How to Understand the “Other Side” of John 13:34, 35

A Letter to the Children (Part 8)

1^st John 3:7-16

Examining The “Other Side” of John 13:34, 35

Remember that Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples….” Well, the word, “ALL” includes us, as believers. Jesus gave the World three means by which to judge the church…meaning us! They are to “critique” us…we who “claim the name of Jesus.” Jesus gave those three criteria to the World. He invites them to look at our lives and judge whether what we say is true, and whether our lives reflect the truth of God’s Word.

The Agapé Love: John 13:34, 35
The Unity of the Spirit: John 17:21; Ephesians 4:3
The Good Works that God has ordained for us to do. Matthew 5:15, 16; Ephesians 2:10

We can use those same three ways (and others,) to look within the church and recognize potential trouble before it grows too big to deal with. Paul warned the Ephesians elders, in Acts 20:28-31, that predators (“grievous wolves”) would arise from within the church, even from among the leadership, trying to lead away people to follow them instead of Christ: They try to persuade people to believe their doctrine instead of believing the sound teaching of the Word of God.

And those elders in Acts 20 were to guard against such predators. So, how can we recognize the counterfeits? Primarily by becoming so familiar with the “genuine article” that fakes are obvious.

There are Different Sources of Wisdom

In James 3:13-18, God warns all the believers, as to how to distinguish the difference between Godly Wisdom and counterfeit “wisdom” from other sources. He names three “other sources:” The world, the flesh, and the devil (He used the words, “earthly, sensual, devilish.”) But He gives a nine-fold “checklist” as to how to recognize God’s Wisdom. If any of those attributes of Godly Wisdom are clearly missing, especially in a continuing, repeating pattern, then we can safely conclude that the source is not the Lord.

Self-Will-Sourced “Wisdom”

Some people claim their “own wisdom.” But it is rooted in the flesh: Self-will. Self-proclaimed wisdom. (Romans 1:22 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”)

Crowd-Sourced “Wisdom“

Some may say, “Well, Everybody knows that…” but if whatever it is that “everybody knows” is not in full agreement with the Word of God, then they are simply tapping into the “pooled error,” and “pooled folly” of the World. Romans 3:10-12 says, regarding the human race, “¹⁰As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: ¹¹There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. ¹²They are all gone out of the way, they are together [collectively] become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Paul was quoting Psalm 14.)

And some will go so far as to teach counter to the Bible: They imply that the Bible is just “out of date,” or “obsolete,” or they claim that parts of it are “mythological” in nature. This practice is directly from the pit, as Satan said, in Genesis 3:4, “Thou sssshalt not ssssurely die…!” (Hear the hiss of the Serpent!)

You see, one of Satan’s “sharpest weapons” is Denying the truth of God’s Word. First, He convinces us that “We are pretty sharp characters! We are really wise!”

Then he convinces us that collectively, we are obviously wiser than any one of us acting alone could be. (Many times, in history, ONE person alone has stood for what was right. Others persecuted and often killed them for their faithfulness to the truth. But history proved that the ones who stood alone were correct, and that their persecutors were simply murderers!)

The teaching, here in 1^st John 3:7-16 corroborates all the other passages about “false brethren.” (Compare 2^nd Corinthians 11:26 “…perils among false brethren.”

Also, Galatians 2:4 “…false brethren unawares brought in.” Unbelievers infiltrated the church, and were corrupting the teaching.)

False Brethren

⁷Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. [Remember that the verbs here are continuous, not intermittent. This is a lifestyle issue, and a “common practice” issue, not a question of “sinless perfection.”]

⁸He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

⁹Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

It is possible that this verse is in direct reference to the New Nature of the born-again believer. It would fit, as it refers to “His Seed:” the new nature of a born-again believer is created in the likeness of God in righteousness and true holiness (see Ephesians 4:24.) that new nature truly cannot sin. But our problem is that we still have our old sinful nature, which cannot be repaired so as to practice righteousness. So there is a constant war in progress.

¹⁰In this the children [tekna] of God are manifest, and the children [tekna] of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Origin of All Humans

Please remember that all of us began life as the “spiritual offspring” of the Evil One. (Ephesians 2:1-3 says, “¹ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; ²Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: ³Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

No human (apart from Jesus,) is exempt from this fact: Jesus confirmed it in John 8:44. He told His accusers that they were the children of their father the Devil. But the Ephesians passage tells us that we all started there, too! (Paul included himself in that “we.”)

In What Way is the Church Different?

So, how does the church differ from the rest of the human race? 1^st Peter 1:16-23 says,

“⁶Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. ¹⁷And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: ¹⁸Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

¹⁹But [you were redeemed] with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: ²⁰Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, ²¹Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. ²²Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: ²³Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

Those are all “Positional Truths.” They are true of all believers, because of their “position” in Christ, without regard to “how they are doing” right now. But, if those things are not true of a person, he or she is not a believer at all. Can I “see into another person’s heart?” (No, I can’t!) But God does give us certain clues, and He expects us to use them for the protection of ourselves and of the flock.

So, What is the Primary Command in Question?

¹¹For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. [John 13:34, 35]

¹²Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

John draws a sharp contrast, here, between Righteous behavior and Evil. The evil will always desire to destroy the righteous: It will not seek peace and reconciliation.

¹³Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

Remember that Jesus warned us about this: In John 15:18, 19, He said, “¹⁸If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

Believers can Fail in this, too!

We don’t want to be too quick to point a finger and declare that someone else is not a believer. But it does remain a possibility. How people respond to the Word of God is a good predictor to how they will respond to Jesus Himself: He is the Word!

¹⁴We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

I can at least apply this test to my own heart: Do I love the brethren (with the Agapé love?) Or do I see them primarily as a “bother,” and an irritation, as opposed to a “brother,” and a blessing? Do I wish for restoration of full fellowship, or do I just wish they would all “just straighten up and fly right?”

Remember that, in Revelation 12:10, Satan is called “the accuser of the brethren.” I do not want to be a “junior accuser,” and join him in that evil work. I want to be careful not to become critical of others.

However, if we can easily see a continuing practice of accusations, gossip, harsh criticism, etc., a total lack of regard for God’s Word, and if we can observe a general discomfort around other believers, it might be a cause for suspicion that the person may not be saved. We need to be careful, though: A believer who is out of fellowship can behave exactly like an unbeliever. (In similar manner, a person in a deep coma looks pretty much like a dead corpse…but we don’t bury them…because they aren’t really dead! They just look that way!)

The Love of the Brethren as a “Litmus Test”

¹⁵Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

It is interesting to see that the teaching Jesus gave (Matthew 5:21, 22) in the Sermon on the Mount, regarding “hatred vs. murder” is reiterated in very clear terms, here in 1^st John. Jesus expanded upon His Law, and pointed out that the root cause of murder was unreasoning anger and hatred. He said that the motive itself made you guilty before God.

But here, we see a contrast laid out for us!

¹⁶Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Notice Two things:

First,

It does not say, “We perceive the love of Christ.” It says, “We perceive the love of GOD, because HE laid down His life for us!” It (again) highlights the Deity of Christ! He is truly “God in the Flesh,” and He (as GOD) has laid down His life for us! (Ponder that one for a while!)

And,

Second:

The opposite of Murder is “laying down one’s life” for others. It usually does not mean “losing one’s life.” But it always means “laying down” one’s own life, with its plans, privileges and priorities, to meet the actual need of the brother or sister in question.

It means setting aside what seems good for me, in favor of what the real need in the other person’s life is. And what they need may not even be what they want: A brother whose sin is about to destroy his marriage (or in some other way is having serious consequences) probably will not “truly appreciate your pointing it out to him.”

Jesus Commands us to Go!

But Agapé love requires that you do so, anyway. Jesus taught that responsibility in John 13:6-16, in the washing of the disciple’s feet. Galatians 6:1-5 spells out that responsibility, and makes it clear what the real issue is: Restoration is the only acceptable motive. If you think you are there to “straighten ‘em out,” please don’t go.

Am I “comfortable” with coming to a brother and “washing his feet” by alerting him to the danger of the sin in which he is entangled? NO! I am not! But it has to be done. And, in truth, it may “blow up in my face!” He may mark me as his enemy, for my attempting to help. That is a risk we take. But if someone who is calls himself a brother continually rejects all admonition, God tells us to understand that he may not be a believer. (Matthew 18:15-17)

In that case, we approach him as we would approach a non-Christian, and we offer forgiveness and eternal life on the basis of the Blood of Jesus. We do not malign them, nor do we reject them, but rather, we consider them a “mission field.”

It is entirely possible for an unbeliever to “infiltrate” a local church. We don’t have to be blind to that possibility, nor need we be alarmed when it happens. We have been warned in advance!

Lord Jesus, help us to see the World through Your eyes, and to Love the Brethren in sincerity! Give us the Wisdom from Your Word to discern reality and meet their needs appropriately in the Love of Christ.

June 29, 2025June 29, 2025

Do You Understand the Amazing Love of God?

A Letter to the Children (Part 7)

1^st John 3

Amazing Love

¹ Behold, what manner of love [agapé] the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [children, actually: “tekna”…offspring] of God: therefore the world knoweth [ginosko: relational, experiential knowledge] us not, because it knew [ginosko] him not.

My Apology and Explanation

I do not like to spend much time on “original languages:” The vast majority of believers today have no access to such information, and likely never will. The Holy Spirit is perfectly capable of teaching His Word without resorting to translational criticism. That being said, this is one of the passages where it maybe important to expose at least some of the original language. (Sorry!)

Some of the doctrinal problems we sometimes run into today are caused by translators who also had a “doctrinal problem.”

Historical Examples

For instance, though I teach from the King James Bible (for reasons I am perfectly happy to explain to anyone who wants to know) I know the translators were faced with many doctrinal issues. Regardless of their personal “doctrinal purity,” they were in a dangerous environment within (and under the full authority of) the church of England.

The Anglican Church had a number of bad doctrinal stances, carried over from their roots in the Roman Catholic religion. And the English monarch (King James, at the time) was (and is) always the head of the Anglican Church. So, they could not “correctly” translate certain words, or phrases, for fear of not only losing the privilege of producing an “Authorized Version” of the English Bible, but also running a risk of being persecuted by the religious powers of that time.

A Translation Example

One easy example to point out is that the word “baptize” is a Greek word: Not English. It had a very practical, common use, and meaning: it meant, “to dip,” or “to immerse!” Even today, the word is used when dyeing cloth, for example, as, when they “immerse” the cloth in a particular pot of dye, the cloth is permanently identified with that dye.

Why would that be a problem? Well… the Anglican church has always practiced baptism by sprinkling, and, specifically, as infant baptism. Both ideas are completely foreign to the New Testament, and both were taken directly from Roman Catholicism. So, if the translators had actually translated the Greek word, it would have revealed the false doctrine and erroneous practices of the Anglican Church, and definitely would have gotten themselves into deep trouble. It would also have eliminated the possibility of completing the translation on which they had worked so hard.

Why would that matter?

But, how would it have changed the scriptures? In cases where the English Bible says “dip” or “dipped”, it would have changed nothing! When Jesus “dipped” the sop in the cup, and handed it to Judas, the Greek word is “baptas” which is correctly translated into the phrases, “having dipped” and “had dipped.”

But in all the phrases where they used the Greek word “baptize” (transliterating, rather than translating,) it would change to dip, or immerse. (Repent and be dipped? John the dipper??) All the modern arguments about water baptism would never have occurred, and people today would have clear understanding about “what baptism is” (and “isn’t!”) But the translators, who clearly knew the correct meaning, were constrained by their circumstances to “hedge” on that idea, and just use the Greek word, instead of translating. There are other examples, too:

²Beloved, now are we the sons [“tekna”…offspring] of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: [We WILL be “sons!”] but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

So, what would be the problem with translating “tekna” in this passage as “offspring” or as “children?” I’m not sure, honestly. But it definitely diminishes the truth that Jesus is the true SON, meaning the “crown prince,” or the Heir of all things.” The word translated as “Son,” where Jesus is concerned, is “huios,” meaning “the adult heir…and He is fully authoritative as the Heir.”

Sons of God

Right now, Jesus is the only Person who fulfils that definition. But as we see in this verse, “When He shall appear, we shall be like Him.” Romans 8:23 agrees with this, saying that we will experience the “adoption” (another poorly translated word…huiothesis means the “placement of Sons”) when we receive our new bodies! We will literally be like Him! And, it is definitely future tense. It will happen, without fail, but it has not happened yet.

So, I try not to use the phrase “sons of God,” too loosely: It has a specific meaning, and, although we have received the “spirit of adoption,” in the person of the Holy Spirit, (meaning the “spirit of sonship,” again using the word “huiothesis,”) we are not, as yet, called the “sons” …the huioi…of God. Currently, we are the offspring of God (teknoi,) born into His family by the New Birth.

We can be called “nepoi” as “babies, just learning to talk,” but we are encouraged to move beyond that as soon as we can. We are usually called simply “teknoi,” meaning “born-ones.” And sometimes we are called “paidia,” meaning “little children…or toddlers.”

Result of the New Birth

³And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he [Christ] is pure.

The result of being born into God’s family by the new birth, according to Ephesians 4:24, is that we now have a new nature: A created new nature: Created in the likeness of God, in righteousness and true holiness. That new nature deeply and genuinely desires to be like Jesus, in His righteousness and holiness.

So, the “battle” has already begun in the new believer’s life: We still possess our old sinful nature, but we are now a separate entity, a new creation in Christ. And God only wants to deal with the new nature. We are in a daily struggle to learn to walk with Jesus. We are continually trying to behave like children of God, because we are children of God.

A Personal Example

We recently visited our daughter and her husband, with their new baby son, Luka. Ann and I noticed that when we were holding and entertaining Luka, and either Stephanie or Josip entered the room, Luka’s little eyes were fixed on them: He would ignore our attempts to entertain him at that point. He saw them as the center of his existence, and it was clear that he wanted nothing more than to be with them and to receive their love and care.

We are to respond to Jesus in that same way: We yearn to be with Him and to receive His love and care. We yearn to walk with Him, so as to learn from Him and to go where He goes, doing the things that He does. Ephesians 5:1 says “Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children.” That same devotion to “following Mommy and Daddy” that we see in small children is supposed to be our natural response to the Lord Jesus.

What Can Entangle Our Feet so that We Fall?

Hebrews 12:1 encourages us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily besets us, and run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Our own sin is the one thing that trips us up, and causes us to fail to walk with Jesus. Our new nature sincerely desires to walk with Him in holiness and obedience, but our old sinful nature still schemes to get its own way, and the enemy uses it against us.

So…What is Sin?

⁴Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

Here, again, it is good to consider the Greek verbs. At this point, I often encourage people to look at other translations, or look in Bible dictionaries, if they need to: You need to understand that the issue here is practicing sin. No human being, still in their natural body, is “without sin.”

I have only met a few people who claimed to “no longer sin.” When I questioned them even a little, it came to light that they had simply “redefined sin.” But, we know from 1^st John 1:8-10 that we all sin: Anyone who claims that they do not sin is (at the very least) fooling only himself. In addition, there is a real possibility that he is not even a believer: Believers know they are “saved sinners.” But we do not want to be continuing in that practice.

When someone claims they never have sinned, I know for certain they are not a believer: Every believer came to Christ as a lost sinner, confessing that he or she needed a Savior, and by faith, they all have placed their trust in Jesus Christ as their one and only Hope of salvation from eternal judgment. There are no exceptions.

Yet Another Translation Example

Incidentally, the phrase “transgresses the Law” and “is the transgression of the Law” both are translated from the single Greek word “anomia,” meaning Lawlessness. The Greek word for “Law” is “nomos”, and the prefix “a-” means “without.” (For example, I suffer from “sleep apnea”…the Greek word for “breath” is “pneuma” and the word “a-pnea” means “without breath.” I tend to stop breathing when I sleep.)

So, this idea is one of lawlessness… not just failing to keep the Mosaic Law. It could also include the “New Commandment” Jesus gave us, the “royal law,” that we are to practice the agapé love toward one another. However, this is also one of the four definitions of sin in the New Testament:

Sin is the transgression of the Law: lawlessness. (1^st John 3:4)

All unrighteousness (adikia) is Sin (1^st John 5:17)

If a man knows to do good and doeth it not, to him it is Sin. (James 4:17) and,

Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin (Romans 14:23)

Behold the Lamb of God!

⁵And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

John 1:29 says “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” Everyone who trusts in Him is placed into Him by the Holy Spirit (baptized into him…immersed in Him), and “in Him is no Sin.” The Lord sees the new nature of every believer as being in Christ, and He sees us without sin.

But since we still have our old sinful natures, He warns us that the enemy is going to try to pull us away, so that we give up walking with Him. But Jesus called us all to abide in Him: keep walking with Him. Abide in His Word. John 8:31 says “if ye continue in My Word, then are ye my disciples indeed.”

⁶Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

This ties perfectly to the promise of God in Galatians 5:16 “…walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”

The Impossible Call of God

Is it easy? NO! It is impossible without His continual oversight and control.

We turn our eyes upon Jesus, and we follow Him. And, we immerse ourselves in His Word, and we walk with Him. We go to prayer, and we talk with Him. Then, we listen for His voice in our silence, and we look again to His Word, hoping to see whether we have missed His reply.

This is how the disciples, down through the centuries have sought His face, and sought His Grace, and learned to apply His Word to their lives in meaningful ways!

Lord Jesus, please lead us to walk and live as Your true disciples, and not to follow our old patterns of apathy and sin.

June 14, 2025June 15, 2025

How to Understand What it Means to be a Child of God

A Letter to the Children (Part 5)

What Does it Mean to Be a Child of God?

1^st John 2:12-17

Introduction: Bible Terminology Regarding the Children

I thought I remembered that the Greek word in 1^st John, translated as “little children,” was “nepoi” but I was mistaken. The word “nepoi,” means “babies who can’t talk yet,” and it is always translated “babe,” “child,” or “childish.” But that word is not used in 1^st John at all.

The word translated as “little children,” here in verse 12, and back in verse 1, is “teknia.” “Teknon” (singular) or “teknia” (plural) means “offspring:” it literally means “born-ones.” We are now the legitimate children of God…His offspring, born of Him! That is a positional truth: we are permanently “in Christ,” and forever His “born-ones.”

But, at the end of verse 13, the word translated as “little children” is “paidia,” meaning “toddlers: little children.”

Earlier in verse 13, the word translated “young men” is “neaniskoi.” “Neaniskos” (singular) or “neaniskoi” (plural) simply means “young man” or “young men” and that is the only way it is translated in the Bible.

And, at the beginning of verse 13, God used the word “pateres” which is the plural of “pater.” It is virtually always translated as “fathers.”

God uses these four words to describe the relative levels of maturity among believers.

The Letter to the Children

¹²I write unto you, little children [teknia], because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

Again, this is positional truth: If you have been born again as a child of God, then your sins have already been forgiven for the sake of the name of Jesus. Your position in Him guarantees a number of “positional” truths. Some of those are listed in Ephesians 1:3-14.

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

⁴According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

⁵Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

⁶To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

⁷In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

⁸Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

⁹Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

¹⁰That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

¹¹In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

¹²That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

¹³In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

¹⁴Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Positional Truths

God has already blessed you with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies, in Christ.
You were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.
You are holy and blameless before him, in His Love.
You are predestined to be recognized as a full heir of God.
You are predestined to fulfill the good pleasure of His will
You are predestined to be to the praise of the Glory of His Grace.
You are already accepted in the beloved (Christ.)
You already have been redeemed through His blood.
You already have full forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace.
God has already abundantly blessed you in His wisdom and prudence.
He has made known unto you the mystery of His will…one piece at a time.
Your inheritance in Him is secure.
You will eternally be to his glory and praise.
Your position in Him is sealed by the Holy Spirit.
The indwelling Holy Spirit is the “down payment” of the rest of the glorious inheritance promised to you. You are absolutely secure in Christ because He says so, and because the Holy Spirit is your guide, and your guard; and He seals you in Christ until the redemption of the purchased possession.

If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior: If you have placed your faith in His shed blood at the Cross, then every single thing in that passage is true of you as a believer, regardless of how you are behaving today. Your position (“In Christ”) is perfect.

Condition, in Contrast to Position

But your condition could be terrible. You could be wallowing in sin and self-pity, or giving in to every desire of your old sin nature. That sin, given time, will ruin you! But you are still safe, under the Blood of the Cross. You are losing eternal reward, through self-indulgence, and apathy. But the fact is, once Jesus takes hold of you, He never lets go!

Fathers and Young Men

¹³I write unto you, fathers [pateres], because ye have known him that is from the beginning.

This distinction seems not to be based only on the length of time a person has been a believer: The word translated “known,” here, is the ginosko form of knowledge, just as in chapter one. It implies that the ones whom God calls “fathers” have been in an ongoing, growing relationship with Jesus for a long time. It seems to imply a level of maturity and stability, based upon a long-term, experiential relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Does “time in service” necessarily produce wisdom? No! There are people who spend their whole lives striving to follow God in their own strength, and never tap into His wisdom and power. So, because they have not been in an “ongoing, growing relationship” with the Person of Christ, effectively, they have just been “practicing religion.” As a result, they remain carnal and spiritually unwise. These are not the ones God calls “fathers” in the faith.

I write unto you, young men [neaniskoi], because ye have overcome the wicked one.

The “young men” are the growing, strong believers who are learning to overcome by faith, and have learned a habit of obedience to Christ.

Back to the Children

I write unto you, little children [paidia], because ye have known [ginōskō] the Father.

The relationship between the new believers (toddlers) and God, their Father, is fertile ground for growth. A receptive heart for His Word is expected in them, so they can feed on His Word and grow, spiritually. 1^st Peter 2:2 says, “as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.” This is part of that personal, experiential knowledge of God in which we are called to immerse ourselves.

¹⁴I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Notice that the reason the young men have become strong is that the Word of God abides in them. And the result of that strength, based upon an active relationship with God’s Word, is that they have overcome the wicked one. That should be adequate motivation for us to choose to soak up God’s Word, and let it richly abide in us as well.

What About the World Around Us?

¹⁵Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

This is a command to not Love! How do we reconcile John 3:16 “For God so Loved the World…” with this command, telling us (seemingly) to do the opposite?

First, we want to notice that the “things in the World,” according to verses 15 and 16 are not the same as the people of the World…the lost sinners Jesus came to save. The sinners Jesus came to save are ensnared by the sins and lusts of the “World System of thought, values, and behavior.”

Positionally, they, too, are enemies of God, according to Romans 5:10 (“¹⁰For 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 they all were born as children of wrath according to Ephesians 2:1-3, (“¹ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; ²Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: ³Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”)

But God still sees them as the precious souls for whom He died. He wants them to be saved.

World System of Thought and Values

In contrast, the World system of ungodly thought, forever at odds with all of God’s righteousness, is an enemy that cannot be saved. God loves the sinner, but He condemns the sin.

He came to save sinners, according to 1^st Timothy 1:15. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” But God is not attempting to “rescue” the pattern of rebellion and idolatry and violence that is in the World System of values.

Three Weapons Satan Has Used throughout History

God reveals the true contents of the World System of Values:

¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The Lust of the Flesh,
The Lust of the Eyes, and
The Pride of Life.

Think back: where did we first see those three weapons used on a human? It was in Genesis chapter three, where the woman saw:

That the fruit was good to eat (lust of the flesh)
That it was pleasant to the eyes, (lust of the eyes) and
That it was to be desired to make one wise. (Pride of life.)

Where else did we see them used? It was in Matthew chapter four, where Satan tested Jesus in the desert. He said,

You’re hungry! Turn these rocks into bread! (The lust of the flesh.)
Look at the glory of the World! I will give you all this wealth! (The lust of the eyes.)
Prove yourself! Throw yourself down, and make the angels save you! (The pride of life.)

Modern Experience

All that sort of thinking (“Follow your heart!” “Take care of number one! “Pay yourself first!”” “If it feels good, do it!” “Name it and Claim it!” “Keep up with the Joneses!” “Impress your friends and neighbors!” “Toot your own horn: No one else will do it for you!” “You deserve a break today!”) All of that is easily recognized as a ploy of the enemy, and a trap, once you recognize it as his handiwork.

But all those values are temporary: They have zero lasting value. The toys and joys of this life are fleeting, at best. The decisions and choices we make will either have eternal value, building an eternal reward … or they will not.

Learn to recognize Satan’s sneak-attacks: In contrast, learn to seek and find the leading of God. There is a spiritual war in progress, and the outcome will have eternal results.

Lord Jesus, teach us to follow You faithfully, and to become the Men and Women of God You have called us to be. Make us alert against the attacks of our enemy, and guard our hearts against him. Teach us to see the works of the flesh as evil, and the wisdom of the world as a trap. Teach us to walk in the light with You.

May 17, 2025May 17, 2025

How To Understand the Message of 1st John 2:1, 2

A Letter to the Children (Part 3)

1^st John 2:1, 2

¹“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ²And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Introduction:

Last week we examined “How God Feels About Sin.” We could see the reason why God hates sin, and why it is possible for Him to love the sinner, even though they are actively, continually sinning. He sees them as the victims but also as the perpetrators. They are guilty, but He desires to save them from their sins.

In opening the second chapter, John says, “My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not…” This is the third “purpose clause” in the book of 1^st John. (The last two are in chapter five.)

This “purpose clause” seems obvious, to us, but really it is a fairly key issue…he doesn’t just give us 1^st John 1:9, and say “Got Sin? Noooo problem! Just ‘fess up, and it’s GONE!” as if He were a snake-oil salesman. In a very real sense, that seems true, because genuine confession requires a “change of mind” about our sin (that change of mind is called repentance) and He really does cleanse us!

But we mustn’t take it lightly: Sin IS a problem…and God does NOT take it lightly: He hates sin! He is not encouraging us to “wallow in sin,” and then just slap on a “confession bandage!” Paul addresses that attitude in Romans 6:1. He poses the rhetorical question, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” And the answer, in strongest terms, is “God Forbid! May it never be! In short, NO!”

God does give us a way to restore our broken fellowship, but He does not want us to sin. And He has also provided us with an eternal advocate to maintain our position within His Grace!

So, What is an Advocate?

Verse one says “Jesus Christ the Righteous” is our “advocate” with the Father, (and verse two adds that He is the propitiation for our sin.) Both are true—and people frequently say, “You see, He’s our ‘lawyer for the defense,’ …but that is not entirely accurate.

An advocate is not always a “lawyer:” It more widely means one who speaks up for another on their behalf. A dictionary definition is: “a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc.” Consider the medical field: If you are helpless, in a hospital bed, it is a wonderful thing to have an advocate, who can go to the doctor in charge, and say, “The patient in room X is in a great deal of pain: her afternoon pain medication seems to have been missed.” That is one practical way an advocate works, speaking up for one who has no means of defense.

Serious Charges

Jesus does speak on our behalf, and His Blood forever stands as the testimony of our secure place in Him. But it is a far more serious matter, than simply “intervening when something is wrong at a hospital.”

I have heard people say, because of 1^st John 2:1, “You see, God the Father is the Judge, and Jesus is the Court-appointed Attorney for the Defense.” Then they ask us to imagine the “attorney” walking into the courtroom, winking at the Judge, and whispering, “Hi, Dad!”

That sounds palatable to us: It might seem pleasant, even, and perhaps amusing. But, in the first place, it seems to trivialize the tremendously serious charges against us. This is not a game. Sin is serious. God does not take lightly the sins of the human race, and He is not running some sort of “mock” trial: He has already poured out all His wrathfor all our sins on the person of Jesus, at the Cross! Try to think back to the judgment of the Genesis Flood. How is that for “serious?” The judgment of Sin at the Cross was more serious!

**The Father is Not the Judge**

And the other matter is this: Jesus says that the Father is NOT the Judge. In John 5:22 He said, “For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son:” (Hmm. That poses a problem, doesn’t it?) And then, of course, we have the additional problem of Isaiah 9:6, where He says that “…the Son…shall be called the everlasting Father…!”

While God says that The Lord Jesus is our advocate with the Father, we must simply accept what God says about the Trinity. We should not try to make it fit our legal structure, or anything else in our experience. Yes, Romans 8:34 confirms thatJesus is forever at the right hand of the Father on Our behalf, interceding for us. That is His advocacy!

And remember what it cost Jesus to earn that right! Jesus allows His blood to speak against judgment for us. He suffered unimaginably because of our sins. Do you really want to add to His shame, by continuing in Sin?

John says one of his reasons for writing is that we would commit ourselves to turning away from sin. But he also says God has made one provision for our failures: It is Jesus!

So, What is a Propitiation?

“²And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

A propitiation is a “sacrifice that satisfies”…it is a payment that brings “legal settlement.” Jesus made the full payment for the sins of the whole world. But he did it to free us from sin, not to free us TO sin.

A “propitiation” to God is the “satisfaction of God’s Holiness and Justice.” Jesus died as full satisfaction of the Law of God. This is how that works: I broke the Law, and the Law required my death. But Jesus died in my place, and the Law of God now records His death as Mine!

The Result: A “Legally Dead Man!”

The Law now says that I am dead! Galatians 2:19-21 says so! “¹⁹For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. ²⁰I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

I am dead to the Law, and, according to Romans I am also dead to Sin! So, God calls me to live that way. Romans 6:2, 11 each say we are dead to sin. and that we are to believe it and act on it.

Romans 6:2 “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Romans 6:11 “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

You see: It is a serious matter of God’s Holiness and Justice having been satisfied by the substitutionary sacrifice that Jesus voluntarily made on our behalf. And now He simply asks that we live in that reality, not bumbling along as if nothing has changed.

(Incidentally, Romans 3:25 specifies that He is the “…propitiation through faith in His blood.” You cannot side-step the Cross. God confronts us with the seriousness of our sin, in the gory, historical fact of Jesus’s execution on the Cross.)

Jesus Died For the Whole World

But here is another problem: John states unequivocally that Jesus is the “Propitiation,” not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole World!

How is that possible? How can He have “satisfied the justice and righteousness of God” for the Sins of the Whole World, when the majority of the World’s people reject Him, and mock him?

He Bought the Whole Field!

The answer may lie in His parable about a man “buying the whole field” for the treasure within that field. In Matthew 13:44, Jesus is the “man” in the parable, buying the whole field, to gain the treasure hidden in the field. Jesus paid for the sins of all humans in order to gain access to those who would respond to Him in faith.

It could also be argued that “the treasure is Israel:” and perhaps it is! But my only point, here, is that Jesus bought the whole field, and, in Matthew 13:38, Jesus had just explained, (in relation to a previous parable,) that “The field is the World.”

Remember, too, that in John 12:32, Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” So, Jesus has “bought the field,” and He is drawing all sinners to himself, but He has warned us that the majority will still defy him, and be lost.

He Paid the Whole Price!

Perhaps another way to look at it is that “Jesus wrote a check at the Cross, for the amount of ‘Eternal Life’ directing the ‘Bank’ to Pay to the order of: ‘Whosoever Believeth in Him’ and He signed it in His own blood.” He gives us the choice then, to either “endorse that check by faith,” or reject it, and lose it entirely.

People have argued with me vehemently against this verse, saying, “But, that doesn’t make SENSE, Chet! Why would Jesus pay for the sins of people He knew would reject Him and be lost anyway??” And all I could answer them was, “It does not have to make sense to you! God is not asking for your approval! He bought the whole field because it pleased Him to do so!”

The Offer is Good!

And now He makes the honest offer: “…That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” He could not honestly make that offer without having made the entire payment. But He did!

This is not just an obscure passage, or ‘open to interpretation’ in some other way: In John 3:17, Jesus said, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (Not “the elect”… “the world”) God made that provision for all humans, knowing that that majority would reject His offer.

John 3:18 adds this explanation: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

You see, that is the “Bad News” of the Gospel: “The Whole World is under the condemnation of God’s Holiness and Justice, because of Sin!”

Every Mouth Will Be Stopped!

Romans 3:19 says, “…that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

I really don’t want to be “one of those mouths,” prattling on, arguing against God’s Holiness and saying, “Well that doesn’t make sense to me!” He says He will close every mouth!

A Modern Example

In American courts, in recent years, certain people, claiming to be “Sovereign Citizens,” stand in our courts, accused of some misdemeanor. But they defy the laws of both federal and state courts. They attempt to claim that they are not under those laws: that they are immune to such laws.

Would you care to guess how effective that “defense” has been? You’d be correct if you guessed that it is not effective at all! Judges may respond fairly patiently, trying to explain that such a claim has no merit and no legal standing. But the usual result is that the offender ends up with both the original offense and a new charge of “Contempt of Court!” All they needed, to avoid the contempt charge, was to confess that the law did apply to them, and that they had broken it.

Redemption

Notice the first half of John 3:18, though. It simply says, “He that believeth on Him is not condemned.” That is a fairly simple requirement, isn’t it? God says if we confess that we are sinners, and if, by faith, we lay our hands on that one blood sacrifice Jesus has made for our redemption, then He no longer condemns us, because Jesus’s death now stands on record as our death, and His Righteousness is now applied to our account! He truly has “bought us out of the marketplace, where we were slaves of Sin,” and He has “set us free to walk with Him!”

That is an amazing truth, and John calls us to learn to live in that reality! In addition, Jesus has given us the privilege of serving as His Ambassadors, offering that same redemption to anyone who will listen.

The Gospel does not say, “Good News, Brother! You may be predestined to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire!” No! That borders on blasphemy! The Gospel of Christ says, “Come unto Me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest!” And, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink! And finally, Whosoever will, may come!” The facts are the same for all humans, and the offer is the same, to all humans. “Whosoever will, may Come!”

Lord Jesus, impress upon our hearts the urgency of the Gospel, knowing that the world is NOT “waiting for the message:” They are dying and being lost for eternity! Raise us as faithful messengers of that Gospel to a dying World!

May 10, 2025May 10, 2025

A Letter to the Little Children of God (Part 2)

A Letter to the Children (Part 2)

What is Confession, and What is it Not?

1^st John 1:9, 10 “⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Introduction:

Last week we began to discuss the first epistle of John…(usually just called “1^st John.”) Our study stopped with 1^st John 1:9. We promised to begin again with a bit of an overlap, before entering chapter 2. While 1^st John 1:9 is an important verse for every believer, it can easily be misunderstood. It can be seen as some sort of “get-out-of-trouble-free” card. Then people take it as license to “do whatever I want: I’m going to confess it when I am done!”

If a person views this promise in that way, I have serious doubts about their relationship with the Lord. He is God! He is Holy! And He sees exactly what is in our hearts, at all times. Paul warns, in Galatians 6:7, 8, if we take sin lightly, we are in danger of “mocking God.”

God says, “whatever we sow, that we shall also reap.”

We cannot be disrespectful toward God’s holiness and have a blessed relationship with God. When you approach God in confession, remember: We are still dealing with a Holy God who hates sin!

So, What is Confession?

The Greek word, translated as “confession,” is “homologomen”—it means to “say the same thing”—to agree with God concerning our sin. But we don’t tend to see sin the same way as God does. We don’t see sin, in general, as the thing that is destroying us and our loved ones.

We see all the symptoms:

Racial tensions, hatred, poverty, crime of every kind, gross sexual immorality, violence, drug addiction, human trafficking, etc.)

These are obviously destroying our entire culture. But, we seldom stop and think about the root cause of ALL such ills.

What is the Root?

The root cause is Sin! We fell into our epidemic addiction to sin when Adam chose disobedience to God.

And, the fact is, we like sin. We don’t like to admit it, but that’s the simple truth. Nobody drags us out and makes us gossip. Nor do they make us be angry, or make us “shade the truth” (God calls it “lying.” We sin because we choose to sin. Then we excuse our sin, and think of very reasonable-sounding explanations for our behavior.

Furthermore, our entertainment industry commercializes all the things we say we hate; the very things that destroy lives and enslave people in corruption. The best way for a movie or TV series to improve its ratings is to include a lot of “all of the above.” It is difficult to find a movie today that does not include a great deal of blatant sin. They include violence and sexual immorality, or broad hints of such immorality. And it is presented in a manner that encourages us to secretly approve of it.

They usually also include much vile language by both the “good guys” and the “bad guys.” And they celebrate deceit: Tricking people, and stealing things in clever ways, always meet with an appreciative audience.

Deceit and Theft

Whole movies are made about clever smugglers, thieves, and spies. We like stories of successful pirates, and clever jewel thieves… We like to hear about people “getting away with sin,” especially if, in some way, it gratifies our feeling that “Well, they had it coming!”

When the famous thief, “D.B. Cooper,” hijacked a commercial airliner in 1971 and stole $200,000, ($1.2M in today’s money) the world saw him as some kind of folk hero. They thought, “Well, look! He didn’t hurt anyone, and the only ones he stole from, ultimately, were the insurance companies!” Most people secretly hoped he got away!

And if the crimes involved in the films are truly horrendous, then we enjoy seeing the “bad guys” getting destroyed by the “good guys.” Additionally, in today’s stories, the “good guys” don’t seem to be very “good.” They enjoy all the vices, and, vicariously, we enjoy those vices through their on-screen personas! That is why Romans 1:32 says, “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Why do those movies and TV shows have such high ratings? Because, as a culture, we approve of what they do: we like what they are showing us for our entertainment.

What Kind of Confession Does God Require?

Is that the level of confession God is requiring? Doesn’t He call me to not only “agree with God” about what I have done, but also about the root cause…that I am a sinner? My old sin nature is completely incorrigible. God says so! (Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be.”

Even God cannot “repair” my old nature: That is why, in John 3:7, Jesus told Nicodemus, “Marvel not that I said unto thee Ye must be born again…” The Lord has to give us a new nature through the new birth, before He can associate with us at all! But then He claims us as His offspring, His little children, and He carefully shepherds us throughout the rest of our lives, calling us to walk with Him in the Light of His Word.

Make No Mistake: This Applies to YOU!

“¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

John goes one step further. He says that people who deny having sinned are making God a liar. And they demonstrate that His word is not in them. It is not easy to know for sure whether the implication is that “one who denies being a sinner isn’t saved,” or just that “any saved person who denies having a sin problem is really way out in left field, and doesn’t know God’s word!” Either would be true, but I don’t have any way to know for sure which one he means.

Who is “Us?”

For one thing, why does he use the word “us?” Does he only refer to believers, here, or is the word, “us” simply including the whole human race? All the rest of the occurrences of the first-person plural, “us,” in this book seem to point to members of the body of Christ.

But if I compare scripture with scripture, I find strong indications that it means any person saying such a thing is not a believer. It’s pretty strong language, to say “his word is not in us”—especially considering the fact that this is the same writer who revealed Jesus Christ as “The Word.” If he is saying that the Word, (Christ) is not in us, then he definitely is saying a person who denies being a sinner, is not saved.

And that is how I tend to understand this passage. It is a warning to check where you really stand with Jesus. And it makes sense that way: if I am not a sinner, I have nothing from which to be saved! By denying that I am a sinner, I declare that I have never had a need for Jesus…and that would certainly be a strong indicator of an unregenerate heart!

Either way, as believers, our fellowship with God can only continue when all known sin is confessed. An unbeliever has never experienced that fellowship at all, so this warning is especially appropriate.

How Does God Feel About Sin?

To get a small glimpse of how God feels about sin, imagine that you lived in a neighborhood where a known drug-house was doing business. Imagine, further, that your son or daughter, (or brother or sister, or close friend) had fallen prey to drugs and had died from the use of them. (Probably everyone here knows, or has known of, someone who died of a drug overdose.)

Now, imagine that you see the pusher on the street…he’s smiling and talking to your younger sister, or your youngest son! The pusher is groping in his pocket for something, and the child is expectantly looking, waiting to receive what the pusher has to offer. Now, how do you feel about that vision?

Do you want to just complacently watch, and say, “Well, go ahead! It will be valuable experience—I’m sure you will learn a great deal about yourself…?” Or are there some rather different feelings coming up inside you? Would you stand by, quietly, and say, “Well, it really is a personal choice…?” Or would you take action?

God watched Lucifer, a holy, beautiful creation of God, become Satan, the enemy—the adversary—a monster of evil–due to Sin. He saw Adam and Eve fall prey to that sin, and they died, spiritually, on the spot!

God has watched the torment of six thousand years of bloody human history, as billions of souls, whom He loved, have lived in Sin, and died in Sin, and finally have been lost to a Christless eternity because of Sin.

He sent his only begotten Son to the Cross, to be tortured and mutilated, and to die; naked and humiliated, because of Sin, and in the midst of that, He had to turn His own face from the sight of Jesus, who had literally become Sin, for us.

**Do You Understand What we are Confessing?**

Can you see why God sees ALL sin as repugnant, and will not tolerate it at any level? We need to see that every sin “steps outside of time and space, and spits in the face of God,” saying, “Stand back! You are not in charge, here, I am! I am the master! I am ‘God’ in my little world!”

You see: Every sin defies God. By necessity, then, Every sin separates us from fellowship with God, and works destruction in our lives. Although it is certainly true that some sins affect our fellow humans more dramatically than others, there is no such thing as a “small sin.”

We need to catch a glimpse of how God sees sin, in order to see sin the way He does, and to have a genuine desire to repent and turn away from our patterns of sin. There are other passages that go into a lot more detail on the subject (Romans 1:18-32 tells the history of our slide into corruption.) But, for now, we will just say that confession is seeing Sin from God’s perspective, and agreeing with Him concerning our sin. And that it is absolutely necessary for discipleship.

What About Joy?

So, what about the Joy he mentioned, back in verse 4? Did he just drop that one? Did he forget? Do you know: the word “joy” is not mentioned at all, in the rest of the book? So, what should I conclude, here? Is Joy of a lesser importance?

I believe the answer is in the fulfillment of the other four purpose clauses. And it is also only mentioned once in each of John’s other Epistles.

Take a look at 2^nd John 4; and 3^rd John 3, 4, John says his greatest joy is to see that “my children are walking in truth.” In 2^nd John 12, He also mentions the joy of fellowship with other believers, I believe if we can learn the truths in the rest of the book, the Joy will be ours, as well, since we will have fellowship, assurance, answered prayer, and continued faith in Him.

Conclusions…

Perhaps some of you wonder whether I am suggesting that our church is lacking in the awareness of sin, and the confession of sin. I’m not suggesting any such thing, but, if we are going to seriously study God’s Word, we also study the portions regarding which we may feel we already have a full understanding. (That is why, for example, we never skip the Gospel message, when it shows up in scripture.)

There may come a time when we realize (either in our own lives as individuals, or in the church at large) that we have become lax, and complacent about sin in our lives. In such an event, I hope that everyone can take this passage to heart and realize what confession is really about.

What is “Not” Confession?

Does God ask that we “grovel on the ground, and despise ourselves?” No, He doesn’t!

As with Peter, we will never be able to “walk on water:” The Lord asks us to be aware that we cannot live the Christian life without His constant empowerment and filling. And, as Peter did when he began to sink; we need to immediately cry out, and confess that we are failing, and ask Him to take over again!

Maturity is Complete Dependence!

Unlike the natural growth of a human child (or even in the animal world,) “maturity” in a Christian does not mean “greater independence:” It means more consistent dependence on Jesus in the Person of the Holy Spirit, to guide us and empower us for every step.

That is why we call it “walking!” it is a step-by-step dependence on, and trust in, Jesus for every moment of the Christian life. We have pointed this out before, but it bears repeating: “The Christian Life is not ‘difficult:’ It is Impossible, apart from the moment-by-moment control and empowerment of the Lord Himself.”

And that is what we are confessing! God knows our frailty: He understands our weakness, and He treats us with compassion, as one treats a small child. He says so, in Psalm 103:13-14 “¹³Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. ¹⁴For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”

We need to have this in mind when we approach the Lord in Confession.

Lord Jesus, we know we are frail, and, apart from Your love, Your power, Your care, and Your forgiveness, we are helpless against our enemy. We ask that you teach our hearts to keep short accounts with God, and to immediately turn to You in confession when we fall. Raise us up as an army of ambassadors, and empower us to serve You!

May 3, 2025May 3, 2025

A Letter to the Little Children of God (Part 1)

Studies in 1st John: a Letter to the Children (Part 1)

Introduction:

The Apostle John wrote this letter (called “the first epistle general of John” in many Bibles.) Most people call it, simply, “1^st John”. He wrote the epistle near the end of his life, probably in about 90 AD. (Possibly just before his exile to the island of Patmos, where he wrote the Revelation, six years later.)

John addresses the believers as “teknia.” That is the Greek word meaning “little children.” He does not use “huioi,” meaning “sons… adult sons: heirs.” In this book, John only uses the word “huion” (singular) in the references to Jesus Christ, as THE Son of God.

The word “teknia” literally means “born ones.”. The word “huion” carries the additional connotation of a legal relationship as an heir. “Teknia” only carries a familial connotation, and is a term of tender care…we are His “offspring.”

Five Objectives

John states five purposes in writing the letter. These are effects he desires to accomplish in our lives by the means of this letter.

That you may have fellowship with other believers, the Father and the Son. (1:3)
That your joy may be full. (1:4)
That you will not sin. (2:1)
That you may KNOW (“eidēte”—meaning to “know now, as a fact”) that you have eternal life. (5:13)
That you may [continue to] believe on the name of the Son of God. (5:13) (The words “continue to” are not in the Greek. But the word “pisteuēte” is in the present tense, implying a generally continuous action in the present time.) (“Pisteuō” is the infinitive verb, “to believe.”

If we can accomplish these five things in our study I will be happy, too. But this is the beginning place for a disciple. This is where we learn how to maintain our relationship with God and with His people.

Chapter 1

John Introduces His Grand Topic: Jesus, the “Word of Life”

The first two verses could almost be seen as the “subject line” on a report:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handled of the Word of Life; (for the Life was manifested , and we have seen it and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us;)”

Notice that John leaves no doubt that he and the other apostles were valid witnesses. They had no collective “vision.” Nor was it a carefully crafted story, concocted, and agreed upon by all. Jesus lived and worked among them. They saw Him in person. They heard him speak, not only in sermons, and “teaching moments,” but in casual, everyday life. He was their personal mentor: they learned who He was, by full, daily contact, continually, for three years or more.

You can do this, too, in a way. The more time you spend with Jesus, in the Word, in prayer, and in your daily walk, the better you will know Him!

The Fellowship Objective

³That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John introduced the subject of the book: Namely, the message that God gave him to share with the other believers. Then he declares the first purpose: that we should have full fellowship with God and with one another. Some commentators break this into two separate issues. In a sense you could accurately do so. It is technically possible for you to be in fellowship with God, and out of fellowship with other believers. (Unusual, but it could happen.)

That is relatively rare, however. Usually, when we have a problem with other believers, it is not just “their problem.” We usually cannot just “go on fellowshipping with God,” and ignore the issue between us and the other brother or sister. We are also commanded to “endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

This subject “Sin versus Fellowship,” will dominate much of the first Epistle of John. But John introduces a second purpose for the book in the very next verse.

**The Joy Objective: “That Your Joy May be Full”**

⁴And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Don’t miss John’s second stated purpose in writing. “That Your Joy May be Full.” If we desire Joy, we need to prioritize fellowship. You will not experience the Joy of the Lord when you are not in fellowship with Him. Amos 3:3 poses the rhetorical question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (And, the implied answer is “No! They can’t!”)

If we are missing the Joy of the Lord, we need to ask “Why?” You can ask yourself, “Am I doing what God wants me to do right now? If so, am I simply under attack from the enemy? Do I need to use the shield of faith more diligently, and draw closer to the Lord in trust?”

Or, have you allowed other relationships or other pursuits to lure you away? Have you left behind the Centrality of Christ in your Life? This is the only mention of “joy” in this epistle. He mentions “joy” only once in each of his epistles. I don’t know why.

Fellowship with Others and with God

⁵This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Initially, we may feel that our disagreement with someone else is “just their problem”. But we usually get frustrated or angry ourselves, and then we have sin to confess as well. Also, usually, whatever breaks fellowship between us and another believer will also break fellowship with God. So, what breaks fellowship between us and God?

**What Breaks Fellowship With God?**

Only Sin. We can’t rightly call it anything else. But bear in mind that the sin issues here in the book of 1^st John are things already dealt with at the Cross—these are believers he is addressing.

Only your fellowship with God, and your reward areat risk—you are not going to “lose your position in Christ.” The Forgiveness he will address in verse nine is relational, not positional. It has to do with “Keeping Peace in the Family of God,” not “Trying to maintain your position as His Child.”

Where Does Sin Begin?

We sometimes may say we are just “out of sorts”…(and that may be true.) But how we respond to fatigue, frustrating circumstances, etc. determines whether we go on walking with God, or we get “off in the weeds” somewhere, wondering what happened.

John puts it this way: “God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” John makes it the difference between day and night…the difference between light and dark. He says there is no middle ground. I am either in complete obedience to Him, or I am out of fellowship.

He makes it clear that if I am walking with Him, I have to be walking in the Light as He is in the Light. Here is the question: Am I doing now what I know He wants me to be doing, right now?” We might protest, “But I’m not always sure I know what He wants me to be doing!”

How Do I Determine God’s Will?

Consider God’s stated priorities in the Bible to be your “General Handbook for the Child of God” and see whether you can find some “General” instructions that could give you direction. It might not be any “earthshaking” revelation: It might be something as simple and “mundane” as prioritizing the things you need to do in a day, and then “doing the next thing” on that list.

In my case, if I know that I am going to be teaching soon, then I need to make certain that all the preparation is complete before I can “go do other things I would like to do.”

But, sometimes a “home task” is time-sensitive, and must be done immediately or not at all. In that case, I may choose to do that first, knowing that the result may be that I will be up late that night, completing the studying for the next class. In either case, if I am doing what I believe God wants me to do, I can confidently call on Him for help and inspiration, etc. to get things done in a timely manner.

But I do not agree with the preachers I have known who boasted, “I don’t need to study! I just open my mouth and let God fill it!” That is grossly irresponsible. (Yes, God can do that! But He commands us to “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”) So, I choose to study!

We All Sin!

“⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

John says that we all have a sin problem. He says, “if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

But there are whole branches of Christendom who claim that you can “achieve sinless perfection” in this life. In fact, some even teach that “you lost your sin nature when you became a believer.” If that were true, the majority of the New Testament would be pointless, because believers would never need instructions as to how to avoid sin: Without a sin nature, they could never be tempted, let alone sin and need to restore fellowship.

(In Romans 7:17-25, Paul taught very clearly that he had his old sin nature, and that his new nature desired only to follow God, but his old nature rebelled. He saw his only hope for victory in the Person of Christ.)

How To Restore Fellowship With God

⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John goes on to give the means by which to regain fellowship…he says, “if we confess out sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I learned this verse fairly early as a believer, but I still did not understand how important and how simple it truly is: It does not say, “as a last resort, come crawling to God begging for forgiveness!” He says, confess (agree with God concerning) your sin, and He will immediately forgive you and you can begin walking with Him again!

When I was in Bible School, a friend told me that he had not known of this verse at all, for about two years: So anytime he was out of fellowship, it felt to him as though he had lost his salvation. He encountered a couple of older Christians who taught him about the issue of fellowship, and showed him this passage. He told me, “Chet, it was just like getting saved all over again! I finally knew how to get back on my feet after having stumbled!”

If you have not memorized this verse, I would encourage you to do so, as it is one we tend to use often. As we grow in our relationship with the Lord, our conscience becomes more refined, and we find ourselves confessing sin that we once would have completely overlooked, in our ignorance. It may seem that we are actually “sinning more,” but usually it is just a matter of “seeing” things we never saw before.

A Practical Example

I had a friend at work, from El Salvador, who had to go back to El Salvador for a few days. He had been gone for ten years, so he thought it would be wonderful to “be home again.”

But he found out that it was no longer “home.” He was sweating profusely, in the heat and humidity, and he was constantly aware of the lack of cleanliness around him, both in terms of personal hygiene and in food preparation. There were times when he could hardly stand being there, even though he knew that the place had not changed: HE had changed. Before emigrating, he had lived with all those realities without a problem. But, he no longer fit there: he had been in the United states too long.

How About Our Lives With God?

That old song, “This World is not my Home” is true. We are no longer citizens of this world.

As you learn to walk with God, you will become aware of things like that in your old life: sins that once were amusing to you or even pleasant and thrilling, have become not only repugnant, but grief-inspiring, as you remember that you were once a willing participant in that life.

That is why 1^st John 1:9 is so important: It allows us to quickly regain our walk with the Lord and continue to grow strong and stable in our relationship with Him.

Next week we will move on, into our study of 1^st John. You can read ahead, but we will begin with 1^st John 1:10. (Give that one some thought.)

Lord Jesus, help us to internalize Your Word, so that we keep short accounts with You as our Savior and Master. Help us to learn the reality of walking in the light, as You are in the Light, Teach us to be Your true disciples!

April 26, 2025April 26, 2025

What is Our Mission, from God’s perspective?

Our Mission, from God’s perspective

Ephesians 6:18-24

Introduction:

Communication is a critically important factor in any relationship as well as any endeavor or business. But we often set aside communication, saying “They don’t need to know that!” We could avoid many conflicts by clear communication: Both sent and received. Perhaps this is one reason God calls Jesus the “logos”—the Word—the “ultimate communication” of God. And we do need to know that!

Hebrews 1:1 says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son…” and then it goes on to demonstrate that Jesus was and is God’s greatest communication of Himself to Mankind. We could say that is “a given communication”…but there has to be a reception, of course.

The Word Became flesh. God communicated in human form. He had sent signs in the creation, judgments, prophets, visions and dreams…all as communication. Finally, he showed up in person, God in the flesh: Jesus himself—God’s best communication.

When we receive Christ, we have believed God—received His communication. When we obey his Word, we are demonstrating faith: (received communication again.) John 1:11, 12 says that the Word “Came unto his own (Israel) and his own received him not, but to as many as received him to them gave he power to become the children of God.”

As a nation the Jews refused to believe. But God gave the ones who did believe the new birth, and they received the Holy Spirit to indwell them forever. Communication is critically important…let’s look at some of the different kinds:

Four Kinds of Communication

Here in Ephesians 6:18-24, We find four kinds of communication listed:

Prayer—communication from us to God
Witnessing—communication from us to unbelievers—to “make known the mystery…”
Sharing with believers—feedback—prayer requests, sharing answered prayers—both joys and sorrows, “that ye may know…” (By the way,we must distinguish this from Gossip. This is “…so that ye may know our affairs.” Gossip is crossing over into talking about other people behind their back…one must learn the difference.)
God communicating His peace, his love and His living Grace to the believers, every day.

All four of these forms of communication are to be part of the daily Christian life. All are part of the job Jesus gave us to do. So: What is the job?

**What is the Overall Mission of the Church—Our Reason for Existing?**

The Great Commission is literally our “marching orders,” and World Evangelism is the only job Jesus has assigned to the Church. Everything else is how we are to carry out that One Assignment.

Consider: Everything else He told us to do, we could do better out of the world than in it. (Do you think you “love one another” better now than you will after you are finally rid of your old sin nature?) But the job of being an ambassador can only be done here in this life. And that is why He keeps us here: He wants us to do that job! So, how does each of the types of communication fit into the overall job?

Prayer: Communication with God

Many passages tell us how to pray, how often to pray, how not to pray, etc. But, Paul gives some specific commands and requests, here: He commands us to pray continually in the Spirit, for the brethren, with all supplication and perseverance. He asks prayer for himself, too, and I think it is important to see exactly for what it was he asked for prayer.

It had nothing to do with his finances, his work, his home, his health, etc. It only involved his doing the job God sent him to do. He asked that “utterance may be given”—that he would be able to communicate the Gospel. He specifically asked twice that God would allow him boldness, so that he could speak as he ought to speak, and that he could “make known the mystery of the Gospel.”

Make Known the Mystery of the Gospel

If you don’t give someone enough information that they could make a decision for Christ,then you have not “made known the mystery of the gospel!” Sharing the Gospel with unbelievers has to be from the desire to feed them the bread of life. If you are afraid to give them the whole truth (Bad news and Good news,) then ultimately, you are not giving the Good News. We need to pray this same thing for ourselves, for boldness to make known the mystery of the Gospel.

Is it OK to pray for our physical circumstances? Yes! But how you pray reveals your priorities. If the main things we pray for are good health and good income, how do we differ from the folks who are actively preaching a “prosperity doctrine?” (Teachingthat “if you are right with God, then He will make you healthy and wealthy!”) We know that is false teaching, but our prayer life reveals that we really think that way somewhat, ourselves. Paul’s prayer life, on the other hand, is very instructive. He prayed for the physical well-being of others only a few times, and, at least once, when he prayed for his own physical health, God said, “My Grace is sufficient for thee!”

But God commands us to pray—for the world leaders, for all believers, and for the lost. He invites us to pray for ourselves, as well: Just realize that not all “hard times” are outside the will of God. Some suffering is a gift from God. We need to be in submission to God. But He tells us to “cast our cares on him,” to “pray without ceasing,” and to “pray, believing that He hears us.”

Evangelism: Communication With a Lost World

What about evangelism? We already talked about it a little, but the truth is, Evangelism is supposed to be part of every believer’s life. We are Ambassadors for Christ. How will an ambassador of a country function if he is not making contacts “for his nation,” as his job dictates? (Or “for God,” in our case?)

We are sent as the messengers of eternal life. We are to share the bread of life, the water of life, the free gift of God’s Grace. Every bit of that requires communication. Can some of it be non-verbal? Certainly it can! But it cannot all be non-verbal. The Grace your unbelieving friend, co-worker or family-member may see in your life still has to be explained!

Peter said in 1^st Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you…” That requires verbal communication. And the Lord simply says “be ready”…it’s going to happen. That is part of the job…it’s part of the Christian life.

Remember that though the overall goal is to reach the World with the Gospel, it still requires meeting the unbelievers one by one, as a rule. You meet them where they are, and you feed them where they are hungry. You go beyond the “normal” world standards for generosity and kindness, and you share the reason for your faith at every opportunity.

Fellowship: Communion—Sharing With Other Believers

Who do you like to “hang out with,” and why? Who are your real friends? And when you are visiting with other believers, do you ever include the Lord in your conversations? Or is He “shut out until Sunday?” Can you really be “carrying out the mission of the Church” if you are not also fellowshipping with other believers around the person of Christ?

I remember reading in an account of Paul Fleming (one of the founders of New Tribes Mission), how, prior to the founding of New Tribes, he had gone to Malaysia with a different organization. He was fervent in his desire to reach the lost, and excited about the opportunities that seemed to surround him.

Not Everyone wants to “Share” in the Ministry.

At a “missionary gathering,” he unrolled a map and began sharing with a group of men about a tribe that he’d heard of in the back-country hills of Malaysia. He didn’t get far before one of the other men shut him down, saying, “Fleming, let’s not talk shop!” He was shocked and hurt to discover that to the rest of the group, yes, this was “the job,” but to them it was “just” a job; they did not want to talk about it “on their own time.” What does this suggest about the reality of their “servant-to-master” relationship with Christ? It was not a reality: This was their “day off.”

I once telephoned a pastor on a Monday, enthusiastic about something in the church. He answered the phone and angrily reproached me for calling him “on his day off.” I was shocked, but I quietly apologized, and finally said, “I don’t have a day off.” He called back later and apologized for his response, but still later, I came to realize that the first response had accurately reflected reality. The second response was only covering his social error. It was “just a job” to him.

Bad Communication

We do need to be aware that not all “Christian communication” is of God. I have frequently heard communication that obviously is just gossip, but it is prefaced with “Let me tell you this so you can pray about it…” (Do you want to know something? God says he hates gossip!) Be careful that your communication is of a sort that would honor God and edify the rest of the believers. Do make a point of sharing your own prayer requests and those that are public information…just be wise about what is discussed. It is easy to cross over into gossip.

Sharing your OWN joys and needs is Not Gossip

Notice that what Paul shared with them through Tychicus was information about himself: “…so that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.” Was Tychicus talking about Paul? Surely he was…at Paul’s direction, and with the express intent of sharing the results of their earnest prayers on his behalf, and the work that he was doing.

The result was not “fun stuff to know and tell,” but rather joy and comfort for the believers. It was exactly the information that Paul would have told them if he had been personally present. Tychicus was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing. (By the way, he was the scribe who wrote the letter, as Paul dictated, and the one who hand-delivered it as well.)

We share with others freely when we know that they are faithful brothers and sisters. Paul said Tychicus was a beloved brother and a faithful minister. That is why he was entirely comfortable with Tychicus speaking on his behalf. I have had people who I barely knew, and with whom I had virtually no relationship, let alone a secure one, enticing me to share very personal information about my private life. Warily, I firmly but respectfully said that I did not think that would be profitable.

I later found out that my hesitation was well-founded—that individual ultimately proved to be a gossip, deliberately using against other people things that were supposedly shared with him in confidence, as a pastor. That is a sad story, but it is all too common among believers. Don’t allow yourself to fall into that trap, either on the “telling end” or the “listening end.”

Received Blessing:

God Completing the Cycle and Communicating with His People

So, how does God communicate with the believers? We know He communicates through the Written Word, and via the Holy Spirit, but the things Paul prays for here are gifts from God, communicating His love and blessing to the saints:

Paul prayed for peace, and love, with faith, for the brethren. All three in this context are not associated with salvation, but rather the blessings associated with walking in obedience and fellowship with God. The fact that they were “brethren” precludes any thought that he was praying for them to achieve peace with God. Peace with God was achieved at the Cross, and was eternally theirs the moment they trusted Jesus as their Savior. (Ephesians 2:14-16; Romans 5:1)

The Grace Paul prayed for, in this passage, for the believers, as well as the peace, and love with faith, are the necessary commodities we need, to live the Christian life. We walk by faith. We walk in Love. And, we experience the peace of God, as we daily experience the living Grace of God.

Conclusion:

Paul gave a benediction, directed at believers, but narrowing the field just a little. He said “Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” If I interpret this to simply mean that “because my new nature can do no wrong, and that it truly loves Jesus completely,” then I might conclude that it only says “…because you have a new nature, as a believer, the Grace of God is always with you.” And, in a way, that is certainly true.

But Paul is saying something more direct and with deeper implication: It is a promise of God’s living Grace upon and with every believer who actually walks with God. Jesus said, “If you love me you will obey my commandments.” I really doubt that any of the disciples said, “Heh, heh! Well, you know, because we have a new nature that can’t sin, we are always obedient at heart…”

God Takes Sin Seriously

No, God takes sin seriously, even in a believer’s life…in fact, more so, in a way: Though the punishment for my crimes against God was carried out at the Cross, there are still consequences for sin, and rewards for obedience. God specifically says that he disciplines his children.

So, the promise here is actually “narrowed” a bit—all the promises in chapter one were positional in nature—they are true of us simply because we are born again. But this one, like others, is conditional. It is conditional upon consistent obedience and a sincere Agapé Love.

It is interesting: the English word, “Sincere,” comes from the Latin word “sincerus,” which literally means “without wax”—untainted, unadulterated. But there are about six different Greek words from which the translators got the English word “sincere”—and none of them mean “without wax.” None carry precisely the same idea as the English word. In this particular case, the Greek word is “aphtharsia,” meaning “without corruption.”

A Conditional Promise

So, Paul held out a conditional promise: Agapé love is not “mushy feelings” or even “fondness:” It is an act of the will whereby the person doing the loving, acts entirely in the best interest of the person (or principle) receiving the love. Look at 1^st Corinthians 13…every single example given in defining Agapé love is an action: It is not about feeling at all, but rather, doing.

So, what does it mean to “Love the Lord Jesus Christ without corruption?” If you saw a marriage within which one party was surreptitiously cheating on the other, or at least constantly getting dangerously close to adultery, wouldn’t you see that as corruption in that marriage?

Think about how frequently you teeter on the edge of sin, or even plunge into outright rebellion and sin, because of anger, or greed, self-gratification, laziness, or whatever. When we choose to go our own way, we are putting our own selves above God; our own desires above His. That is precisely what Paul is quietly warning against. He is holding out a special promise for those who put Jesus first in their lives, across the board, without hedging.

It is worth pursuing, and it is possible to attain, or he wouldn’t have offered it. I suspect it is a “you get out of it what you put into it” arrangement: “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7-9 read it)

Give this some serious thought, and consider how you can claim this conditional promise in your own life.

Lord Jesus, help us to purify our hearts and to love You without corruption. Teach us to become the Ambassadors You have called us to be, serving as Your hands and feet and voice in this dying world. Amen!

April 19, 2025April 19, 2025

Is The Resurrection Really True? How Does it Affect You?

**The Resurrection: Is it Real, and How Does it Affect You?**

Introduction:

We are here to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We come with a sense of reverence, and joy. That is as it should be. But let us also consider why we feel that way.

Why is the Resurrection so important? Do we just want to feel good, believing that somewhere, somehow, Jesus is still alive today, and that someday, He will come back? Or is there more at stake? And when we talk about the topic of “resurrection,” are we talking about a physical resurrection, or just the “going to heaven when you die” sort of idea?

They took Jesus’s wrecked, mortal shell down from the cross, carefully wrapped it in cloth with embalming spices, and laid it in a solid rock tomb: Did He really come back to life, fully healthy, and leave the tomb, without disturbing the stone at the door? Was the tomb really already empty, before the angelic messenger rolled the stone away? Did the angel really roll it back just to reveal the empty tomb to the women who had come to complete the embalming process? Or was it all just a hoax? Just a nicely-told “religious myth?” And, finally, does it really matter? Let’s see what God says about the Resurrection.

Consider Prophetic History:

The theme of the Resurrection begins in Genesis 22. God gives us just a hint, in Abraham’s obedience, attempting to sacrifice Isaac. We see that God says it was a test, but later, in Hebrews 11:17-19, we find that Abraham had assumed God would bring him back from the dead. God raises the subject of resurrection over and over, throughout the Old and New Testaments, and it runs all the way through to the Revelation.

In Job 19:25, God stated itvery clearly, through Job: He states that “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and shall stand upon the earth at the last day, and, though, after my skin, worms shall devour my flesh, yet will I see him, with myeye, and not another.” How did Job know? Moses wasn’t born yet, so he had not written any of his books. So either God gave that revelation to Job as a prophet, or He gave it to others and they handed it down as an oral tradition, and Job simply confirmed it.

Later Prophets

God used later prophets, including King David, to pen the scriptures telling us specifically that He would not leave the Messiah’s body to rot…that He would physically resurrect his body. “Thou wilt not suffer thy Holy one to see corruption…thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (sheol/hades)” (Psalm 16:10) Remember that the Hebrew word “sheol”, translated as “hell,” only meant “the place of the dead,” and included the place then called Paradise. He was not going to stay dead, and He would not allow his physical body to rot.

Isaiah 53:8-12 states that after his death and burial, the Messiah would live to see his “offspring”, and that after his death he would be rewarded richly. Both would be patently impossible, without a literal, physical resurrection. Jonah 1:17-2:10 tells us of Jonah’s experience with the great fish (or whale, as some translations say). God intended this passage as a Messianic Prophecy—the prophet did not die: but Jesus did. Jonah spoke from the belly of the fish—not from Sheol. God did not raise Jonah from the dead, any more than He did David , who said similar things. In Psalm 22, No one pierced the hands of David ; But they certainly did pierce Jesus!

New Testament Prophecy: Jesus speaking!

And, in Mathew 12:39,40, Jesus laid hold of that particular prophecy of Jonah as the sign for unbelieving Israel—saying that just as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so he himself would spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth: not in the tomb, but in Sheol/Hades: Specifically, in Paradise, as he promised the thief on the cross.

The companion idea was that it was ONLY three days and three nights. God guaranteed that the Resurrection would happen, and He guaranteed it would happen in a specific way and at a very specific time.

In Zechariah 12:10, the Lord Jehovah—the Creator God—states that the day would come when He would return, and Israel would see him. He said that “they shall see Me whom they have pierced, and mourn for Him as one mourns for his only begotten son…” In that passage we learn that Jesus is

the almighty God,
in the flesh;
eternal by nature, but who
became flesh for the purpose of the Cross (seen in the fact that they pierced Him.)

We see Jesus, in fact: the Resurrected Messiah, confronting those He came to save—unbelieving Israel—after they crucified him. What an uncomfortable situation that will be! And yet, in that moment, he will be confronting a nation which is finally repentant. This still necessitates the Resurrection: the future of Israel depends entirely upon the truth of the Resurrection.

Thousands of Years of Prophetic Credentials

Except for the reference in Matthew, all the above prophecies were in writing, and in the possession of the Jews, long before Jesus walked the earth; but Jesus didn’t leave it at that. He reminded them, and underscored the Resurrection truth. In John 2:19-21 the Jewish rulers demanded a sign, and He said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days!” The Jews thought he meant Herod’s temple, but the scripture says, he was referring to his physical body.

When Jesus comforted the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43), he said, “…today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” (Incidentally, notice that he did not say “in the tomb,” but “in Paradise.”) That doesn’t specifically promise the resurrection, but it does promise a blessed life after death.

The Resurrection is Critical to the Truth of the Gospel!

But the physical resurrection of Jesus and the physical, bodily resurrection of his followers is as necessary to the Gospel as the truth of the Crucifixion. The point is this:

If Jesus was not resurrected, then He was not the Messiah, since it was promised that the Messiah would be resurrected.
And, If He was not the Messiah, then He was not the Son of God.
If He was not the Son of God, and literally God in the Flesh, then He was not the Savior, sent into the world by God,
And His blood could not wash away sin,
And His death was a simple miscarriage of justice, and one more tragedy to add to an already overburdened world.

But in John 10:17,18 Jesus told his disciples that He had the authority to lay down his life, and to take it up again…that no one would take it from Him, but He would lay it down, and take it up again. Now, either that was true, or it was not true! If it is true, then the resurrection happened, exactly as He said it would. If it was not true, then he was either a crazy liar, or a poor deluded fool who was about to get himself killed!

But Jesus demonstrated his power over death by raising the dead—some who were only minutes or hours dead, some were on their way to their grave. And one who had been in the grave for four days. There may have been more…but He gave ample evidence that he was not exaggerating.

What about Our Resurrection?

In John 10:28 He further states that He gives his followers eternal life, and that they shall never perish. Again: either it is so, or it is not so…that is a very powerful promise. If Jesus has the authority he claims to have…and keeps his promises, then the resurrection of his followers is sure to come, as well. Job’s faith will find fulfillment in the person of Christ. Abraham will find the promise complete in his risen Master. And we have something to hope for as well!

Romans 1:1-4 speaks concerning God’s Son, Jesus Christ, saying that he was “Declared to be the Son of God, with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” That means that the resurrection was God’s stamp of approval… God’s signature on the contract… God’s seal; saying “YES! This is my Son!”

In Hebrews 1:8-12 God the Father says that God the Son (Jesus) is the Creator: that He remains the same throughout the ages, and that his years shall not fail. He later points out (Hebrews 10:21) that Jesus has entered into the Holy of Holies through the veil, which is his flesh. And that He has made the way for us to follow.

In 1^st John 5:11-13, it says that God wants us to know that we have eternal life. He says that this life is in the Son of God. He says whoever “has the Son, has the life”…and that those who do not have Him do not have the eternal life He offers.

Resurrection Is Vital Truth!

Can you see how vital the truth of the Resurrection is to the message of the Gospel? If Jesus was NOT resurrected, we are in deeper trouble than anyone has ever thought we were in. It would mean that the person we thought was the Savior was NOT the savior, but a liar, or a self-deluded fool. That is why, in 1^st Corinthians 15:14-19, Paul says that if Christ has not been raised, then:

Our preaching amounts to nothing
Your faith is futile
We are found to be false witnesses of God, because we have testified that God did raise Jesus from the dead,
You are still in your sins (if He is not our saving sacrifice—we have no forgiveness!)
Those who have died, believing in Christ, are forever lost.

He concludes that “If we have hope in Christ for this life only (no resurrection, in other words), then we are of all men most miserable…” (most to be pitied.) Some of the world sees us that way. Most either mock us for fools, or hate us because they first hated Christ.

But the truth still stands: the Resurrection either did happen, or did not happen. There is really no middle ground. We believe it did happen, just as God says. If it did not, then all the rest of our beliefs fade into sad folly, because all of the Christian faith rests upon the Resurrection!

What Can We Conclude?

What shall we do with these things, then? If I already believe in the Resurrection, does it make me believe more? Or make me more emphatic in arguing with others? That is not my purpose in offering these thoughts. We frequently wonder whether it is really necessary to believe all the accounts of miracles in the Bible. Perhaps we wonder whether at least some of them might be pious-sounding forgeries, added after the fact.

The problem with that idea, in this particular case, is that the forgers would have had to go back and change all the prophetic writings of thousands of years of history. If that is what happened, then we simply do not have God’s Word. But, there is no evidence that this has happened: Quite the opposite. There is more evidence to the truth of the Bible than any other document in history.

An even larger issue, provided we are satisfied with the pedigree of God’s Word, is that this particular miracle was predicted thousands of years in advance, affirmed many times throughout history, and re-stated in further prophetic writings. If this one isn’t real, we don’t have a Savior! This is a miracle upon which to stand fast, without doubts.

The Historical Narrative:

Jesus arose from the dead, physically, hours before daylight, by the simple expedience of passing through the winding cloths they had wrapped him in; he folded the napkin from his face, and set it aside, and then transported himself away, by passing through the solid rock. He then waited for the women who would be the first to discover the empty tomb.

There were still sixteen Roman soldiers guarding the sealed (but now-empty) tomb. An angel appeared: He was bright, and fiercely shining, and they all fell— apparently unconscious—then, after they awakened, they fled. But the angel rolled the stone back from the door, and sat on it.

The women arrived, wondering how they would get in to complete the embalming process, knowing that the massive doorway stone was far beyond their best efforts. They found the empty tomb with a new guard—the angel—who said “Why do you seek the Living One among the dead? He is not here!”

Appearances of the Risen Christ

Then Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, and comforted her: And… He sent her, as the first Resurrection witness, to tell his disciples to meet Him in Galilee.

Sometime during that day, he met with Peter, who had some special issues to deal with. Later that evening, he met two of the apostles on the road to Emmaus, and they hurried back to Jerusalem to tell the others. Jesus showed up, just as they were telling about the meeting on the road, and He greeted the remaining apostles as a group, also dealing with the doubts that Thomas had suffered.

Over the next forty days, he revealed himself to many other disciples: in one case, to over five hundred at once. He later met with James, then again the whole group of apostles, just before he ascended back to Heaven. Later, he met with Paul, whom he had chosen to be an apostle as well. (We read about that in Acts chapter 9.)

The Voices of the Martyrs and the Witness of the Spirit

We have the historical witness of these changed lives, the witness of the epistles they wrote, and the voices of two thousand years of martyrs to persuade us. But those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus’s Blood for our Salvation have another witness: We have the indwelling Holy Spirit. So, we encourage anyone who will listen, saying “He is risen! He is risen indeed!”

Of course, we freely admit: If He actually is dead, and his corpse is simply missing, then, as Paul said, we are of all men most to be pitied.

But, He’s Alive! We can see His Glory in the lives of believers around us. We look to His coming with unspeakable Hope and Joy. And we confirm: “He is risen, indeed!”

Lord Jesus, we exalt You for your Holiness and Majesty, and we rejoice before You as our Resurrected Savior! Fill us with the consciousness of Your Presence in our Lives, and Shine through us as we live to Serve You!

Scripture Reference List:

Genesis 22 Isaac (compare to Hebrews 11:17-19)

Job 19:25 My Redeemer lives

Psalms 16:10 Not left to rot

Isaiah 53:8-12 After death, shall see his offspring, and be rewarded

Zechariah 12:10 Look upon me whom they have pierced

John 2:19-21 “Destroy this temple…”

Matthew 12:40 3 days, 3 nights (Referring to Jonah’s prophecy)

Luke 23:43 Thief on the cross…Paradise

Romans 1:4 God raised him from the dead, declared, by that fact, to be his son.

John 10:17, 18 I have the authority to lay down my life and take it up again

Revelation 1:18 he that liveth, and was dead, and, behold, I am alive forevermore

Hebrews 1:8-12 “Thou art the same and thy years shall not fail

Hebrews 10:21 entered in through the veil

John 5:24 Have eternal life now

John 10:29 They shall never perish

1^st John 5:11-13 Know you have eternal life

1^st Corinthians 15:19 we are of all men most miserable…

April 13, 2025April 13, 2025

Do You Know How to Use the Armor of God? (part 2)

The Seven-fold Armor of God—Part Two

Ephesians 6:10-18 (read it.)

Introduction: The Primacy of the Word

Last time we discussed the first five parts of the Christian’s Armor, as laid out in Ephesians 6:10-18. We saw that the first five items are all primarily defensive in nature. We saw that all of the armor is ultimately dependent on the truth of God’s Word. No part of our experience with God can stand, apart from that central concept.

Indeed, Jesus is identified in John 1:1, 14 as being the Word. And again, in Revelation 19:13, it says that “His name is called ‘The Word of God’….” The centrality of Christ throughout the Scripture is no accident. He is the embodiment of God, and the Scripture is the embodiment of Christ.

A Black and White Picture of Jesus

If it helps to think of it that way, the Scripture is a “black and white portrait of the King.” God assures us of its importance all through the Bible. Psalm 119:9 tells us that it is the only way God can change our lives. Hebrews 4:12 states that it is “alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

2^nd Timothy 3:16, 17 assures us that the scripture is all inspired by God. It is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. It is sufficient to thoroughly furnish us for all good works, and,, to make us mature and complete in Him.

But one thing the Word tells us to do is to Pray. Philosophers argue whether prayer can change anything. They reason that, “if God is all-wise and all-knowing, and predetermines the future from the beginning, then why should He listen to humans?” Why indeed? All we can say is: God commands us to pray without ceasing. He says “the fervent effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” You will have to decide whom to believe: Man (no matter how highly educated, or persuasive) or God.

In light of this, let us consider the rest of the weaponry offered to the believer.

Offensive Weapons: The Sword and Prayer

The Sword of the Spirit

This is frequently billed as the “only offensive weapon” in the Christian Armor.” And, from a hasty reading, it might seem so, as it is the only offensive weapon that directly correlates to a part of the Roman armor. God’s Word is frequently compared to a sword. Unlike a firearm, it does not need to be “loaded”…the Word itself is the weapon, just like a physical Sword.

We are to use the Word both defensively and offensively, just as did the Roman soldiers. It can be used to parry a thrust by an enemy, or to pierce the defenses of a human agent of the enemy. We are to bear in mind at all times that humans are not our enemies in spite of the fact that they act the part, and may actively serve our enemies.

Every single one of them is a precious soul for whom our Savior shed His blood. So, when we use the Sword of the Spirit, we do not use it to damage them, but to demolish their defense against God. Another way to see this is: Jesus said “upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” Gates don’t attack anyone…but besieging soldiers can storm the gates of a city. We are to be the army of God, rescuing the prisoners of Hell.

How do we do it? By the Sword of the Spirit and by Prayer. Bear in mind that the Gospel itself is the central theme of the Word of God. When we share the Gospel of God’s Grace; the Good News of the Blood of Christ and his Resurrection, then we are using the Sword of the Spirit to attack the gates of Hell, and to offer rescue to the lost.

How Does One Use a Sword?

Please take seriously the term “sword:” like any weapon, it is made to be used, not argued about. If a mugger stops you on the street, pointing a gun, and you say, “Well, I don’t believe that’s a gun!” The robber will not argue the merits of his gun, nor enter into apologetics to “prove” it is a gun…he will simply pull the trigger! Likewise, when using God’s Word, you do not have to waste time defending its pedigree (though its pedigree is matchless:) just cite the passage, quote the verse, and allow the Spirit to convict the hearer.

The nice thing is that His Word always will have some effect; just not necessarily the one you intended. On the other hand, if you use it unwisely, and cause an unnecessary offense, then you will have damaged another believer, or turned away a person who, momentarily, at least, was willing to hear. So, use the Word wisely, but use it!

It Can Be Used Defensively

Use it to defend against attacks of Satan, the World, or the Flesh. Think back: what was Jesus’ response to the temptations in the wilderness? He responded with God’s Word! He defended against Satan’s attacks with God’s Word. I can defend against verbal attacks by the World in the same way.

A man I worked for once asked me whether Jesus believed in reincarnation. I was a new believer, and taken somewhat off-guard, but I immediately answered “No!” He triumphantly demanded, “Then why did Jesus say that John the Baptist was Elijah?” As a new believer, I knew very little of God’s Word, and didn’t even know Hebrews 9:27, which says we die once, and then we are judged. So, I prayed for wisdom, and thought for a moment.

Then I asked, “Reincarnation requires that one dies and comes back in another body, doesn’t it?” He agreed that it did. I cited the only thing I knew of God’s Word that seemed applicable: “Well, the Bible says Elijah never died!” His face went blank, and without another word, he went back to whatever he was doing. I don’t think he changed his mind, but God’s Word did defend me.

Another Example of Defense

The same man on another occasion, claimed that Edgar Cayce was a prophet. I had never heard of the man, but I had read just enough to know that God demanded 100% accuracy of his prophets, so I cautioned the man that this was the case. He stated with certainty, “Edgar Cayce never missed!” I thought for a bit, and really had no answers, but as I prayed for wisdom, God brought to my mind another idea: I asked, “Did Edgar Cayce ever have a vision of Christ?” He said “Yes!” I asked, “Did he happen to notice his hair color?”

He grinned and said, “Yes! It was red!” I said, “Well, that’s funny, because the only two visions of Christ given in the Bible, before his birth or after his death, he had snow-white hair!” Again, the man was silenced. That was not really my intent, and I was actively praying for the man’s salvation, but he saw me as a nineteen-year-old “pup,” and he deliberately tried to confuse me and disturb my newfound faith. He was not looking for answers at all.

I don’t know what became of that man: After I left his employment, I never saw him again. But it was a very valuable training experience: I learned to use the two “offensive weapons” of the Armor of God, though in defensive mode: I prayed for wisdom, and I used the written Word.

And of Offense

So, what about an offensive use? I recall hearing about a man who, when confronted by a fairly aggressive and argumentative unbeliever, kept saying, “Well; all I know is that ‘…it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment!’ ” He made no attempt to “out-maneuver, out-argue, out-think, or out-fight” his opponent. He made no attacks on him, nor did he try to “shut him up” He simply kept reiterating the fact that death was the inevitable end of every man’s life, and that judgment, just as inevitably, would follow.

The quiet repetition of that fact eventually got the unbeliever’s attention, and he quit attacking and began asking for answers. The result was that he was further convicted by God’s Word, and was eventually saved. I don’t know what happened after that; I hope he ultimately became just as aggressive for God, but I don’t know.

Evangelism is an Offensive Move Against The Enemy of OUr Souls!

There was another time when I thought I was using God’s Word as food, and a healing balm, but the person I was talking to was not a new believer (as I had mistakenly thought) but an unbeliever coming to grips with the claim of God on her life, and her need for a Savior.

While I thought I was offering scripture as assurance of salvation, the Holy Spirit was leading her to Christ with the same verses I was offering as assurance. She finally prayed with me, thanking God for that assurance, and went home. It was two weeks later she told me that that was when she was born again.

I was “too blind to know what was really happening” (spiritual things are largely invisible), but I was faithful to share the Word, and God used it to His own purpose. She kept coming to church, and we had Bible Study with her and her husband at their apartment for many months. They were actively involved in their church since then. I can take no credit at all—I didn’t even know what was going on. All I could do was to hold out the light. God used it to draw her to himself.

God says, “My Word …shall not return unto me void, but will accomplish the purpose to which I have sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) We don’t always even know that purpose…but we can offer His Word, and allow His Spirit to use it.

God Says It Takes Practice!

So: how can you use a weapon you have never learned to handle? God says, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2^nd Timothy 2:15.) If you haven’t deliberately engaged in “sword-training, and sword-drills” just as modern soldiers spend countless hours in weapons-training, exercise, and drills, then how can you realistically hope to use that “sword” effectively when the time comes, and “the moment is now?”

We offer several opportunities for Bible training every week, here at True Hope. There are numerous training books available, as well as online Bible schools—good ones—that you can attend, if you so desire.

Training is Available

Richard Banham and I (and others) were blessed at an early age to have the opportunity to get some formal training. That is fine, but the honest truth is, every single thing we got in those schools is available to every other believer in this country as well, if they are willing to seek it. Proverbs 2:3-6 states that if you make God’s wisdom your treasure—the thing you earnestly seek, as if it were hidden treasure—then He will see to it that you find it. But he clearly states that it comes “from His mouth—His Word.” (What a surprise!)

So, if I want God’s wisdom I first ask for it (James 1:5), and then search His Word daily (Acts 17:11), to find it. And He will be found (Jeremiah 29:13, 14.)

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would “bring to your remembrance all things whatsoever He has taught you.” If that is so, then we need to be in the Word, if for no other reason, so that the Holy Spirit has something to work with. Had I not “just happened” to have read those passages about Elijah, and the passages with visions of the glorified Christ, I would have had no answers for the verbal attack made by a servant of the Enemy.

If I am not in the Word on a regular basis, then I will be weak when the day of the battle arrives. And, most times, we get no warning at all…it is suddenly upon us, and we are either prepared or we are not. The Holy Spirit can’t “bring to your remembrance” something you have never learned. You will either be prepared or you won’t.

So, What About Prayer?

If we do not read carefully enough, it may seem that Paul includes prayer almost as an afterthought. But the fact is, he has already brought up his own dependence on prayer a number of times earlier in this book, as he prayed for the Ephesian believers: giving thanks for them, praying that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened, that they would know what is the exceeding greatness of the Power of God toward the believers, that God would grant that they would be strengthened with might, by the Spirit, that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith, and many other things.

Now he continues the sentence about the “…Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God,” with the command to pray at all times with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. That is not an afterthought—it is a continuation of the command that we clothe ourselves in the armor of God. This is both a defensive and an offensive weapon just as is the Word of God.

Prayer is one of the Weapons, Too!

God says prayer matters. He cites many examples throughout the Old and New Testaments where people brought their daily lives to God in prayer, and, as a result, when a crisis came, they were already at home in His presence…they prayed confidently, knowing His power and His goodness, and they received what they asked for because, daily, they had been conscious of His working in their lives, and were asking in accordance with his observed will and direction.

We can pray for intervention; we can pray for relief; we can pray for provision. We can offer confession of Sin, so as to clear the way for real intercessory prayer, as priests in the Body of Christ. We can offer Worship and adoration as the joyful recipients of His Grace. We can offer supplication, praying for other people’s needs as well as our own.

Giving of Thanks is Part of Prayer

We can offer Thanksgiving, as we recognize the reality of answered prayer and constant provision. We can offer thanksgiving for prayers that were denied, as they probably protected us from an unseen hazard, or provided for some better thing, later on. We can thank God for hard times, knowing that they strengthen us for the battles yet to come.

We can use God’s Word in prayer, recalling His promises. This is not “trying to twist God’s arm.” so to speak …(don’t bother trying…it can’t be done.) He is God…we are His creation. We do not command God. He commands us, and we either obey or fail to obey.

Conclusion: USE IT!

Our Armor, then—all of it—depends on the Truth of God’s Word, and demands that we very deliberately and specifically place our faith on His provision for our safety and strength.

We gird our loins with Truth as we continually place our dependence on His Word.
We prepare ourselves in the Gospel, especially the Gospel of Peace, as a continuing training, so that we will always be ready for sure-footed service.
We protect our hearts with the Breastplate of Righteousness, as we rest in His righteousness, not our own.
We constantly are on guard with the Shield of Faith, actively believing God for his presence and guidance.
We protect our minds with the Helmet of Salvation; knowingwe have eternal Life, and knowing we are kept by His power, not our own.
We daily take up the Sword of the Spirit, as we actively seek to master the use of God’s Word for every need in our lives. Finally,
We earnestly seek God’s face as our Commander in Chief, in daily, moment by moment Prayer, for ourselves and for others; in Confession, Adoration, Supplication and Thanksgiving.

How is your armor “fitting?” Does it feel heavy? (It really shouldn’t.) That is a great thing about the armor of God…it is uplifting. If you are wearing it, and wearing it faithfully, all your other burdens become lighter.

Make the armor of God a daily priority in your life, by feeding daily on His Word, and consciously clothing yourself in His protection every day.

Lord Jesus, draw us deeper into your Written Word, so that we may be drawn deeper into a living relationship with yourself, the Living Word. Arm us against our enemies, for the sake of your Name. Amen.

April 5, 2025April 5, 2025

Do You Know How To Apply The Armor Of God?

The Seven-fold Armor of God—Part One

Ephesians 6: 10-18 (read it.)

Introduction:

We recently studied Ephesians 6:10-13. There, we saw that we were to find our strength in the Person of Christ, his indwelling Holy Spirit, and that He has sent us to live in this World as lights in a dark place. God tells us “stand against the enemies of our souls, and do not be dismayed by the evil in the world.” We are to announce the judgment and the salvation of God, as His Ambassadors.

As we move on, and learn about the Armor of God, we see “seven” pieces of armor listed. We often associate the number seven, in scripture, with “completeness” or “completion.” The final Judgments in the Revelation come in three waves of seven, nested within one another.

We talk about the “Last Trumpet” ending the reign of Man on Earth. It is the seventh trumpet of Judgment on the Earth, during the great Tribulation. There are many examples of such “things”sevens,” Old and New Testament. I don’t want to overemphasize it, though, because, as they say, “sometimes seven just means one more than six.”

However, in this particular case God has offered us something, and it is a perfect gift, as mentioned in James 1:17 “Every Good gift and every perfect Gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” So, while I do not want to “overemphasize the number seven;” in this case, it seems to bear out what Paul says about the armor—it is the “whole” armor of God…it is complete in every way.

Five Primarily Defensive Weapons:

First things first: (v. 14) “Having your loins girt about with truth”

As a small child learns to dress himself, he learns very quickly that we put on our various garments on, in a specific order. You can’t put your shoes on before your socks, for example. Well, the first thing God says is that we are to “stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth….”

Consider the Truth of God’s Word to be a belt. If you watch a carpenter’s crew gearing up for work, you will see that one of the final things they put on is their tool belt. It holds all their hand tools, and frequently a few pounds of nails, screws, or other fasteners. But it goes on last.

The Truth of God’s Word is similar: It upholds everything else. Without the truth of God’s Word, nothing else in the Christian Life is valid or helpful. This belt, unlike the carpenter’s tool-belt, however, comes first. God says to “gird up our loins” with the truth of God’s written Word. It is the foundation for all the rest of the armor, and it must be put on first.

Everything Depends upon the Truth of God’s Word

All of our existence as believers depends on this one thing: God’s Word is True! It either is, or it isn’t. We are not looking at a smorgasbord, from which we are to choose what to believe. There are certainly many parts we understand poorly, and probably some we don’t understand at all. (Daniel complained about this, in Daniel chapter 12. The speaker told him that that portion was not for him, but that it would be understood by the people of the end times.) But it is all “God-breathed”—”God-inspired.” It is all true!

Bear in mind that the door to the truth is the will, not the intellect. It is very seldom possible to “argue” someone into believing. Ultimately, we recognize that we have a choice to make, and we choose, either to receive the voice of God, or to reject it.

After I chose to believe God’s Word, I had to depend on Him to give me more information to confirm that choice. I discovered that, once you begin looking for the “fingerprints of God” in your life, believing that His hand is at work, you will begin to see His hand everywhere. God has big hands, and He leaves big fingerprints.

What if I don’t Believe the Whole Bible?

But if you decide to deny him, there will always be a plausible doubt—a reason not to believe. Ultimately, it requires more faith to disbelieve God’s Word than to believe it, as there is such an super-abundance of evidence in His favor. If I choose to doubt, then I must believe in my own wisdom, for which I have a lifetime of evidence that it is not worthy of faith.

Or, I may believe other humans: “wise men” who continually give me reason (via news stories, and governmental decisions, and scientific community shenanigans) to know that their wisdom is no better than mine…maybe worse. So, the choice is clear: I either believe the Word of One whose track-record is perfect, though sometimes mysterious, or that of humans who continually make bad decisions.

If my confidence is in God’s Word, then the rest of the Armor is at my disposal. If not, then I have nothing. In similar fashion, the Ancient Roman soldiers attached much of their armor to, or suspended it from the belt. They secured the belt, first: If the belt failed, the breastplate fell away, and the sword sheath would be gone. Choose to put your daily, living Faith in the truth of God’s Word. He is worthy of your faith.

How to Protect the Heart: The Breastplate of Righteousness

The Breastplate, of course, is just what it sounds like—a plate, or shell, to cover the chest and abdomen from a frontal attack. The Roman soldier was primarily a foot-soldier, and when facing enemy soldiers, his vital organs needed protection from swords, spears, etc. …and primarily from the front. He wasn’t supposed to retreat.

God says that the Breastplate in the Christian’s armor is Righteousness…but not the righteousness of the believer, primarily—the believer is too fallible for that to hold up for very long. Where can we get a righteousness that will hold up under the attack of Satan? And how will it protect the heart of the believer?

Where Do We Get the Breastplate of Righteousness?

Turn in your Bible to 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He hath made Him (Christ) to be sin for us, who (Christ) knew no sin, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in Him.” That is the only righteousness on which we can depend…the Righteousness of God, imputed to us through the Blood of Jesus. Genesis 15:6 says “Abraham believed God and He (God) counted it to him (Abraham) as righteousness.” That is our only source of Righteousness. Paul says, in Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

When our conscience accuses us, and Satan chimes in, condemning us for the sins of the flesh and of the mind, we can rest on the righteousness of Christ. “Yes I am a sinner! That is why Jesus went to the Cross! His blood paid the price: The full price for my sin. I have become the Righteousness of God in Him.” Do I consciously “feel” that way? No!

Feelings are not Reliable

My “feelings” are bound up in my experience, and my daily experience tells me that I am a sinner. The fact, however, is that I am now in Christ, not in the flesh, and His righteousness has become mine. God no longer sees me in my old sin nature. It is vitally important to grasp this truth, because without it you will constantly be under attack from the enemies of your soul: They will tell you that you are “not good enough” to be a child of God, much less His Ambassador.

Our defense against this sort of attack, whether from our own flawed conscience, or the world, or Satan himself. is to freely confess that on our own we have NO righteousness, but that in Christ we are completely Holy and Righteous, just as He is. That is hard for me to imagine!

Fortunately, I do not have to imagine it: turn to Ephesians 4:24. “…and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true Holiness.” Notice that it says that this New Man is “created.” The person in focus, here, is not the indwelling Holy Spirit, but the new nature of the believer. The Holy Spirit is God…He is not a created being. But the person who has been born again is a new Creation in Christ (2^nd Corinthians 5:17.)

And that new Man, the new nature of the Born-again believer, is created in Righteousness (Christ’s Righteousness!) and true Holiness. Wow! What a powerful statement about our position in Christ. That is why we can say with confidence, that in Him we are secure forever! That is why we can use the Breastplate of Righteousness—Christ’s Righteousness, to protect our hearts from the attack of the Evil One.

What About Shoes?

A soldier can only fight so long as he has firm footing. God calls us to prepare our feet with the “preparation of the Gospel of peace.”

The Roman army issued its soldiers a pair of hobnail sandals. He strapped them on before battle, or whenever he was on duty. They were sturdy, and solid. The sandals were made to be of maximum durability, strength and secure footing: Not necessarily for comfort. Armies today issue similar footgear to their soldiers: durable, with good all-terrain traction, and (in jungle climates) breathable fabric, to avoid excess moisture and possible fungus infections.

We are to constantly be preparing for service by reading and reviewing the scriptures, and specifically the “Gospel of Peace.” How does that differ from the Gospel of Grace? Effectively they are one and the same. Nearly every Epistle in the New Testament begins with the phrase, “Grace be unto you, and Peace…” or something very similar, within the first verse or two. And it always comes in that order: Grace, resulting in Peace.

At Peace WITH God!

When we believed the Gospel of Grace, we were made new creatures in Christ, and, whether we are aware of it or not, we are permanently at Peace with God…He is no longer at odds with us, as He no longer sees us in our sins. Romans 5:1 says, “Being justified (declared righteous) by faith we have peace with God. We don’t have to seek it. Peace with God is eternally ours!

Having the Peace of God is another matter. We confess our sins and cast our cares on Him to have the peace of God. We have the peace of God when we are walking in the Spirit, and casting our cares upon Him because He cares for us. Philippians 4:6, 7 says that we are to be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, we are to make our requests known to Him, so that the Peace of God can be our daily experience. If we don’t, it won’t!

The firm footing from which we can offer eternal life to the lost, and upon which we stand against the enemy, is the fact that we are permanently at peace with God. We are no longer his enemies, and never will be so again.

And The Shield?

We are told that, above all, we are to take the Shield of Faith, with which we shall be able to quench all the flaming darts of the wicked. All who are Born Again have experienced saving faith. We are saved by Grace, through Faith in His Blood. (Romans 3:25) There is no other way offered, though many false teachers propose “alternate routes.”

But the living faith, mentioned here, is our daily dependence on God for wisdom, protection, guidance, and strength. This concept has been taught from earliest times, in both the Old and the New Testament. Gideon was told, “Go, in this thy strength: have I not sent thee?” Solomon taught, (Proverbs 3:5, 6) “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path.”

Omni-directional Defense!

Doubts can be thrown at us from any of our enemies. The World constantly heaps doubt on the Christian, either flatly denying the truth of God’s Word, or calling into question the character of God and His followers. Our own flesh, the most devious of our enemies, does the same thing, saying, “Well, that doesn’t feel right…I’m not comfortable with that…” But (again) our feelings are not reliable indicators of truth. God’s Word is!

Our comfort or discomfort are also not reliable as indicators of truth. Our old sin nature will never be comfortable with God’s Word—it cannot be, according to Romans 8:7. So why should I even consider its claims? Satan will use any means available, to cast doubt on God’s Word. Remember how he used the serpent against Eve: “Yea, hath God surely said…?” and “Ye shall not surely die…” Satan begins by casting doubt on the Word, and then calls God’s character into question. He first suggests that perhaps the Word is not reliable, and then flatly calls God a liar.

All of these sources of doubt stem from the Evil One. Our defense against all of these attacks is Faith. It does not matter how I feel about something: What God says is what matters.

It does not matter what the World says about God—they have already rejected Christ and His Word: They are an incredibly unreliable measure of truth. And, ultimately, if our confidence is in His Word, then we need not fear Satan’s “flaming Darts of doubt,” however he delivers them: We will meet them with the Shield of Faith!

The Helmet—Protecting the Mind

The pieces of armor are all tied together by a common theme: The truth of God’s Word, and the secure position of the believer in Christ are the reason they all work. What can we do to protect our minds? The heaviest doubt or fear, particularly for a young believer, is that somehow we can lose our salvation…that somehow we have not done enough, and that God will abandon us.

Little children, toddlers especially, frequently fear separation from their mothers. Even older children sometimes fear abandonment, especially if they come from a broken home, or have gone through foster homes and adoption at a later age. The Christian is under attack from Satan in that same vein. He whispers, “Well, that was too much for God, brother! You have sinned your way out of Grace, now, sister!”

Sadly, this idea is even taught in some churches. How can I possibly put on the Helmet of Salvation if I am not sure I am saved, and/or I am not sure that I cannot lose my salvation? How can my mind be free to serve Christ, if I am constantly focused on “working to keep” something that I cannot lose?

There are two things to bear in mind here:

God the Son (Jesus) says you can have eternal life today: You do no have to “wait ‘til you die” to find out if you have it. (John 5:24)
God wants you to know that you have it. (1^st John 5:11-13)

Rest in the promise of God, believing His promise regarding your salvation. Then you will no longer be subject to Satan’s attacks on your mind. You are wearing the Helmet of Salvation!

Next time we will talk about the offensive weapons in the Christian’s armor.

In the meantime, please meditate on the five defensive weapons God has given you, to defend against your enemies, and be at peace. If you want to read ahead, consider how the Word of God and Prayer can be used as offensive weapons.

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk with Him and firmly stand against your enemies.

A Letter to the Children (Part 8)

1st John 3:7-16

Examining The “Other Side” of John 13:34, 35

There are Different Sources of Wisdom

Self-Will-Sourced “Wisdom”

Crowd-Sourced “Wisdom“

False Brethren

Origin of All Humans

In What Way is the Church Different?

So, What is the Primary Command in Question?

Believers can Fail in this, too!

The Love of the Brethren as a “Litmus Test”

Notice Two things:

First,

And,

Second:

Jesus Commands us to Go!

A Letter to the Children (Part 7)

Amazing Love

My Apology and Explanation

Historical Examples

A Translation Example

Why would that matter?

Result of the New Birth

A Personal Example

What Can Entangle Our Feet so that We Fall?

So…What is Sin?

Yet Another Translation Example

Behold the Lamb of God!

The Impossible Call of God

A Letter to the Children (Part 5)

What Does it Mean to Be a Child of God?

1st John 2:12-17

Introduction: Bible Terminology Regarding the Children

The Letter to the Children

Positional Truths

Condition, in Contrast to Position

Fathers and Young Men

Back to the Children

What About the World Around Us?

World System of Thought and Values

Three Weapons Satan Has Used throughout History

Modern Experience

A Letter to the Children (Part 3)

1st John 2:1, 2

Introduction:

So, What is an Advocate?

Serious Charges

The Father is Not the Judge

So, What is a Propitiation?

The Result: A “Legally Dead Man!”

Jesus Died For the Whole World

He Bought the Whole Field!

He Paid the Whole Price!

The Offer is Good!

Every Mouth Will Be Stopped!

A Modern Example

Redemption

What is Confession, and What is it Not?

Introduction:

So, What is Confession?

What is the Root?

Deceit and Theft

What Kind of Confession Does God Require?

Make No Mistake: This Applies to YOU!

Who is “Us?”

How Does God Feel About Sin?

Do You Understand What we are Confessing?

What About Joy?

Conclusions…

What is “Not” Confession?

Maturity is Complete Dependence!

Studies in 1st John: a Letter to the Children (Part 1)

Introduction:

Five Objectives

Chapter 1

John Introduces His Grand Topic: Jesus, the “Word of Life”

The Fellowship Objective

The Joy Objective: “That Your Joy May be Full”

Fellowship with Others and with God

1^st John 3:7-16

1^st John 2:12-17

1^st John 2:1, 2

**The Father is Not the Judge**

**Do You Understand What we are Confessing?**

**The Joy Objective: “That Your Joy May be Full”**

**What Breaks Fellowship With God?**

**What is the Overall Mission of the Church—Our Reason for Existing?**

**The Resurrection: Is it Real, and How Does it Affect You?**