fencepostdigest

Unless otherwise noted Scripture references are from the NASB translation.

Perhaps the most misunderstood and disfavored attributes of our God is that He hates sin and the one who behaves sinfully. And, unfortunately, most of us do not accept the fact that He does hate the sinner or one that lives a life in sin.

We are okay that He does not tolerate sin and applaud Him for that. However, when we look at His Word and find things we do not like there both our eyes and our perception of what we read changes the meaning or our perception changes.

Does God hate anyone? The answer is “yes.” Look at the following Scriptures before you give your personal response. In every instance consider the context from which these verses come and the biblical context as a whole.

• Psalm 5:4-6, “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.”
• Psalm 11:4-6, “The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked. And the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.”
• Leviticus 20:23-24, “Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I will drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them. Hence I have said to you, “You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples.”
• Proverbs 6:16-19, “There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers..”
• Hosea 9:14-17, “Give them, O Lord-what will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. All their evil is at Gilgal; Indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more; All their princes are rebels. Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up, They will bear no fruit. Even though they bear children, I will slay the precious ones of their womb.  My God will cast them away Because they have not listened to Him; And they will be wanderers among the nations.”

Not one of these verses is easy to digest when we read this, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” 1 John 3:1. And we follow this with, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8.

The difference between those that God hates and those that God loves finds foundation in a relationship with Him… Those that God hates, disobey Him, despise Him and live a life of sin, but those whom He loves are His children by relationship because of confessional obedience, by faith and eternally by His grace. He abhors those who deny Him for just as Jesus told His friend, Nicodemus, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 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. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” John 3:18-20.

Work on this……

When God said, “Let there be light,” it happened. When He commanded that the oceans be, they came into existence. God’s word is terribly powerful. What He says is never futile, empty, or without power. God always speaks with divine intent.

The Law is a reflection of God’s holiness and character. The Law is pure, perfect and powerful. The Ten Commandments reflect His divine justice and are not without punishment. A law without consequences is nothing more than empty speech..

Sin breaks God’s Law and offends His character challenges His authority. What everyone must understand is that God is not a liar. His Word is truth and He will punish the lawbreaker.

What we now know is that while we were still sinners, divine Law-breakers, Jesus died for us Romans 5:6. There is no way anyone can make a deal with God for release from His justice. For this reason alone God became one of us, “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:17-18, and Paul writes, “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.

Because of these truths, mankind has been given 2 choices:

1. Trust Jesus, God in flesh, as Savior and Lord, that is to say, “Place your faith in what He did on the cross.
2. Reject the cross and allow His justice to fall upon you.

Do Not Reject the Ultimate Judge

“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead. 14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness — without it no one will see the Lord. 15 Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many. 16 And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal. 17 For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears. 18 For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, 19 to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. (Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, 20 for they could not bear what was commanded: And if even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned! 21 The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am terrified and trembling. 22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, 23 to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the Judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, 24 to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. 25 Make sure that you do not reject the One who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. 26 His voice shook the earth at that time, but now He has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven. 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:11-29 HCSB.

The Word of God gives witness to the character of God and the profound depth of it. We are unable to completely understand everything He is. For this reason, we will sometimes recoil at the things that are said about Him because we are human and are not fully capable of absorbing everything. But one thing certain we must NOT reject the difficult and accept only which is palatable. This one thing we do know and must take for truth, “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,  and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

Jesus is Lord.

For many years I have held to this phrase, “What the Bible Teaches is NOT What many tell us.” In other words, I like to study what the Bible teaches as opposed to what, indeed, it does say.

The reason this is so intriguing is there are so many large and small groups of folks who call themselves ‘Christian,’ but have also misunderstood what the Bible teaches as they hang on to what it says. 

For those who hang their hats on the Sovereignty of God which is true in every respect also add that God has predetermined who will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell. And all the while they are fully ignoring Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John chapter 3, but especially the 16th verse, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” KJV.

Many think that every Believer will speak in tongues as evidence of being born-again. Acts 2:38 seems to be their ‘jumping-off’ place followed with many examples of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which NEVER say anything about ‘evidence for salvation.’ The standard of being born-again is this, “For by grace are you saved through faith…” Ephesians 2:8. 

Can a Person Lose Salvation?

Some folks claim that a Believer can lose salvation in Jesus Christ; this is not a permanent relationship. The Bible teaches otherwise

John 10:27-30, “My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.   I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand.   My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father’s hand.  The Father and I are one.”

Romans 8:28-30, “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,  because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.  And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.”

Ephesians 1:13-14, “And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,  who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.”

John 3:16, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Baptism does NOT save although the Bible does say the following:

Luke records this in Acts 2:38, “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Taken at face value…no doubt, one is saved when baptized. However, read other verses found in Acts:

3:19-20, “Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you—that is, Jesus.”

10:42-43, “He commanded us to preach to the people and to warn them that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 

10:47-48, “No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48 So he gave orders to have them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days.”

It is important to see that in verse 47 these had already received the Holy Spirit which means they were already born-again, saved, but had not been baptized prior to salvation…

13:38-39, “Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by this one everyone who believes is justified from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you.”

15:8-11, “And God, who knows the heart, has testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between them and us, cleansing their hearts by faith. So now why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they are.” 

16:29-33, “Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house.  At that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized right away.”

Baptism in this instance followed the instruction to believe for salvation.

26:17-18  Jesus is speaking here “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”

Do NOT Be Found Guilty of ‘Proof-Texting’ for Your Purposes

These are but a very few select statements from the Word of God to point to the fact that the Bible says many things, but teaches the opposite of what some force upon the Word of God. The point is that by removing chosen verses of Scripture from a contextual setting can force these verses to say what the Bible is NOT teaching. We must be very, very careful NOT to force our opinions or emotions upon the Word of God. We will be held accountable.

Jesus is Lord.

Scripture references are taken from the NET2 translation unless noted.

Many times the question has come to me, “Why do you do what you do?” Never has the answer been difficult. There is no defining or explaining to do but simply said, “Because as Paul writes in Romans 1:16-17 NET2, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.”

Some have scorned you for mentioning the Name of Jesus Christ, right? That is a good thing, really, because you then know that your words have come from God and not from yourself. Believers’ words are not their own when speaking of Christ for both the words and the person making proclamation of those words are rejected by most. Remember that Jesus was crucified and untold millions have died proclaiming Him in darkness.

“For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching. 22 For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom, 23 but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. 24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:21-25 NET2.

A vast number of people in our culture, in the USA, are seeking wisdom in the wrong places. The gender issue is one of the most horrific examples of placing human wisdom and ideology above that of God and His Word. Sodomy is not an acceptable way of interacting among humans because God has deemed it so. But, the foolishness of men runs much deeper than this.

The Bible is Clear

The Bible is clear in telling the story of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and how people are to come to Him through confession of sin, repentance, His grace and an expression of faith. This is about the Risen Christ and not about ‘how’ we get from one place to another.

Here are some of the issues that divide those who call themselves ‘Christian:”

• Baptism saves
• Infant baptism
• Salvation evidenced by speaking in tongues
• God chooses some for Heaven and others for Hell
• Faith alone
• Once saved always saved
• Perseverance of the Saints
• The Rapture
• The Second Coming
• Tribulation issues
• Bible inerrancy

And there are many more issues that are problematic for folks who claim to Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, Church of Christ, Methodist, and the list is quite long. Who is correct? Someone is wrong. God will tell us one day.

“When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God. 2 For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling. 4 My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:2-5.

Did you see what Paul writes? “For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” No doubt the Apostle included the Resurrection in his statements. In fact we know Paul was concerned with the Resurrection, “Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-5.

Distortion of the Word of God Is An Issue

I find it both amusing and saddening that there are so many different kinds of Bibles in every store that sells them. There are Bibles for women, men, children, all branches of civil services, and Bibles with sermon notes from more preachers than I am able to list.

How many different translations are there? At one time I had on my shelf more than 20 of them. That number has dwindled to about 5 or 6 now, but the point is there seems to be a translation for every whim. There are denominational translations that are absolutely abominable for they are in error. There are a few translations that are very good and accurate, and these translations agree with one another in their content, but there are some translations that are simply inaccurate to their cores.

“Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy, we do not become discouraged. 2 But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, 4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:1-6.

The Message is NOT About Me nor You, the Message Concerns God

This is not about me nor about you, but about Jesus Christ, the crucified, buried, risen and coming again King of kings and Lord of lords. I am interested in the Message alone and nothing more and I am concerned about those who are in error and their errors must be noted. Errors corrupt the truth and cause people to follow pathways that are not of God. Just a thought.

Jesus is Lord.

Scripture references are taken from the NET2 translation unless otherwise noted.

“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that—whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent—I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of their destruction, but of your salvation—a sign which is from God. 29 For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are encountering the same conflict that you saw me face and now hear that I am facing.” Philippians 1:27-30 NET2.

Take a few minutes to read the entire book of Philippians and you will discover the general focus concerns how Believers in Jesus Christ are to conduct themselves in the face of those who are not in favor of the Message of the Gospel unless they think the message favors them.

Paul wrote this to the church in Philippi while in prison and we can be certain that his time there was not a time of joy or peace, but the Apostle found his strength in Christ, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance.I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble.” Philippians 4:13. The last phrase, “you did well to share with me in my trouble” gives indication of the concern the Believers in Philippi had for him. They, no doubt, were fearful for his life.

Reading the history of the Republic of Texas gives some foundation for understanding Paul’s plight and the Believers’ concern for him. At the Alamo on February 23, 1836 Colonel William Barret Travis wrote this plea for help,

“A vanguard of Mexican dragoons under General Joaquín Ramírez y Sesma arrived in San Antonio on February 23, followed by General Santa Anna himself later that day. The Mexicans surrounded the Alamo, Travis began writing pleas for help. One of his messages, sent via courier to Gonzales (70 miles away), read: “We have 150 men and are determined to defend the Alamo to the last. Give us assistance.”

Within a few days these 150 gallant men died in defense of something they steadfastly believed in, ‘freedom from the tyranny of Mexico.’ There are some who disagree with what they were doing, but Texas did gain freedom from Mexico and joined the United States in 1845 because people “stood their ground” in the sight of overwhelming odds. They believed in what they were doing.

The Message According To The Bible or The Message According to You

The question is, “Do you really believe in the Person of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and the Message of the Gospel?” The question runs deeper than the reading of it because some folks enjoy interpreting the Word of God from their experiences as opposed to allowing the Word of God to speak to their experiences. How does this work?

In the case of sin, people would rather God not be so harsh on the sin they are enjoying and themselves being the sinner. God addresses both the sin and the sinner throughout Scripture. He does, indeed, pardon the sinner provided the sinner stops the sin. Most sinners want their sin to be forgiven and to be able to continue the life of sin they enjoy. But, this is not possible.

Look at what John writes in 1 John 5:17, “All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death.” John is not distinguishing between unpardonable and pardonable sin here.  Some seem to think that so long as there is hate for the sin and for himself for sinning or they are never far from repentance and forgiveness. However, if a man begins to enjoy sin, and sin becomes the deliberate and enjoyable spiritual damnation is not far behind. Sadly when this happens repentance will not and cannot enter his mind. The Holy Spirit will not be heard.

We must remember that Jesus said this, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment— concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.” John 16:7-11. To live in or to practice sin is to be condemned just as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:18, “The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”

If anyone addresses sin from personal perspective instead of addressing sin from God’s perspective, spiritual death will ensue; forgiveness is not possible if repentance is not perceived from a biblical point of view. God’s forgiveness is available to anyone when they seek His mercy. When the sinner wants to be forgiven he must be willing to repent of the on-going sin being accomplished. What we know is that God will forgive anyone who will repent of a lifestyle of sin.  Also, those who are not included in salvation are rejected by God because they are not willing to repent of their sinful lifestyles. God will not forgive anyone unless they repent.

For this reason we find Paul making known those who practice particular kinds of sin and will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Look at Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians 6.

Secular and Progressive ‘Christians’ Have Changed the Gospel Message

In recent years our culture in America and possibly the world in general has been over-run by a large segment of people who ‘want their cake and eat it, too.’ In other words, they want to choose how they live with all the rights and privileges everyone else enjoys as well. The common response from the rest of us is, “NO!! A thousand times,NO!!” Most of us do not want to live in a world where sodomites are allowed to be one way some days and another way on other days. I do not want a female inside a men’s restroom anytime and I do not expect my wife or daughter to find a male in the women’s restroom, either. This is wrong because this is sinful and God calls this an abomination.

This is not a sexual thing about which I speak this is a sin thing I address because the Bible, God, addresses unrepentant sinners very harshly. He says that unless there is repentance of sinful lifestyles those who participate will not God to His heaven. For people who refuse repentance from certain kinds of sin in the OT, God simply instructed His people to stone these abhorrent people.

The problem that we see today is growing secularism or progressive move toward lifestyles that the Bible calls abhorrent and sinful. The problem belongs to the unrepentant, “If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10.

What did John write? “If we say we have not sinned, we make him (Jesus) a liar and his word is not in us.” People who claim to be “Christian” and refuse to follow the principles of the Book God wrote are NOT born-again Christians, these poor wretched souls are on their way to the Lake of Fire…Hell.

Look at what Jesus says in Revelation 22:16-19, ““I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star!” And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say: “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of charge. I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy contained in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.”

We must see our lives from the perspective of God’s Word, repent of our sin; seek His forgiveness and live in His light.

Jesus is Lord!!

There is not one single gadget that I have ever seen that has made a long-lasting difference in the way life is. Not One. If we point to vehicles we can say, “Because of vehicles everyone can go just about anywhere in the world.” With a telephone, anyone is able to speak to anyone else in the world. With a television, anyone can virtually be anywhere in the world by touching a screen. Yes, gadgets have changed the way we think, the way we see, the way we go, to where we go, and how we think about certain things. Time and space seemingly are defined by gadgets that exist…everywhere. However, when the end comes no gadget will make a difference.

The Bible Will Make a Difference

The Bible not simply can, but WILL make a difference if believed and received as the infallible, inerrant and absolute truth from God. Why the Bible does not make a difference for everyone is found in this statement by Paul in Colossians 2:4-11, “I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 6 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 In him you also were circumcised—not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ.”

The truth is found in every morsel of every word from the Apostle, but these verses must be read in context even though this phrase does stand out, “Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”  Secular humanism has trampled underfoot the Word of God, but cannot and will not defeat Him. Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘secular humanism’ as being “humanistic philosophy viewed as a nontheistic religion antagonistic to traditional religion.” This religion is about man as being the center of existence and the reason for living. There is no purpose in life other than or outside of human reasoning.

Sometimes some may think we overuse particular Bible verses, but the reality His truths cannot be overused, “You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:14-17. In reference to humanism and secularism, Bible believers must rely upon what God’s truths teach and apply them to daily life for in doing so we learn to become wise.

The Bible will make a difference in the life of everyone who follows Jesus because this Book is the manual for living that He has given to us. The Secular Humanists decry the Scripture and encourage everyone to participate in most things called ‘sin’ therein. “But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that. Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession for in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you before God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who made his good confession before Pontius Pilate, to obey this command without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ —whose appearing the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reveal at the right time.” 1 Timothy 6:11-15.

The Bible can and will make a difference in your life, but you must first pick it up, read it and apply it to your daily life…

Jesus is Lord.

The Net2 Bible translation is used unless otherwise noted.

Cousin comes down with the flu and everyone else in the room is affected and everyone finds themselves with the same thing…”Creeping Crud” has become a reality. This is not a syndrome or a symptom. This is a disease of huge proportions which most often begins with one person, and before it is realized large numbers are infected, and a simple infection can and most often does become a major new disease of some sort.

One Solution; One Cure

Sin was introduced to one person in the beginning; one simple disease has had major implications for every person that has ever lived or who will ever live. Sin is mulitfaceted and much worse than any kind of physical illness for sin is spiritual and most will be eternally damned. There is but one solution; one cure and His Name is Jesus Christ. There is hope for everyone, but not everyone will make the right decision, “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15.

In the Garden, Eve was tempted and she ‘bit the apple’ so to speak and she then shared the sweet and irresistible moment with her husband Adam. And this simple rebellion against God spread to their family in the form of murder; Cain killed his brother Abel in Genesis 4 and the epidemic was unleashed upon the earth. “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (although it is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed— namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:21-23.

Because all have sinned in the light of God’s glory Jesus became faithful unto death and everyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life by God’s redeeming grace. There is no other way to have your name placed in the Book of Life and when the end does come your name must have been written there. For if your name is not found there you will be cast into the Lake of Fire for all of eternity. Eternity is a very long time.

The cure and only solution is found in the person of Jesus Christ. “But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this household, because he too is a son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:8-10.

The ‘Creeping Crud’ has been around for a very long time. “The earth was ruined in the sight of God; the earth was filled with violence. God saw the earth, and indeed it was ruined, for all living creatures on the earth were sinful. So God said to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy them and the earth.” Genesis 6:11-13. “All living creatures on the earth were sinful” in the eyes of God. What terrible things had happened upon the earth in a relatively short span of time. But there was more to come and then came His judgment upon the nation of Egypt; there were the plagues and then their demise at the Red Sea. This is followed by the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 which was built to preserve what might be considered the unity of man, “But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had started building. And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. Come, let’s go down and confuse their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” Man, again, had become exceedingly sinful, but this time it was the sin of pride. And there was more to come because mankind did not seem to be satisfied and they began to lust after one another.

But soon thereafter we find the story of Abram, but God changes his name to Abraham because he demonstrated intense faith toward Him. Abraham was righteous. Abraham had a nephew named Lot and both of them became very prosperous. Because of their prosperity, they decided to go their separate ways and Lot settled in the area where two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were filled with all sorts of abominations. “So the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant that I must go down and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. If not, I want to know.” Genesis 18:20-21. This is a unique view into the relationship that God has with Abraham which demonstrates the intimacy that Abraham is allowed with God. Abraham’s intervention was not enough to overshadow the horrible sin that filled the region, “The sun had just risen over the land as Lot reached Zoar. Then the Lord rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. So he overthrew those cities and all that region, including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew from the ground.” Genesis 19:23-25.

Jesus’ Crucifixion is the End Result of Man’s Rebellion

Many centuries replete with God’s prophets who spoke concerning the coming Messiah, but the Nation of Israel refused to believe and accept what God was doing. Jesus steps onto the stage of human drama in order to provide a means for mankind to find His way, His means of escaping what is to come. Jesus’ message was simple, “whosoever believes in Me will be saved.” few have chosen to follow after Him for just as He said, the narrow way is difficult and arduous and for that reason, there will be few who will choose that narrow path of righteousness.

What we know concerning the death of Jesus Christ is simple, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25. The meaning of Jesus’ words is clear enough. Most Bible scholars and preachers interpret this passage to mean literally what Jesus says, Believers must deny themselves to know God’s will and just as Jesus prayed in the garden, “He went away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”  Luke 22:41-42. Just as Jesus denied himself and went obediently to the cross, we must sometimes deny what we want in order to obey God. Rebellion against God is to do what we would want instead of following what God requires of us. Because of man’s rebellion and denial of Christ, He was put to death. His death was the end result of sin.

What Does ‘Creeping Crud’ Look Like?

The simple answer is dark and ugly. For this reason, we are instructed by Paul to put on the full armor of God, “Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:10-13. Paul refers to the temptation of Satan as being the “schemes of the devil.”

But what is the “Creeping Crud?” For our purposes, I will simply say that this disease is sin and can be identified in spiritual terms as cancer. The problem with cancer is that it comes in many forms attacking the body. Sin comes in many forms attacking the heart and life of every human being. The Bible describes all kinds of sin and Moses discusses some in the Ten Commandments found in Exodus chapter 20 and Paul presents a list of sin by simply pointing out that no one practicing these things will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, 1 Corinthians 6 and in Galatians 5. But in 1 John 5:17 we find this, “All unrighteousness is sin.”

The most egregious thing could be that many people within the realms of religion will become angry when confronted with the idea that the Bible really does tell us that Believers are able to identify people who are going to Hell. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside? But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you.” These are those who are infected with the “Creeping Crud.” Plain an simple and I really understand the Bible calls this stuff “sin.”

Jesus is Lord.

One of my big complaints and regrets is hearing and having said from a pulpit that “We MUST be soul-winners!!” But, there is nothing further from the truth of God’s Word than that false statement. Folks, there is only One soul-winner and He did that on the Cross!! His Name is Jesus Christ for He paid the price of redemption!! However, what He did say is simple enough, “Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20 HCSB.

Believers Are TO BE Messengers of The Gospel

From Proverbs 11:30, we find this statement which seems to be the ‘anchor’ statement for the proclamation of being a ‘soul-winner,’ “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

And he who is wise wins souls.” NASB. And from the KJV, “The fruit of the righteous [is] a tree of life; and he that winneth souls [is] wise.”

“While it is true that evangelistic soul-winning is wise work, soul-winning is not all that this verse is talking about. The idea here is that wise people influence others to follow the way of wisdom, which includes turning to God for salvation. Soul-Winning or Wise Living?” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50:3 (September 2007):517-35.

Some Hebrew scholars suggest that the word translated as ‘wins’ can also be translated as being ‘taking or capturing.’ However, the best understanding of Proverbs 11:30 seems to be that a righteous person will be one who practices the teaching from God’s Word and thereby influences others with His abundant grace. A wise person will teach others the wisdom found in God’s Word and the place to begin is proclaiming the saving grace of Jesus Christ, thus influencing lost souls to confess Jesus Christ as Savior. Admittedly, this can be construed as ‘winning souls,’ but this is stretching the truth. For Just as Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16 NASB.

Jesus, Alone, Saves

From Romans 5:8-9 we find these words, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” NASB, and from the KJV, “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. {in due time: or, according to the time} For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The understanding from God’s Word should be that Jesus Christ is THE soul winner, but we ARE His ambassadors, “Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Chapter 6 Working together with Him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive God’s grace in vain.” 2 For He says: I heard you in an acceptable time, and I helped you in the day of salvation. Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.” Romans 5:8-6:2 HCSB.

What we do know is this, we are to work with Him in making proclamation of His Gospel because today is the day of salvation, today is the acceptable time to know Him. And there are many verses of Scripture that can be used stating this truth. In his first letter to the Corinthian church, the Apostle addresses the weak, those who are obviously weak-will or in moral consciousness such as the Jewish community. In our day and time we can point out the LBGQT community and those that support their practices, and many who may profess to be ‘Christian,’ but their immorality says otherwise. In Corinthians 5:22b we find Paul doing this very thing when he states that, “I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.” He does everything amoral while addressing their immorality. That is, he attempts to look past the ‘fog of blindness’ in order to move them into the light of the Gospel, to the Savior.

Becoming All Things to All People

“Although I am a free man and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. 21 To those who are without that law, like one without the law—not being without God’s law but within Christ’s law—to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, so I may become a partner in its benefits.” 1 Corinthians 5:19-23 HCSB.

There is no real necessity to return to my original premise which is, God did not call me nor anyone who chooses to follow Jesus Christ, to be ‘Soul Winners’ as such. However, we are directly instructed by Him to ‘disciple the Nations.’ It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict the lost soul of sin, judgment, and righteousness, and it is the willful choice of everyone who hears to respond to this, “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we preach), 9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation. 11 For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13 NET2.

Jesus remains Lord.

All Scripture references are from the NASB translation.

“Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said* to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said* to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” John 13:5-11 NASB.

This conversation is one of the most vivid caricatures depicting the heart and soul of most who may be Followers of Christ. Peter is the most tempestuous among the Twelve who publicly denies Christ and is later restored by Him. Iscariot is obviously the most deceitful within the disciples as he walked in the steps of Jesus and sold Him for 30 pieces of silver which he did not want. The spiritual father of Iscariot was no doubt, Satan whose only desire was to establish his hatred which would result in death for the One who tossed Him from the ranks of angels.

Lost people are made from the same stuff as that of Judas Iscariot which is filthy rags that are unfit to clothe any Saint. Peter recognized his need to be made clean when he came face to face with his Master. It may have been that Peter misunderstood is that his dirty feet must also be washed by Christ. Have your feet been washed? Has your heart been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb?

Lost people live lives of deception and death every day, but one day that will be an eternal-long decision if they choose not to follow Jesus Christ. They will have denied and betrayed Him one last time at which moment there will be no opportunity to turn from their sin. Jesus’ call for faith will not be theirs to hear forever.

A Most Remarkable Moment

Everyone who will read this has had a moment or will have a moment that is life-changing. Those who have had such a moment(s) will want to tell everyone. There is the first-caught fish, the first deer kill, the first kiss…there is always a ‘first’ moment, and everyone will hear. Those ‘most memorable’ moments are that way because they only happen one time and are never to be repeated kind of events. Peter had his when he had this exchange with Jesus, “Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter said* to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”

Do you notice how long it took Peter to realize his mistake? “Right now; not in a few minutes or tomorrow, and his friend Jesus did not have to wait, either. “…wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Peter was prepared for a body bath, not a foot rub!! We can laugh and I am certain that Peter and the other disciples had a laugh or two through the weeks, months and years when they compared experiences around a campfire. I can tell you my moment(s) with God when He spoke and got hold of my heart…do you have a minute or two?

The one moment that changed my life was the moment I came to know Him by faith at the end of the last day of VBS in the FBC of Lubbock, Texas. My friend Johnny and I walked to the front of that huge sanctuary and spoke to Dr. Grant, the Pastor. He asked me, “Why are you here?” Well, the rest is history, but that moment was life-changing because Jesus washed not my feet, He cleansed my heart…all of me!!. What is your story?

Jesus is Lord.

All Scripture references are taken from the NASB translation unless otherwise stated.

In 1956 a soap opera with the name “The Edge of Night” was introduced to daytime television and lasted until 1984; the long-running episodes were concurrently produced by CBS and ABC. This statement about this epic show is made only because of the title given to this article which was sort of a subtitle for the soap. But, as I look at it there is a difference between darkness and night. Night is but a few hours long and the idea of darkness is seeming without end; no possible end in sight. However, what we know from the Word of God is as the night will end in a few hours from the moment the impending shadows are grown from the retreating sun.

Retreat From The Light

Darkness is a spiritual and evil retreat produced by Satan and the spiritual light of righteousness that comes from God. What we know from experience and by reading the Word of God, darkness is simply the absence of light, but the darkness cannot comprehend the light. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.” John 1:1-9 NASB.

These early verses of the Gospel of John are the introduction to the true story of God’s entrance to upon the stage of humanity. The Greek word used by the writer is ‘λόγος’ and the English transliteration is ‘Logos,’ and Jesus is the ‘Logos,’ the living Word. Jesus is the God-man or God becoming flesh. What we know from reading this text is that the Logos was needed for the Creation as we understand it from reading Genesis chapters 1-3 for “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:3. With that one simple statement, we discover that this man Jesus has a strong connection with Creator God. But wait a minute for there is more; much more. “he Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” John 10:24-30.

Jesus speaks of God being His Father and that He gives eternal life tho those who believe in Him, AND that He and the Father, God, are one and the same Person. For the Jewish leaders serving in the Temple in Jerusalem, this was blasphemy and a reason for death.

What we witness in the Gospel Narratives, all of them; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, is the retreat from the light of God, His righteousness, His Son, the Logos; a retreat from Jesus Christ the Messiah. The Light, the righteousness of God, is introduced into the darkness which had crept onto the scene of mankind way back in the beginning of time, Genesis 3:1-5 gives witness to the entrance of sin into the heart of mankind, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The Light of Righteousness Separates from the Darkness of Sin

Have you ever observed how oil and water will separate when introduced together in a dish? Simply stated, the chemical nature of oil and water molecules are different and cannot mix. The same idea is true for darkness and light cannot mix. However, there is an enormous difference between light and dark: darkness exists until the light is presented. AND there is another extreme difference between the light of God as opposed to the darkness of Satan. God has always been; His righteousness has always been. God simply is just as His righteousness. Satan introduced unrighteousness because he CHOSE to disobey God. He chose to want to be like God and because of His unrighteousness he was removed from a place of importance as an angel, a created being. “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.” Ezekiel 28:14-15. A similar note is made in Isaiah 12:14-15, but this note must be attached.

(The contexts from these two biblical texts tell us that these statements primarily concern themselves with Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon. However, the evidence also relates to Satan. What we must understand about the Bible is simple; we are able to make the application of a biblical reference to more than one. And, yes, it is possible and is sometimes done, to make an application of a biblical text which absolutely inappropriate and great care must be taken.)

God is Sovereign over all things because He is Creator of all things, and this includes the angels and the angels who rebelled and were removed from their places close to the Throne of God. This indicates that there is a great divide that separates God’s righteousness and Satan’s unrighteousness; Light and Darkness.

“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:4-5. Did you see what John writes? “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” John now tells us that Jesus is both life and light, and that life shines in the darkness which does not comprehend the light. The entirety of the 4 Gospel narratives demonstrates many times the differences between light and darkness, Satan and Jesus Christ. The most remarkable instance is the meeting of Jesus and Satan in the wilderness, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.” Luke 4:1-2, but the entire event is in verses 1-13. The very last temptation ends with Jesus condemning Satan with these words, “It is said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.” verse 12. And this is what a person in rebellion, in denial of Jesus Christ does. This is what sin is; testing of the Lord.

One of the best examples of this ‘testing of God’ is found in John 8:1-12 an example of the Light shining in darkness, “The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4 they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” This confrontation speaks of ‘testing.’ Not one stone was cast at the woman and her accusers fled the scene, but Jesus is left alone with her. He was with the ‘darkness’ among the Pharisees and is with the ‘darkness’ of the woman. “He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” John 8:9b-11. The Pharisees were speechless and the woman was without recourse, and Jesus simply tells her to “sin no more.” The starkness between His light their darkness is remarkable.

The sin of the Pharisees, the lawyers among the Jewish leadership and the sin of the woman caught in adultery is similar: ignorance concerning their darkness and unrighteousness before the Law of God. No doubt these people knew of Jesus because of the miracles and teaching in and around Jerusalem, but to meet Him as they do, no doubt is enlightening. His words are penetrating, “neither do I condemn you.”

The Light Brings Judgment

Recalling the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 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. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:18-21.

What we find here is the fact that those who refuse to accept the gift of eternal life by faith will find themselves condemned because of their evil. Jesus is speaking to Jewish people, remember and can say to them that they must practice the righteousness of the Law in order to come to the light, but Jesus’ as Light and Righteousness changes everything. No longer do righteous acts produce a relationship with God. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:4-10, “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. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Christ expresses both the Light of Righteousness and the Word of Truth in the darkness of the world. Are you understanding this truth?

Jesus is Lord.

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.” 9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)” Ephesians 4:1-10 NASB.

Paul continues his letter with the word, “therefore.” This is important, therefore, (no pun intended) to enumerate what the Apostle said in his prayer at the end of chapter 3:

1. to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
2. that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
3. to comprehend with all the saints the breadth and length and height and depth concerning the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
4. be filled up to all the fullness of God.

THAT is an enormous thought to continue with into the next few thoughts of the Apostle. But, we do not want to lose sight of what the prayer consists of because we know that God answers the prayer of faithful people.

His prayer essentially asks God to empower us to “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” What is this calling? It is the calling of God as expressed by the Apostle in other Pauline contexts:

1. Romans 11:29; the calling of God is irrevocable.

2. Philippians 3:14; the upward call of God is in Christ Jesus.

3. 2 Thessalonians 1:11: that our God will count you worthy of your calling

4. 2 Timothy 1:9: has saved us and called us with a holy calling

God calls us from the darkness of sin to the eternal light of the Risen Savior. What can be seen within these verses is that the call of God is a high calling, a holy calling and in Ephesians 4:4 we find that this calling is the eternal hope to serve Him which comes only from God alone and as such belongs only to the Followers of the Christ. This is why the beloved hymn rings so true today, “all to Jesus I surrender, I surrender all.” Only those called of God and become Followers of the Christ are enabled to surrender everything that God has made them to be.

Walk the Way You Talk

Within verses. 1-4 we are encouraged and are petitioned with urgency, “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling.”

Easy it would be to say something about every word in vv 2 and 3, but these are easily understood, but “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling” is really something that is far too often overlooked. We, in our culture, may have lost sight of the idea of “walking in a worthy manner.”

In Genesis 5:24 we find that “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” This man walked with God for 969 years.

If a professing Christian does not walk as his mouth portrays or his talk does not match the walk, just as Jesus told Peter, ”So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!”  But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” Matthew 16:22-23 NET2.

And in 1 John 1:6-7, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

From Isaiah 43:1-2 is something to know, “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.”

We May Not Be Always be Worthy, But We Can Be…

No matter the difficulty we might encounter what we must know is that God is always faithful for just as He promised to be with Jacob through high and difficult waters and the fires of tribulation to come he is told, “Do not frear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”l We belong to Him, we are His alone and He is our hope in glory!!! How can we not walk in a manner worthy of our calling? Only if we are not born-again; Only if we do not belong to Him is it not possible to walk in a manner worthy of His calling.

Jesus is Lord.