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Grace Upon Grace

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

In all her eighty some years, she had never attended church and she’d never read from the Bible.  It’d be fair to say she was a little “rough around the edges,” but she had a keen sense of humor and I grew to enjoy my visits with her.  The fact of her soon pending death had piqued her interest in spiritual things.  Her vision wasn’t very good, so I bought her a Giant Print Bible, and she began reading through the gospel of John.  It was on one of our first visits that she asked, “With so many different religions out there, how’s a person to know which one is the right one?”  From that point forward we talked about Jesus and the salvation availed to a person by grace through faith.  And that’s where the difference lies, does it not?  God is a God of grace and He saves lost sinners by grace and not by works!  Praise the Lord!

God is gracious. A.W. Tozer wrote of this particular attribute: “Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines Him to bestow benefits on the undeserving.  It is a self-existent principle inherent in the divine nature and appears to us as a self-caused propensity to pity the wretched, spare the guilty, welcome the outcast, and bring into favor those who were under just disapprobation.  Its use to us sinful men is to save us and make us sit together in heavenly places to demonstrate to the ages the exceeding riches of God’s kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

Theologians distinguish between the common grace that is common to all mankind and the special grace that is availed to the believer in Christ.  Through common grace God cares for His creation.  Common grace includes all undeserved blessings that natural man receives from the hand of God: rain, sun, prosperity, health, happiness, natural capacities and gifts, sin being restrained from complete dominion, etc.

It’s in the salvation of the sinner that the manifold riches of God’s grace are unveiled to us.  The word “grace” is to Biblical Christianity a distinguishing word, and is used more than 150 times in the New Testament.  It’s generally defined in terms of “unmerited favor.”  There are then two aspects of this saving grace, the “unmerited” part and the “favor” part.  How unmerited were you?  Ephesians 2:1-3 speaks to this–you were spiritually dead and devil-led; living a life of sin; and by nature a child of wrath!  Then there is the “favor” part.  How has the God of grace shown favor towards you?  We’ve not the space to adequately say, but Ephesians 1:3-14 speaks to how God has super blessed the believer in all the various aspects of his salvation.  Having done it all to the “praise of the glory of His grace” (Ephesians 1:6).  

The language of God’s grace is always in the superlative.  Jesus Himself was “full of grace” (John 1:14) and from His fullness we’ve received “grace upon grace” (John 1:16).  God is rich in grace (Ephesians 2:7), of which there is abundance (Romans 5:17).  We are exhorted to make our way to His throne of grace, “that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:12).  There has never been and will never be a grace shortage with God (2 Corinthians 9:8). How incredibly blessed by grace we are!  Praise the Lord!

Heavenly Father.  Praise You that You are a gracious God.  We were so utterly lost, without You and without hope in this world.  Being spiritually dead, we were helpless, like Lazarus dead in the tomb.  But by grace You intervened.  In your great love you not only forgave us, but you made us alive together with Christ, and blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Him.  We are forever amazed at your capacity to give!  May we walk in a manner worthy of the gracious calling we have received!  Thank you for loving us!

God is Good

Bible Reading: Psalm 31:19, 34:8, 119:68; James 1:17; Romans 8:28

“Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee!”

These words, from the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” were authored in the early 1700s by a pastor named Robert Robinson.  When he was only five, Robert’s father died.  He grew up as an incorrigible young man, but was saved after hearing a sermon by George Whitefield.  Robert went into ministry and pastored for many years, apparently facing many challenges.  I wonder how often reminded himself of these words he had written.

Let’s face it, life is not always easy. There is much bad news in the world.  I used to say that ministry is made up of “the good, the bad, and the ugly.”  And I’d say that we should thank God for the good, trust Him in the bad, and leave the ugly with Him.  In recent years, in dealing with Laura’s cancer and more recently in my work as a hospice chaplain, I’ve been confronted with plenty of what some might deem “bad.”  How can God’s goodness work to bind my wandering heart to Him?

In the midst of the bad news we hear of and deal with, here’s some good news–God is good! He is always so.  A.W. Tozer wrote that God’s goodness “disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.”  God is not good in measure, He is infinitely so.  And in His immutability, His goodness is unchanging.

So amidst the troubles we face, the goodness of God always works to draw us to Him (like a fetter) as an unwavering source of comfort and hope.  I love the truth of Psalm 119:68, “Thou art good, and Thou doest good.”  It’s a verse we’d do well to memorize and meditate on!  That’s who God is and that’s what God does.  Always.  As believers we’ve already tasted of the goodness of God (Psalm 34:8).  But it was never God’s intent for our souls to be satisfied with a mere taste, but instead to be well satiated in a fountain of living waters full of His goodness.

In His goodness, God is well able to bring good out of our bad.  There’s a great example of this in the life of OT Joseph.  He was sold off into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused by his master’s wife, and put in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.  He experienced plenty of “bad,” but continued to trust God through it all.  God worked in miraculous fashion such that he was made to be the prime minister of Egypt, and was able to store up food for the people in the midst of a seven year famine.  As he later told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20; Cf. Romans 8:28). The cross likewise speaks to the goodness of God and to His ability to bring good out of bad (Cf. Titus 3:3-5).  Jesus died but rose again!  Lost sinners are saved through faith in Him!  God is good!  

Heavenly Father.  We praise You for You are good and do good.  In this darkened world, Your goodness shines as a beacon of light bringing both comfort and hope amidst our challenges.  How thankful we are that You are always wanting the best for us!  Thank You that in Your goodness You sent Your Son to die on a cross for our sins!  And that You are well able to bring good out of the bad in our lives.  Help us that, by the Spirit, we might bear the fruit of Your goodness, so that others might be drawn to You.  Amen.

Jesus Loves Me

Bible Reading: 1 John 3:16-18; 1 John 4:7-12

I can recall a visit to my Uncle Frank’s house, almost fifty years ago, when I was first introduced to the thought of God’s love.  My Uncle Frank was an Associate Pastor at the nearby Bible church.  I was an unsaved teen, with my whole life ahead of me.  I had no idea where I was going.  My cousin Amy, just 5 years young, asked a question which planted a seed in my mind. “Do you know Jesus loves you?” she asked.  I didn’t know Jesus at the time and had no idea Who she was talking about.  I’d find out years later.  

I was thinking the other day about the various things I’ve learned about God’s love since then.  Not so much in a theological sense, but in a personal way.  What difference has it made in my life knowing there is a God who loves me?  And though it’d be impossible for any of us to recount (or even know) all the ways in which we’ve personally experienced God’s love, it is nonetheless profitable for us to reflect on such matters.  So here’s some of what comes to mind:

Unbeknownst to me, God in His love, had led people to pray for my salvation.  Simultaneously to that, the Spirit was at work, burdening my heart with a sense of need.  I began to ask myself if there was a God and if so, how could I ever be forgiven for my sins?  In His love, God sent someone to share the gospel with me and I trusted in Jesus for salvation!  Later God, in His loving provision, brought some wonderful men into my life who discipled me, helping me to grow in Christ.  About that same time, I prayed asking God to give me a wife.  I trusted God–putting the matter completely into His hands.  In His love, God gifted me with an amazing woman who has been my companion now for almost 39 years.  She’s been an incredible inspiration to me in her faith in Jesus and in her capacity to love and serve others. God in His love later gifted us with four wonderful children and two grandchildren. 

In His love, God burdened me with a desire to prepare myself for pastoral ministry and provided everything needed to accomplish this calling. Then God miraculously directed me to pastor the church where the first member of my extended family had been saved! In His love, God privileged me to serve in that church for 27 and ½ years. During the course of my pastoral ministry, I observed the working of God’s love in too many ways to recount. But let me just summarize by saying I’ve seen God’s love in action as He worked to save souls, transform people’s lives, restore broken relationships, revive churches, impart comfort and hope and otherwise spiritually prosper the lives of countless folks. In nine trips to Africa I witnessed God’s hand as he brought spiritual growth and transformation to an entire region!

In recent months I’ve been working as a part-time hospice chaplain.  I’ve been on lots of visits to the homes of folks who are dying.  I’ve witnessed God’s love in action through the compassionate care provided by caregivers for their loved ones.  I’ve had opportunities to share with patients about God’s love revealed to us in Jesus, and in some cases I’ve seen folks respond to the gospel!  

My sweet wife Laura has cancer.  It’s been a five-year battle in which she suffers with chronic pain and is sometimes quite ill.  “Where’s God’s love in all of that,” someone might ask.  I look at her amidst it all and marvel at the love of God!  He’s provided for all our financial and medical needs in amazing fashion.  Her undiminished faith amidst her adversities is miraculous.  By God’s grace He’s made her strong and is using her as a witness to the love of God. 

The God who loves me has promised to never leave me or forsake me. He is not only with me, but in the person of the Holy Spirit He indwells me. God knows all about me, but loves me anyway. In fact, nothing can separate me from His love. I’ve failed Him on numerous occasions, but He’s never failed me! In my times of deepest need, when I’ve felt all alone and helpless, I’ve cried out to Him and He’s never failed to respond. He has made promises and has been faithful to keep them all. He began a work in me and will complete what He started. In His love, He gifted me and has privileged me to serve Him, until the appointed time when He shall safely deliver me to the home He has made ready for me. In His love, He’s prepared a place where there is no more death, or mourning, or crying, or tears. One day I’ll depart this place for the glory of heaven and I will marvel at the One who loved me and gave Himself up for me!

So the answer to Amy’s question is yes, I KNOW Jesus loves me!!!.  It’s an amazing thing!  A precious treasure!  A life-changing reality!  Praise God for His love!  Take time to thank Him for His hand in your life.  There is hope for everyone, because there is a God who has a big heart full of eternal love!  Do you know that Jesus loves you?

Abba! Father!  How incredibly blessed we are in the Beloved!  In Him we’ve become the focus of Your affection, indeed You’ve shed abroad Your love in our hearts and lavished us with Your grace.  Forgive us when we take You and Your love for granted.  May the Spirit empower us to better know this love which surpasses knowledge.  Oh, that we might know You better.  That we might be better equipped to make You known.  Amen.

A few days ago we passed the five-year anniversary of our visit with the oncologist in which Laura was diagnosed to have stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Cancer changes everything. And life for us was dramatically changed on that day. In the days following her diagnosis, there were radiation treatments and the start of chemotherapy and being fitted with a back brace (since the cancer had caused massive deterioration of her spine from top to bottom). Soon after that Laura came down with a case of shingles, but unlike most cases of shingles, the pain she experienced was so severe that it caused her to cry out in agony (this went on for several days). We didn’t realize it at the time, but the shingles pain caused serious nerve damage resulting in a condition called “post herpetic neuralgia (PHN).” There’s no cure for PHN, doctors can only prescribe various medications to try to manage the pain. Laura’s been in chronic pain now for almost five years.

Before cancer Laura would shy away from taking any medications, now she’s got almost a dozen that she takes on a daily basis. Before cancer Laura was incredibly fit and active, today she’s happy for the strength to get around the house in her daily routines and sometimes get out of the house for a short walk. Its hard to remember what life was like before cancer. Laura raised our four kids, not an easy task on its own. But when they got older, she worked part time at the local grade school—she loved that, and the kids and fellow teachers loved her. For 27 and ½ years she was an amazing pastor’s wife, serving and caring for others with incredible compassion and faithfulness. She taught in Sunday School and Children’s Church, managed the nursery, oversaw the women’s ministry, took care of the kitchen, and did countless other things that go along with being a part of a local church. If anyone had a need, she was on it. If someone needed a meal, she’d be the first to sign up to take one. She babysat kids. Helped to clean other people’s houses. And she helped people move more times than I can recall. If someone was in the hospital, she was glad to go with me. She’d manage those huge Easter breakfasts and Thanksgiving potlucks, and it was nearly impossible to drag her out of the kitchen. She’s always been that way. Her first inclination has always been to serve others.

The anniversary of a cancer diagnosis is hardly a reason for celebration. But its good to think on the positives. Laura has received great care by the many doctors and nurses we’ve had through her cancer journey. The staff at Kadlec, where she now goes, have been great. They genuinely care and have been proactive in diagnosing and prescribing the necessary cancer treatments. Over the course of five years, we’ve had hundreds of DR appointments and have received hundreds of prescriptions resulting in huge medical costs. We’ve paid out about 1% of that. Kadlec has been great in finding grants to help alleviate the costs associated with our deductible.

So many have prayed for Laura. She and I get messages all the time from people around the US, and even around the world, asking how she is doing and reminding us that they are praying for her. Some might suppose that God hasn’t answered their prayers, since she’s experienced no healing from her various afflictions to this point. But that would be a wrong assumption. Don’t get me wrong, every day is a struggle for her—the countless medications to take and the chronic pain to deal with and the loss of strength and energy day-by-day—but God gives her strength. She seldom complains and has the same servant-minded perspective on life that she’s had ever since I’ve known her. Putting the needs of others ahead of her own in the way she’s lived and still does to this day.

Fighting cancer is like a war. Life is like that too. You can wish all you want for better circumstances. But the fact is, you’ve got to live your life and make the best of it in the context of what you’ve got. And Laura has exemplified the spirit of a warrior who refuses to shrink back or pity herself, despite all the challenges and obstacles, trusting Jesus in all and finding strength in His all sufficient grace.

For her five year cancer anniversary Laura got Covid. About the time she was finishing her seven day chemo cycle. Already sick from the chemo, Covid caused her to be incredibly fatigued. After a couple of days of that, God opened a door for her to receive a monoclonal antibody treatment which quickly worked to turn things around. And she’s feeling much better now. Praise the Lord!

We’ve been so incredibly blessed by the loving concern and prayers and help of so many family members and friends! Thank you for your unwavering support through it all. In this needy world, how precious it is to witness the love of God in action through it all!

So, here’s to you, Laura, on the five-year anniversary of your diagnosis. To say that its been a difficult five years would be an understatement. But you’ve been remarkable and amazing and brave. I love you. You are much loved by so many. May God strengthen your heart and alleviate your pain and grant you renewed strength in the days ahead.

The Love of God

Bible Reading: Isaiah 49:15-16; John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:3-6

It is a tremendous challenge to write a devotional about this glorious theme, kind of like dipping a thimble full of truth out of an ocean full of love (Ephesians 3:19)!

God’s love has been revealed to us in the Bible as existing within the Godhead (John 14:31, 17:23) and in His providential care for all (Matthew 5:43-45), but it is at the cross where the depth of God’s love can be best understood (John 3:16; 1 John 3:16).

If the Bible is God’s love letter to us, then Jesus is the One who has come to reveal that truth and the Cross is proof of it.  From eternity God planned to send His Son to rescue lost sinners. The Son left the perfection of heaven and the adoration of worshiping angels to come to this broken and sin-needy place.  He came in humility, born in a stable, laid in a feeding trough, growing up without wealth or even a place to lay His head.  

As He spoke truth, He served relentlessly and loved without limit; healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, cleansing the lepers, feeding the multitudes, raising the dead, and doing other miracles which all testified to the truth of His Divinity.  He was devoid of sin and lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father.  Despite all this, enemies coalesced and conspired against Him, plotting His demise.  They even enlisted one of His own to betray Him.  They had Him arrested.  Though He could have called on ten thousand angels to rescue Him, He did not, for He had been born into this world to take our punishment on the Cross for sins not His own.  He willingly subjected Himself to it all–the betrayal and arrest, the abandonment of His friends, the false accusations, the beatings, those laborious steps to the cross, the crucifixion.  

He is the creator of all. In a macabre scene which defies comprehension, the created mocked their Creator. The religious leaders, the soldiers, the two thieves who hung alongside him, and the people gathered there, joined in a cruel cacophony of insults against the One who had given them both life and breath…the One who had come to their rescue.

And there He is, dying on that Cross. A Cross which points to heaven from whence He came. And down to the depths, to the devil, whom He was soon to triumph over. It points both to the east and west, to the far reaches of the globe, to where the message of His gospel would ultimately reach, people from every tribe and language and people and nation.

He who knew no sin was made to be sin when He bore our sins and He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me” (Matthew 27:46).  Who can measure the degree of agony He experienced as His soul was crushed under the weight of humanity’s sin!  There He hangs, bruised and naked, bearing both physical wounds and a broken heart.  

The precious Lamb of God has taken on Himself the sin of the world. He’s utterly alone, an outcast from both the humanity He’s come to rescue and the perfect and intimate love of the Father, which He treasured above all else.  What kind of love is this–that God would predetermine to do such a thing and that Jesus would willingly subject Himself to it?  

What kind of love is this–that someone would suffer and die, not for friends, but for all people, even those who hated Him?  What kind of love is this–that would reach so far and endure so much?  He didn’t stay dead, No one took His life from Him, He had authority to lay it down and authority to take it back up again.  He rose again and later ascended to the right hand of the Father.  And from there He invites sinners to come to receive by faith the salvation He availed and freely offers to all. 

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16).  The proof of God’s amazing love has been unveiled to us on the Cross. Are you doubting God’s love–look there!  An incredible cost, the precious blood of Jesus, was paid for your salvation!  “Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou My God, shouldst die for me!”

Heaven Father. How amazing it is that You would love us like that! That you would endeavor to make such a sacrifice, though there be nothing in us to deserve or merit such love. That though we be your enemies, you would be willing to bear our sins. How wonderful it is to be loved by You with a love that knows no limits and cannot fail. Thank you for loving me! Amen.

The Wisdom of God

Bible Reading: Romans 11:33; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; James 1:5

It was Voltaire who, hundreds of years ago, observed that “common sense is not so common.”  One wonders what he might think of our day!  There is a relationship between wisdom and common sense, if wisdom is knowing what to do; then common sense is knowing when and where to do it.  In an age where the exercise of wisdom and practice of common sense are in severe decline, it’s good to be reminded that God is perfectly wise. 

As with the other attributes of God, it is not just that He is wiser than we are, in a “more” or “better” sense, His wisdom is infinitely transcendent.  A.W. Tozer has a wonderful description of how God’s infinite wisdom is made manifest, “Wisdom, among other things, is the ability to devise perfect ends and to achieve those ends by the most perfect means.  It sees the end from the beginning, so there can be no need to guess or conjecture.  Wisdom sees everything in focus, each in proper relationship to all, and is thus able to work toward predestined goals with flawless precision.”  God is infinitely wise in who He is and all He does.

Creation testifies to the wisdom of God, as the Psalmist declared “O Lord, how manifold are your works!  In wisdom you made them all” (Psalm 104:24).  Whether God is acknowledged, or not, how much scientific research is devoted to a better understanding of the intricacies and interactions of that which has been created by God? 

We read in the gospels of how folks repeatedly marveled at the wisdom of Jesus and on one such occasion asked, “How is it this man has learning, when he has never studied? (John 7:15).  Jesus’ learning and wisdom came from no outside source, it was intrinsic to His Being, and He navigated life accordingly.  Indeed, in Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).”

The wisdom of God has likewise been made plain in the saving work of Jesus Christ.  Though to some it is a stumbling block and to others a foolish thing, the word of the Cross stands as an abiding testament to the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:20-25).  Those who receive Jesus as Savior can testify to that!  The Apostle Paul, concluded his treatise regarding how God has so incredibly worked through Christ to reconcile sinners, be they Gentiles or Jews, to Himself, by breaking forth into praise for the wisdom of God (Romans 11:33-35).

We are exhorted to go to God, who gives generously and without reproach, if any of us lacks wisdom (James 1:5).  Let’s go then!  Who doesn’t lack wisdom in dealing with the challenges they face?  We’ll find no shortage, or rebuke when we bring our requests to Him.  As A.W. Tozer has said, “With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack?  Surely we are the most favored of creatures.”

Praise You Father, for your infinite wisdom. Forgive us that we are far too prone to rely on our own wisdom or that found in the world, and not Yours and what is found in Your Word. Thank you for your open invitation to come to You for wisdom. Grant us the wisdom to seek Yours!

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”

“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

God is Righteous

Bible Reading: Psalm 9:7-8, 89:14, 145:17; Romans 3:21-26; 1 John 2:29

Martin Luther, that famed catalyst of the Protestant Reformation, hated the doctrine of God’s righteousness before he embraced it.  As a successful monk, he was utterly devoted to his monastic practices—incessant prayers, fastings, going without sleep, enduring bone-chilling cold, self-flagellation and the like.  He would later comment, “If anyone could have earned heaven by the life of a monk, it was I.”  One sense of the doctrine of the righteousness of God has to do with God’s hatred of sin and that’s where Luther struggled,  One day in the early 1500s, Martin Luther sat in the tower or the Black Cloister, Wittenberg, reading Romans 1:17, which says: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”  Luther’s eyes were drawn to the phrase “the righteousness of God,” which he believed to be an unassailable obstacle to salvation.  Though he had sought through religious means to gain God’s approval, he became increasingly terrified of the wrath of God. He even hated the Apostle Paul for what he had written.

Luther was ordered to take his doctorate in the Bible and become a professor at Wittenberg University.  During a study of the Book of Romans God opened Luther’s eyes to the truth.  He said of that experience, “At last meditating day and night, by the mercy of God, I … began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith… Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open.”  This great man’s personal experience would ultimately work to set ablaze the Protestant Reformation. Whether you despise or embrace this doctrine depends entirely on where your stand with respect to faith in Christ. 

What is meant when we speak of the righteousness of God?  When we speak of righteousness with respect to men, we voice the extent, or degree to which they measure up to God and His righteous standards.  But God is not so much defined by the term “righteous” as much as the term “righteous” is defined by God (Psalm 9:7-8).  He is the standard by which righteousness is understood and measured.  His righteousness is evidenced in that He consistent acts in accord with His own character (Psalm 145:17). 

It is impossible for any man to measure up by his own self doings to God’s righteous standards (Romans 3:23; Matthew 5:20).  But as Luther came to understand, God has mercifully provided a way for helpless sinners to be saved!  Though all have sinned and fallen short, those who believe are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption of Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24).  Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross!

We’ve all been born into this world full of sin and we need look no further than our own hearts for evidence of sin’s reality.  But here’s the good news.  There is no sin in God.  When our Savior Jesus walked amongst us, He “knew no sin” and indeed “never sinned” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Never a sinful thought, word or deed!  There’s a beauty in this particular attribute of God to which we’d do well to grow in our admiration, as we journey towards that place “in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). And as we do, let us endeavor to practice righteousness, even as Jesus is righteous (1 John 3:7).

Heavenly Father.  Thank you for being our Righteous God!  The more we think about Your righteousness, the more mindful we become of our own shortcomings. Forgive us for our foolhardy attempts to gain self-righteousness by our own doings.  Thank You for sending Jesus, that through His work on the cross, a righteousness by faith has been imputed to us, that we are declared righteous in Him.  Help us to walk in righteousness, even as You are.  Amen.

Be Holy, for I Am Holy

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 1:13-16; Hebrews 12:14

If you are a believer, then you are a “saint!” This is how the Bible describes those who have trusted in Jesus for salvation (Ephesians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2).  What’s even more startling is that the term “saint” literally means “holy one.”  Vine’s Expository Dictionary explains the usage of the term: “a common NT designation for all believers is ‘saints,’ i.e. ‘sanctified’ or ‘holy ones.’  Thus sainthood, or sanctification is not an attainment, it is the state into which God, in His grace, calls sinful men, and in which they begin their course as Christians.”   Though I’m not sure I’d recommend it, you would be entirely theologically correct if on your next visit to church you were to greet a brother named John this way, “good morning saint John.”

The name and the position which underlies it have come by way of God’s gracious work through Jesus.  As Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 6:11, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  The term “sanctified” is the verb form of the word “saint,” and speaks to the position into which God, in His grace, has called the believer through the sin-cleansing work of Jesus.  Every believer has experienced this cleansing at their new birth, and henceforth possesses it.

All that being said, a distinction needs to be made between this positional sanctification and the progressive sanctification to which the believer is called upon to pursue. Because God is holy, we are to be holy. We are His children and in His holiness we inherit a beautiful attribute of our Father in which we are commanded to grow. In his book “the Knowledge of the Holy,” A.W. Tozer noted “we tend by a secret law of the soul to move towards our mental image of God.’ That’s certainly true in this case! As the Spirit of God works through the Word of God to unveil to us the holiness of God, we are drawn to the beauty of it and are called upon to pursue it. Likewise we are admonished in Hebrews 12:14 to “strive for…holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” Our very identity, as His “holy ones,” speaks to our destiny. We are going to a beautiful place–a holy heaven where we will meet with a holy God and be joined to a holy company engaged in holy worship, in a place where sin will be no more. The question is, if we’ve no appetite for holiness in the here and now, would we have any interest in such a place in eternity? Holiness is something we are to pursue. We do that by purposefully engaging ourselves in the Spirit-led disciplines which are essential to our spiritual growth (i.e. prayer, being in the Word, being active and involved in the fellowship of believers, etc.).

J.C. Ryle, in his classic book “Holiness,” spoke to this pursuit of holiness: “There is not a brick nor a stone laid in the work of our sanctification till we go to Christ. Holiness is His special gift to His believing people. Holiness is the work He carries on in their hearts, by the Spirit whom He puts within them…Holiness comes from Christ. It is the result of vital union with Him, It is the fruit of being a living branch of the True Vine. Go then to Christ and say, “Lord, not only save me from the guilt of sin, but send the Spirit, whom Thou didst promise, and save me from its power. Make me holy. Teach me to do Thy will.”

Heavenly Father. Praise You in the majesty of your holiness. Open the eyes of my heart, that I will behold the glory of who You are in this and every one of Your attributes. Forgive me when I have not sought after holiness through the power of the Holy Spirit and Your Word. Help me to walk by your Spirit. Give me your understanding of sin and holiness, that I might learn and grow to hate the one and love the other. Help me to walk in holiness until I arrive home in heaven where sin will be no more and Your glory will be on display for all to behold.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Bible Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7; Isaiah 57:15

Sinclair B. Ferguson defined God’s holiness this way: “it means He is separate from sin.  But holiness in God also means wholeness.  God’s holiness is His ‘God-ness.’  It is being God in all that it means for Him to be God.  To meet God in His holiness, therefore, is to be altogether overwhelmed by the discovery that He is God, and not man.”

“To meet God in His holiness”…that was the experience of the prophet Isaiah we read about in Isaiah chapter 6. We would rightly suppose that Isaiah, having been called by God to be a prophet, was a righteous man relative to his peers. As a man of faith, he understood something about God’s Holiness and was mindful, to some extent, of his own shortcomings. But nothing in his understanding or experience could have prepared him for what happened on the day he saw the Lord.

We are not given the specific manner in which it came to pass, but Isaiah “saw the Lord sitting upon a throne.”  Monarchs of that day were elaborately attired, but in this case the train of the Lord’s robe “filled the temple!”  Above the Lord stood the seraphim, a special class of angels given the task of attending to God’s holiness.  Each angel had six wings.  With two wings they flew.  And with two wings they covered their feet, reminding us of how God once told Moses to remove his shoes for in God’s presence the place where he stood was “holy ground.”  And with two wings they covered their eyes, reminding us again that God once told Moses “no man can see my glory and live.”

The most striking and most important thing in Isaiah’s vision was what he heard, as the seraphim cried out unto one another, back and forth, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory!” The Hebrew language often used words three times in order to emphasize what was being spoken of. But even more emphasis was forthcoming in what Isaiah saw next, when foundations of the threshold shook and the house was filled with smoke!

Isaiah was completely overwhelmed and cried out, saying, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Isaiah’s vision of God’s unearthly holiness demanded a radical reassessment of himself, “Woe is me! For I am lost!” The focus on the unclean “lips” is interesting. In contrast to the lofty and worshipful chorus of the seraphim, Isaiah became painfully aware of the woeful and sinful inadequacy of his own speech and that of his people. As a result of his vision Isaiah was humbled before God, who wouldn’t be! It is a good thing to meet God in His holiness, for in the light of God’s holiness, our sinfulness is exposed and we are compelled to look to Jesus for salvation.

R.C. Sproul, “The Bible doesn’t say that God is mercy, mercy, mercy or love, love, love or justice, justice, justice or wrath, wrath, wrath, but that He is holy, holy, holy. This is a dimension of God that consumes His very essence, and when it is manifest to Isaiah, we read that “at the sound of the voices of the seraphim the doorposts, the thresholds of the temple itself shook and began to tremble” (Isaiah 6:4). Do you hear that? Inanimate, lifeless, unintelligible parts of creation in the presence of the manifestation of the holiness of God had the good sense to be moved. How can we, made in His image, be indifferent or apathetic to His majesty?”

Heavenly Father.  You are high and exalted above all in the awesomeness of Your holiness, just as Isaiah saw you!  Forgive us for growing far too unaware and comfortable in the unholy climate in which we now live.  Open our eyes, that we might rightly esteem ourselves in view of Your majestic holiness and our great need.  Thank you for opening a door for us to be made holy through the sin-cleansing blood of Your Son, the Lamb of God. Help us to pursue holiness, without which we cannot see You.

God’s Sovereignty and You

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-10; Acts 4:24-28; Proverbs 16:9

God is not just sovereign over the affairs of this world, He is sovereign over each of our lives.  Though we are not robots to His will, and bear responsibility for our own actions, our Lord is sovereign over the affairs of our lives and is at work within us, “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).  

There are several passages in Scripture where the analogy of a Potter and the Clay is used to illustrate God’s right to do as He pleases with those whom He has created (Jeremiah 18:1-10; Isaiah 29:16, 45:9, 64:8; Romans 9:19-21). This wonderful analogy helps us understand what God’s sovereignty means for each of us on a personal level.

Before He begins, the Potter already has an idea in mind of what the finished product will be.  And so it is with the believer in Christ.  Much as a skilled Potter molds the clay with his hands, so God’s sovereignly works out His plan to conform all those predestined by Him, to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29-30).  We are His work of art, created in Christ Jesus to manifest His glory (Ephesians 2:10).

The Potter has a wheel upon which he spins the clay.  F. B. Meyer, in a sermon on this theme, compared the wheel to life’s circumstances. As varied as they are, they all will be used by God in the reshaping of our character (James 1:2-4).  Meyer pointed out how “God has chosen the lot of each as being specially adapted to develop the hidden qualities and idiosyncrasies of the soul He loves.”  Romans 8:28 likewise speaks to how God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God.  God is sovereign over the circumstances of our lives (Genesis 50:20; Proverbs 16:9; Acts 4:24-28; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

The Potter pounds the clay to release any air bubbles within.  Then he uses his fingers to shape us.  The potter works the clay, as the wheel goes round and round, sometimes pressing gently, sometimes firmly, always patiently. Just as the Holy Spirit is at work in us through the ministry of the Word and through the trials we face, He is working to transform us from one state of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18).  Sometimes it’s necessary to go through major alterations for Christ’s likeness to be formed in us.  It is helpful to remember when we are hard-pressed that God loves us and knows what’s best for us.

His part is to make something beautiful out of us–to the praise of His glory!  Our part is to trust. Implicit in that trust is a yieldedness to the Spirit.  F. B. Meyer put it this way, “He who was able to transform the Cross from a badge of shame into the sign of victory and glory must surely be able to take the most hopeless, disreputable, and abandoned lives, and make them bloom with flowers heavy with fragrance and full of blessed promise. Only let Him have a free hand.”

Heavenly Father.  How glad and thankful to know You are in charge!  And not just in charge of what happens in Your universe, but likewise what happens in the daily affairs of my life.  You are with me and care for me in every moment. Praise You for being the preeminent of rulers and that You are worthy of our trust.  Not just in what You have planned, but also in Your capacity to fulfill Your purpose.  Thank You for your patience with me as You work to make me more like Jesus.  Help me to trust You and yield myself.  Amen.