Paul had never met most of the people in the church at Rome but he had a great concern for them and a great desire to see them and strengthen them. Paul’s love for man flowed from his love for God and that caused him to not only love those who were saved, he also had a love for the lost and for their salvation. In this section of Romans 1, Paul was expressing his love and concern for the saints at Rome.
In Romans 1:1-7, Paul shared with the saints at Rome his call which involved his credentials as an apostle and the content of his message. In Romans 1:8-15, Paul shared with the saints at Rome his concern. Paul was doing all this in essence to show the saints at Rome who he was before he showed them his theology. As we study this section dealing with Paul’s concern for the saints at Rome we will see four aspects of that concern. Today we will only deal with the first of these four aspects.
First, Paul’s praise for the saints at Rome (1:8) – what is praise and why did Paul praise the saints at Rome?
What is praise?
Praise is based on truth if it is genuine praise. “[Love] does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6). Praising people for what they are doing wrong deceives them and encourages them in their wickedness. “Those who forsake the law [God’s Word] praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive with them” (Proverbs 28:4). We are living in a day when churches and church members think they ought to always be praised and never should they have someone “strive with them” over their unrighteousness.
The Lord Jesus Christ through the apostle John said to the church at Ephesus, “I know your deeds and your toil and your perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary” (Revelation 2:1-3). So the Lord praised the church at Ephesus for what they were doing right. But then the Lord went on in verses four and five and said, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place – unless you repent.” So here we see reproof and correction of those things that are not praiseworthy. Reproof and correction of those things that are not praiseworthy is based on love just as praise is based on love – “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).
In every epistle but one, Paul expressed praise and gratitude for those to whom he wrote. The exception was the letter to the church in Galatia which had defected from the true gospel and was turning to a false gospel. It was not that the other churches were perfect, which is apparent because Paul wrote most of his letters to reprove and correct concerning wrong doctrine and wrong living. But for those churches that had praiseworthy attributes he was thankful and praised them for that. However, Paul refused to give praise that wasn’t based on truth.
To give you an idea of the day in which we live read this hypothetical situation based on Paul’s letter to the Galatians as to what would be the response to that letter if it were written in our day and published in Christianity Today: If Paul's Epistle to the Galatians was Published in Christianity Today
How popular would the apostle Paul be today in our generation which is screaming for the wicked to be praised and labeling those who would strive with them as unloving, critical and divisive? We shouldn’t have any problem with praise as long as that praise is based on truth. We should have a problem with any praise that is based on lies.
Why did Paul praise the saints at Rome?
“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world” (1:8). Paul praised the saints at Rome because of their faith being proclaimed which would mean that he praised them for their obedience to Jesus as Lord and proclaiming Jesus as Lord. Others could see that the faith of the saints in Rome was the real deal because of their unwavering commitment to obey Jesus Christ in the face of opposition and persecution. The Christians in Rome were under persecution but were remaining true to the Lord - “After these things he [the apostle Paul] left Athens and went to Corinth. And found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome” (Acts 18:1-2).
Faith that does not trust and obey in spite of consequences is not saving and persevering faith. Faith that is not tested in the furnace of trials cannot be trusted and cannot be seen by others. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation” (1 Peter 4:12-13). It is through the perseverance of the saints in obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord while enduring opposition and persecution that their faith is proven to be genuine – “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).
In every instance where we read of the faith of a church in the New Testament that is being proclaimed throughout the whole world, it is in the context of their obedience to Jesus as Lord in the face of opposition and persecution (see 1 Thessalonians 1:2-8; 2 Thessalonians 1:4).
Some churches are known for their fame (Sardis – Revelation 3:1 and Laodicea – Revelation 3:15-17) but are not praised by the Lord. Others are known for their faith. Some churches seek the praise and glory of men – and they use pragmatic methods; they advertise their statistics; and many wrongly praise them thinking that fame is the same as faith.
Some churches seek the praise and glory of God – and they obey Jesus Christ as Lord in all matters of life; they endure persecution and false accusations for Jesus’ name sake; and many wrongly accuse them of having no faith because they have no fame.
Do we want to be known for our fame or for our faith?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Effectual Call of the Gospel
So far in his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul has addressed the credentials of a minister’s mission, the content of a minister’s message, and the goal of the Gospel. Paul was strengthening the faith of the believers in Rome and preparing them for his proposed visit among them. In essence Paul has dealt with the preacher of the Gospel, the Person of the Gospel, and the purpose of the Gospel. He now turns his attention to the privileges of the Gospel. We are going to look at this section dealing with the privileges of the Gospel as the effectual call of the Gospel. We will see that Paul set forth four divine privileges that belonged to the Christians in Rome:
Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ (1:6). First, what is to be the called of Jesus Christ? It means much more than to hear the gospel invitation. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Many are called but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14), and in that sense He was speaking of the general call of the gospel which is rejected by many, but of the few that are chosen He was speaking of the effectual call of the gospel where the once unwilling sinner is made willing by gift and power of God. When the New Testament writers of the epistles spoke of those who are the called, they only had in mind those who had listened to and accepted the divine invitation; they only had in mind those for whom the gospel had been effectual.
The believers in Rome to whom Paul was writing were among those who had been brought to the obedience of faith and therefore were also the called of Jesus Christ. The called of Jesus Christ are not only called to salvation but they are also called to loving, loyal obedience. These believers in Rome and every believer today have been the object of the effectual call of God in order that they could be given to Jesus Christ by God the Father as a reward of His suffering. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). Those who are the called of Jesus Christ are those whom God the Father has drawn to Him for salvation – “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…” (John 6:44). So the called of Jesus Christ are those who through the effectual call of the gospel have been given to Jesus Christ by God the Father and who have been drawn to Jesus Christ by God the Father.
To all who are beloved of God in Rome (1:7a) – next Paul tells these believers that they were “beloved of God.” Every believer has been made acceptable to God through Christ “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Every believer is a child of God by new birth and is loved for the sake of God’s beloved Son. Some one may object and say that all men are beloved of God. However the beloved of God are those whom God has great pleasure in and in that case only those who are in Christ Jesus His Beloved Son are beloved of God.
Called as saints (1:7b) – here the term called is still speaking of the effectual call of God and not His general call. The general call of God goes out to many but doesn’t necessitate, constitute, or guarantee the salvation of all who hear it. The general call of God is His invitation to salvation that He sends out to many through His servants who proclaim the gospel. However, the general call of God can be ignored, shunned, rejected, and even improperly received by those who are invited (Matthew 22:1-14). So we see in the Scriptures that many are called but few are chosen – indicating that the general call of God is not effectual for all who hear it.
The effectual call of God however results in the gospel being the power of God unto salvation for those who believe because they have been chosen by God for salvation. The apostle Paul put it this way after speaking to the Thessalonians about the apostasy and the coming of the Antichrist that must take place before the Lord Jesus gathers His saints to Him – “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). So the general call of God is the effectual call of God only for those who have been chosen by God from the beginning for salvation. So the saved who are referred to as the called are those who were invited through the gospel, made willing by the effectual call of God to receive that which by nature one rejects – namely Jesus Christ as King and his or her self as loyal servants who love and adore the King – and thereby proven to be chosen. Only the chosen are effectually called through the gospel and the gospel is the only way that God calls those whom He chose. God’s choosing and God’s calling go together, for the God who ordains the end (our salvation) also ordains the means to the end (being called through the gospel).
“Called” here is a synonym for the terms “elect” and “predestined.” As Paul explains in chapter 8, those “whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (8:30).
“Saints” is from a word which has the basic meaning of being set apart. As saints we are set apart for God and by God and that necessitates our being made holy and righteous and being separated from or called out from the world. So then the saints are the “holy ones of God.” As saints we have been called and justified. As saints we are being called and sanctified. As saints we will be called and glorified.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1:7c) – the only people who can receive the marvelous blessings of grace and peace are those who are the called of Jesus Christ, the beloved of God, and those called as saints. It is God’s grace that grants forgiveness of sin through the Gospel of His Son and brings peace between God and men. Peace, true and lasting peace is based on purity and that is why grace always precedes peace because grace goes to the frontline and removes the impurity of man’s rebellion so that the war between God and the sinner is removed and replaced with a new relationship and sweet fellowship.
What a mighty God we serve!
Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ (1:6). First, what is to be the called of Jesus Christ? It means much more than to hear the gospel invitation. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Many are called but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14), and in that sense He was speaking of the general call of the gospel which is rejected by many, but of the few that are chosen He was speaking of the effectual call of the gospel where the once unwilling sinner is made willing by gift and power of God. When the New Testament writers of the epistles spoke of those who are the called, they only had in mind those who had listened to and accepted the divine invitation; they only had in mind those for whom the gospel had been effectual.
The believers in Rome to whom Paul was writing were among those who had been brought to the obedience of faith and therefore were also the called of Jesus Christ. The called of Jesus Christ are not only called to salvation but they are also called to loving, loyal obedience. These believers in Rome and every believer today have been the object of the effectual call of God in order that they could be given to Jesus Christ by God the Father as a reward of His suffering. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). Those who are the called of Jesus Christ are those whom God the Father has drawn to Him for salvation – “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…” (John 6:44). So the called of Jesus Christ are those who through the effectual call of the gospel have been given to Jesus Christ by God the Father and who have been drawn to Jesus Christ by God the Father.
To all who are beloved of God in Rome (1:7a) – next Paul tells these believers that they were “beloved of God.” Every believer has been made acceptable to God through Christ “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). Every believer is a child of God by new birth and is loved for the sake of God’s beloved Son. Some one may object and say that all men are beloved of God. However the beloved of God are those whom God has great pleasure in and in that case only those who are in Christ Jesus His Beloved Son are beloved of God.
Called as saints (1:7b) – here the term called is still speaking of the effectual call of God and not His general call. The general call of God goes out to many but doesn’t necessitate, constitute, or guarantee the salvation of all who hear it. The general call of God is His invitation to salvation that He sends out to many through His servants who proclaim the gospel. However, the general call of God can be ignored, shunned, rejected, and even improperly received by those who are invited (Matthew 22:1-14). So we see in the Scriptures that many are called but few are chosen – indicating that the general call of God is not effectual for all who hear it.
The effectual call of God however results in the gospel being the power of God unto salvation for those who believe because they have been chosen by God for salvation. The apostle Paul put it this way after speaking to the Thessalonians about the apostasy and the coming of the Antichrist that must take place before the Lord Jesus gathers His saints to Him – “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). So the general call of God is the effectual call of God only for those who have been chosen by God from the beginning for salvation. So the saved who are referred to as the called are those who were invited through the gospel, made willing by the effectual call of God to receive that which by nature one rejects – namely Jesus Christ as King and his or her self as loyal servants who love and adore the King – and thereby proven to be chosen. Only the chosen are effectually called through the gospel and the gospel is the only way that God calls those whom He chose. God’s choosing and God’s calling go together, for the God who ordains the end (our salvation) also ordains the means to the end (being called through the gospel).
“Called” here is a synonym for the terms “elect” and “predestined.” As Paul explains in chapter 8, those “whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (8:30).
“Saints” is from a word which has the basic meaning of being set apart. As saints we are set apart for God and by God and that necessitates our being made holy and righteous and being separated from or called out from the world. So then the saints are the “holy ones of God.” As saints we have been called and justified. As saints we are being called and sanctified. As saints we will be called and glorified.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1:7c) – the only people who can receive the marvelous blessings of grace and peace are those who are the called of Jesus Christ, the beloved of God, and those called as saints. It is God’s grace that grants forgiveness of sin through the Gospel of His Son and brings peace between God and men. Peace, true and lasting peace is based on purity and that is why grace always precedes peace because grace goes to the frontline and removes the impurity of man’s rebellion so that the war between God and the sinner is removed and replaced with a new relationship and sweet fellowship.
What a mighty God we serve!
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Goal of the Gospel
Romans 1:5.
The Gospel has as its goal the glory of God in the salvation of self-centered, self-ruled, and self-loving sinners which transforms them into God-centered, God-ruled, and God-loving saints – for His name’s sake. Many have wrongly and tragically confused the goal of the Gospel as an endorsement of self-admiration and self-esteem in which the cross is viewed as a witness to man’s worth. However the Gospel does not witness to man’s worth but witnesses to God’s worth – His greatness and His goodness. It is in the salvation of undeserving sinners that God’s grace is magnified to the praise of His glory.
I’m not belittling God’s love for man – I am magnifying it! I am not saying that God doesn’t love man but I am saying that man doesn’t deserve to be loved by God. When you understand this then you will understand that the Gospel is a witness to God’s worth and God’s grace and God’s glory and not to man’s worth or his value. God doesn’t love us because we are worthy of His love, He loves us even though we are unworthy (Romans 5:8).
God’s love is an “out of this world” kind of love. He loves those who are unlovely. He loves those who are His enemies. And it is through His love that He is rich in mercy to those who are dead in their transgressions and makes them alive together with Christ (by grace they are saved). “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1). So it is by God’s grace that we are saved and by God’s grace that we serve Him because the grace of God as demonstrated in the Gospel causes us to love and obey God and not just desire His gifts. So then at the heart of the goal of the Gospel is God – the Gospel causes God to become to us our reward; the gospel causes God to become to us our pleasure and satisfaction and then we do not seek to “use” God for selfish and ulterior motives.
So the goal of the Gospel is not to make us choose heaven rather than hell – the goal of the Gospel is to make us enthralled with the One who saved us from sin and hell and promises us eternal life with Him in heaven. Why do you want to go to heaven? If it is not to worship God the Father and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ then the Gospel has not transformed you into a loving and loyal subject of the King of kings.
Consider with me how God gets glory through the Gospel which transforms men into obedient, God adoring saints:
Through whom we have received grace (1:5a) – grace is unmerited, unearned, and undeserving kindness or favor. Therefore grace is rich in mercy because it is rich in love – an out of this world kind of love. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5). Since grace is unmerited, unearned, and undeserving favor, then no one is saved based on his or her goodness – “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). “But when the kindness of God our Savior, and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy…” (Titus 3:4-5). No man gets glory for his salvation – God does!
And apostleship (1:5b) – Here the apostle Paul includes all the saints – through whom we have received grace and apostleship – the word apostle means one who is sent by authority as a messenger. All Christians have been sent with a message by the Lord Jesus Christ who has all authority. However, all Christians do not hold the office of Apostle. There were only thirteen men who held the office of Apostle but all Christians are expected to carry the message of the Gospel and in that sense all Christians have an apostleship. Just like the office of deacon – a deacon is one who serves – all Christians do not hold the office of deacon but all Christians are to serve others. Notice that it is through Jesus Christ that we receive grace and apostleship – not only does no man get glory for his salvation; no man gets glory for his service – God does! “For we are His [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
To bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles (1:5c) – the Gospel restores that which was lost – our obedience to God. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden they disobeyed God and stepped out from under His lordship and turned to their own way – and so does every person – “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Instead of trusting God with all their hearts, Adam and Eve leaned on their own understanding, and loving and loyal obedience was replaced with wicked disobedience. This is now the state of all men everywhere – we are born with a nature that cannot and will not obey God.
So if man is to be saved then obedience to God must be restored. Man’s disobedience (sin is lawlessness) must be paid for and must be removed and loving, loyal obedience must come in its place – salvation is a matter of lordship!
To belong to God in a saving relationship is to be restored into an obedient relationship which is submission to His lordship. As John Macarthur said, “A theology that refuses to recognize the lordship of Jesus Christ is a theology that contradicts the very essence of biblical Christianity” (Romans 1-8, page 25). There is no such thing as Jesus being one’s Savior if He is not his or her Lord. If one’s loving, loyal obedience has not been restored then that which was lost hasn’t been restored and therefore salvation hasn’t taken place (Luke 23:39-43).
I want you to think about and understand this truth – obedience of faith is obedience from the heart based on trust which is based on love. The claim to obey without trusting is legalism! The claim to trust without obeying is libertinism! To trust and obey based on love is loyalty! One is works of the law – legalism! One is words of the lips – libertinism! One is worship of the Lord – loyalty!
Therefore the goal of the gospel of God’s grace is to bring about the obedience of faith but in order to do that the Gospel must bring about love for God and trust in God. So if we are going to trust and obey God then we are going to have to love God and if we are going to have to love God then the Gospel must bring us to that place – and it does – we love Him because He first loved us!
For His name’s sake (1:5d) – would the Lord’s name be great and would He receive any glory if He allowed men into heaven and yet they stayed the same wicked rebels that they had always been?
Here is the heart of the goal of the Gospel – the glory of God in the transformation of undeserving, disobedient, rebels into loving, loyal, and obedient children! The Gospel brings us to God as His children who love and adore Him and find the satisfaction of our souls in Him – “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Until the Gospel is used to bring about the obedience of faith for His name’s sake – until the Gospel is used to cause us to be enthralled with God Himself rather than self and sin, then it is used wrongly.
Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on loving their sin. Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on loving self, money, and pleasure – “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money…and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4). Christ died to forgive sinners who through the Gospel, hate sin and are transformed into lovers of God. The Gospel is not a way to get people to enjoy and treasure God’s gifts; it is a way to get people to enjoy and treasure God!
Why do you want to go to heaven? People who want to go to heaven because they don’t want to go to hell love the idea of God’s gift but not God Himself. Why do you want to go to heaven? People who want to go to heaven because of its beauty and its majesty love the idea of God’s gift but not God Himself. Why do you want to go to heaven? People who want to go to heaven because in heaven God is going to supply whatever makes men happy do not love God but love the idea of His gifts. Why do you want to go to heaven? People who could be happy in heaven if Christ we not there, will not be there! Why do I want to go to heaven? I want to see Jesus – He’s the One who died for me!
The Gospel has as its goal the glory of God in the salvation of self-centered, self-ruled, and self-loving sinners which transforms them into God-centered, God-ruled, and God-loving saints – for His name’s sake.
The Gospel has as its goal the glory of God in the salvation of self-centered, self-ruled, and self-loving sinners which transforms them into God-centered, God-ruled, and God-loving saints – for His name’s sake. Many have wrongly and tragically confused the goal of the Gospel as an endorsement of self-admiration and self-esteem in which the cross is viewed as a witness to man’s worth. However the Gospel does not witness to man’s worth but witnesses to God’s worth – His greatness and His goodness. It is in the salvation of undeserving sinners that God’s grace is magnified to the praise of His glory.
I’m not belittling God’s love for man – I am magnifying it! I am not saying that God doesn’t love man but I am saying that man doesn’t deserve to be loved by God. When you understand this then you will understand that the Gospel is a witness to God’s worth and God’s grace and God’s glory and not to man’s worth or his value. God doesn’t love us because we are worthy of His love, He loves us even though we are unworthy (Romans 5:8).
God’s love is an “out of this world” kind of love. He loves those who are unlovely. He loves those who are His enemies. And it is through His love that He is rich in mercy to those who are dead in their transgressions and makes them alive together with Christ (by grace they are saved). “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1). So it is by God’s grace that we are saved and by God’s grace that we serve Him because the grace of God as demonstrated in the Gospel causes us to love and obey God and not just desire His gifts. So then at the heart of the goal of the Gospel is God – the Gospel causes God to become to us our reward; the gospel causes God to become to us our pleasure and satisfaction and then we do not seek to “use” God for selfish and ulterior motives.
So the goal of the Gospel is not to make us choose heaven rather than hell – the goal of the Gospel is to make us enthralled with the One who saved us from sin and hell and promises us eternal life with Him in heaven. Why do you want to go to heaven? If it is not to worship God the Father and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ then the Gospel has not transformed you into a loving and loyal subject of the King of kings.
Consider with me how God gets glory through the Gospel which transforms men into obedient, God adoring saints:
Through whom we have received grace (1:5a) – grace is unmerited, unearned, and undeserving kindness or favor. Therefore grace is rich in mercy because it is rich in love – an out of this world kind of love. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5). Since grace is unmerited, unearned, and undeserving favor, then no one is saved based on his or her goodness – “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). “But when the kindness of God our Savior, and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy…” (Titus 3:4-5). No man gets glory for his salvation – God does!
And apostleship (1:5b) – Here the apostle Paul includes all the saints – through whom we have received grace and apostleship – the word apostle means one who is sent by authority as a messenger. All Christians have been sent with a message by the Lord Jesus Christ who has all authority. However, all Christians do not hold the office of Apostle. There were only thirteen men who held the office of Apostle but all Christians are expected to carry the message of the Gospel and in that sense all Christians have an apostleship. Just like the office of deacon – a deacon is one who serves – all Christians do not hold the office of deacon but all Christians are to serve others. Notice that it is through Jesus Christ that we receive grace and apostleship – not only does no man get glory for his salvation; no man gets glory for his service – God does! “For we are His [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
To bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles (1:5c) – the Gospel restores that which was lost – our obedience to God. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden they disobeyed God and stepped out from under His lordship and turned to their own way – and so does every person – “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Instead of trusting God with all their hearts, Adam and Eve leaned on their own understanding, and loving and loyal obedience was replaced with wicked disobedience. This is now the state of all men everywhere – we are born with a nature that cannot and will not obey God.
So if man is to be saved then obedience to God must be restored. Man’s disobedience (sin is lawlessness) must be paid for and must be removed and loving, loyal obedience must come in its place – salvation is a matter of lordship!
To belong to God in a saving relationship is to be restored into an obedient relationship which is submission to His lordship. As John Macarthur said, “A theology that refuses to recognize the lordship of Jesus Christ is a theology that contradicts the very essence of biblical Christianity” (Romans 1-8, page 25). There is no such thing as Jesus being one’s Savior if He is not his or her Lord. If one’s loving, loyal obedience has not been restored then that which was lost hasn’t been restored and therefore salvation hasn’t taken place (Luke 23:39-43).
I want you to think about and understand this truth – obedience of faith is obedience from the heart based on trust which is based on love. The claim to obey without trusting is legalism! The claim to trust without obeying is libertinism! To trust and obey based on love is loyalty! One is works of the law – legalism! One is words of the lips – libertinism! One is worship of the Lord – loyalty!
Therefore the goal of the gospel of God’s grace is to bring about the obedience of faith but in order to do that the Gospel must bring about love for God and trust in God. So if we are going to trust and obey God then we are going to have to love God and if we are going to have to love God then the Gospel must bring us to that place – and it does – we love Him because He first loved us!
For His name’s sake (1:5d) – would the Lord’s name be great and would He receive any glory if He allowed men into heaven and yet they stayed the same wicked rebels that they had always been?
Here is the heart of the goal of the Gospel – the glory of God in the transformation of undeserving, disobedient, rebels into loving, loyal, and obedient children! The Gospel brings us to God as His children who love and adore Him and find the satisfaction of our souls in Him – “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Until the Gospel is used to bring about the obedience of faith for His name’s sake – until the Gospel is used to cause us to be enthralled with God Himself rather than self and sin, then it is used wrongly.
Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on loving their sin. Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on loving self, money, and pleasure – “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money…and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4). Christ died to forgive sinners who through the Gospel, hate sin and are transformed into lovers of God. The Gospel is not a way to get people to enjoy and treasure God’s gifts; it is a way to get people to enjoy and treasure God!
Why do you want to go to heaven? People who want to go to heaven because they don’t want to go to hell love the idea of God’s gift but not God Himself. Why do you want to go to heaven? People who want to go to heaven because of its beauty and its majesty love the idea of God’s gift but not God Himself. Why do you want to go to heaven? People who want to go to heaven because in heaven God is going to supply whatever makes men happy do not love God but love the idea of His gifts. Why do you want to go to heaven? People who could be happy in heaven if Christ we not there, will not be there! Why do I want to go to heaven? I want to see Jesus – He’s the One who died for me!
The Gospel has as its goal the glory of God in the salvation of self-centered, self-ruled, and self-loving sinners which transforms them into God-centered, God-ruled, and God-loving saints – for His name’s sake.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Content of a Minister's Message
Every minister ought to have credentials that verify that his ministry is not of man but of God. As the apostle Paul told the Galatians, “Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)” (Galatians 1:1). The credentials that ought to be in every minister’s life are not to be some ordination certificate or letters of commendation or the number of referrals he can list on his resume. The credentials of a minister’s mission are to be that he is a bond-servant of Christ Jesus; that he has been called, authorized, and sent by God; and that he has given his life over to the gospel of God.
Paul, after introducing himself and setting forth the credentials for a minister’s mission, gave the content of the minister’s message. Not only should the minister of the Lord Jesus Christ not be sent from men nor through the agency of man, his message also should not be in the wisdom of man nor should it have its origin in man. The minister must speak God’s gospel and not some man-centered, self-help, human-needs approach gospel which alters the content of the message and corrupts the Word of God.
We now turn our attention to the content of the minister’s message – the gospel of God (Romans 1:2-4).
The promise of the gospel – its origin (1:2)
The gospel is God’s gospel; it doesn’t originate with man and it isn’t an afterthought with God. The gospel is eternal and therefore has as its origin God. God promised His gospel before He ever created the world and then communicated that promise beforehand through His prophets. As Martin Luther put it, “This proves that God’s counsel of salvation was foreordained in detail before it was carried into effect. So all glory for this doctrine must be ascribed to God and none to our merits and efforts; for before we ever existed, it was already ordained” (Commentary on Romans, page 34).
When writing to Titus concerning the origin of the gospel, its eternality, and that God communicated the promise of the gospel beforehand through His prophets, Paul wrote, “In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago [literally before times eternal], but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior” (Titus 1:2-3).
Since the gospel has as its origin God, since it is eternal, and since it has been promised beforehand through God’s prophets, then doesn’t it make sense that the gospel is not to be tampered with? That is why Paul told Titus, “In the proclamation [of the gospel] with which I was entrusted.” No one has the right to alter the content of God’s gospel and if they do they can expect the certain and terrifying prospect of eternal damnation (Galatians 1:8).
The salvation of the sinner and the existence of the Christian religion owes its existence neither to blind chance nor to fate, but to the divine predetermined counsel, according to which it had to be fulfilled. This means that those who are open-theists are in extreme error and know not either God or His Word.
Open-theism takes on many forms but in essence it says that God doesn’t know everything. Its reasoning would say that God cannot determine the future so when God’s plan "A" fails then God must resort to plan "B". God doesn’t have a plan "B"! God hasn’t changed His plans nor made a revision to His strategy. God promised His gospel beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.
The gospel did not originate with Paul and it does not originate with any other man and therefore the gospel we preach had better be the gospel that is found in the holy Scriptures. The Old Testament prophesied the gospel and it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The Person of the gospel – its Object (1:3-4) – the Lord Jesus Christ
Concerning His Son (1:3a). The gospel isn’t about you and it isn’t about me; the gospel is about Jesus Christ the Son of God. The word gospel is euangelion and it means "good news". There is no good news about us; only bad news. But there is good news about the Son of God and that good news is for us and not about us.
The humanity of God’s Son (1:3b)
His incarnation – Mary was a descendant of David
His inheritance – David’s throne – Joseph was a descendant of David
His innocence – he took on flesh and blood but never sinned
The divinity of God’s Son (1:4)
Made known publicly through the resurrection from the dead (1:4a)
Demonstrated as totally holy and without sin through the Holy Spirit (1:4b)
Exalted as Lord (1:4c)
This is good news indeed! As man, Jesus lived a perfect life of obedience through faith, facing all the sufferings of humanity, being tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin, laid down His life as a sacrifice for sinners, and became for all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. As God, Jesus is worthy of worship and loving and loyal obedience.
This gospel is the only way that God can forgive sinners while He remains just and the only way that He can redeem men without causing them to become idolaters by worshiping someone who is not God.
Paul, after introducing himself and setting forth the credentials for a minister’s mission, gave the content of the minister’s message. Not only should the minister of the Lord Jesus Christ not be sent from men nor through the agency of man, his message also should not be in the wisdom of man nor should it have its origin in man. The minister must speak God’s gospel and not some man-centered, self-help, human-needs approach gospel which alters the content of the message and corrupts the Word of God.
We now turn our attention to the content of the minister’s message – the gospel of God (Romans 1:2-4).
The promise of the gospel – its origin (1:2)
The gospel is God’s gospel; it doesn’t originate with man and it isn’t an afterthought with God. The gospel is eternal and therefore has as its origin God. God promised His gospel before He ever created the world and then communicated that promise beforehand through His prophets. As Martin Luther put it, “This proves that God’s counsel of salvation was foreordained in detail before it was carried into effect. So all glory for this doctrine must be ascribed to God and none to our merits and efforts; for before we ever existed, it was already ordained” (Commentary on Romans, page 34).
When writing to Titus concerning the origin of the gospel, its eternality, and that God communicated the promise of the gospel beforehand through His prophets, Paul wrote, “In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago [literally before times eternal], but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior” (Titus 1:2-3).
Since the gospel has as its origin God, since it is eternal, and since it has been promised beforehand through God’s prophets, then doesn’t it make sense that the gospel is not to be tampered with? That is why Paul told Titus, “In the proclamation [of the gospel] with which I was entrusted.” No one has the right to alter the content of God’s gospel and if they do they can expect the certain and terrifying prospect of eternal damnation (Galatians 1:8).
The salvation of the sinner and the existence of the Christian religion owes its existence neither to blind chance nor to fate, but to the divine predetermined counsel, according to which it had to be fulfilled. This means that those who are open-theists are in extreme error and know not either God or His Word.
Open-theism takes on many forms but in essence it says that God doesn’t know everything. Its reasoning would say that God cannot determine the future so when God’s plan "A" fails then God must resort to plan "B". God doesn’t have a plan "B"! God hasn’t changed His plans nor made a revision to His strategy. God promised His gospel beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.
The gospel did not originate with Paul and it does not originate with any other man and therefore the gospel we preach had better be the gospel that is found in the holy Scriptures. The Old Testament prophesied the gospel and it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The Person of the gospel – its Object (1:3-4) – the Lord Jesus Christ
Concerning His Son (1:3a). The gospel isn’t about you and it isn’t about me; the gospel is about Jesus Christ the Son of God. The word gospel is euangelion and it means "good news". There is no good news about us; only bad news. But there is good news about the Son of God and that good news is for us and not about us.
The humanity of God’s Son (1:3b)
His incarnation – Mary was a descendant of David
His inheritance – David’s throne – Joseph was a descendant of David
His innocence – he took on flesh and blood but never sinned
The divinity of God’s Son (1:4)
Made known publicly through the resurrection from the dead (1:4a)
Demonstrated as totally holy and without sin through the Holy Spirit (1:4b)
Exalted as Lord (1:4c)
This is good news indeed! As man, Jesus lived a perfect life of obedience through faith, facing all the sufferings of humanity, being tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin, laid down His life as a sacrifice for sinners, and became for all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. As God, Jesus is worthy of worship and loving and loyal obedience.
This gospel is the only way that God can forgive sinners while He remains just and the only way that He can redeem men without causing them to become idolaters by worshiping someone who is not God.
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Credentials for a Minister's Mission
When the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans he had never been to Rome yet although it was his desire to visit them and preach the gospel in Rome (Romans 1:8-15). Paul also wanted the Christians at Rome to support him on a planned missionary journey to Spain (Romans 15:23-24) and therefore at the beginning of his letter to the Romans he set forth the credentials for a minister's mission to show that he was indeed qualified as the apostle to the Gentiles. Here we see three necessary credentials for the minister's mission.
I. Paul was a bond-servant of Jesus Christ (1:1a).
His position as a bond-servant:
The modesty of the position of bond-servant.
Paul was subservient and insignificant but His Master was everything! In 1 Corinthians 4:1, Paul referred to himself as a galley slave who was an under-rower, referring to the lowest level of rowers in the large galley of a Roman ship. The position of bond-servant expresses modesty because the bond-servant does not lord it over those allotted to his charge, but proves to be an example of a faithful and loyal servant of his Lord to the flock.
The majesty of the position of bond-servant.
Paul was not belittling his position – there is no greater position than to be a bond-servant of Christ Jesus. Servants of the Lord do not exalt themselves – they exalt their Master and they do His will from the heart because He is worthy! The position of bond-servant expresses majesty because the bond-servant glories in his being a servant of the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Jesus Himself expressed the truth that with modesty comes majesty – “He who humbles himself will be exalted,” and the opposite is also true – “He who exalts himself will be humbled.” And the Lord said, “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27).
His practice – as a bond-servant.
Paul’s primary practice was to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul gave himself wholeheartedly in love to the Lord who saved him from sin and the wrath of God – (Exodus 21:5-6) – Paul enslaved himself to Christ, to be His servant and obey His will because of Christ’s love for Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). A man’s enslavement to Christ as one of Christ’s servants is always based on the man’s grateful and adoring heart for Christ’s goodness and greatness as revealed in His willing sacrifice of Himself as an atoning substitute for our sins. We love Him because He first loved us! This is why we sing songs like – “Amazing love, how can it be, that you my King would die for me? Amazing love, I know it’s true, and it’s my joy to honor You in all I do.”
It is because of the love for us that the Lord demonstrated in giving Himself up for us that we serve Him with gladness by faith and not by flesh – “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
But not only do we love the Lord Jesus Christ and serve Him from a heart of gratitude because of His love for us; we also love God the Father and serve Him from the same heart of gratitude because of His love for us. Not only did the Lord Jesus love us and give Himself up for us but we also read and know that God the Father loved us and sent His Son so that He could pardon us on the only legal and righteous basis that would satisfy His own holy nature – penal substitution.
This is why we sing songs like, “How deep the Father’s love for us! How vast beyond all measure! That He would give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns His face away, as wounds which mar the chosen One, bring many sons to glory. Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders, ashamed I hear my mocking voice, call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished. I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no powr's, no wisdom, but I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer. But this I know with all my heart; His wounds have paid my ransom."
You see, Paul’s practice as a bond-servant of Christ Jesus; giving himself wholeheartedly in love to the Lord and His service; where Paul was now willingly obeying the first and greatest commandment; to love the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind; was based on his Lord’s loving him first.
Paul’s secondary practice as a bond-servant of Christ Jesus was to serve men.
Paul’s love for God which was primary, issued in his love for men and their salvation, which is secondary. Jesus put it this way when He was tested by a Pharisee with the question of which is the greatest commandment in the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” ‘This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it,’ “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ‘On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Paul put it this way in Romans 1:14-15, “I am under obligation [literally a debtor] both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach to gospel to you also who are in Rome.” As a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, Paul was also to be a bond-servant of men in order that he might preach the gospel to them.
Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
And again listen to these words, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). As we love and serve God because He first loved us we will also love and serve men because of our love for God. Any love and service to man that does not flow from genuine love for God is nothing short of religious humanism; is a work of the flesh and not of faith; and is an attempt to be justified by works of the law rather than the loving and loyal obedience of faith.
II. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ (1:1b)
His authority - as an apostle
The word apostle means “one who is sent by authority with a commission.” It was applied in that day to the representatives of the emperor or the emissaries of a king. As an apostle of the King of kings Paul’s message from the King was one of all authority. When Paul spoke people had better listen because he wasn’t speaking on his own initiative and own authority but was speaking on behalf of the Lord Himself.
His authorization as an apostle
Paul was called by the Lord to be an apostle. Paul’s position as an apostle was not of his own doing. Paul did not volunteer for that office, he did not campaign for that office, and he was not elected to that office by fellow believers. Paul was divinely called by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Paul didn’t choose Jesus, Jesus chose him (see Galatians 1:1).
There is great and grave danger to enter the ministry without a divine call and divine authorization. Woe to those who would dare take upon themselves the pastoral office without a divine call. There are many people preaching and teaching and presuming to prophesy in the name of Christ whom Christ clearly has neither sent nor has He called them. “I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied” (Jeremiah 23:21). For the false prophets and false teachers who claim to be called and claim to be sent the Bible says, “Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” (2 Peter 2:3).
When the Lord calls and authorizes a man for the ministry, the man is called and authorized to speak only that which His Lord has spoken and revealed to them through His Word. Even the apostle Paul said that the gospel that He preached was the same gospel that was promised beforehand by the Lord’s prophets in the holy Scriptures (see verse 2). False prophets speak as from the world and the world listens to them. True prophets speak God’s Word and those who know God listen to them (1 John 4:1-6).
III. Paul was set apart for God’s gospel (1:1c)
Set apart means separated unto and in this context it means that every part of Paul’s life was dedicated for the sole purpose of God’s use in spreading the gospel. As a bond-servant, Paul was the Lord’s for whatever service He required; and as an apostle, Paul was divinely authorized and divinely sent to proclaim the gospel of God. As Christians we should also be set apart for the Master’s use – “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
Paul was singularly set apart by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles. He said to the Galatians, “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles” (Galatians 1:15-16).
It is when God calls us through His grace and we view the mercies of God that we give ourselves willingly for His service and discover that one task to which God has set us apart.
The gospel is God’s gospel; it doesn’t originate with man and isn’t an afterthought with God. It was God’s gospel to which Paul was separated and this along with being a bond-servant and being authorized by God gave Paul the necessary credentials to be a minister of Christ Jesus.
I. Paul was a bond-servant of Jesus Christ (1:1a).
His position as a bond-servant:
The modesty of the position of bond-servant.
Paul was subservient and insignificant but His Master was everything! In 1 Corinthians 4:1, Paul referred to himself as a galley slave who was an under-rower, referring to the lowest level of rowers in the large galley of a Roman ship. The position of bond-servant expresses modesty because the bond-servant does not lord it over those allotted to his charge, but proves to be an example of a faithful and loyal servant of his Lord to the flock.
The majesty of the position of bond-servant.
Paul was not belittling his position – there is no greater position than to be a bond-servant of Christ Jesus. Servants of the Lord do not exalt themselves – they exalt their Master and they do His will from the heart because He is worthy! The position of bond-servant expresses majesty because the bond-servant glories in his being a servant of the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Jesus Himself expressed the truth that with modesty comes majesty – “He who humbles himself will be exalted,” and the opposite is also true – “He who exalts himself will be humbled.” And the Lord said, “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27).
His practice – as a bond-servant.
Paul’s primary practice was to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul gave himself wholeheartedly in love to the Lord who saved him from sin and the wrath of God – (Exodus 21:5-6) – Paul enslaved himself to Christ, to be His servant and obey His will because of Christ’s love for Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). A man’s enslavement to Christ as one of Christ’s servants is always based on the man’s grateful and adoring heart for Christ’s goodness and greatness as revealed in His willing sacrifice of Himself as an atoning substitute for our sins. We love Him because He first loved us! This is why we sing songs like – “Amazing love, how can it be, that you my King would die for me? Amazing love, I know it’s true, and it’s my joy to honor You in all I do.”
It is because of the love for us that the Lord demonstrated in giving Himself up for us that we serve Him with gladness by faith and not by flesh – “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
But not only do we love the Lord Jesus Christ and serve Him from a heart of gratitude because of His love for us; we also love God the Father and serve Him from the same heart of gratitude because of His love for us. Not only did the Lord Jesus love us and give Himself up for us but we also read and know that God the Father loved us and sent His Son so that He could pardon us on the only legal and righteous basis that would satisfy His own holy nature – penal substitution.
This is why we sing songs like, “How deep the Father’s love for us! How vast beyond all measure! That He would give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns His face away, as wounds which mar the chosen One, bring many sons to glory. Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders, ashamed I hear my mocking voice, call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished. I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no powr's, no wisdom, but I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer. But this I know with all my heart; His wounds have paid my ransom."
You see, Paul’s practice as a bond-servant of Christ Jesus; giving himself wholeheartedly in love to the Lord and His service; where Paul was now willingly obeying the first and greatest commandment; to love the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind; was based on his Lord’s loving him first.
Paul’s secondary practice as a bond-servant of Christ Jesus was to serve men.
Paul’s love for God which was primary, issued in his love for men and their salvation, which is secondary. Jesus put it this way when He was tested by a Pharisee with the question of which is the greatest commandment in the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” ‘This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it,’ “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ‘On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Paul put it this way in Romans 1:14-15, “I am under obligation [literally a debtor] both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach to gospel to you also who are in Rome.” As a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, Paul was also to be a bond-servant of men in order that he might preach the gospel to them.
Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
And again listen to these words, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). As we love and serve God because He first loved us we will also love and serve men because of our love for God. Any love and service to man that does not flow from genuine love for God is nothing short of religious humanism; is a work of the flesh and not of faith; and is an attempt to be justified by works of the law rather than the loving and loyal obedience of faith.
II. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ (1:1b)
His authority - as an apostle
The word apostle means “one who is sent by authority with a commission.” It was applied in that day to the representatives of the emperor or the emissaries of a king. As an apostle of the King of kings Paul’s message from the King was one of all authority. When Paul spoke people had better listen because he wasn’t speaking on his own initiative and own authority but was speaking on behalf of the Lord Himself.
His authorization as an apostle
Paul was called by the Lord to be an apostle. Paul’s position as an apostle was not of his own doing. Paul did not volunteer for that office, he did not campaign for that office, and he was not elected to that office by fellow believers. Paul was divinely called by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Paul didn’t choose Jesus, Jesus chose him (see Galatians 1:1).
There is great and grave danger to enter the ministry without a divine call and divine authorization. Woe to those who would dare take upon themselves the pastoral office without a divine call. There are many people preaching and teaching and presuming to prophesy in the name of Christ whom Christ clearly has neither sent nor has He called them. “I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied” (Jeremiah 23:21). For the false prophets and false teachers who claim to be called and claim to be sent the Bible says, “Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep” (2 Peter 2:3).
When the Lord calls and authorizes a man for the ministry, the man is called and authorized to speak only that which His Lord has spoken and revealed to them through His Word. Even the apostle Paul said that the gospel that He preached was the same gospel that was promised beforehand by the Lord’s prophets in the holy Scriptures (see verse 2). False prophets speak as from the world and the world listens to them. True prophets speak God’s Word and those who know God listen to them (1 John 4:1-6).
III. Paul was set apart for God’s gospel (1:1c)
Set apart means separated unto and in this context it means that every part of Paul’s life was dedicated for the sole purpose of God’s use in spreading the gospel. As a bond-servant, Paul was the Lord’s for whatever service He required; and as an apostle, Paul was divinely authorized and divinely sent to proclaim the gospel of God. As Christians we should also be set apart for the Master’s use – “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
Paul was singularly set apart by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles. He said to the Galatians, “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles” (Galatians 1:15-16).
It is when God calls us through His grace and we view the mercies of God that we give ourselves willingly for His service and discover that one task to which God has set us apart.
The gospel is God’s gospel; it doesn’t originate with man and isn’t an afterthought with God. It was God’s gospel to which Paul was separated and this along with being a bond-servant and being authorized by God gave Paul the necessary credentials to be a minister of Christ Jesus.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
What is the Purpose of the Church?
If I were to ask you, “what is the purpose of the church”, would you be able to give me a sound biblical answer? I wonder how many would have his or her own ideas of the purpose of the church rather than what God has revealed in His Word is the purpose of the church. I wonder how many go to church for the wrong reasons. You see, the reason you go to church is what you believe to be the purpose of the church. Do you go to be entertained? Do you go to have your social needs met by being around other people? Do you go because you believe going to church to be your spiritual duty? Do you go to church because you believe that church is to be all about you and that the church is supposed to meet whatever needs you feel you may have?
None of those reasons, along with a myriad of other reasons that you could come up with, are the Lord’s purpose for His church. We are living in a day of utilitarian religion – where Christ and His Church are utilized for selfish and secondary reasons. We are living in a day when many are trying to define the purpose of the church but they are doing it based on their own understanding and not by relying totally on what God has revealed in His Word.
Robert Schuller has said that the church must be willing to die as a church and be re-born as a mission. Now that sounds real spiritual and might even sound right at first glance, but God has never intended for the church to be a mission. For the church to be a mission would mean that the church would have to become a gathering of the lost rather than a gathering of the saints who have been called out of the world. Schuller put it this way in his book, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation,
So for Robert Schuller, the church must stop being a gathering place for the saints and begin being a gathering place for unbelievers. In order for the church to do that it must die as a church, quit preaching God’s Word, and take a “human needs” approach to attract the lost. In other words, Robert Schuller says that the church is to abandon the real purpose that the Lord established her for and needs to learn how to bring in the crowds by learning how to be “Seeker-Sensitive.” In Schuller’s plan the services are geared toward unbelievers and neglects building up the saints in the faith.
Men like Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and many others have taken Schuller’s philosophy and expanded upon it furthering the corruption of the purpose of the church. In his book, The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren cleverly shows how to cause your church to die as a church and become a mission without ever setting off too many alarms for those who should know better. Chapter fourteen of Rick Warren’s book is entitled, Designing a Seeker-Sensitive Service. In it he cleverly gives a philosophical reason rather than a theological reason for not preaching the whole counsel of God and for being more concerned with gathering a larger crowd than growing loyal Christians. He said,
But enough of what men have to say is the purpose of the church; what does God say is the purpose of the church? According to God’s Word is the ministry of the church to evangelize sinners or equip the saints?
First, the church service is the place for the saints to show up (4:11-12a).
The word "church" means, “gathering of the called out ones.” Therefore church services are to be a place of preaching and teaching for the equipping of the saints – and cannot be “Seeker-Sensitive” without departing from the preaching and teaching necessary to equip the saints. Evangelizing the sinner is supposed to take place outside the church services – equipping the saints is what is to take place inside the church services.
Our goal is not to bring people to church first and then to Christ later – our goal is to bring people to Christ first and then they come to church because they are now part of His body and now they love His people. “The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now” (1 John 2:9). “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14).
I’m not saying that lost people can’t come to church and shouldn’t be welcome at our services – they can and they are – but we cannot gear our services around them and refuse to do what God has called us to do. We should be so God-focused that sinners are convicted – (1 Cor. 14:23-25). Or as Gary Gilley put it, "Evangelism was the one biblically mandated function in which believers engaged outside of the assembled church. They did not invite friends to the church gatherings to win them to Christ. The church services were not geared for the unbelievers but for the saints" (source).
Second, the church service is the place for the saints to grow up (4:12b-16)
We grow in our ability to serve the Lord and others (12b) - "For the equipping of the saints, for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."
We grow in the faith – the Word of God (13a) - "Until we all attain to the unity of the faith." We grow together in our knowledge of the Word of God and attain unity in that knowledge.
We grow in the knowledge the Son of God (13b) - "And of the knowledge of the Son of God." Growing together in our knowledge of the Word of God (the faith) leads to growing together in our knowledge of the Son of God. This is essential because this is how we are transformed more and more into His image - we become like what or who we worship!
We grow in Christ-likeness (13c) - "To a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to Christ." As we grow in our knowledge of the Word of God we grow in our knowledge of the Son of God and are transformed by the Spirit of God as we behold the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).
We grow in discernment (14) - "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming." The growing saint will begin to be able to know the difference between theology and philosophy; between sound doctrine and strange doctrine; between true teachers and false teachers; and between truth and error.
We grow in truth (15) - "But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." Jesus is truth and as we grow in all aspects into Him we grow in truth.
We grow in love (16) - "From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body, for the building up of itself in love." We learn how interdependent God has made us of each other and we learn to love each other and build up the church in love.
Third, the church service is the place for the saints to clean up (4:17-24)
It is in the church service that we learn to take off our grave clothes and put on our resurrection clothes. This is the business of the Christian and the church. We are to help people who have been called out of death into life to take off their grave clothes. After Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, He told the people standing around to “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:43-44) – “And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
We should no longer look like, talk like, or smell like the lost and dead world. We should put on our resurrection clothes and dress up to the high and holy calling that we have as children of God. We should engage in helping others to get out of the tomb and out of their grave clothes. After all, this is what we have been commissioned to do by our living Lord and Savior. This is the purpose of the church and we cannot do this if we are always attempting to “evangelize the sinner” rather than equipping the saints.
I’m reminded of a poster that pictured some middle-eastern men out in front of their village with a Jeep with its hood up and these men were looking under the hood at the engine. And the caption below this picture said, “Who cares whether we know how it’s supposed to work? We’re going to take a crack at fixing it.” (See it here). That is exactly what is going on with the doctrine of the Church today with all these arising apostate movements. They are trying to tell us how to do Church when they don’t know how it’s supposed to work. Let’s do Church God’s way and let the saints show up, grow up and clean up for the glory of God and His kingdom.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
None of those reasons, along with a myriad of other reasons that you could come up with, are the Lord’s purpose for His church. We are living in a day of utilitarian religion – where Christ and His Church are utilized for selfish and secondary reasons. We are living in a day when many are trying to define the purpose of the church but they are doing it based on their own understanding and not by relying totally on what God has revealed in His Word.
Robert Schuller has said that the church must be willing to die as a church and be re-born as a mission. Now that sounds real spiritual and might even sound right at first glance, but God has never intended for the church to be a mission. For the church to be a mission would mean that the church would have to become a gathering of the lost rather than a gathering of the saints who have been called out of the world. Schuller put it this way in his book, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation,
For the church to address the unchurched with a theocentric attitude is to
invite failure in mission. The non-churched who have no vital belief in a
relationship with God will spurn, reject, or simply ignore the theologian,
church spokesperson, preacher, or missionary who approaches with Bible in hand,
theology on the brain and the lips, and expects nonreligious persons to suspend
their doubts and swallow the theocentric assertions as fact….It was appropriate
for Calvin and Luther to think theocentrically. After all, “Everyone was in the
church” and the issues were theological not philosophical. For them, the central
issue was, “What is the truth in theology?” The reformers didn’t have to impress
the unchurched so there was no need for them to take the “human needs” approach.
They were a church after all, not a mission. They would “proclaim the Word of
the Lord,” and all had better listen! Time and history have changed all that.
Today the sincere, Christian believer is a minority. So the church must be
willing to die as a church and be born again as a mission. We cannot speak out
with a “Thus saith the Lord” strategy when we are talking to people who couldn’t
care less about the Lord! We cannot start with “What does the text say?” if
we’re talking to persons who aren’t about to affirm respect for or unquestioning
obeisance to “the text.” (pages 12-13).
So for Robert Schuller, the church must stop being a gathering place for the saints and begin being a gathering place for unbelievers. In order for the church to do that it must die as a church, quit preaching God’s Word, and take a “human needs” approach to attract the lost. In other words, Robert Schuller says that the church is to abandon the real purpose that the Lord established her for and needs to learn how to bring in the crowds by learning how to be “Seeker-Sensitive.” In Schuller’s plan the services are geared toward unbelievers and neglects building up the saints in the faith.
Men like Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and many others have taken Schuller’s philosophy and expanded upon it furthering the corruption of the purpose of the church. In his book, The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren cleverly shows how to cause your church to die as a church and become a mission without ever setting off too many alarms for those who should know better. Chapter fourteen of Rick Warren’s book is entitled, Designing a Seeker-Sensitive Service. In it he cleverly gives a philosophical reason rather than a theological reason for not preaching the whole counsel of God and for being more concerned with gathering a larger crowd than growing loyal Christians. He said,
“Growing up in a Christian home, I was often frustrated when I broughtWarren went on to ask, “What is the most natural way to increase the number of visitors to your church? And he answered by saying, “The answer is quite simple: Create a service that is intentionally designed for your members to bring their friends to. And make the service so attractive, appealing, and relevant to the unchurched that your members are eager to share it wit the lost people they care about” (page 253).
nonbelieving friends to church. It seemed inevitable that whenever I’d get one
of my friends to attend a service with me, that would be the Sunday my father
would preach on tithing, some guest missionary would show slides, or we’d have a
communion service – not what my unsaved friends needed to hear or experience”
(page 251).
But enough of what men have to say is the purpose of the church; what does God say is the purpose of the church? According to God’s Word is the ministry of the church to evangelize sinners or equip the saints?
First, the church service is the place for the saints to show up (4:11-12a).
The word "church" means, “gathering of the called out ones.” Therefore church services are to be a place of preaching and teaching for the equipping of the saints – and cannot be “Seeker-Sensitive” without departing from the preaching and teaching necessary to equip the saints. Evangelizing the sinner is supposed to take place outside the church services – equipping the saints is what is to take place inside the church services.
Our goal is not to bring people to church first and then to Christ later – our goal is to bring people to Christ first and then they come to church because they are now part of His body and now they love His people. “The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now” (1 John 2:9). “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14).
I’m not saying that lost people can’t come to church and shouldn’t be welcome at our services – they can and they are – but we cannot gear our services around them and refuse to do what God has called us to do. We should be so God-focused that sinners are convicted – (1 Cor. 14:23-25). Or as Gary Gilley put it, "Evangelism was the one biblically mandated function in which believers engaged outside of the assembled church. They did not invite friends to the church gatherings to win them to Christ. The church services were not geared for the unbelievers but for the saints" (source).
Second, the church service is the place for the saints to grow up (4:12b-16)
We grow in our ability to serve the Lord and others (12b) - "For the equipping of the saints, for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."
We grow in the faith – the Word of God (13a) - "Until we all attain to the unity of the faith." We grow together in our knowledge of the Word of God and attain unity in that knowledge.
We grow in the knowledge the Son of God (13b) - "And of the knowledge of the Son of God." Growing together in our knowledge of the Word of God (the faith) leads to growing together in our knowledge of the Son of God. This is essential because this is how we are transformed more and more into His image - we become like what or who we worship!
We grow in Christ-likeness (13c) - "To a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to Christ." As we grow in our knowledge of the Word of God we grow in our knowledge of the Son of God and are transformed by the Spirit of God as we behold the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).
We grow in discernment (14) - "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming." The growing saint will begin to be able to know the difference between theology and philosophy; between sound doctrine and strange doctrine; between true teachers and false teachers; and between truth and error.
We grow in truth (15) - "But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." Jesus is truth and as we grow in all aspects into Him we grow in truth.
We grow in love (16) - "From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body, for the building up of itself in love." We learn how interdependent God has made us of each other and we learn to love each other and build up the church in love.
Third, the church service is the place for the saints to clean up (4:17-24)
It is in the church service that we learn to take off our grave clothes and put on our resurrection clothes. This is the business of the Christian and the church. We are to help people who have been called out of death into life to take off their grave clothes. After Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, He told the people standing around to “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:43-44) – “And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
We should no longer look like, talk like, or smell like the lost and dead world. We should put on our resurrection clothes and dress up to the high and holy calling that we have as children of God. We should engage in helping others to get out of the tomb and out of their grave clothes. After all, this is what we have been commissioned to do by our living Lord and Savior. This is the purpose of the church and we cannot do this if we are always attempting to “evangelize the sinner” rather than equipping the saints.
I’m reminded of a poster that pictured some middle-eastern men out in front of their village with a Jeep with its hood up and these men were looking under the hood at the engine. And the caption below this picture said, “Who cares whether we know how it’s supposed to work? We’re going to take a crack at fixing it.” (See it here). That is exactly what is going on with the doctrine of the Church today with all these arising apostate movements. They are trying to tell us how to do Church when they don’t know how it’s supposed to work. Let’s do Church God’s way and let the saints show up, grow up and clean up for the glory of God and His kingdom.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Monday, February 9, 2009
How to Keep from Stumbling...Behold the Lord
Apostates are a major cause of stumbling for the people of God as they enter in among us and soil and stain the bride of Christ with their sensuality, carnality, and rebellion all disguised as spirituality.
God in His love, mercy, and grace has told us in His word how to keep from stumbling in these days of apostasy. In Jude 17-25, Jude gave four instructions to follow if we would stand firm, not stumble, and resist the apostates: (1) Believe God’s Word (17-19), (2) Build our Christian life (20-21), (3) Battle for backsliders (22-23), and (4) Behold the Lord (24-25).
If we want to keep our feet on the ground spiritually, walk straight, and not stumble, not only must we believe God’s Word, build our Christian lives, and battle for backsliders, we must also yield ourselves fully to the Lord. This well-known benediction contains a wealth of spiritual truth for the believer to receive. It shows the majesty and glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and places our focus, worship, and hope on Him who alone is able to keep us from stumbling and make us stand in the presence of His glory blameless and with great joy.
The Lord Jesus Christ is going to present His bride the church, those redeemed by His blood, blameless, in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, before the throne of His Father. The Father has covenanted with the Son that all of His people will one day see and share His glory. The purpose of salvation is not simply to rescue sinners from hell but for the grand purpose that God may be glorified for all eternity. Our salvation is to result in the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).
Today there are spots and blemishes in the church, but on that day God’s people shall be blameless. There will have been a full and complete separation between the true and the false and Satan will find nothing to accuse. The bride will be arrayed in the righteousness of Christ to the glory of God.
Knowing this the believer has a strong motive for living for Christ and obeying His Word. We want to live for Him because He gave Himself up for us and we want to be pleasing to Him and bring glory to His name. As we behold the Lord and focus on His glory and His return we will live pure and holy lives – “Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).
When we behold the Lord, what is it about Him that we see?
First we see that the only wise God is our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. In His perfect and wise plan of redemption, God the Father has provided the only way that He can save sinners without violating His own perfect nature and character. While it is true that Jesus Christ is our Savior, it is also true that God the Father is our Savior because without His perfect plan of salvation and without His willingness to sacrifice His Son for us because He loves us, there would be no Savior. In the Father’s perfect plan of salvation, sinners are transformed into worshipers of God through love and obedience to Jesus Christ and great gratitude to the Father Himself for His willingness to sacrifice His only Son, His Son whom He loves. God is our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jude had this in mind when he wrote, “To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ” (1).
Next we see the glory of the Lord. Glory is the sum total of all that God is and all that God does. Everything about Him is glorious! His glory is so great that no man can look directly into His glory and live. Glory has the idea of substance or significance. As we get glimpses of His glory, of His significance, we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory. By beholding the Lord’s glory we understand that He is all significant and that everything is about Him and nothing about anyone or anything else. We are to live for His glory and seek glory for His name and in everything we do, whether we eat or drink, we are to do all to the glory of God.
Then we see the majesty of the Lord. Majesty means greatness or magnificence. Only God is great. When we praise God we praise the most magnificent Person in the universe. Not only does the Lord have all significance, He also has all magnificence. He is not simply King but He is King of kings. He is not simply Lord but He is Lord of lords.
Then we see the dominion of the Lord. Dominion has to do with God’s sovereignty or rule over everything. The Greek word means strength or might but it carries the idea of complete control over everything. He alone has the right to rule and reign because He is glorious and majestic and worthy of dominion. God is in control even in the middle of apostasy. Even when wicked men were nailing His Son to the cross, God was in control and what men intended for evil, God intended for good. And not only that, He is causing all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
And finally we see the authority of the Lord. Authority is the right to use power. All authority belongs to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. As we yield to Him, we share His authority and accomplish His will so that it is from Him and through Him so that the glory goes to Him.
Truly our God is an awesome God. He is wise and loving, He is glorious, He is majestic, He is sovereign, and He is powerful, before all time and now and forever, Amen.
God in His love, mercy, and grace has told us in His word how to keep from stumbling in these days of apostasy. In Jude 17-25, Jude gave four instructions to follow if we would stand firm, not stumble, and resist the apostates: (1) Believe God’s Word (17-19), (2) Build our Christian life (20-21), (3) Battle for backsliders (22-23), and (4) Behold the Lord (24-25).
If we want to keep our feet on the ground spiritually, walk straight, and not stumble, not only must we believe God’s Word, build our Christian lives, and battle for backsliders, we must also yield ourselves fully to the Lord. This well-known benediction contains a wealth of spiritual truth for the believer to receive. It shows the majesty and glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and places our focus, worship, and hope on Him who alone is able to keep us from stumbling and make us stand in the presence of His glory blameless and with great joy.
The Lord Jesus Christ is going to present His bride the church, those redeemed by His blood, blameless, in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, before the throne of His Father. The Father has covenanted with the Son that all of His people will one day see and share His glory. The purpose of salvation is not simply to rescue sinners from hell but for the grand purpose that God may be glorified for all eternity. Our salvation is to result in the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).
Today there are spots and blemishes in the church, but on that day God’s people shall be blameless. There will have been a full and complete separation between the true and the false and Satan will find nothing to accuse. The bride will be arrayed in the righteousness of Christ to the glory of God.
Knowing this the believer has a strong motive for living for Christ and obeying His Word. We want to live for Him because He gave Himself up for us and we want to be pleasing to Him and bring glory to His name. As we behold the Lord and focus on His glory and His return we will live pure and holy lives – “Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).
When we behold the Lord, what is it about Him that we see?
First we see that the only wise God is our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. In His perfect and wise plan of redemption, God the Father has provided the only way that He can save sinners without violating His own perfect nature and character. While it is true that Jesus Christ is our Savior, it is also true that God the Father is our Savior because without His perfect plan of salvation and without His willingness to sacrifice His Son for us because He loves us, there would be no Savior. In the Father’s perfect plan of salvation, sinners are transformed into worshipers of God through love and obedience to Jesus Christ and great gratitude to the Father Himself for His willingness to sacrifice His only Son, His Son whom He loves. God is our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jude had this in mind when he wrote, “To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ” (1).
Next we see the glory of the Lord. Glory is the sum total of all that God is and all that God does. Everything about Him is glorious! His glory is so great that no man can look directly into His glory and live. Glory has the idea of substance or significance. As we get glimpses of His glory, of His significance, we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory. By beholding the Lord’s glory we understand that He is all significant and that everything is about Him and nothing about anyone or anything else. We are to live for His glory and seek glory for His name and in everything we do, whether we eat or drink, we are to do all to the glory of God.
Then we see the majesty of the Lord. Majesty means greatness or magnificence. Only God is great. When we praise God we praise the most magnificent Person in the universe. Not only does the Lord have all significance, He also has all magnificence. He is not simply King but He is King of kings. He is not simply Lord but He is Lord of lords.
Then we see the dominion of the Lord. Dominion has to do with God’s sovereignty or rule over everything. The Greek word means strength or might but it carries the idea of complete control over everything. He alone has the right to rule and reign because He is glorious and majestic and worthy of dominion. God is in control even in the middle of apostasy. Even when wicked men were nailing His Son to the cross, God was in control and what men intended for evil, God intended for good. And not only that, He is causing all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
And finally we see the authority of the Lord. Authority is the right to use power. All authority belongs to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. As we yield to Him, we share His authority and accomplish His will so that it is from Him and through Him so that the glory goes to Him.
Truly our God is an awesome God. He is wise and loving, He is glorious, He is majestic, He is sovereign, and He is powerful, before all time and now and forever, Amen.
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