Do you pray for the saints?

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:16-20 ESV).

I was praying for my dearly beloved Singapore brother, who by the grace of God leads an evangelistic team somewhere in Singapore. And I was thinking of how I do not pray often enough for them and also for all the saints. There are believers I know personally, who I pray for. But I also sometimes pray in general for all the saints around the world who are undergoing trials, temptations, difficulties, persecutions, and the list could go on. If you have come to the end of yourself, and have cast yourself completely on the Rock of Christ Jesus, and feel the need of the hour, then would you join me in praying for all the saints, especially those who like Paul, need words and boldness to proclaim the eternal gospel of God's grace?

Grace be with you.

Have you believed?

FIRST we looked at how Jesus said we must repent. Second, Jesus said you must believe. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15 ESV). Actually, repentance and faith go together. You cannot believe unto salvation if you have not repented, and you cannot repent without faith. Both of these acts are a result of the work of God's gracious Holy Spirit in the heart. After Jesus performed many miracles, preached sermon after sermon, warned, rebuked, invited people to believe, the Scripture then said, "Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him... Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them." (See John 12:36-43). Why did they not believe? It says, because "they could not believe."

Photo: courtesy of Maria Tomassetti

John the Baptist said, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven." (John 3:27). Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." (John 6:44). Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God..." (Ephesians 2:8). James said, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..." (James 1:17). Peter said, "To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ..." and "...you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." (1 Peter 1:1; 1 Peter 1:21). John said, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God..." (1 John 5:1). Jude said, "...contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." (Jude 3).

It is clear from the Bible that faith is a gift from God. But the question is, have you received faith? Have you believed?

You may ask, "Believed what?" Have you believed in the good news of the gospel? Have you believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world? (John 11:27). That He is God manifested in the flesh? (John 1:1,14). That He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world? (John 1:29). That He is the light of the world, so that whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life? (John 8:12). That Jesus is the only way to God the Father? (John 14:6). That He came from the Father and has gone back to Him? (John 16:28,30,31; 17:8). Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal I AM, the Living One, Jehovah, YHWH, Adonai, the Lord GOD, the First and the Last? (John 8:58; Revelation 1:17-18; 21:6; 22:13). Do you believe that He is the propitiation for your all your sins? (1 John 1:7; 2:2). Do you believe He rose from the dead? (Romans 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:4).

How do you know that you truly believe? Jesus said to those who believed in Him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32). He also said, "Abide in me, and I in you." (John 15:4). Paul said that in Christ Jesus, faith works through love. (Galatians 5:6). Hebrews chapter eleven says faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. (Hebrews 11:1). Chapter twelve says that faith is looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2). James said that faith without works is dead, useless and cannot save you. (James 2:14,17,26). Peter said that you are being guarded by faith for salvation and rejoice in it. (1 Peter 1:5-6). Peter also said that genuine faith is tested by various trials. (1 Peter 1:6-7). Peter again describes faith as waiting according to God's promise for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13). John describes the results of faith as walking in the light; having fellowship with God and Christians; confessing sins; keeping His commandments; walking as Jesus walked; loving other believers; doing the will of God and not loving the world; abiding in Christ and His teaching; doing righteousness; quitting sinful practices; giving to needy Christians; listening to His apostles; not fearing judgment; believing God's testimony about His Son; receiving answered prayers; keeping away from idols. (1 John).

My dearly loved friends, are these marks of faith showing in you? Have you truly believed in Jesus? Have you repented from trusting your own works, your own goodness, your own righteousness, your own faith, your own efforts, your own prayers, decisions, knowledge, self? Have you been "looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith"? (Hebrews 12:2). Do you trust Him who never sinned, who obeyed every commandment, resisted every temptation, believed every word of God, carried every sorrow, was stricken for every transgression, crucified for all your sin, died for your pardon, was buried for you, rose from the dead for your justification, lives so you can have life, removed the wrath of God, went back to the Father, will come again to save, to judge and to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords? Do you believe Him, trust Him, rely on Him, rest in Him? Is He your righteousness? Is He your God, your all in all?

Looking to Jesus,
Penn

Have you repented?

First of all, Jesus taught that repentance and faith are both necessary to be saved. "Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15 ESV). "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (See Luke 13:1-5). He also commanded that this should be preached to all nations (not only Jews), "Thus it is written, that Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations,..." (Luke 24:46-47).

If you believe you are a Christian, but have not truly repented, then Scripture testifies that you are still lost (not saved, unforgiven). "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart [repent] from iniquity." (2 Timothy 2:19). "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24).

The Bible is clear that repentance is more than important, it is necessary. The question I am asking every reader of this post is, "Have you repented?" How do you know if you have?

Here are some test questions:
1) Do you have a deep desire to be finished with sin, because it is the plague and sorrow of your heart?
2) Do you have a passion to abstain from sinful lusts and desires, which war against the soul?
3) Do you have a desire to fight the good fight of faith, even to the death?
4) Do you have a deep desire to never turn back to self-will and self-pleasing ways, but to declare the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light?
5) Do you have a sincere passion to follow the Lord in a path of holiness all the days of your life?
6) Do you have a deep desire to please Him in all of your ways?
7) Do you desire to judge yourself before God every day and live at His feet with a broken heart and a contrite spirit?*

These questions represent only a few of the fruits of Biblical repentance. The important thing is to examine yourself in light of the Scriptures (2 Cor. 13:5), ask God to show you if you have come to Him on His terms, and seek to be found in Christ alone as your righteousness and all in all (Phil. 3:9). If you fail at this point (repentance), then you fail at every other point of salvation and it is good for you to be warned.

*(Questions adapted from Biblical Repentance by L. R. Shelton Jr., pg. 31, printed by Chapel Library)

The Gospel in Romans part 7

Romans 3:9-20

Scripture Text:

Romans 3:9-20 ESV:
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:

"None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they
have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."
"Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.


Study Notes:

Verses 9
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
Well, what do you think Paul has been saying all along? Are Jews any better off than Gentiles? If not, then why not? The reason given for why Jews are not better off than Gentiles, was that both are under sin (v9). The Jews thought that because they had the outward sign of circumcision and the covenant, the Law (the O.T. Bible), that they were better than all the other people of the nations. They thought the Gentiles were the trash of the world fit only for hell, but they themselves were the elect and destined for heaven because they were Jews and had the Law. Paul tells them, "No way; think again. Both Jews and Gentiles are under sin (both are sinners)." That would cause a gasp of terror for any self-righteous Jew to be called a "sinner." Yet that is what Paul said. They are sinners just like the Gentiles. "Under sin," that is, under the power and control of its evil influence; under the guilt of sin; and worst of all, under the condemnation and wrath of God against sin.

Verse 10
"None is righteous, no, not one;
How many are righteous? What does it mean to be righteous? To be righteous is to be morally good; doing right; you cannot be accused of sin or guilt, because you do whatever the Law commands. It says no one is like that. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins."

Verse 11-12
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they
have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."
(This is why no one is righteous).
What do you think they don't understand? What are they supposed to understand?
What about seeking God, why does it say no one seeks for Him? How should someone seek for God?
What does it mean to "turn aside"?
How have they become "worthless"?
What does it mean to "do good"? Why do you think it says no one does good, when we could look around and say, "I think people do good all the time, just look at the hospitals and charities and releif workers... Of course people do good!"?

No one understands. Romans chapter 1 said that there are certain things people are supposed to understand about God (1:19 ). They should understand, but they don't. The reason is because sin corrupts the mind (Titus 1:15). Their understanding has been darkened because of sin (Eph. 4:17-19).
No one seeks for God. It also says that "no one seeks for God." To seek God has to do with humbling yourself to His authority and seeking Him on His own terms (2 Chron. 7:14). No one does that. We all would rather seek God on our own terms (if we seek Him at all). Our hearts have become so self-serving, that we even approach God in whatever way we feel is best, rather than in humble repentance, forsaking our sin and hypocrisy, hating ourselves and turning to God in whole-hearted obedience to whatever He commands. Our proud and self-sufficient natural hearts cannot submit to such humbling terms. That is why it says, "no one seeks for God." Jesus said He came to "seek and save the lost." God seeks sinners.

All have turned aside. Instead of staying on the right path and going toward God, everyone has turned aside and gone their own way. No one walks the right way. (See Isaiah 53:6).
Together they have become worthless. Isaiah 64:6 says, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." A polluted garment is good for nothing, "worthless." Together everyone has become worthless as far as doing anything good or upright or righteous before God. Even the "good" things we do are sin - they are not good at all, because Romans 14:23 says, "whatever does not come from faith is sin." And Hebrews 11:6 says, "without faith it is impossible to please [God],..."

No one does good, not even one. Plain and simple. Man testifies about himself/herself that they are good and do as much good as they can. God testifies about man saying, "Not even one of them does good."

Verses 13-18
"Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
These verses describe 1) their speech, 2) their deeds, and 3) what they lack. 1) They speak deceitful, deadly, poisonous words with curses and bitterness. 2) They are quick to kill, and to cause harm and misery. 3) They don't know how to have peace, and they don't fear [honor, respect, tremble before] God. They may "outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). Jesus said that about the scribes and Pharisees who were very outwardly religious; he said, "So you outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (v28). So we see that even the people who appear to be good are not.

This leads us to the conclusion of why no one can be saved by keeping the law, or by being a good person (which is the point of all that has been said so far).

Verses 19-20
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
1. Why was the law given?
2. What does the law do (what is the purpose of the law)?
First, the law was given "so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God." Since God's standard of righteousness is perfect, and His justice is right and fair, then do you think anyone standing before Him according to the law could object to His judgment? Or could anyone say they didn't know, when God has made it known to them (Romans 1:19,21)?
Second, the reason for the law is not to justify anyone, but to give the knowledge of sin. Anyone who hopes to be justified because of the good things they have done, or because they have obeyed part of the law will be condemned, since the law can only expose how far short they have fallen. And when they stand before God, it will be clear as day that they have never once obeyed the law from the heart out of sincerity, since the law demands absolute and perfect obedience with love and joy (Deuteronomy 5:29,32-33; 6:5; 28:45,47,58; Galatians 3:10).

Conclusion:
Knowing the Law makes it easy to look at other people as void of all righteousness, but it is much more difficult to receive the "knowledge of sin" and view ourselves as totally depraved of all goodness. How hard is it to honestly acknowledge that the best deeds you have ever done are sin, and that they only amount to "a polluted garment," nothing more than filthy rags (see Isaiah 64:6)? What do you think it takes to bring us to the point where we can acknowledge and agree with God that we are not good people? The gospel is only good news to those who have no righteousness of their own and no goodness in themselves. The reason is that Jesus came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). Are you a guilty, hell-deserving, unrighteous, no-good, worthless, straying, lost and condemned sinner? If you consider yourself to be such, then the rest of Romans three contains GOOD NEWS for you! There is pardon, there is forgiveness, there is righteousness for those who believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ. Will you repent (turn) from trusting in yourself and all that you do, and trust in the only Savior of sinners? Jesus says to those who are weary of their own ragged righteousness, "Come unto me..." (Matt. 11:28; 1 Tim. 1:15).

Genesis is not boring... not even the geneologies!

Last night, I read Genesis 1-12 straight through. I was exhausted from lack of sleep, my eyes were red and sore from the attacking plant material (allergies), and my mind was captivated with the amazing drama of creation, Adam and Eve, the fall, God's curse on the serpent and His promise about the Seed of the woman, their exodus from the paradise garden, the children born to them, Abel's righteous sacrifices and Cain's envy and murder, Seth's name and Eve's hope, the corruption of the world, the polygamy-adultery of the mighty men of renown, God's grace toward Noah, the judgment of the flood, the rescue of the animals on the ark, the hope for the promised Seed (Noah was thought to be the One, but turned out only to be a shadow), the covenant of the rainbow, the hope of a new creation without sin, the disappointment of Noah's youngest son, the dispersion of the nations, the meanings of their names, the tower of babel, still looking for the promised Seed (not Seth, not Enoch, not Methuselah, not Noah, not Shem, not Peleg, not Reu, not Serug or Nahor nor Terah), God called Abram and promised to bless the world through him (could Abram be the One?)... to find out what happens next, you'll have to read it for yourself. It's worth it!

"Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:1-3 ESV).

"Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad... Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:56,58 ESV).

Faith

"By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward." (Hebrews 11:24-26 ESV).

Faith is a strange and alien thing to a blind and fallen world. Faith sees Christ as worth the cost of separation, mistreatment, reproach, and loss of worldly wealth here and now, for something far more rewarding in the future. To the eye of faith, Christ is worth it. No faith is like no sight - it sees no worth in Christ as the only true and lasting treasure.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith..." (Philippians 3:7-9 ESV).

Oh Lord, grant me such faith, and let all those who hope in you rejoice! Amen.

The Gospel in Romans part 6

Photo: by Maria Tomassetti

Scripture Text:
Romans 2:28-29; 3:1-20

For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

"That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged." [Psalm 51:4]

But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come? - as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:

"None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they
have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."


Study Notes:
Vv. 2:28-29
For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. This teaches us that a true Jew is someone who has had an inward change, not just an outward one. Our problem is that we have a bad heart. What does a person who has a bad heart need? You could say they need a heart transplant (they need a new heart). This new heart comes by the work of God's Spirit. This passage is speaking directly about Jewish people, who believed they were God's people, and saved simply because they had the outward sign of religion. We saw last week that they were inwardly hypocrites and were causing God's holy name to be profaned and blasphemed because of their hypocrisy. We also saw how Jesus spoke harshly against that in Matthew 23. Now, Paul tells them that a true Jew is one inwardly, with a circumcised heart (a clean heart), by the work of God's Spirit, so that their approval comes from God and not from other people.
Read: Ezekiel 36:16-32
For who's sake did God say He would help the Jews? What were the things God said he would do for them? What do you think it means to have "a new heart"? Ezekiel 36:27 says, "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules [just decrees]." Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again [or born from above] he cannot see the kingdom of God." Then he spoke to Nicodemus about being born of the Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." To be born of the Spirit and to have a new heart, means to become a new creation in Christ. It is a nature issue. Our nature is so depraved, sinful and corrupt, that we need to be made completely new in order to be saved and become children of God.

Vv. 3:1-8
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

"That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged." [Psalm 51:4]

But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come? - as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
Here, Paul began using questions and answers to get us to understand the justice of God. Do you remember back when we were talking about God's righteous and just judgments on those who are unrighteous and ungodly? Then chapter two concluded that those who are Jews and know the Law, are guilty of hypocrisy and will also be judged. So now, someone might ask, "Well Paul, what good is it to be a Jew then? What good is there in circumcision and keeping the Law? What was Paul's answer? There is much good in being a Jew in every way. Especially because they are the ones who God entrusted His words to. Acts 7:38 says they were "living oracles." Hebrews 4:12 says that "the word of God is living and active." The Jews were the people God chose to give these living words to, so they were extremely blessed that way. No other nation was given that privilege Psalm 147:19-20.
What is the next question asked? Does the faithlessness of some people nullify the faithfulness of God? Paul's answer is, "No way! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written..." (Now you know where I get the title of my blog from) Now it gets interesting. V5 says that our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God. (That is the reason there is evil in the world. Evil displays God's righteousness in judging and condemning it by His power and wrath, as well as the riches of His mercy to those He redeems - Romans 9:19-24).
So Paul asks, "Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)"? What is the answer? "No way! Because how could God judge the world [in righteousness - Psalm 98:9 ] if He is unrighteous?" But there are people who might ask this question, and they speak in a human way, because they do not understand God's righteousness. The next two questions Paul said some people were slanderously charging him with saying. What are the questions about? What does Paul say about those who accuse him with saying such things, or for those who would affirm what they say?

How Grace Operates in Salvation - MacArthur

God's grace is a spiritual dynamic that works in the lives of the redeemed, "instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:12). True grace is more than just a giant freebie, opening the door to heaven in the sweet by and by, but leaving us to wallow in sin in the bitter here and now. Grace is God presently at work in our lives. By grace "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). By grace He "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:14).

That ongoing work of grace in the Christian's life is as much a certainty as justification, glorification, or any other aspect of God's redeeming work. "I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6). Salvation is wholly God's work, and He finishes what He starts. His grace is sufficient. And potent. It cannot be defective in any regard. "Grace" that does not affect one's behavior is not the grace of God.

- John MacArthur, The Gospel According to the Apostles: The Role of Works in the Life of Faith, 1993 and 2000, pg. 17

What does "Lordship" have to do with the Bible?

"Jesus is far more than just an authority figure; He's also our highest treasure and most precious companion. We obey Him out of sheer delight."

Lately, I have been reading about what it means to repent and submit to Jesus Christ as Lord. There are people who may not understand this, or who may disagree for various reasons, so I found John MacArthur's books and articles helpful. If you would like to see a good, clarifying article that comes from a Bible blooded man, then John MacArthur has a "clarifying" one here:
Clarifying the Lordship debate (part 1) by John MacArthur