January 2

Genesis 2; Matthew 2

Genesis 2

Ready:
The epic story has begun and the main characters have been described.  I know the most critical thing I can know about mankind- we are created. 

Reading Thoughts:
Here God reveals a physical kingdom over which he rules and directs.  He elaborates on what he previously stated very simply about the creation of man and woman.  Perhaps here he is expressing more deeply the concept of headship and role.  He establishes his own role as the lawgiver who reigns and leads and provides and protects his people. 

The theme seems to be this- As creator, God has role of King, provider, protector, and law-giver.  God assigns roles to us as well (as subjects in his Kingdom).  Man has a role in marriage of namer (leader), worker (provider), keeper (protector), and cherisher (lover).  Woman has a role of helper (supporter), and companion (intimate partner).  Motherhood is not mentioned yet.

The key verses are here-

“15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,” (Genesis 2:15–16, ESV)

“18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”” (Genesis 2:18, ESV)

“24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:24–25, ESV)

Rumination Thoughts:
     v1-3. There is an important beginning here where God announces that the pinnacle of the creative process is rest.  Holiness is first presented here and is expressed in separation from effort and labor.  Holiness is resting in the goodness and completeness and perfection of the work of God.  This is the fitting conclusion and a picture of “sabbath rest” and holiness that we hope for in our bodily redemption.
     v4. Here is a phrase that repeats in this book in stages as he describes significant portions of history.  From reviewing the study bible intro I see that here you are introducing the pre-Abraham history of the world.
     v5-9.  Here Lord I see that you describe that there is something missing in that there is nobody to work the land and that you first created the Kingdom and established your rule and then introduced the subject or the next character in this drama.  You change the description from speaking to forming here with man.  Though later you mention forming beasts of the field it is here at man that you make the change.  And as was determined in Genesis 1, you made man in your image.  This seems to be a clarification or expansion on the briefly stated creation account in the previous chapter.  You mention the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and it seems that these trees (at least the knowledge tree) were only meant as a delight to the eyes, and not for food.  The remainder of the trees were good for food and at this point there is no command given to the man except that he has been introduced to this setting.
     v10-14.  Here you describe the location of the garden where you placed the man.  The land seems to be rich.
     v15-17.  This is a big shift here in the story Lord because here in this passage you give charge to the man in your role as King and law-giver and protector.  You chose where the man would be placed in your creation and you tasked him to work the ground for survival. He was to work and keep this garden and all that was in it.  You gave him great responsibility at this point.  You then immediately followed this with a command.  The command was to enjoy all of the fruit except for the one that would hurt the man.  You gave warning and you made clear the penalty of disobedience.  You have issued a mostly horizontal command to take care of the creation and a very vertical command that the man obey you with respect to his conduct for his own good.  I see the introduction of the rule of faith here.  Hidden in this is the understanding that it is Adam’s trust in your faithfulness to do precisely what you say and to be truthful in your words.  Adam is charged to have an obedience of faith as Paul will describe much later in Romans. 
     v18-20.  I see in this section Lord that you setup for the introduction of woman.  You surprisingly announce that something about the creation is “not good”.  There had been nothing but good until this point Lord and now the question comes up of why this is not good and why you did not recognize it or announce it immediately.  I suppose O God that in your omniscience you knew very well from before you began that man needed a woman to complete this picture of humanity but the delay must have been for Adam's own understanding. You may be presenting a picture here to us of how you reveal truth.  You chose to show this man his need before meeting it.  You chose to give him clear example and indication of the lack and what failure to have a companion like himself would be like. You gave him experiential knowledge of what a lack of provision would be like.  I believe this concept can be important and serves to help understand why you allow sin and suffering O God.  I am thankful that you allow us to know what a benefit we have in you and that we are not completely blind to the amazing blessings that you bestow upon us.
     v21-25.  Here you do something entirely different again.  The creation of woman is not by speaking and it is not from the earth.  You create now from the man and we know that woman is of the same nature and therefore also in the image of God and of equal value, though not the firstborn. Adam rejoices and finds that this as the way in which you were going to meet his determined need. He gives a general name to her as he had named the other creatures but he does not give her a personal name.  So far he does not do much different in so far as headship than he did with the animals.  The phraseology is the same in how you “brought them to the man” for naming.  You “brought her to the man” the same way and you establish the authority of this man in the marriage relationship.  The man will leave the safety and provision and guidance of his home and he will hold fast to a woman and become one flesh with her.  The man here steps away from the protection and feeding and guidance of his father and he takes on this role in his own family now.  Interesting here that you describe this although they had no physical parents.  You here make a statement of principle and you declare that you want us to see in this story that you are establishing something for all time. You have created marriage O God.  It is between a man and a woman and you have done it.  You made them and you presented her to him.  Finally I see that they are without shame although they are completely naked and vulnerable before one another.  It seems that there was no stain of sin yet and no knowledge of guilt or shame. Naked and unashamed is a picture here of a wonderful healthy marriage where the two are trusting in God and are busy looking upon and seeking to bless the other and where they do not question or challenge the roles and responsibilities and the design that they have been given my God.  Shame I take for a sense of negative impact from self exposure.  This being embarrassment or disappointment or other realization of a weakness or failure or evil that is now known to others and quite plainly a reality.  They have no shame Lord because they are obedient and they are under your authority.  This can be one way that you announce that this couple was without sin.

Response:
Lord I am thankful that you give us such insight into yourself and into what it is that we are “made of”.  I thank you that you chose to make us and that you reveal yourself and that you give us such instruction and that you setup a system of relationship with a specific design and that you describe it as beautiful and as fulfilling and as selfless.  I thank you for the category or model of exposure to lack or to an opposite in order to sweeten the understanding of what provision looks like Lord.  May this serve me well and may you be glorified for all time in all your purposes.  I thank you for the clear statements of responsibility and role that guide and direct.

Reaction:
May you cause me to walk in my marriage as you intend Lord that I would not be ashamed of my attitudes or thoughts or words or actions but that I would surrender to you and would honor you and would bless my wife in all I do and that I would not be looking out for Jeff in this marriage or family. Let me be mindful Lord that I follow your direction and that I keep within the design that you have for this life and for my marriage and how the relationship I enjoy with Nicole is far different than with anything or anyone else.  Let me honor this relationship above all other human relationships.  Let me today see you as a speaking and revealing and giving God who cares and provides and who guides and protects.  Let me not see circumstances as out of your control but as perfectly under your control and let me find the ways that I am to submit to you in all things to the glory of your name.

Matthew 2

Ready:
The story of Jesus began, in Matthew’s telling, with both a divinely royal and humanly royal line that is unspoiled by the seed of Adam.  The God-man is announced and has invaded humanity to save us from our sin.

Reading Thoughts:
This chapter tells the story of how three wise men (or Kings) from a far land came to worship the Messiah (the King of the Jews).  These men saw the sign of the star and recognized it since they were familiar with Balaam’s oracle in the book of Numbers.  They showed up in Jerusalem and inquired with Herod.  Herod was clueless and when he learned of the prophecy that a ruler would be born in Bethlehem and he determined that the wise men saw the sign something less than two years earlier, he determined to find and kill the Christ child.  The wise men found Jesus and Mary in a home in Bethlehem and Jesus was probably at least 40 days old but less then two years old.  They did not help Herod and Joseph was warned to take Jesus to Egypt quickly to avoid Herod’s search.  Herod killed all the young toddlers in the region in effort to do away with this Messiah.  Once Herod was dead Joseph was led to return to Israel but he took Jesus to Nazareth (where Mary and Joseph lived previously) for safety and there Jesus grew up a Nazarene.  Multiple prophesies are fulfilled in this chapter.

The theme seems to be this- The sovereign God of the universe works his mighty counsel and guides the events of history precisely as he has previously determined and declared so that his Son will perfectly fulfill the work he came to do.

Rumination Thoughts:
    v1-2.  Here we learn that a prophecy concerning a star coming from Jacob (Israel) would mark the arrival of the Messiah.  These wise men came from the east somewhere and wanted to worship the newborn King of the Jews.
     v3-8.  Here we learn that the Jews were aware of the prophecy in Micah that located the birthplace of the Messiah in Bethlehem…only 6 miles from Jerusalem.   Curious that the wise men knew the oracle of Balaam but were unfamiliar with the prophecy of Micah about Bethlehem.  I also see that Herod had malicious intent from the beginning as he didn’t want any part of some new King taking over.  The Romans were rather tolerant of the Jews but if they were to become a political threat this would be a problem.  Herod was a ruthless and violent ruler who had even killed members of his own family.  Interesting that the chief priest and scribes did not go with the wise men to worship.
     v9-12.  The wise men find the Christ child with Mary in a home (presumably in Bethlehem still) and they are overjoyed.  They worship the child and gave gifts to him.  
     v13-23.  The wise men account is brief and mostly serves to create the whole storyline of sending Jesus to Egypt and then back to Nazareth.  It appears that God has a specific plan for where and when and how this Jesus will live and and it appears that God’s purpose in him will not falter. The remaining narrative seems to support this idea and I see the faithfulness and trust of Jospeh as he leads his family and protects his legal child and how God delivers them from harm.

Response:
Lord I see your sovereign hand here and I note that you do not stop the wickedness from happening in this case but that your purposes work even through wicked actions and that you are unstoppable in your ways.  You determined that your Son would glorify your name in a life of submission and suffering and that he would make it to the cross of Calvary and you would ensure that this is exactly what happened.  Jesus was the God-man but as every other man, was helpless except for the provision of his parents during his youth.  We have a savior O God who knows weakness and knows human nature and knows what it is to be helpless.  You control the stars in the sky and the desires of wicked hearts and the actions of your people and the intentions of men from afar.  You work all things according to the counsel of your will (Eph. 1:11) O God and I thank you that you put your omnipotence to work for the good of your people every day (Eph. 1:19, Jer. 32:41, Psalm 31:19).

Lord I also see some categories presented in this story.  I see believers (wise men), I see unbelievers/scoffers (Herod) and I see those who know about you but do not know you or trust you or surrender to you (Chief priests and scribes).  These people behave differently and teach different lessons.

Reaction:
Let me trust that you will do what you say at all times and let me not fear when things look out of alignment or when the perfect circumstances don’t seem to be occurring.  Let me recall what you have done here in the life of Jesus and how you remain the omnipotent ruler of the universe.  Let me learn O God to rely on your Word and to search it and to know well what you have revealed and that I would be blessed in the journey and that I would be like a tree planted by streams of water as I send roots deep into your Word.  Let me be one who knows the truth and who takes action upon it and is therefore a doer and not merely a hearer like the religious leaders who knew about the Christ but did not watch for his coming or even investigate the report of it.  Let me also not be like Herod who looks out for his own good and who is willing to do violence against anything that would threaten the way of life he wants.  Let me surrender to the King O God and let me go and do whatever you call me to do.

Soli Deo Gloria!

January 1

Genesis 1; Matthew 1

Let's do this men!  Each morning you will find a post here on the day's reading.  Some will be longer and some shorter.  I do not intend that you read these every day but that you might reference them if you have a hard time or if you want to dialogue with one another by commenting on the post.

Thank you Lord for this year and this pilgrimage that you have brought us into together.  May you bless us and draw us in to delight in your Word this year and forevermore!

Genesis 1

  
Ready:
Day one.  Genesis and Matthew are the start of the Old and New Testament and the beginning of this two-year plan. 

Genesis was written by Moses and it reads as a narrative story.  After reading the introduction I see that the theme is creation, sin, and re-creation. This is the beginning of the grand story of God revealing himself to a people that he has made for his glory.  He creates with knowledge that it will take the death of his Son to reconcile this creation that will fall into sin.  It was written around the time Moses brought Israel out of Egypt around 1440 B.C.

Reading Thoughts:
Here God creates all that is and he culminates the work of creation in man. He does this over 6 days and he acts freely and does most of the creating by his spoken Word.  Lord I see that you have order and you created a kingdom with a people residing under your reign.  You give authority and you give responsibility.  You clearly give man all that you created and there is nothing on earth over which man is not to have dominion in this creation.  You have made nothing that is bad or evil in any way.  Your creation was good. Man has a clear role and there is a female counterpart mentioned here that is explained more later.  You blessed them and gave them all the earth!

Rumination Thoughts:     
    v1.  In the first verse is huge revelation of yourself O God.  You come against humanism and any effort of man to assert his power and his self existence.  You declare here in this first verse that we had a beginning and it came precisely when you determined that it be so. Here we see that you were before and that you would have no beginning and in time we learn also that you have no end.  All that is exists due to your good pleasure in making it. You are creator and you are the source of all things.
     v2-25. Here is a repeating pattern of God speaking and God declaring good.  He makes in an orderly fashion and he creates everything in its kind.  Here is not a picture of one kind begetting another kind as in the theory of evolution but a holy and intelligent and purposeful God willing the existence of each creature that he so desires.
    v26.  Here is a break in the patter of God speaking into existence as he now speaks not into the void but he speaks unto himself.  This is a massive shift and here again much about God is revealed.  God is not lonely or sad.  He is a God of community and he enjoys within himself relationship and joy and love and we see in the first chapter of this grand storyline a God who cares and who is in communion.  The trinity is exposed here and there is a conversation in heaven and a consulting between the Father and the Son, perhaps. Remembering that Revelation speaks of a book of the Lamb that was Slain being in existence before the creation of the world (Rev. 13:8) I would say that at this point the Son needed to concede to the Father his joyful willingness to continue with the creation of man knowing all-well that it would put him first humbled in the form of man and then on the cross at the hands of this mankind that is considered here.  Here I see the picture of the Son counting the cost and the Father looking joyfully and proudly at his Son who takes the mission with joy in his heart (Heb. 12:2) and for the sake of the glory of his father.  God creates freely and there cannot be here an external requirement that he create at all.  God could have been happy to let the animals reign upon the earth but he chose rather to give up his Son in order to have a people who would know his glory.
    v26-27.  In the image of God and as man and woman God made them.  God made us like himself in some way that differs from the animals and other living creatures.  He also made man and woman different.  There is a poetic nature to this description in verse 27, by the way the translator sets the type, and the first thing that jumps at me is that the parallelism that is there.  Take the first line as the basic statement and follow it with two clarifiers or call this an action-manner relationship (manner describes the action in more detail).  God created man in his image and this is how he did that.  The second line says that he created him in a singular description and is clearly referring to Adam.  Adam came first and has responsibility.  Then he made woman and they are different and yet something about this relationship between the two relates plainly to the image of God.  The creation of man and the distinctive creation of two beings that are meant to be in intimate relationship with one another tells us of the image of God. God sees Adam as the federal head of mankind (representative).  God’s Son shares this headship role (the second Adam) and will assume it on Christmas day.  God exists in community and enjoys loving relationship.  He give us this as well.  Much study can go into the image of God but community and headship are obvious here.
    v28-31.  Here God gives Adam and Eve responsibility.  Together we were to rule and subdue the earth.  We were to exercise authority over the creation as a good steward and care for what God gave us as a parent expects a child to care for a pet or a valuable toy. God announces that he has made provision for them.  They did nothing and can do nothing to provide for themselves except that God saw it good to make them dependent upon the rest of creation and therefore upon himself for existence.  He chose to give us bodies that require food and sleep and light.  He gave us reminders that we depend upon him clear as day.

Response:
Lord I am thankful that you are a speaking God who not only created us but you revealed yourself to us even here as early as Adam and Eve.  You created from a benevolent love that desired to share yourself O God and not from need of anything whatsoever.  You did not hide yourself and create them in a void but you knew them and you spoke to them and you gave them charge and authority.  You did not make us autonomous but reliant upon you as our provider and our all.  You interact and you have expectations of us Lord.  You blessed us and made us to be happy and fulfilled and useful and you gave us all we have.  I know that this creation you made was done with a view ahead to the New Jerusalem and the glorified bodies that we would have and that you knew the fall was coming before you even made us.  You had in mind the slaughtering of your Son in order to show us the riches of your glory in the power of your grace (Eph. 2:7, Rom 9:23).  You made us with a capacity to chose against you Lord so that we would know all of you and that we would understand and that we would be image bearers with a freedom that would serve your glory (Rom 8:21).

Reaction:
Let me be certain never to put you into a "cosmic power" role within my head but clearly here you are a personal God who gives and who expects.  Let me feel and value this truth that you create in your image and you share your identity with us and you do not leave us like beasts but you grant us understanding and responsibility.  Let me not trivialize the fact that you chose to reveal the full spectrum of your glory in wrath and love and everything between O God.  Let me always be awed by the fact that you slowed and pondered the implications of making mankind and it was your good pleasure to do so even with the cross of Christ in full view (John 10:17-18, Acts 2:23, 4:27-28).

Matthew 1

Ready:
Matthew was written by the former tax-collector who followed Jesus and became one of the 12 disciples.  After reading an introduction I see the it was written between the 50s-60s A.D. The theme is- the story of Jesus, the long-anticipated Messiah who ushers in the Kingdom of God with promise of peace and deliverance for both Jew and Gentile.  The gospels read as a narrative biography.

Reading thoughts:
Initially Lord I see a few things here in chapter 1.  I see a genealogy that should have a message for me.  I see an announcement of a virgin birth and Joseph accepting his role and keeping his betrothed.  I see that their child is to be the Messiah and God himself.  This seems to be the bedrock of the whole account of Jesus and it establishes his divine and human identity, his authority, and his purpose on earth.

Rumination thoughts:
Interesting Lord that in verse 5 you reveal that there are two gentile women called out as carrying the lineage of the Jewish King forward in Rahab and Ruth.  These are the only women mentioned in the lineage.  Mary is mentioned at the end but only by marriage so this is clearly the lineage of Joseph.
    I think the genealogy serves to let me understand that Jesus fulfills the prophecy of the Messiah and he comes to rule on the throne as the God-man, the true King of the Jews. The genealogy can be confusing when I compare it to Luke’s version but I learn of this divine/human reign in comparing the lineage to Jesus from the perspective of Joseph (representative of his kingship as God since Joseph was only his father in a legal sense) with the genealogy in Luke, where you express his kingship as a human in the lineage of Mary. 

Response:
Lord thank you that indeed you are the God-man who came to take upon yourself the role of prophet, priest, and King.  Here in this chapter I see the prophet role in that he is referred to as “God with us” or Immanuel and this tells me that Jesus is going to reveal to us who God is.  God is coming and making himself “with us”.  I see the priestly role where the angel tells Joseph that this child will save his people from their sins.  Joseph would have understood the high priest to accomplish this for him in the ceremonial atonement process each year.  I see the Kingly role in the genealogy being tied clearly to King David. The reference to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob also makes it clear that this Kingship precedes the authority of the first King of Israel as well as King David.  The first verse ties Jesus to Abraham and David.  Abraham was the recipient of a promise and David the recipient of a throne in partial fulfillment of the promise to Abraham.  Jesus has come and established a promised Kingdom that was declared and announced by his cousin John the Baptist!

Reaction:
Help me Lord as I read Matthew in the coming days to see the beauty of my King in the pages of this Gospel!

Soli Deo Gloria!

A Thanksgiving Reflection on Idolatry

BURN THE OTHER HALF!

This is a brief reflection on Isaiah 44:9-20. 

In my prescribed reading for the day I came to this passage about the folly of idolatry and I thought it very appropriate to reflect upon this idea as we approach Thanksgiving.

For what shall we give thanks?

I would imagine that we all intend to be thankful to God for his bountiful provision in our lives and that we rejoice in the salvation that he has given us by his lavish grace.  We receive his mercies anew each day as we wake and we have breath and life and faith.  He is the giver of every good gift according to James 1:17.  We receive an income, we enjoy relationships with those we love, we have convenience in transportation and technology, we can express our intimate love with our spouse (sorry Joshua!), we might have children that bless us in a myriad of ways, and the list of his good gifts go on and on.

But what do we do with the gift and what do we actually value?

The random and unnamed idolator in this passage from Isaiah receives the blessing and provision of God in the form of rain, trees, growth of a particular tree that he desires, fire that warms him and cooks his food to sustain him.  And do you see what his response to this is?  If you have not done so yet, stop here and read the passage.

The fool has attached himself to the gift rather than the giver.  The fool has burned half of the tree and then worships the other half as a god.  This may sound like some random bible story but is this not what we do?  Do I not have a heart that is inclined to receive from God and receive from God and my response is to love the thing he is giving me more than him?  Do I not construct and idol from the abundance of God's provision and serve it rather than serving God?

Do I do this with my work?  Do I do this with everything on the list of things I say I want to give thanks for on this special day of Thanksgiving?

Resolve to burn the other half

Heavenly Father, giver of all good gifts in my life, keeper of my soul and my King- Give me a heart that loves you above every gift you could ever give and a mind that focuses on you and surrenders to you in all things.  Grant me the grace to recognize that you alone are my God and that your provision is meant to bring me to you and not to drive me from you.  Let me be faithful to burn the other half of the log and to share what you have given me with others and to offer up to you sacrifice and love offerings.  Let me not gather up but let me be poured out and help me to receive with true thanksgiving every day and let me seek you first every day.  Let me set down the gift and run to your arms O God with all joy and peace in believing that you are the giver of all good gifts and the keeper of my soul.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Fix My Heart O God, and Then My Situation.

A brief reflection on Psalm 86- a prayer of David.

A number of lessons can be seen in this Psalm regarding how to pray and how to make a case before our creator when we are troubled and needy.  I will cut to the chase on the main observation I took from this psalm...

Read the psalm with this consideration: David's life is in danger.  Ruthless men who do not fear the Lord are after him.  Yet, what is his prayer?  Does David open with a plea for deliverance from his circumstances?  Nope.

Notice that David comes to God acknowledging his need and his poverty in spirit.  He is confessing his weak and troubled heart.  He is first asking that God "gladden" his soul.  He asks God to teach him before he asks God to deliver him from the enemy.  He confesses that his heart is not united in fear of God but that he must be divided in some way and valuing something else...like security and safety and comfort maybe.

David's plea to God if for his heart to be made right and to be joyful and reliant on God.  Then in verse 12 we see that David, in the course of his worship and adoration of God and his pleading for is heart, receives an answer.  God lifts his spirit and David rejoices and thanks God and only then does he move on to ask for deliverance from his circumstances.  Only then does he lay out the troubles he is facing.

Let us be like King David, a man after God's own heart, and let us hunger for God when we are in trouble.  Let us seek to connect with our King and to have a right heart before him when we face difficulty.  Let us come to him seeking to know him and to be known by him before we ask for deliverance from a situation.  The situation will look entirely different when we are right with our God.

Teach us this O Lord and be praised in our hearts and minds-

Soli Deo Gloria!

Find the Knowledge of God!

A Reflection on Proverbs 2

This proverb gives clear instruction on how to find the knowledge of God.  Proverb 1:7 tells us that fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...

“7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7, ESV)

Proverbs 2 tells us how to understand the fear of the Lord and therefore find the knowledge of God...

“1 My son, if you ... 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:1a, 5, ESV)

So this is amazing- Fearing the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and we suffer always from a difficulty understanding this fear of the Lord.  Well, here is the solution!  He gives us directions regarding how to understand this fear that will result in knowledge.  I also suggest that knowledge of God is different than knowledge about God.

Let's look at it in the raw and then we can put it in a simpler list of bullets...

“1 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:1–5, ESV)

So ponder the words above and see if you agree with this list of instructions...

1. Read the Word of God (the bible) [verse 1a]
2. Memorize (or at least remember in some fashion) the Word of God [verse 1b]
1. Especially his precepts (commands or instructions)
3. Listen carefully to what it says (make careful observation) [verse 2a]
4. Desire to understand it (heart level thing here and a huge key) [verse 2b]
5. Ask God to teach you the meaning [verse 3a]
1. Do this with persistence [verse 3b]
6. Do steps 1-4 regularly and aggressively like you are on a treasure hunt (or like you need this to pay rent and to feed your family) [verse 4]
7. Now enjoy the payoff and you will understand! [verse 5]

Go back to the passage and consider the list above and decide for yourself if you see this same thing.  I can attest that reading the bible is one thing...but studying the bible is another.  Let us make a daily habit of studying the Word of God and seeking to find the knowledge of God.

Fearing the Lord and knowing God (I see this as the difference in knowledge about something and knowledge of someone) is the prize in this process.  We can come into deeper relationship and know God's heart and we can daily have a qualitatively different experience with Him.

Now read the rest of the chapter and see what this knowledge of God leads to.  Verses 6-8 alone read like this...

   “6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.” (Proverbs 2:6–8, ESV)

Let us consider how we spend our time and make this list of instructions a part of our every day life.  Let us seek first the kingdom of God and entrust him with meeting our needs!

“31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31–33, ESV)

Will you join me in daily surrender of your time to chase after this treasure of knowing your creator and the redeemer of your soul?

Soli Deo Gloria!

Grace Reigns 4

A continuing study of Romans 5:20-21

See the original post for all the questions we are looking at regarding this passage.

   “20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20–21, ESV)

1.  Why (or how) does sin reign in and grace reigns through?

Looking at how sin reigned in death we see that death was produced in us by sin and this is in our nature by birth.  Nothing must enter in...nothing new is introduced for it was the sin already in us that killed us.

   “8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.” (Romans 7:8–13, ESV)

So sin was already in me (in Adam) and it came to life and killed me (Adam).  Since the fall sin has been a part of my nature and reigned through the death that it produced.  My deadness kept me slave to this sin.

   “1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:1–3, ESV)  

Now the righteousness that grace reigns through is not a righteousness of my own.  The righteousness of God is His and only comes to me by His Son and my union with Him.  So the righteousness by which grace reigns is not something naturally in me like the death that sin brought to Adam and handed down to me.  There is no righteousness handed down to me.  The free gift of grace is not like the trespass- it does not give me an inheritance but instead I must receive the righteousness of God for myself by his grace.

   “16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:16–17, ESV)  

My sin is part of the many and when I receive the abundant grace of God- note that this is more than the common grace to all man whereby he shows mercy and love to all, but now he speaks of abundant grace that actually frees me from death- then I will see that grace will reign in me through the righteousness of Christ.  It is this foreign righteousness that I do not earn or add to that causes the grace of God to reign in my life.  By this righteousness that is counted to me thanks to the faith that has been awakened in me I find new life and new ability to be free from the sin and death that once was my identity.  Now I am a new creation and I now know that there is more to me than meets the eye.  I can see the battle within and I can rejoice that I am freed to begin the fight!

   “22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 4:22–24, ESV)

“2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2, ESV)

   “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

So sin reigned in death because I was born dead and it is part of me, but grace reigns through righteousness because this is a foreign righteousness that resides within me and is counted to me.  Since I am a new creation, however, my true identity is the one that is subject to Christ and I can now starve that old dog of the flesh in freedom!  The bible also tells me that I have become the righteousness of God just as Jesus became sin so there is a powerful and precious bond between Him who resides within me and my soul.


2.  What does the reigning of sin in death tell us about the reigning of grace through righteousness?

Looking at how sin reigned in death we see that sin constantly flowed from within me due to the deadness in me.  Similarly grace works in my life through the righteousness (of Christ) that is in me.  Sin reigned due to this deadness, but I now have life because of the righteousness of Christ in me...

   “10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:10–11, ESV)

So the righteousness of God is life and it is the opposite of the death that ruled in me before I was born again.  Now God works out of me an entirely new life of love that comes from his work within me by His Spirit.  So now just as I was yielding to the death in me before, now I can yield to the life in me and the grace of God reigns in power.  Remember grace is a free gift, not earned.  Grace is also the power of God given to us to accomplish what we cannot otherwise do.

   “19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.” (Romans 6:19, ESV)

Conclusions:
Far from needing to grasp at righteousness I need to rest in the power of reigning grace that God has put in my by the righteousness of His Son.  Far from needing to white knuckle myself into better behavior I need to ask God to keep heaping his grace upon me and I need to yield to this new life that is in me.  I can see the power of God at work in me life if I will choose, in freedom, to set my mind on the Spirit that is now living in me.  This grace is not license to sin, far from it, but it is freedom to love like I could not love before.  "Grace" that causes me to sin because of the perception of forgiveness is nothing but slavery to deception and death in me.  See Chapter 6 of Romans for this.

Thank God that he give us the righteousness of Christ and that we have freedom to live by grace and not according to the old nature of sin and death!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Grace Reigns! 3

A Continuing Study of Romans 5:20-21

See the original post for all the questions we will look at in this study...

“20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20–21, ESV)  

Today we look at the manner that sin reigned in death in order to understand the comparison that Paul is wanting us to see.  There must be something in this reigning that teaches us about the way grace reigns through righteousness.  Grace abounded over the increasing sin to accomplish this "reigning" so let's understand the reigning and then look at the "abounding" to accomplish it later.

So the question...

1. How was sin reigning in death?

Some scripture to help us see the manner in which sin was reigning in death...

“12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” (Romans 5:12–14, ESV)   

“8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” (Romans 7:8–11, ESV) 

“19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” (Romans 7:19–23, ESV)

“5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.” (Romans 7:5, ESV)

The passages in Romans above give us the picture that sin existed first and it brought death by the power of the law's condemnation.  Then this spiritual death spread to all of us because we are untied with Adam by birth into the human race.  We did not start with spiritual life and freedom like Adam did and our sin is only our own since we are not the head of humanity.  This is how our sinning is different than Adam's.  Adam fell but we just continue in the fallen state.  We have been in bondage to a will that is bent on sin since we were in the womb.  We all walk in our choices and are responsible for them but we suffer from the way sin works in us automatically and drives our choices.  Notice how Paul makes the point that now when he sins it is not him (his heart and his true desire) that sins, but it is this old nature that still resides within him battling against his mind.  We once served sin unwittingly as our master due to this death that was in our soul.  Our actions showed the fruit of this abiding death that was the source of our sin.  So some categories to understand how this sin reigns in death-

• Sin was responsible for the death
• Death guarantees the continued sinning
• The disobedience comes as a fruit of death (automatic- not requiring my effort)
• Sin battles against me through this death in my body

So then, what does this teach me about the reigning of grace through righteousness and why "through" instead of "in"?  

This will be for next time..

1. What doe this mean in relation to grace reigning through righteousness?
2. Why does sin reign in and grace reigns through?

Soli Deo Gloria!

God Isn't Hiring Dish Washers

Reflection on Matthew 23:25-26

A quick break from Romans thanks to some thoughts from today's daily reading.  In declaring the seven woes of the pharisees, Jesus makes a wonderful reference to the new covenant and our true and only hope of righteousness...

   “25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew 23:25–26, ESV)

We discussed Thursday that our only hope before God is the righteousness of Christ, not our own.  Even our faith is not the substance of righteousness but merely the access to it by union with Christ.  Here we see the pharisees have not yet learned this and they rely on their own righteousness.

Jesus makes clear in John chapter 6 what is required for of us and it is not that we clean up our behavior and make ourselves worthy of God's favor...

“54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:54, ESV)

This is the cup and the plate we must partake in.   We need Christ and we need his cleansing blood to justify us before God.  We need not only his broken body that took our guilt and shame but his risen and glorified body whereby he offers to save us by his life and delivers newness of life to our souls that we might walk and live as those brought from death to life!

“9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:9–10, ESV)

“4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4, ESV)

So I take from Jesus' teaching here in Matthew 23:25-26 that he refers to the body or the person of the pharisee as the cup and plate.  We can only see cleansing of our hearts by the work of God, not our own work.  We cannot simply white knuckle it and clean up our life while not surrendering to Jesus and not embracing Him in person.  Religion and rules do nothing for us except possibly impress others. Jesus is the substance and the need of our hearts.

Let us eat and drink to our fill and let us be cleansed by the only righteousness that is true.  Let God grant us the righteousness of the Son by our union with him.  Let us abide in Jesus and be transformed by his power and not try to do it ourselves.  The end of self improvement is death...God is not hiring dishwashers.  Remember that the only wages we can earn with God is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We either worship God with our hunger and thirst or we dishonor him with it.  For what do we thirst?  Let us put down the dishtowel and pick up our bible with bended knee.  The only way we can get clean dishes is by dining heartily!  We must come and seek the wine to be poured into our dirty cup and the bread to be broken upon our filthy dish.  Let us dine upon Christ for true righteousness because the Christian life is not a struggle for holiness but a daily fight for joy in Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Grace Reigns! 1 & 2

A Study of Romans 5:20-21

See the original post for all the questions that we will look at regarding this passage...

“20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20–21, ESV)

Today I looked at the first two questions.

1. In what way does the law "increase the trespass"?

Looking at Romans chapter 7 it appears that the law increases the trespass in a few ways.  First, it makes us know what sin is.  It shows us that we have the capacity to sin and it can even arouse in us greater desire to chase it in rebellion.  Second it makes sin clearly wrong and evil.  When sin is made known to be in opposition to the living God of all creation we know that it is not something minor but it is a gigantic problem and it is infinitely evil.  Thirdly it empowered the enemy with a weapon of condemnation and a point of departure to tempt us with.  The law brought a conscious ability to break the law and this was exploited by Satan.

“5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.” (Romans 7:5, ESV) 

“8 ... For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” (Romans 7:8b–11, ESV)   

“13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.” (Romans 7:13, ESV)

2. What kind of "increase" of sin is this?

So this increase in sin is not ultimately something coming at me from the outside but it is sin within me being realized and activated.  External influences, such as the law, play a role in the increase but sin was a powerless capacity lying in wait within Adam even before the law was delivered.  

This passage in Romans 5 shows that Israel's sin existed before the law was given by Moses and points out how our sin is different than Adam's.  Adam had the choice to not sin because he was spiritually alive and good.  Adam was also a representative of all mankind and his sin was granted to us by inheritance.  Today we are born without an ability to not sin (you bust be born again) since death reigns over all.  So the law that Moses delivered pointed to something that was already there and really brought condemnation and warning.  Our sin has power over us even when we don't recognize it as sin!

   “12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” (Romans 5:12–14, ESV)

Yes this seems like a downer message about sin and its reign in our lives but there is great benefit here.  Paul is establishing one side of a comparison that will blow us away in the rest of the study.  Even so, we can honestly reflect on the sinfulness of sin and own up to the fact that it is in us and that we are responsible for it.  We need confession and repentance.  Praise God for his grace that we will see reigns in us who are in Christ Jesus!  A starting point of acknowledging our need is a good place.  The Lord looks upon those and takes residence with those who are humble and contrite and who tremble at his Word (cf. Isaiah 66:1-2).

Soli Deo Gloria! 

Grace Reigns!

A Study of Romans 5:20-21

Paul closes the fifth chapter of his letter to the Romans with this statement about grace...

“20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20–21, ESV)

Chapter five was about life in Christ and how we have peace with God through faith in this Christ.  Remember that the letter originally was not broken into chapters but the translators did this to help us.  Paul seems to conclude this topic, or maybe transition into the next topic (chapter six), with a comparison of sin and grace.

Let's look at this passage and give it some study in order to really get something from it rather than just say, "Hmmm, interesting".  I have come up with some questions of my own here that I plan to answer over the next week or so and I will post my references and answers as I work toward a conclusion on the whole passage.

I may not answer these questions in order and I may not come up with definitive answers to each one either.  Anyhow, let's dig in and chew this passage for the insight and meaning that it holds for us.   Post your thoughts and comments as you study this if you like- may we be encouraged by one another's faith!

Questions-

• In what way does the law "increase the trespass"?
• What kind of "increase" of sin is this?
• How is it that grace reigns?
• What is the relationship between grace and righteousness?
• Which kind of righteousness does he speak of (active or passive)?
• In what manner does grace (through righteousness) lead to eternal life?
• What is the role of "Through Jesus Christ" in this reigning?
• How does the comparison to how sin reigns in death impact this reigning of grace?
• Why does sin reign "in" something but grace reigns "through" something?
• Why does sin simply have an end point (death) and grace has something (righteousness) between it and eternal life?
• What is the main point or principle or doctrine or takeaway from this passage?

Soli Deo Gloria!