Freedom is Good News Part 120

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of (faithful) witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

How strong was the faith of Jesus Christ?  To be slightly glib, I would say that on a scale of 1 to 10, He was at a 12!!  He came down from heaven (from the heavenly throne room of the Father) and became flesh.  Paul, in his letter to the Philippians 2:5-8, says this, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Our Savior went to the cross for us.  As He hung there, losing every drop of blood unto death, He had to have profound faith that He would be brought up unto resurrection from the grave by the mighty hand of the Father.  And then we read in the book of Hebrews, quoted above, that He is “the founder and perfecter of our faith”.

If you have faith in what the Heavenly Father has done; if you have faith in what your Savior, Jesus Christ, has done; and if you have faith in the understanding that you are walking in the path of righteousness with your Father and His Son, then you can rejoice that your faith has been founded in Jesus Christ and will be perfected in Him.  In his letter to the Galatians 2:20 Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Wow!! This is heavy stuff!!  But whoever said the bible was light?  These words of Paul are not things to be read over and forgotten – they are the truth of God and they are facts.

The good news here is that our Heavenly Father and His Son love us so much that “We have been given everything we need for life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3)  Paul says as much in his letter to the Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” 

But you must take the next step.  You must ponder, you must meditate upon whether you have received this calling (yes this calling, right here in the words of this article) and that you have prepared the soil of your heart so as to receive the seeds of the Gospel and to become one of the chosen ones of God.  In Acts 2:38, Peter told us what to do, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Do you have the faith to take this step?  “And with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Freedom is Good News Part 119

Some might feel that the activity of having faith is as easy as falling off a log (I’ve never actually done that! – fall off a log, that is!).  We have been considering faith – the faith that Abraham had – and that it involves much more than just some mental exercise.  It truly involves some kind of activity, just as Abraham’s faith did!

Ultimately, what are we looking for?  As I see it, God has given us life so that we might begin a journey toward Him!  A good word to use here would be “relationship”.  God wants to have a relationship with His creation, yes, with His children.  Isn’t that what we are looking for?

But one thing the scriptures teach us is that our God is Holy and we are not; and that presents a problem, because that which is unholy cannot draw near to that which is holy.  This we know, for the scriptures also teach us that we need to be redeemed from our unholyness, our sinful nature.  God, in His wisdom and understanding, has, from the foundation of the world, considered and provided for our needs in this case.  “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)  “Whoever believes in Him” … Did you catch that?  Faith or belief is involved here!

OK, so back to my question, ultimately, what are we looking for?  In a word, we are looking for righteousness!  It is righteousness that will bring us into a relationship with our Heavenly Father and because we have no righteousness of our own, we must be redeemed by Jesus Christ and so accept His righteousness through the blood of His sacrifice.  Do you believe that Jesus’ blood imputes righteousness to you so that you might fellowship with the Father?

We have come a long way in just a short space; allow me to insert here a quote from my daughter, Cynthia Saladin, “If God is your God and you want fellowship with Him, the law is part and parcel of your relationship with Him.  It defines what is acceptable conduct in His presence.  The law is a reflection of the character of God.”  I know I am prejudice toward my daughter but that statement says a mouthful!!  Remember what James said, “Faith without works is dead.”  A short perusal of the faith chapter in the book of Hebrews should give us understanding here, “By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did, and thereby was commended as a righteous man … By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family … By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went even though he did not know where he was going …by faith, Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, … because they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” (Hebrews 11:4-23)  We could go on but I believe we see that each of these (and more) were commended for their faith by doing something.

Oh yes, faith is a huge subject – there is still more to come!!

Freedom is Good News Part 118

“You have faith that there is one God.  Good!  But even the demons believe that and shudder.” (James 2:19)  This is quite an interesting verse.  And one that should make us stop and think about our belief system.  There are many people in our society that say they believe in God and they will even say that they believe in the God of the bible.  But this same bible tells us that this kind of belief is no better than the belief of Satan and his minions. 

In our previous article I mentioned that Jesus says in John 8:39, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works Abraham did.”  Are you a child of Abraham?  In Romans 4:11 we read, “So then, he (Abraham) is the father of all who believe …”; and again in Galatians 3:29 “And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”  Well, only you can answer the question as to whether you are Abrahams offspring or not, and only you can answer the question as to if you are doing the works that Abraham did. 

Friends and brethren, this is an important discussion.  We have been considering the scripture in Rev. 17:4 concerning the “called, the chosen and the faithful”.  Each one of these concepts builds upon the next – for how can you be a chosen one of God if you have never been called and to whom are you to be faithful if God has not chosen you?  Can you begin to grasp the depth of all this?  Those who are “called, chosen and faithful” are those who will accompany our Savior in the last days as Satan is being defeated and Christ is beginning the process of setting up the Kingdom of God on this earth!!!

Let’s consider the word “faithful”.  First, let’s notice it does not say “faithsome”.  OK, my computer is telling me that I just made that word up; but you get the point, our faith must be full and not just partial. 

Remember the incident in Mark 9:14-28, where a certain man asked Jesus to cast a demon out of his son?  The man’s words were, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  Jesus’ response was, “If you can?  Everything is possible for him who believes”.  And immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe help my unbelief!”  Jesus cast the demon out of the child but the father’s reply is one that we all share: “I believe, help my unbelief!”  Our God is loving and kind and merciful and full of grace toward His children, He does help our unbelief but we must do as the father did and ask.  This subject of faith is not an easy one.  The word itself is tied in with the concept of obedience. In the book of Hebrews we see that when the Israelites sinned in the wilderness and refused to enter the promised land, they were punished for their unbelief: “And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:18-19)

Oh yes – there is still more to come.  We are just coming to the part where the rubber meets the road!!

Freedom is Good News Part 117

As we have peered into the topic of “good news” these past few articles, we have been considering an interesting scripture in the book of Revelation 17:14:  “And they will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”  We have talked about how it would be a good thing to be with our Savior at this point in time and so perhaps we should understand these 3 terms from a biblical standpoint.   We have seen how we may be called by God and we have seen how the choosing takes place, but what about the third category, “faithful”?  And then there is that fourth word, “followers”.  Let’s take a look at these last two words; shall we?

So let’s say you have been called by God (and I believe that if you have been reading these articles, you have been); and let’s assume you have prepared the soil for the scattered seeds that are being sown, and are being chosen by God; now you must pursue faithfulness!

In Romans 4 Paul gives us the ultimate example of a man of faith.  4:1 “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?  For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say?  ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness….  ”.  Later, in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, often called the “Hall of Fame of the Faithful”, we read about Abraham in verse 8, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land… By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son.”

Abraham had faith in God when he was told that even in his old age he would have a son.  Abraham had faith in God when he was told to leave the land of his fathers and move to a new land.  Abraham had faith when God told him to sacrifice this very son that God had promised to him.  And then Jesus says in John 8:39, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works Abraham did.”  Wow, did I just read the word “works”?  I thought we were talking about faith.  Abraham is the father of the faithful – what is this about his works?  

The letter of James has something to say about this:  James 2:14, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead … You have faith that there is one God.  Good!  But even the demons believe that and shudder.”

We shall, God willing, look further into this subject the next time.  But isn’t this exciting – we have, in this study, gone from the book of Romans to Hebrews to John and finally to James.  The bible is a unified book and a treasure trove of knowledge!!

Freedom is Good News Part 69

In almost all of Paul’s letters to the churches, he includes a prayer for them.  Let’s take a look at one the prayers that Paul includes to the church in Ephesus.  “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.” (Eph. 1:18)  Some time ago we talked about how we all need God’s help in having our hearts opened to His enlightenment. 

The Word of God can sometimes be a mystery.  I have, in the past, likened it to a jig-saw puzzle – you need to put this piece in place before you can see where this other piece fits.  So it was for me when I began reading the bible almost 42 years ago.  Friends and brethren, there are still many pieces lying on the “table” that I haven’t fit into place yet.  And there are some pieces that seemed to fit many years ago, but as I learn, read and studied, I realize they were in the wrong spot!  My admonition to you – don’t ever be afraid to question your knowledge of God’s word.  May God enlighten the eyes of all of our hearts!

The first petition of Paul’s prayer is: “That you may know the hope to which He has called you…”  This is an interesting request by Paul for his beloved brethren in Ephesus.  At first blush one may wonder why they did not understand the hope of their calling.  But I must ask the question, “Do you?”  The Greek word Paul uses here is an interesting one.  There are two words used in Greek for “knowledge”.  Without getting too deep here, one simply means, “an inception or progress in knowledge”; as in, “I am coming to a knowledge of Spanish”.  In other words, it’s an ongoing thing.  While the one Paul uses in this prayer (oida) suggests “fullness of knowledge”.  This “hope” to which we are called, must be fully known or better said, fully understood.  This is a much stronger word. 

Sometimes we might look at the word “hope” as a “maybe kind of word”, “I’m going fishing and I hope to catch some fish; maybe I will catch some and maybe I won’t”.  But the hope that God calls His children to is never a maybe thing.  This word that Paul uses here has a meaning of “having a favorable expectation with assurance”.  We can expect a certain outcome and we are assured of it.  Paul wants God to give his readers a true and full knowledge that His promise is assured.  In other words, no doubts! 

The second petition that Paul prays is that you may know “the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints”.  No strange Greek word here.  We all know what an inheritance is.  God has promised us a portion of His estate.  Wow!  I mentioned to a group recently that in the known universe, if God wanted to divide equally among the 7 billion residents of the earth, all the stars, each of us could have 2 trillion of them.  That’s a lot!!!  But His inheritance to His children is worth even more than that. 

Stay tuned, there’s a lot more to talk about.

Freedom is Good News Part 62

My computer tells me that I’ve been writing these articles for quite some time; we have somewhere around 62 articles.  A lot of ground has been covered over the past many weeks; so, how much longer could one continue to write before all the concepts and ideas in the Word of God have been exhausted?  May I take a stab at the answer and suggest that the word “forever” applies here!

One of the things that we should try and get our minds around is that God’s word will outlast our thoughts, even if we would live a thousand life times.  Our God is an infinite God.  The scriptures teach us that He always was and always will be.  Did I say “get our minds around” the immensity of God? 

If I were to try to get my mind around the fact that God will always be, I might not have much of a problem.  After all, I am alive and I can perceive that time will continue into the future.  Throughout my life, time has always progressed toward the future so why shouldn’t I think it will continue?  However, as I look back into the past, I have no perception of anything preceding my birth.  I am told of history and may read about history but my personal experience is void.  How then can I get my mind around the fact that God had no beginning?

This is why I believe the bible tells us things like: “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (1 Corinthians 4:18)  A short few scriptures later Paul tells us, “We live by faith and not by sight.” (1 Cor. 5:7)  And then in his letter to the Colossians Paul tells us to “seek those things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” 

These are difficult commands for us to assimilate into our experience.  And yet Paul does make them!  These thoughts go right along with the topic we have been looking at the past several weeks – “how do we emulate our father Abraham?”

Remember, we read in Hebrews 11:10, “For he (Abraham) was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”  May I suggest that Abraham had his eyes fixed on those things which are not seen; he understood the eternal nature of the God he served. 

We need to finish our look at this man Abraham by reading a little further into the faith chapter in Hebrews.  In verse 11:13 it says this, “All these people were still living by faith when they died.  They did not receive the things promised they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.  And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country- a heavenly one.” 

There is one more important line here but we are out of space.  Good news for next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 60

I just re-read the previous article and paused to consider the fact that Abraham was called a “friend of God”.  You believe in an Almighty God, creator of the entire universe.  What would it be like to know that God calls you His friend?  Indeed, what would it take to be called God’s friend?

We saw in that article that Abraham was obedient to God.  We also saw that obedience is linked to faith.  “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.” (Gen. 15:6 & Rom. 4:3)  There are four concepts, faith, obedience, friendship with God and righteousness that are brought together in the book of James 2:21-24: “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did (obedience) when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness’, and he was called God’s friend.  You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.”

So just what is faith?  Is it merely a belief that God exists?  Earlier in this same chapter of James (verse 19) we read, “You believe that there is one God.  Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.”  That in itself is a telling statement!  We must go beyond that if we are to be a friend of God.

Some time ago, a friend and brother in Christ, said that a good working definition of faith is having a trust in God so as to know that His every intention for you is always good.  I believe this gets to the heart of a true faith.  When we know and understand that God’s intentions for us are always good then we will have no problem in doing what God wants us to do.  We will be obedient and so emulate our father Abraham. 

There is another aspect to consider when we look at the word obedience, and that is love.  The easiest way to connect the two concepts of obedience and love is to see what our Savior had to say about them.  In the gospel of John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me you will obey what I command.”  In verse 21, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.”  And in verse 23, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him.  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.”

How can we say we love and trust God and then not do His will; not obey Him.  This kind of obedience is a good thing; for it pleases our Father and is the conduit for His love upon us.  And that is “Good News”!

Freedom is Good News Part 13

We finished the previous article by stating that the things in this life that are valuable and worthwhile are the things we must work for. My friends and brothers, the word of God is valuable, the word of God is worthwhile. There is nothing more beautiful than the things our creator wants to speak to us about. I can think of nothing more exciting than to be reading the scriptures and have my Father in heaven reveal a nugget of truth to me.

Sometimes that piece of truth is pure joy in my innermost being but sometimes I am hurt or cut to the heart by it. But just as a loving father must correct his children in ways that seem to hurt, so the Heavenly Father correct those that are His.

Our God is a faithful God. The scriptures tell us that all His ways are perfect. He alone knows that “big picture” and all His intentions for us are nothing but good. A beautiful description of this is found in the book of Hebrews 12:10, “Our (earthly) fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.” Yes, God wants us to share in His holiness. Wow!! I believe we would all accept His discipline in order to have His holiness imparted to us.

But where does this “pure joy” or this “correction” come from? Well, as has been said, it comes from our Heavenly Father. And how does He speak to us about these things? Well, in His word. For us, His word is found in the bible. In Paul’s comments to his beloved friend Timothy, he states this, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of … how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Paul wrote this letter (2 Timothy) around 65 A.D., sometime before he was martyred. At this point in time the only scriptures that Paul could have had in mind were what we call the Old Testament; for none of the New Testament had been written as of yet. But look at what Paul says about these scriptures, they are able to make you wise for salvation. They are useful for teaching, etc. You and I, today, have the amazing ability to purchase a bible with both of these testaments for a very small price. Perhaps you have a couple of copies in your home now. This access to the Word of God today is abundantly easy and inexpensive. This has not always been so. Several centuries ago, many people had to suffered torture and martyrdom so as to insure that future generations (like ours) might have access to the bible. And we don’t take the time to read it??? Shame on us!

There is so much more to be said.

Freedom is Good News Part 3

Who knew the topic of freedom could be this big?  The answer; I guess God did!!  There are many “threads” that run through the bible weaving a multi-colored tapestry and one of those threads is the concept of freedom.  Last week I mentioned freedom from “the law of sin and death” as Paul stated it in Romans 8:2.  This freedom only comes through choosing Jesus Christ as ones personal Savior.  Oh really! Just what does it mean to have a personal Savior? 

Let me begin to answer by stating that, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  This is probably the most oft quoted scripture.  And many people misread it.  Yes, He gave His Son for the world, but in order to not perish and to have life and thereby to have this freedom we have been talking about, one must do something.  One must believe in this “sacrificial Son of God”.  (A little side note is that this word “perish” comes from a Greek word that means “to destroy fully”.)

You want a personal Savior?  You must believe!  You say you believe in God, good, even the demons believe that and shudder (see James 2:19).  Do we really think we can just pay lip service to the creator of the universe and all will be well with us?  Can we just give a nod and wink of the eye to Him who gives us life itself, who has written the entire DNA code for our bodies and expect life eternal with Him?

No, “belief” as we read it in the bible is much more than that.  The Greek word for belief is “pisteuo” and by definition means, “to be persuaded of; and hence, to place confidence in, to trust; and it signifies reliance upon, not just belief.  It may be translated as ‘commit unto’, or ‘commit unto ones trust’”.

In Romans 4:3 Paul quotes from Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”.  Father Abraham did much more than just believe God existed.  We read in Genesis 22:1 – 19 the most amazing story of how Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son as a sign of his commitment of trust in God.  And James writes about this episode in Genesis with these words, “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together and his faith was made complete by what he did.”  This episode about Abraham’s faith is so much more than just an “Old Testament” story.  This is actually a “forerunner” or a “type” of the Heavenly Father giving His Son as a sacrifice for us. 

So, do you have faith in a personal Savior?  Have you really accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?  Are you “persuaded of” Him?  Have you “placed your confidence in” Him?  Have you found “reliance upon” Him?  Have you committed yourself so as to place your trust in Him?  He gave His life for you, have you given back that life to Him for safekeeping?  A lot of questions here to answer in order to get to the good news of that freedom!!

More on this next time.