Caught between the now and the not yet

Romans 7

So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

Romans 7:4‭-‬6

We're no longer under the old testament law, but we're now to serve God in the Spirit.

 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Romans 7:21‭-‬25

However, we still struggle with our old nature even though we're already in Christ. We're in the process of becoming like Jesus, but we're not perfect yet.

Good works is a consequence of grace

Romans 6

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?
...
Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Also, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be! Don’t you know that when you present yourselves as servants and obey someone, you are the servants of whomever you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were delivered. Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.

Romans 6:1-2, 11-18

Last Sunday, we saw that faith is proven by works. In today's reading, we see that having received God's grace, we have died to sin. Therefore, sin no longer has dominion over us. If we continue to sin, we will be slaves to sin rather than being bondservants of righteousness.

Suffering

Romans 5

Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope: and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:3‭-‬5

Suffering produces perseverance, character and hope... but man, it's still hard to rejoice in our suffering! 😅

But we do have God's love, and we do have the Holy Spirit. So we can hang on.

Let the suffering make us better, not bitter.

For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6‭-‬8

The fact is, even as others may be causing us suffering now, we have sinned before ourselves and caused suffering of others. Yet God loves us and Christ died for us even while we were in rebellion to Him.

Hope after a messup

Exodus 36

They spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded to make.”

Exodus 36:5

This was after the golden calf error that they did this for the Tabernacle. So even after such a bad sin, there's still possibility of repentance and doing good.

Missing the forest for the trees

Exodus 35

‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to Yahweh: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Sabbath day.’”

Exodus 35:2‭-‬3

God gave humans the Sabbath to make sure that people rest one day a week, for, as Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for people, and not people for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)

However, they've been debates over the centuries, if you're cold or can't see, can you light a fire? Can you turn on a light switch? Can you start your car?

These days, making a fire is a simple matter of striking a match, or turning on our stove. But during Moses’ time, it was a labourus process of gathering wood and kindling, rubbing dry sticks together for a long time while blowing, etc.

These debates point out that people often lose sight of God’s principles when arguing about details - missing the forest for the trees.

Father, if I miss the forest for the trees, remind me of Your principles. In Jesus' name, amen.

Faith & Works: the balance

Romans 4

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”  Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed. But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

Romans 4:3‭-‬5

Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 to point out that Abraham was justified by faith, which is very interesting because James quotes the same passage:

Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God. You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.

James 2:21‭-‬24

to point out that his faith didn't stand alone, but was backed up by works.

Here we see the balance: we are justified by faith, but our faith is evidenced by works.

Without faith in Jesus' sacrifice, we don't have anything. But if you claim to have faith in Jesus but your life is not affected, then is it real?

Father, thank You for saving us. May we work out our salvation in following You. In Jesus' name, amen

Lion of Judah, Lamb of God

Exodus 34

Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, “Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation.”

Exodus 34:6‭-‬7

This passage seems like a contradiction: is God merciful or does He punish the guilty?

But in truth, He's both. He's both the Righteous Judge and the Merciful Father.

The fearsome Wrath of God, but also the loving Lamb of God.

As the song goes:

Lion of Judah
Lamb of God
glorious Conqueror
suffering Son.
Lion of Judah
with nails in His hands,
the mighty Redeemer
was meek as a lamb

Deadly honey

Proverbs 5

For the lips of an adulteress drip honey. Her mouth is smoother than oil,  but in the end she is as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two-edged sword.  Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.   She gives no thought to the way of life. Her ways are crooked, and she doesn’t know it.

Proverbs 5:3‭-‬6

Temptation always seems like it drips honey, so attractive, but the end of it if you give in is death. For the wages of sin is death.

Father, remind me of this end when I'm tempted, so that I don't reach for that deadly honey! In Jesus' name, amen.

King David and Jesus' crucifixion

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

Psalms 22:1

Jesus quoted this verse on the cross and much of the rest of this psalm is also descriptive of what He went through in His passion suffering.

All this in spite of David writing it centuries before crucifixion was even invented!

Not so obvious

Exodus 32

He received what they handed him, and fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said, “These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”  When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.”

Exodus 32:4‭-‬5

It's interesting that even though they had made and idol golden calf, they still called it Yahweh.

Sometimes we put other things in the place of God but still call it God. Sometimes we claim God told us to do something, or we are doing something for God, but it's really not for God, but our own idea.

Sometimes it's not so obvious. That's why we need to study the Bible and have a community of believers around us who also study the Bible and help keep each other on the right path.

Father, guide us in Your paths and alert us to when we stray from it. In Jesus' name, amen.

"Secular" calling

Exodus 31

“Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship, to devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all kinds of workmanship. Behold, I myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you:

Exodus 31:2‭-‬6

Bezalel and Oholiab were not known for their ability to preach or lead worship. They were known for their ability to do crafts.

And yet, here they are, commended by God, and God filled them with His Spirit, and in wisdom, understanding and knowledge.

Our "normal jobs" can be means of God's workmanship and blessing. We don't all have to be preachers or worship leaders or write Christian books to have God's anointing and Spirit.

God calls different people to different things. Whatever we do,we should do to the glory of God.

Father, thank You for giving us different skills to do different things. May we do it all to Your glory, even if our skill is "secular". In Jesus' name, amen.

Justified by faith, evidenced by works

Romans 3

Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), “Let us do evil, that good may come?” Those who say so are justly condemned.

Romans 3:8

When I was a new believer, I wondered this exact thing, and an older Christian showed me this verse.

We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Romans 3:28

We are justified by faith,it is not of works, so nobody can boast.

However, other  parts of scripture make it clear that if we claim to have faith but continue without repentance, that is evidence that we have not come to Christ in the first  place.

God is the one who sanctifies

Exodus 29

I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar: Aaron also and his sons I will sanctify, to minister to me in the priest’s office. I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. They shall know that I am Yahweh their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Yahweh their God.

Exodus 29:44‭-‬46

God is the one who sanctifies. Praised be the Lord!