Deurpost

Well, I did it. Enter a blog post each day for a whole month. Mission accomplished! Yes, I did cheat a bit as I was on vacation for two weeks and so I had to plan and schedule posts, but in a way that only meant more work. It was an interesting experience, but I am not sure if forcing myself to write something benefited the quality of some of the posts. I don’t know. I am not sure if I will do it again next year, but you’ll never know. I might.

I also came across NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Write Month. On November 1, begin writing your novel. Your goal is to write a 50,000-word novel by midnight, local time, on November 30th. Starting November 1, you can update your word count in that box at the top of the site, and post excerpts of your work for others to read. Watch your word-count accumulate and story take shape. If you write 50,000 words of fiction by midnight, local time, November 30th, you can upload your novel for official verification, and be added to our hallowed Winner’s Page and receive a handsome winner’s certificate and web badge. We’ll post step-by-step instructions on how to scramble and upload your novel starting in mid-November. This seems like an interesting challenge as well, and something which can be combined with the NaBloPoMo (as I can submit the daily writing to my blog). Yet I won’t be writing a novel, but have some ideas for a book. Luckily I still have 11 months to decide.

So, now what? Well, I think I am going to take a small break from blogging. I may post here and there, but no long series, no deep theological stuff. Apart from December being a busy month as it is, I will also be preaching on the topic of Christian dating (so I might submit my notes to my blog), and am working on a paper/teaching on eschatology, which should be done by February, and I am working on a document for the vision and implementation of a men’s ministry for my church, so there is plenty to do apart from blogging.

But it has been a good experience in terms of disciplining myself. I can still grow a lot in the area of discipline. Now I am not saying that being disciplined in blogging, but the underlying theme can be applied in other fields obviously.

Lastly, Eric, thank you for inspiring me to join on on this NaBloPoMo quest. I had fun!

Until I post again,
Marc

I think I reached the point in this month of blogging that I am all out of words. Since tomorrow is the last day of the battle I am sure I’ll finish strong, today, after traveling for almost 18 hours back from the States to Amsterdam, I can honestly say that I am bushed. So, this will be a short post, because I am ready for pizza and a movie, right here on our living room couch, and I can tell you that I am already looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again. See you all tomorrow for my last post for this month.

The last two weeks we have been visting grandpa and grandpa in Surprise, Arizona. And time just flew by. We started off by a long trip from Amsterdam to Phoenix, as we stranded in Detroit, missing our connecting flight to Phoenix due to long queues at security. But, this ended up being a blessing more than anything, because these extra four hours gave us an opportunity to feed Elora and feed ourselves in a relaxing way while waiting patiently for our next flight. After almost 24 hours of traveling we finally came to our destination, still in pretty good shape actually. In the two weeks that followed we did a lot (swim, eat, visit Tombstone, go see an American Football game, go to church, shop, watch a lot of Food Network, celebrating Thanksgiving twice, watching Monday night football, watching the parade - some of these will be material for future posts for sure), but we combined it all with lots of laughter, relaxation, and just good fun.

But, to quote a famous Dutch standup comedian, “something is only fun because it ends, because if something is fun and it never ends, it’s not fun anymore” (which obviously applies to everything but seeing and savoring God, but that’s besides the point), and so we find ourselves on our way back to Amsterdam. We are leaving sunny Arizona with its 27+ degrees Celcius, and come back to 4 degrees Celcius. But, it’s all good. Why? Because I am a creature of habit, and I can take only so much of doing nothing and just sit and read. Still, to use the title of an old Supertramp song, we are taking the long way home. It’s leaving a place that is wonderful to be at for a place that’s, although called home, a place where life is real again, duty calls, and agendas are overbooked. And so it’s a long way home in the sense that I for one have mixed feeling about it. I want to go home, but I don’t, but I do. And although December is filled with happy family times (Elora’s -first- birthday, Sinterklaas, and of course Christmas) I cannot get around the feeling that I long for January already, when everything is back to “normal” again. But let’s not get ahead of myself here. I just see a challenge up ahead of trying to see the joy in everything. And where my good friend Eric was challenged to find this in November, it’s more December for me.

I’ll keep you posted on how I’m doing, but for now, it’s getting back first. Taking the long way home.

Today a dream comes true. This may sound like an overstatement, but for years and years I always wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving on actual U.S. soil. I know, I know, I am Dutch, so what do I care about this celebration. We don’t even (really) celebrate this in the Netherlands. And why should we, for it’s not our history. But there is something about an actual celebration of thanksgiving. Sure, there are similar holidays like Easter and Christmas which are celebrated across the globe which also end up being times where the family all comes together and eat a lot. In that way it seems no different from Thanksgiving. And you may be right, if looked upon in its current version, because, like Easter and Christmas, also Thanksgiving has become a commerical monster which seems impossible to slaughter (that in comparison to the many turkeys). But in a similar fashion it can be stated that also Thanksgiving is a celebration where the original spirit is long gone. Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving are nowadays all about food and presents. Yes, we give, but in our hearts it’s more about what we get in return. You can be honest here… And I am not necessarily talking presents here.

But, it’s Thanksgiving today, and I am happy to celebrate on its original soil, so let’s do an overview of the first Thanksgiving, in the hope that its original spirit is revived, meaning to acknowledge the provision of God. In order to do this I am going to fall back on the studies of Chuck Missler. All I will say is: happy Thanksgiving, and I invite you all to thank the God of the Bible for His amazing provision (the family and friends with which you can celebrate it, the house with all its provisions in which you can celebrate it, the big turkey and all the other food so you can celebrate it, the television in whatever size so you can watch all the football that’s on, your highly intricate digestive system that has to cope with the aftermath of your gluttony, etc, etc, but most important the provision of Jesus Christ, who died and was raised again so that all who believe in Jesus will have eternal life and are reconciled with God, so that we can see and savor the glory of God for ever.)

http://khouse.org/articles/1997/111/

The early settlers of America, who braved the privations of those incredibly difficult years, were a fabulous lot, indeed. We can hardly imagine the burdens they endured to make a new life for themselves in a new land. Their turning point began one Friday in the middle of March,1621.

Samoset
An Indian, wearing nothing but a leather loincloth, strode up their main street to the common house, and to their startled faces boomed in flawless English, “Welcome.” His name was Samoset, a sagamore (or chief) of the Algonquins. He had been visiting the area for the previous eight months, having learned his English from various fishing captains who had put in to the Maine shore over the years. He returned the following Thursday with another Indian who also spoke English, and who was to prove “a special instrument of God for their good, beyond their expectation.” His story was to prove no less extraordinary than the saga of Joseph being sold into slavery to Egypt. His name was Tisquantum, also called Squanto.

Squanto
His story began in 1605 when Squanto and four other Indians were taken captive, sent to England,and taught English to provide intelligence background on the most favorable places to establish colonies. After nine years in England, Squanto was able to return to Plymouth on Capt. John Smith’s voyage in 1614. Lured and captured by a notorious Capt. Thomas Hunt, he, with 27 others, were taken to Málaga, Spain, a major slave-trading port. Squanto, with a few others, were bought and rescued by local friars and introduced to the Christian faith. Thus, it appears that God was preparing him for the role he would ultimately play at Plymouth. He was able to attach himself to an Englishman bound for London, then he joined the family of a wealthy merchant, and ultimately embarked for New England in 1619. He stepped ashore six months before the Pilgrims landed in 1620. When he stepped ashore he received the most tragic blow of his life. Not a man, woman, or child of his own tribe was left alive! During the previous four years, a mysterious plague had broken out among them, killing every last one. So complete was the devastation that the neighboring tribes had shunned the area ever since. The Pilgrims had settled in a cleared area that belonged to no one. Their nearest neighbors, the Wampanoags, were about 50 miles to the southwest. Stripped of his identity and his reason for living, Squanto wandered aimlessly until he joined the Wampanoags, having nowhere else to go. But God had other plans.

God’s Provision
Massasoit, the sachem (or chief) of the Wapanoags, entered into a peace treaty of mutual aid with the Plymouth colony that was to last as a model for forty years. When Massasoit and his entourage left, Squanto stayed. He had found his reason for living: these English were helpless in the ways of the wilderness. Squanto taught them how to catch eels, stalk deer, plant pumpkins, refine maple syrup, discern both edible herbs and those good for medicine, etc. Perhaps the most important thing he taught them was the Indian way to plant corn. They hoed six-foot squares in toward the center, putting down four or five kernels, and then fertilizing the corn with fish: three fish in each square, pointing to the center, spokelike. Guarding the field against the wolves (who would try to steal the fish), by summer they had 20 full acres of corn that would save every one of their lives. Squanto also taught them to exploit the pelts of the beaver, which was in plentiful supply and in great demand throughout Europe. He even guided the trading to insure they got full prices for top-quality pelts. The corn was their physical deliverance; the beaver pelts would be their economic deliverance.

The First Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims were a grateful people-grateful to God, grateful to the Wampanoags, and grateful also to Squanto. Governor Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving, to be held in October. Massasoit was invited and unexpectedly arrived a day early-with an additional ninety Indians! To feed such a crowd would cut deeply into their stores for the winter, but they had learned through all their travails that God could be trusted implicitly. And it turned out that the Indians did not come empty handed: they brought five dressed deer and more than a dozen fat wild turkeys. They helped with the preparations, teaching the Pilgrim women how to make hoecakes and a tasty pudding out of cornmeal and maple syrup. In fact, they also showed them how to make one of their Indian favorites: white, fluffy popcorn! (Each time you go to a movie theatre, you should remember the source of this popular treat!) The Pilgrims, in turn, provided many vegetables from their gardens: carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, cucumbers, radishes, beets, and cabbages. Also, using some of their precious flour with some of the summer fruits which the Indians had dried, the Pilgrims introduced them to blueberry, apple, and cherry pie. Along with sweet wine made from wild grapes, it was, indeed, a joyous occasion for all concerned. The Pilgrims and Indians happily competed in shooting contests, foot races, and wrestling. Things went so well (and Massasoit showed no inclination to leave) that this first Thanksgiving was extended for three days. The moment that stood out the most in the Pilgrims’ memories was William Brewster’s prayer as they began the festival. They had so much for which to thank God: for providing all their needs-and His provision of Squanto, their teacher, guide, and friend that was to see them through those critical early winters.

A National Institution
By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day had become an institution throughout New England. It was officially proclaimed as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday in November, it was changed by an act of Congress in 1941 to the fourth Thursday of that month. Originally observed to acknowledge the provision of God, let us also make this national holiday a very special time to thank Him for our own provision-our families, our sustenance, and, above all, our redemption in His Son! Let’s also pray that He might restore the religious freedom that those early Pilgrims cherished so dearly-and that the current enforced paganism that has invaded our land be curtailed. This country is now becoming what the Pilgrims had risked their very lives to flee from.

Let me start off by saying that I do not support the so-called “prosperity gospel,” which is teaching that authentic faith in Jesus Christ will result in material prosperity, that financial gain is to be expected when you trust Jesus Christ, and that you will be abundantly successful in everything that you do. The two biggest preachers supporting this theology at this moment are Joel Osteen, who is the pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, and holds 40,000 people weekly and over 2 million via broadcast media, and T.D. Jakes, who is the pastor at The Potter’s House, and holds 30,000 people weekly. Let me first show you a clip from both of them.

Joel Osteen

T.D. Jakes

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I listen to these people I get excited, I feel empowered to get out there. But why is that? Because they are great motivational speakers. They have a way of talking to you to get you excited, but what you should listen to is their use of Scripture and the context they use it in, and you will come to the conclusion that it is false teaching. Now I could give you a whole explanation on why I fervently despise the prosperity gospel, but whatever I would say John Piper said it better, so let me show you a clip of what he has to say about it.

Why John Piper is Upset About the Prosperity Gospel

“The prosperity gospel is no gospel, because what it does is offer to people what they want as natural people. You don’t have to be born again to want to be wealthy and therefore you don’t have to converted, to be saved by the prosperity gospel. When you appeal to people to come to Christ on the basis of what they already want 1 Corinthians 2 makes no sense. “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.” (2 Corinthians 2:14) Therefore if you offer to people what they do not consider foolishness in the natural man you are not preaching the gospel, and the prosperity gospel offers to people what they desperately want as fallen people. Gives it to them, and grows huge churches. So I am on a crusade to crucify the prosperity gospel. I hate the prosperity gospel, because I love the glory of God.” – John Piper

Should I say more? I don’t think so, but I’ll leave you with this piece of Scripture, which I think every preacher should take to heart. In 1 Corinthians 1:17 Paul says, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

In the last post of this series I want to sort of extend on my earlier post on the development of the fear of the Lord. In your development, or as a result of your development of a fear of the Lord it is important to recognize why you should fear the Lord. I hinted on this in my opening post when I referred to Acts 9:31 and the fact that the fear of the Lord is required to increase the church. It is a motivation for ministry.

Persuade Men
“Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.” (2 Corinthians 5:11, NLT)
What do we persuade others off? And what is our responsibility to the Lord? Right, it’s our fear of the Lord which reminds us of our responsibility which is to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19, NLT) and to “teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:20, NLT). The grammatical construction suggests that Paul is defining lifestyle. The Message paraphrases it, “…we work urgently with everyone we meet to get them ready to face God.” Getting ready to face the Lord is a lifelong process. That approach to ministry, as Paul describes it, is controlled by a respectful reverence for God, who knows us inside out, and who knows our motives. We don’t want to pretend to be somebody we’re not, but to commit ourselves to being open, honest, and transparent with the people we interact with. Paul could see the need to persuade the world of the person and work of Jesus, and of his own integrity as a messenger of the good news. Everything should always be about Jesus and about the glory of God.

Let me close off with these two verses as an exhortation: “If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:4-6) “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)

We are getting close to the end of our study on the fear of the Lord. What we have been talking about so far is all good and well, but there should be a goal. This sounds worldly, but let me give you a quote from John Piper which describes what I mean: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him” and so what will the fear of the Lord bring?

It Will Bring Life
“The fear of the LORD leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.” (Proverbs 19:23)

“The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.” (Proverbs 10:27)

Strong confidence
“In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge.” (Proverbs 14:26)

Riches, Honor, and Life
“The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4)

Contentment
“O fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want.” (Psalm 34:9)

Secret knowledge
“The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant.” (Psalm 25:14)

Blessing
“He will bless those who fear the LORD, The small together with the great.” (Psalm 115:13)

I don’t know about you, but this sounds pretty awesome. To be untouched by evil, to have no want, to know the secrets of the Lord, to receive blessing. But it must be said as well that fear should always be accompanied by humility, and so this all sounds great, but it should all be to give glory to God.

Now that we have established a basic framework for the fear of the Lord, by knowing what it means, why God commands it and why it is important, let’s get our hands dirty and start putting it into practice. How do you develop a fear of the Lord? Theory is important, but like faith, without works it is dead. Going to see a classical orchestra every day for two years straight does not make you a musician, right?!

The fear of the Lord comes through the Word of God. This is displayed in Deuteronomy 31:10-13, where it says “Then Moses commanded them, saying, at the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the LORD your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.“

The purpose of hearing the Word is that you may learn to fear the Lord. Yet we need to hear and/or read everything, we cannot be selective, because “all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Yet we should not only read or hear the Word of God, we should also meditate on it. We should heed the words from God to Joshua, to which He said: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” (Joshua 1:8). This meditation on the Word creates a delight in the Word, as we read in Psalm 1:2, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.” This meditation will lead to a life of repentance and walking in His ways, according to Psalm 4:4 we should “tremble, and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed. and be still” and this meditation means to “meditate on [His] precepts and regard [His] ways” (Psalm 119:15).

In short, without reading, studying, meditation and prayer of and over Scriptures it is impossible to fear the Lord. It starts with the Word.

So now we know what the definition of the fear of the Lord is, and that the Lord our God commands it for several reasons, but why is it important? Why should we fear the Lord? The way to answer this question is to take a look at the book of Proverbs and the book of Psalms.

The Beginning of Knowledge and Wisdom
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7)

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever” (Psalm 111:10)

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

“The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility.” (Proverbs 15:33)

Eternal Life
“The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.” (Psalm 19:9)

“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:27)

A Repented Lifestyle
“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)

If we do not fear God, we exclude ourselves out of the immense treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge; we exclude ourselves from a long and prosperous life; we exclude ourselves from knowing the love of God that provides assurance and confidence; and we exclude ourselves from being motivated to repent and turn to God. I think it’s safe to conclude that to desire and act upon the fear of the Lord is important.

When talking about the fear of the Lord, we often read that we should have it. That is all good and well, but is God actually commanding us to fear Him? Yes, abundantly, for all sorts of different reasons God is commanding us to fear Him.

We Are to Fear God Exclusively
“You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name” (Deuteronomy 6:13)

“Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.” (1 Samuel 12:24)

We Are to Fear for Our Good and Survival
“So the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 6:24)

“But the LORD your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” (2 Kings 17:39)

“Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

We Are to Fear to Turn from Evil
“Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14)

“Now then let the fear of the LORD be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the LORD our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.” (2 Chronicles 19:7)

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the LORD always.” (Proverbs 23:17)

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:7)

“Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him” (Deuteronomy 8:6)

“Do you not fear Me? declares the LORD, Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and departed. They do not say in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, who gives rain in its season, both the autumn rain and the spring rain, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” (Jeremiah 5:22-24)

We Are to Fear to Praise and Glory
“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; for all the nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Revelation 15:4)

“Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.” (Colossians 3:22)

The fear of the Lord is one of those topics which most of the time lead to much confusion about what it really means and despair perhaps on how to obtain it. We read in Acts 9:31 that “the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.” And so it seems that a fear of the Lord is next to the comfort of the Holy Spirit an important part of increasing the church, which translates itself into disciples being made. And so the fear of the Lord is an important aspect of discipleship and your own personal walk with God, and that’s why we read, “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name” (Psalm 86:11). It is a personal application. Let’s start with a definition.

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word “yir’ah” is used for fear. In the New Testament the Greek word “phobos” is used to describe fear. The fear of the Lord is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, as described in Isaiah 11:2-3, “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear“. The Catholic Encyclopedia explains that this gift “fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread, above all things, to offend Him.”

Fear in this context is often misinterpreted as a fear of getting in trouble, when it should be understood as a fear of offending someone whom you love. “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;” (Philippians 2:12). The fear of the Lord should include a place for trembling. Just as one would likely tremble in the presence of the one who could take your life, so Jesus taught us to the fear the Lord when He says in Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.“

A proper fear of the Lord should then include reverence and awe, being afraid to offend God in any way, and a trembling if one knows they have offended God and have not obtained forgiveness. Without the fear of the Lord we cannot please God. “Thus says the LORD, Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being, declares the LORD, but to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” (Isaiah 66:1-2). We should tremble at His word to receive His mercy.

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of [b]Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘for your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-39)

Five questions can be raised regarding the believer’s eternal security in these concluding verses of Romans chapter 8.

Can Opposition Defeat the Christian?
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Since God is for us, who is against us? What a statement! Paul gives answer to his own question in Ephesians 6:11-13, which says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” And Peter reiterates this briefly when he said, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). Who is against us? The Devil and his host of demonic angels, but they cannot ultimately prevail and triumph over believers. God is the self-existent One and the sovereign Creator and, since He is for believers, no one can oppose believers successfully.

Will We Have the Resources?
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
This seems to be a no-brainer. If the Father already gave His ultimate gift, how can we think that He won’t give us the smaller gifts? And yet, more than I would like to admit, I find myself in situations where I do not embrace this truth; when I am deceived into thinking that I am who gives himself things. I think this is a good verse to be reminded of in a morning prayer time.

Will Our Failures Reverse Our Justification?
“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;” (Romans 8:33)
Satan is often described as the accuser of God’s people (Revelation 12:10, Zechariah 3:1). His accusations are valid, because they are based on the believer’s sinfulness, yet they will be thrown out of court, because it is God who justifies. The Judge Himself declares the accused person righteous on the basis of his faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24; 5:1). As a result all accusations are dismissed and no one can bring an accusation that will stand. This refers back to Romans 8:1.

Can Anyone Condemn Us for Any Reason?
“Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” (Romans 8:34)
We are secure from all condemnation. If Jesus Himself is our advocate, promoting our benefit, then who can condemn us? Jesus is God’s appointed Judge. Certainly the Judge will not condemn His own who are in Him by faith.

What Kind of Assurance Can We Have of Victory?
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35)
Paul suggests seven things a believer might experience. He himself experienced them all (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). These things, which are stated in increasing intensity, do not separate Christians from Christ, instead they are part of all things God uses to bring them to conformity to His Son.

Closing Statements
Paul reminds us that affliction is part of our walk with God. Yet this brings us closer to Christ rather than further away from Christ. Victory at all times! A comforting thought.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:18-30)

Christian Suffering
A topic in and off itself for sure, but why do Christians suffer? They suffer to glorify God, to discipline for known sin, to prevent us from falling into sin, to keep us from being proud, to build faith, to cause growth, to teach obedience and discipline, to equip us to comfort others, and to prove reality of Christ in us. Jesus suffered trails, all the apostles suffered trials. Jesus promises trials in John 16:33. Check 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 and 2 Corinthians 11:21-28 on how success is measured.

The Three Groans
Verses 19-22 describe the first groan: the groan of creation. The interrelationship of man with the physical creation of which he is a part was established in God’s sentence of judgment on Adam after the Fall (Gen. 3:17-19). This relationship has a future aspect in connection with God’s program of salvation for people. God judged the totality of His Creation along with people for their sin (Gen. 3:14, 17-19). Yet the curse was instituted with a future hope. It will begin with the removal of nature’s curse (Isaiah 11:1-13; 65:17-25; Micah 4:1-5; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Zechariah 14:1-21). For a 1000 years there will be people living on the earth without the curse! Since God’s program of salvation for people is one of a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15), the physical world also will be re-created (Revelation 21:5). This will take place in two stages. First will be the renovation of the present cosmos in conjunction with the return to earth of the Lord Jesus and the establishment of the messianic kingdom on earth (Isaiah 11:5-9; 35:1-2, 5-7; 65:20, 25; Amos 9:13). The second stage will be creation of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1; 2 Peter 3:7-13).

Verses 23-25 describes the second groan: the groan of believers. Believers still anticipate their adoption in its completeness, which is said to be “the redemption.” This is called the revelation of the sons of God (8:19) and “the glorious freedom of the children of God” (verse 21). It will occur at the Rapture of the church when believers will be raised and transformed with glorious bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42-54; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Paul called that day “the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Something that we should hope for. Interesting that in Greek ‘hope’ is stronger than ‘know.’ It’s a confidence, sureness, of future things. He who has the strongest “hope” will have the greatest stability under stress. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Verses 26-27 describes the third groan: the groan of the Holy Spirit, so not the believers, and is apparently not stated in words. Even though the Spirit’s words are not expressed, the Father knows what the Spirit is thinking. This is an interesting statement about the Father’s omniscience and the intimacy within the Trinity. The Lord Jesus also continually intercedes for believers in God’s presence.

The Certainty of Sanctification
And then in verse 28, the most important three words: ‘and we know…’ To discuss the goal of sanctification—a believer’s hope, for which he awaits eagerly and steadfastly—is pointless unless one realizes that that goal is certain. God has provided that certainty and confirms the  believer’s hope, since sanctification from its beginning in regeneration to its completion in glorification is ultimately God’s work, which believers appropriate by faith. Of verse 29 Charles H. Spurgeon said: “God chose me before I was born. I’m glad He did; otherwise He might have changed His mind!” This eternal choice and foreknowledge involves more than establishing a relationship between God and believers. It also involves the goal or end of that relationship: Those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. These last couple of verses show five unbreakable links: foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, glorification. These five links is a study in itself, which I will keep for another time.

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

I don’t know about you, but if I read this verse I don’t get this warm and fuzzy feeling. Of course the prideful side of me say, ‘Peanuts, I’ll pass this test anytime. Bring it on!’ But that’s only to cover my fear that I might fail. Paul’s request is to take a humble serious look at ourselves. The prophet Jeremiah says that “the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). And so in order to really examine ourselves means to let others into the evaluation process. And that’s where it gets scary, because oftentimes people are a lot more direct and straightforward when asked a series of questions about a person than when they talk to that person directly, so this could lead to some surprises. Consider for instance the seven letters which Jesus wrote to the seven churches in Revelation. Each church was surprised about the result of the examination. Churches that thought they were doing great, weren’t doing that great at all. Churches that thought they weren’t doing so great, were doing better than they thought. A great lesson in humility!

Anyways, exam yourselves if Jesus is in you. Are you really born again? Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart (Romans 8:9,16)? Do you love your brothers (1 John 3:14)? Do you practice righteousness (1 John 2:29; 3:9)? Are you living a life of godly separation (1 John 5:4)? I ran into this series of questions from John Wesley and the Puritans of over 200 years ago.

1. Am I consciously (or unconsciously) creating the impression that I am better than I really am? Am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts or words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
4. Can I be trusted?
5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying or self-justifying? Do I grumble or complain constantly?
7. Did the Bible live for me today? Do I give it time to speak to me every day?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone else with the object of trying to win that person for Christ?
10. Am I making contacts with other people and using them for the Master’s glory?
11. Do I pray about the money I spend?
12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
13. Do I disobey God in anything?
14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
15. Am I defeated in any part of my life? Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, distrustful?
16. How do I spend my spare time?
17. Am I proud?
18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
19. Is there anybody who I fear, dislike, disown, criticize? If so, what am I doing about it?
20. Is Christ real to me?

We need help to do this. We need Christ, as David recognizes in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.“ The focus of our examination should not be sin, but Christ. He is the goal. Is He yours?

Today my dad turns 76. I can’t believe already a year has past since we had a small and intimate family gathering to celebrate his 75th birthday. An indication for me at least that the older I get the faster the years seem to flash by. Or maybe it’s because it’s been a crazy year with some very highs and some very lows. I don’t know. Fact remains that my dad is 76 now, and I pray that he will stay with us for a very long time still, because he is an awesome dad and I want to have many conversations with him still and take him out for walks in “his” city of Amsterdam and let him ramble on about the goold old days when everything was still great (as opposed to now, of course). Come to think of it, a lot, if not all, of the reasons for wanting to keep him here are selfish. They are what I want. But I think the main reason why I want to keep him here still is because I long for him to (re)embrace the gospel. And so I pray that there will enough time for him to do this, realizing fully that I am (or may be) the one that actually needs to step up and actually share the gospel with him, and I don’t. Why? Because I am weak! Now of course I could come up with some Scripture like “And they took offense at Him But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.’ And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:57-58), but this would be taking it out of context as a few verses before it is said, “He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue” (Matthew 13:54). And so hiding behind the fact that it is more difficult to share the good news of Jesus Christ in your home town, your family, your circle of friends, is nonsense, as I am still commanded to actually share it before I can make any claim (if I can that is), that it was not accepted, right! So I better get to work, knowing fully that it is not by anyone’s merit but God’s, to claim the outcome.

Almost two years ago I did a study on the three tenses of being saved. In other words, being saved has a past, present and future component. Each with different characteristics and effects.

The Presence of Sin
The future tense of sin means that when we are resurrected we will be eternally removed from the presence of sin. The apostle Paul in particular talks about this a lot throughout his letters (Romans 8:23; Philippians 3:20-21; 2 Corinthians 5:2). In all these verses he emphasizes that we are groaning at this moment, supposedly because we see both the limitations of this body and the superiority of the body to come, “for this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:53).

I am just wondering if we are really groaning? I am sure that most Christians when asked will say that they would like to be in heaven right now (or am I wrong to assume this), but to groan? To groan is a low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief. Are you suffering right now to the extent that you are groaning? I know I am not. And maybe you not either. Why? Well, first of all, groaning is superseded by suffering. So the question should actually be if you are suffering for Christ? For “if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:17). Sure, there is this sense that “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26), but is that really true for you? If someone knows suffering (next Jesus) it’s Paul. He says in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, “Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.” And still Paul says in his letter to the Philippians, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.” (Philippians 1:21-26). Wow, to be with Christ is much better (groaning), but he remains nonetheless and is content with it. Why? Because to live is Christ, which is to say, “for you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:10).

My simple question is this: do you groan, like Paul? Are you content with your life as it is, or do you really long for your spiritual body? Do you realize you have been bought with a price and that you should glorify God in your body? John Piper wrote an excellent book on this topic, called “Don’t Waste Your Life“. I recommend you read it.

Almost two years ago I did a study on the three tenses of being saved. In other words, being saved has a past, present and future component. Each with different characteristics and effects.

The Power of Sin
In chapter six of Romans, Paul is describing that believers are dead to sin, meaning that sin no longer has power over us, or that we have the power in us to not have to give into sin. This is a powerful statement that needs further examination, as it deals with the subject of sanctification, the process where God is progressively separating a believer from sin to Himself and transforming him towards holiness and purity. It’s a lifelong process which entails three attitudes of mind and action on our part.

Consider Yourself Dead to Sin
“For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:5-11)
The first attitude deals with considering yourself dead to sin, yet alive in Jesus Christ. Being able to consider something true however depends on knowing and believing certain things. The things to know are listed in verse 5-10. There is certainty in knowing that when you died with Jesus you shall also resurrect with Jesus. This means that our body of sin is gone and are no longer slaves to sin. The old nature still exists, helpless, ungodly, rebellious, and an enemy of God, but now it’s no longer in charge anymore. We are no longer slaves to sin (singular! – it’s the sin nature). That means you are freed to be able to say no, but you still have to claim it by faith. To consider yourself dead to sin is an aggresive faith. It’s a present tense, daily keep on doing it type of faith. So, do you believe you are dead to sin and alive to God?

Do Not Yield to Sin
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:12-14)
So, do not let sin continue to reign in your body. Stop letting it right now, by insisting that what God says is true. The dominion is now your choice. Before Christ this wasn’t possible, but now it is. But it remains to be a moment-by-moment choice. The Christian life is not trying to become what you are not. The Christian life is experiencing what you are – in Christ. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is not a fantasy, but a declaration of God! Your daily choices will now determine the results; not you previous slavery. The power of the old nature is now broken. Now that is good news! I am now under the principle of grace.

Serve Righteousness
“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:15-23)
Serving by desire, power by grace should be our response to what Jesus has done inside of us. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). Consider who your master is and what you are a slave of, because you cannot serve two masters. But thanks be to God, for He did it! So, be obedient from the heart, meaning believe in the gospel. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6). Three times in this chapter Paul wrote that sin results in death. This death is eternal separation from God in hell, in which unbelievers suffer conscious torment forever. This is the wages they have earned and deserve because of their sin. By contrast, the gift of God is eternal life. Eternal life is a gift that cannot be earned.

The sufficiency of Scripture answers the question if we are to look for other words from God in addition to those we have in Scripture, or is the Bible enough for knowing what God wants us to think or do? The definition can be described that Scripture contained all the Words of God He intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains everything we need God to tell for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying Him perfectly.

Salvation
Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 3:15 that “from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus,” which means that in Scripture we have all the words of God we need in order to be saved.

Trust
David says in Psalm 9:10 that “and those who know Your name will put their trust in You. For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those you seek You,” which means that in Scripture we have all the words of God we need in order to trust Him.

Obedience
In Jeremiah 7:23 it is said that “this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it will may be well with you’,” which means that in Scripture we have all the words of God we need in order to obey Him.

The sufficiency of Scripture implies that God has not spoken to mankind any more words which He requires us to believe or obey other than those which we have now in the Bible. It does not imply that God cannot add any more words to those He has already spoken to His people. It rather implies that man cannot add on his own initiative any words that God has already spoken (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32, Proverbs 30:5-6, Revelation 22:18-19). Practically it should encourage us as we try to discover what God would have us to think or to do. We should be encouraged that everything God wants to tell us about for our salvation, trust and obedience is to be found in Scripture. This doesn’t mean that the Bible answers all questions that we might think up, for “the secret things belong to the Lord our God” (Deuteronomy 29:29). It does mean that when we are facing a problem of genuine importance to our Christian life, we can approach Scripture with the confidence that from it God will provide us with guidance for that problem.

Summary and Conclusion
What then can we say in summary? It ultimately comes down to a desire for wisdom, for “the beginning of wisdom is: acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7), and a step of faith “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 1:7). We must not forget the importance of the role of the Holy Spirit in overcoming the effects of our fallen condition, and to give us revelation of the truth of the Bible. We have in the Bible God’s very words, and we must not try to improve on them in some way, for this cannot be done. Rather, we should seek to understand, approach them with an open and humble heart and mind, and then trust them and obey them with our whole heart.

Does Bibliology help you in your understanding of the Bible? In other words, to what extent does the Bible have authority in your life? Do you feel encouraged that Scripture is meant to be understood by all, although sometimes it takes effort? Does understanding the necessity of Scripture stir you to more study of it? Do you feel that the Bible provides sufficient answers for your life? If not, is that because of a lack of understanding, of trust or of obedience? How does this help you in sharing your faith with non-believers? All these questions are so relevant to our every day life that I think it is sometimes good to understand the theory (doctrine) behind these things so that we can be more focused and determined in our efforts.

The necessity of Scripture answers the question how much people can know about God without the Bible? And for what purposes are the Bible necessary? It can be defined as such that the Bible is necessary for knowing the Gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God’s will, but it is not necessary for knowing that God exists or for knowing something about God’s character and moral laws.

The Gospel
Let’s look at the necessity of Scripture for knowing the Gospel. In Romans 10:13-17 Paul says, “‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!’ However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” So, one must call upon the name of the LORD to be saved. You can only call upon the name of Christ if you believe in Him. You cannot believe in Christ unless you have heard of Him. And you cannot hear of Christ unless there is someone to tell you about Him. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that saving faith comes through hearing (the gospel message), which comes through the preaching of Christ (which is proclaiming His word).

Spiritual Life
The necessity of Scripture for spiritual life is maintained by daily nourishment with the Word of God, and spiritual growth is maintained by nourishment with the Word of God. Jesus says in Matthew 4:4 that “man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God,” and Peter encourages us in 1 Peter 2:2 “like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you my grow up to salvation.”

God’s Will
The necessity of Scripture for knowing and understanding God’s will means that God has revealed His words to us that we might obey His laws and thereby do His will. And if we are to have a certain knowledge of God’s will, we must attain it through the study of Scripture. Deuteronomy 29:29 says that “the secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law,” and John says in 1 John 5:3 that “to love God is to keep His commandments.“

God’s existence
What about people who do not read the Bible? People can obtain a knowledge that God exists and knowledge of some of His attributes. David says “the heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1), and Paul tells to the people in Lystra that “in the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:16-17). Even without the Bible, people have had evidence in creation that God exists. It is questionable though if this is a knowledge that can bring salvation.

The clarity of Scripture answers the question if only scholars can understand the Bible rightly? It can be defined as saying that the Bible is written in such a way that its teachings are able to be understood by all those who will read it seeking God’s help and being willing to follow it. Psalm 19:7 says that “the law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple“, and Psalm 119:130 says that “the unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple,” which indicates that you do not be a scholar to understand the Bible because it makes wise the simple. This does not mean that everything is easily understood, as Peter mentions in 2 Peter 3:15-16 “just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

Scripture is able to be understood by all unbelievers who will read it sincerely seeking salvation, and by all believers who will read it while seeking God’s help in understanding it. This is because in both cases the Holy Spirit is at work overcoming the effects of sin, which otherwise will make the truth appear to be foolish. The existence of many disagreements about the meaning of Scripture throughout history reminds us that the doctrine of clarity of Scripture does not imply or suggest that all believers will agree on all teachings of Scripture. The problem though always lies not with Scripture but with us. To paraphrase a quote from Wayne Grudem in his book “Systematic Theology” (page 106): “Whether addressing scholars or untrained common people, Jesus never once in the Gospels said anything like: “I see how your problem arose – the Scriptures are not very clear on that subject.” Instead His responses always assume that the blame for misunderstanding any teaching of Scripture is not to be placed on the Scriptures themselves, but one those who misunderstand or fail to accept what is written. Again and again He answers questions with statements like, “have you not read…” (Matthew 12:3,5; 19:4; 22:31), or even “you are wrong because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:39; 9:13; 12:7; 15:3; 21:13; John 3:10)”

This should keep us humble and ever searching for God’s heart in each matter pertaining Scripture. Every time you run into some text which is difficult or seems like a contradiction, it’s an opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit insight in this, to learn and get a broader and deeper perspective of God.

Much can be said about the Bible as a book in and of itself. The official term for the study of the Bible is the doctrine of bibliology, which can be defined as the study of the Bible and the beliefs and doctrines about the Bible. It answers relevant questions like: what does the Bible say about itself? What does it claim to be? Is the Bible the only and true inspired Word of God? Why do some books belong to the Bible and others not? Are there any errors in the Bible? Why is bibliology important for us to understand? Well, it will develop our understanding of the overall message of the Bible, and it will force us to make a decision about to what extent we let it influence our personal lives. When we would zoom in on the question ‘what does the Bible say about itself?’ we can identify four central Doctrines or characteristics of Scripture: a) the authority of Scripture; b) the clarity of Scripture; c) the necessity of Scripture; and d) the sufficiency of Scripture. This series of posts will be a sort of quick and dirty introduction to these characteristics, with this first covering the authority of Scripture.

The authority of Scripture answers the question: wow do we know that the Bible is God’s Word? It can be defines as “all the words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.” Let’s look at God’s word. There are frequent claims in the Bible that all the words of Scripture are God’s words. In the Old Testament this is seen in “Thus says the Lord…” Furthermore, God is often said to speak through the prophet. In the New Testament, Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” A second thing is the truthfulness of Scripture. In Titus 1:2 it is said that “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,” and the writer of Hebrews says in 6:17-18 that “in the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us“. Because God is a God who cannot lie, His words can always be trusted. Thus there can be no untruthfulness in Scripture.

This is of course a simplified explanation which could be described as circular reasoning. But I leave it to this right now. Like I said, it’s a quick an dirty introduction to get you going and thinking about the subject itself.

Timothy probably became a Christian, together with his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois, on Paul’s first missionary trip to Lystra (Acts 14:6-18). On Paul’s second missionary journey to Lystra, some three years later, he met Timothy, as we read, “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra and a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium” (Acts 16:1-2). There seemed to be a chemistry between the two. Paul saw something in Timothy that Timothy himself did not see, yet Timothy was quite convinced he made the right decision, judging by what he agreed to. “Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.” (Acts 16:3). Paul became Timothy’s spiritual mentor, probably in an effort not to make the same mistake as with John Mark. Timothy did not hesitate to join Paul and Silas on their journey. His willingness to be circumcised as an adult is clearly a mark of his commitment. Timothy went along on Paul’s journey through Macedonia (Acts 16:6-8) or stayed behind, or worked with others, in Berea (Acts 17:13-14), Corinth (Acts 18:5), Ephesus (Acts 19:22), and Greece (Acts 20:2-5). Paul counted Timothy to be his fellow worker (Romans 16:21), his brother (2 Corinthians 1:1), his beloved son (2 Timothy 1:2), his beloved and faithful child in the Lord (1 Corinthians 4:17) and his true child in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2). Paul said about Timothy: “For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.” (Philippians 2:20-22), and “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:5-7)

The aging Paul was near the end of his life when he wrote his most personal letters to Timothy. It is evident from the writing style that Paul is writing to one of his closest friends. They had traveled together, suffered together, cried together, and laughed together. They shared the intense joy of seing people respond to the Gospel, and the agonies of seeing the Gospel rejected and distorted. Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to oversee the young church there (1 Timothy 1:3-4).

With Paul as his spiritual mentor, Timothy realized that his youthfulness didn’t have to be an excuse for ineffectiveness, that his effectiveness for God depends on divine power, not human temperament, that you can be timid and fruitful, and that character is more important than talent. The relationship between Paul and Timothy shows us that a missionary needs to be strong in the faith, and ready to face opposition. It shows us that in order to disciple someone you need to be a discipline yourself. Likewise, you need to be a leader in order to raise up a leader, and lastly you need spiritual discernment to identify people ready for missions. I think everybody needs a Paul, a Timothy and a Barnabas in his life. Someone who is mentoring you. Someone you are mentoring. And someone you do missions alongside of. Thet are vital to your spiritual health and your mission. Who are yours?

Almost two years ago I did a study on the three tenses of being saved. In other words, being saved has a past, present and future component. Each with different characteristics and effects.

The Penalty of Sin
The past tense of being saved means that you have been saved from the penalty of sin. Jesus Christ died in your place for your sins on the cross. This is a one-time once and for all event. That’s why Jesus said: “It is finished!” (John 19:30) at the moment of death. Jesus took upon Himself the penalty of sin in order for whoever believes in Him to be free from this penalty. It does not mean that sin no longer exists, but it means that the acts of sinning no longer results in death.

Now I could go into a very lengthy discussion on topics like propitiation, substitutionary atonement, limited atonement, unlimited atonement, and predestination, but I won’t because I have not fully dug into these fine subjects yet. I will probably spend some future posts on this, as I do believe it is very important to fully understand the depths of what Christ accomplished on the cross, what it’s effects are for me personally, but also for my ministry. But for now I will leave you with some verses, and the fact that Jesus Christ died for you on that cross, and if you believe in Him He saved you from the penalty of sin, which means that you are right (justified) with God again, and therefore can approach the throne of God with confidence.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift from God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23)

“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, that no one should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“But if it is by grace, it’s no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Rom 11:6)

“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, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet 1:3-5)

“So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:12-17)

The next couple of verses will deal with the realization of the obligation of what we owe and who we are in Christ. We need to get this right in order to understand the benefits and the ultimate price.

Get Your Debt Right
“So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:12-13)
We owe nothing to the flesh. We are not in its debt, and therefore do not need to do its service. For are no longer slaves to the flesh. We need to put to death the deeds of the body, force our sinful nature to submit to the Spirit, and do this by the Spirit. If not by the Spirit then we will try on our own effort, on our own account, which leads to pride. So, it’s not only justification, where we are saved by the work of the Holy Spirit, but also sanctification, where we must walk by the Spirit in order to grow and pursue holiness in the LORD. Don’t be like the Galatians to which Paul writes in Galatians 3:3, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” It’s a constant process that will be completed upon physical death.

Get Your Sonship Right
“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!‘” (Romans 8:14-15)
It makes sense, right? If you’re led by the Spirit of God you’ll be the son of God. Yet it’s not a precondition. We become sons first and then the Spirit leads us. It’s reverse logic. Think you are the son of God? Well, are you led by the Spirit? Do you let the Spirit guide you, draw you, have authority over you, and so you do this all with joy and submissiveness? And does this lead to repentance and think much of God and little of yourself? Does it lead you into the truth, into love, into holiness? Again, do you do this all with joy? For the law of the Spirit is not under bondage and fear, but under joy, for it makes you cry out Abba (Daddy!).

Evidence and Benefits
“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:16-17)
But then again, if you know, you know, because the Spirit testifies of His own presence in us. In Deuteronomy 19:15 we read that by Jewish law “on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed” and so there are two witnesses to your salvation: your own witness and the witness of the Holy Spirit. So, if you realize this then the next step is to realize what the benefits are of being a child of God. And that’s being an heir. Which means that there is an inheritance too, right? The inheritance is a matter of being (not doing). Being in the family of God. Now, this doesn’t mean you are exempt from suffering, for we all share in the suffering of Christ (again, sanctification) which will lead to glorification. Now, justification will always lead to glorification, yet here it is talking about inheritance (in contrast to salvation alone), in other words conditions to our specific destiny. We cannot imagine what this really means, “for just as it is written, things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Now in terms of suffering, Jesus promised us trials and tribulation (not to be confused with the Great Tribulation, which is solely for Israel) when He said, “‘These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.‘” (John 16:33). We could pretend these sufferings will not happen, or become overly anxious and fear for these sufferings, but we should be like Jesus and like Paul. Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 and draw your conclusions on how he measured success.

Conclusion
Now let me close off with some reverse logic. In order to be glorified with Jesus and be fellow heirs, we have to suffer with Jesus, which can only happen if the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, which means that we are led by Spirit, which means we live by the Spirit and have put to death our sinful nature. So, where to start? Indeed.

I ran into something interesting that I thought I’d share it here and dig into it a little bit more. I was looking for the exact wording of the famous faith, hope and love verse stated by Paul, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13), so I ran a query on Bible Gateway and noticed it hit three verses which complement each other and give more depth and meaning to the famous verse. In a fact, what they produce. Now I know Paul has a habit of explaining his thoughts across his epistles, but never noticed it for this one. The two complementary verses can be found in the first letter to the Thessalonians: “Constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father” (1 Thessalonians 1:3), and “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

The Work and Breastplate of Faith
The work of faith is the work of God in you. Upon asked the question what to do so that you may know the work of God, Jesus answered: “‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’” (John 6:29). So it means believing in Jesus who was sent by God the Father so that He can be an example for you on how to be a missionary, and subsequently send you into mission. James says that you should to it “see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected” (James 2:22), where I would translate works here as your works as a missionary. This fits I think with the fact Paul also talks about the breastplate of faith, which is a reference to the whole armor of God, where he is instructing to stand firm and put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate provides essential protection for the most vital organs. Without it you are basically defenseless. The breastplate represents a righteousness received by faith in Jesus Christ. Having put on the breastplate gives us an awareness of your standing and position. So the work and breastplate of faith complement each other. With it you are ready to do the work, your mission.

The Labor and Breastplate of Love
The labor of love is “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). The Greek work for labor is “kopos,” which means intense labor with trouble and toil. This in comparison to the word “work” from the work of faith, which is “ergon” and means to do business, a service which one perform or ought to perform. So there is a different connotation to it. To labor means to get your hands dirty, out of love. It’s again linked to the breastplate, because like a soldier who should not get out onto the battlefield without his breastplate, likewise a Christian should not be out doing his mission work without faith and love. To love is hard work. It is keeping and growing “the love which you have for all the saints” (Colossians 1:4), for “if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12). It is keeping and growing the love to tend His lambs (John 21:15), to shepherd His sheep (John 21:16), and to tend His sheep (John 21:17). It is keeping and growing the love to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The labor of love is hard work, and it needs a breastplate to make it work. It needs a heart that is protected, so that we “do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15). We need a breastplate to keep the love of God in us, so that we do not love the world, but the people of the world.

The Steadfastness and Helmet of Hope
In all of this we should be steadfast in our hope. “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Romans 8:25). “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). Steadfastness in hope comes through perseverance. When Jesus is talking about the parable of the sower, he says about “the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:15). I like the combination of the honest and good heart and to hold fast to it. I get this picture of the breastplate again. Everything that Paul says is so intertwined. In Romans 5:3-4 Paul talks about tribulation (persecution, a result of faith and works) bring about perseverance, which brings hope. So with some reverse engineering we could say that the more we do mission, the more we are persecuted, the more we should persevere, the more we will hope. And perseverance is given by God (Romans 15:5), so nothing is done by our own merits, so if we should boast we should boast in Jesus Christ who gives it all to us to do His work for Him. Now, why the helmet? The helmet protects the head. The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God will triumph. Discouragement is one of Satan’s weapons, and it’s a messing with your mind. With the helmet your mind is protected from discouragement which leads to perseverance, which leads to hope.

Conclusion
Faith, hope and love are not static words. They are active and alive. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Hope without works is dead (Luke 8:15). Love without works is dead (Hebrews 6:10). Let me close of with the words from Paul, “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?” (Galatians 5:5-7). Keep close to the truth. What is truth? The Word of God (John 17:17). And we need to be sanctified in it. Sanctification is the result of work in faith.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:1-11)

The depth of the book of Romans may be evident to us all. The Bible itself is inexhaustible, but I dare say that the book of Romans may be the most inexhaustible book within the Bible. Maybe. Frederic Louis Godet in his commentary on this book calls it “the holy of the holiest of the Word of God.” I don’t know if I want to go that far, but it is an interesting statement nonetheless. In any case, I will attempt to write some thoughts on the center chapter of this book, chapter eight, which is also probably the most uplifting chapter.

What an Insurance!
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
What a statement! What an assurance a Christian can receive. No condemnation from any source, at any time. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already,  because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18). The only prerequisite is believe. If you believe in Jesus Christ you are justified, and you will not be judged. It does not depend on your walk with God (your sanctification), only on your justification. That’s how you become to be in Jesus, by believe, which is through faith, which comes from God as a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), which means that you are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body (1Corinthians 12:13).

A Different Law
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh
but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:2-4)
Two laws: “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,” and “the law of sin and of death.” Those who are in Christ Jesus have been set free from the law of sin and death. That doesn’t mean that we do not experience this law anymore, but that this law does not have any dominion over us anymore. We can overcome it, but it is a choice, daily, moment by moment. Jesus did not only die for your sins (each and every one of them), which makes sure you kept on being justified regardless, but also for your sin nature, so that you can overcome you nature and live by the law of the Spirit of life. Now that’s incredible! Jesus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement if the Law might be fulfilled in (not by) us, because if we try by our own efforts we will fail miserably at all times. In a sense a terrifying statement as it means that whatever we, how well meant socially or economically, etc, it is useless if it’s in the flesh and won’t do you any good theologically, unless it is done by the Holy Spirit in you acting through you. It’s religion. A tough concept I think!

All is Futile. We Need the Spirit
“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:5-8)
Now remember that the book of Romans is written to believers, not unbelievers. In verse we read a contrast between two types of believers, the one trying to live for God by human effort (and fails) and the one who is walking by the Spirit. By which one are you led? Your own ability or His ability through you. I must confess that I go by my own ability so many times, too many times. It’s a self-glorification. It’s pride. Yet in that case, my mind is death. Sobering thought. Why do I keep on thinking that I know better than God?? It puzzles me. Yet the flesh (the sin nature) will never be improved. We are powerless to change our nature, therefore we cannot in our own effort please God. We need the Holy Spirit, and if we have the Holy Spirit we must use Him.

Live in the Spirit
“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9-11)
Every believer of Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit, and it’s one Spirit (Ephesians 4:4-6). Do not divide Christians in camps of “Spirit-filled” or “non-Spirit-filled.” If a person is not filled with the Holy Spirit, they are not a Christian at all. Simple. The question is if He is in control of your life? I think it’s safe to assume that we all want life in the constant fullness of the Spirit. We are missing out. How do you know that you have the Spirit? Has the Spirit led you to Jesus? Has the Spirit led you to honor Jesus? Is the Spirit leading to become more like Jesus? Is the Spirit at work in your heart, convicting you of sin? If the Spirit is alive in you it’s because of Jesus’ righteousness, not our own! That should keep us humble.

Conclusion
First and foremost, you need to be in Christ. If not, then this chapter or acutually this book doesn’t apply to you. You then need to realize that you have the possibility to live under a different law, the law of the Spirit. Yet this is not possible on our own account, you need the Spirit to do that. Now if you are in Christ the great thing is that He, meaning the Spirit, is also in you, and so you can actually live by the law of the Spirit. What an insurance!

Am I disqualified from NaBloPoMo for making two posts on a single day? If so, it’s for a good cause, right? So, vote!

“LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed. And my soul is greatly dismayed; but You, O LORD – how long? Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of You in death; in Sheol who will give You thanks? I am weary with my sighing; every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief; it has become old because of all my adversaries. Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, for the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD has heard my supplication, the LORD receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; they shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed” (Psalm 6:1-10)

David is in pain. Serious physical pain. Great affliction. And his sickness brought sin to his remembrance, and he views it as God’s displeasure against him. And yet the affliction, the pain, the suffering, the sickness is all bearable if he has comfort in his soul. Wow! Jesus speaks about this a couple of times in the gospels. “‘Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell’” (Matthew 10:28), “‘Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls’” (Matthew 11:29), and “‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?’” (Matthew 16:26). Even He Himself experienced His soul being deeply grieved to the point of death (Matthew 26:38) the night before His crucifixion in the garden of Gethsemane where He asks Peter, James and John to pray for Him. None of us like to suffer nor do we wish it on someone else, yet man is a sinner and sin leads to death. We should indeed me more worried about the one who is able to destroy the body and the soul than merely the body.

I am reminded here of the apostle Paul who went through great trials and sufferings for the sake of the Gospel, enduring physical pain, beating, imprisonment. And yet when you read his letter to the church of Philippi it is a letter full of joy. In Philippians 1:21-26 Paul says: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.” To depart and be with Christ is the best thing that could happen for those who believe in Him, but to abide in the flesh is more profitable for the church.

We see the same attitude also in David. He made his request known to God, and is now confident that his sorrow will be turned into joy. We should all have this confidence when faced with pain. Of course we can and should pray that we don’t have to go through it. Are we not to pray: “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13)? Even Jesus Himself prayed “‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’” (Matthew 26:39), but He was sure to add “yet not as I will, but as You will.” Our joy should be found in our soul, not in our body. And I am curious if we undergo a lifelong pursuit of finding joy in our soul by focusing on the glory of God, if indeed in times when we experience physical suffering of any kind we can still be joyful. Food for thought.