Monday, November 28, 2022

Saved from What?

 

“…you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

(Matthew 1:21 ESV)

 

Although Christmas is a Christian holiday, it’s truly a worldwide celebration. It’s a holiday that’s enjoyed by Christians and non-Christians alike. It’s even a holiday that’s celebrated and enjoyed by people of other faiths.

 

Even knowing that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth, it’s clear that, for many of us, the true meaning of the holiday has been lost. It’s clear that we don’t understand the significance of his birth. And it’s clear that we don’t understand the reason for this holy day.

 

This is true, even knowing that Jesus is our Savior. It’s true even knowing that he is our Deliverer. It’s true even knowing that he’s our Redeemer.

 

We recognize the correct terms. And we use the correct terms. But we do so without fully grasping their meaning.

 

As I’ve said a couple of times recently, if Jesus came to save us, there is clearly something from which we need to be saved. And it’s this that we fail to grasp. We do not recognize our bondage, nor do we want to.

 

As the angel told Joseph in the above passage, the child to be born was to be named Jesus, which means “The Lord is Salvation.” This was to be his name because of what he was to do. He would save his people from their sins.

 

It’s this that we fail to believe about ourselves. It’s this that we fail to acknowledge about ourselves. And if we do, our tendency is to soften it.

 

We don’t want to acknowledge the fact that we are sinners. We might acknowledge the fact that we are imperfect. And we might acknowledge the fact that we make mistakes. But we struggle to believe or to acknowledge that we are sinners.

 

We also don’t want to believe or acknowledge that we’re deserving of the consequences of sin. We don’t want to believe or acknowledge that we’re deserving of death. And we certainly don’t want to believe or acknowledge that we’re deserving of hell.

 

But this, you see, is exactly why Jesus was born into the world. He was born to save us from sin. He came to deliver us from death and hell.

 

He did this, of course, by his death on the cross. He did this by offering himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He did this by taking upon himself the penalty that we’ve incurred.

 

This is the reason why we celebrate his birth. He came to do for us what we’re unable to do for ourselves. And, in this way, as we trust in him, we are granted the blessings of forgiveness and life everlasting.

Thursday, November 17, 2022

A Heart for the Lost?

 “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

(Romans 9:1-5 ESV) 


Scripture is clear about God’s heart for the lost. It’s clear about his desire for the lost. It tells us that he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that he should turn from his way and live (Ezekiel 18:23). And it tells us that he desires that all should be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).


We’re thankful for this, as it’s for this reason that he’s provided for our salvation. It’s for this reason that he sent his only Son into the world. And it’s for this reason that Jesus suffered and died. 


As his people, then, we know that we’re to share his heart. And it’s for this reason that he’s called us to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. It’s for this reason that he’s called us to make disciples of all nations.


We see that Paul shared God’s heart, we see that he shared God’s desire for the lost, in the above passage. We see his strong desire for the salvation of his own people. He desired their salvation so much, in fact, that he expressed a willingness to be accursed for their sake.


In this way, he models for us the mind of Christ. He models for us the attitude of Christ. He models for us the mind and the attitude of Christ who was, quite literally, accursed for our sake.


While this is something that I admire, it’s something that I also find very convicting. I ask myself if I would be willing to do the same. And, as I do so, I face a troubling reality.


I do believe that I would be willing to suffer for the sake of others. I believe that I would be willing to endure hardship for the sake of others. I would do so that they might receive the salvation of God.


But would I be willing to die for the lost? This is a harder question to answer. And although I can’t say it with certainty, I may be willing to die for some. I may be willing to die for them knowing the life and salvation that God has in store for me.


I may be willing to die for those who are the closest to me. I may be willing to die for those who are dearest to me. But, for others, I’m far less certain.


However, if it were possible for me to be accursed for their sake, I don’t believe that I would be willing to do so. After all, giving up my life is one thing. But to give up my salvation is another.


This, of course, is not possible. I cannot bear the sins of another. Nor can I take their curse upon myself. The only one who can do so is Christ.


But that being said, this reveals to me my own sin. It reveals to me my own selfishness. It makes plain, again, my need for the grace and mercy of Jesus.


Thursday, November 10, 2022

God's Grace in Prayer

  “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

(Romans 8:26–27 ESV)


Quite often, in life, we’re at a complete loss. We don’t know what to do in the face of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We don’t know which course of action will benefit us the most. And we don’t know which course of action is within the will of God.


For this reason, as we pray, we don’t even know what we should ask. The only thing we know how to do is to express to God our dilemma. The only thing we know how to do is express to him the way that we feel. And, quite honestly, we don’t feel that this is enough.


We feel that more needs to be said. These prayers seem to us empty and hollow. And we fear that we cannot receive God’s help, we fear that we will not receive his blessing, if we’re unable to find a way to put it into words.


We also struggle knowing our tendency to approach God with the wrong attitude. We struggle knowing that we sometimes approach him with a sinful attitude. We struggle knowing that, quite often, our requests flow from our own selfishness or from our covetous desires rather than a desire for God’s will to be done among us.


God’s grace, however, comes to us in many forms. And we see one such form in the passage above. We see the grace of God even in these times of weakness.


Paul assures us that, as children of God, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. Even though we don’t know how to pray as we ought, the Spirit himself intercedes for us. The Spirit of God prays for us. The Holy Spirit brings before the Lord the very prayer that needs to be prayed.


He does so in a way that we cannot. He comes to the Lord with groanings too deep for words. He, in other words, expresses to the Lord those prayers that we’re unable to express.


He intercedes for us rightly. He intercedes for us according to the will of God. He prays the very prayer that God is delighted to answer.


And we are assured that the Lord knows the mind of the Spirit. He knows the mind of the Spirit because their will is One. He knows the mind of the Spirit because they are united in intent    and purpose.


We, then, can be assured that these prayers will be answered. We can be assured that the Spirit’s intercession will be answered. We can be assured that our needs will be met according to the will of God.


This, then, fills us with peace. Even when we don’t know the words that need to be expressed, we have confidence that the Lord will act on our behalf. We know that he’ll provide that which will truly bless us.


Monday, November 07, 2022

The Normal Christian Experience

  “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” 

 (Romans 7:18–19 ESV)


The Christian life can often feel like a struggle. It can feel like an ongoing battle. It feels like a battle as we desire to live for the Lord, and strive to do so. Yet, at the same time, we’re faced constantly with temptation, and we regularly give in to our sinful desires.


We tend to find this discouraging. It causes us to question our Christian maturity. And it can even cause us to question our faith.


We believe that, if we truly trust in Christ, living in obedience to the Lord should be easier. We believe that, if we are mature in faith, resisting temptation should come more naturally. And we believe that, if the Spirit of God truly dwells within us, our sinful nature shouldn’t have such a strong influence in our life.


However, as we look at the above passage, we find that our reasoning is way off base. We find, in fact, that we have it completely backwards. We find that this battle indicates not a lack of faith or maturity. It indicates, rather, that we do have faith and that the Spirit of God is actively working in our life.


Paul, in this passage, is describing his own struggle with sin. And none of us would accuse Paul of being lacking in faith or spiritual maturity. Nor would we dare to call his salvation into question.


He is one of those whom we esteem for his great faith. He’s one of those whose maturity we admire. He’s one of those whom we seek to emulate in our own life of faith.


Yet, even though this is true, he struggled in the same way as the rest of us. He desired to do what was right. He desired to live for the Lord. However, he lacked the ability to carry it out. And he continued to sin. 


It’s clear from this that Paul had the same sinful nature as you and I. And he wrestled with it in the very same way. While he delighted in the law of God, and while he longed to carry it out, he lived in a body of sin that always pulled him in the opposite direction.


This, you see, is not the exception. It’s the norm. It is the shared experience of all who trust in Christ.


I say this not to justify our sin. And I say this not to approve of our wrongdoing. Our sin is still sin, even if it is normal.


I say this to comfort us in the face of this struggle. I say this to ease our doubts as we engage in this battle. It should, in no way, lead us to question our faith or our salvation.


If we had no faith, we wouldn’t struggle with sin at all. If we had no spiritual maturity, we wouldn’t struggle with temptation. And if the Spirit of God were absent from our life, we would have no desire for the things of God.


In that case, we would simply sin. We would live lives of sin, thinking nothing of it. We would engage in wrongdoing without any sense of guilt, and with no desire to live otherwise.


Realizing this, when we sin, we should come to the Lord in a spirit of confession and faith. We should come to him, trusting in Christ for the salvation he’s provided. And we must never allow our ongoing struggle to call this into question.