Faith Is A Gift!

“You have such great faith.” 

Although well-meaning, we often have this attribution directed toward us. Our response, “Really?” Honestly, although we have not depended on a paycheck outside of ourselves since 1982, we are not conscious of initiating or maintaining such a life style. Even now our source of livelihood is through a unique business venture that we did not intend to start. Confident that it is the source of God’s provision I often say that it is still spelled WORK. (I cannot remember when we have had a W-2 attached to our 1040.) 

However, if we view faith as an intrinsic value originating in and/or maintained by us - we are in trouble. “‘Through faith,’ another threadbare word, which, withal, has been dreadfully darkened by many comments, and has unfortunately been so represented as that people fancy it is some kind of special attitude of mind and heart,...” MacLaren’s Exposition 

God causes

It is my intention here to focus on the root. The Scriptures are replete with exhortations toward the bearing of good fruit. Yet if our emphasis is on fruit-bearing only we are in danger of encouraging pietistic elitism–having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.  This is just the issue Paul confronted at Colossae: “They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.” Colossians 2:9  He also reminds the church at Corinth as well as us: “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:7 If the tree be not firmly rooted in the rich soil of God’s grace-filled surety all efforts at fruit-bearing will prove to be futile–producing only the bitter yield of Wormwood. 

The bond-servant also writes: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”  Ephesians 2:8  Faith is the object of this clause and faith is the it which is the gracious gift of God. “It is a gift, not a purchase; a free gift, without money and without price; what would never have been yours, but for the generosity of God.” Pulpit Commentary Whether the that refers to salvation, grace or faith - matters not. “Our faith, our conversion, and our eternal salvation, are not of works, lest any man should boast.” Matthew Henry 

working of grace

If faith be by the working of grace, then it is a gift. God gives gifts, but He doesn’t give them away - the ultimate responsibility lies within the Courts of the King. “it is certainly true that faith is the gift of God. It exists in the mind only when the Holy Spirit produces it there, and is, in common with every other Christian excellence, to be traced to his agency on the heart.” Albert Barnes “in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” Romans 12:3 NIV 

And then there is what is commonly referred to as the “gift of faith” which is more aptly a manifestation or attribute of the Holy Spirit who Himself is the gift: “to another faith by the same Spirit,...” 1 Corinthians 12:9  This passage has suffered violence both at the hands of those that would deny the current efficacy of it along with the other manifestations and also by those who would exalt it to position of a personal attribute. Leave us to say, whatever its true meaning and application, it is a function of the Lord’s own Spirit Who distributes to each one as He wills: “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”  

immutable sufficiency 

This immutable sufficiency of God is clearly found in Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” KJV “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” NASB “For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.” NLT “God never changes his mind when he gives gifts...” GOD’S WORD “For God does not repent of His free gifts...” Weymouth 

There can be nothing derived from such a statement that would engendered slackness in the true believer–the Holy Spirit within him is quickened to love and good deeds. “None can from Scripture abuse this doctrine, or accuse it of any tendency to evil. All who do so, are without excuse.” Matthew Henry 

There can be no greater motivation–not one that gives more glory to the One who is the author and perfecter - the beginning and end - of faith.  The seed of faith is of His origination, it is He who causes its growth - and it is He that will taste of the delectableness of its fruit. “and this faith is not the produce of man's free will and power, but it is the free gift of God; and therefore salvation through it is consistent with salvation by grace; since that itself is of grace,...and gives all the glory to the grace of God:” John Gill 

faithfulness of the Son of God

That is to say, it is this faith that is pleasing to Him (Hebrews 11:6) for it is this faith that most closely resembles His Son - “and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 KJV “I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God,...” ISV  The anchor of our faith is secured in the faith of or the faithfulness of the Son of God. “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 

Faith has it source in the faithfulness of God - equips and sustains His elect causing them to persevere - and returns to Him in Glory. “For all the promises of God, whatever their number, have their confirmation in Him; and for this reason through Him also our "Amen" acknowledges their truth and promotes the glory of God through our faith.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 Weymouth 


Sola fide (by faith alone) was the war cry of the Reformation. It was radical then. It is just as radical now. The Reformation was dynamic. Sola fide was not the slogan of a delicate, cloistered piety. It was the ensign of a movement of blood and fire. "Faith alone" is also a confession that God's saving work has been done completely outside of our own experience. There are some who will admit that God alone saves, but they imagine that this saving work is done inside of them. But it was done outside the gate of Jerusalem on a Roman cross. Faith is always directed to this outside-of-me action of God in Jesus Christ. As Bunyan aptly says, it is the righteousness which resides with a Person in heaven which justifies me, a sinner, on earth. Present Truth magazine

sons of Abraham 

“Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.” Galatians 3:7 Which clause is the predicate?  That is, which one is the cause and which is the effect?  Do we cause ourselves to be sons of Abraham as a result of faith - or are we of faith as a result of being sons of Abraham?  The question is also begged, “Can we cause ourselves to be born again?” The unequivocal answer: “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 We become children of God by the effect of the will of God. Similarly: “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14  Once again, which is the predicate?  And turning again to John’s Gospel for the unveiled answer: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:6  We cannot possibly be led by the Spirit of God until we are born again by the same Agent–for the will of man can only give birth to the will of man.  

“Not all men have faith in Christ; and those who do have it, have it not of themselves; it is the gift of God, worked out through the Redemption which is in Christ through the mighty operation of his Spirit, which is the fruit and effect of His invincible grace. This is because the natural man is wholly captive under the power and dominion of sin, and a slave unto it, and has neither a power nor will to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.”

“Regeneration is monergistic: that is, entirely the work of God the Holy Spirit. It raises the elect among the spiritually dead to new life in Christ (Eph. 2:1-10). Regeneration is a transition from spiritual death to spiritual life, and conscious, intentional, active faith in Christ is its immediate fruit, not its immediate cause.” J.I. Packer 

“Consequently, that faith by which we come into experiential possession of what God in grace has provided is as much a gift as any and every other aspect of salvation. One can no more deny that faith is wrapped up in God’s gift to us than he can deny it of God’s grace. All is of God! Salvation is of the Lord!”  Sam Storms 

What more - or less - could faith be than an absolute trust in God to bring to completion that which He has begun in you?  “for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12 KJV Paul in his bequeathment to Timothy expressed his confidence not in a what, but in a Whom. And thus faith finds its ultimate expression not as a what–but as a Whom. 

“But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13 

Soli Deo Gloria! 

Did God say?

The Lord God is not questioned! 

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God (Jehovah Elohim)  had made. He said to the woman, “Did God (Elohim) really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 God is identified first as Jehovah Elohim in Genesis 2:4–prior to this he had been known only as Elohim. At this point the seven days of creation are completed - yet there was no moisture on the earth to cause growth and adam (Genesis 1:26) had not yet become a living soul.  It is only subsequent to Genesis 2:4 that mankind becomes Adam - a person - and from his side comes Eve.

adam/Adam

In a footnote from the ESV: The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and later becomes the proper name Adam.  Where the definite article appears it is usually adam–the man.  The first use of Adam is in Genesis 2:19 KJV: “and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.”  For most other translations the first appearance of Adam is in 2:20 in conjunction with his relational need for a helper.  Thus the use of Adam occurs only after 2:4 and is used in a relational sense–rather than in a general one. 

Jehovah is the proper name of God.  Mankind only receives the proper name of Adam under the revelation of Jehovah. 

gods/God

At the initial temptational encounter the serpent reverts back to Elohim only - avoiding any reference to Lord - Jehovah.  Dr. Tony Evans observes: “he didn't want her having a personal relationship under Jehovah’s authority.”1  The temptation: “and ye shall be as gods (like God), knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 When God seeks them out in relationship it is once again as Lord God: “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:” Genesis 3:8  But this time they hid from Him because of their shame–for they knew they had disappointed the One who had breathed His breath of life into them. And when He pronounces the curse on the serpent it is as Lord God: “The LORD God said to the serpent,...” 3:14 At the same time He declares the promise that One would come forth as the seed of the woman who would restore all that had been lost: “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 3:15 NIV 

To omit the Lord - as the serpent did - is to omit His sovereign relationship with his people - which can have no other meaning than Lordship.  Only He who is Lord can take our messes and form them into an instrument that will be to the praise of His glory.  Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” The mere acknowledgment of Him as god has no such power.

My editor and co-commentator noted that there are many fathers, but for her there was only one that spoke to her with understanding authority–yet with eyes of kindness, acceptance and forgiveness.  My reply was, “Dear Ol’ Dad!”  “Yes,” she said.  His love for her was unconditional–she did not fear his disapproval.  She never felt shamed, small or worthless. This was the motivation for her, for he was proud to have her as his beautiful daughter.  Yes, he was her provider and protector–always available; coming to her defense.  He had a vision and hope for her–giving her confidence to succeed.

progeny/Progenitor

Independent of Lordship there is no possibility of the believer’s conformation into the image of the First Born which is the singular purpose of the Father–the essence and fulness of salvation.  Ultimately we are saved not only for our good–but for that which is good in His sight.  The focus is the progenitor, not the progeny.  A message void of this primacy is an ineffectual one.  A.W. Tozer called such preaching heresy: “Therefore, I must be frank in my feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circles - the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior and we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as Lord as long as we want to!” 

Mere belief - acceptance - is not sufficient. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.”  James 2:19  But their nature continues to be that of a demon.  Muslim terrorist shout Allah Akbar - god is one; but they are still blood-thirsty wretches.  (Even the crusaders had a cross emblazoned on their breast, but not imprinted on their heart.) 

John’s baptism was not a Lordship baptism.  It demanded conformity first, which will ultimately fail: “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance,...”  The Baptism in Jesus’ Name produces conformity afterwards and will succeed.  The believer is brought to Christ totally devoid of any good works with which to commend himself - he is totally and utterly dependent on electing grace.  The process that is entered into is an irrevocable one.  “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

assimilation/Transformation

Unfortunately our message is often interpreted as, “You must become like us before you can be one of us.”  The true gospel message is, “Once you become one of us, then you will be like us.”  That is expressing the image of the Son of God.  Assimilation is not the objective–but transformation.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV 

John’s baptism was intertestamental - fulfilling the requirements of the old while pointing toward the hope of the new. The crux came one day in Jordan’s waters when John baptized One he was not worthy to baptize for this One had no need of repentance for cleansing - only as “Jehovah is our salvation” in identification with our plight. Yet, upon this one descended the power and witness of the Holy Spirit with the resounding declaration: "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."  The One standing in the flow with John was and is the living and abiding Word of God.

Carrying this forward into the dawning of the church age: Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38  Jesus is the name of his humility in that Jehovah descended to identify with and become one with us. Christ is the name of His exaltation as the Anointed One. He is still both - “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25  (Plus Acts 2:31-33) 

John/Jesus

Concerning Paul’s encounter with the disciples at Ephesus we read: Acts 19:4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

Only He can produce the evidence that is worthy of His Name. “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.” 1 Peter 1:2 KJV  If there is no such evidence subsequent to baptism, then the individual has only gotten wet. From Dr. Tony Evans: “Baptism means...you are a visible verbal follower of Christ reflecting His attitudes and actions, character, and conduct in every aspect of life.”2 

lord/Lord

If He is not Lord of all - then He is not Lord at all. We do not “make Him Lord” of our lives.  He already is Lord and the confession wells up from deep within: “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;...” Romans 10:9 In the Greek: Kurios (Kyrios) - Lord, Master (Similar to Senor or Bwana in that it can mean Sir also - depending on context.)

There is one other Greek word commonly translated as Lord or Master. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 2:1 The Greek here is “despotes” otherwise translated master or owner (possessor).  (Also 2 Timothy 2:21; Revelation 6:10) This is where we get our word “despot” - a ruler with absolute power. The disciples understood this for they were bondslaves of the Lord Christ. It is similar to the appellation of Adonai in the Old Testament. 

Once I was watching Christian TV and the speaker was telling us how we could get what we wanted from God.  At the conclusion of his message he pointed to a sign behind him that proclaimed “Jesus Is Lord.”  Yet, for me, something rang hollow - the confession was almost as a byword.  As the next program aired Dr. D. James Kennedy preached Jesus as the ultimate despot of the universe - the One who is truly Lord God.  There was such a marked difference. May the confession of our mouth and the works of our hands give worship and witness to this One: “and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” 

And thus we have our assurance - sealed in Him until that day: “you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14 

Soli Deo Gloria!  “To God alone Glory!” 

1 Evans, Tony (2014). The Power of God’s Names (p. 51). Harvest House Publishers

2 Evans, Tony (2014-12-11). America: Turning a Nation to God (p. 162). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Upon what Rock: Presumption or Preeminence?

“The Church’s one foundation...Elect from every nation,” 

And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Matthew 16:17-18 

The Rock - is the eternal, immutable, irrevocable, electing purpose of the Father in the Son: “predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,” Ephesians 1:11. As the Son was His express image - “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature...” Hebrews 1:3.  So shall there be a company of those that express the image of the Son - “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;...” Romans 8:29 This purpose must not be denigrated to the limits of foreknowledge only - for in it is contained the foreordination of eternity. Such attempts only betray the futility of the mind of man to comprehend the wisdom of The Almighty. 

The prophet Isaiah speaks: “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';...” 46:10  That purpose is singular in the Son - and made manifest in those for whom He effectually intercedes: “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” John 17:9 ESV 

The Foundation:  It is shallow conjecture that would attribute some quality to the character of Peter. If Peter be the foundation, then what is his merit?  The foundation of the church could never rest on flesh or blood - nor on the will of man: “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 And Paul harkens back to Moses’ encounter with God: “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” Romans 9:16  Merit flows initially from the Throne of God–not toward it. Only that which has come forth from Him is worthy of being returned to Him. 

For those that would insist that the origin of their faith rests upon their “free moral agency” their foundation can be nothing more than sinking sand.  It was not flesh and blood - the will of man - that resulted in the seminal pronouncement of the Saviour: “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona,...”  For Peter’s utterance - “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” - came not as a result of his mental acuity nor his spiritual perception, but on the sovereign election of the Father: “for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” 

The Wounds:  Unless such an illusion should persist - in Peter’s own mind, or ours - only a few moments later Peter suffers Christ’s rebuke: “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Matthew 16:23  The wounds of which must also be an indication of electing favor lest he - or we - think too much of himself. From the Psalmist: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.” 119:67 In the same vein from Proverbs: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” 27:6

The error of man-centeredness persists when the chronology of the following passage is interpreted in this manner: “and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” That is to say, whatever man declares is then ratified in heaven. Taken in the context of this whole passage this misapplication is nothing less than egregious - or even pernicious.  The wilderness temptation of the pinnacle raises its head once again. And the adage is verified, “A proof-text without a context is a pretext.” 

The Initiative:  A more accurate translation is afforded here: “and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." NASB1  Thus leaving the initiative in the hands of our Faithful Father, remaining true to the relationship the Son had with Him:  "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” John 5:19  The verb tense may seem to be but a nuance; yet the unlocking portent of it is crucial. 

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;...” The keys of the kingdom rest not in the finite hand of man nor his vain imagination - but in the grip of God and God alone. Isaiah speaks prophetically of the coming of the Messiah: "Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.” 22:22  From the commentator Matthew Poole: “the government, the power of opening and shutting, of letting men into it or putting them out of it,...”  

The Government:  Turning again to Messianic prophecy: “and the government shall be upon his shoulder:...” Isaiah 9:6  And then to the Revelation of the Messiah: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.” Revelation 3:7 These bookends contain between them the total volume of the book.

This sequence - and the resulting efficacy - are found in the instructions of Christ regarding the ministry of legislative prayer: “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10 My personal commentary: May the preexistent activity of heaven be made manifest in the earth. Or, “May Your will be done on the earth as it is already being done in heaven.”

Ratification remains totally within the realms of the courts of heaven - and there alone. "I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.” Malachi 3:6 

The Rock - Again!  Returning to our foundational theme: "There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2 The rock is the revelation of the Son of God as the result of the Father’s own choice.  "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." John 6:65 

The eternal immutable purpose of the Father is to present to His Son His chosen bride - the reward for His suffering. “in order that God’s purpose in election might stand:” Romans 9:11b In no other manner is she capable of reflecting his glory.

The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.

Elect from every nation,
yet one o'er all the earth,
her charter of salvation,
one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy Name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with every grace endued.

Samuel J. Stone - 1866

Solus Christus - In Christ Alone


1Or “and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven." HCSB 

Held in the grip of love.

Lord, I am so thankful that You chose me!  You wanted me and sought me out until I finally heard Your voice and surrendered to Your call. I’m so glad that You pursued me with such a mighty love and that You refused to give up on me. What else can I say to express my heart to You? I can only say, “Thank You, Jesus!”  

This is an excerpt from a devotional posted from a dear friend recently on Facebook.  I read it with amazement for it so aligned with what I was writing below.  And this motivates my prayers for those who have not yet fully capitulated to His unending love - not that their will would be changed for that is not within my jurisdiction, but that His love would be so relentless that they would find no way of escape. “Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.” Psalm 139: 7-8

Perfected in love

John wrote in his first letter: “In this is love: it was not that we loved God, but he has loved us, and he sent us his Son, the atonement for the sake of our sins.”  1 John 4:10 ISV That the love of God comes forth from Him, is maintained by Him, and is perfected in Him is an exigency that cannot be abrogated of the Divine prerogative.  For His love is “forged in the eternal furnace of his changeless will.” 

To attribute the capacity to love to the innate will of man is to reduce it to the realm of whimsy. That which is incapable of failure will become subject to forfeiture for it ultimately rests upon the worth of its object–that is the perishable rather than the imperishable. 

This is the way Charles Spurgeon puts it: For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? Any common sort of man will love those who love him; even the scum of the earth can rise to this poor, starveling virtue. Saints cannot be content with such a groveling style of things. “Love for love is manlike”; but “love for hate” is Christlike. Shall we not desire to act up to our high calling?

The effulgence of love

There is no command of the Lord that does not come with it the requisite provision. The capability of love for God does not exist in the heart of man until it is first placed there by the Spirit of God.  “because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5  It is from this effulgence that we derive our capacity to love. At His sovereign bidding he calls His own to “test me now in this.” For here we have the immutable agency of God coupled with the eternal omnipotence of His Love–upon what greater security could the believer call?  Our surety is absolute for in Him there is no prevarication: “and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 1:22 ESV

Just heard a Christian leader say on the radio that we are commanded to love our neighbors. Certainly that is a truism and it makes for good preaching, but can we leave it at that? Does there not remain a caveat that will spare us from certain condemnation?  Let’s delve into this a bit further. I would say that if the pure genesis of love is a commandant it is not love at all. Can the point of the spear engender love from the heart of its trembling object?  To take this a step further, can the fear of punishment be the source of love?  Nay, for in fact fear is the absence of love–can dark give rise to light? Even further, can the dark fear of hell give source to the bright light of pure love?  “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 NIV

A motivation based on fear has an expiration date - one motivated by love is eternal. 

Object of love

John records these words of Christ: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34 In reality this was no new commandment for it was as old as Leviticus. What was new was the means with which to fulfill it.  John expands on this in his first epistle: “Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.” 2:7-8 The NAS and the ESV among other literal translations initiate this clause with the salutation: “Beloved!”  In English it means the one who is the object of love.  In the Greek it is derived from “agape.”  Agape is love which is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself.  It also means self-sacrifice: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 

The love of God loves its object before the object has any worth deserving this same love. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6 This type of love imparts worth to its object and along with that - out of the overflow - the ability to return love.  We give to God what He has given us to give to Him. From Spurgeon: “Lord, give what thou dost command ; then both the grace and the glory will be thine alone.”

Constrained by love

For Paul love was not a choice but an inward compulsion - for he had been apprehended by Someone far greater than himself.  “For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” 2 Cor 5:14 The word compel here and in the KJV “constraineth” has the meaning as to be controlled in the grasp of a fever–that is to exist in a state that is outside of our normal capacity. And Paul was no mean individual where the greatness of accomplishments were concerned. 

As an epilogue we turn again to Charles Spurgeon: "For I am persuaded, that neither death; nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now, soul, is not thy love refreshed? Does not this make thee love Jesus? Doth not a flight through illimitable plains of the ether of love inflame thy heart and compel thee to delight thyself in the Lord thy God? Surely as we meditate on "the love of the Lord," our hearts burn within us, and we long to love Him more. 

Hope of love

Turning again to John’s first letter: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1, 3 He had this confident conviction for as he had leaned on Christ’s breast he heard the Savior utter these loving words of petition to His Father: "For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.” John 17:9 The authoritative “may be” here has no kin to the indefinite maybe of our language. 

The loving grace of God is never a license to sin.  Rather, it is the motivation and means by which the elect do not continue on in patterns of sin. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age

What greater hope can enter into the heart of man than the Divine awareness of being the unswerving object of unfailing love?  Nothing less, nor nothing more can demand absolute surrender. We may sing “no turning back” to the point of exhaustion, but if we are not firmly held in the grip of changeless love it is all futility. 

It is all very simply really - the love of God cannot, will not, is utterly incapable of failing. And this is quite independent of the worth of its focus.  Love initiates, its object responds. “Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” Lamentations 3:22 NIV

And from the melody of hymnody our benediction:

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Isaac Watts 1707

From a more recent pen:

Neither life, neither death,
The highest high, the deepest depth
Nothing can
Nothing can separate
Neither tears, neither trial
Certain as the sun will rise
Nothing can
Nothing can separate
Michael W Smith 

one little word shall fell him

IF - although little - is a Big Word! 

And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  Matthew 4:3

The very essence of this and every temptation is found in the smallest of words - “if.”   Of all of the other events of that day none can eclipse the infernal significance of that one little word.  It could be likened to the Ebola virus - an organism so small as to escape notice - but able to bring down to dust the full function of the entire body.

the man of God's own choosing.

What the tempter had come to assail - and to attempt to bring into question - was what had just occurred previously at Christ’s commission: “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’” Matthew 3:17 The assurance of the Son lay in the fact that He has not begun His public ministry yet He was already and completely the object of His Father’s satisfying affection. 

we will not fear, for God hath willed 

It would be appropriate to note here that the most glorious of blessings will most likely be immediately followed by the most virulent of testings.  For the tempter cannot initiate or create, he can only attempt to counter the providence of God.  Yet, his machinations will also serve the purpose of the Father in the life of the elect believer.  I remember a time in my life when the only scripture in the whole Bible that spoke to me was: “And let perseverance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:4 

Charles Spurgeon comments: “He bids the Lord prove his Sonship by catering for himself; and yet that would have been the surest way to prove that he was not the Son of God.”  To cater toward the Father for approval is truly to cater unto ourselves.  To cater from the approval of the Father toward a hurting watching world is to worship. 

Lord Sabaoth, his name, 

The foundation of the mission of the Son was from absolute approval - not toward it.  He had been immersed in it by the Holy Spirit who is given without measure.  There is nothing that could be added to nor subtracted from this unequivocal surety.

And so it must be for those He has chosen to represent Him in the earth and to further the ministry of His Beloved Son.  

from age to age the same, 

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Ephesians 1:4-6 KJV

our striving would be losing, 

The Father has made us accepted in the Son of His love.  Contrary to our common evangelical mantra we have not “accepted Him into our hearts.”  He has accepted us into His Sacred Heart of Love.  The Love of God - once released - is incapable of failing in its mission to secure a company of those so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. The assurance of the Son is the assurance of the believer.  The word spoken over the Son as He stood in Jordan’s baptismal waters becomes ours: “This is my beloved in whom I am well pleased.”

we will not fear, for God hath willed

The use of the word “if” by the tempter is an assault on the nature, character and integrity of God. It is birthed from the same diabolical womb as the original temptation: "Did God really say,...?” Genesis 3:1 The first Adam succumbed to its allure - but in the Second Adam it could find no place to germinate: “for The Prince of the world is coming and he has nothing to use against me.” John 14:30  The Son remained confident in the authoritative declaration of His Father - “Beloved!” Charles Spurgeon writes: “But when He has once begun to love, it is His nature to continue to do so.” 

Martin Luther penned these words:
The Prince of Darkness grim, 
we tremble not for him; 
his rage we can endure, 
for lo, his doom is sure; 
one little word shall fell him.

Beloved is a little word without contingencies. The Love of God loves not because of the worth of its object - but just because it is love.  The object becomes worthy once it is loved, not before: “because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless,...” Romans 5:5-6 

thru him who with us sideth. 

Some have said that for Luther that little word was “Liar.”  Jesus had just told his disciples: “and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”  The blessing is followed by the testing as He  then turns to Peter: “Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;...”  The temptation would be to lie and deny the Savior. The Lord continues: “but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." What greater solace could we have than these words: “I have prayed for you.”  And once the testing has fulfilled its purpose in you, you will be able to strengthen your brothers.  Satan is a liar for he cannot defeat the purpose of the faith of the Son of God in our lives. 

We serve a Sovereign God!  Think on this for a moment. Jesus told Peter what was going to happen - and it happened.  He denied the Lord three times. Was the purpose of God for his life defeated? Assuredly not!  The Great High Priest Who perfectly knew Peter’s frailties was praying for Him. The Father’s heart cannot be any more attuned than it is to the intercession of His Son.

God's truth abideth still; 

In the prayer of the Son to the Father there are no “ifs!”  “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.”  John 17:9-10 ESV 

and he must win the battle.

In conclusion it must also be noted from Luke’s account: “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,...” 4:1 That is, the Son, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by that same Spirit into the wilderness of temptation - for this too, as sure as His baptism, was no less a part of His preparation. Having met and defeated the tempter with the Word of God: “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.” 4:14  Let us understand and appreciate that there is a difference between being full of the Holy Spirit and operating in the power of the Spirit. Selah!

his kingdom is forever.

In the sovereign strategy of our Faithful Father the subtle “ifs” of the tempter in the life of His chosen ones are turned into a great “Amen!” of declaration: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:10 

his truth to triumph through us. 

For He is the First Word and the Last Word: 

"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 

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

“I don’t want him to be with me out of obligation.  I want to be chosen.”  Granted this is not a passage of Scripture - it was spoken on a TV program we were watching.  Yet, there was a profound Gospel truth to what was said.  I had to jump up and find a notepad to write down the words verbatim.

The verse of this great anthem of the church came almost immediately to my mind: 

From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.

The Groom will not rest until He has gathered His Bride unto Himself. 

What greater motivation could there be than the revelation that the Church is the chosen elect Bride of Christ?  His Great High Priestly Prayer rings eternal in her heart: "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;” John 17:9.  The fervency of our hope is also fueled by: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” John 6:37 And: "Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one." John 18:9 

The Lamb’s Reward

The Church is the Lamb’s reward for His suffering - presented to Him by His, and our, Faithful Father. Paul writes to the church at Colossae: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” 1:13 At once this is the initiation and the culmination of the eternal purpose of the Father in the Son of His love. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:44

He is under no obligation to respond to us as a result of our choices–nor any rite or ritual we may observe whether evangelical or sacramental. The Son’s only obligation is to gather unto himself those from every tribe, tongue and nation: "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” Revelation 5:9.  This is the Song of the Bride - the Chosen Wife of the Lamb. It arises from the very depths of her being for she knows that she has been chosen by Him - out of many He has foreordained one. She becomes virginally choice as a result of having been chosen.

Desire of the Bride

As an outcome the desire of the Bride burns with an unquenchable fire for the Groom. Her consummate passion is to be pleasing to Him and she will not hire herself out to another.  She will dress herself with the garments given to her by Him: “It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Revelation 19:8.  His purpose in her will not be abated: “that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:27 

The following immutable hope exists eternally as a definite atonement for those that the Father has given the Son as His Bride: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. “I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

Delivered from Bondage

From an unknown author of the 12th Century the church’s hope continues to ring forth. 

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave

“The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” Revelation 12:9.  There is no liberty. There is no power to choose - until one has been chosen. It is only the One who is the Rod of Jesse who can set free His own from bondage - and He will dress her in the splendid robes of His righteousness.  She will have a new name and nature: “No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah ("My delight is in her,"), and your land Beulah ("Married"); for the LORD will take delight in you,...” Isaiah 62:4 NIV

Delight of Christ

From This Morning’s Meditation (Today!)  by Pastor Charles Spurgeon on Jeremiah 2:2 "I remember thee." ‘Let us note that Christ delights to think upon His Church, and to look upon her beauty. From all eternity "His delights were with the sons of men"; His thoughts rolled onward to the time when His elect should be born into the world; He viewed them in the mirror of His foreknowledge. "In Thy book," He says, "all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them" (Ps. 139:16).’

I posted this on Facebook and a pastor friend of mine just replied: “Thank you Ron for sharing this. It's a wonder-full meditation to consider the romance our dear Lord initiates with His own. God bless!” And I would add - what the Lord initiates He brings to completion: “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Mark 10:9  The Marriage Covenant is but a mirror image of the relationship that exists between Christ and His Church. From Paul speaking under inspiration: “for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure (chaste) virgin.” 2 Corinthians 11:21 

Consummation

Finally, at the glorious consummation of the ages: "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” Matthew 24:31 

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Heavenly Mansions - Really!?

“Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home.” John 14:2 The Message 

My objective here is not to denigrate the reality of the blessing of a final heavenly abode, but to stress the immediacy of a life after death that has begun the moment the Holy Spirit enters the heart of the elect as a pledge of the present reality of the abiding presence of the Father and the Son.

“In addition, he has put his seal [of ownership] on us and has given us the Spirit as his guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 1:22 GOD’S WORD  ‘Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"’ Galatians 4:6 

The Question - And the Answer

This question was asked of the Son: “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” John 14:22.  The nature of the query clearly indicates the expectation of a present reality and precedes the High Priestly Prayer: “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;...” John 17:9  Once again the actuality of the present hope is anticipated.  

Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. John 14:23  Note that this says that He will come to us, not that we will go to Him. And our love for God is the result of the a priori never-failing love of God: “We love, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 

This answer can be nothing less than a definitive response elaborating on the great expanse of John 14:2: “My Father's home is designed to accommodate all of you. If there were not room for everyone, I would have told you that. I am going to make arrangements for your arrival.” The Voice  Yet, unless the wrong conclusion is drawn, we must assert that the place of arrival is the abiding presence of the Father, not merely a celestial imaginative existence.  Although a blessed hope its reality can only exist in the realms of the imagination, escaping all limited and misconstrued attempts to give it definition by the use of temporal finite means. 

The is Plenty of Room - Not Rooms

The noun in 14:2 unfortunately often distorted as mansions, but better represented as ‘a great expanse’ is derived from the verb used also in 14:23 - “‘mone’ - to abide or dwell.”  These are the only two places this word is used in the New Testament.  And having its root in a verb the dynamic reality here cannot be eclipsed by a static misconception. 

Albeit with a begrudging awareness of the use of the word mansion and a tilt toward a celestial application the following from John Calvin is helpful: “In my Father's house are many dwellings. As the absence of Christ was a cause of grief, he declares that he does not, go away in such a. manner as to remain separate from them, since there is room for them also in the heavenly kingdom. For it was proper that he should remove the suspicion from their minds, that, when Christ ascended to the Father, he left his disciples on earth without taking any farther notice of them. This passage has been erroneously interpreted in another sense, as if Christ taught that there are various degrees of honor in the heavenly kingdom; for he says, that the mansions are many, not that they are different or unlike, but that there are enough of them for a great number of persons; as if he had said, that there is room not only for himself, but also for all his disciples. Christ did not ascend to heaven in a private capacity, to dwell there alone, but rather that it might be the common inheritance of all the godly, and that in this way the Head might be united to his members.” 

In a slight manner of caveat to the above: As W. E. Vine so appropriately puts it, “There is nothing in the word (mone) to indicate separate compartments;...”  “and so room for all,” declares the JFB Bible Commentary.

The Place - My Father and your Father

The Son was about to return to the place from which He had come - the presence of the Father. Only this time, as a result of His sprinkled blood, there would be room for many more. Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” John 13:36 A better translation of the concluding phrase here would be: ‘but afterward thou shalt follow me.' Young’s Literal  After redemption had been made complete the glorified Son would throw open the curtain into the Presence of the Father for all that had believed as a result of His Word.  "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.” John 17:6 

The place to which He was going was the place He had occupied from all eternity: “because I go to the Father.” John 14:12.  He was to take them into the Fatherhood of God - heretofore a largely unknown concept in Judaism - no longer behind a veil or up there somewhere, but near and close.  The issue here addressed by the Savior is one of present relationship, not futuristic real estate. May He grant us an abhorrence of any such denigration. 

He stepped back into the Presence of the Father, but he did not step back the same way he stepped forth.  For now he is not only able to say My Father, but your Father as well: “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”  John 20:17 One who was and is fully one of us has prepared the way into Father’s presence: “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Son of His love” Eph. 1:6. 

Here - Not There

An oft neglected version of a verse from Amazing Grace expresses this hope that is real and present, not abstract and remote:

When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

A friend of mine wrote in regard to this interpretation: “I'm down with being here! He is here. Wherever He is I'm interested in that.”

This verse was not written by John Newton but was added by Harriet Beecher Stowe in her great transformational literary work “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”  It had been passed down orally in African American communities for at least 50 years. It was originally one of between 50 to 70 verses of a song titled "Jerusalem, My Happy Home." 

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’”  Revelation 21:2-3 ESV

In conclusion from the commentator Philip E Hughes: “The Lamb is the great bridegroom with whom his bride the church is now united in a state of everlasting blessedness. The saints are the vibrant components of the new Jerusalem in the same way as they are the living stones that form the spiritual temple of which the incarnate Son is himself the chief cornerstone.”