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Posts Tagged ‘New Testament’

Holiness is a matter of the heart

Posted in Attributes, Bible, God, Holiness, Holy, Legalism, Walking with God, tagged , , , , on May 20, 2011|

Jesus said,  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”  Matthew 23:27.

He meant they appeared to be clean on the outside, but inside they were nothing but a grave, full of the bones and carcases of dead men.  Jesus was getting at the issue of holiness.  Holiness is not outward compliance with rules and regulations . . . that is the definition of legalism.

Holiness is a heart transformed, desiring to go God’s way.  For the  truly holy man or woman, no outward rules are required.  The desire to please God, to obey God, to maintain fellowship with God will keep him or her from evil.  The Christian has very few outward restraints on his or her conduct.  The restraint is borne out of relationship with God.

May your heart be transformed so that you require no outward rules to make or keep you holy, but only a desire to please the heart of the Father, a love for the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Gospel of John (John 1:4 . . . application)

Posted in Attributes, Bible, Bible Study, God, John, Light, New Testament, tagged , , , , on March 26, 2011|

In our last post, we considered John 1:4 which says:  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Later in the John’s gospel, in Chapter 12, he records Jesus saying, ” I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”   For the believer, Jesus is promising an end to living (abiding) in darkness.

Ephesians 5:8 and 11 says:  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. . . 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

What changes about light and darkness for the follower of Christ?

The believer doesn’t become a light, but rather the light in the believer’s life comes from God, from Jesus dwelling within Him.  We are vessels for the light.   Galatians tell us, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20).

By the Spirit of God dwelling in the believer, he or she becomes a light.  Jesus also said we should let our light shine, let others see the light that is in us.  It is not meant to be hidden.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna’ let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna’ let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna’ let it shine.
Let it shine!  Let it shine!  Let it shine!


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Gospel of John (1:4)

Posted in Attributes, Bible, God, John, Light, New Testament, tagged , , , , , on March 25, 2011|

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

This verse is speaking of Jesus, but light and life are possessed by all three persons of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), and light and life are also possessed by those who respond to the gospel message.

Life (2 aspects)

  • Physical Life – Jesus was present at creation, with the Father.  The name of God in Genesis 1:1 is “Elohim”.  It is plural early proof of a triune God.
  • Spiritual and Eternal life – Jesus promises these to those who believe on Him in faith.  John 3:16 is one of the most well-known reminders of this promise.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

Light

Here are just a few of the references to Jesus and light:

  • Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”  John 8:12
  • Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  John 12:35
  • I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  John 12:46 (Jesus speaking)
  • This is the message which we have heard from [Jesus] and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  1 John 1:5

The Bible, of course, has many references to God or the Word of God as a light for the believer:

  • [God’s]  word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105
  • The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1
  • For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.  Psalm 18:28
  • The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory.  Isaiah 60:19
  • For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. . . 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.  Ephesians 5:8
  • There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.  Revelation 22:5

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Gospel of John (John 1:2)

Posted in Bible, Gospels, Jesus, John, New Testament, tagged , , , , , on March 12, 2011|

He was in the beginning with God.

  • Why does God repeat Himself here? – For emphasis, to make sure we get it.  As a mother, I am prone to repeat the things that I fear may result in injury or trouble for my child if she forgets them.  So it is with God.  He knows that we have this propensity to want to deny Him, His role in creation, Him as the point of origin for our lives, our very breath.  To help us get it, He repeats Himself.
  • What does this verse tell us about the relationship between Jesus and God? – It tells us that they are co-equals.  Jesus was not created.  He pre-existed creation as God, the Father, did.
  • What did Jesus say about this? – “O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”  (John 17:5)
  • Why is this important? – Most cults include as part of their teaching that Jesus was not a co-equal with God, that He is something less than God.  This is a heresy.  Knowing what God has said in His word will allow us to answer those who lie about the deity of Christ.

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Gospel of John (Further Introduction)

Posted in Bible, God, Gospels, Jesus, John, Knowing God, Luke, Mark, Matthew, New Testament, tagged , , , , , , , on March 10, 2011|

The gospel of John represents one piece in a four-part testimony of the life of Jesus.  This is important because the Bible requires that there be two witnesses to establish a fact.  The use of four gospels each based on testimony of eye witnesses makes the totality of the gospels very credible.  The fact that each of the gospels is not identical to the others adds to the overall credibility.

If one were to interview four eye-witnesses to any event in history, each of them would emphasize different facts and provide a different presentation of the information depending on their audience.  That is exactly what we find in the gospels – four unique but internally consistent testimonies of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, a real man who lived a real life in Israel.

Looking at all four gospels, we see that each is addressed to a different audience, for example, the Gospel of Mark is written with a gentile (primarily Roman) audience in mind.  Little detail of Jewish history or culture is included.

The Gospel of Matthew is written to the Jewish reader.  Matthew starts off with a very detailed genealogy of Jesus and emphasizes  Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.

The Gospel of Luke was written to a gentile audience.  In as much as Luke was a physician and educated in Greek, he writes a more detailed, carefully researched gospel focused on Jesus as the Son of Man a Savior sent to save the lost sinner.

The Gospel of John was written with a strong emphasis on the deity of Jesus Christ.  John wrote to encouraged believers and to call unbelievers to faith in Jesus Christ

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INDEPENDENT NO MORE (Part 2)

Posted in Bible, Dependence on God, Devotional, God, Gospels, John, New Testament, Walking with God, tagged , , , , on August 31, 2010|

THE LIE OF INDEPENDENCE AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Independence from God is never equivalent to freedom.  It is in total dependence on God that we have freedom – freedom from sin, freedom from fear, freedom from worry and anxiety and most-importantly, freedom from judgment – the judgment of a holy God due sinful man.  All men are sinful.  The Bible teaches that none are righteous and that the wages of sin is death.  The only true freedom is that which comes from God.  Only He can promise a genuine and lasting freedom.

When I was sixteen, I obtained the first key to my “independence” from my parents.  I started working at the Jacksonville Pharmacy in Jacksonville, Maryland.  You might have a hard time understanding what a coup that really was.  Practically everyone in our loosely-defined town went into that Pharmacy at least once a week.  Some came in every day or evening on their way home from work.  It was a hub of activity and community news.

It was that $3.35 per hour that gave me my first real “independence” (so called).  From that point forward, I purchased my car, my gas, my insurance, my incidentals, etc.  I thought of myself as independent even though I was only 16 and still living at home.  I thought I was independent, but looking back now, I can see I really wasn’t totally free of dependence on my parents for the roof over my head, health insurance, food and other expenses of everyday life.

I can draw a parallel to my spiritual life.  During my college years, I turned from my relationship with God to assert my independence from His restrictions.  (I now see them as cords of love.)  I took on sin and tried to be its master.  I think you can guess how that ended.  It mastered me.  I sinned well and with frequency and depravity and thought little of God.  I had become “independent”, a place I would never recommend.  It was a place filled with emptiness and despair and darkness so heavy it can push all the air out of your lungs.  Independence from God was a place of slow death of my soul – a death that would have gone on for eternity, a death that would have separated me from God forever.  It is a law of nature that independence brings death.  What happens to the flower cut from the stem?  The branch cut from the tree?    Death.  Life is found and sustained only with connection to the vine.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (Jesus speaking)

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Give it all . . . hold nothing back

Posted in Bible, Gospels, Jesus, John 6, New Testament, Surrender, tagged , , , , , , , on July 8, 2010|

Do you remember the story of the loaves and the fish in John 6?  Although it is a familiar story, it is worth taking a closer look at exactly what was happening.

We are told a boy had 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish.  Apparently the boy gave them to the disciples.  The disciples gave them to Jesus.

Observations:
  • The disciples gave it all (5 loaves and 2 fish) to Jesus.
  • Jesus took it all from them.
  • Jesus gave thanks for all to the Father.
  • The Father blessed it all.
  • Jesus gave it all back to the disciples to give out to the 5,000 sitting on the ground.
  • The people were filled by what they received – there was no want.

So how does this apply to me, to you?  I need to give all that I have (or get from anyone) to Jesus.  I need to hold nothing back as a safety net or back up in case of future need.  It is in the giving of it all that I show my total trust and surrender to God.

Jesus will take all that I have and God will bless it.  The little I had will be multiplied.  Jesus will bless it and divide it – break it to make it useful for others.  Passing through the hands of the Savior, what little I had will become plenteous and abundant.  Giving it back to me after blessing it and breaking it, Jesus wants to help to distribute it.  It is not mine any longer because I gave it all to Him.

May He who has done exceeding abundantly above and beyond what you can think or imagine take what you have and cause it to nourish many.  May you hold nothing back!

Thank you Father that you love us enough to require everything of us.  Thank you that you do not desire us to have any confidence in our own abilities or supplies.  Thank you that we are children of the Most High God, so our every need will be met through Your provision.  May You multiply what we have for Your glory!

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Bible Basics – New Testament (General Epistles and Revelation)

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, General Epistles, Hebrews, James, New Testament, Revelation, tagged , , , , on June 22, 2010|

The Bible, as we have discussed is divided into two parts:  Old Testament and New Testament.  There are 66 books in the Bible with 40 different authors, but one consistent message – God’s plan to save sinful man.  In the New Testament, there are 27 books which are divided into the following sections:  Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), Early Church History (Acts), Letters from Paul (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon), General Epistles (Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John and Jude), and Revelation.

The Epistles are listed below each with a brief description or its content or focus.

Hebrews (Illustrates the superiority of Christ over the old covenant.  The author of Hebrews is unknown, but many believe it was Paul.  The audience was the Hebrew  believers.)

James (Anyone who has studied the book of James knows that it pulls no punches.  In this epistle to the Jewish believers, James lays out clearly what it means to live a life of faith and to evaluate one’s own faith honestly in light of scripture.)

1 Peter (Letter from Peter to all Christians that discusses the issues of holiness, submission and suffering.)

2 Peter (Letter from Peter to all Christians to warn against the danger of false teachers and exhorts the believers to grow in the true knowledge of Christ.)

1 John (Letter from John to all Christians.  The key themes found in this book are love in Christ and fellowship with God.)

2 John (Letter from John to the Elect Lady while John was in Ephesus.  The letter reminds the reader to walk in love and beware of false teachers.)

3 John (Letter from John to Gaius.  The letter thanks Gaius for his support of the gospel and criticizes Diotrephes for his pride.)

Jude (The final letter in the General Epistles written by Jude to all Christians.  The letter warns against heresy and false teachers and exhorts believers to contend earnestly for the faith.)

The final book of the Bible is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Revelation (This books includes things which have been, which are and which are yet to be.  It gives hope to those who suffer persecution and provides a vision of Christ’s return.  It also gives good insights and images of what it is like in heaven.)

2Tim 3:14-17 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!

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Bible Basics – New Testament (Paul’s Epistles – Part 2)

Posted in Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, New Testament, Paul's Epistles, tagged , , , , on June 17, 2010|

In the last post, we began the discussion of Paul’s Epistles.   There were too many to do all in one post, so here’s the rest of the group with a brief description of the highlights of each:

1 Thessalonians (Written during Paul’s second missionary journey to the church in Thessalonica.  One of the main themes is an exhortation to holiness for believers in light of the LORD’s imminent return.)

2 Thessalonians (Also written during Paul’s second missionary journey and to the church in Thessalonica.  Christ’s return is a theme as is encouragement of believers.)

1 Timothy (The first of the “pastoral” epistles, those letter written by Paul to individuals who were pastors of churches.  This letter is written to Timothy during Paul’s first imprisonment.  It is a guide to leadership of a church and it addresses the issues of false teachers, public prayer, the role of women, and the qualifications for elders and deacons.)

2 Timothy (The second of the “pastoral” epistles, this is also written to Timothy, but it is written during Paul’s second imprisonment, near the time of his death.  Its purpose is to encourage Timothy in his ministry to be faithful even through adversity and hardships.)

Titus (This is the third of the “pastoral epistles”, and it was written to Titus while Paul was in prison in Rome.  It gives the qualifications for elders and gives Titus instructions for dealing with different groups in the church.)

Philemon (This is a letter from Paul to Philemon, a believer, regarding his runaway slave, Onesimus.  Paul asks Philemon to forgive Onesimus and receive him for Paul’s sake.)

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Bible Basics – New Testament (Paul’s Epistles – Part 1)

Posted in Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, New Testament, Paul's Epistles, tagged , , , , on June 15, 2010|

The Bible, as discussed previously is divided into two main sections, the Old and New Testaments.  The New Testament is divided into 5 sections:  the Gospels, Early Church history, Paul’s Epistles, General Epistles and the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Epistles and a brief description of their content are as follows:

Romans (Written to the Roman Christians.  The main topics discussed are the law and God’s plan for salvation through faith.  It also contains many important exhortations for believers including chapter 8, verse 28.)

1 Corinthians (Written to the church in Corinth to address issues that were going on in the church that involved division in the body and immorality.  An important discussion of love is found in chapter 13).

2 Corinthians (Written to the church in Corinth.  In this book Paul defends his call as an apostle, and he addresses deceivers.)

Galatians (Written to the churches in Galatia.  A major theme is grace and liberty in Christ and a rejection of the legalism that was affecting the churches in Galatia.  A well-known list of the fruits of the spirit is found in 5:22-23)

Ephesians (Written to the church in Ephesus.  Important discussion of what God had done for the believer in chapter 1 and where the believer was before being saved by faith in Christ in chapter 2.  Chapter 6 is the well-known discussion of the armor of God and the importance of prayer.)

Philippians (Written to the Church in Philippi while Paul was in prison in Rome.  One of Paul’s “prison” epistles.  Focuses on Paul’s love for the Philippians.  There are no corrections or rebukes in this book.  He exhorts them to godly living.)

Colossians (Written to the Church in Colosse while Paul was imprisoned in Rome.  Major emphasis is on the preeminence of Christ in all things.  Paul was responding to false teachers that were deceiving believers.)

to be continued . . .

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