life, and in Jesus’ words, we “shall not perish.”  At Christmas we celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ that God gave us because He loves us so much.  We just celebrated Resurrection Sunday, in which Jesus fulfilled the life everlasting (He was raised from the dead), which He told Nicodemus he would have if he were to be born again. 

“Christus und Nikodemus,” by Fritz von Uhde, 1908. Found at Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicodemus#/media/File:Fritz_von_Uhde_-_Christus_und_Nikodemus_(ca.1886).jpg

Jesus concludes His discussion with the Pharisee by telling him His mission on earth is not to judge, but to save the world; that if we believe in Jesus, we’ll not be judged.  His final warning to Nicodemus is that anyone who does not believe in Jesus has already been judged, “because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

We’re not told of Nicodemus’ reaction to his conversation with Jesus.  In “The Chosen,” Season 1, they do a splendid job of portraying the conflict that must have gone through his mind.  In the film, after their encounter, Jesus invites the Pharisee to go on a journey with Him and His disciples.  As they leave on their trip, Nicodemus is seen hiding behind a corner, sobbing.  The Pharisee had grown comfortable in his lifestyle.  He was conflicted about leaving all that behind to follow Jesus.  But he must have eventually made the choice to be born again–he helped Joseph to bury the body of the Son of God. 

Using Jesus’ own words, the choice is simple: Without Jesus:  Face God’s judgment and perish. With Jesus:  Be saved and have eternal life. 

Worship: “God So Loved,” by Jaci Velasquez
Posted on

Bridge

On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.  When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health.  He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone.  And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  (Acts 4:5-12, NASB)

In Acts 4, Dr. Luke continues the story of the growth of Christ’s Church.  It’s after Pentecost, and the number of followers of Jesus is about to explode (It’s God’s plan!).  Peter and John had gone to the Temple.  At one of the gates they had encountered a crippled beggar.  Instead of giving him money, Peter healed him in the mighty name of Jesus.  The crowds were amazed, at which point Peter launched into a sermon.  He told the throng that healing was not by him, but through him because of Jesus.  He further used the prophets to prove that Jesus Christ is the long-promised Messiah. 

There were two results of Peter’s sermon:  The first was that about 5,000 people believed and were saved that day. (verse 4)  The second was Peter and John were arrested and detained by the Temple authorities.  This text above details their “trial” the following day.

I love Peter’s story.  He was so ashamed after denying Jesus following His arrest.  And this after Jesus had told him it would happen.  Indeed, Jesus spent some time rehabilitating Peter and building him back up after His resurrection.  And here, early in the book of Acts, Peter is boldly stepping up to lead and preach Jesus!

In the text, the Temple leadership gathers the next day to interrogate Peter and John.  They demand to know by what authority or name the two apostles had been acting.  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, lets them know (well, they asked!)!  The lame man had been healed, and was indeed now walking, by the name of Jesus!  In the climactic statement of his delivery, Peter lets the priests and and scribes know that at the name of Jesus, “there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

We as people have a problem:  We’re all sinners.  There has to be a way to be reconciled with God.  The Bible says that there is no good deed or deeds we can do to earn our way into God’s good graces.  This problem is well-illustrated by a diagram I’ve seen many times in Bible study and Sunday School.

The Bridge to God, found at Christ Community Church, ccclife.org


There is a chasm.  On one side is God, on the other is us people.  There is no way for us to cross the chasm to get to God.  The teacher or facilitator then draws a cross, as a bridge to span the divide.  Jesus hung on the cross as the only acceptable sacrifice for us to have a relationship with Him.  The Bible says that God loves us so much He sent His Son for us.  That’s why Peter told his interrogators there was “no other name” for salvation.  Jesus Himself said that He is “the way, the truth, and the life.”  THE way!  Have you trusted in His name to get across the great divide?


Worship:  “The Great Divide,” by Point of Grace 
I love this song and its words.  Near the end, the chorus flips words from “There’s a bridge to cross the great divide,” to “There’s a cross to bridge the great divide.”