Peter

Misunderstanding the Messiah

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14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. – Mark 6:14-29 ESV

In the middle of his account of Jesus’ commissioning and sending of the 12 disciples on their first official missionary journey, Mark inserts the story of John the Baptist’s death. At first glance, placing this event here in his gospel narrative seems odd and out of place, but it offers important insight into the atmosphere surrounding Jesus and His ministry.

Jesus had warned His 12 disciples that they would encounter a wide range of reactions as they preached and performed miracles throughout Galilee. Some would gladly receive them, while others would refuse to have anything to do with them. Although Jesus’ reputation had spread throughout the region, confusion and even conflict over His identity remained. Some believed He was their long-anticipated Messiah. Others concluded that He must be a prophet sent by God, with some declaring that He was actually Elijah. According to 2 Kings, Elijah did not die but was taken up to heaven by God (2 Kings 2:11-12, so some assumed that Elijah had simply reappeared on earth.

Then there was the rumor that Jesus was actually the resurrected John the Baptist. This is why Mark mentions John’s death at this point in his narrative. To make the rumor of John’s return make sense, Mark had to explain how John died. Mark’s last mention of John the Baptist was in Chapter 1.

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. – Mark 1:4-5 ESV

In that same chapter, Mark recounts John baptizing Jesus but never mentions him again until this point. The apostle John revealed that John the Baptist knew his ministry and mission were short-term in nature. He had been given the divine privilege of announcing the coming of the Messiah, but once Jesus appeared, John the Baptist knew his job was done. He even rejoiced in the diminishing nature of his role.

“I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” – John 3:29-30 NLT

But John the Baptist didn’t just hang up his camel-hair coat and retire; God decommissioned him, and Mark details his fate. To explain why people assumed Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead, Mark had to reveal how Mark died in the first place. As the story makes clear, John’s death was tragic and unexpected.

At this point, Mark introduces Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. Herod was the Roman-appointed ruler of northern Israel. Mark calls Herod a king, which was not uncommon at the time. But Herod was not a descendant of David, and most Jews did not recognize him as Israel’s official king. He was little more than a puppet king, who served at the discretion of Caesar. As the story unfolds, this pseudo-sovereign would later play a significant role in Jesus’ life.

Herod was a wicked man who coveted power and would do anything to solidify and maintain his lofty position. He was one of the sons of Herod the Great, who ruled over Israel when Jesus was born. After Herod the Great’s death, the Romans appointed Herod Antipas and his brother, Philip, to rule over their father’s former lands. In a sense, the brothers became competitors, each vying for Caesar’s favor and hoping to expand and solidify their power and influence. The Jewish historian Josephus records that Herod Antipas fell in love with his brother’s wife, Herodias. He divorced his own wife and convinced Herodias to leave Philip and marry him instead. This kind of behavior by a “king” of Israel was unacceptable, and John the Baptist publicly called out Herod for this and other indiscretions.

John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others. – Luke 3:19-20 NLT

John the Baptist accused Herod of violating God’s laws concerning divorce and remarriage.

“It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” – Matthew 14:4 NLT

But his outspoken criticism of this powerful man resulted in his imprisonment. Herod had heard enough from John and decided to curtail his criticism by locking him away.

Matthew’s gospel states that this turn of events left John confused and questioning the very nature of Jesus’ identity. He began to doubt whether Jesus was who he had thought Him to be. He even sent some of his disciples to seek clarification.

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” – Matthew 11:2-3 NLT

John had believed Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, but his sudden and unexpected imprisonment seems to have caught him off guard. Perhaps John didn’t think things would end this way. If Jesus was the  King of Israel, would He not defeat the Romans and remove Herod from power? John was having a difficult time reconciling his imprisonment with his belief that Jesus was the anointed one of God. But all of this was part of God’s sovereign plan. In His wisdom and according to His providential will, God orchestrated every event in John’s life. Unbeknownst to him, John was living out his very statement: “I must become less and less.” Little did John know he would sacrifice his life so his ministry would not be a distraction. His role was to herald the Messiah’s arrival. But now that Jesus was here, John’s job was complete, and God would call him home.

John’s death reveals volumes about the decadence and immoral nature of Herod and his unlawful wife. This woman was furious with John over his humiliating comments about her, and she longed to see him dead. When she discovered that her husband had imprisoned John, she began to scheme how to take advantage of the situation and ensure that John never left the prison alive. Her chance came when Herod threw a lavish birthday party for himself and invited “his court officials, military commanders, and leaders of Galilee” (Mark 6:21 NLT). Part of the night’s entertainment was a dance performed by his own stepdaughter, Salome. It seems likely that her mother set this young girl up. It was part of a carefully orchestrated plot to eliminate John the Baptist. Pleased by Salome’s dancing, Herod offered her a reward,

“Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” He swore to her, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” – Mark 6:22-23 NLT

When Salome sought her mother’s input, Herodias told her to request the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The queen saw her chance to seek revenge and took full advantage. She knew Herod would have to keep his word, having made his brash, unwise offer in front of all his guests. Reluctantly, Herod gave in to Salome’s strange request. He immediately ordered John’s execution and had his head placed on a platter and presented to his stepdaughter as a reward for her dancing. Ultimately, Herodias received the gruesome gift.

This brings Mark’s little diversion full circle. The death of John the Baptist must have haunted Herod for some time. When he heard rumors about Jesus, he began to wonder whether John had returned from the dead.

“John, whom I beheaded, has been raised!” – Mark 6:26 NLT

This statement is filled with fear and foreboding. Herod must have had nightmares about his unlawful execution of John. He had ordered the death of a man for speaking the truth. As a convert to Judaism, Herod knew his marriage to Herodias was unlawful. Yet, due to his own pride and arrogance, Herod made a rash vow and unintentionally sealed the fate of this innocent man. Now he had to live with the consequences.

But this entire section of Mark’s gospel is less about Herod’s actions and John’s death than about Jesus’ identity. Sometime later, Jesus would ask His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13 ESV). Their response reflects the diversity of opinions about Jesus, including Herod’s. 

“Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” – Matthew 16:14 ESV

But when Jesus asked for their opinion, only Peter spoke up, proclaiming, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16 ESV). Jesus blessed Peter for his bold assertion but didn’t credit him for answering correctly. Instead, His Heavenly Father revealed His identity to Peter. One disciple gave the right response, but Jesus commanded all of them to keep it to themselves. 

Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. – Matthew 16:20 ESV

This prohibition against proclaiming His true identity seems strange. Why would Jesus prevent His disciples from declaring who He was? The answer is simple: they misunderstood the Messiah’s role. They expected a conquering king who would lead them to victory over the Romans and reestablish the Davidic dynasty and Israel’s dominance in the region. So, when Jesus began to reveal the truth about His mission, the disciples became conflicted.

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. – Matthew 16:21 ESV

This news confused His disciples because it didn’t fit their narrative about the Messiah. Dismayed by Jesus’ words, Peter “took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you’” (Matthew 16:22 ESV). Peter didn’t like what he heard. Jesus’ talk of death didn’t track with Peter’s understanding of the Messiah’s role. After Jesus had blessed Peter for his correct answer, he had to rebuke him for his lack of understanding. 

“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” – Matthew 16:23 ESV

Herod had misidentified Jesus, but so had Peter. Their understanding of Him was either incorrect or incomplete because they were using human reasoning to determine His identity. Herod didn’t want to consider Jesus to be a king because that would make Him a competitor for the throne. Peter refused to accept Jesus’ talk of death because He had no use for a dead Messiah. Everyone had opinions about Jesus, but no one understood who He was. Peter had given the right answer, but still had a long way to go before He understood what it meant.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Only Believe

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35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. – Mark 5:35-43 ESV

While reading Mark’s narrative about the woman’s miraculous healing, it is easy to forget about Jairus. This poor man was forced to bide his time and wait for Jesus to finish His conversation with the woman. Witnessing her miraculous healing must have bolstered his faith in Jesus, but it was probably hard for him to hide his frustration at the unexpected delay. As a concerned father, he would have seen his daughter’s circumstance as more pressing and immediate. The woman had lived with her chronic condition for 12 years, and she could have waited a bit longer. After all, his daughter was dying.

But the chronology of these two events is critical. The woman’s decision to touch Jesus’ garment caused what appeared to be an unexpected delay that seems to have compromised Jesus’ plans and placed Him in a difficult situation. While He had been dealing with the woman, the young girl had died. Mark records that the news of her death came abruptly and bluntly.

While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”– Mark 5:35 NLT

The delay had been costly. Yes, the woman received healing from her debilitating medical condition, but it had been at the expense of the young girl’s life. It seems Mark wanted his readers to wrestle with the conflicting emotions this sad scene stirred up. Immediately, one is forced to ask what would have happened if the woman had not touched the edge of Jesus’ garment. What if she hadn’t been able to force her way through the crowd and touch Jesus? There would have been no delay, and the young girl might still be alive. What thoughts must have been running through Jairus’ mind as he was forced to process this devastating news? Was he angry with Jesus? Did he blame the woman?

Mark gives no answers; he simply mentions that Jesus overheard the messengers delivering the fateful news to Jairus. But rather than expressing His sorrow over Jairus’ loss or apologizing for the untimely delay, Jesus told the grieving father, “Do not fear, only believe” (Mark 5:36 ESV).

Let the weight of this statement sink in. Jairus has just heard that his 12-year-old daughter is dead, and the one man whom he believed could heal her is telling him not to believe. In a sense, Jesus encouraged Jairus not to allow this news to frighten or upset him, but to replace his fear with faith.

But Jairus had believed. He came to Jesus, knelt at His feet, and begged Him to help his dying daughter.

“My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” – Mark 5:23 NLT

He had believed that Jesus could do something about her condition, but now, it was too late. She was dead, and Jairus must have struggled to control his frustration and anger at this callous-sounding comment from Jesus. The time for believing was gone.

This scene is similar to one John records in his gospel. He tells of another delay that resulted in death. Jesus had been called to the home of His dear friend Lazarus. Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters, sent Jesus a message saying Lazarus was ill. But upon hearing this news, Jesus delayed His departure for two days, then informed His disciples, “Lazarus has died,  and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him” (John 11:14-15 ESV).

When Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, He was told that Lazarus’s body had been in the tomb for four days. Martha, Lazarus’ sister, expressed her disappointment and frustration with Jesus.

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” – John 11:21 ESV

Mary echoed her feelings.

 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” – John 11:32 ESV

But what did Jesus tell His disciples when He heard the news of Lazarus’ passing?

“…for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.” – John 11:15 ESV

Jesus delayed His departure on purpose; two days had been more than enough time for Lazarus to die and be buried. Jesus deliberately created an apparently hopeless scenario that even His disciples would have viewed as beyond His power to remedy. But Jesus had delayed so that they might believe. He wasn’t surprised by the news of Lazarus’ death, and He wasn’t concerned that, after four days, the body of Lazarus would have already begun to decay. He stepped up to the tomb, commanded the stone to be rolled away, and confidently shouted, “Lazarus, come out” (John 11:43 ESV), and John records, “the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth” (John 11:44 NLT). The words Jesus spoke to Martha just before this incredible event must have been ringing in her ears.

“Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” – John 11:40 NLT

So, when Jesus told Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe,” He meant it, because He knew what He was about to do. If Jairus continued to believe despite the circumstances, he too would see God’s glory.

Amazingly, the grieving father faithfully accompanied Jesus and three of His disciples to his home. When they arrived, they found a scene of great sorrow with “people weeping and wailing loudly” (Mark 5:38 ESV). The mourning process had already begun, and the funeral preparations were already well underway. But Jesus interrupted the proceedings with a question and a comment: “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep” (Mark 5:39 ESV).

His words must have come across as either painfully callous and insensitive or simply misinformed. Either way, the people responded with derisive laughter. But Jesus ignored their reaction and had them removed. Then, accompanied by the deceased girl’s parents and His three disciples, Jesus entered her room. As Jairus and his wife wept and the disciples watched in disbelief, Jesus took the little girl’s hand and spoke to her. “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” (Mark 5:41 NLT).

And according to Mark’s account, the transformation was instantaneous.

And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. – Mark 5:42 NLT

She went from being fully dead to being fully alive — in an instant. And her amazing transformation was as if she had simply been awakened from sleep. For Jesus, restoring the dead girl to life had been no more difficult than waking someone up. It’s no coincidence that Jesus used the waking-sleeping analogy in both of these death-to-life scenarios. Even though Jesus knew Lazarus had died, He told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him” (John 11:11 ESV).

For Jesus, death was no obstacle. As John wrote in his gospel account, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4 ESV). Jesus would later refer to Himself as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 NLT). As the Son of God, Jesus was the author of all life. He was the Creator-God who gave life to all things, and He would soon prove Himself to be the conqueror of death.

These two events were meant to encourage His disciples to believe that He was who He claimed to be. As impressed as they were by His calming of the storm and His exorcism of the demons, this miracle must have left them completely shocked. Mark simply says they were overcome with amazement.

They couldn’t believe their eyes because they had just witnessed Jesus do the impossible. Peter, James, and John must have been eager to tell their companions what they had just seen. But before they could rush out the door and spread the news of this amazing miracle, Jesus cooled their enthusiasm. He commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen, and this prohibition applied to the parents as well.

Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat. – Mark 5:43 NLT

Jesus operated on a divine timeline, and His mission followed a tightly orchestrated schedule that was part of God’s preordained plan. As a student of human nature, Jesus knew that if news of this miracle got out, people would attempt to make Him their king. It would prove He was the long-awaited Messiah who possessed the power to raise the dead to life and would have no problem defeating the Romans. But Jesus’ hour had not yet come. He had more ministry to accomplish and much more training to complete with His disciples.

This incredible miracle was meant to give His disciples undeniable proof of His power and authority, and to clarify the nature of His mission. He had not come to be their King, at least, not yet. He had not come to destroy the Romans or restore Israel’s political fortunes. No, He came to restore the spiritually dead to new life, and that was the message He communicated to Martha just before restoring her brother to life.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26 ESV

Thanks to Jesus, the young girl and Lazarus were alive. But their new lives were temporary and not permanent. They would both face death again, which meant that they needed to experience the new birth Jesus described to Nicodemus.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again [from above]  he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3 ESV

The real resurrection from death to life was yet to come. But it would require Jesus to sacrifice His life as payment for men’s sins. Jesus didn’t want news of this miracle to spread because He was on a mission to provide resurrection life, not just restoration from death. Both the young girl and Lazarus received new life from Jesus, but it wasn’t the kind of life He came to provide. Because of their sins, they were still under the condemnation of eternal separation from God. But Jesus changed that when He willfully went to the cross as the sinless sacrifice that satisfied the just demands of His Holy Father. The author of Hebrews wrote, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22 NLT). But the apostle Paul explained, “Sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 14:56-57 NLT).

Jesus came not just to provide new life, but eternal life — a never-ending, uninterrupted existence with God the Father and His Son. This new existence would not become available until Jesus completed His mission by giving His life as atonement for mankind’s sins. His death, burial, and resurrection would be the means by which sinful men and women could be restored to new life, but it would require belief, just as Jesus had told Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26 NLT). But the question that needs to be answered is, “Do you believe this?”

“For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” – John 6:40 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Follow the Leader

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16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him. – Mark 1:16-20 ESV

After 40 days fasting and being tested by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus took no time off but went straight to work. But Mark alludes to something very significant that happened before Jesus began His earthly ministry: John the Baptist was arrested.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1:14-15 ESV

John, chosen by God to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming, was removed from the scene, and Luke provides further details about what happened.

John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others. – Luke 3:19-20 NLT

In a sense, John’s work was complete; he had done what God had commissioned Him to do. Now the Messiah had come, and John no longer needed to “prepare the way.” So, God sovereignly arranged for John’s ministry to come to an abrupt and final end. While we might find God’s method for ending John’s ministry a bit heavy-handed, we must recognize His sovereign orchestration and timing.

John’s removal from the scene was essential to God’s plan. It was vital that John not detract from Jesus’ ministry and mission. His job was to announce the coming of “the light” into the world, and now his work was done.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. – John1:6-8 NLT

But while preaching and baptizing in the wilderness, John had amassed quite a following.

People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. – Matthew 3:5 NLT

And there were all kinds of rumors circulating about John. So much so that the Jewish religious leaders sent a delegation into the Judean wilderness to determine who he was and what he was doing.

This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

“Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”

“No,” he replied.

“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”[i]

“No.”

“Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?” – John 1:19-22 NLT

John was bombarded with questions about his identity, and it seems some believed him to be the Messiah. As long as John was on the scene, he would keep drawing crowds and creating confusion. So God brought his ministry to an end, removing any further suspicion that he might be the Messiah.

Luke records that Jesus “returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all” (Luke 4:14-15 ESV). But before recounting one of those synagogue sermons, Mark inserts the story of Jesus calling His first four disciples.

Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee when He spotted Simon and Andrew, two brothers standing along the shoreline and casting their nets into the sea. Mark says Jesus called to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17 ESV), and the two men immediately left their nets and followed Him. At first glance, it seems Jesus walked up to two complete strangers, issued a strange and rather cryptic invitation, and they dropped what they were doing and robotically got in line behind him.

But John adds some important details that the Synoptic gospels left out. This was not the first time that Jesus had met these two men. In his gospel account, John records that Jesus spent time in Judea in the days following His baptism.

The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.

They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).

Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”). – John 1:35-42 NLT

So, this was not Simon and Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus. At some point, they traveled from Galilee to Judea because of rumors they had heard about John the Baptist, and Andrew became one of his disciples.  When Andrew heard John the Baptist call Jesus “the Lamb of God,” he immediately followed Jesus and later brought his brother to meet the one he called “the Messiah.”

Andrew and Simon likely returned to Galilee during the 40-day period Jesus spent in the wilderness, and after John the Baptist was arrested and imprisoned. With John’s ministry curtailed and Jesus nowhere to be found, the two brothers returned home to run their father’s fishing business.

But after His 40-day stay in the wilderness, Jesus found them and officially called them to be His disciples. Their abrupt decision to follow Jesus becomes a bit more understandable when you consider all the facts. With Andrew and Simon in tow, Jesus made His way farther up the shoreline until He saw two more brothers mending their fishing nets. Luke reveals that these two men, James and John, were actually business partners with Andrew and Simon (Luke 5:10), and this was not their first encounter with Jesus either. Luke provides yet another detail concerning Jesus’ previous interactions with all four men.

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. – Luke 5:1-11 NLT

All four men were familiar with Jesus, having heard Him speak and teach, but they had not yet decided to become His disciples. Jesus found them casting and mending nets, which shows they were not yet fully committed to His cause. But when He extended the invitation, they immediately responded by leaving everything behind. Jesus would later tell His disciples, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you” (John 15:16 NLT). Their calling was up to Jesus, and He later admitted that God had given all His disciples to Him (John 17:6, 9). 

Jesus began His earthly ministry by calling a group of unexpected, unqualified men to become His disciples and, later, His apostles and ambassadors of the good news. In time, these four fishermen would be transformed into fishers of men, but that transformation would take more than three years and require the coming of the Holy Spirit to be fully complete. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were relatively uneducated fishermen who displayed a rough-around-the-edges attitude and an entrepreneurial spirit. They were anything but refined and well-respected members of society. But God ordained their selection, and Jesus chose them to be His disciples.

Their unlikely calling vividly illustrates God’s grace and the undeserved nature of the gospel. The apostle Paul, another improbable ministry candidate whom Jesus called, described God’s selection process in honest, but far-from-flattering terms.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NLT

God chooses, Jesus calls, and the foolish, powerless, poor, weak, and despised respond. In the next chapter of his letter, Mark records Jesus stating, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mark 2:17 NLT). Jesus later claimed to have come “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10 ESV), and He began by choosing four leather-skinned, sin-prone fishermen from Galilee. They had no idea what they were signing up for when they said yes to Jesus, but they faithfully followed the leader.  

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Subtle Snare of Self-Made Religion

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16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. – Colossians 2:16-23 ESV

Far too often, well-meaning but misguided individuals attempt to turn faith in Christ into a lengthy list of dos and don’ts intended to regulate behavior. They take James’ simple premise that a faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:17) and twist it into a legalistic and guilt-inducing set of rules and regulations designed to measure righteousness. Unable or unwilling to accept that a believer’s right standing with God is based on grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, these purveyors of self-righteousness attempt to earn favor with God through rituals, rites, and fervent religious rule-keeping.

Entire denominations have been formed based on doctrines that teach that righteousness must be achieved the old-fashioned way: through hard work and merit. Essentially, their teaching is based on the old maxim, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Some seem to have founded their works-based concept of salvation on the often quoted but unbiblical statement, “God helps those who help themselves.”

Humanity’s pervasive pride problem lies at the core of this brand of false teaching and has been around since the fall. Ever since Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, mankind has been attempting to assuage its guilt and amend its broken relationship with God through human effort. Over the centuries, countless religions have sprung up, each promoting its own unique set of rules and rituals for keeping its particular deity pleased and in a generous mood. While diverse in their doctrines and dogma, each of these religions shares one thing in common: a works-based form of righteousness. The adherents to these religions live under the repressive pressure of a performance-based system that demands constant and unwavering compliance to a set of rigid and unrelenting standards.

Paul and his fellow apostles had to constantly deal with the problem of legalism infiltrating the churches they helped to found. It was only natural for those who converted to Christianity from pagan religions to carry the baggage of their former faith system into their relationship with Christ. They were used to practicing a religion based on rule-keeping and rife with prohibitions of all kinds. So, they were attracted to any form of teaching that gave them a list of rules to follow and activities to avoid. This propensity made them particularly susceptible to the teachings of a group that later became known as the Judaizers.

The word Judaizer first appeared in Paul’s letter to the believers in Galatia, where Paul describes an encounter with one of his fellow apostles. Peter had been visiting Paul and the church in Antioch, where he freely associated with the predominantly Gentile congregation. Everything was going well until a group of Jewish believers from the church in Jerusalem showed up.

Paul states that “when they came he [Peter] drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party” (Galatians 2:12 ESV). His reference to “the circumcision party” was meant to explain that these were Jews who believed that all Gentiles had to convert to Judaism and practice all the rites and rules associated with it before they could be fully saved.  In their minds, salvation was reserved for God’s chosen people, the Jews. One of the primary ordinances they demanded the Gentile men to obey was that of circumcision.

The presence of these Jewish Christians from Jerusalem caused Peter to avoid the Gentile converts because they were uncircumcised and, therefore, ceremonially unclean. These Jewish believers were demanding that all converts to Christianity submit to the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Essentially, they were teaching that the Gentiles were not truly saved because they were living in violation of the law. But Paul, a Jew and a former Pharisee, would have none of it.

…when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” – Galatians 2:14 ESV

The Greek word translated as “to live like Jews” is ioudaikōs, meaning “after the manner of the Jews.” Paul was appalled that Peter was demanding that Gentile Christians be required to “Judaize” or live according to Jewish commands and customs. The doctrine of the Judaizers was a mixture of grace (through Christ) and works (through the keeping of the Law). The Jews who had shown up in Antioch were teaching, “unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1 NLT).

Paul’s confrontation with Peter and the Judaizers forced Paul to make a trip to visit the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. Once there, Paul and his co-worker, Barnabas, debated the teaching of the Judaizers with James and the other apostles of Jesus. Paul pulled no punches in confronting this dangerous heresy.

“Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” – Acts 15:7-11 NLT

According to verse 16 of Colossians 2, this was the same teaching that had infiltrated the church in Colossae. Paul lists a variety of topics that have a decidedly Jewish feel to them: Teachings about the consumption of food and drink, rules concerning feasts and new moon celebrations, and the keeping of the Sabbath.

Someone had obviously been teaching the Gentile members of the local congregation that there was more to their newfound faith than simply belief in Jesus. They were being told that they would have to alter their behavior and accommodate a litany of prescribed religious rules and rituals. But Paul strongly refuted the idea of adding anything to their faith in Christ alone.

…these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. – Colossians 2:17 NLT

As a Jew, Paul knew that God had designed these things to serve a vital but temporary purpose. Paul assured the believers in Galatia that the law had been given by God but that it had fulfilled its primary purpose. Now that Jesus had come, adherence to the law was no longer required to pursue a right standing with God.

Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. – Galatians 3:23-25 NLT

Paul wanted the believers in Colossae to understand that they were not subject to anyone’s teaching regarding additional requirements or rules concerning salvation.

Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. – Colossians 2:18 NLT

Their right standing with God was not based on what they did or didn’t do; it was based on the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Upon placing their faith in Christ, they had been imputed His righteousness. What was true for Paul was also true for them.

I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. – Philippians 3:9 NLT

Paul was a staunch defender of the faith who was willing to hold accountable all those who taught a different gospel or a different Jesus. He declared that those who attempted to mislead the believers in Colossae were “puffed up without reason” (Colossians 2:18 ESV). He accused them of allowing their “sensuous” minds to determine their theology. These men were obsessed with the physical rather than the spiritual, which led Paul to assert, “They are not connected to Christ, the head of the body” (Colossians 2:19 NLT).

Their errant teaching separated them from Christ and His church, and their false doctrines concerning salvation made them enemies of the gospel. Their false teaching was doing more harm than good and was diminishing the unity of the body that Christ’s death made possible.

Paul reminded his brothers and sisters in Christ, “You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world?” (Colossians 2:20 NLT). They were becoming distracted by rules that declared, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!” (Colossians 2:21 NLT). But these kinds of prohibitions were man-made and destined to fail. Laws can regulate human behavior but are incapable of changing the heart.

These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. – Colossians 2:23 NLT

For Paul, the law was never about behavior modification. He revealed its true purpose to the believers in Galatia.

Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. – Galatians 3:19 NLT

Paul also pointed out that the law was never meant to provide salvation. It simply declared the kind of righteousness God required and revealed mankind’s incapacity to live up to God’s holy standards. Paul makes it painfully clear that rule-keeping was never intended to bring salvation.

If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. – Galatians 3:21-22 NLT

Self-denial and forced compliance with a list of moral codes may promote a semblance of sanctification, but it can never change the heart.

Jesus had addressed this issue with His disciples. When answering a question about which foods defile the body, Jesus responded, “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you” (Matthew 15:17-20 NLT).

Jesus came to bring about heart transformation, not behavior modification. Yes, He expects our behavior to change, but that change must come from the inside out. Only a transformed heart can produce a changed life. So, Paul warned the Galatians that a law-based and flesh-focused religion would produce the wrong kind of fruit. Only a heart submissive to the leading of the Holy Spirit can produce life-altering, behavior-modifying fruit that made the law unnecessary.

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. – Galatians 5:17-18 NLT

Adherence to a list of rules, rites, and religious rituals might make us feel more spiritual, but they are powerless to transform the human heart. Man’s penchant for pursuing holiness through self-effort is an ongoing problem and one that Jesus confronted the Pharisees about. He described these self-righteous Jewish religious leaders in unflattering terms, calling them “hypocrites” and declaring, “you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28 NLT).

Having refused to recognize Jesus as their Messiah and Savior, their hearts remained unchanged despite their vain attempts to purify their actions. Man-made religions and self-help holiness never work. Salvation is a gift from God that is based on faith alone in Christ alone and nothing else.

Father, we like rules and get a perverse sense of self-satisfaction in being able to measure our holiness based on our performance. But You look at the heart and You determine our righteousness based on our reliance upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Your Son. It is our reliance upon Him that makes possible our relationship with You. We stand in Your presence, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus has done for us. Never let us forget that life-changing and freedom-producing truth. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Faith That Endures

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1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. – Colossians 2:1-7 ESV

In verse 29 of chapter one, Paul speaks of his ongoing “struggle” to proclaim the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The Greek word agōnizomai carries the idea of strenuous effort driven by intense zeal. Paul was obsessed with the idea of spiritual formation and expressed his own desire to do whatever was necessary so that every believer achieved full spiritual maturity.

…we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. – Colossians 1:28 NLT

He poured out every ounce of his being to accomplish that goal. Here in Chapter 2, he uses the root word agōn to describe the ongoing “conflict” in which he finds himself engaged, and he confesses that his efforts are on behalf of all those congregations located in the Lycus Valley. The errant teachings concerning Christ had impacted not only the church in Colossae but also the one in nearby Laodicea. Likely, the community of Hierapolis had also come under the influence of teachers making false claims that denied either Jesus’ deity or humanity.

The members of these three congregations had never met Paul face to face because, at the time he wrote this letter, he had not yet set foot in the Lycus Valley. His knowledge of their situation had come to him through Epaphras and others. But like a true shepherd, Paul expressed his loving concern for these distant flocks, declaring his intense desire “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ” (Colossians 2:2 ESV).

Paul was the consummate encourager. Yes, he often displayed a blunt, in-your-face style of confrontational leadership that could be withering in its intensity. Still, his ultimate goal was correction intended to further spiritual growth. Even in these verses, Paul displays the loving concern of a pastor who longs to see his congregants experience the full measure of their salvation. For Paul, coming to faith in Christ was not a one-time event but an ongoing experience that included the believer’s initial reconciliation to God and their ongoing sanctification and ultimate glorification.

The apostle Peter described this full-orbed approach in his first letter, encouraging his readers to “crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 NLT). Paul warned Timothy that “in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons” (1 Timothy 4:1 NLT). In a second letter to Timothy, Paul reiterated his concern about the danger of a feeble and stagnant faith.

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. – 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NLT

That’s why Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2 NLT). And Paul practiced what he preached, patiently correcting, rebuking, and encouraging the church in Colossae so that they might stand firm against the faith-deflating lies of the false teachers.

Throughout his ministry, Paul strived to keep Jesus Christ as the central focus of all his teachings. In his first letter to the church in Corinth, he referred to the doctrine of Jesus as the foundation upon which every other doctrine or teaching must rest.

I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 NLT

The teachings of Jesus were not the foundation; it was Jesus Himself. The deity, humanity, sacrificial death, Spirit-empowered resurrection, and promised return of Jesus formed the firm foundation on which every believer’s faith must rest and remain. But Paul had been forced to confront the Corinthian believers about their propensity to embrace false doctrines about Jesus.

I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily. – 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 BSB

Paul did not want the believers in Colossae to make the same mistake, so he reminded them that in Jesus, “lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3 NLT). Anyone preaching a non-deified Jesus was proclaiming a lie and disseminating foolishness rather than wisdom. Anyone who refuted Jesus’ humanity and discounted His sacrificial death on the cross was to be viewed as a liar and not as a messenger from God. 

But Paul realized that many of these false teachers were highly persuasive and used well-crafted, lofty-sounding arguments that seemed to make sense. To make matters worse, these men were operating within the context of the local church in Colossae, while Paul was hundreds of miles away in Rome. He had been placed under house arrest by the emperor and denied the freedom to travel. So, while the false teachers mingled with the flock in Colossae, Paul was restricted to writing a letter. But he reminded them, “Though I am far away from you, my heart is with you” (Colossians 2:5 NLT). They were out of sight but not out of mind, and Paul expressed his joy when Epaphras informed him of their firm commitment to the faith, even in the face of false teaching.

So, Paul exhorts them to remain steadfast and unwavering in their faith. Despite everything happening around them, they had all the truth they needed to survive and thrive. A new version of the gospel was unnecessary, and a different take on Jesus was not required. The key to their survival was not some new doctrine or novel take on Jesus’s identity but a continuing faith in the One who had made their salvation possible. Paul pleads with them to stay the course, saying, “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Colossians 2:6 ESV).

They had received Jesus by faith, and they needed to continue living their lives according to faith. Once again, Paul insists that faith is not a static, one-time act that results in salvation but an ongoing lifestyle of complete dependence upon the saving work of Jesus. True saving faith results in our ongoing transformation into His likeness, which will ultimately result in a future state of sinless perfection that will take place upon His return.

Paul firmly believed that his faith in Christ was active and alive, determining every facet of his earthly existence, which is why he told the Galatian believers, “The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20 BSB).

The author of Hebrews describes faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV). Faith is not wishful thinking or some some baseless, unfounded desire for that which has no substance or chance of fulfillment. Paul uses two powerful words to describe the nature of faith. The first is hypostasis, which means “confidence or assurance.” It carries the idea of something being substantive, real, and having actual existence. The second word is elegchos, which means “proof.” Our faith is based on the belief that God’s promises are real, even when invisible to the human eye. It is based on the trustworthiness of God, not our ability to see or touch what was promised. The Old Testament saints listed in Hebrews 11 each displayed faith because they “died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it” (Hebrews 11:13 NLT). Christians don’t operate by the old adage “Seeing is believing,” instead, they live by faith. As Paul said, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV).

In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul reminded them that God had promised them “an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1 NLIT). In their earthly lives, they struggled with pain, sorrow, and affliction. But God promised they would one day put on their “heavenly dwelling” and experience new life in His eternal kingdom. Then he assured them, “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:5-7 ESV).

That is why Paul called the Colossians to live their lives focused on Jesus, “rooted and built up in him and established in the faith” (Colossians 2:7 ESV). They were to keep their eyes fixed on “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 ESV). Paul did not want them to get distracted or dissuaded from the truth regarding Jesus. They were to remain “rooted” in their faith. Like a healthy, fruitful plant, they were to sink their roots deep into the promises found in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Rootedness results in fruitfulness or, as Paul puts it, being “built up.” Paul uses a Greek word associated with architecture, portraying the steady, sound construction of a structure built upon a solid foundation.

Finally, Paul uses the term “established” to describe the final outcome of our faith. The Greek word means “to make good the promises by the event.” It conveys the idea of the promise being fulfilled, and produces the assurance and conviction that our faith will become reality.

Faith has an object: Jesus Christ. But faith also has an objective: our future glorification. That is why Paul wanted the Colossians to remain firm in their faith. Saving faith is an enduring faith that focuses on the unwavering promises of God despite the vicissitudes and difficulties of this life. The apostle John provides us with a timeless word of encouragement that points us to the day when all the promises of God will be established.

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. – 1 John 3:2-3 NLT

Father, You have intended for faith to be an ongoing and ever-increasing commodity in the believer’s life. We are to never stop displaying faith in Your promises. Even after salvation, we must continue to place our faith in Your ongoing goodness, love, mercy, power, provision, and protection. The gift of salvation promises us eternal life, but it does not immediately produce it. Coming to faith in Christ gives us a new nature but it does not produce a new, sinless body; at least, not yet. When You save us, You didn’t immediately transport us into Your presence, instead, You chose to have us remain here. Even Jesus acknowledged Your plan to have us remain behind, and prayed on our behalf, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth” (John 17:15-17 NLT).

Jesus even told His disciples, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:1-3 NLT). That is where our faith comes in. We must continue to hope and trust in the promise of Your Son’s return and our future glorification. Give us the faith to believe Your promises so that we might remain confident to the end. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Profoundly Complex But Perfectly Simple Plan

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11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. – Ephesians 1:11-14 ESV

It is essential to pay close attention to the personal pronouns Paul uses in these verses. He begins to use the pronouns “we” and “you” to refer to two different groups of believers. This will be important to understanding the text. His use of “we” indicates that he is speaking to the converted Jews in Ephesus because he is one of them. When he uses the pronoun “you”, he is speaking to the Gentile believers in the church. So when Paul writes, “In him we have obtained an inheritance,” he is speaking to his fellow Jews. Jesus was born a Jew, and brought His message of the Kingdom to the Jewish people first, and the initial converts to Christianity were Jews.

In a sermon Peter gave right after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he said to the Jewish crowd, “God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness” (Acts 3:20 ESV). The Jewish disciples chosen by Jesus would be the very first converts. According to Paul, this was all predestined by God according to the counsel of His divine will. God had intended all along for the message of salvation to go to the Jews first, “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12 ESV). But God had not left out the Gentiles.

Paul continues his letter by saying, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13 ESV). God had planned all along for the good news of Jesus Christ to begin with the Jews and then spread to the whole world (the Gentiles). Jesus’ commission to His Jewish disciples, given just prior to His ascension into heaven, made their mission clear.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

Just prior to that occasion, Jesus had appeared to the disciples in His resurrected form and had told them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:46-49 ESV).

Luke records in the book of Acts that Jesus gave His disciples one last command before He left them. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8 ESV). And that is exactly what happened; they went to Jerusalem and waited. On the day of the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came just as Jesus had promised. One of the end results of that amazing event was that the disciples were suddenly endowed with the miraculous ability to speak in languages they did not know. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they witnessed to the tens of thousands of people from all over the world who had gathered for the feast. Luke records for us exactly what happened:

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” – Acts 2:5-12 ESV

Peter preached a sermon, and 3,000 individuals came to Christ that day. The church age had begun, and the message of Jesus Christ would spread throughout the known world as these new converts returned to their hometowns at the end of the celebration of Pentecost.

Luke records that after Peter finished his sermon, the people “were cut to the heart” and asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37 ESV). Peter told them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2:38-39 ESV).

By accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior, they would receive forgiveness of their sins and be made right with God. They would also receive the Holy Spirit, just as the disciples had. This indwelling of the Holy Spirit was not tied to their baptism, but was simply a part of their commitment to express to the world that they were aligning themselves with the cause of Christ. It was an outward expression of their internal transformation. But the key was that they received the same Holy Spirit as the disciples.

Paul told the Gentile believers in Ephesus that they had been sealed by the very same Holy Spirit when they believed. As a result, they were assured of their future inheritance, just as Paul and the believing Jews in their congregation were. Because the Holy Spirit “is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:14 ESV). The Holy Spirit is literally a “down payment” from God, reminding us that the promises He has made to us regarding our eternity are real and reliable. God’s Spirit never leaves us, and He will also never let us go. His presence within us assures us of our eternal security. He will reside within us until the day that Christ returns or God calls us home. Our inheritance is assured.

Father, I am always amazed and, at time, perplexed by Your plan to use the nation of Israel to accomplish Your divine will for the redemption of mankind. You purposefully and providentially set apart the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be Your chosen people. In doing so, You chose Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau. You took Jacob and from his small clan of 70 people, you made a great nation. His 12 sons would form 12 tribes, but it was from the tribe of Judah that you chose to raise up David, the future king of Israel. In handpicking David, You chose to reject his older brothers. But it was through the lineage of David, the young shepherd boy, that the Good Shepherd would come. It was He who said, “I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16 NLT). And Jesus, the good shepherd, assures me, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me” (John 10:27 NLT).

Father, You began with the people of Israel, but You did not limit Your focus to them alone; they were simply the conduit through which Your gift of grace and mercy would flow to all the nations. You chose to send Your Son as a descendant of Israel, but He would be the Savior of all nations. And when His own rejected Him as Messiah, You chose to send the message of salvation to the Gentiles. But You have not forgotten Your chosen people. As Paul wrote, “Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it” (Romans 11:12 NLT). Only You could have come up with such a profoundly complex but perfectly simple plan, and I am just another amazed and gratified beneficiary. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Doing Right Requires Righteousness

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16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men. – 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 ESV

Paul unashamedly and boldly asked the Corinthians to participate in a fundraising effort to alleviate the suffering of the Hebrew Christians living in Judea. Ongoing persecution and the lingering effects of a recent famine had left them in dire straits, and Paul was doing all that he could to raise support from the churches in Macedonia, Achaia, Asia Minor, and Galatia. And the church in Corinth was to be no exception. He wanted them to know the joy of participating in the gracious support of their fellow believers, even those whom they had never met. Paul was not commanding the Corinthians to give because he did not want them to do so out of compulsion or with any sense of regret. But he was unapologetically claiming that their giving would be in keeping with the example of Christ Himself.  Paul reminds them that, though Christ “was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9b NLT).

Paul knew that he was doing the right thing, but he had a strong desire to do it in the right way. He was fully aware that everything he did was analyzed and critiqued by his enemies. And while he wasn’t one to waste time worrying about what men thought about him, he did worry about the potential damage his actions might do to the name and cause of Christ. That’s why he was taking special care to handle the collection of the funds in a way that was above board and free from accusation by his enemies.

He was sending Titus to collect whatever gift the Corinthians could provide, because they knew Titus and had built a solid relationship with him. But Paul was also sending another individual, “the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel” (2 Corinthians 8:18 ESV). It is unclear who this brother was, but evidently, the Corinthians knew exactly who Paul was talking about because he was well-known and well-respected by them. This individual had a reputation for trustworthiness, and Paul indicates that he had “been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us” (2 Corinthians 8:19 ESV).

Paul wasn’t taking any chances because he knew his efforts to raise funds for the Hebrew Christians in Judea provided a perfect opportunity for his enemies to accuse him of everything from extortion and greed to larceny and the abuse of power. But in the end, what Paul was most concerned about was the name of Christ. He did not want to do anything that might damage the reputation of His Savior or detract from the cause of the gospel. So he took extra precautions to ensure that his efforts were blameless and free from any hint of impropriety.

We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable. – 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 NLT

It was Jesus who said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 ESV). Peter echoed these words.

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. – 1 Peter 2:12 NLT

As believers, we are to always do the right thing, but it is just as important that we do in the right way. We must always consider the outcome of our actions and keep in mind that our conduct is being analyzed by those around us, especially unbelievers. We are ambassadors for Christ, and all that we do in this life is to be done on His behalf and in His name. We speak and act on His part, and even our right actions, if not done in the right way, can produce the wrong results and bring harm to the name of Christ.

We can’t afford to live with the attitude: “Who cares what they think?” Our conduct has consequences. Our actions speak volumes. Every word and deed is a potential testimony that will reflect either positively or negatively on the cause of Christ. What we do matters, but how we do it is just as important.

Paul was unashamed to ask the Corinthians for money, but he was unwilling to do it in a way that might damage his reputation, hinder his ministry, or bring shame to the name of Christ.

We don’t want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We’re being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God. – 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 MSG

That is how we are to live, and that is the attitude we must maintain as we do so. Our mission matters; so does our methodology. We must always strive to do the right thing, the godly thing, in the right way – blamelessly and above reproach.

Father, as Your child, it matters what I do. But I know I have to put a higher priority on doing the right thing in the right way. My motives matter. My attitude makes a difference. As Paul points out, You love a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). You always look at the heart and Your Son said, “What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45 NLT). So if I give begrudgingly, I may appear to be doing the right thing, but I am doing it with a wrong heart. If I say all the right things, but I harbor bitterness or anger toward someone, my words are meaningless. Paul said, “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT). So, I want don’t want to just do the right thing; I want to do it in the right way and with a righteous heart. With David I pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Making Much of Man Makes No Sense

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10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. – 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 ESV

It was A. W. Tozer who said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” (A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy). Our theology will have a direct impact on how we live our lives, and a faulty view of God will end up dramatically influencing our behavior. That was the situation in Corinth and the reason why Paul mentioned God six times and Jesus Christ ten times in the first ten verses alone. He was refocusing their attention back to the nature of their relationship with God the Father and His Son. They were members of the church of God. They belonged to Him, and their very existence was due to Him. Their salvation was the result of His grace and the sacrificial death of His Son. They enjoyed fellowship with God because Christ paid their sin debt with His own life. So, they owed all that they were to God and His Son.

Yet, they were guilty of worshiping men and had become a house divided. It had come to Paul’s attention that divisive cliques had developed within the church in Corinth. People were taking sides and aligning themselves with different leaders, claiming superiority based on who it was that they followed. Some bragged about their relationship with Apollos. Others claimed allegiance to Cephas (Peter). Much to his dislike, some boasted that Paul was their leader. Then some claimed the high road, claiming to be followers of Christ. The end result was petty arguing and prideful posturing. They had missed the point. It wasn’t supposed to be about Apollos, Paul, or Cephas. None of them had been crucified to pay for the sins of mankind. And neither Apollos, Paul, nor Cephas were preaching their own message of salvation. Instead, each was acting as a messenger of God, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.

Paul believed that a proper view of God should produce proper behavior. If people had an accurate understanding of God and a future-based focus on His plan of redemption, they would not put all their hopes in this life. They would be less likely to make more of the messenger than the message. God had been using Paul, Cephas, and Apollos, but they were simply the bearers of the good news of Jesus Christ. However, the Corinthians had turned these men into celebrities, and this growing cult of personality was dividing the church. The worship of man was inadvertently replacing the proper worship of God. Without realizing it, the believers in Corinth were boasting in men rather than God and attributing their salvation to men, instead of God. This human-based emphasis tended to focus their attention on the here-and-now rather than the hereafter. Arguing over the significance of who baptized them had become far more important to them than why they had been baptized in the first place. They had given their favorite preacher more prominence than they rightfully deserved, and Paul was going to make sure that they saw the error of their way.

The Corinthian believers were just as susceptible to hero worship as we are. They were making much of the messenger, with some naturally attracted to Paul while others found Apollos more appealing. Some found Cephas’ style more to their liking. But they had all allowed their personal preferences to become points of contention, leading to division within the church. They were elevating style over substance. But Paul was determined to make more of the message than the messenger. In the very next chapter, he writes,

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ESV

It wasn’t about Paul’s preaching style or oratory skills. It wasn’t about his persuasive powers or ability to craft a clever sermon; it was about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The focus of the message of the gospel is, as it always has been, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is about the God-ordained, Spirit-empowered transformation of men’s lives who have placed their faith in Christ, the one who died in their place and on their behalf. When we care more about the messenger than we do about the message, we become guilty of idol worship. When we prefer style over substance, we move from having our hearts transformed to having our ears tickled. We want to be entertained and satisfied, rather than sanctified. We find ourselves living for the moment, hoping our favorite preacher will keep us interested for an hour, while God would rather have us living with a much loftier goal: Our ongoing sanctification and future glorification.

One of the most dangerous enemies of the body of Christ is any kind of division or internal strife that creeps into its midst. Infighting and internal dissension can be highly destructive to the unity of a local fellowship. That’s why Paul immediately addresses a situation going on within the body of believers in Corinth. News of the quarrels taking place between believers forced Paul to deal with it at the very beginning of his letter. Paul doesn’t go into great detail regarding the cause of these factions, but it probably had something to do with the role each of these individuals had played in the conversion of the various church members. If someone had been led to faith by Apollos, they naturally held him in high esteem and viewed him as their mentor. If Paul had been the one to lead them to Christ, they would have developed a natural affinity and affection for him. So people were more than likely choosing sides based on the role these men had played in their spiritual birth and development. It had led to arguments and an unhealthy situation within the church.

But Paul calls them out, exposing the danger of their infighting, and demands that they seek unity. He pleads with them, “Be of one mind, united in thought and purpose” (1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT). There was no place within the body of Christ for factions of any kind, especially man-centered “fan clubs” that seemingly elevated individuals to the same status as Jesus Himself.

In the case of Corinth, some of these people were calling themselves followers of man, rather than followers of Christ. Somewhere along the way, they had missed the point. Paul, Cephas, and Apollos were simply tools that God had used to bring the gospel to the Corinthians and assist them in their spiritual growth. These men were essential to the process, but were never intended to be afforded rock star status. But it happens all the time. Cults of personality exist in churches all across the country, with people becoming followers of men rather than followers of Christ. In larger churches with larger staffs, you can end up with factions based on the particular minister or ministry heads and the role they play in the lives of various individuals. Younger people can end up with a natural affinity for younger pastors. Older members of the congregation might tend to prefer a minister closer to their age demographic. If a particular minister played a role in someone’s salvation, it is only natural for that individual to hold that pastor in higher regard. But all of this can lead to divisions and a lack of unity. Again, that is why Paul appealed to them to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Unity and division were common topics in many of the letters Paul wrote to the various churches he helped to found. Disunity was always a threat to the integrity and health of these new congregations. In his book, The Story of God As Revealed in the Holy Bible For All Mankind, Raymond Anderegg writes, “…the apostles make it clear that two of the biggest threats to the kingdom of God are false teachers and division within the Church, and both threats are treated as equally important. Thus, two of the worst sins a Christian can commit are to reject the gospel of Jesus Christ for another gospel (religion) and to cause strife and division among our brethren, the body, or Church, of Christ.”

Disunity is destructive. Division is deadly. It robs the church of its power. It diminishes the body of Christ’s influence among the lost, providing the enemy a foothold and an opportunity to sow strife and dissension in place of love and forgiveness. Christianity is not a man-centered religion based on personality, but a Christ-centered faith based on His sin-defeating work on the cross on our behalf. When we start making the church a cult of personality by making much of men, we diminish the sufficiency and singularity of Christ as the sole focus of our faith.

Father, from the very beginning, humans have struggled with a self-focused obession that strives to make ourselves the point of the story. We tend to worship ourselves or someone else instead of You. We find it easy to make much of men and elevate them to positions of prominence and importance because it gives us hope for ourselves. But it was never meant to be about us. We make lousy gods and even worse saviors. We are incapable of providing long-term, sustainable help and hope for anyone, including ourselves. That is why You sent Your Son, and we are to make much of Him. We are to worship Him and Him alone. Forgive us for the divisions and silly factions we create based on personalities. Help us remember that we are followers of Christ and no one else. Create in us a unity that is focused on Him alone. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Nothing More, Nothing Less

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11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. – Galatians 2:11-21 ESV

To some, this whole confrontation between Paul and the Judaizers may appear overblown. Paul may come across as petty and too harsh in his opinions. After all, how can he be so sure that he’s right and everyone else is wrong? Aren’t they welcome to their own opinions? Can’t there be more than one way for people to be made right with God? According to Paul, no. And he has already made it perfectly clear why he could be so adamant in his opinion, because it was not his opinion; it was the word of God given to him by Jesus Christ Himself. For Paul, this was serious stuff. It wasn’t just a matter of a difference of opinion; it was a case of truth versus falsehood and the word of God versus the lies of the enemy. Paul was so firm on this point that he was willing to confront one of the recognized leaders of the early church, the former disciple of Jesus, Peter.

On a visit to the region of Galatia, Peter had sat down and eaten a meal with Paul and some of the Gentile Christians, even though the men in this group were uncircumcised and not converts to Judaism. But later, when some Jewish friends of James, another former disciple of Jesus, came to Antioch, Peter snubbed the Gentile Christians, refusing to associate with them. It seems that Peter did not want to offend his Jewish comrades. Evidently, these men were not willing to associate with the Gentile believers because they were uncircumcised and, therefore, unclean.

Peter’s actions appalled Paul, and despite Peter’s rock star status in the early church, Paul confronted him. As far as Paul was concerned, Peter’s actions gave credence to the message of the Judaizers and led others to believe that faith in Christ was not enough. But Paul made his position on the matter clear: “Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law” (Galatians 2:17 NLT). Case closed. Because otherwise, if these Gentile believers had come to salvation through faith in Christ alone, and then discovered that they were actually sinners because they had refused to keep the law, then the message Jesus had given Paul would have been the impetus or cause of their sin.

As far as Paul was concerned, that was ridiculous and impossible. Jesus never taught that salvation was some combination of faith in Him PLUS adherence to the Jewish law. The law was never meant to save anyone. It simply revealed the full extent of man’s sinfulness. The law was intended to stand as a standard of God’s righteous expectations. It was the measuring stick by which He judged the righteousness of men, and no one measured up. No one kept the law in its entirety. The law exposed man’s sinfulness and revealed just how far he fell short of God’s righteous standard. Paul wrote, “For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me” (Galatians 2:19 NLT).

But Jesus came to fulfill the law. He took on human flesh, lived as a man, and kept the law of God to perfection. He did what no other man could have ever done. He satisfied the righteous standard of God, which is what made Him the perfect sinless sacrifice, worthy to offer His life as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29 ESV). He willingly laid down his sinless life as payment for mankind’s sins. And when He died, those sins were crucified with Him.

Our old selves, our sinful selves, were put to death, and by dying with Christ, we were freed from having to keep the law as a means of maintaining a right standing with God.. In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ” (Romans 7:4 NLT). As a result, we no longer have to try to keep all the requirements of the law to be made right with God. Salvation is not about self-effort; it is about faith in Christ alone. To try to add to this message or require anything more for salvation to be available is to treat the grace of God as meaningless and the death of Christ as insufficient.

For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. – Galatians 2:21 NLT

But He did die because He had to. It was a necessity.

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12 NLT

As Augustus Toplady wrote in his well-known hymn, Rock of Ages, there is nothing we can bring to God that will make ourselves acceptable in His sight. We must simply cling to the cross of Christ and rest in His saving grace.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.  – Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me, Augustus Toplady, 1740-1778

Father, man is always trying to figure out a way to play a more significant role in his own salvation. We so desperately want to earn or deserve Your grace. We want a set of rules to keep or standards to live up to. But we can’t even keep the rules we make, let alone the righteous standard You demand. And yet, You offer us a restored relationship with You through Jesus Christ, completely apart from our own self-effort. But we can’t seem to stop adding things to the equation. Help us grasp the unbelievable nature of what Christ made possible through His death. He is the key to our salvation, nothing more, nothing less. There’s nothing more that needs to be done. Amen.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Something to Think About

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8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9 ESV

Paul has challenged the Philippian congregation to make their unity a high priority. He has pleaded with them to see that their behavior lines up with their belief so that the way they live their lives fully complements their calling in Christ. That will require them to work out their salvation or to put it another way, to put in the necessary effort so that their faith in Christ bears tangible fruit. He has encouraged them to keep their faith steadfastly committed to the gospel message made possible through the death and resurrection of Christ. They were to share the same attitude that Christ had, choosing to follow His example of humility, selflessness, obedience, and sacrifice. And, like Paul, they were to find reason to rejoice, even in the face of opposition and oppression. If they did these things, Paul knew they would shine like bright lights in the darkness surrounding them in Philippi.

But before Paul closes out his letter, he offers one more word of wisdom. As if returning to his earlier admonition that they have the mind of Christ, Paul tells them to “think about these things” (Philippians 4:8 ESV). The Greek word he uses is logizomai, and it means “to consider” or “to meditate” on something. But Paul leaves no uncertainty as to what kinds of “things” they are to consider or concentrate their minds upon. He provides them with a very specific list of subjects with which to fill their minds and on which to focus their thoughts and attention.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. – Philippians 4:8 NLT

The first item on his list is truth. They were to fill their minds with whatever is true and, therefore, trustworthy. Because Satan is the father of lies, we must constantly be on guard against the subtle falsehoods and deceptive half-truths he attempts to use against us. And since there is no greater truth than the gospel message, Christ followers must constantly focus their minds on the reality that they were once condemned sinners in need of a Savior. At one time, they had been in debt to God and completely incapable of satisfying His just and holy demands. Yet, He sent His Son to die in their place and now they stood before Him as pure and holy, clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Paul was constantly reminding those under his care to consider the remarkable truth regarding their restored relationship with God.

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. – Ephesians 2:1-2 NLT

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) – Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT

Paul adds “whatever is honorable” to his list. He is referring to anything worthy of veneration because of its character. In a sense, this is truth lived out; it is Christlikeness that shows up in trustworthy conduct.

Next, Paul encourages them to fill their minds with whatever is “right” or just. This has to do with righteousness, but according to God’s terms, not man’s. It carries the idea of living your life so that your way of thinking, feeling, and acting is fully conformed to the will of God.

It makes sense that Paul would follow right thoughts with right behavior in the form of moral purity. Sexual sin is fully outside the revealed will of God, and it’s not just the actual act that can get us into trouble. Even our thoughts can leave us impure and guilty before God. It was Jesus who said, “anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28 NLT). This is why Paul told the Corinthians:

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. – 1 Corinthians 6:18 NLT

Purity is a high priority for God. He not only expects it, He demands it. He has called us to be holy, just as He is holy, and we must fill our minds with those kinds of things that are pure and undefiled, not contaminated and contrary to His will for us.

The next word on Paul’s list is “lovely.” This has to do with purity that is lived out so that our conduct remains pleasing and acceptable to God. It was Peter who wrote, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12 ESV). When believers think about those things that bring pleasure to God, they tend to make them a priority. And, when they do, the world takes notice.

Which brings us to the word, “admirable.” We are to fill our minds with those kinds of things that are worthy of praise; not self-centered, ego-boosting praise, but praise that reflects on God and His power to transform our lives for the better. So much of what we spend our time thinking about is unworthy of praise; it has no redeeming value or worth. We can end up admiring the wrong people, showering praise on the wrong kind of conduct, and speaking highly of those kinds of things that God finds unworthy.

Throughout his letter, Paul has blended the ideas of belief and behavior. He was overjoyed with the thought of their newfound faith in Christ but he knew that their spiritual journey was far from over. This is why he had opened his letter with the words, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 ESV). They needed to be in it for the long haul. Their walk with Christ was going to require effort on their part and a commitment to live out their faith in practical and visible ways. They could not afford to stand pat, biding their time until the Lord returned. They had work to do, and they were going to have to work together to survive and thrive in the hostile environment in which they found themselves.

The Christian life was not going to be easy but that didn’t mean it was going to be impossible. They had the gospel message, the resurrection power of the Spirit of God, and one another. They also had the teaching of Paul on which to rely, and he encouraged them to take what he had taught and put it into practice. He challenged them to look at his life and follow his example.

Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:9 NLT

Paul’s challenge to “think on these things” was more than a mind game. He wasn’t suggesting that they practice some form of positive motivational thinking. He was encouraging them to fill their minds and concentrate their thoughts on the kinds of things that truly matter. Our thoughts cannot be separated from our actions. We must desire what God desires. We must fill our minds with those things that God finds true, pure, right, just, and worthy of praise. One of the best ways to do that is by submitting ourselves to the indwelling power of the Spirit of God. To have the mind of Christ and to be able to think as He does, we must rely on the Spirit He has placed within us. This is why Paul told the Galatian believers:

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. – Galatians 5:16-17 NLT

It is the Spirit of God, promoting the will of God through the Word of God, who transforms the people of God from the inside out. His indwelling presence and power provide the motivation and strength we need to think and live like Christ in a fallen world. The apostle Peter put it this way: “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him…” (2 Peter 1:3 NLT). And that is a truth worth thinking about.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson