When all Wrongs will be Righted and our Cross-Bearing Worthwhile

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2  for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

3 Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” — for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:1-9

 

“These are the true words of God.”

 

In the Book of Revelation, at this point, we celebrate God’s judgment of the Roman Empire who has persecuted Christians in the 1^st century. We have come to the marriage supper of the Lamb and His righteous saints where everything they suffered has been put right. When we go back further in Revelation we read of the slain saints crying out for judgment and vengeance:

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. Revelation 6:9-11

 

So Revelation is giving us an example of the truth that the wicked who oppress the righteous will be judged.

They won’t get away with it.

 

We see another example of this in a letter to the Thessalonians:

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. 5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from[b] the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfil every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:4-12

 

“The righteous judgment of God.”

 

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:26-31

 

God created us all to seek Him and find Him.

 

God is an intelligent, living being – just a much greater version of ourselves.

 

Because we are made in God’s image it makes sense to want to find out more about God so we can live a life that pleases Him.

 

So God urges us to repent – to change the direction of our lives and to start living His kind of life.

 

The coming judgment may seem scary, but we should look at it as an incentive to live as God wants, knowing that the judge will be righteous, putting every wrong we have ever experienced right, just as He Himself was ultimately judged righteous after his own unjust treatment.   “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

 

David Hunter

 

Man donates kidney to stranger after finding note in eBay package

From a Complete Stranger

Ray Duffy's wife ordered some Topshop shorts off of eBay. She received the order in a unique
package that was decorated with crude but cute drawings of some animals and birds. Inside the
package, there was also something else quite unusual: a thank you note from the seller. Duffy's
wife showed the note to her husband; he was deeply affected by it.

"She had also written a thank you note explaining that her husband was on the [kidney] transplant
waiting list, had lost his job and that now and then they would sell things they didn't need on eBay
so they could buy their kids a treat," Duffy told SWNS. "She said that she drew the pictures [on
the package] to put a smile on people's faces as they had helped her put a smile on her children's
faces."

Duffy said the note left a deep impression on him. He wanted to help, but he didn't know how. "I
felt so helpless," he told SWNS.

Two years later, Duffy was listening to the radio and he heard a segment about a man who had donated
his kidney to someone that needed one. Duffy continued to listen and learned about altruistic organ
donation. Inspired by the note from the woman whose husband was suffering kidney failure, he signed
up to be a donor. In March of 2017, Duffy underwent an operation to donate his kidney to a stranger
who needed one.

In Scotland, where Duffy lives, more than 400 people are on the transplant list waiting for a
kidney, according to Organ Donation Scotland. The average wait for a kidney from a deceased donor
is three years. Duffy became one of over 500 people in the last 10 years who have chosen to become
living donors. Duffy and others have given their kidneys for complete strangers. *

Many may not realize it, but we ALL suffer with something that threatens our lives with death and
destruction. Our fatal condition is due to our failures, our sins.

But, thank God there is a remedy. A complete Stranger came to our rescue. Jesus, the Son of God,
came to this earth, lived as a man, and then died on a cross for our sins (John 3:16; 1 Peter 2:24).
He was the perfect "match" for us: He was like us in His humanity but unlike us, He was sinless;
only a sinless sacrifice could atone for our sins. God "made Him who know no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Through Jesus, we may have the forgiveness of our sins and receive the gift of eternal life when we
accept His offer on His terms: placing our faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turning from our
sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). Then, as we continue to walk in
the light of His Word, He continues to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7-9).

This complete Stranger gave His life for YOU so that YOU can live. This complete Stranger can
become your greatest Friend and even more - your Savior and your Lord - if only you will surrender
your life to Him in trusting obedience. Won't YOU?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Man donates kidney to stranger after finding note in eBay package" by
Alexandria Hein of Fox News, www.foxnews.com.

Seek and ye shall find (Bible)

Seek, Search, Find, Believe, Obey, Be Saved, Live Eternally

 

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted  the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. 1 Peter 1:8-12

 

The prophets who, under inspiration, prophesied of God’s saving grace, had also “searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating.” They went beyond mechanical inspiration: they also sought to understand what it was they were predicting! And God honoured their search, for Peter says: “It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.”

 

Jesus said:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Matthew 7:7-11

 

Paul said:

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, Acts 17:26-27

 

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. John 5:39-40

 

Many Jews, in their searching of the Scriptures, must have realized, upon seeing Jesus and His works, that He was the Messiah the Old Testament had been talking about. And yet they refused to come to Him to receive eternal life. Why? Because they thought they already had their own righteousness!! Luke 18:9-14; Romans 10:1-4.  In contrast, the Samaritan woman, upon realizing Jesus was the Messiah, started a revolution of belief in Jesus in Samaria! John 4:1-42. A tax-collector climbed a tree to see Jesus and receive His salvation, Luke 19:1-10. A Canaanite woman copped humiliation, so much did she need Jesus. Mark 7:24-30.

 

No matter where we live, not only must we be seekers of Jesus and seekers of truth, but when we find Jesus and His truth we must be willing to believe it and obey it!

 

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit,

nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown

into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:15-29

 

Not just a searching, seeking heart, but also a heart for God.

 

But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” John 8:45-47

 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:1-6

 

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. Acts 17:10-12

 

“THEY RECEIVED THE WORD WITH ALL EAGERNESS.” Do you love truth enough to seek and search, and then obey it when you find it? How much do you look forward to learning new truth? Matthew 13:51-52.

 

David Hunter

 

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster

Facing the Storm

With the threat of Hurricane Dorian, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster ordered mandatory
evacuations along the state's 190-mile coast and opened up evacuation routes heading west.

Six-year-old Jermaine Bell is set to celebrate his 7th birthday on September 8. His family has been
saving up money for a trip to Disney World. Hurricane Dorian cancelled that trip.

But Jermaine had an idea. "The people that are traveling to go to places [the evacuees], I wanted
them to have some food to eat, so they can enjoy the ride to the place [where] they're going to
stay," Bell told WJBF.

So Jermaine and his family used some of the money for their trip to Disney to buy and prepare hot
dogs, chips, and water to give to evacuees fleeing from the South Carolina Coast. Last Tuesday, the
family set up beside Highway 125 in Allendale, SC, which is about 90 miles west of Charleston. They
made two signs offering the meals to those evacuating. They served about 100 people.

When faced with a storm, this 6-year-old South Carolina boy traded in his birthday trip to Disney
World to give away free food for Hurricane Dorian evacuees. He thought of others, not himself.

Jesus Christ faced the storm of all storms: the wrath of God against sin - not His own sins, but our
sins. As He faced this storm, He thought of others, not Himself. He gave His life on the cross to
suffer the wrath of God so that we don't have to.

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. Therefore My
Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but
I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
command I have received from My Father" (John 10:11, 17-18).

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for
righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24 NIV).

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus died for us so that we could have the forgiveness of our sins and receive the gift of eternal
life (Ephesians 1:7; Romans 6:23).

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts
16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans
10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

When faced with the "storm" of God's wrath against sin, Jesus thought of you and me, not Himself.
He gave His life for us, so that we might live with Him for an eternity.

Won't YOU accept His offer on His terms?

~David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Boy, 6, uses money saved for Disney World trip to help Hurricane Dorian
evacuees in South Carolina" by Travis Fedschun, www.foxnews.com

What does baptism do?

 

 

 

 

Baptism and New Life

Romans 6:1-14

David Anguish

Introduction

1.     One thing I liked about teaching school is that there are more opportunities for starting over. A new year begins about the time the rest of us go into a holding pattern for next year's resolutions. The semester break gives both students and teachers a chance to make some changes, to get a fresh start. At the least, you get two fresh starts every calendar year.

2.     We can start over outside of school, too. Most of us are glad about that. Nearly everyone wants a chance for a do-over. Sensitive souls want the same thing spiritually.

a.     "While belonging to a new realm, the believer brings with him into it many of the impulses, habits and tendencies of the old life, a constant threat to putting into actual practice the realities of our new realm status" (Douglas Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, 352).

b.     We know that, though a defeated foe, sin has not given up attacking us (cf. 1 Peter 5:8). We live in tension between who we want to be and the reality of the temptations we continue to face.

3.     As we struggle with this tension, we are inclined to lament, "If only I could lay sin to rest!"  Romans 6 shows that we are ahead of the game because we have already done so—at our baptism.

Body

I.      In Search of the New Way.

A.    The New Testament is about newness and a fresh start in Jesus.

1.     He established a new covenant (1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 8:8, 13; 9:15; 12:24).

2.     He replaced old hostile relationships with "one new man" (Ephesians 2:14).

3.     He gave us a new way of serving and relating to God (Romans 7:6; Hebrews 10:20).

4.     He enabled us to start over in the way we live, to put on a new self, with a new life and new priorities (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10; 1 John 2:7-8; Romans 6:4).

B.     The overriding problem we have to overcome in being new creatures is sin.

1.     Romans is especially valuable for understanding the seriousness of the problem, for Paul talks more about sin in Romans than in all his other letters combined;^[1] in doing so, he presents a more complete understanding of what sin is and does.

a)     That doesn't surprise us since we understand that God is opposed to sin.

b)     But, we tend to think of "sins" (bad thoughts and deeds); Paul sees a bigger problem.

2.     In Romans, especially in 5:12-8:3, Paul seldom speaks of "sins" (only at 3:25 and 7:5 and in quotations at 4:7 and 11:27), but rather of "Sin" as a personified force.

a)     Sin entered the world (5:12), has reigned through death (5:21), and can rule or lord it over a person (6:12, 14), acting like a master who pays wages (6:16-23).

b)     "In 7.8-11 sin is likened to a living being (the serpent of Genesis 3) or a cunning enemy which seizes its opportunity and builds a bridgehead within weak humanity" (Dunn, 112). (Cf. Genesis 4:7 where sin "crouches at [Cain's] door.")

3.     In Romans, "sin" is more than misdirected religion, self-indulgence, or specific wrong deeds,^[2] it's an independent power that gets us in its grips and pushes us away from God.

a)     "'Sin' is the term Paul uses for a compulsion or restraint which humans generally experience within themselves or in their social context, a compulsion towards attitudes and actions not always of their own willing or approving" (Dunn, 112).

b)     "It is that power which has caused countless individuals of good will but inadequate resolve to cry out in deep despair: 'I can't help it,' 'I can't fight it'" (Dunn, 112-113). Cf. 7:14-25.

(1)   This does not diminish personal responsibility—see 7:14-23 where Paul describes the tension—but does show us that will power over certain misdeeds and bad attitudes will not suffice to resolve the problem.^[3]

c)     Romans 3:9 summarizes the problem: all are "under sin."

C.    What can be done about Sin?

1.     Paul's answer is "grace," centering in the new Adam (Jesus) and given according to the enormity of sin in each life (Romans 5:14-21).

2.     But exactly how does grace work?

a)     One answer—and history shows it to be not at all far-fetched^[4]—is to try to obtain as much grace as possible by not worrying about holding sin in check (5:20; 6:1; notice that the same Greek word [πλεονάζω, pleonazō], translated "abound" and "increase" in the ESV, is used in both verses).

b)     Paul rejected that answer out of hand (6:2), and then issued an imperative that they should stop letting sin rule their lives and should instead keep yielding themselves (and their members) to God's way of righteousness (6:12-13).

c)     But this imperative is not a matter of human determination, but of cooperation grounded in the spiritual reality that they were no longer under sin's power (6:14), having been brought from death to life (6:13) and therefore made "dead to sin and living to God in Christ Jesus" (6:11, literally translated).

II.    When They Died to Sin.

A.    In verse 2, Paul makes his point: we cannot continue to live in sin because we died to it.

B.     The importance of this death to sin is spelled out beginning in verse 5.

1.     Death to sin came when we were united with Christ in his death and resurrection (v 5).

2.     The purpose (seen in the conjunction ἵνα, hina, "in order that", v 6) of our old selves being crucified with him (a synonym for dying with him) is to bring "the body (σῶμα, sōma, the self) of sin" to nothing (aorist passive subjunctive of καταργέω, katargeō, make ineffective, powerless; abolish, set aside) (v 6), thus setting us completely free of sin (v 7; literally "acquitted" — perfect passive of δικαιόω, dikaioō; cf. Romans 3:4, 20, 24,26, 28, 30; 5:1, 9; etc.).

3.     Verses 8-10 underscore the importance of being united with Christ, and especially his death and resurrection.

a)     Paul makes two connected points.

(1)   It is only in dying with Christ that we will live with him (v 8).

(2)   This is as permanent for us as it was for Christ (vv 9-10).

b)     "Paul is telling us, then, that the historical events of the saving work of Jesus have their counterpart or fulfillment in a specific historical event in the life of every Christian,..." (Jack Cottrell, Baptism: A Biblical Study, 80).

C.    Verses 3-4 tell us that we died to sin when we were baptized.

1.     Remember his premise: we died to sin (v 2).

2.     Anticipating their question, "when?" he asks, "do you not know" (present tense) what happened when you were baptized?

3.     Verse 3 declares what happened.

a)     Notice what verse 3 does not say (see Cottrell, 77-79).

(1)   That the deaths of everyone benefitting from the death of Christ occurred when he died and was raised 1900 years ago (a view popular among those who hold to a view of limited atonement of the pre-ordained "elect").

(2)   That death occurred the moment the heart turned to God in faith and/or repentance.^[5]

b)     What Paul does say—twice (vv 3, 4)—is, when you were baptized, you were united with Jesus in his death and resurrection, setting you free from sin as surely as he was set free from the death that Sin effected.

4.     But that is not all Paul says: verse 4 makes it clear that the purpose (again, the conjunction ἵνα, hina, "in order that") of this baptismal death was so that we could walk (subjunctive) "in newness of life," the life to be found in being united with Christ.

III.   Significant Things to Understand About Baptism.

A.    Baptism is the point in time when our participation with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection brings about the "change within us that breaks the grip of sin upon our hearts and makes it possible for us to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God" (Cottrell, 82).

1.     His point "is not that the believer in baptism is laid in his own grave, but that through that action he is set alongside Christ in his" (G. R. Beasley-Murray, Baptism in the New Testament, 130).

2.     This is not something in addition to faith, but is a definite commitment of faith (cf. Romans 5:1).

B.     Since we did not physically die as Jesus did, we understand that baptism is a symbolic representation of the deeper reality of being united in Christ where we find new life.

1.     But, it is not a symbol of "a reality that has already occurred" (Cottrell, 81).

2.     Rather, it is an external symbol that "occurs simultaneously with the spiritual reality it is symbolizing . . . the death and burial of our old life . . . and our resurrection to new life. It is a reality that occurs because we are 'baptized into Christ'" (Cottrell, 81).

C.    The goal is not to "get baptized," or even to "get into the church" (though the latter goes with it since the church consists of all who are saved - cf. 1 Corinthians 12:13); rather, the goal, as the phrase "in order that" in v 4 shows, is to enter newness of life (Cf. Moo, 366).

1.     This life is empowered by the realities of the new age.

2.     This life is also expected to reflect the values of that new age (cf. vv 11-14).

Conclusion

4.     For years, I have turned to this text when asked the question, "do you think you have to be baptized in order to be saved?" Simply by reading the text, and asking what Paul thought and what he wanted the Romans to understand I have seen students visibly moved as they wrestled with this text's implications.

5.     That's because of the straightforward power of what it says. That death to sin is possible. That a new beginning can happen for all of us. That we have the power to sustain us even as sin continues its hopeless attack on our lives.

6.     We believers need to remember what happened at our baptism and what that means in terms of the way we are to live. Any who have not done what they did should seize the opportunity to get out from under sin. Die with him. Rise to new life. Why not be baptized now?

August 2, 2009

www.davidanguish.com

 

---

^[1] James Dunn notes "the astonishing predominance of the term in Romans. Of 64 occurrences in the Pauline letters, no less than three-fourths appear in Romans. Putting the point the other way round, hamartia occurs three times as often in Romans as in the rest of the Pauline corpus as a whole. Moreover, 41 of the 48 Romans occurrences occur in 5:12-8:3—an extraordinary intensity of usage" (James D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle, 111).

^[2] These categories are taken from Dunn's discussion of how Paul sees the effects of sin personified. See Dunn, 114-124.

^[3] As Paul emphasizes, if that were the case, the law would have sufficed.

^[4] F. F. Bruce notes that "in every generation, people claiming to be justified by faith have behaved in such a way as to lend colour to this charge" and then relates the case of Gregory Rasputin, "the evil genius of the Romanov family in its last years of power. Rasputin taught and exemplified the doctrine of salvation through repeated experiences of sin and repentance. He held that, as those who sin most require most forgiveness, a sinner who continues in sin with abandon enjoys, each time he repents, more of God's forgiving grace than any ordinary sinner" (F. F. Bruce, The Letter of Paul to the Romans, Revised Edition, 127).

^[5] Cottrell elaborates: "He does not say, 'Remember when you first believed' or 'Don't you know what happened when you first repented'; he does not say, 'Think about the time you bowed your head and received Christ into your heart.' He says, 'Remember your baptism!' Why should he so magnify baptism if this were not the specific point where the life-changing and heart-renewing work of God was actually accomplished?" (Cottrell, 83).

A Living Example

 

Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us--Philippians 3:17

 

Hear the instructions given to us in 2 Corinthians 13:5: "Test yourselves  to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!"  Because we are weak, frail human beings we must ever be alert in our walk as a child of God lest our faith in Jesus and the precious promises of God be undermined by Satan as he seeks to devour us (1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Peter 1:4-11).

 

The test of our faith is not found in sitting down in our easy chair in the comfort of our home and just reading chapter after chapter from the Bible. The test is not just in whether or not we attend one or more worship services of the church each week. The true test of our faith occurs each day as we go about our daily activities. In our speech, our conduct, does our family, our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, even the stranger we pass on the street see in us that we are faithful in the commitment we made to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30)?

 

Do they see that we are letting our light shine before men leading them to glorify God (Matthew 5:16)? Do all those people with whom we interact see in our conduct that the word of Christ dwells in us richly (Colossians 3:16)? As others observe our conduct, listen to our speech, do they see an example of the believer in word, life, love, spirit, faith and purity (1 Timothy 4:12)?  Does the world of people surrounding us see that we have set our affections on things above  and are seeking those things (Col. 3:1-2; Matthew 6:19-21; Matthew 6:33)?  Will self examination show that we have and are now presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1; Galatians 2:20)?

 

Now, I have a question for all of us to think seriously about. Based on the way we have been and are now living, will we dare say to our families, friends or anyone for that matter, "I want you to follow my example"?  If you did and they did, what would their eternal destiny be? Thought provoking, isn't it?

 

We do not, yea cannot, live this life without having influence on other people. A faithful. consistent Christian life will be noticed, known and it will enable us to say to others: "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).

 

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.--1 Timothy 1:17

 

Charles Hicks

 

Matthew Yao

A Billionaire's Advice

If one of the richest people in the world gave you some advice, would you listen to him?

Matthew Yao, a young entrepreneur, sat down with Philip Ng, asking him to share some advice for his
friends and followers on Instagram. Philip and his brother, Robert, are worth $12.1 billion as
controllers of the Far East Organization, Singapore's largest private landlord and property
developer.

Obviously, Ng is very successful in the business world - a billionaire.

So what is his advice?

Yao, in his posted video on Instagram asked Ng, his mentor: "Uncle Philip, to all the young people
watching this, what do you think is the one piece of advice that you would give them?"

"What I've discovered is that all of us are broken," said Ng. "We all have a missing piece, and for
me, I discovered that the missing piece was God through Jesus Christ."

Ng continued: "I was always in search for a better life, a better purpose, a better me, a better
everything. I was just looking at all the wrong things, but when I realized there is no better me
or better things without Jesus, then it all snapped into place. Maybe we have to look deeper. I
treasure (my faith) more than anything so I just wish for everyone to have that peace and joy. It
sure beats a lot of money and material things that you may have."

Matthew Yao weighed in on Ng's advice: "With movies like 'Crazy Rich Asians" glorifying wealth,
exuberance and excess and Hollywood media polluting our minds., we are all too easily sidetracked
and too easily derailed from the truth and what is important in this life. But the truth is, we are
all BROKEN people and we all have a missing piece in us. We try to fill that missing piece in the
pursuit of power, money, popularity, sex, alcohol, drugs, achievement or success, and among other
things as well. [Many] have come to the same conclusion that THERE IS MORE to this life than just
these temporary things, as fleeting as these pleasures may be. That missing piece, my friends, is
Jesus Christ."

Was that the advice you were expecting?

I don't know what other advice Ng and Yao might give, but on this major point, they are right on
target!

Listen to Jesus: "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the
abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15).

Rather, the truly abundant life, and even more - eternal life - is found in Jesus Christ. What
makes this life truly abundant are the spiritual blessings that are found in Jesus (Ephesians 1:3),
blessings like forgiveness from sin (Ephesians 1:7), peace that passes all understanding
(Philippians 4:6-7), inexpressible joy (1 Peter 1:8), and the hope of eternal life in heaven (1
Peter 1:1:3-4).

All of these spiritual blessings are available to us in Christ because Jesus gave His life for our
sins so that we can be reconciled to God, find life's true purpose, and receive the gift of eternal
life (2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 6:23).

God will save and give the abundant, eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus
(Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men
(Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
God will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John
1:7-9).

What's the most important thing in life? I think the richest man in Singapore speaks the truth when
he says that the most important things in life are not things; it's Jesus.

Are you listening? Will you submit your life to Jesus?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Singapore's richest man says 'missing piece was God through Jesus
Christ'" by Caleb Parke of Fox News, www.foxnews.com and Matthew Yao's Instagram post.