Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III ministered as a pastor and Bible teacher in Burlington for over 34 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and four amazing great grandchildren. He ministers in his local church as a Bible teacher and counselor. He has published two books - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles which he has compiled into books in PDF form.

The Gospel causes division.

Peter’s second gospel presentation, which was precipitated by a miraculous healing, caused a great stirring among those who heard it. Their message also “greatly disturbed” the religious leaders, the ones whose hearts were closed and had crucified Jesus.

As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2  being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.Acts 4:1-2 (NASB)

The Sadducees were a sect that did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and the Pharisees did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The common people, however, did not have the same biases against truth and were more able to believe the good news that Jesus rose from the dead.

Jesus told his followers that he would cause division.

The truth always causes division because there are those who steadfastly resist and persecute it.

“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 35  ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36  Your enemies will be right in your own household!’ Matthew 10:34-36 (NLT)

Jesus is a king…the King. His kingdom is real and is opposed by the forces of evil in the world.

People will come down on one side or the other when his lordship is announced. Those who appear not to care, the ones Jesus called “lukewarm,” are opposed to the kingdom as much as those who persecute the truth. Both groups refuse to acknowledge and serve the king. We should not be surprised when we encounter hostility when we preach the gospel. In fact, we should expect it. If we properly present the gospel, we will stir things up, not because we are trying to cause trouble, but because our message is authoritative and calls people to surrender to the King. Some will respond as God wishes. Others will be hostile. At least the hostile ones are not lukewarm.

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Repentance – a gateway to joy or death to fun?

Peter concluded his second preaching of the gospel message in Acts by calling for his listeners to turn away from sin.

When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways. Acts 3:26 (NLT)

The Greek word normally translated as “repentance” is metanoeo, which simply means to change the mind.

The gospel brings us to the realization that life depends on our declaring allegiance to Jesus the Lord. Trying to be our own “lord” and run things on our own leads to heartbreak and death. We were created to be dependent beings who rely on God for everything. Adam and Eve decided to go it on their own, which is the essence of sin, and brought all of us into bondage to sin and Satan. The gospel announces that God is willing to forgive our rebellion and welcome us back into his eternal family, if we will simply acknowledge Jesus’ right to rule and surrender ourselves to him. When we do this, every Jesus accomplished on our behalf by dying for our sins and rising again becomes a source of great joy to us.

When we have such a change of mind, we are said to “repent.”

Repentance is a gift. (Acts 5:31, 2 Tim. 2:25) The Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds and motivates us to take this critical step. True repentance will eventually change how we live. As Peter said, we will turn back from sinful ways.

Sin carries with it the sentence of death. It always breeds sorrow and destruction. When we turn away from sin, it opens the door to God’s blessings in our lives. Jesus is the fountain of life, fulfillment, and joy. The gospel restores us to our heavenly Father, from whom all blessings flow. (James 1:17)

The devil tells us that following Jesus will ruin our lives and steal all our fun. Adam believed the devil. Who are we going to believe? Our eternity can be filled with regret and pain or the joy of the Lord.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)
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The gospel is best understood in the context of God’s history with Israel.

While preaching his second recorded sermon after Pentecost in Acts Chapter 3, Peter referenced Moses’ messianic prophecy found in Deuteronomy 18.

Moses said, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ 23  Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’ Acts 3:22-23 (NLT)

Some think that if we cannot write theology on a napkin, it is too complicated. I have presented the “four spiritual laws” in this fashion, which is an effective way to explain what some call the “plan of salvation.” But, such “napkin theology” is not the gospel.

The gospel is the story of Jesus the Messiah set in the context of God’s history with Israel.

Jesus’ incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming return were all promised in the Old Testament scriptures. A proper presentation of the gospel will reference at least some of these promises in an effort to provide context and corroboration of the truth of the gospel.

Jesus did not just “show up” without warning to introduce some new religion. He came to fulfill God’s eternal plan to save God’s people and restore all creation to the Creator’s original intent, thus bringing our Father in heaven great glory. It is impossible to understand the gospel without understanding how it fulfills the Law and the Prophets.

Paul summarized this connection in his letter to the church in Rome.

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, Romans 1:1–4 (NASB95)

Jesus explained the same to the disciples on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection.

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. Luke 24:27 (NASB95)

If we want to become more accurate and effective gospel communicators, we will make the effort to study how the apostles preached the good news and follow their lead. We will familiarize ourselves with some of the messianic prophecies and include them in our presentation.

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The gospel announces salvation for the entire creation.

Peter informed his listeners that Jesus will return as the Messianic King who now waits in heaven until his Father’s appointed time to restore the entire creation to its original intent.

Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21  For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. Acts 3:20-21 (NLT)

One of the tragedies of the consumerist packaging of the gospel is that its enormous scope has been hidden.

The consumerist gospel presents Jesus as merely as some kind of “personal savior,” whose impact is reduced to bringing peace and security to individuals who turn to him for forgiveness of sins. This is indeed one of the many benefits of declaring allegiance to the risen Lord, but it does not do justice to whom Jesus is and what he accomplished on the cross and through his resurrection. People who put their faith in Christ are made new creatures, children of God, who will live and rule with him for eternity over a new creation.

And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. Colossians 3:4 (NLT)

The restoration of the creation to God’s original intent under his benevolent rule will bring God enormous glory and satisfaction at the culmination of all things at Jesus’ return.

For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21  the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22  For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Romans 8:19-22 (NLT)

Have you surrendered your life to the Lord of Lords?

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One Reason Why It’s So Important to Keep Our Word

One of God’s attributes is his faithfulness to keep his word.

But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. 19  For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. 20  For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. 21  Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22  who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 (NASB)

How important is it for us to keep our promises? Many of us, who find it hard to keep commitments, go more by how we feel at the moment, instead of by what we may have promised. Sadly, this attitude impacts many a marriage. Too many of us blithely vow to be faithful unto death, but renege on our promises when “the thrill is gone.”

God is unchanging and he is absolutely truthful. He says what he means and means what he says. It is because of his faithfulness to his promises that we can have hope.

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Numbers 23:19 (ESV)

All of us have lapses in our faithfulness to some degree or another. Most of us can bring to mind times when we let someone down. For some of us, this may have become a way of life. If so, acknowledging our sin and asking the Lord to help us change is in order. If we have placed our allegiance and trust in Christ, over time the indwelling Holy Spirit develops Christ’s character in our lives. He works into our lives faithfulness to our word. Perhaps he is speaking to your heart about this right now.

The more we become like God, the more faithful we will be to our promises.

King David wrote that God will honor…

 Those who…keep their promises even when it hurts. Psalm 15:4 (NLT)

One of Jesus’ titles is the Truth. (John 14:6) Every lie we tell is a betrayal of our Lord and grieves the Holy Spirit. It might even be said that lying is a form of idolatry because it elevates falsehood in our lives over the Truth. Conversely, the more we keep our word, the more Jesus’ truthfulness is evident in and through us.

God intends that our behavior should reinforce the gospel message. We do not want to give our hearers another excuse to reject Jesus by failing to live up to our word.

Practically speaking, if we prioritize keeping our promises, it will make us more careful about what we say. We will do our best to only commit to those things we actually plan to follow through on, rather than promising to do something simply because we hate to say “no.” We want to be regarded as honest persons who keep our word. It will make us be more respected, happier, a better reflection of God’s character, and a better transmitter of the gospel. None of us is perfect, but the Holy Spirit should be making progress in this area of our lives.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I praise and worship you for your perfect truthfulness. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that you are the Spirit of Truth. Work your truthfulness in me. I repent from all forms of falsehood and ask you to develop Christ’s character in me. Help me to be an example that will not cause offense or a stumbling block to others. Amen.

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When the gospel becomes bad news…

The gospel is only good news for those of us who hear it, believe, and recognize that Jesus the Messiah is Savior and Lord. It is bad news for those who reject God’s gracious offer to be reconciled to him.

This is because after rejecting a chance to be forgiven, we will have absolutely no excuse when we one day stand before the Judge. We will rightly deserve to burn forever in the lake of fire, just as Jesus warned.

Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. Matthew 25:41 (NLT)

Peter warned his listeners that God wanted them to change their minds and believe the gospel so that they might experience the refreshing that accompanies being restored to fellowship with our Creator.

And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. 18 "But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:17-19 (NASB)

One of our most dangerous sinful tendencies is to avoid, deny, and suppress the truth when it comes to our true condition and need for salvation.

John addressed this sometimes fatal flaw.

This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20  "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. John 3:19-20 (NASB)

The gospel strips away our excuses and shines a light on the sin of refusing to honor and glorify God by acknowledging his rightful ownership of our lives as Creator and Redeemer. Mankind’s rebellion against God’s rule was on full display at the cross. In a very real sense, we were all responsible for what happened at Calvary. Jesus carried all our sin, not just that of the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers.

The gospel offers us the opportunity to lay down our inborn hostility toward God and surrender to the One who died for us and rose again as the victorious Lord.

Those who repent from their sin and rebellion will find forgiveness and refreshing. Those who spurn this magnanimous offer will have no excuse at the Last Judgment.

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? 5 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. Romans 2:4–6 (NLT)

Which will it be for us? Will we repent and surrender to God or continue in to reject his mercy? The answer will determine our eternal destiny. Don’t let the gospel become bad news for you!

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Chapter 97: Kingdom Teamwork

Just as our brains coordinate the efforts of each individual part of our bodies, the Body of Christ is composed of people who have a wide variety of gifts whom the Holy Spirit coordinates to accomplish the work of God’s kingdom under Christ’s lordship.

He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work (Greek: energema - energy), it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.  Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)

Following Christ is not a spectator sport. Each of us has a role to play and a job to do.

Therefore, one of our responsibilities is to discover who God created us to be and what he has equipped us to do so that we can cooperate with the Holy Spirit to fulfill that purpose.

For we are His workmanship (Greek: poiema - masterpiece, poem), created in Christ Jesus for good works (Greek: ergon), which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)

Each of us has some understanding of our identity and our God-given capabilities. A portion of what we think about ourselves is based on truth, but not all of it. The devil lies to us constantly, and imperfect people often tell us things that damage us instead of encouraging us to fulfill our potential in Christ.

We learn the truth about our identity and God-given abilities from three sources.

  • The Bible,
  • The Holy Spirit, and
  • Godly people who speak truth to us.

Being human and having emptied himself of much of the privileges and power associated with divinity, Jesus seemed to have gained the knowledge of his identity and calling through these three sources, just as we must. We are not given a lot of information about how this happened, but below are some clearly identified parts of the process.

The Bible

After reading Isaiah 61:1 to the synagogue, Jesus announced that he was and is the fulfillment of that prophecy.

And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.  Luke 4:21 (NASB95)

At some point, while reading the scriptures, he understood that they spoke of him. We too can gain accurate information about our identity and calling from the Word of God, which offsets and corrects the lies spoken over us by our own hearts, ungodly people, the world, and devil.

Every good thing that is true of us is a result of our being “in” Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  Ephesians 1:3 (NASB95)

It takes faith for us to believe the words of the Bible. This is where the Holy Spirit comes into the picture. He is the one who reveals to us the meaning of the Word of God and imparts faith to us.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit speaks to us in a variety of ways. One of the most important is when he makes the written scriptures “come alive” to us.

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.  1 John 2:20 (NKJV)

This happened to the disciples on the road to Emmaus as Jesus spoke to them about the necessity for the Messiah to suffer before entering his glory.

They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”  Luke 24:32 (NLT)

Another way he communicates with us is by speaking in our hearts. Seldom do we hear an audible voice, but we can “hear” or perceive what the Spirit says. Every child of God has this ability.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  John 10:27 (NKJV)

It is also possible for the Spirit of God to communicate in an audible voice, as he did at the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus heard his Father says aloud:

… “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”  Matthew 17:5b (NASB95)

We all need to learn these things from our heavenly Father, whether audibly, through the scriptures, or in our hearts.

  • Identity – We are children of God.
  • Acceptance – We are well-pleasing to God in Christ.
  • Significance – We have something important to say and do.
Godly People Speaking Truth

Our Lord uses other people to speak the truth to us, too. John the Baptist, who was a prophet, was used by God in precisely this way. He publicly identified Jesus as the Messiah and informed us of his four main ministries.

  • Lamb of God
  • Lord
  • Baptizer in the Holy Spirit
  • Coming Judge

Paul exhorted Timothy to fulfill the calling on his life that came to him through prophecy.

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.  1 Timothy 4:14 (NASB95)

This is one reason why it is so important to be in fellowship with other believers who can speak over our lives and help us fulfill our calling and destiny in God.

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.  Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
Teamwork

God places people in his Body in a strategic way so that our gifts and callings complement and strengthen each other, thus enabling us to corporately fulfill God’s purposes.

Now there are varieties of gifts (charisma), but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries (diakonia), and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects (energema), but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good… 11 But one and the same Spirit works (energeo) all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:4–7, 11 (NASB95)

The gifts of God in our lives equip us to do the work of the ministry.

God’s preloads each of us with gifts at birth that some call “motivational” gifts or charismata in Greek. Other gifts are manifested by the Spirit as the need arises in people who are open to them. Finally, we have gifts of service (Greek: diakonia) who are people Christ gives to the church. Some call this the “five-fold” or “ascension gift” ministry. Only a relatively few have this calling.

  • “Motivational” gifts (charisma) – Romans 12:6-8 – prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy
  • “Manifestation” gifts (charisma) – I Cor. 12:8-10 – word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirit, faith, miracles, healing, prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues
  • “Five-fold” ministry (diakonia) – Ephesians 4:11 – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher

In addition to these gifts, we have individual “callings,” which can be individually perceived and corroborated by others through gifts of the Spirit called prophecy and “words of knowledge,” whereby others perceive what God has put in us or called us to do.

Another important factor is ascertaining what energizes or motivates us. Some call this our “passion.”What we are passionate about can be a good indicator of our calling.

A final factor is to consider what natural or learned abilities or capabilities we have. For example, if we are fluent in a foreign language, this can open doors for us. If we are good with computers, this can be an indication that we could serve in this way.

We have a responsibility to discover what God has put inside us that he wants us to use for the kingdom and his glory. Once we figure that out, we have a responsibility to submit ourselves to the transformation process whereby the Holy Spirit works on our character to make us suitable representatives of Christ. When we are ready, then it is a matter of surrendering to what God wants us to do.

Usually, we will be working in teamwork with other members of the Body. This means we will need to humbly recognize our place on the team.

We are to consider others better than ourselves, and, if we have a leadership role, to use that position to encourage the whole team.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.  Philippians 2:3–4 (NLT)

 

Click here to see all the articles in this series.
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Chapter 99: The Basis of Our Freedom

We got ourselves into our current terrible situation of sin and bondage by turning our backs on God and can only escape with God’s help. In fact, our deliverance, healing, and restoration depend entirely upon the help or grace of God; although, we do have a part to play. Without his initiative and intervention, we would be hopelessly and eternally lost. Without his continual sustaining power through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we cannot keep ourselves free. But through him, we can experience all that Jesus died to provide for us.

Jesus came to restore us to God’s intended way of living in complete harmony and partnership with the Holy Spirit. It is a gloriously liberated way to live!

All things begin, continue, and end with God.

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.  Romans 11:36 (NKJV)

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Each Person of the triune God contributes to what the Bible calls our “great salvation.” (Hebrews 2:3) Our heavenly Father is the One who loved and chose us before the creation of the world and planned our salvation before we ever took our first breath.

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. 4 For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love. Ephesians 1:3-4 (NET1)

Abba Father is the kindest and most loving Person we will ever know.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 2:4–7 (NASB95)

But our heavenly Father is also completely just, holy, and righteous, and our sin created a huge obstacle to our ever being able to enjoy the fellowship and intimacy that he wants us to share with Him. We distanced ourselves from Abba through our sinful betrayal of his trust. His desire to show mercy to us stood opposed to the requirements of his truth and righteousness. How could God’s righteous anger at our sin ever be reconciled with his tender mercies?

Abba’s amazing plan manifested wisdom beyond that which is human. It is…

...the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 (NET1)

Abba’s solution was for His only begotten Son, the eternal Word or Logos of God, to become a human being and offer Himself as a perfect substitutionary sacrifice in our behalf.

Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We] saw his glory — the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. John 1:14 (NET1) 

But when this priest [Jesus] had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy. Hebrews 10:12-14 (NET1)

In addition, by the genius of what theologians call “identification,” God caused us to participate in Christ’s death and resurrection, having placed us “in Christ”, in whom we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings.

God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NET1)

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has 
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in 
Christ. Ephesians 1:3 (NET1)

 To make the solution perfect, our heavenly Father sent His Holy Spirit to indwell each believer.

God’s Spirit lives Christ’s life in and through everyone who is born again.

He is the Great Helper and Enabler. He is our life and power source. He is the One who transforms us into the people God wants us to be. He is our guarantee that God will complete what he began.

Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever — 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17 (NET1)

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 (ESV)

Every great team has unity, clearly defined job descriptions, and superlative abilities. The Trinity is no exception.

In fact, the very concept of team originates in God.

The Father is the planner. The Son is the executor who carries out the Father’s plan. The Holy Spirit is the administrator who works behind the scenes to assure the success of Father’s plan and the Son’s execution of that plan. Another way to put it is that the Father chose us to be his very own. The Son died and rose again to ensure the outcome, and the Spirit draws us to faith in Christ through the Gospel and applies the benefits of the finished work of Christ to our lives, bringing the Father’s plan to fruition. This plan will be completed at the Second Coming of Christ, when we will experience the final installment of our great salvation, the resurrection from the dead.

Paul tells us that:

When all things are subjected to him [Abba Father], then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. 1 Corinthians 15:28 (ESV)

God is our final destiny, the goal or end of salvation. To Him belongs all glory forever and ever.

It is extremely important to understand and believe that our salvation begins and ends with God.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (NASB) 

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34  For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? 35  Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? 36  For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36 (NASB)

Our salvation began with Father’s plan to bring us into his family. The conclusion will be when we receive our resurrected bodies and heavenly reward. The in-between, the time in which we now live, is also dependent on God’s graciousness; although we play a vital role. The coming of our Lord, his death, burial and resurrection, and the sending of the Holy Spirit were all accomplished before we were born. None of us had any “say” in that plan or the accomplishment of it.

As Paul wrote,

So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. Romans 9:16 (NET1)

Our part arises when we hear the gospel and respond.

If we are among those who believe, something happened in our hearts when we heard the gospel message. The Bible tells us that it was a result of the inner work of God’s Spirit combined with the outer call of the gospel that produced in us the desire to surrender our lives to Christ. Jesus made it clear that God is the initiator, not us.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44 (NET1)

We must make the choice to believe in and serve Christ, but the mystery of God is at work beneath the surface of things, so that we can all agree that God deserves all the glory.

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NET1)

The reason I have gone to such great lengths to show God’s integral involvement with every aspect of our salvation is to give us a solid foundation for hope. If our salvation rests on our shoulders and faithfulness and depends on our abilities, our will power, our holiness, or our goodness, we are in big trouble. But if our salvation rests upon the Father’s choice to love us, the Son’s finished work, and the power of the indwelling Spirit, we are in good shape.

If we are going to experience true freedom, we will need to come to terms with acknowledging and relying on the God who works through his freely given grace.

We cannot approach him through our own goodness or performance. Likewise, neither our lack of goodness (apart from Christ) nor our poor performance thus far, is any deterrent to our being able to experience God’s ability to set us free. We are able to come to God solely because of Christ’s righteousness. We have none of our own. We must make it our goal to…

...be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness — a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness. Philippians 3:9 (NET1)

Only when we learn to rely on God’s love, kindness, righteousness, grace, power and authority can we experience all that Christ died and rose again to give us.

We dare not shortchange ourselves and “frustrate the grace of God” by trying to save ourselves. It will never work and will only leave us confused and frustrated.

Jesus did not come to help the religious and the self-sufficient. He came to save sinners who acknowledge their spiritual poverty. (Matthew 5:3)

The psalmist wrote:

They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them. 4 You are my King and my God. You command victories for Israel. 5 Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes.  Psalm 44:3–5 (NLT)

We must answer Christ’s call and come to Him with no imagined ability to save or liberate ourselves, but with full confidence that freedom can be experienced by grace alone. Jesus said:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry. Matthew 11:28-30 (NET1)

God’s promise is that when we understand how much he loves us, learn to live by faith in the power of the Spirit, and believe what the Bible says is true, we will be able to live in a way that brings glory to God.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (ESV)

If we will make it our goal to rely on God’s grace, believe his truth, operate in Christ’s authority, and live by the power of the Spirit, we too can experience freedom in Christ. That is the basis of our freedom.

Click here to see all the articles in this series.
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The gospel links healing with forgiveness.

When Peter encountered a lame man in the Temple, he commanded him to walk in Jesus’ name. The Lord Jesus instantly healed the man, much to the amazement of everyone present. Peter told his hearers that faith in Jesus was responsible for the miracle they just witnessed.

And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. Acts 3:16 (NASB)

He went on to preach the good news that Jesus died for their sins and rose again as Lord.

Forgiveness of sins and physical healing are linked.

When Jesus was interrogated by Jewish leaders for boldly declaring that a man’s sins were forgiven, he asked them:

"Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, and walk'? 6  "But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—then He *said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home." 7  And he got up and went home. 8  But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men. Matthew 9:5-8 (NASB)

Jesus used physical healing to prove his spiritual authority to forgive. We are privileged to do that today.

Sadly, when talking with sick people about Jesus, rather than provide the Holy Spirit with an opportunity to demonstrate God’s power to heal by praying for healing, many of us today are afraid to publicly link his authority to forgive sins with his power to heal. Is this because we are afraid he will not heal and thus somehow discredit the gospel? Do we think the Holy Spirit is now impotent or that healing is no longer something God does? Or maybe we just do not have faith.

And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14 (NKJV)

Compassion propelled Jesus then and now. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) His heart for people is the same today as then. His power is just as great. The need for corroboration of the gospel still exists. The big difference is that the Holy Spirit works through us now, requiring us to have faith.

Physical healing seems difficult, which is why Jesus still uses it to convince people of the truth of the gospel.

Our Lord wants people to believe the gospel and put their faith and allegiance in Him that they might experience the abundant life God desires for all of us. Let’s be bold to step out in faith to pray for the sick.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:8 (NLT)
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The gospel calls us to declare allegiance to Jesus the Messiah.

 

There is no middle ground when it comes to the gospel. We either declare allegiance to the Lord Jesus or we end up denying or disowning him.

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. 14 "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15  but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.Acts 3:13-15 (NASB)

One of the core meanings of the Greek word “pistis,” which is translated “faith” in our English Bible, is allegiance. (For a well-reasoned argument in support of this, read my summary of Salvation by Allegiance Alone by Matthew Bates.) Faith responds to the gospel message by repenting from a self-directed lifestyle and turning in trust and obedience to Jesus, who is the risen Savior and Lord.

Those who are indifferent or hostile to the gospel, in effect turn their backs on the Lord of Life. They will be disowned by him at the Last Judgment.

"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33  "But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 (NASB)

When we share the gospel, we can help people understand the gravity of their decision. One day we will all stand before Christ at the Last Judgment.

The only way to survive that coming event is to declare allegiance to him now. Then he will confess us before his Father in heaven.

Prayer

Jesus, forgive me for ignoring your claims on my life. I repent for trying to live without reference to you. I now bow my knee to you as my Lord and King. I choose to publicly confess you before men from now on. Holy Spirit, I ask you to empower me to be a fearless witness for Jesus. Amen.

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