AUGUST 20, 2024

“One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:6)

Having theological positions, belonging to a particular local church is necessary; belonging to a local church that holds to foundational theological positions that you agree with is necessary. While these particulars are necessary, we must always remember that there is only one God and that He has only one Heavenly Jerusalem. This is extremely important to understand because of the great reality that God has His people everywhere and that not all of God’s people have come to the same understanding in particular areas outside of the gospel. Because of our limited understandings now, and our wrestlings with sin here on earth, the one body of Christ represents different positions on matters outside of the gospel and are not fully one theologically. This is the case for those in the local church; as well as the churches that differ one from another in certain theological positions. But we can never forget that this will not remain forever! Our different views now will only last for a short period of time. Once that short period of time is quickly over, we will become wholly one in the day that our sanctification comes to its consummation. There is coming a day in which we will see the people of God as they really are with the greatest of clarity, mingled with no sin. We will see them as one family!

While we look forward to that day, we do not have to wait to see God’s people in that way. We must understand now, that all who believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and follow after Christ as their Lord are one family, regardless of their differences on issues outside of the gospel. One difference on theological issues outside of the gospel does not change the fact that we are one in Christ. This oneness in Christ took place in Christ’s resurrection. When He was raised from the grave, so were all of His people. He was raised for our justification, and He is “the Lord our Righteousness.” God sees all of His redeemed as His sons, regardless of the understanding that they have acquired or not acquired. If they have believed in Christ and own Him as their Savior, the Father owns them as His sons. The sons of God ought to see one another no other way than that. We ought to never see others who differ from us outside of salvific matters different than us but love them as we love our own bodies! We must see one another in Christ, and own one another in Christ, as our beloved brothers in Christ! It is the great reward of our salvation not only in its consummation, but it is also God’s special gift now! The Lord of Glory had reconciled us unto Himself and has given us the most beautiful family all of creation will ever know. Cherish, adore, and prize highly the gifts of God and see that His praises be lifted upon high!

AUGUST 15, 2024

 “And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them…” (Genesis 42:7)

It has been said that “a type cannot walk on all fours,” which is to say that there is no such thing as a perfect type, and that is especially so with types of Christ. Joseph, however, is to my mind the nearest to the perfect type of Christ in all of Scripture. He was the favorite of his father; he was hated by his brethren; was betrayed and sold for the price of a slave. He went down into Egypt where, though a righteous and innocent man, he was falsely accused, humiliated, and imprisoned, later to be released and then highly exalted to the right hand of power. From his highly exalted position at the right hand of power, he would dispense to a famished world the lifesaving “bread,” which he in his wisdom had stored in advance. He was, therefore, like Christ, the “savior of all men,” but the bread was especially meant to save God’s chosen people. He said to his brethren, “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth.”

Since God’s primary purpose in bringing Joseph to Egypt was to preserve the lives of his father’s house, it begs the question; “Why did he deal so roughly with them?” We do not find that he spoke roughly to any others who came from other parts to buy corn; only to his brethren whom he loved did he deal roughly and make hard demands – the very family that the Lord intended particularly to save, for whose salvation Joseph’s granaries were specially designed.

They did not know him, but he knew them, and the “good” of saving them was the reason for which God overrode the “evil” that was perpetrated against him. (Gen. 50:20)

This is the manner of Christ in His providential dealings with the sons of men. Of the billions that God provides for, all have troubles in measure (Job 5:7), but if any should escape, it will surely not be His own elect whom He has known and loved with an everlasting love. (John 16:33; Acts 14:22) But, in our case God has a special design, for He sanctifies our troubles to us, as a means of turning our hearts to Him. We come to realize that God sends troubles in love, in order to bring good in the proving and perfecting of our faith. (I Pet. 1:6, 7) In the case of Joseph’s brothers, we see that it caused them to reflect on their past and own the guilt for Joseph’s “death.” They assumed that he was dead. (Vs. 21) Thus, in God’s rough dealings with His elect, He brings conviction and causes them to own their guilt and mourn for Him whom they have pierced. (Zech. 12:10)

If we, as believers, did not know the end unto which our trials of life occur, we might be perplexed. That’s not to say that we are not often perplexed. We often forget that what our enemy intends for evil; God intends for good. Lacking faith, we fail to realize that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” We need not always have to say, “Farther along we will know all about it; farther along we’ll understand why.” Though it is true we will likely “understand it better by and by,” yet even now we can rest in the fact that God sends trials not to destroy us, but to make us better; that when He speaks roughly it is no reason to doubt His love. Joseph spoke roughly only to those he loved and intended to bless above all others.

This was Joseph’s intention here. He has every intention to bless his brethren. We know that the trials continued until, at last, the gracious end was realized. Joseph will reveal himself to them and bring them and their father to be with him where he is. (See John 17:24)

It is most often the case that when the Lord sets upon a sinner to save him, He begins by speaking roughly to him, as it were. It is usually glimpses of terror that persuade men to flee to Christ. He will make a soul to experience darkness just before the dawn. (II Pet. 1:19) It is also true that trials will immediately precede great blessings in the Christian life, in addition to the blessing of greater and more mature faith.

AUGUST 13, 2024

 “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.” (Psalm 131:2)

To be weaned is the first great trying experience that a child goes through after birth. It is a necessary step to ensure the child’s growth and proper development; and one that requires commitment and patience on the part of the mother. While being weaned, the child is fretful, restless, and discontented. Because of a loss of security, he experiences fearfulness and feelings of uncertainty. The child is denied something it wants and cannot understand why. Yet, trying as it is, weaning a child is not an option, if we are to expect proper growth both physically and psychologically.

When weaned, the child becomes quiet and contented. It also learns self-control and trust. The Psalmist likens his soul’s experience to that of a child that has been weaned. How wonderful to know that we are God’s children at all! Yet the Psalmist speaks of a very desirous spiritual condition when he says, “My soul is even as a weaned child.”

It is only natural for a baby to seek nourishment at its mother’s breast. But if he never rises above that he cannot grow to maturity. Mother’s milk is the absolute perfect food; the perfect diet, for a newborn babe, just as the “sincere milk of the word” is desirable for spiritual newborns. (I Pet. 2:2) Peter says that it is good for growth: “that ye may grow thereby.” But, with Paul, we have cause for concern when believers who should have long advanced beyond the rudimentary principles of the faith, still “have need of milk, and not of strong meat.” (Heb. 5:12)

The Psalmist is speaking of the practical aspects of the growth and development that comes from being weaned to advance on to spiritual maturity. Spiritually, we become weaned when we are able to rise above fleshly tendencies. In verse one, he alludes to pride. “My heart is not haughty.” We are all proud by nature, though we have nothing to be proud of. Pride causes most of our discontentment and friction. A sign that he had been weaned was his humility. Have we been so weaned?

Ambition is also overcome. “Neither do I exercise myself in great matters.” We all naturally want to be somebody; we want to do great things. Ambition is not altogether bad but often we feel small things are beneath us. The Psalmist obviously felt that his ambitions had been related to an unweaned, immature spirit. Let us be content to be and do what God wants for us.

Freedom from speculation, “or in things too high for me,” was also a result of the weaning process. Mature Christians will not involve themselves in wild speculations about what God has not revealed in His Word. Let us remember that “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us…” (Deut. 29:29) Once weaned, the Psalmist ceased to speculate about mysterious providences; neither did he try to theorize concerning the heart motives of others. May we all exhibit this level of spiritual maturity.

When a child is weaned, he is content in his new circumstances. He gives up natural food for that which is better. This may be a trial at first, but afterward becomes a greater delight. When a child is weaned, he conquers his natural desires, and learns new trusts. “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself.” Let us not be perpetual babes. To feed ourselves, walk on our own, and make wise choices for ourselves is most desirable for God’s children.

AUGUST 8, 2024

 “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:2-5)

Paul has spent much of this letter to the Romans making the point that nobody can be shown to be righteous before God by works of the Law. Paul now turns to Israel’s primary ancestor, Abraham, as the ultimate example proving that being made right with God comes through faith and not works. If Abraham had been justified before God by his works, he would have something to brag about.

Of course, nobody can be justified by their works. Even if Abraham were justified in this way though, meaning that he had never sinned and had only done good works, he would not be able to boast about that to God. God would not be impressed with a human being’s good works and we will never attain justification based on our efforts.

Paul uses Old Testament Scripture as his source to make this point. According to Scripture, Abraham was not justified by what he did; by his works. Instead, Abraham was counted righteous because he believed God. Faith in God, not his works, allowed Abraham to be justified before God.

Paul made the same argument to the Christians in the region of Galatia. A group known as the “Judaizers” was persuading them that they must be circumcised and follow the Law, in addition to believing in Christ, to be truly saved. Paul used the example of Abraham (who was and is seen as the blueprint of Jewish culture) in that letter, as well, to show that this argument was false.

Was Abraham justified before God because he earned it by his good works or because he believed what God told him? That’s the rhetorical question Paul poses. His opponents taught that Abraham was especially good and that the things he had done made him acceptable to God. By their logic, then, all people wanting to be called Abraham’s children must follow the same path. Paul argues that all of Abraham’s acts of faith came after and were driven by his faith in God.

Paul begins here to illustrate the difference between salvation by works and salvation by God’s grace through faith in Christ. When we have a job, we get paid. That paycheck is not a gift. It is what our employer owes us in exchange for our work. Clearly, we can’t demand that God “owes” us salvation based on our works. First and foremost, as Paul has already demonstrated, none of us can earn being declared righteous by God. No matter how hard we try, God still owes us nothing.

If we could be justified before God by our works, then God would owe us righteousness. As I said above, it would be like receiving a paycheck for a job or a transaction with the God of heaven. However, Paul has already demonstrated in Romans that only some can accomplish this work. Instead, we all sin and fall short of God’s glory.

Paul instead points to the opposite of earning something by work: receiving it as a gift. The difference comes in not laboring with a mind to purchase the benefit. The one who receives a gift does not earn it; our faith is what causes us to be declared righteous by God.

Our God justifies the ungodly upon their repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. This is the entire point of the Gospel. God does not wait for us to become godly or righteous apart from Him before welcoming us into His family. God justifies us despite our sinfulness because of our faith in righteous Jesus. There is no more excellent gift than this, and the greatest truth is that it’s all found in the teachings of Scripture itself and not something Paul has invented.