Category: General

We’re to abide in Christ, so that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. (1Jn 2:28)

How we imagine we’ll feel at His appearing isn’t the point, it’s how we’ll actually feel: shame or confidence. If we’re following a false Jesus (2Co 11:4), our anticipation of our response is as much in error.

So, what do we have now that’s the most like Jesus Christ? I’d say Torah, God’s commandments, is the best we have; they’re His testimonies about Himself, revealing His mind and heart, His way, His Truth, His life. We measure any likeness of Jesus Christ by its standard. (1Jn 3:4)

A king’s heart is revealed in His laws. Imagine Mosaic Law returning in the clouds, the Torah alive, deified: this, on moral and character grounds, is indistinguishable from the heart of Jesus Christ.

If we don’t know God’s Law, we don’t know Him; if we don’t delight in His law (Ro 7:22), we don’t love Him and we’ll be cursed when He comes. (1Co 16:22) Only those who obey Him are born of Him. (1Jn 2:29)

How we respond to our God’s Law is, I think, how we’ll respond to Him. Are we treasuring it (Ps 119:111), hiding it in our hearts like He told us to (De 6:6), and meditating on it all the time? (Jos 1:8) This is what abiding in Him looks like; it’s how He walked. (1Jn 2:6)

All the tribes of the earth will mourn when Jesus Christ returns (Mt 24:30); they can’t submit to His law. (Ro 8:7) His saints will rejoice in Him, just as they rejoice in His law. (Ps 119:127) To abide in Him, that we not be ashamed before Him at His coming, is our heart being sound in His statutes. (Ps 119:80)

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If I found a treasure chest filled with gold, I’d be excited! It would put a smile on my face and a spring in my step! I’d be delighted!

Delight: a high degree of gratification or pleasure, a strong feeling of happiness.

Paul says the part of us that’s united with and inclined towards God delights in God’s Law, Torah (Ro 7:22) and keeps His commands (1Jn 2:4); the part of us that doesn’t, our old man, our carnal mind (Ro 8:7), is at war with God. (Ro 7:23)

In this war, God is delivering His children from bondage, from their inclination to neglect and despise Torah. (Ro 7:24-25) Where are we in this deliverance process? Is it happening in us?

Saints love God’s Law more than heaps of gold and silver (Ps 119:72), and we’re always thinking about it (Ps 119:97) because God’s putting His laws into our minds and writing them onto our hearts. (He 8:10) God reveals Himself through His law (Ps 119:18), and He’s Who we’re after.

If we aren’t too far along on this journey yet, maybe not yet started, still cleaving to dust, it’s never too late. We can seek God out and ask Him to create a clean heart within us (Ps 51:10), and incline it unto His testimonies. (Ps 119:36)

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Christ is the central figure of history; His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension are the key facts of history. Knowing Him is life eternal (Jn 17:3); it’s our singular objective (1Jn 5:5), to know Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. (1Co 2:2) 

But the enemy has positioned innumerable counterfeits, false Christ’s (Mt 24:5), much easier to find and follow (2Co 11:4), promoting them through false brothers and seducing spirits. Very few of us will find the Way. (Mt 7:14)

Like the merchant seeking goodly pearls, we ought to be deliberate, striving to enter the kingdom, seeking Christ in the fear of God. In being casual here, we’ll no doubt fail. (Je 29:13)

Yet even as we pursue the living Christ it’s easy to get distracted, bogged down and side-tracked (2Ti 2:14), forgeting Who it is we’re after. (Php 1:21) Spiritually speaking, is anything worth knowing that doesn’t help us in knowing Him? (Php 3:13-15)

Christ is the foundation of the assembly (1Co 3:11) and the very life of the believer (Col 3:4); our objective in community is to help each other find Him and know Him (Php 3:8), discovering why He died and what it means for us, exploring the mystery of the gospel together.

So who is Jesus Christ? What’s He like? What does He value? (Jn 14:21) What did He do, and for whom? (1Jn 2:2) How does this affect our lives? (Ro 6:6) What does it mean to be crucified with Him? (Gal 2:20) How does this impact our values? (Ga 6:14) These are the salient, timeless questions, the answers to which comprise our spiritual quest.

It’s not about parroting answers, but in knowing the Person of the answers, walking in the light, in fellowship with Him, worthy of Him. Otherwise we may ever be learning, yet never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth. (2Ti 3:7)

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Well after Christ’s resurrection, as the Apostle Paul penned Hebrews (circa 67 CE), God’s temple in Jerusalem, the earthly picture of His heavenly temple with its ceremonial ordinances and sacrificial system, was as functional as ever. (He 8:4-5)

Yet Paul said God’s old covenant with Israel, built around this temple and its priestly activity, was decaying, growing old, and “ready to vanish away.” (He 8:13) Shortly afterward (circa 70 CE), Rome destroyed God’s earthly temple, halting the entire sacrificial system and Israel’s ability to keep this old covenant.

But this wasn’t the first time. Previously, in 586 BCE, Babylon destroyed the temple, similarly disabling the sacrificial system and Israel’s ability to keep God’s covenant. This first vanishing of the covenant lasted for 70 years while Israel was in exile, but it didn’t make either the covenant or the sacrificial system obsolete. Why then would anyone think the second instance did? The true temple in heaven, after which the earthly counterpart was modeled (He 9:24), has never missed a beat. (Re 11:19)

One reason might be that, when left to ourselves, we’re innately disposed to hate God and His law (Ro 8:7), jumping at any excuse to dismiss His way as irrelevant or obsolete. (2Ti 4:3)

The cross of Christ didn’t displace either the temple or its sacrificial system; animal sacrifices have always been God’s way of pointing us to the cross, helping us understand the nature of Christ’s atoning work. (Jn 1:29)

Without this tangible expression of propitiation (1Jn 2:2), enabling us to relate intimately and practically with the concept of atonement, most of us are hindered in our ability our grasp the nature and significance of the gospel  mystery; many in Christianity remain alienated from God (Mt 7:21-23), worshiping another Jesus and preaching another gospel. (Ga 1:6-7)

Yet even with the temple and sacrificial system in place, Israel missed God’s intent so completely, corrupting and abusing its design so thoroughly (Ro 10:3), that God stepped around them to work His plan for world evangelism another way. (Ro_11:15)

Meanwhile, YHWH’s Heavenly temple still stands, eternally relevant.(Re 16:17) Its earthly counterpart will eventually be fully restored (Re 11:1-2) — there’s nothing in it inconsistent with the gospel.

Torah is holy, just and good (Ro 7:12); it’s God’s moral standard, defining sin and righteousness (1Jn 3:4) so long as Heaven and Earth remain. (Mt 5:18)

God’s temple, His kingdom, and all His laws are amazingly beautiful (Ps 27:4); we do well to seek God in them, keeping His commandments, enjoying them as He intended (Ps 119:111), longing after them (Ps 119:40), and looking forward to their glorious revelation to all Mankind. (Mi 4:2)

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One of the mysteries of the Faith is Christ in us, our hope of glory. (Col 1:27) When Father conceives us with the word of Truth (Ja 1:18), He joins Himself with our spirit, becoming one with us. (Ep 5:30)

The fact that every believer has Christ in them, working uniquely and imperceptibly in and through them (Php 2:13), makes all believers equally valuable and important, creating a healthy humility and interdependency among us all (Ep 5:21), encouraging us to edify one other, and leveling the playing field, so to speak.

Christ in us, the foundation of the church, encourages the mature to listen intently to the young, seeking the unique revelation of Christ in them. It discourages the domination of the learned, and the exclusion of anyone sincerely seeking Christ from active participation in the assembly. (1Co 14:26)

The fact that none of us have yet fully attained to Christ (Php 3:12) welcomes diversity; we can all learn from each other while holding each other accountable, and critically evaluating all that is being taught, maintaining personal ownership of our own faith.

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What have I given up for Christ? What have I sacrificed trying to find Him, to know Him and follow Him? (Mk 10:28)

Sometimes it feels like I’ve lost a lot, albeit foolishly at times. A prestigious career, family, friends, wealth. I think I could’ve lived so much more comfortably, safely, with so much less suffering. (Mt 16:26)

But what have I actually gained? I have, indeed, found Christ. I know it. I should be comparing what I’ve lost with Who I’ve found.

Compared with Christ, when I do the math, whatever it is that I’ve lost really doesn’t add up to much; it pales in comparison. (Php 3:8-10)

Really now. Would I give up Christ for anything else? For anyone else? Not a chance! Would I give up anything I know about Him, or of Him? Would I purposely move just a tiny bit farther away from Him for anything temporal? No, I wouldn’t. Really. Nothing, absolutely nothing compares, on any level, with Christ. (He 11:24-26)

I’m so sorry I ever find in myself any resentment or regret for pursuing You; it grieves me deeply. (Ro 7:24) You’ve never required me to forsake anything good that I hadn’t already made into an idol. You’ve cared for me abundantly and faithfully all along the way, and suffering for you has been a privilege. (Php 1:29)

I can’t pursue both this world and Christ (1Jn 2:15-17); I’ve made my choice. (Mt 6:24) If I had it to do all over again, I’d choose You again, a million times over. Yes, always the same, no hesitation, none at all.

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One of our primal lies is that human value is tied to beliefs or behavior; we tend to honor those who believe and act as we think they ought, and to dishonor those who don’t, to shame them and feel contempt for them. But God says we’re to honor everyone (1Pe 2:17), even our enemies. (Mt 5:44)

This doesn’t mean we’re to like everyone, or to consider them desirable company. To honor someone is to treat them with respect and dignity, to acknowledge their value and worth. It has nothing to do with approving their beliefs or behavior.

What gives someone worth is the fact that God has made them in His image. (Ge 9:6) When we disrespect someone we’re disrespecting their Creator (Ja 3:9), their Lord, their Master. (1Co 11:3) They represent Him and are accountable to Him, not to us. (Ro 14:4)

Disagreeing with someone, thinking they’re wrong, is simply to acknowledge that they haven’t yet found the truth; God hasn’t opened their eyes to see what we see. (Ac 26:18) It doesn’t mean we’re better, or more important or valuable or worthy. We’re all beggars when it comes to either truth or goodness; we only have what we’ve been mercifully given by God. (1Co 4:7)

To puff ourselves up in our knowledge (1Co 8:1), or to feel threatened when others disagree with us, to feel dishonored when they say we’re deceived or in error, is to buy in to the enemy’s lie and to walk in darkness ourselves. It is associating human value or worth with belief or behavior when there’s no relationship between the two.

God Himself is the only One Who has the right to look down on another with disdain or contempt, to shame them, to disvalue them. (Da 12:2) When we do this it’s pride (Ps 123:4), usurping His role, pushing Him off the eternal throne and climbing upon it ourselves.

Let’s not make this mistake any longer, living in the lie; every human soul is infinitely valuable because the stamp of divinity resides upon us all. The beautiful and the plain, the learned and the ignorant, the righteous and the wicked, everyone is a brother or a sister bearing the indelible likeness of our Creator: Jehovah God Himself.

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When Christ was asked how many people would be saved, He told us to strive to enter Heaven, that many intending to enter will be turned away. (Lk 13:23-24) The Greek is agonizomai, from which we evidently get agonize.

The way to Heaven’s narrow, obscure; very few find it. (Mt 7:13-14) God uses this word few for the eight souls, of perhaps millions, who escaped the Flood (1Pe 3:20); most won’t make it.

But for any thoughtful soul, the second death simply isn’t an option. How then are we supposed to strive to enter?

Trying harder to be good certainly won’t work; the more we grow in holiness, the more sinful and broken we find ourselves to be, like filthy rags on our best day. (Is 64:6)

The more light we get the more of our own filthiness we can see; we’ll never be worthy on our own merit. We all need infinite mercy, a Savior to be continually cleansing us from our sin. (1Jn 1:7) We need perfect righteousness (Mt 5:48); and it needs to be a free gift (Ro 6:23), because we could never earn it.

In our striving we must not be looking primarily at ourselves, but at Christ (He 12:2), and what He’s done for us (Re 1:5), laboring to ensure that we’ve entered into the eternal rest (He 4:11) He’s provided, and that our lives obediently and joyfully reflect this reality. (1Pe 1:2)

God tells us to seek Him (Is 55:6-7), to feel after Him and find Him for ourselves (Ac 17:27), to examine our souls and prove our relationship with God (2Co 13:5), to make sure we’re His. (2Pe 1:10) Are the things that accompany salvation evident in our lives? (He 6:9) Do we love Him? (1Co 8:3) Is He precious to us (1Pe 2:7)? Is God Himself our portion in life? Is He the passion of our lives? (Ps 73:25)

If we haven’t found God yet, like the merchant seeking exquisite pearls, let’s follow after Christ, seeking God until we find Him (Je 29:13), until we know that we know Him (1Jn 5:13) and are abiding in Him. (1Jn 2:28)

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God’s kingdom is like a merchant seeking the finest pearls, who, finding one that’s so unbelievable, so fantastic, it captivates him: he liquidates all his assets, selling everything he has so he can buy it. (Mt 13:45-46) It’s a picture of those who strive to enter the kingdom (Lk 13:24), those few who find the way (Mt 7:14), who won’t settle for less. (Mt 11:12)

What exactly have we seen in God’s Kingdom that’s so attractive, so desirable, so amazing that we can’t live without it? Have we indeed sought His kingdom first, above all else? (Mt 6:33) Searched it out for ourselves, until we are overcome by it?

A kingdom is identified by its king, and a king is known by how he governs. Finding the kingdom of God precious then is delighting in God’s revelation of Himself in His Law. Despising God’s Law is to despise God Himself; a Jesus who minimizes God’s Law is a counterfeit. (2Co 11:4) The living God writes His laws into the minds and hearts of His own. (He 8:10)

We know that we’ve found God’s kingdom when all His commands become the rejoicing of our heart (Ps 119:111), more desirable than gold (Ps 19:10), than heaps of gold and silver (Ps 119:72), as much as all the wealth we could imagine. (Ps 119:14)

If this isn’t where we find our hearts, rather than cleaving to dust, let’s be like the merchant, choosing God as our portion, stirring ourselves up (Ps 119:18) to the vast treasure awaiting us in God. (1Co 2:9) Nothing else will satisfy; we’re made to walk with God, to feed in His majesty, to behold His beauty, to joy in Him, to be completely overcome by God Himself. (1Jn 1:3) Ask and receive, seek and find, knock and it shall be opened. (Mt 7:7)

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God the Father will never judge anyone; He won’t condemn the wicked. That role He’s committed to His Son. (Jn 5:22)

To judge Man properly, Christ the Son must be omniscient; He must perfectly know the heart and motive of every action ever committed by anyone, fully understanding everyone’s background, troubles and circumstances. He must know the proper degree of shame and punishment to administer for lifetime’s of sin and rebellion, and He must do this with perfect neutrality and integrity, with perfect justice, with zero bias. This requires Christ to be perfectly and fully divine.

God the Father intends for us all to respect and honor His Son in this role of Judge, in the same way and to the same degree that we honor Himself. (Jn 5:23) There should be no difference in the way we reverence the Father and His Son.

Kiss the Son (Ps 2:12); magnify Him; praise Him; rejoice in Him, serve Him with fear and rejoice with trembling. (Ps 2:11) He came once as the Lamb (Jn 1:36), but He’s coming back to judge as the Lion (Re 5:5), and He will be very, very angry with the wicked. (Re 6:15-17)

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