Vessels of mercy (Romans 9:23)

POST OVERVIEW. Examining the phrase “vessels of mercy” in Romans 9:23 and understanding how this relates to God’s glory and our resurrection glory.

GLORY

This study is a mini-study of our glory as mentioned in Romans 9:23. This is related to our resurrection (the subject of my upcoming book) because, in the resurrection, we who are fallen but have been redeemed enter into glory.

23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. – Romans 9:23-24

CONTEXT. Paul’s main subject in this section of Romans is the sovereignty of God in salvation. God, and God alone, is the one who decides who will be saved and who will perish. “He has mercy (unto salvation) on whom He desires, and He hardens (unto condemnation) whom He desires” (Romans 9:18). The apostle’s argument in Romans 9 is complex and our purpose here is not to unpack this difficult passage. Rather, our purpose is to notice that our future glory is related to God’s glory and is a demonstration of His mercy as manifested in His calling unto salvation “not Jews only, but also Gentiles” (9:24).

GOD’S GLORY. We must first distinguish between God’s glory and our glory as used in Romans 9:23. God’s glory emanates from Himself and is of His very essence. God is, by nature, wholly glorious. Also, God’s glory is both infinitely vast and complex. “The heavens are telling of the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). God created the entire universe to display His glory, and yet we know that “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You” (1 Kings 8:27). But the universe is only one aspect of His glory, for His glory extends into things both visible and invisible, in heaven and on earth. God, in His condescension, has made Himself known to His creatures, and His supreme demonstration of His glory is His “granting to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that we may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). The point is that the riches of God’s glory have been made known by means of His preparing beforehand (in eternity past; Eph. 1:4) for glory (i.e., glorification) chosen vessels of mercy. In other words, God’s infinitely vast and complex glory is supremely displayed in the glorification of His redeemed people, these vessels of mercy.

AND OUR GLORY. By contrast, the natural man, because he is, by nature, fallen and corrupt, seeks to destroy glory. Man is a complete stranger to glory and cannot obtain even the smallest part of it unless God, in His mercy, chooses to bestow it on us. But, praise God, in the resurrection this is exactly what happens to these redeemed vessels of mercy, that “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52) all the elect will be glorified. This is our glory.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 9/4/2024                     #710

The Lord speaks to His child through the eclipse

POST OVERVIEW. The feelings that I experienced as I reflected on experiencing a solar eclipse. The words that I imagined the Lord was saying to me through this amazing experience of God’s creation.

On April 8, 2024, much of the eastern US had an opportunity to view a total eclipse of the sun. Since our grandchildren lived a mere 30 minutes from the “zone of totality,” it seemed like a good idea for us to travel to see them and then go another half hour west to see a total eclipse. So we did. And I am glad that we did. I have seen a number of partial eclipses in my sixty-four years, but seeing a total eclipse of the sun is in an entirely different category. To conceive of our solitary moon being maneuvered in between us and the sun such that our tiny satellite completely blocks out our heavenly furnace is almost too much to grasp, but then to watch the last glimmer of the edge of the sun finally disappear and to be able to view the sun with the naked eye while there is dim twilight in the middle of the day is a sublime and surreal event. I felt my extreme smallness in the presence of something truly awesome. This was a divine event and the only appropriate response was worship. This was an act of the living God in which the Lord of the universe was reminding His creatures that nothing is too difficult for Him and that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. The heavens are telling of the glory of God and the expanse declares the work of His hands.

As I reflected on the experience of the eclipse later, my desire to worship was replaced with what I felt the Lord was telling me. For the Lord did not create eclipses for Himself, to impress Himself. The Lord created eclipses, yes, so that His creatures would be in awe of Him, but more than that, he created eclipses for the delight and the pleasure of His people. In fact, the Lord has made this created world, including eclipses, so that His people can get a small foretaste of the beauty and the joys of heaven. And so I imagined the Lord speaking to me as I basked in the impossible beauty of the eclipsing of the sun.

“My adopted child, the one I have chosen before the foundation of the world, the very one I have now redeemed and drawn near, My beloved one, I have created all the beauty of this earth and all the pleasure of this life for you.

“I have bought you with the blood of My own Son Jesus. Your sins are gone because I have taken them from you and have cast them into the depths of the sea. As far as the east is from the west, so far have I separated your sins from you, so that you can know My love for you and so you can run your brief race here on earth in unhindered joy. This amazing earth has been created for you so that you may enjoy it and so that you will get a brief, pale preview of what you will experience for all of eternity in heaven (Rom. 8:18ff).

“Your sins and guilt and shame are gone because they have been nailed to the cross of Christ. ‘I have called you by name, you are Mine’ (Isa. 43:1).Therefore your eyes have been opened to see all the beauty I have placed in this planet and you can enjoy it with unhindered, unstained joy as a gift from God to His beloved creatures.”

“O Lord, open up my lips that my mouth may declare Your praise” (Psalm 51:15).

“All things belong to you!” (1 Cor. 3:22-23).

Therefore, the Scriptures emphasize and establish the certainty of our salvation, so that we will no longer live as condemned slaves but will fully rejoice as redeemed sons of the living God. “Forgetting what lies behind” (Phil. 3:14). Forget the miseries of your past life of guilt and shame. They are gone!

There is the blood-stained cross. Behold, there is the empty tomb. Sin has been vanquished by Christ’s death. Death has been vanquished by Christ’s resurrection. Sin is removed! Death is gone! By faith you have been redeemed.

So then run your race with joyful abandon. The Lord is for you; He is with you; He leads you; He has prepared the way before you (Eph. 2:10).

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 7/15/2024                   #709

Instructions for elders from 1 Peter 5

POST OVERVIEW. A study of Peter’s instructions to the elders of local churches. How is the elder to discharge his duties such that he is pleasing to the Lord?

5:1-3. [IMPERATIVE] Peter gives instructions to those who are in the role of “elders” regarding what they are to do and how they are to fulfill their responsibilities as overseers and teachers in the local church. (See above for DOCTRINAL TEACHING on the role of the “elder.”)

Shepherd the flock of God among you. – 5:2

First, then, elders are exhorted to “shepherd the flock of God among you.” Notice that these sheep in the local church do not belong to the elder but are part of the “FLOCK OF GOD.” Thus the elder is a STEWARD of God’s most precious possession. An elder is given the responsibility to nurture and feed and train God’s flock so that the Lord of the flock will receive His deserved produce (Matt. 21:34). The elder, therefore, is accountable to the Chief Shepherd (5:4) for his instruction and for his shepherding of the church. He is not free to lead the Lord’s flock as he pleases but is to shepherd them as the Lord requires and instructs. (Matt. 24:48-51)

An elder is given the role and responsibility in a local church, because it is the flock of God “among you.” This means the elder is given the role in a local fellowship by a local fellowship. These are men who are to care for the flock so that all the Lord’s sheep are healthy and all the sheep make it safely home.

Second, the elder is to exercise joyful voluntary oversight for the flock. “Oversight” means primarily faithful instruction from the word of God, but it also includes guiding the church in a direction that maintains a focus on the gospel while allowing the church to grow and change as the Lord works in and through the Body. “Oversight” also means “equipping the saints for the work of service” (Eph. 4:12). This means that the elder should also be spurring the sheep on to greater holiness and usefulness. 

Third, the elder has no authority to “lord it over the flock” (5:3) because these sheep are not his. He is a steward of the Master’s sheep and must care for the sheep according to the Master’s instructions. The elder is not superior to the sheep, so he has no authority to “lord it over the sheep.”

Fourth, the elders are to be “examples to the flock” (5:3). Elders are to be model disciples. They are to be those who walk the walk and live the life of a disciple of Jesus. They are to provide the flock with an ongoing, living, breathing example of how disciples are to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). All these instructions are IMPERATIVE.

There is a promise (5:4) that those who perform their role faithfully will receive “the unfading (see 1:4, “will not fade away”) crown of glory” from the Chief Shepherd.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 7/3/2024                     #708

The resurrection in other New Testament passages

POST OVERVIEW. A study of miscellaneous New Testament passages about the resurrection, particularly emphasizing the fact that all believers will be glorified in the resurrection, whether living or dead.

Another chapter in my upcoming book, “The Resurrection: when the church is glorified.”

Having covered the major New Testament passages about the resurrection, we now turn to other places where this event is mentioned or referenced. In reviewing these verses we will emphasize that all believers will be resurrected, whether they are physically still alive or “have fallen asleep.” This is consistent with what we have already seen in other New Testament passages, that there is one resurrection event of both the living and the dead (see 1 Thess. 4:15-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-55).

1 Corinthians 6:14 – Now God has not only raised the Lord but will also raise us up through His power.

This verse makes clear that “raised” or “raised up” speaks of resurrection, for “God has ‘raised’ the Lord” definitely refers to the resurrection of Jesus. Paul then makes the declaration that, as certainly as God has raised (resurrected) the Lord Jesus, so He will also “raise us up” (resurrect us) through His power. As God raised up Jesus in glorious resurrection on the third day, so He will raise up all believers in glorious resurrection on the last day.

Philippians 3:20-21 – 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Those whose citizenship is in heaven are all those who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whether they are physically living or dead. These are the ones who eagerly wait for the coming of our Savior. When Jesus comes, He “will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.” All believers currently dwell in “a body of humble state,” whether their body is living (and groaning; 2 Cor. 5:2, 4), or their body has already died. But at the resurrection, all those whose citizenship is in heaven will be glorified. There is no distinction made between the living and the dead. When He comes, He will transform all believers into His glory.

1 John 3:2 – Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

The “we” that John is addressing in this verse about Jesus’ return and the resurrection is obviously all Christians because he calls them “beloved” and “children of God” (John 1:12). There is no distinction made between the living children of God and the children of God who have already died.

Thus when Jesus appears in power and glory, “we will be like Him.” All believers, whether dead 1,900 years like the Apostle John or still living like you and me, will be glorified when Jesus appears. This is the resurrection, which applies to all believers equally.

Colossians 3:4 – When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Here Paul expresses the same idea that John expresses in 1 John 3:2 (above). Every believer, whether alive or “asleep,” is now in a state of eager anticipation (Phil. 3:20) as we await the coming (παρουσία) of the Lord Jesus. We await in our humble state, where we appear very ordinary and where our bodies groan (2 Cor. 5:2, 4). But when Christ appears, we will all be changed (1 Cor. 15:52). All believers will be resurrected and will appear with Him in our glorified bodies.

Matthew 24:37-41 – 37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

In this passage from the Olivet Discourse, only Matt. 24:40-41 concern the resurrection of the saints but 24:37-39 are given to show that the context is the coming of the Lord Jesus on the last day. We know from our entire study of the resurrection and from the two passages which we have just considered that the coming of the Son of Man and the resurrection of the saints are simultaneous events. When Christ is revealed, then the saints will be glorified. This is explicitly what Jesus is teaching in this text.

24:37-39. Jesus speaks about the state of the world when He returns in glory. As when Noah was building the ark and was also preaching righteousness (2 Peter 2:5) to the world of the ungodly, so will the world be before the coming of the Son of Man. In that day the world will be living in rebellion to God and will go through their daily routines as if there is no God and as if God has not given laws and commandments which must be obeyed. While the faithful church proclaims the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the need for repentance, the world indulges their sin and their wickedness, denying God and living as if there will never be a judgment. The wicked world will not “see all these things,” so they will not “recognize that Jesus is near, right at the door” (Matt. 24:33). They refuse to repent (Rev. 9:20-21) and so are surprised when the day of the Lord comes upon them with sudden destruction (1 Thess. 5:2-3), and they will not escape the judgment. The world will be terrified at the coming of the Son of Man (Rev. 6:12-17).

24:40-41. But while 24:37-39 tells of the judgment of the unsuspecting ungodly at the coming of the Son of Man, 24:40-41 speaks about the resurrection of the righteous who are on the alert and are ready for the Lord’s coming. In the first scene (24:40), two men are in the field. At the coming of the Lord, the believer is “caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:17) in the resurrection while the unbeliever is left on the earth to face the wrath of the Lamb in terrifying judgment (Rev. 6:15-17; 19:21). The second scene is similar as two women are grinding at the mill (24:41). As the Lord descends from heaven with a shout (1 Thess. 4:16), the believing woman goes up in glorious resurrection while the unbeliever faces “the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty” (Rev. 19:15).

The two verses describe the same truth. At the coming of the Lord, those believers who are alive and remain will be “taken,” meaning they will be gloriously resurrected and will meet the Lord in the air.

CONCLUSION

This study has demonstrated that the resurrection of the saints on the last day at the coming of the Lord is a common theme throughout the New Testament and has shown that the teaching about the resurrection is consistent between the various New Testament authors.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 7/2/2024                     #707

Three resurrection passages in the Old Testament

POST OVERVIEW. A study of three Old Testament prophetic passages which present the resurrection of the saints. This will be a chapter in my book, “The Resurrection: when the church is glorified.”

While the resurrection of the saints is not a prominent theme in the Old Testament, there are three passages from the major prophets that speak about this event and give us a clear foreshadow of it. We will look at Isaiah 26:19, Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Daniel 12:2 to see the resurrection in the Old Testament.

ISAIAH 26:19 – DEAD WILL LIVE, CORPSES WILL RISE

19 Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

In this verse, Isaiah gives a clear prophecy of the general resurrection of the saints. Why do we say that this is such a prophecy? First, this is certainly a prophecy of some resurrection, for the word-pictures in the text require it: “your dead will live; their corpses will rise. Those “who lie in the dust” (Genesis 3:19) are commanded to “awake and shout for joy, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.” These words can only be resurrection words. It is also clear that this is not a prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection, for Isaiah speaks of these people in the plural. Finally, knowing from biblical theology that there will be a resurrection of the saints on the last day, we conclude that the prophet is making a prophecy about the general resurrection of all the redeemed at the παρουσία. In that day, the tomb will become a womb, “many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake” (Dan. 12:2), “and the dead will be raised imperishable” (1 Cor. 15:52).

EZEKIEL 37:1-14 – THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES

One of the most dramatic and powerful passages in the prophecy of Ezekiel appears in Ezekiel 37:1-14, when the prophet describes his vision of the valley of dry bones. This vision pictures the great resurrection of the saints on the last day.

THE VISION ITSELF – 37:1-10

A suggested outline of this short passage in Ezekiel 37:1-10 follows:

  • 37:1-2 – The Spirit of the LORD brings the prophet out to the middle of a valley, and the valley is full of dry bones. Before the resurrection, the tombs of the departed saints are full of dry bones.
  • 37:3-6 – By means of a question to Ezekiel, the LORD foretells what He is about to do to these dry bones. “I will cause breath (or “spirit,” ruah in Hebrew) to enter you that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive” (37:5-6). The LORD describes resurrection as flesh and skin put on dry bones.
  • 37:7-10 – Ezekiel prophesies over the bones, and there is a rattling and then the bones come together, and sinews and flesh and skin grow on them, but there is no breath (or “spirit”). Then, at the command of the LORD, the prophet prophesied again, “and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army” (37:10; see the parallel in Revelation 11:11). What was foretold now comes to pass as the glorified saints stand on their feet. Notice that the picture is of an army prepared for battle. This is a foreshadow of the army of the resurrected saints that will return with the LORD to vanquish the nations (Psalm 149:5-9; Rev. 19:14).

(6/27/2024) Ezekiel’s vision is of a mighty army raised to its feet. But now we must ask some questions.

For what purpose is a mighty army raised? To fight a great battle.

For whom is a mighty army raised? For a mighty King.

Just so, this mighty resurrection army will be raised up in resurrection power on the last day to follow her mighty King into the great final battle (Rev. 19:14). We see, then, that Ezekiel 37:10 agrees completely with Rev. 19:14 when King Jesus returns on His white horse. Then the armies of His saints, “clothed in fine linen, white and clean, will be following Him on white horses.” The mighty army of Ezekiel 37:10 is none other than the armies on white horses of Rev. 19:14.

Ezekiel’s vision presents for us a prophetic picture of the resurrection of the saints as their dry bones are brought together and clothed with flesh and given breath to become an exceedingly great army.

THE EXPLANATION OF THE VISION – 37:11-14

Then in 37:11-14, the LORD explains the vision to Ezekiel. While the explanation of the vision does introduce some difficulties in interpretation, it also confirms that this is indeed a vision about resurrection. “Thus says the LORD God, ‘Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves’ (37:12; see also John 5:28-29). ‘Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves’” (37:13). Then, to remove all ambiguity, He says, “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life” (37:14). In this study of the resurrection, we can be confident that the LORD has given Ezekiel a vision of the resurrection of the saints. They will come up out of their graves and come to life.  

DANIEL 12:2 – THOSE IN THE DUST WILL AWAKE

Before we look at the resurrection in Daniel 12:2, we first need to understand the verse’s context. Daniel 11:21-45 has chronicled the activities of a “despicable person” (11:21) who comes to power “at the end time” (11:40; also 11:27, 36), which means that the events of Daniel 12:1-3 also occur at the end of time. Since this is an end-time passage, we expect to see end-times and last-day events, like the activity of antichrist (the “despicable person,” 11:21ff), the great tribulation (12:1), and the resurrection of the saints (12:2). What should be noted is that Daniel’s prophecy of these events is in complete harmony with the more detailed New Testament accounts of these same events. The resurrection described in Daniel 12:2 is unmistakably the same resurrection we see described in 1 Thess. 4 and in 1 Cor. 15, etc. The resurrection veiled in the Old Testament is the resurrection revealed in the New Testament.  And so, in Daniel 12:2, we read of the resurrection of the saints.

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

Resurrection is certainly in view, for we read of “those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake.” Daniel’s vision sees the resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. The verse is very similar to what Jesus says in John 5:28-29, where our Lord speaks of “those who did good deeds” and “those who committed evil deeds.”

The next verse speaks of the righteous as “those who will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven” (Dan. 12:3). These are the saints who have been glorified in the resurrection. Jesus says the same thing in Matthew 13:43: “The righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

CONCLUSION

An examination of these three Old Testament passages has shown that the resurrection of the saints at the end of the age was part of God’s redemptive plan from the beginning.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/27/2024                   #706

Groaning for the resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:1-4)

POST OVERVIEW. This article is a detailed study of 2 Cor. 5:1-4, seeking to understand Paul’s teaching about the resurrection and about the believer’s anticipation of that event.

We begin our study by understanding the context of these verses in 2 Corinthians 5. Beginning in 2 Cor. 4:7, Paul has made the case that the immense value of the gospel and the certainty of the believer’s resurrection combine to give the disciple of Jesus great boldness in their proclamation of the gospel. The herald has been entrusted with this gospel treasure (4:7) and knows that declaring this message may cost him much (4:8-12). But he nevertheless proclaims the truth because his great salvation obligates him to do so (4:13) and the certainty of his resurrection supplies the courage to proclaim (4:14). For our minor, temporary suffering here on earth is storing up for us a great reward in heaven (4:16-18).

Now in 2 Cor. 5:1-4, Paul is going to give us more details of this eternal dwelling from heaven, this clothing for which we now groan, this resurrection body we will soon receive.

1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. – 2 Cor. 5:1-4 (NASB)

5:1. Paul speaks figuratively about both our earthly body and about our resurrection body. “The earthly tent which is our house” is our earthly body and “torn down” refers to physical death. (Note that Paul says “if.” In the context of this verse, “If we physically die.” Although it may be pressing the point too much, this “if” here leaves room for the possibility that “the earthly tent” may not be torn down because the resurrection could come before the reader’s physical death.) If the believer dies physically, “we know that we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Thus Paul gives three characteristics to our resurrection bodies. They are “from God,” which means that they have already been prepared for us by God. Also, they are “not made with hands.” There is nothing man-made and nothing of human origin in these bodies. They are of divine origin. And they are of eternal duration. Our resurrection bodies will last until the end of eternity.

5:2. In this physical body “we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.” When we come to faith in Christ, we begin our life of groaning. Before we were disciples of Jesus, we shrieked, we screamed, we groped and we moaned as we muddled our way through the difficulties and miseries of this world, but now as believers we groan. We groan, first, because we know that heaven awaits and we know that there in heaven all will be peace and glory. And our longing for heaven produces groans here. But we also groan because here we still know the presence of sin and we still experience our own sin. We are still in a fallen world where many refuse to worship the King and this awareness of sin causes us to groan. But most of all we groan because we remain physically separated from our great God. We have been bought and redeemed and reconciled and adopted as His sons, but we remain here while He is there. So we groan until that day.

Groaning is the expression of our longing. We long for that day when we will be clothed “with our dwelling from heaven.” Notice that our glorified bodies will come from heaven. This speaks again of the divine origin of our resurrection bodies, teaching that our resurrection bodies will not be reconstituted from our old earthly bodies but will instead be delivered by God from heaven to be united with our redeemed souls.

5:3. Once we have put on our resurrection bodies, “we will not be found naked.” The word of interest here is naked. Paul teaches that, once we finally receive our glorified “dwelling from heaven,” “we will not be found naked.” This must mean that, until we receive our resurrection bodies (at the παρουσία), we will be found naked. Thus, from 5:2, in our earthly bodies we long to be clothed with our glorified bodies, but also from 5:3, when our souls are in heaven with the Lord, even then we will still long for our glorified bodies, because even then we will still sense that we are incomplete (“naked”) and not yet fully redeemed. We understand, then, that our nakedness, which we received from Adam as a result of his sin (Gen. 3:7, 10), will not be removed until we receive our resurrection bodies, “our dwelling from heaven.”

5:4. This verse is similar to 5:2 but adds this important phrase: “we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.” Based on what we have learned so far in this passage, we can say that we remain mortal until we receive our glorified bodies. This is true because we know that “to be clothed” means “to receive our glorified body from heaven.” And here we see that the purpose (ἵνα, “so that”) of our being clothed is that “what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.” (See 1 Cor. 15:53-54.) We can also state that “swallowed up by life” is equivalent to being “clothed with our dwelling from heaven.” But here we see that we remain mortal until we are “swallowed up by life” in the resurrection. Only in the resurrection does our mortality end. We received sinful mortality when Adam disobeyed, but all those who have trusted in Christ are guaranteed that, in the παρουσία, their mortality and their nakedness will be swallowed up by our heaven-sent, God-given resurrection bodies.

SUMMARY

Here we want to summarize what we have learned about the resurrection in this study.

  • (v. 1) The believer knows that a resurrection body (“building from God”) is awaiting him.
  • (v. 1) Our glorified body is “from God,” so it has been prepared for us by God; it is “not made with hands,” meaning that it is not of this creation, but is of divine origin; and it is eternal and so will last until the very end of eternity.
  • (v. 2) Our “dwelling” (glorified body) is “from heaven,” teaching that our eternal body will not be reconstituted from our old “earthly tent” but will be delivered by God from heaven.
  • (v. 3) Our nakedness, which we received from Adam as a result of his sin (Gen. 3:7) will not be removed until we receive our resurrection bodies, “our dwelling from heaven.”
  • (v. 4) We remain mortal until we are “swallowed up by life” in the resurrection. Only in the resurrection does our mortality end.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/4/2024                     #705

No sin is excusable (from Romans 6:23)

NO SIN IS EXCUSABLE. The believer must realize that no sin is excusable. For the believer, from the smallest sin to the greatest, every sin by itself demands the death of Jesus on the cross. Whenever the believer becomes aware that he has sinned, it should serve as a reminder of what Christ has accomplished on the cross. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23b), and this means that the recompense for any single sin is likewise death. No sin is excusable because, for the redeemed, every sin requires the death of the Son of God.

Man’s fallen natural tendency is to justify their sin or explain their sin away, but this is an act of salvation by works. The one who explains away sin is subtly despising the death of Christ and is saying, in essence, that his particular sin or this particular sin is not that bad and therefore does not really merit the atoning death of Jesus. “I don’t need Jesus to die for this. I can handle this one on my own.” “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who may ascend into heaven?’ (that is to bring Christ down) or ‘Who may descend into the abyss?’ (that is to bring Christ up from the dead)” (Rom. 10:7). Instead of minimizing sin and dismissing a “little” sin as not worth a thought, the believer acknowledges that every sin is inexcusable. There is no justification for sin. At no time and under no circumstances is any sin simply dismissed and brushed away. God will never excuse (i.e., regard as trivial and so forget) even the smallest sin. “The wages of sin is death.” “The soul that sins will die.” “The day you eat of it (Gen. 2:17), you shall surely die.”

BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS, ALL SIN IS FORGIVABLE. But the believer also knows that, while no sin is ever excusable, all sin and any sin is forgivable. We know that, for the believer, “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The believer knows that “he has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24) and “has been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20) and knows that his “old self has been crucified with Christ in order that our body of sin might be done away with” (rendered powerless; Romans 6:6). For the believer, every sin however “minor” is acknowledged as an act of rebellion against the Holy One of Israel. And, at the same time, every sin reminds the believer that the Savior willingly endured the full wrath of God and died to grant complete forgiveness to the believing sinner. “In Him, we have redemption in His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). Praise the Lord that all our inexcusable sin has been forgiven by the blood of the Lamb.

“But how can a man be in the right with God?” (Job 9:2). How, indeed! By the cross.

“Come now and let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). How? By the death of Jesus.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 May 30, 2024.             #704

The disciple and his journal

THE DISCIPLINE OF JOURNALING

MAIN POINT: The discipline of journaling will contribute to the disciple’s spiritual growth.

This article is focused on the discipline of journaling. By “journaling,” I mean the capturing of notes and ideas from the disciple’s daily Bible reading (DBR) in a written record. The purpose of the discipline of journaling is to develop another means of spiritual growth. The power of journaling is that it allows the disciple to reap a harvest from the daily times in the Scriptures such that the effect is multiplied.

One of the principles of daily Bible reading (DBR) is that the disciple reads the entire Bible every year. By the repeated reading of the entire word of God, the disciple will be exposed to doctrine, parable, miracle, psalms, wisdom, history, priests, prophets, kings, creation, the Fall, judgment, redemption, salvation, folly, mercy, grace, Law, sacrifice, Jesus Christ, the devil, God, the Holy Spirit, heaven, Sheol, forgiveness, repentance, as well as all manner of human sin including pride, anger, lust, idolatry, malice, slander, murder, incest, lying, deceit, stealing, cheating, coveting, rebellion, defiance, hatred, homosexuality, greed and more. This means that, at the same time the disciple is consciously “working out their salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12), he is also encountering “the pure milk of the Word” on a daily basis and is thus “growing in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). The net effect is that the spiritual growth of the disciple is multiplied by these disciplines.

JOURNALING PRINCIPLES AND MECHANICS

            The first principle of journaling is that it is done not as an obligation unto drudgery but is done as a delight unto growth. Journaling is an enjoyable option, not a burdensome duty. The disciple keeps his journal as a record of his times spent with the living God fellowshipping over the living Word. The Lord is speaking to you through His Word and you are trying to capture those moments for the joy that they bring. You do not have to keep a journal; rather, you get to keep a journal. It is your journal and so it is your tool to capture your thoughts about what you are reading in the Word. So enjoy your journaling!

            GENERAL PRINCIPLES. There are a few general principles which help our journaling.

  • Journaling helps plant in your mind the daily reading which you have done. When you are reading the Word, your mind is engaged and the Spirit is showing you wonderful things from the Law (Psalm 119:18). The way that you keep these “wonderful things” in the mind (which is the active part of your thinking) after you stop reading is by recording those ideas in your journal. Your journal is thus a means of keeping some portion of your DBR in your active mind where it is still available for reflection and meditation.
  • Journaling is the means to take what you read and implant it into your life. As you read the Word, the Spirit will point out specific things that apply to you and to your life. For example, the Spirit may bring to your awareness a sin that is present in your life. By recording this experience in your journal, you bring that sin into the light and expose it to the possibility of repentance. The journal allows what the Spirit said to be captured so that it can lead to change.
  • By the discipline of journaling, you will personally own what you have labored to express. Journaling is a skill that is learned through consistent effort over time. Expressing the ideas you have gleaned from Scripture is a demanding task that, by itself, will bring about growth in your thinking and in your ability to communicate your ideas to others. In this sense, journaling is labor. It is hard work. But the fruit of this labor is abundant, not the least of which is that what you labor hard to express in your journal entry will become your firmly-held possession. You will not soon forget the ideas you have labored to journal well.

RECORD DATE AND THE SCRIPTURES READ. Each journal entry should include some basic information. Start by recording the date and then what Scriptures you read that day.

DAILY NUGGETS AND OTHER JOURNAL NOTES. The rest of the journal entry is pretty free form, but having a plan for what you are going to record facilitates the journaling.

  • DAILY NUGGETS. Something that impressed you from the passage. A doctrinal truth about God, Christ, man, etc. An “aha” moment. A particular scene and its significance. Reminders of your own salvation. Beautiful expressions from a psalm or a powerful word of prophecy. Write a paragraph (or two) about what impressed you and how you want to incorporate that into your life. Again, the “daily nugget” is where you capture in your journal what you experienced in your reading.
  • SCRIPTURES TO MEMORIZE. As you are reading, you will encounter passages that you want to memorize so that you can meditate on these verses later on. Note these passages in your journal. (I just write MEM in my journal and the Scripture reference.)
  • DOCTRINAL TRUTHS. Your journal is a great place to capture doctrinal passages that lay your theological foundation. Record these verses and then try to express the doctrine contained in them. Truths about God, Christ, man, sin, life in Christ, the future return of Jesus, etc.
  • COMMANDS AND EXHORTATIONS. Record in your journal those commands and instructions which impress you or arrest you. Since the disciple is obligated to obey Scriptural commands, he records in his journal those that make an impression on him to remind him to be obedient.
  • MISCELLANEOUS. Cross-references to other Scriptures. Passages for future study, either because of difficulty or interest. Word-studies in English, Hebrew or Greek. Points of personal application. And more.

DAILY NUGGETS FOR DIFFERENT GENRES. The Bible is made up of different types of literature. We refer to these as different genres. Because these genres communicate divine truth in different ways, they also are best read using slightly different lenses. In practice, this means that the disciple is looking for different “nuggets” in the Psalms than he is in the book of Judges. Why? Because Psalms expresses divine truth in poetry language and Judges is narrative history. Correspondingly, we ask different questions and we note different things as we go through different genres.

The following are some suggestions for what nuggets to look for in the different genres.

GENESIS. The first book of the Bible is almost a genre by itself because it introduces us to so many themes and foundational characters. While Genesis has the form of historical narrative, the unique subjects of Genesis require a different lens to discover different nuggets. Look for passages that establish the very foundation of everything: creation of the world, examples of God’s judgment, the origin of sin, the origin of the nations, the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). Be alert for foreshadows of Christ. Pay attention to minor characters and plot twists.

EXODUS-DEUTERONOMY. Again, we are on the lookout for foreshadows of Christ and of things to come. The LORD destroys Egypt and Pharaoh and the children of Israel go free. The Law is given at Sinai. The tabernacle is built. The priests are given their duties according to the old covenant sacrificial system. Israel wanders for forty years in the wilderness. Israel is disobedient and faithless and the LORD is steadfast and true and faithful.

JOSHUA TO ESTHER – HISTORICAL NARRATIVE. These books chronicle the history of the twelve tribes of Israel from the time they enter the Promised Land until after their return from the exile in Babylon. Here we see the LORD’s faithfulness, that He is constantly calling Israel and Judah back from their rebellion and disobedience and is calling them back to the covenant they made at Sinai. In these books we look for foreshadows of Christ but we also see many examples of men and women who either choose to obey the LORD or who choose to rebel against Him. We see heroes to emulate and we see others who forsake the LORD and His commands and we do not want to be like them. The stories are fascinating and the characters are interesting. Look for obedience and disobedience from people just like you and me. Draw godly principles from the stories.

JOB. A complex book because we must constantly evaluate the dialog to see if it is true to the revealed Word. Job is primarily a theological dialog and debate about the nature of God and about how a sinner can ever be reconciled to a holy God. A fascinating book!

PSALMS. The psalms cover a great variety of subjects and display an amazing richness of expression. It is a book containing laments, praises, prayers, theological reflections and more, but in all the poetry of the Psalms there is a consistency of theology that agrees with the teaching of the rest of Scripture. Psalms are good to memorize because they stretch our brain. In my experience, enjoying the psalms is an acquired taste. I had probably been a believer for ten or fifteen years before I began to appreciate the depth and power of the psalms.

ISAIAH TO MALACHI – THE PROPHETS. The prophets are at once powerful and confusing. Powerful in that they tell of God’s might and His wrath and His judgment and His righteousness, and confusing because the prophets often speak in figurative terms or visions about events of the future. The prophets may write about Christ’s first coming and then, in the next verse, declare events of His coming in glory. The prophets pronounce judgments against the children of Israel for their disobedience, but they also make astonishing promises to those who will be followers of Jesus. All this means that reading prophecy requires skill that is gained through much time in these books. The reward is rich nuggets of Bible truth. Look for Christ and His church and look for evidence of God’s holiness and power.

GOSPELS. Drink deeply of these narrative stories about the life of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. As you read the gospels, you will be struck by the fact that Jesus is like no other. No one else who has walked this planet is like Him. Capture as many of the fascinating details as you can. Virgin birth. Sinless life. Atoning death. Glorious resurrection. Miracles and teaching and compassion and power that all point to His deity.

ACTS. The commissioned church goes out into the world. The question to ask when reading Acts is, “Is this (whatever this is) simply descriptive (just describing what happened) or is this prescriptive (meaning this is what should happen throughout the church age)?” Here we see evangelism, baptism, false teachers, Peter as a missionary, Paul as a missionary, what is true conversion, does the Law continue to be in effect, elders, church planting, persecution,

THE EPISTLES. The epistles are where the Bible places the doctrines and the commands and exhortations that define the life of a disciple of Jesus. Therefore, we read the epistles with an eye toward finding and understanding these doctrines and commands. In reading these, then, much of what we capture will be in these two categories.

REVELATION. The last book of the Bible is also the most difficult to understand. Nevertheless, even the inexperienced Bible-reader is indwelt with the Holy Spirit of the living God and is therefore able to understand these visions of the apocalypse. You will not understand everything, but you will understand something. So, journal what you see in the book and wait for the time when you will understand more.

SUMMARY

The main message about journaling is that it is an effective way to capture some of the details of your daily Bible reading. Part of the joy of reading the Scriptures is to sense that your grasp of the Word is becoming stronger over time. Journaling is one of the ways to increase the strength of your grip. The exercise of trying to express the thoughts and words of God in your own human words is a spiritual task. The more that you do this, the more satisfying and edifying the task will be.

I have tried to give some guidelines as a way to motivate your journaling. These guidelines are not rules but are just guardrails to keep you on the path. The best course of action is to begin capturing some of the ideas and insights that you receive while Bible reading in a journal and seek to do that on a consistent basis. The goal is to increase your love of the Scriptures by developing the discipline of journaling.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/25/2024                   #703

Romans 8:29-30 – Predestined to resurrection glory

OVERVIEW. How the resurrection fits into “the golden chain of salvation” (Rom. 8:29-30). [This article is part of my upcoming book, “The Resurrection: when the church is glorified,” to be published in 3Q 2024.]

29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

INTRODUCTION

In considering the biblical passages about the resurrection, we must not overlook Romans 8:29-30. Here in the “golden chain of salvation,” we see that the resurrection is the final link and the intended end of God’s redemptive plan. That is, in eternity past, the Lord desired to have, for all eternity, “a great multitude which no one could count standing before the throne and before the Lamb, crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’” (Rev. 7:9-10). Therefore, before the foundation of the world, He foreknew and predestined those people whom He would, in time and space, call and justify, and whom He would glorify in the resurrection on the last day.

EXEGESIS OF THE PASSAGE

GOD SOVEREIGNLY ACTS. Before we begin our exegesis, there are two observations we should make about this passage. First, we notice that God is the subject of all the verbs. God is the One taking the action and people are the passive objects. These acts come about solely on the basis of God’s sovereign action and are independent of any human activity. So, God foreknew and God predestined and God called and God justified and God glorified.

ALL THE SAME PEOPLE. But second, we should also realize that the object of each verb in the passage applies to exactly the same group of people. Consider that in 8:29, God foreknew a particular group of people. Then that same group, He also predestined. Then in 8:30, that same group that was predestined is also called, and that same group is justified, and that same group is glorified. What we see is that, in salvation, God acts on the same group of people from foreknowledge (election) all the way through to glorification. This means that the group of people whom God foreknew (chose, elected) in eternity past will be the exact same group of people who are glorified and worshipping before the throne in eternity future.

Now we will look at the passage phrase by phrase.

8:29. THOSE WHOM HE FOREKNEW. In this verse, foreknew carries the same meaning as chose or elected. Those whom God foreknew were specially considered and chosen in eternity past based on God’s sovereign wisdom alone. In eternity past, God determined to redeem these particular underserving sinners as objects of His mercy.

8:29. HE ALSO PREDESTINED. Here predestination speaks of God’s actions in eternally decreeing both the objects and the goal of His plan of salvation. The objects of predestination are those whom He foreknew. This act of predestining was also accomplished in eternity past.

8:29. TO BECOME CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON. Knowing the objects of God’s predestination, we now find out the goal of the plan of salvation. Those whom God foreknew were predestined unto a salvation that is in conformity with the glorified image of Jesus. “Conformed to the image of His Son” means that those who were predestined will certainly be glorified like Jesus. And the event of the glorification of the saints is the resurrection. Thus Romans 8:29 ends with the resurrection, when we are conformed to the glorified image of our older Brother.

In Romans 8:29, we saw the objects of God’s salvation and the goal of His salvation; namely, in eternity past, God predestined to resurrection glory those whom He foreknew. In Romans 8:30 we will see what God did in time to bring about the resurrection glory of His elect, those whom He foreknew. In other words, Romans 8:29 tells about the end, but 8:30 tells about the means.

8:30. WHOM HE PREDESTINED, HE ALSO CALLED. This references the effectual call of the Holy Spirit which brings the dead sinner to spiritual life and compels him to believe in the Lord Jesus. God will effectually call all those whom He predestined.

8:30. WHOM HE CALLED, HE ALSO JUSTIFIED. The call of God leads to faith in the Lord Jesus and his faith is reckoned to the believer as righteousness (Romans 4:3, 5; Galatians 2:16; 3:6, 24, 26) and the believer is declared righteous and is thus justified. God will justify all those whom He effectually calls.

8:30. WHOM HE JUSTIFIED, HE ALSO GLORIFIED. The certain destiny of all those whom God has declared righteous is eternal glory. All those who were justified in life will be raised to eternal glory in the resurrection. The final link in the chain of salvation is the link between this perishable and the imperishable and between this mortal and immortality.

SUMMARY

From Romans 8:29-30, we have shown that the resurrection and the eternal glory that follows were clearly in God’s mind as He foreknew and predestined His elect in eternity past.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/22/2024                   #702

Summary of 1 Thessalonians – doctrine and imperative

POST OVERVIEW. A summary of the first epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians giving the letter’s  doctrinal teaching and its imperatives (instructions and commands). This emphasis on doctrine and imperative is a feature of the Discipleship Bible Study (DBS) method for epistles, which I explain in greater detail in my upcoming book on discipleship (in late 2024).

INTRODUCTION. Recently some brothers and I completed a study of 1 Thessalonians. In our study, we employed the Discipleship Bible Study (DBS) method for epistles. The “DBS method for epistles” emphasizes the doctrinal teaching in the epistle and the epistle’s behavioral imperatives (commands, exhortations, instructions). Awareness of the doctrinal teaching of the epistles develops theological convictions and study of the behavioral imperatives yields conscious repentance and obedience.

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF THE EPISTLE > > > THEOLOGICAL CONVICTIONS

BEHAVIORAL IMPERATIVES OF THE EPISTLE > > > REPENTANCE AND OBEDIENCE

The following are the key doctrines and imperatives from 1 Thessalonians.

KEY DOCTRINES FROM 1 THESSALONIANS

1:4. “your election.” DOCTRINE OF ELECTION states that, before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), in eternity past, God has chosen / elected all the people that He will, in time and space, call to salvation, that He will justify by faith and that He will glorify in the resurrection on the last day. This election is entirely based on God’s sovereign will and is not conditioned on any merit, quality or action of the chosen (therefore is called “unconditional election”). By the use of His providence, God will certainly bring to justification every one of those He has elected in eternity past and He will raise them up in glory on the last day.

1:5. In Thessalonica, the gospel, which is God’s appointed means of calling sinners to repentance and faith, came to them “in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” Even Paul was amazed at how powerfully the gospel had worked in Thessalonica.

1:10. In this one verse there are actually four separate doctrinal truths. “wait for His Son from heaven.” The doctrine of the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory. “whom He raised from the dead.” The doctrine of the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jesus “rescues us from the wrath to come.” The doctrine of the wrath of God against sin (Rom. 1:18; etc.) and the doctrine that Jesus is our Savior and He rescues us from God’s judgment by His substitutionary death on the cross.

2:19. “in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming.” Here we discovery that when Jesus returns, His saints will be present with Him. This means that, at His coming, the saints are not still waiting for the Lord, but are with the Lord.

This is the first of several teaching points that Paul will make in this epistle about the return of Jesus, about the resurrection of the saints and about the day of the Lord. The epistles to the Thessalonians contain much important doctrine on these topics of the end times.

3:3-4. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that persecution for your faith is a normal part of the disciple’s life. (See 1 Peter 1:6-9; 4:12-19; 2 Tim. 3:12; Matt. 5:10-12; etc.)

3:13. Another verse about the saints when Jesus returns. “The coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” Once again, we see that Jesus’ saints will be with Him when He comes.

4:13-18. Clear doctrinal teaching about the resurrection of the saints, particularly about the order of events of the resurrection and about how the resurrection of the saints relates to the coming of the Lord Jesus. A GO-TO PASSAGE ON THE RESURRECTION AND ON THE RETURN OF CHRIST. [See the full teaching on this passage in my blog #700 on May 6, 2024, entitled “The order of the resurrection in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.”]

5:2-10. Paul’s teaching on “the day of the Lord.” In a sense, “the day of the Lord” and the resurrection are two sides of the same coin. Both of these relate to the return of Christ but each one relates to a different group. While the resurrection relates to believers being glorified when Jesus returns, “the day of the Lord” relates to the terror and judgment that comes upon the unrighteous when Jesus comes in judgment. Same event, but two different experiences.

Paul’s teaching on the day of the Lord:

  • The “day of the LORD” is a common theme among the Old Testament prophets. Therefore, Paul is not inventing a new term or a new idea but is building on what the Scripture has already revealed. Paul’s teaching is necessarily consistent with other scriptural teaching about the day of the LORD. (See Joel 1:14-15; 2:1-11, 30-31; Obadiah 15-21; Micah 5:10-15; Zeph. 1:7-18 (very clear!).)
  • 5:2. The day of the Lord will come upon the unrighteous without warning and without mercy. (Matt. 24:37-41)
  • 5:3. Sudden destruction, so there will be no time for rescue or escape. In fact, on the day of the Lord, the time for rescue has forever passed and the time of judgment has come. There is no hope on that day.
  • 5:4-5. Believers are not in darkness but are sons of light and sons of day (Ephesians 5:8-9; Rom. 13:12-13), so we will not be caught unawares when the Lord returns.  
  • 5:9. “God has not destined us (believers) for wrath (1:10), but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The doctrinal truth is that everyone is heading for one of these two destinations. All those outside Christ are “destined for wrath.” All those in Christ are destined for salvation. It is incumbent upon every person to honestly assess which destination is his. If you are currently destined for wrath, then I urge you to immediately repent and bow the knee to the Lord Jesus.
  • 5:10. Our Lord Jesus Christ died for us. Here Paul references the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, that Jesus died on the cross to atone for the sins of His people (2 Cor. 5:21; Romans 14:9).

IMPORTANT IMPERATIVES FROM 1 THESSALONIANS

2:11-12. “Walk in a manner worthy (of the God who call you into His own glory and kingdom).” Paul implicitly exhorts the Thessalonians to live their lives in a way that brings glory and honor to Christ. They have recently turned to God from idols (1:9) and now Paul is instructing them to live a new life consistent with their profession of faith in Christ. This, then, is a general call to obedient, holy living. (Specifics follow.)

4:1. We request and exhort you in the Lord that you excel still more (in your conducting yourselves in a manner that pleases God). (Intro to imperatives.)

4:3. Abstain from sexual immorality. (1 Peter 2:11; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:3-5) It is likely that the Thessalonians lived in a culture of pervasive sexual immorality. They were Gentiles and had been idol-worshippers (1:9) and had been complete strangers to the holy requirements of God’s Law (Eph. 4:17-19). Now Paul tells these new believers to abstain from sexual immorality. Cold turkey. Stop it! NOW! And this command applies to all professing disciples of Jesus today.

4:4. Although it is difficult to know specifically what Paul is saying here, the idea is clear. Exercise strict self-control over the desires of your physical body “in sanctification and honor” (4:4). Before these Gentiles had given themselves over to their lusts, but now in Christ, they must “possess their vessel in honor.” Sexual behavior is now controlled by Christ.

4:5. “Not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles.” Before it was completely acceptable, even expected, to behave in lustful passion, but now, as disciples of Jesus, not so. Also notice that, although these Thessalonians were from the uncircumcised, they are no longer Gentiles. Paul contrasts these uncircumcised Thessalonians with Gentiles. Why? Because now “there is neither Jew nor Greek, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Now, since Jesus has come, the primary identifier for all mankind is not Jew or Gentile but it is disciple of the Lord Jesus or perishing sinner. The Thessalonians are no longer Gentiles but they are now uncircumcised disciples of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, they no longer act in “lustful passion.”

4:9-10. Love one another. Love of the brethren. “Excel still more.” Learn what it means to love the brethren and then excel at that activity. Love one another! (John 13:34-35)

4:11-12. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business.” Here we must discover the essence of what Paul is teaching and then bring it into our 21st century context. I think the idea is that the life of the disciple is not ostentatious and extravagant but is simple, orderly, and disciplined. The disciple does not spend his life in dissipation (1 Peter 4:3), indulging the flesh, but lives “a quiet life” of worship, witness, and prayer.

5:6, 8. Do not “sleep,” but be sober and alert. “Sleeping” here is to be understood figuratively, meaning do not wander through life like those who are sluggishly sleepwalking. Rather, live a life of purpose and vigor, staying “alert.” Be alert to sin’s temptations and flee. Be sober about the things that distract you from striving toward the goal of holiness. Do not love sleep (Proverbs 6:10), but rather buffet your body and make it your slave (1 Cor. 9:27). Deny the body’s cravings, especially if it obstructs your will. Your discipline and your will must control your body’s desires or you will be useless as a disciple. The Lord does not recruit sluggards into battle, but instead seeks out obedient soldiers.

5:12-13. “Appreciate those who diligently labor among you and have charge over you in the Lord and esteem them very highly in love.” (Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Peter 5:5, 6) Those who labor among the flock as teachers of the Word and shepherds of the flock should know that they are loved and appreciated. Make every effort to love your pastors and elders in tangible ways so that they can labor with joy and be encouraged in their labors.

5:15. “Never repay another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” In classic Pauline fashion, the apostle tells us not to do one thing, but rather to do another. The unsaved man, when he is treated unfairly, seeks to fight back with evil. Revenge is the angry response of the pride of the flesh. But the disciple of Jesus seeks to give good for everyone, regardless of how he has been treated. The disciple accepts unjust treatment, whether intentional or unintentional, and continues to seek good for all concerned.

5:16-18. “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.” These three short verses have served me as “go-to” verses for obedience and as a strong defense against wrongful thinking. Whenever I sense that I am getting discouraged or depressed, I check my thinking and, more often than not, I find that I am discouraged because I am allowing my thoughts to dwell in a negative place. I also find that this “negative place” is a place of disobedience. I am thinking about something the Bible commands me not to think about or I am not thinking about those things that the Bible commands me to consider. Thus, I am being disobedient. To break this spell, I turn my mind to 1 Thess. 5:16-18 and begin to rejoice. I start to obey the command to rejoice. That usually dispatches the depression, but if that does not work, I will begin to fervently “pray without ceasing.” Obeying the Word, I rejoice, I pray and I give thanks for all the Lord has given me. This obedience will drive away the discouragement, which is the side-effect of poor and disobedient thinking.

5:22. “Abstain from every appearance of evil.” (1 Thess. 4:3) Appearances are important! The image that you project to others will determine the credibility of your witness. Matt. 5:16. Your personal holiness testifies to the legitimacy of the gospel. “Does Jesus really change people, or do people just sign up and then try to act nice?” The disciple must ask himself, “Does the life that I live before others attest to Jesus’ power to really save people from their sin?” What gospel does your behavior preach? Because you have come out of the closet as a witness for Jesus, people are evaluating your life and determining whether Jesus is worth following at all. This begins by abstaining from every appearance of evil.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/15/2024                   #701