How Does The Jerusalem Council Apply To Me?

Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council ... when you first read it, you will probably respond like I always have that it was a problem that isn’t really relevant to me.  After all, I really have never given a single thought to believing that circumcision is necessary for salvation.  But as you dig into the passage you see that the issue at hand goes much deeper than circumcision and it is actually very relevant to life today and central to maintaining the integrity of the doctrine of justification.

What was the heart of the problem at the Jerusalem Council? Pride ... and it manifested itself in two different ways.  

The Loss of Stature

The Jewish Christians were terrified at the thought of the new Gentile believers destroying the traditions that had characterized their faith and their families for centuries.  I wonder if they were even terrified at the thought of even including the Gentiles at all ... that somehow by including the Gentiles they wouldn’t be as special or set apart.

Do you hold the traditions of your faith so hight that you are unwilling to accept new believers who may look different into your circle?

The Loss of Control

The Jewish Christians felt that if the new Gentile believers weren’t circumcised then they were not truly believers of Christ. This thought implies that Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross wasn’t enough to pay the penalty of our sins and that somehow something more was needed.  This too is prevalent in our culture and if I am honest I can say that it is even prevalent in my life at times.  We may say that we don’t believe in a works based gospel and that works aren’t required for our salvation, but so often that is not what we live and the gospel that we impose on others. Recognizing our sin and our separation from a Holy God and then repentance and acceptance of Jesus’ work on the cross is enough for salvation and for entry into the family of God. No other requirement is necessary for that salvation.  Church ordinances, membership, or traditions aren’t necessary for salvation.  Jesus’ work on the cross is enough.  When we put ourselves in this position where we are striving and working to meet some bar or level of achievement we are pridefully saying that the work of Jesus isn’t enough.  You are powerless to save yourself ... there is no work you can do.

What gospel are you living out in your life? Is it the true gospel of “salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone” or does your life reflect a Jesus (+) gospel.

Justification

Justification.  Such a big intimidating word yet it can be the most beautiful word you have ever heard if you are a believer in Jesus Christ.  The doctrine of justification is the heart of what the gospel is.  Our position in Christ and our relationship to Christ hinges on this doctrine.  Simply, justification means that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone through grace alone.  

Who are we?

Our flesh nature is nasty and sinful.  One of my favorite passages to remind myself exactly what my flesh can look like and who I am apart from Jesus Christ is Romans 3.  Apart from Jesus Christ, we are dead in our sins.

10 As it is written:

   “There is no one righteous, not even one;
 11 there is no one who understands;
   there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
   they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
   not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves;
   their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
 16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

This passage reminds us that NO ONE is good.  Who we are in our flesh isn’t pretty.  I talked about what this looks like in my life in part of my testimony, The Good Girl Syndrome.  

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the second person of the Trinity.  Fully God and fully man, He was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life while on earth.  He died on a cross where He bore the full weight of the sin of mankind in order to pay the penalty that is required for sin. He was resurrected on the third day and then ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father.

Why is justification necessary?

God is Holy and can not tolerate sin. In our sinful state, we can not enter the presence of God.  We can not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ here on earth nor can we spend eternity in heaven with Him.  Sin separates us.  Jesus’ work on the cross removes the barrier and Christ’s righteousness is imputed (transferred) to the sinner.  Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, a sinner is declared righteous in the sight of God.

How are you justified?

A believer is justified when they are drawn to faith by the Holy Spirit.  They recognize their separation from God and their need for a Savior and in repentance confess this sin and need.

When does justification occur?

A sinner is justified once at conversion and does not have to “earn” God’s favor.  Once a believer is declared “not guilty” and “now righteous,” it is a complete work.  It is common for our flesh to want to feel like we have to work for or earn the work of justification, but when we do that, we diminish Christ’s work on the cross.  Tomorrow’s post will look further into this temptation as we look at Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council.

Have you come to the point in your life where you believe that being aware of your sin and separation from God, you have repented of your sin and believed that by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone you can be declared righteous in the eyes of God?

Exploring the Trinity: Part 4 The Holy Spirit

Who is the Holy Spirit? How does the Holy Spirit work in our lives?

Salvation

We talked earlier this week about the role that the three members of the Trinity play in salvation. The Holy Spirit’s work in salvation is to call a sinful, spiritually-dead person into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Sanctification

Have you ever wondered that if all three members of the trinity are fully God, which means they are holy, why is the Spirit the only one that has the word “holy” in front of their name? Is it because the Spirit is more holy than the Father or the Son? 

The Spirit is holy, but no more than the Father or the Son. Perhaps it is called the Holy Spirit because one of the main works of the Holy Spirit is to make us holy by acting as a sanctifier in our lives.

“But just as the he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ ” 1 Peter 1:15-16

Theologian R.C. Sproul defines sanctification as the process of being made holy or righteous. (2) The Holy Spirit aids in the process of believers becoming more holy. We must also participate. 

Counselor

The word helper can also mean “comforter” or “counselor.” These words come from the Greek word paraclete. In the ancient world, a paraclete was someone summoned to give assistance or help in the court of law. The Holy Spirit fulfills the role of paraclete in a believer’s life in a couple of different ways.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever ... the Spirit of truth.” John 14:16

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all of these things and will remind you of everything I said to you.” John 14:26

Intercessor

The Holy Spirit helps in our prayers. When we don’t know what to say or how to say it, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. When we refer to the Holy Spirit as a paraclete, this also shows us that the Holy Spirit is a comforter. 

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness! We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words can not express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” Romans 8:26-27

Power

It is because of the Holy Spirit that we as believers have the power to be a witness for Jesus Christ and share the Good News of the Gospel message.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

We may be tempted to think of the Holy Spirit as a power or force, but the Holy Spirit is the third PERSON of the Trinity whom we can have a real relationship with.

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14

It goes against our human logic to think about a relationship with anything named “Spirit,” but as the third PERSON of the trinity, it is possible! The Holy Spirit is a real, powerful person. 

We only covered a few of the roles or ways that the Holy Spirit is present in our lives. The verses below list additional ways the Holy Spirit impacts our lives.

Isaiah 44:3, Mark 13:11, John 7:37-39, Acts 1:5, 8, Romans 8:9-11, Romans 8:14, Romans 8:26-27, 1 Corinthians 2:10-14, Titus 3:5-7, 1 Peter 1:2

Source

Questions to Ponder:

What is present in my life that is hindering the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit?

Will I stop viewing the Holy Spirit as a power or force and see the Holy Spirit as the powerful third PERSON of the Trinity? Will I spend time cultivating that relationship?

Exploring the Trinity: Part 3 The Son

Who is Jesus? What do we know about Him? What was His role? We may often think of Jesus in a manger or on the cross, but we know less about Him as our high priest/mediator and the incarnate Word of God. 

From Scripture we know that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-23) and that He perfectly revealed and did the will of God when He took upon himself human nature and lived His life without sin. We know that Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and that no other human has lived a perfect life and met every requirement of God’s law. By fulfilling His purpose and coming to earth in human form, He was able to become a sacrifice for our sin. 

You may have heard the term High Priest, also called an advocate or mediator. Jesus serves as our High Priest before the Father. He mediates before the Father and explains that we are worthy because of His sacrifice.

When we say that Jesus is the Incarnate God, we are saying that Jesus, who is God, took on a human nature. Just like it is hard to think about each member of the Trinity being fully God and yet there is one God, it is hard to think that Jesus was fully human and fully God. Although it is hard to wrap our human minds around this truth, it is a very encouraging and comforting truth in our Christian life.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

 “‘He will command his angels concerning you, 

 and they will lift you up in their hands, 

 so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

I know what you are thinking … of course it was easy for Jesus not to sin, He is God! Although Jesus is fully God and fully man, when He faced temptation, He faced it in the same manner as you would. He faced it as a human. Jesus didn’t overcome temptations in a divine way, but used the same outlets that you as a believer have to overcome temptation: the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. Each time that Satan came at Him with an attack, Jesus used specific Scripture to respond. Jesus did not use anything to overcome Satan’s temptations that a believer today does not have access to. 

Source

Questions to Ponder:

How do I view Jesus? Do I view Him only as a baby in a manger or do I view Him God incarnate the second person of the Trinity?

Do I know enough of God’s Word to be able to fend off the attacks of the enemy?

Exploring the Trinity: Part 2 The Father

Source

Does your brain hurt? Has thinking about the greatness and majesty of the Trinity worn you out? Take a breath! We have learned a lot about the mystery of the Trinity in just the first day! 

The doctrine of the Trinity is a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. If you feel overwhelmed like you just can’t figure it all out … that’s OK! Our human minds will never be able to fully understand everything about God, including the Trinity, but it does help for us to study this doctrine. It shows us who God is and what He is like. It shows us how we can relate to Him and how He can relate to us. 

Today, we are going to look more in depth at the Father and the roles that each member played in creation as well as the role each plays in a believer’s salvation. 

We learned yesterday that each member of the Trinity is fully God and has all the attributes of God. Each member of the Trinity is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. The only distinction between the members is the ways they relate to each other and to creation. They are “equal in being but subordinate in role.” What exactly does this mean? The Father is the head of the Trinity, and the Son and the Holy Spirit are subordinate to the Father. The Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Son.

As women, we can’t pass over this truth of the Son and the Holy Spirit being subordinate to the Father without us also talking about how that applies to our marriages. What a great reminder and example to us as women to see this subordinate relationship. It can be seen as a reflection of our marriage relationship. That we as women are equal in being to our husbands but subordinate in role. We can take this lesson one step farther when we look at how Jesus humbled himself when He came to earth. Even though He is the second member of the Trinity, He became subordinate to the Holy Spirit, who was the third member of the Trinity. In His Incarnation, He put himself under the Holy Spirit. He obeyed the Spirit, even to His death on the cross.

Creation:

The members of the Trinity are eternal. There was never a time that they did not exist. Because we know they are eternal, we can know that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were present at creation. Let’s look at each of their activities or roles in creation.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.’ ” Genesis 1:26

God uses the plural verb “us.” Although the word “Trinity” isn’t used here, theologians and church fathers unanimously agree that this plural use of the verb is referring to the Trinity.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him noting was made that has been made.” John 1:1-3

“But in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” Hebrews 1:2

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2

These passages show us that all three members of the Trinity were present at creation. The Father originated, planned, and directed creation (Genesis 1:1). Jesus was the agent that actually carried out creation (John 1:3 & Hebrews 1:2). The Holy Spirit can also been seen “hovering over the waters” at creation (Genesis 1:2).

Salvation

“For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” John 6:38

“Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” John 3:5-6

The Father planned and directed the way for man to be reconciled to God, or in a simpler way the Father planned and directed salvation for mankind (John 3:16). Jesus was the agent or way that salvation was carried out (John 6:38).The Holy Spirit is given to the believer at salvation (John 3:5-6).

Author Wayne Grudem says this of the Father: “The role of commanding, directing, and sending is appropriate to the position of the father, after whom all human fatherhood is patterned.” How incredible that we can look to the Trinity as a pattern for earthly fatherhood. We can see that the Father is the head of the Trinity, and we can see how He relates to the Son and the Holy Spirit. Some of us have had positive experiences with our earthly fathers. We have seen this pattern modeled in our families. Others of us have not had the same experience. We may have had a Father who left us or let us down, but God offers fatherhood to anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ as the Savior for their sins. 

Questions to Ponder:

Has my view of submission changed after learning about the submission of the Son and the Holy Spirit to the Father? How can I apply this truth about submission to my life?

If you are a Christian, how will you thank your heavenly Father today?

Exploring the Trinity: Part 1

Today is our first day to dive into the Trinity.  This post will help explain what we are up to this week.

What is the Trinity?

There isn’t one specific passage in Scripture that spells out what the Trinity is. It can be seen from Genesis to Revelation, and all of Scripture testifies to its truth. We will look at many of these passages this week. I won’t be able to talk about each one, but I do encourage you to take the time to look them up. They build upon what is mentioned here.

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the deep mysteries of God. Whether you are hearing the word for the first time or haven’t heard it since children’s church, it is hard for us to wrap our finite human minds around this deep truth. 

What is the definition of the Trinity? 

 It means that God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God. (1)

What does it really mean to say that God is a Trinity? 

What it means to say that God is a Trinity can be explained by looking at the words essence and person. Essence answers the question “What are you?” Person answers the question “Who are you?” So when can say that God is a Trinity, we are saying that God exists as “one essence” (God) and “three persons” (Father, Son, Spirit). The Trinity is made up of 3 “who’s” and 1 “what.”

How can one person be three distinct persons?

Source

Some may falsely say that God isn’t three distinct persons, but that He plays three different roles and is really the same person. That He just takes on different roles as needed. The Bible clearly indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons.

When we read Mark 1:10-11, we can see the three distinct persons of the Trinity.

“As Jesus (Son) was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit (Holy Spirit) descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. (God the Father)” Mark 1:10-11 NIV

So what does it mean then that the three persons of the Trinity are distinct? It means that the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. They are all three distinct from another, yet they are all fully God.

You may be thinking ... how can each part of the Trinity be fully God, yet there is only one God? So maybe each part of the Trinity is one-third of who God is, but God is not a circle you can divide into three parts. All three parts, Father, Son, and Spirit, are 100% God!

I know—it seems that I have lost my mind because it sounds impossible to say that each member of the Trinity can be 100% God. It goes against everything that we have ever learned about math! We can also see this when we look at the character of who God is. We can’t divide God into pieces or percentages.

Incorrect View Correct View

God God

Mercy—10% Mercy—100%

Judge—20% Judge—100%

Love—30% Love—100%

Wrath—40% Wrath—100%

Colossians 1:19 tells us “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him (Jesus).” 

The three persons of the Trinity are fully God. There isn’t a difference in their attributes or essential nature, they are each fully God and have all the attributes of God. Each member of the Trinity is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. The only distinction between the members of the Trinity is in the ways they relate to one another and to creation. They are “equal in being but subordinate in role.” (1) 

Source

Questions to Ponder:

How does the truth that God’s character isn’t something we can divide into equal parts (10% justice, 10% love, etc.) change the way I view Him?

How do I view each member of the Trinity? 

The Trinity

Source

I heard a quote recently that reinforced my desire to study doctrine/theology and have a solid understanding of why I believe what I believe.

“Wimpy theology makes wimpy women.”  John Piper

Last month we started off talking about the reasons to study doctrine and then we began our study with the Authority of God’s Word. This week we are going to take a look at the doctrine of the Trinity. These posts won’t be as easy to read. This doctrine is deep and requires us to pray for a clear understanding. It will probably seem more like you are studying for an exam, but hang in there and learn with me. We don’t want to be wimpy women! We want to be strong women of God. 

Ask God to help give you understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity so that you more fully understand who God is and how you can relate to Him. 

See you tomorrow.

How Firm a Foundation

I have a confession to make ... it may sound stuffy, old, and out dated, but I must confess that I love hymns.  I love to listen to praise and worship music too and you can find David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, and Christy Nockels on my iPod, but I over the last few years I have fallen in love with what I used to call "old" hymns.  So many of them are filled with theology and doctrine and many are straight from scripture.   At Bible study yesterday morning, we sang one of my favorites: "How Firm a Foundation."  You can find almost direct quotes from Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:2, 2 Corinthians 12:9, and Hebrews 13:5 in this hymn.   Something about singing these verses out loud just makes me what to raise my hands in victory!  

How Firm a Foundation

(Rippons Selection of Hymns, 1787)

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said

Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

"Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

"When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply.

The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I'll never, no never, no never, forsake!"

Glad I could get that off my chest today. :)  Do any of you share my love of hymns and want to join the "Bring back the hymnals movement"?  What is your favorite? 

Authority of Scripture Part 2

Yesterday we talked about the reason behind why the Bible is composed the way it is. Today we are going to look at how we can KNOW that the Bible is God’s Word. There are some basic facts you can know and share with others that point to the Bible as God’s Word and therefore the ultimate authority of truth, but even when we know the background and the facts there is still a faith element involved. We still have to believe in faith that all Scripture is from God.

Question #2: 

Was the Bible authored by God or men?

This is a common question that most people have about the Bible. The simple answer with a complex explanation is that God is the author of the Bible. You will often see the word “inspired” connected with the thought of God’s authorship of the Bible. The term “inspired” refers to God’s revelation to prophets in the Old Testament and God’s revelation through the Holy Spirit to the writers of the New Testament.

Question #3:

How can we know for our own spiritual walk and then be able to explain to others that the Bible is God’s Word? 

• The Bible tells us that Scripture is from God.

“All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

• In the Old Testament, we constantly see “Thus says the Lord.”  
• Old Testament prophets use language like “The the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth” (Jeremiah 1:9).
• In the New Testament, we see several passages that refer to the Old Testament as God’s Word. (2 Peter 1:21)

• The Bible is historically accurate

• Bible scholars and historians have compared the Bible with other writings and manuscripts from the periods when the Bible was written and it is consistently accurate.

• Fulfillment of Prophecy

• If you have ever studied the Old Testament, you have seen how many prophecies that were given in the Old Testament were fulfilled in the New Testament. Last year, I studied Isaiah and it was particularly encouraging to me to see all the prophecies about Jesus that were given in Isaiah and then fulfilled in the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

When I look at all the arguments for the authority of God’s Word, for me personally by far the most convincing argument for the ultimate authority of Scripture is my own personal transformation due to the Scripture. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the Bible has transformed my life. In the words of Scripture I find: strength to endure difficult situations, conviction of the sin in my life, realization of the fulfillment of prophecy, and promise of a glorious hope to come.

Wayne Grudem defines authority of scripture with the following definition:

“The authority of Scripture means that all words in the Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God.”

The above definition confirms that if we don’t believe the Bible is the Word of God then we disbelieve God. As believers, just as we have faith that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified on a cross, and rose three days later, we must also believe in faith that the Bible is the inspired Word of God “alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Because the Bible was authored by God and is the standard of truth, we can’t pick and chose what parts we want to apply to our lives and what parts we don’t.

Question #4: 

Do I know what the Bible says about God’s Word?

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth; It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-12).

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Questions to Ponder...

Would I be able to answer questions about the authorship and authority of the Bible if challenged by a non-believer?

Do I pick and choose which parts of scripture I want to apply? Do I only want to focus on the passages about God’s mercy and love and skip over His justice and requirements for holy living?

Resources: 

Bible Doctrine: Essential teachings of the Christian Faith by Wayne Grudem

Why We Believe the Bible by John Piper: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/seminars/why-we-believe-the-bible-part-1

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by RC Sproul