Things to Flee

“Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 
2 Timothy 2:22

There are times to stand and there are times to flee. There are some things so fearful and deadly that it is foolish to try to face them at all. The only rational course, when confronted by them, is to flee!

The most obvious of all such enemies is the wrath of God, for His judgment is terrible and eternal. Therefore, His message to all unsaved men and women is to “flee from the wrath to come” (Matt. 3:7 - the first occurrence of “flee” in the New Testament) by receiving Christ as Savior.

It is wise to refrain from all kinds of sin, but certain sins have such deadly consequences, even in this present life, that the Scriptures warn us to flee from them. “But flee from these things, you man of God” (1 Tim. 6:11). In context, the apostle Paul is here warning against “the love of money” and those who suppose “godliness is a means of gain” (1 Tim. 6:10, 5). Those who desire to be rich, he says, “fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1 Tim. 6:9). Therefore, flee from this temptation!

He also warns us to “flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14) - that is, from worshiping and serving any part of the creation “rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). This warning is especially appropriate today when there is such a wide resurgence of evolutionary pantheism.

Also, we must “flee immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). This is a deadly danger to the Christian in this day of amorality. Finally, as our text says, young believers (and old believers need this admonition, too!) should “flee from youthful lusts,” if we are able to “call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

Walking in Truth

“I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.” 
2 John 1:4

This beautiful metaphor, “walking in truth,” is found only in the two, one-chapter epistles of John - here in our text and in 3 John 3-4. This principle should indeed characterize our daily lives since our Lord and Savior is Himself “the truth” (John 14:6), the Word of God which we believe is “truth” (John 17:17), and the Holy Spirit who indwells our bodies is the very “Spirit of truth” (John 15:26).

The New Testament also uses other characteristics of the Christian life under this figure of walking. When a person is born again through faith in Christ and testifies of this by following the Lord in baptism, he or she is said to be raised to “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

Then, since the Holy Spirit has come to indwell our bodies, to comfort, to guide, and constrain us as needed, we are exhorted to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). Furthermore, we are commanded to “walk in love, just as Christ also loved you” (Eph. 5:2). This is not erotic love, of course, or even brotherly love, but unselfish “agape” love, that sacrifices its own interests for the needs of others. We are to “walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light” (1 John 1:7).

All of these and other similar admonitions can be summarized as simply following the example of Christ. “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6). “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12).

May this Thanksgiving Day be a wonderful day for you!

An Ear to the Master’s Voice

“But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.”  Exodus 21:5-6

This unique ordinance of the Mosaic law is significant as being the first one given after the Ten Commandments. It (and the following ordinances) centers first on the most humble members of society (that is, the slave-recognizing the universal existence of slavery at the time and ameliorating its practice), then on other people, then on property - thus establishing God’s priorities.

Here also, right at the beginning of the dispensation of law, we are given a picture in miniature of the coming Servant of the Lord, who would come someday to bear the penalty of the law for us, saving us by His grace.

The servant pictured here, with full right to be set free in the sabbatical year, chooses rather to do the will of his master forever, listening to his voice only - this commitment symbolized and sealed by the opening in his ear. Just so, the coming Savior would say: “My ears You have opened; Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:6-8).

The fulfillment of this prophecy is described in Hebrews 10:5-10. There, the opening of the ear of the servant is interpreted as the preparation of His human body “To do Your will, O God...By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:7, 10). Out of love for the Father and for those who would share the Father’s house with Him, He offered His body to accomplish the saving will of God.

The Will of the Lord

“So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  Ephesians 5:17

There is no more exalted theme in the world than the will of God, nor is there a more important, practical question than how to know the will of God. Of greatest significance is the recognition that it is His will - not man’s will - which is important.

God desires for us to know His will - both His will in general, as revealed in Scripture, and His specific will in each particular decision. The latter must in every instance, of course, be fully compatible with the former, as the Holy Spirit, who leads us, will never contradict the Scriptures which He inspired. Thus, and indispensable prerequisite to finding the personal will of God is knowing His general will.

The general will of God is expressed, first of all, in the fact of special creation (Rev. 4:11). Then Christ became a man in order to accomplish God’s will (Heb. 10:7), as our sin-bearing substitute; “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). It is His will that this should provide salvation to all who believe. “This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life” (John 6:40). This, in turn, entails individual regeneration of all who receive Him, “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13).

Furthermore, His will includes absolute security in Him (John 6:39), our sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3), and ultimate glorification (John 17:24). Thankfulness in all things (1 Thess. 5:18) and a virtuous (“doing right” 1 Pet. 2:15) life are also God’s will. A believer who understands, believes, and obeys God’s general will is then prepared to know and follow His specific will.

The Names of the Lord

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”Exodus 3:14

This unique name of God was given to stress the truth that He is timeless. The name “LORD” (Hebrew: “YWWH” = Yahweh or Jehovah) is essentially the same, conveying the truth that He is the eternal, self-existing one.

The Lord Jesus Christ appropriated this divine name to Himself when He told the Jews: “before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58). Correctly assuming that this statement was nothing less than a direct claim to identity with God, the Jews immediately (but unsuccessfully) attempted to stone Him to death as a blasphemer.

As the “I Am,” the Lord Jesus Christ, is indeed everything, and He has revealed Himself to us under many beautiful symbols. Is well known that the there are seven great “I am’s” in the gospel of John, each of which is rich with spiritual depth of meaning. They can be listed as follows:

“I am the bread of life...the living bread” (John 6:35, 51).
“I am the Light of the world...the Light of life” (John 8:12).
“I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7).
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1).

It is well known that this magnificent self-assertion of the Lord permeates the whole Bible, from its first use in Genesis 15:1, “I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great” to it’s final occurrence in Revelation 22:16, “I am...the bright morning star.” And all these beautiful figures help us to pray more fervently “that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28).

“I AM” in the Pentateuch

“And He said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.’”  Genesis 15:7

There are seven “I am’s” in the Book of Genesis. The first is a beautiful figure of speech - “I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great” (Gen. 15:1), but the others are all names and titles of God. The first of these is in our text above, identifying Jehovah Himself (the Lord) with the “I am.”

The next is Gen. 17:1: “I am God Almighty.” The Hebrew here is El “Shaddai” (“God the nourishing sustainer”), also found in Gen. 35:11. Next is in Gen. 26:24: “I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you.” Then, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac” (Gen. 28:13). “I am the God of Bethel” (Gen. 21:12). “Beth-el” means “the house of God.” Finally, God says: “I am God, the God of your father” (Gen. 46:3).

In Exodus there are 21 places where God says: “I am.” Most of these are merely variations of the different names of God as noted above in the “I am’s” of Genesis, but six do give new insight. The first, of course, is the great assertion of Exodus 3:14, where God identifies Himself as “I AM WHO I AM.” The others: “I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land” (Ex. 8:22); “I, the Lord, am your healer” (Ex. 15:26); “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” (Ex. 20:5); “I am gracious” (Ex. 22:27); “I am the Lord who sanctifies you” (Ex. 31:13).

In the remaining books of the Pentateuch, the phrase “I am the LORD your God” occurs very frequently, but there are two important new “I am’s.” “I am holy” occurs six times (e.g. Leviticus 11:45), and “I am your portion and your inheritance” is recorded in Numbers 18:20. The great theme of all these claims and names of God is that the mighty God of time and space is also a caring, personal God. We can trust Him, and He cares for us.

Shun Babblings

“But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus.”  2 Timothy 2:16-17

Paul’s earlier warning about “word fights” (2 Tim. 2:14) is strengthened in the text above with a different emphasis. Word fights are “picky” debates started by quarrelsome people. They are useless and devise. They create conflicts and schisms.

Profane and vain babblings, however, are worldly and valueless “noise.” Less obvious and more subtle than fighting, they have the effect of destroying godliness. “But have nothing to do with worldly [ungodly] fables [myths, baseless stories] fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7).

Because “godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8), Paul strongly urged Timothy to “guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter [babble] and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’ — which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith” (1 Tim. 6:20-21). The “oppositions” spoken of are the “antitheses” - the conflict, the stand against knowledge, a “pseudonym” - a false name. It sounds like knowledge, but is not true.

The results of these “babblings” are not good. Ungodliness will increase. Error will eat away at spiritual health and truth like gangrene. The two church leaders that Paul mentions, Hymenaeus and Philetus, are listed as examples of such a cancer. They taught that the resurrection had already occurred for the saints.

Peter’s warning is very similar: “be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Peter 3:17).

How to Pray

“Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”  John 16:24

Jesus promised that “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you” (John 16:23). This condition for answered prayer and its resulting fullness of joy is not just a formula with which to end a prayer. “In My name” implies representing Him and what He stands for, so that our prayer could truly be His prayer as well.

For example, our prayer must be in His will. “...if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us...we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

We need also to recognize that God’s great purpose in creation is of higher priority than our own personal desires, so this should be of first order in our prayers. Jesus said: “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come’” (Luke 11:2). We can also pray for our own needs, of course, especially for God to “lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:4), the closing request in His model prayer.

It is good to seek God’s wisdom in all our decisions and undertakings, so that we can be confident we are indeed in His will, but our request for such guidance must be sincere and in willingness to act on His answer. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God...But he must ask in faith” (James 1:5-6). And it should be obvious that the requests be made with a clear conscience before God. “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18).

But when we are indeed confident that we are praying “in His name” with all that this implies, then we should pray earnestly, for “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16), and when the answer comes - as it will in God’s time - then our joy indeed will be full!

What Have We Now in Christ

“So that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”  John 3:15

The one who is trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord has many wonderful possessions which cannot be seen with out physical eyes, but which are as real and permanent as if were already in heaven. Many of these (only a few of which can be listed here) are noted by the present tense of the verb “have” (Greek: “echo”).

First of all, as our text indicates (and these are the words of Christ!), we who believe in Him have right now - eternal life! Our sins have been taken care of by the sacrificial death of Christ, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7; see also Col. 1:14). Our sins will be remembered against us no more, because we have already been eternally redeemed. Then also, in spite of all our sins and failures, “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

One of the great resources we now have, but use so seldom, is the capacity to “think God’s thoughts after Him.” “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16).

Having the mind of Christ should keep us from sin. Nevertheless, “if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Not only do we have an advocate defending us, but we have a priest as our mediator. “We have a great high priest...Jesus the Son of God” (Heb. 4:14).

Finally, we already “have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1). And all this is only the beginning! “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 Cor. 2:9).

Good Courage

“Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”  Joshua 1:6 (NKJV)

This admonition to be strong and of “good courage” (Hebrew: “amass”) is given some ten times in the Old Testament, plus another nine times using a different word (“chasaq”). The first occurrence of “amass” is in Deuteronomy 3:28, where it is translated “strengthen” - “But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.”

Christians today surely need good courage to face a dangerous world, with all its temptations and intimidations, but nothing today could compare to the challenge facing Joshua. Trying to lead a nondescript multitude of “stiff-necked,” desert nomads into a land of giants and walled cities would surely require courage beyond anything we could imagine today.

But Joshua had access to invincible resources, and so do we. God told him, “Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9). Giants and walled cities are no match for the children of God when He goes with them, for “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31).

God did go with Joshua, and the Israelites defeated the giants, destroyed the walled cities, and took the land. And we have the same promise today, for “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5-6). Courage is really another name for faith, “and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:21).

Remember the Day of Rest

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.”  Exodus 20:8-10

The Hebrew word of “remember” actually means to “mark” or “set aside.” The Israelites didn’t need to be told to “remember” the Sabbath because all nations had been keeping time in weeks ever since creation (Gen. 2:1-3) [Note the references to the Sabbath in the sending of God’s manna, prior to the giving of this commandment (Ex. 16:23-29)]. But they did need to be reminded to mark it as a holy or rest day, as God had done in that first week.

The Hebrew word for “Sabbath” does not mean “Saturday” any more than it means “Sunday.” It means, simply, “rest” or “intermission.” The institution of the Sabbath (that is, one day out of every seven days to be “set aside” as a day of rest, worship, and remembrance of the Creator) was “made for man” and his good (Mark 2:27). It was even of benefit to the animals used by man (not the mention of “cattle” in the commandment). It had been a pattern observed since the completion of God’s six days of creation and making all things at the very beginning of the world history (note Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:11).

It is still appropriate today, as well. “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). All men have a deep need to remember their Creator and His completed work of salvation - especially in these days when both of these finished works are so widely denied or ignored.

That Old Serpent

“And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”  Revelation 20:2

This prophetic vision given to John leaves no doubt as to the identity of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. That “old serpent” (literally, “that primeval serpent”) who deceived our first parents into rebelling against the Word of God, is none other than the devil, or Satan, often viewed in Scripture as typified by a “great dragon” (Rev. 12:9), the fearsome animal of ancient times; probably the dinosaur.

His ultimate doom is sure - he will be bound a thousand years, then finally “was thrown into the lake of fire...tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). At present, however, he is not bound, for “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We must be sober and vigilant, “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).

His devices are manifold, but all are deceptive - he was the most “crafty” of all God’s creatures (Gen. 3:1), malevolent, and designed to turn us away from the true Christ. “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3).

He is the great deceiver. He can appear as a fire-breathing dragon or a roaring lion, deceiving us into fearing and obeying him instead of God. “For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14), deceiving us into trusting the “false words” of his “false teachers” (2 Pet. 2:3, 1) instead of the Holy Scriptures of the God of creation. Our recourse against his deceptions is to “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11).

Too Difficult for the Lord?

“Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”  Genesis 18:14

This rhetorical question posed to Abraham by the Lord was in response to Sarah’s doubts concerning His promise that they would have a son. It would, indeed, require a biological miracle, for both were much too old for this to happen otherwise. With God, however, all things are possible, and He can, and will, fulfill every promise, even if a miracle is required.

This same rhetorical question was asked of the prophet Jeremiah. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ‘Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?’” (Jer. 32:26-27). The One Who created all flesh, Who raises up kings and puts them down, could surely fulfill His promise to restore Israel to its homeland when the set time was come.

But Jeremiah had already confessed his faith in God’s omnipotence. “Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You” (Jer. 32:17). The God Who called the mighty universe into being would not fail to keep His promise and fulfill His will.

Actually, the word translated “difficult” in these verses is more commonly rendered “wonderful,” or “marvelous,” or an equivalent adjective, referring usually to something miraculous that could only be accomplished by God. For example: “He wrought wonders before their father in the land of Egypt” (Psalm 78:12). “For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God” (Psalm 86:10). The first occurrence of the word (Hebrew: “pala”), however, is in our text for today.

There is nothing - nothing - too hard for the Lord, and we should never doubt His Word!

When God Repents

“Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”  1 Samuel 15:29

There are a number of Scriptures that speak of God repenting. For example, in the days before the great flood - “The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth” (Gen. 6:6). In the same chapter containing our text, God said: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands” (1 Sam. 15:11). Yet the Scriptures plainly teach that God changes not. “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent” (Num. 23:19). Bible critics have made much of this apparent “contradiction” in the Bible.

There is no contradiction, of course. The words translated “repent” in both Old and New Testaments, are used of actions which indicate outwardly that a “change of mind” has occurred inwardly. It is precisely because God does not repent concerning evil, that His actions will change toward man when man truly repents (this human “repentance” can go either way; changing from good to evil, or vice versa), and God will respond accordingly, since He cannot change His own mind toward evil.

Thus, He said concerning national repentance: “if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it” (Jer. 18:8). That is, if the nation truly repents, then God will change His own projected course of action. He seems outwardly to “repent,” specifically because He cannot repent in His inward attitude toward good and evil.

God has greatly blessed America in the past, but America’s people have drastically changed in recent years. Can the time be long coming when God must say: “you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient” (Dan. 5:27)? Our God does not change, and a nation deep in sin can either repent or be judged.

A Still, Small Voice

“After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.”  1 Kings 19:12

Elijah was in hiding for his life, even though God had spectacularly answered his prayer with fire from heaven. Jezebel, however, had not been intimidated by Elijah’s victory and swore she would kill him. He fell into such depression that he wanted to die. If Jezebel could not be impressed with fire from heaven, how could Elijah ever hope to defeat her and her armies? Not even an angel could remove his doubts.

But then was sent “a great and strong wind,” and “after the wind an earthquake” (1 Kings 19:11). But the Lord was not in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. God finally reached Elijah with “a sound of a gentle blowing” that assured him that God was well in control of all circumstances. Similarly, Moses told the children of Israel, as they faced the Red Sea: “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord” (Ex. 14:13).

It was prophesied of the Lord Jesus that “He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.”  Nevertheless, it was also promised, “He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth” (Isaiah 42:2, 4; see also Matt. 12:19).

In our human impatience, we think God should always move immediately in great strength. Unless there are large numbers of converts and displays of power, we grow discouraged, like Elijah. But God more often speaks in a still, small voice and works in a quiet way. “Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you...Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left” (Isaiah 30:18, 21).

Christ in Suffering and Triumph

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”  Revelation 1:8

In the final book of the Bible occur seven great “I am” assertions by the glorified Christ, all speaking of His ultimate victory. However, in the Book of Psalms occur seven vastly different “I am” statements by Christ, all speaking prophetically of His sufferings. These are in four of the wonderfully fulfilled Messianic psalms, all written 1,000 years before Christ, yet each psalm cited in the New Testament is fulfilled by Christ.

“But I am a worm and not a man” (Psalm 22:6) -  comparing Christ to a mother “scarlet worm” who dies that her young may live, and in so doing, gives off a scarlet fluid which protect and nourishes her young.
“I am afflicted and needy” (Psalm 40:17).
“I have become estranged from my brothers” (Psalm 69:8).
“I am so sick” (Psalm 69:20).
“I am afflicted and in pain” (Psalm 69:29).
“I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop” (Psalm 102:7).
“I wither away like grass” (Psalm 102:11).

In contrast to these lonely sufferings of Christ, there are the glories that shall follow. Four of the others proclaim the same great truth (Rev. 1:11, 17; 21:6; 22:13).

The self-existing One, the “I am,” Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who created all things (Alpha) will one day triumph and make all things new, forever (Omega). Read the other two wonderful testimonies: “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” (Rev. 1:18). “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” (Rev. 22:16).

The Sin of the Devil

“Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.” 
Exodus 18:11

This is the first mention in the Bible of the sin of pride, and it appropriately refers to the primeval sin of the “gods” - that is, the supposed deities of the heathen.

Led by Satan, a great host of the created angels had rebelled against their Creator, seeking also to be “gods” like Him. Satan (i.e. “adversary”) thought he could become the highest of all. “O star of the morning, son of the dawn!...you said in your heart, ‘I will...raise my throne above the stars of God...I will make myself like the Most High.’ Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15).

Satan’s sin - and that of the other self-proclaimed “gods” - was that of being “conceited...the condemnation incurred by the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). But they shall all, with him, eventually “be thrust down to Sheol,” and “into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil” (Matt. 25:41). This was also the sin of Adam and Eve, for Satan had seduced them with the promise, “you will be like God” (Gen. 3:5).

It is also the sin of all humanists and evolutionary pantheists, from Adam’s day to our day, for they seek to do away with God and make “gods” out of “corruptible man.” They have “worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:23, 25).

But “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Prov. 16:18). Our Lord of creation is “greater than all the gods,” even in that “it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.” The sin of pride was the very first sin and is still the most difficult sin to overcome, but “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

Why Did Christ Die?

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”  1 Corinthians 15:3-4

This passage is often considered the defining passage of the gospel, stating the great truth that Christ died for our sins, then was buried (thus stressing that His resurrection was a physical resurrection, not just spiritual), and then rose again. As such, it is interesting that verse 1 which introduces it (“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel”) contains the central mention of the more than 100 times the Greek word for “gospel” occurs in the New Testament.

However, it does not say why Christ died for our sins. It was not just to pay for our salvation and make us happy. There are, in fact, numerous references to His substitutionary death which do give us further insight into just why Christ died for us and our salvation.

For example, “He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Cor. 5:15). And consider Galatians 1:4 in which Paul tells us that Christ “gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age.”
   
Peter’s testimony and explanation was that, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24). John said: “He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10-11).

There are many other verses to the same affect. Christ did not die merely to save our souls, but to empower us to live in a way that would glorify God right here on Earth.

Walking in the Midst of the Sea

“But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”  Exodus 14:29

Liberal theologians, always seeking naturalistic explanations for biblical miracles, have attempted to explain this Red Sea crossing as a shallow fording of what they call the “Reed Sea,” at the extreme northern end of the Red Sea. The biblical description, however, is clearly of a mighty miracle - not merely of a wind driving the shallow waters seaward. Instead, it describes a great path opened up through deep waters, supernaturally restrained as a wall on both sides of the wide freeway, deep enough to drown all the hosts of Pharaoh when the waters later collapsed.
   
The crossing was, of course, over a narrow norther arm of the Red Sea, enabling the Israelites to cross into the wilderness of Shur (Ex. 15:22), but it was nevertheless a great miracle. Such a miracle required nothing less than the creative power of God, creating some unknown force, or energy, powerful enough to hold the deep waters as stationary walls against the force of gravity which was straining mightily to bring them down.

Later generations always looked back on this event as the great proof of God’s divine call of Israel. The “song of Moses,” composed after the deliverance, noted that “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea” (Ex. 15:8).

Fifteen centuries later, the apostle Paul recalled the mighty miracle in these words: “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea....Now these things happened...and they were written for our instruction...” (1 Cor. 10:1, 11).

Those who Wait for the Lord

“Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”  Isaiah 40:31

This is one of the best-loved promises of the Bible, for it is easy to grow weary and faint in our mortal bodies, even when doing the work of the Lord. The answer, we are told, is to “wait for the Lord.”

But what does this mean? The Hebrew word (“gavah”) does not mean “serve,” but rather, to “wait for” or “look for.” It is translated “waited for” the second time it is used in the Bible, when the dying patriarch, Jacob, cried out: “For Your salvation I wait, O Lord.” (Gen. 49:18).

The first time it is used, surprisingly, is in connection with the third day of creation when God said: “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear” (Gen. 1:9). That is, the all-pervasive waters of the original creation, divided on the second day of creation, now are told to wait patiently, as it were, while God formed the geosphere, the biosphere, and the astrophere, before dealing again with the waters.

Perhaps the clearest insight into its meaning is its use in the picture of Christ foreshadowed in the 40th Psalm. “I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1).

“The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired” (Isaiah 40:28). His gracious promise is that we can “gain new strength” (literally, exchange our strength - our weakness for His strength!) by waiting for Him. We wait patiently for Him, we gather together for Him, we look for Him, we cry to Him, we trust Him, and He renews our strength!

The Turning of the Day

“As the day began to dawn, the woman came and fell down at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was, until full daylight.”  Judges 19:26

This tragic story took place in Israel in a time when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). The woman was of the tribe of Judah, concubine to a Levite dwelling among the tribe of Ephraim. Although she had been unfaithful, he had taken her back and they were traveling to Ephraim, staying overnight in a city of Benjamin. The “sons of Belial” among the Benjamites, however, had abused the woman throughout the night, leaving her dead “as the day began to dawn.”

The whole sordid story illustrates the depths of depravity to which even men among God’s chosen people can descend under cover of darkness. We are commanded, “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret” (Ephesians 5:11-12).   

In the midst of this dismal record, however, there is an interesting scientific insight which should be noted. The evil events of the night terminated at what the writer calls, “as the day began to dawn.” But the Hebrew word used for “dawn” (Hebrew: “panah”) is not the normal word for dawn. Instead it is the word for “fuming.” Thus it is not referring to the rising of the sun, but the rotation of the earth which, after a dark night of evil, once again turns its face to the “light of the world.”

Note also Job 38:14: “It [i.e. the earth’s surface] is changed like clay under the seal,” again suggesting the earth’s axial rotation each day/night cycle. There is coming a glorious dawning, however, when we shall dwell in the presence of the One Who is the true light of the world, and “for there will be no night there” (Rev. 21:25).

The First Love

“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”  John 17:24

This is the very heart of the moving prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ before His arrest and crucifixion. As we hear Him pray, we are translated back in time, before time began, and there we encounter the indescribable love within the counsels of the triune Godhead - Father, and Son, and Spirit - three persons, yet one God.   

Then, after speaking of this love, Jesus prayed - in the final words of His sure-to-be-answered prayer - “that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26).

This love - the love within the Trinity - was the primeval love and, therefore, is the spring from which flows every other form of true love - marital love, mother love, brotherly love, love of country, love of friends, love for the lost, or any other genuine love.

It is appropriate that the first mention of love in the Old Testament refers to the love of a father (Abraham) for his son Isaac (Gen. 22:2), and then, that the first reference to love in the New Testament (Matt. 3:17) speaks of the heavenly love of God the Father for God the Son. The Son is called “beloved,” yet the father and son are prepared to go to the alter of sacrifice, that the will of God might be done, and a way of salvation be provided for lost sinners.

“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?” (Rom. 8:32). One day - as He prayed - we shall be with Him, see His glory, and even experience His own eternal love in our hearts.

Strive Not About Words

“Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.”  2 Timothy 2:14

This command emphasizes the necessity to avoid “word fights.” The apostle Paul has much to say about this in other passages. “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:29). Our words should be “sound words” (1 Tim. 6:3), “that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10).

We are not to “pay attention to myths and endless genealogies” (1 Tim. 1:4), but are to “have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women” (1 Tim. 4:7). We are not to pay attention to “commandments of men who turn away from the truth” (Titus 1:14), and we must “avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law” (Titus 3:9), “knowing that they produce quarrels” (2 Tim. 2:23).

According to 1 Timothy 6:4-5, those who love “word fights” are “conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words.” Such a person is a “questionaholic.” Here is a short list of the biblical warnings about such fights:
It brings ill will toward others; wrangling, bickering.
It produces “railing” defamation or dishonor of others.
It encourages private plots to hurt.
It produces an incessant meddlesomeness.
It ends up rotting the intellect and robbing truth.
It equates personal gain with godliness.

May God protect us from those who are driven to strive “to wrangle about words.” May God increase our love for “delightful words and to write words of truth correctly” (Eccl. 12:10).

No Darkness at All

“...in Him there is no darkness at all.”  1 John 1:5

Some have suggested that the gospel message is the most important truth in the Bible - and, perhaps, from a temporal human standpoint it may well be. However, there is another more frequent message throughout all of Scripture here summarized by John: “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

In the Bible, God’s “light” is clearly focused on intellectual and moral holiness. That unique, holy nature both drives and limits the revelation of Himself to His creation.

In the intellectual sense, God is the source of “understanding”...“in Your light we see light” (Psalm 119:130; Psalm 36:9). The holiness of God requires truth and because of His holiness, God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Whenever God reveals anything, He must reveal the truth about Himself and His nature.

The opposite of truth, even though it may contain some truth, is the active agent which opposes God’s truth as it is revealed to His creation.

Lies (darkness) oppose the revelation of that truth:
In the created things (universe).
In the written Word (Scripture).
In the new creation (salvation).

The incarnate Creator God must reveal truth and cannot be untruth. When God speaks, He must speak truth. When God acts, He must do truth. God’s holiness demands that the creation not distort anything about God - or about the creation itself.

God could not create a lie - He could not make anything that would inexorably lead us to a wrong conclusion. God could not create processes that would counter His own nature - or that would lead us to conclude something untrue about Him.

Son of Man

“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.”  Revelation 14:14

This is the last of some 87 New Testament references (84 in the four Gospels, one in Acts, none in the Epistles, two in Revelation) to Christ as the Son of Man. Here we see the Son of Man coming on a white cloud from heaven (just as He had ascended into heaven after His resurrection) as the conquering King of all the earth.

What a contrast this is to the first New Testament reference to the Son of Man. “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20). From humility and poverty on Earth to power and riches in heaven, and for all eternity - this was His journey when Christ left His heavenly glory to join the human family.

In between the poverty and the power lay the whole human experience, for He “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Finally, as Son of Man, He must die for man’s sin, for “the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men” (Luke 24:7). Even in heaven, he is still the Son of man, for Stephen saw Him thus: “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).

There is, indeed, a great man in the glory! Christ called Himself “The Son of Man” much more often than “The Son of God,” though He will eternally be both, the God/man. He delights to identify with those whom He has redeemed, for “He is not ashamed to call them brethren” (Heb. 2:11). “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” asked Jesus (Matt. 16:13).

Then we say, with Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).

He Became Poor

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”  2 Corinthians 8:9

The doctrine of Christ’s kenosis, or self-emptying, is one of the most amazing of all biblical truths. The extent to which He Who was not only “in the form of God,” but also “[equal] with God,” condescended to “but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7) is utterly beyond human comprehension.

He Who once sat on the throne of the universe came to the earth “lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). Throughout His public ministry, He had “nowhere to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20). Because He had no money to pay the tax, He had to catch a fish with “a shekel” in its mouth (Matt. 17:27). In His agony at Gethsemane, none of His friends would pray with Him, and when He was arrested, they all “left Him and fled” (Matt. 26:40, 56). No one defended Him and His trial.

On the cross, the soldiers stripped away His only personal possessions - the clothes on His back - and then “divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take” (Mark 15:24). When He died, His body had to be buried in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:59-60). No home, no money, no possessions, no defenders, not even a tomb of His own in which to lie.

But He had a cross on which to die, and because He was obedient to the death of the cross, “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). Through His poverty, we become rich; through His homelessness, we have a mansion in heaven; through His terrible death on Calvary, we have everlasting life. Yes, we do know the grace of Christ!

Resisting the Devil

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”  1 Peter 5:8-9

The devil is far more powerful and intelligent (as well as subtle and seductive in his malignant purposes) than any combination of human enemies we could ever face, and we would be utterly unable to defeat him with our own human resources. Yet God’s Word makes it plain that we are neither to yield to him nor flee from him. Instead, the admonition is: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

But how can we resist such a mighty foe? As in our text, we must constantly maintain sobriety and vigilance against his enticements, careful to remain “firm in your faith.” Otherwise, the pseudo-intellectualism and social peer pressure to which we are subjected daily could quickly persuade us to compromise the faith, or even to depart from the faith.

We are commanded not to yield and not to compromise. Instead we must “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). “In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:16-17).

This mighty sword with which we can make Satan flee from us, is literally “the saying of God” - that is, an appropriate individual word from the complete Word of God. This was the instrument with which the Lord Jesus Himself resisted the devil, parrying each temptation with an incisive thrust of Scripture. The result then - as it will be now with us also - was that the devil “left Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).

Saints and Sinners

“Then Job answered the Lord and said, ‘Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth.’”  Job 40:3-4

It is remarkable how the saintliest of men often confess to bring the worst of sinners. The patriarch Job was said by God Himself that “there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (Job 1:8). Yet when Job saw God, he could only say, “Behold, I am insignificant.”

And consider Abraham, who is called “the father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:11). When he presumed to talk to God, however, Abraham said that he was “but dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27).

David, “the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Sam. 23:1) and “a man after His own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14), said: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). Isaiah, the greatest of the prophets, testified when he came into God’s presence: “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5).

The angel recognized Daniel the prophet as a “man of high esteem” by God (Dan. 10:11). Yet when Daniel saw God, he fell on his face and said: “my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength” (Dan. 10:8).

In the New Testament, the apostle Peter said: “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8), and Paul called himself the “foremost of all (sinners)” (1 Tim. 1:15). God dwells “in unapproachable light” (1 Tim. 6:16).

The closer one comes to the Lord, the more clearly one sees his own sinfulness and the more wonderful becomes God’s amazing grace. No one who is satisfied with his or her own state of holiness has yet come to know the Lord in His state of holiness! None dare face the Lord except by His grace through the mediator Jesus Christ.

Catastrophe or Cataclysm

“[God] did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter.”  2 Peter 2:5-6

 These two verses speak graphically of two different kinds of terrible physical convulsions, both of which were divine judgments. The volcanic upheaval that sent fire from heaven pouring over the wicked cities of the plains was called and “overthrow” (Greek “katastrophe,” from which, obviously, we get our English word “catastrophe”). Great upheavals such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and hurricanes are rightly called catastrophes.

But such events are only local or regional in extent, and occur relatively often. There was one event, however, which was unique in all history. When God brought the flood upon the ungodly antediluvian world, the word used to describe it was the Greek “kataklusmos,” and this word is never applied in Scripture to any event except the terrible Genesis flood, when “the world at that time was destroyed [Greek “katakluzo”], being flooded with water”
(2 Pet. 3:6). From these Greek words we derive the English word “cataclysm.” There was never any flood like this flood! It covered all the world’s mountains, and everything on the land died, leaving great deposits and great beds of lithified sediments all over the world.
   
There has been only one worldwide cataclysm in the past, but another is coming - global fire instead of global water. Jesus said, “For as in those days before the flood [i.e. kataklusmos]...they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:38-39).

Dividing Light from Darkness

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”  Genesis 1:3-4

Initially, the created cosmos was in darkness - a darkness which God Himself had to create, “I am...the One forming light and creating darkness” (Isaiah 45:6-7). But then the dark cosmos was energized by the Spirit’s moving, and God’s light appeared. The darkness was not dispelled, however, but only divided from the light, and the day/night sequence began, which has continued ever since.

This sequence of events in the physical creation is a beautiful type of the spiritual creation, “new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Each individual is born in spiritual darkness, but “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). We are now “qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:12-13).

However, the light in the primeval darkness resulted only in a division of night and day. The night still comes, but God has promised that, in the coming Holy City, “there will no longer be any night” (Rev. 22:5).

Just so, even though we have been given a new nature of light, the old nature of darkness is still striving within, and we have to be exhorted: “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light” (Eph. 5:8). Nevertheless, “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day” (Prov. 4:18). When we reach that city of everlasting light, all spiritual darkness will vanish as well, for “nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it” (Rev. 21:27), and we shall be like Christ.

Savor of Life or Death

“For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?”  2 Corinthians 2:15-16

It is remarkable how the very same testimony can have such dramatically opposite effects on its recipients. A lecture on the scientific evidence of creation, for example, or on the inspiration of the Bible will be received with great joy and understanding by some, provoke furious hostility in some, and generate utter indifference in others. This seems to be true of any message - written or verbal, or simply demonstrated in behavior - which has any kind of biblically spiritual dimension to it. It is like the pillar of cloud in the wilderness, which “came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel;
and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light
at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night”
(Ex. 14:20). A Christian testimony draws and wins the one, repels and condemns the other. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).

Thus the wonderful message of the gospel yields two diametrically opposite results. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). Christ came to bring both unity and division. “‘Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone’...This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,’ and, ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense’; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word” (1 Pet. 2:6-8).

But the wonderful thing is this: Whether a true testimony generates life or condemns to death, it is still “a fragrance of Christ to God.”

Eternal Life

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 
1 John 5:13

Although this powerful, five-chapter letter from the Apostle John is full of vital insights into the Christian life, it is written to “little children” (1 John 5:21) so that they might “know” the majesty and wonder of eternal life.

John begins his epistle with a reminder that he knew this Jesus from whom the promise of eternal life came (1 John 1:1-3). John was an eyewitness to Christ’s resurrection (John 20), which is the most powerful proof of the claims and promises of the Lord (Acts 17:31).

Much of that which is applied in John’s epistle is based on the precise teachings of the Lord Jesus Himself, heard by John and recorded in John’s gospel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (John 20:31).

Those who believe “shall not perish” (John 3:15-16).

The “water” of Christ springs up to “eternal life” (John 4:14).

Whoever has eternal life “has passed out death into life” (John 5:24).

Those who come to Christ will “not hunger” (John 6:35).

No one is able to “snatch” the believer out of the Father’s hand
(John 10:28-30).

“Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:26).

Based on the Word of God, John gives us several experiential tests by which we can know that we “live.”

We love and “keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3).

We know and love the Truth (1 John 2:20).

“We love the brethren” (1 John 3:14).

“We abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13).

The ‘Light’ Equation

“...God is Light...”  1 John 1:5

The biblical text is rich with metaphors and similes, one of which often appears in John’s writings. God is said to be “Light” - the most constant, clearly observable, and all-pervasive experience in our universe.

God’s life is “the Light of men” (John 1:4).
God’s light is not conquered by darkness (John 1:5).
God’s light attracts men who love truth (John 3:21).
Jesus is the “Light of the world” (John 8:12).

John’s emphasis in his epistle is focused on the application of the “Light” in our lives. Since God is Light (see also 1 Tim. 6:16), we can never be a participant in the life of God apart from the light of God (1 John 1:6). If we claim fellowship with God, we must “walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light” (1 John 1:7). Since God is the “true Light” (1 John 2:8), we are not part of His family if we despise those He loves (1 John 2:9).

It is equally obvious that since God is holy (Psalm 99:9) and righteous (Dan. 9:14), the light that we are to “shine” (Matt. 5:16) must be “like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day....for you are all sons of light and sons of day” (Prov. 4:18; 1 Thess. 5:5).

Our “breastplate of righteousness” (Eph. 6:14) should blind the ungodly with the brilliance of our lifestyle of holiness - so much so that even if we are spoken against by those who hate God, they will be forced “because of your good deeds...[to] glorify God” (1 Pet. 2:12).

Because the God of our salvation is “the Light of the world” (John 9:5), and we have been made “children of Light” (Eph. 5:8), “you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).

The Stars Forever

“Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”  Daniel 12:3

The setting of this beautiful verse is after the resurrection of the saved “to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt” (v. 2). Its glorious promise to those who “have insight” and who “lead the many to righteousness” through Jesus Christ is that of shining forever, like the stars.
   
Evolutionary astronomers believe that stars evolve through a long cycle of stellar life and death, but this idea contradicts God’s revelation that he has created this physical universe to last forever. Speaking of these stellar heavens, the majestic 148th Psalm, centered on God’s creation, says that “He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away” (Psalm 148:6).

It is true that, because of sin, “the whole creation groans...together until now” (Rom. 8:22), and the heavens “will become old like a garment, and they will also be changed” (Heb. 1:11-12). In fact, the earth and its atmospheric heaven (not the sidereal heaven) one day will “pass away” (Matt. 24:35), and then will be transformed by God into “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pet. 3:13), which will never pass away.

But the infinite cosmos of space and time, created in the beginning by God, was created to last forever, and God cannot fail in his purposes. “I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

The stars are innumerable, each one unique, each one with a divine purpose, and they will shine forever. We can never reach them in this life, but in our glorified bodies, we shall have endless time to explore the infinite heavens.

True Freedom

“Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.”  1 Peter 2:16

We who live in what the song writer called the “sweet land of liberty” have a great responsibility to preserve that freedom which our forefathers obtained for us at great cost over two centuries ago. At the same time, we must not turn liberty into license. It would surely hurt those brave and godly men if they could see how we now use “freedom of choice” to justify murdering multitudes of innocent children before they are born, and how we use “freedom of speech” to warrant fouling the eyes and ears of children with widespread pornography and to promote all kinds of immoral behavior in our society in general. No nation can remain free very long after such practices become widely accepted by its citizens. We need to pray for revival!

The same warning applies to the abuse of our spiritual freedom in Christ. As the Apostle Paul said and repeated: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable” (1 Cor. 6:12). Also, in 1 Cor. 10:23, he added that “but not all things edify.”

As Peter says in our text, even though we are “free” and have real “liberty,” we are nevertheless “bondslaves of God.” Our liberty in Christ is not freedom to sin whenever we so choose, but rather freedom from our former bondage to sin. “Having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:18).

Although our nation is rapidly becoming anti-Christian in belief and practice, we Christians can still best serve our nation and our Savior by practicing and proclaiming Christ’s wonderful saving gospel of free salvation from sin and regeneration unto righteousness.

Look Back

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
And to the quarry from which you were dug.”  Isaiah 51:1

While it is not good to dwell too much on the past - whether in pride of past accomplishments, or despondency over past failures, or grieving over past losses - it is well never to forget what God has done for us. In this passage, Israel is reminded of Abraham and Sarah who had been dug out of the pit of paganism, and cut out of the rock of idolatry, and God had greatly blessed.

David, looking back, had written that, “He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay” (Psalm 40:2). Paul looked back and said: “For you have heard of my former manner of life...how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure...But when God...called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me...they were glorifying God because of me” (Gal. 1:13, 15-16, 24).

Whatever our own background may be - bigoted skeptics, or flagrant sinners, or self-righteous hypocrites - God has indeed, if we are now saved by His grace, dug us out of a pit and set us on a solid rock. We were “strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). But “He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13).

“Such were some of you,” wrote Paul of such gross sins as fornication, idolatry, homosexuality, adultery, and thievery, as well as covetousness and drunkenness - “but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11). An occasional look back will help us to remember more often to look up in humble thankfulness for the grace of God.

The Moments of God

“‘For a brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will gather you.
In an outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,’
Says the Lord your Redeemer.
‘For this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would not flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.’”  Isaiah 54:7-9

This gracious promise to Israel gives a beautiful insight into both God’s character and the relation of time to eternity. God can be a God of wrath, for He must punish unforsaken sin in His people, but He is much more the God of mercy. He prolonged judgement on His chosen people of Israel is only “for a brief moment” compared to His “everlasting lovingkindness” toward redeemed Israel in the ages to come.

This theme occurs a number of times in Scripture. “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). To the people faithful to God during a time of judgment against their nation or against the world, God says: “Come, my people, enter into your rooms...Hide for a little while until indignation runs its course” (Isa. 26:20). Thus, a time of testing or judgement may extend over many days, or years, or even centuries, but this is only a moment in relation to the endless ages of blessing yet to come.

As applied to Christians, this concept is stated explicitly in the only occurrence of the Greek “parakutika” (“moment”) in the New Testament. “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind....They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain” (Isa. 65:17, 25).

May God give us eyes of faith to see these “moments” of God in their eternal setting.

Things of the World

“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 must be wary of the world’s “things,” because we are “in the world” not “of the world” (John 17:11-16). The command in our text is that we are not to love the world or its things, not that we should remain blissfully ignorant of them. We are to “be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16).

There are big things of the world like nations and kingdoms (Matt. 4:8; Luke 12:30) as well as worries and riches (Mark. 4:19) which can sap our focus and drain our loyalties. And there are “elements” (Col. 2:20; Gal. 4:3) that can twist our thinking and spoil us (Col. 2:8).

We are warned that friendship with the worldly lifestyle and that which espouses the things of the world, makes us an “enemy of God” (James 4:4). That is because such people embrace the “spirit of the world” and not “the Spirit who is from God” (1 Cor. 2:12). Those people speak about the things of the world, and the world listens to them (1 John 4:5).

God’s people may be “base” and “weak” - even “foolish” - in the eyes of the world (1 Cor. 1:27-28). Since the Father has chosen us out of the world (John 15:19), it should not surprise us that the world “hates” those who belong to the Lord Jesus (John 17:14). Hence the ungodly passions that drive the ungodly behavior of the world, “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:16).

Those passions and the people who embrace them will “pass away.” But “the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

Working Out Our Salvation

“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

We are not told here to work for our salvation, but to work it out - that is, to demonstrate its reality in our daily lives. Our salvation must be received entirely by grace through faith, not of works (Eph. 2:8-9), or else it is not true salvation. Works can no more keep our salvation than they can earn it for us in the first place. It is not faith plus works, but grace through faith.

Nevertheless, a Christian believer, if his salvation has been real, can testify that “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Good works - consisting of a righteous and gracious salvation. We have been “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

The context of our text, in fact assures us, on the basis of Christ’s sacrificial death, glorious resurrection, and exaltation (Phil. 2:8-11) that “it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (2:13). God is thereby enabling us to “work out” our salvation in visible practice, through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.

Thus, it is beautifully appropriate that the life of a genuinely born-again Christian, possessing true salvation, should be “blameless and innocent, children of God...as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (2:15-16). We do need to “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5), and we are admonished that “we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3).

If I Perish

“Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”  Esther 4:16

This is the courageous testimony of Queen Ester as she prepared to risk her own life in order to save the lives of her people. It was a capital crime for anyone to intrude into the king’s throne room unbidden, but she was willing to do so in order to do the will of God, knowing that “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

In the same spirit, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to enter the fiery furnace rather than to worship the humanistic gods of Babylon, testifying to Nebuchadnezzar that “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18).

God did deliver Esther and the three Jewish youths, but there have been many through the ages who have died for their faith rather than deny their faith. All the apostles (except John) died as martyrs, for example, and so have countless others through the centuries. “They did not love their life even when faced with death” (Rev. 12:11) - if it meant denying their Savior.

Believers in many nations are suffering such persecutions even today, and the time is coming when the last great God-rejecting king of the earth (called the “beast” in Scripture) will “cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Rev. 13:15). If a similar choice should ever confront us, may God give us the grace to say with Paul that “Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (Phil. 1:20), and with Esther: “if I perish, I perish.”

To the Fourth Generation

“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me.”  Deuteronomy 5:9

This seemingly unwarranted penalty imposed on the innocent grandchildren of the idolater cannot possibly negate the later promise of God through the prophet Ezekiel: “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20).

And certainly it cannot obviate the clear promise of Christ Himself in the last chapter of the Bible: “let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Rev. 22:17). Anyone who desires to do so may accept the Lord’s gracious offer of salvation, regardless of the possible wickedness or anti-Christian religion of any of his ancestors.

At the same time, a man should realize that his decision to follow a false religion and then bring up his children in that false religion will almost certainly affect his grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well. Many of the latter will actually be children while their great grandfather is still alive. It is a simple fact that most children (though not all) will continue in their parents “religion.” They can, if they wish, choose to leave their parents’ religion and become Christians, but most will not.

What a great responsibility, therefore, each father has! And what a great responsibility the church has to take the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things (Rom 10:15).

You Shall Not

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.”  Exodus 20:4

Many secularists criticize Christianity as being a religion of negativism filled with prohibitions. In response, Christians often try to blunt this criticism by stressing Christian love and freedom from the law.

The fact is, however, that the New Testament also contains many prohibitions, including a restatement of all those in God’s laws as expressed in the Ten Commandments. The first of these in our text prohibits idolatry. Six others also begin with “you shall not.” “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain....You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet” (Ex. 20:7, 13-17).

It is inappropriate for any Christian to ignore these commandments. Godly behavior is more important now than every before. Not only are these prohibitions all repeated in the New Testament, but there are numerous other “shall nots” as well, all directed to Christians saved by grace, apart from the works of the law.

For example: “do not get drunk with wine” (Eph. 5:18); “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26); “do not be haughty in mind...Do not be wise in your own estimation” (Rom. 12:16); “Never take your own revenge” (Rom. 12:19); and many, many others.

There are numerous positive aspects to the Christian life, of course, but there are also things a Christian should not do. We do not work for our salvation, but we must work out our salvation, putting off the works of the flesh and putting on the works of a regenerate life.

Young Men

“I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”  1 John 2:14

There are two commendations about the “young men” (typically applied to those under forty) that John notes. They are “strong” (vigorous, healthy, both physically, and mentally) and the word of God “abides” (remains, endures) in them. These are those who have come through their believing childhood, no doubt guided counseled by the “fathers” in their lives, who are now active in the “good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12).

Like Abraham, they are “strong in faith” (Rom. 4:20), not staggering under the burden of unbelief. Like the leaders in the church at Rome, they are willing to “bear the weaknesses of those without strength” (Rom. 15:1), and to be alert, standing “firm in the faith” (1 Cor. 16:13). Even though they would have faced opposition from among professing Christians, they were “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1).

These are the ones who “have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God” (2 Cor. 4:2), but gladly received it as “it really is, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). They know that “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12), and have taken time to treasure the Word in their heart (Psalm 119:11). These “young men” know that if God’s “words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).

Those attributes make possible the result you “have overcome the evil one.” Safe in the secure saving faith of God, guided by the great truths of the Word of God, these young men have not been “overcome by evil,” but have “overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).

Prepared Hearts

“For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” 
Ezra 7:10

It does not come naturally into our hearts to seek, obey, and then teach others the words of God as found in the Scriptures. Therefore, like Ezra, we must prepare our hearts. One’s natural “heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9) - not at all inclined to stand up for the Word of God. But Ezra did, even in the court of a pagan king and in the midst of the enemies of God’s people in a far county, and even among the backslidden people of his own nation. He prepared his heart, fixing it in the firm laws and promises of God. And, because he did, he could testify: “I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me” (Ezra 7:28).

On the other hand - we read, for example, of King Rehoboam whose rebellion and sin led to the dividing of Israel into two kingdoms and eventually into the captivity. These judgements came because, unlike Ezra, Rehoboam “did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord” (2 Chron. 12:14).

Thus, our hearts need to be prepared to seek God and His Word, but how do we get them prepared? First, we must come to Him in true humility. “O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear” (Psalm 10:17).

God is then the One Who actually prepares our hearts! “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord” (Prov. 16:1). We can only prepare our hearts to seek and serve God if we humbly call on Him to do the preparing.

The Meaning of “Day”

“God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.”  Genesis 1:5

Many people today, professing to believe the Bible, have compromised with the evolutionary philosophy which dominates our society by accepting its framework of geological ages. This system interprets the rocks and fossils in terms of a supposed 4.6 billion-year history of the earth and life culminating in the evolution of early humans perhaps a million years ago. In order to justify this compromise, they usually say that the “days” of creation really correspond to the geological ages, arguing that the Hebrew word for “day” (“yom”) does not have to mean a literal solar day.

Oh, yes, it does - at least in Genesis chapter one! God, knowing that the pagan philosophers of antiquity would soon try to distort His record of creation into long ages of pantheistic evolution (as in the Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, and other such ancient cosmogonies), was careful to define His terms! “God called the light day,” and that was the first day with its evening and morning. All subsequent days have followed the same pattern - a period of darkness (night), then a period of light (day).   

One may quibble about the exact length of the day if he insists (e.g., equatorial days versus polar days), but there is no way this definition can accommodate a geological age. This is the very first reference to “day” (or “yom”) in the Bible, and this is given as an actual statement of the meaning of the word.

This ought to settle the question for anyone who really believes the Bible. One may decide to believe the evolutionary geologists if he wishes, instead of God, but he should at least let God speak for Himself. God says the days of creation were literal days, not ages. “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth” (Ex. 31:17).

In a Moment

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”  1 Corinthians 15:51-52

This is one of the greatest promises in the Bible, assuring us that “we” (i.e., all believers, whether dead or living when Christ returns) shall suddenly be changed, with our dead or dying bodies instantly transformed into incorruptible, immortal bodies, which can never die again.

This great change, when it finally occurs, will take place “in a moment.” The Greek here is “en atomo” (“in an atom of time”). This word, implying the smallest entity conceivable by the Greeks, is used only this one time in the New Testament. It is further described by “the twinkling of an eye,” where “twinkling” is the Greek “rhipe,” also used only this once.

Evidently there is nothing else in this present world comparable in rapidity to this miraculous change which will be called forth when “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

The great shout (probably uttered by Christ Himself as at the tomb of Lazarus) will instantly create new bodies for both dead and living believers. “The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).   

Our new bodies will be like Christ’s resurrection body. He “will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:21).

Christ is able, thus, to create new bodies for us in a moment, just as when He created all things in the beginning: “For He spoke, and it was done” (Psalm 33:9).

He Who is Spiritual

“But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.”  1 Corinthians 2:15

The word rendered “spiritual” is the Greek word “pneumatikos,” from which theologians have coined the term, “pneumatology,” the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Thus a “spiritual” person is one who is not only born again spiritually through faith in Christ and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, but also tries diligently to follow the leading of the indwelling Spirit and to understand and obey the precepts of the Bible inspired by Him.
   
A spiritual person will have “the mind of the Lord” (1 Cor. 2:16), able to judge all things by spiritual standards and biblical revelation. He or she will “not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit,” knowing that “the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:4, 6). As such, spiritual believers prayerfully make decisions seeking God’s will, they are “led by the Spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14). And since they “walk by the Spirit,” they “will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).   

They will often and repeatedly be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) for Christian service. Furthermore, they will manifest “the fruit of the Spirit” in their lives and personalities - that is, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).

Yet while “he who is spiritual” is thereby able to discern and evaluate all things by such divine standards, he will find himself often misunderstood by unsaved relatives and acquaintances, for “a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14).

Nevertheless, “the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:8).

Things We Should Do

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” 
Matthew 23:23

This sharp rebuke by Jesus to the legalists of His day should also be taken seriously by us today. Although we are saved by grace alone, there are many things we ought to do, not as a matter of credit toward salvation, but as a gratitude for our salvation. Surely judgement, mercy, and faithfulness are high on such a list.
   
The following is a partial list of other things we should be or ought to be doing -

Prayer: “at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart”
(Luke 18:1).

Obedience to God as Priority: “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men’” (Acts 5:29).

Working and Sharing: “by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’”
(Acts 20:35).

Gracious in Speech: “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Colossians 4:6).

Walking with God: “as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1).

Heeding God’s Word: “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it”
(Hebrews 2:1).   

Sanctified Behavior: “what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11).

What to Put On

“And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”  Luke 24:49

People give much attention to what material clothes they should put on, but the New Testament tells us what spiritual clothes to put on. We are to put on power, and this is imparted only by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), according to Christ’s departing promise.

“Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light...put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:12, 14). “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

Along with this, we are to “lay aside the old self,” and then to “put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph. 4:22, 24). Then, we must “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

These items of spiritual clothing - the power of the Holy Spirit, the light of God’s presence, the new man in Christ, the resurrection life of the indwelling Christ, His imputed righteousness and holiness and all our spiritual armor - provide the foundation clothing for beautiful spiritual jewels and accessories. “You laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him....put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience....Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Col. 3:9-12, 14).

Coming Like The Flood

“So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west
And His glory from the rising of the sun,
For He will come like a rushing stream
Which the wind of the Lord drives.”  Isaiah 59:19

The great enemy of our souls, “the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Yet he also “disguises himself as an angel of light,” and so can “his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:14-15). He and his servants are perhaps most dangerous when most deceptive, quoting Scripture and spiritual sentiments in a superficial show of piety, yet distorting the “Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Pet. 3:16), and we must use the sword of the Spirit against them.

Then there are those times when, angered that their deceptions (sometimes even their own self-deceptions) are not persuading the true people of God to compromise their stand for God’s truth and His great salvation, they resort to great pressure and overt opposition -even persecution-seeking to silence their testimony. The enemy comes in like a great flood, and the waves seem about to engulf us, and we cry with the psalmist: “Had it not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul” (Psalm 124:2-4).

But God is on our side, as long as we are on His side and hold fast to His clearly revealed Word. Before the demonic flood can overwhelm us, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up His standard (or, more literally, “put him to flight”), and God will prevail once again, for “the firm foundation of God stands” (2 Tim. 2:19), and “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).   

The Proof of Obedience

“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.”  1 John 2:3

Jesus once said: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Poignant question. A familiar complaint of those who despise Christian teaching is that “Christians” don’t act like Christians! It is a sad commentary on the condition of the Lord’s family when the ungodly are more aware of the expected behavior of God’s people than the Christians are.

Of course, the issue is not unique to the New Testament times. Israel’s historical saga is replete with seasons of rebellion and repentance - so much so that the psalmist prayed: “That the generation to come might know...That they may arise and tell them to their children, That they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments, And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God” (Psalm 78:6-8).

The emphasis by John in his first epistle, however, is not on the reasons for willful disobedience, but on the results of willing obedience:
  - Walking in the “light” ensures fellowship (1 John 1:7).
  - Constant and willing obedience produces an effective prayer life
    (1 John 3:22).
  - A lifestyle of obedience brings an awareness of the Holy Spirit’s
    indwelling (1 John 3:24).
  - Loving God produces obedience, which in turn brings joy in that
    obedience (1 John 5:3).

Our deeds show whom we serve (1 John 3:7). Our righteous deeds prove whom we serve (Matt. 7:16-20).