Redemption

Shofar Day 1 Hearing The Shofar

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Shofar Day 1 Hearing The Shofar

Brenda Earley

January 19, 2026

Hope,Lord,Mercy,Redemption

Read His Words Before Ours!

Revelation 1:4-16
Genesis 22:1-13
Psalm 98:6-9
Psalm 150
Romans 8:1-4, 29-34, 36-39 

“Abraham!” God said. 
“Here am I,” replied Abraham.
“Take up your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and offer him as a sacrifice. I will lead you to the place.”

So Abraham rose early the next day to prepare for their travel and took Isaac to the place God would reveal.

As they journeyed, Isaac asked, “We have the rocks and wood for our altar, but where is the lamb for our sacrifice?” Abraham’s reply, “God will provide,” must have puzzled Isaac, but he did not waver as they continued. 

Then, binding Isaac, Abraham laid his only son upon the prepared altar. Raising his knife for Isaac’s slaughter, Abraham was interrupted by an angel calling, “Do not lay a hand on your son. Because I have seen your obedience, I know you love God.”

When Abraham heard this, a ram whose horns were caught in the brush appeared; 
God provided a substitutionary sacrifice.
(Genesis 22:1-13)

In ancient Israelite culture, the shofar, or ram’s horn, was used as a “shout” of victory, remembrance, and celebration. In Joshua 6:4-20, the shofar was blown as Joshua waged war against Jericho. The walls came tumbling down when the blasts were heard.

On top of Mount Sinai, the ram’s horn echoed in the thunder as God spoke to Moses. (Exodus 19:16-19) At this time, God gave the Ten Commandments to Israel. Today, when the shofar blows, it is in remembrance of that Law. 

The shofar is still used during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah) is the beginning of the new year and the ten days of repentance leading to Yom Kippur, which remembers Moses upon Mount Sinai. It is often called the Day of Atonement (the most sacred day on the Jewish calendar). 

The shofar has many uses; its powerful sound is noted in Scripture 72 times. Blowing a shofar provided a physical, embodied representation of God’s voice. God’s directive voice within creation portrays His creative power. As the Creator of the universe, His authoritative commands remind us, “He is Ruler over all!” (Psalm 33:8-9; Matthew 28:18) 

The shofar also foreshadows the second coming of the Messiah. He will reign for all eternity and will be pronounced our forever King. (Psalm 29:10; Zechariah 14:9)

This does not mean we should back away from God’s voice. 

Yes, He is all-powerful, but He is Love and wants us to love Him. 
Yes, He is all-knowing, but He does not condemn us. 
Yes, He is all-sufficient, so He can offer us grace in our times of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)  

Like many people in Scripture, when we fall face down in fear when confronted with God’s awesome presence, we can feel His touch and hear His voice say, “Do not be afraid.” (Matthew 17:1-7) 

The shofar’s blasts should be music to the ears of God’s followers, calling us to His side, drawing us near, and teaching us to hear His voice and heed His call. (Isaiah 43:1)

To hear shofar’s blow is to hear God’s voice. While powerful, it is not always loud. God’s voice is in the quiet stillness as He beckons our hearts to Him. (1 Kings 19:11-14) He gently calls us to accept His sweet biddings. 

Oh, sweet ladies, if you are searching for Him, please reach out to someone who can lead you to the saving knowledge of God (Deuteronomy 4:29), or leave a comment below and a member of our team would love to talk with you. If you will hear His gentle voice and open your heart, He will come to you! (Matthew 11:28)

Because God loved us, He sent His only Son to this earth to be a substitutionary sacrifice for us all. Our sins were many, but He became the Ram in the thicket, our Provision. He died for ME! For you! 

“And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain–
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, My God, shouldst die for me?
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head.
And clothed in righteousness divine.
Bold I approach th’ eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.”
(And Can It Be?, Charles Wesley) 

We, who are in Him, will hear the shofar again at the Second Coming when all His children, dead and alive, will be resurrected to our eternal home! No need for dread and fear, then, for we will be like Him! (1 John 3:2)

The message of the shofar remains the same. It’s the Sound Heard of Freedom and Repentance. Are we listening, my sisters? Will we heed the call? 

“Wake up! the shofar screeched! Pay attention! it cried. I am here!” 
(theplenitudes.com)

Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

*****

For further worship, check out “In Christ Alone” by Keith and Kristyn Getty

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hope,letter,listen,Revelation,shofar
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Shofar, Day 2
Digging Deeper

From Joshua (Joshua 6:2-5) to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:16-20), the shofar was a ready tool for alerting the people of what was ahead.

Central to the book of Revelation is the essential message about the King of all kings: He is coming! (Revelation 1:5, Daniel 7:13-14)

Sound the Amen!
Dig Deeper!

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The GT Weekend! ~ Slain, Week 1

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The GT Weekend! ~ Slain, Week 1

Katelyn Palmer

April 19, 2025

Mercy,Obedience,Redemption,Relationship,Sing,Trust,Victorious,Worship

Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

His Words Before Ours

Daniel 3:16-18

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, ‘Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king.

18 But even if he does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.’
Read More Of His Words

Reflective Prayer

Dear Yahweh,
I come to You, first, with gratitude. Thank you for the sisters I get to joyfully write alongside each week. They continue to draw an Amen from my lips and inspire souls all around the world to follow You! (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

I am grateful for Your perfectly timed lessons that always seem to hit on a heart issue I am actively facing. I praise You for knowing me perfectly and guiding me into all truth even at the cost of dying to self and persecution from others. (John 16:13, 2 Timothy 3:12–14)

Lord, I pray the words shared with us this week in each of the studies would soak into our hearts and minds; use them, Spirit, to encourage perseverance for all who have ears to hear. (Revelation 2:7)

Yahweh, I pray that each sister reading this today would take heart in the stories of old and run her race all the way Home to You. (Hebrews 11-12:2)

Yahweh, I would also pray that each of us take the opportunities You daily give us to build others up, reflect Your love, and build Your kingdom.

May each sister move into this new week strengthened by her time in the Word with You, supported by brothers and sisters in You, and emboldened to speak Your name regardless of her surroundings.
In Jesus’ name I ask, Amen!
Pray Scripture

Worship Through Song

Reflection One

Humans spend a lot of time thinking about death, or maybe, working on “not-thinking” about death. We push uncomfortable thoughts about our mortality away, but what happens when, eventually, we are face-to-face with our last breath?

I hope that when my time comes, I face it with the strength of the Holy Spirit just like my fellow-believer, Polycarp, who suffered a tragic death in Jesus’ name without wavering. Polycarp didn’t just die for Jesus, he lived for Jesus as a bishop of Smyrna who dedicated his years to serving God’s people. On Monday, Gloria beautifully wrote, “While we may not all be called to die for our faith, we are all called to live for it.” I lost my breath for a second, because she’s right!

It’s so easy to get lost in hopes for our future or past pains that we forget to live in the present for our Savior. Jesus reiterates time and again that our lives will tell of our love for Him, winsomely inviting others to follow; we are branches to His vine and the fruit we bear reveals the authenticity of our love for the Savior. (John 15:1-11)

With confidence in the faithful God who holds every strand of our stories on earth, we can shed our worries for tomorrow (Matthew 6:34), release the shackles of our past (Isaiah 1:18), and choose to testify to our love of Christ in the present.
Monday & Tuesday

Reflection Two

The sentiment of Wednesday’s Journey Study is this: Spend your life for something greater than yourself. What could possibly be greater than the eternal, unstoppable Kingdom of God?

When our lives are aligned with Jesus’ words and His ways, we are inherently engaged in Kingdom work that will last for eternity. Our focus shifts away from the temporal struggles and onto the forever Glory to come. (Colossians 3:1-4) The fruit of our lives ripen, illustrating the blessings and steadiness that comes from practicing Christ’s teachings. (John 15:1-8)

We intrigue the lost souls around us with Jesus’ love, igniting a flame of hope and pointing them to the Hope of Christ. (Hebrews 10:24-25) We don’t need to face the noose, or a jail cell, or other countless horrors to live a life that reflects God. We don’t have to find our name in a history book to live a life that is worthy of heavenly celebration. But, make no mistake, every life surrendered to Jesus carries the cost of dying to self and living for Him!

Blandina and Polycarp lived and died for Christ, encouraging many souls throughout history to choose Christ. We are in just as great a position to do kingdom work if only we choose love for Christ over Self! (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22)
Wednesday & Thursday

Reflection Three

How we spend this life matters. Every choice we make creates a ripple effect., either for Life or Death. Perpetua and Felicity made choices that sent ripples through time and eternity so that even today, you and I may hear, and be inspired to follow Jesus because of their stalwart love for Christ.

Perpetua’s father could have ultimately been saved by the example of his daughter’s faith even unto death. The baby girl birthed by Felicity, given to another sister in Christ to be raised, could have been the answer to a thousand prayers by that very sister who couldn’t have her own children. Any number of possibilities can come from every single decision we make as we place our focus of faith on Christ.

We must strive to see each choice as an opportunity to choose God or the world. With this perspective, it should be our goal to choose God more than we choose the world because we cannot have both. (James 4:4)

Sometimes, that means denying our desires and placing others first. (Galatians 5:24) Sometimes, it’s giving up our time and resources to others who need them more or loving those who seem determined to be “unlovable”. (Luke 6:27-36) On all accounts, we much seek Jesus and trust His Ways are steady and reliable! (Daniel 3:17-18, Psalm 25:10)
2-for-1 Friday

This Week's Journeys

Remade Day 15
The Remade Life

January 20, 2017 No Comments

We’ve talked a lot during this Journey Theme about what it means to live this redeemed life that Jesus has so richly given us, but what does the “box top” look like? What does my everyday look like as I’m chasing after this God who longs to continuously remake me

Read More »

Remade Day 14
The Law of Love: Digging Deeper

January 19, 2017 No Comments

The pharisees asked a lot of questions, but they didn’t truly want to know Jesus’s heart. When we study the Bible or look for answers to our questions, let’s not go looking for evidence to support our pre-determined ideas, rather let’s seek to understand the original intent of the Scriptures,

Read More »

Remade Day 13
The Law of Love

January 18, 2017 No Comments

If we really are living out and doing exactly what Jesus tells us are the two most important commandments, then everything else He tells us to do will fall into place… because, by living out these commandments, we are allowing transformation.
When our minds are transformed, then our actions

Read More »

Remade Day 12
No Going Back: Digging Deeper

January 17, 2017 No Comments

Are you stuck in the past, attached and grasping for things leading to death, or are you clinging onto and sinking into the things of life? God is a good God, even on days when our past stops us in our tracks or a situation cements our feet. Be reminded

Read More »

Remade Day 11
No Going Back

January 16, 2017 No Comments

As fun as it is to “remember when”, there’s danger there too. Either we can romanticize the past and wish for it all over again, or we begin to drown in its sorrows and become perpetually stuck in its cycle. God wants neither for us!

God told Lot’s family

Read More »

The GT Weekend – Remade Week Two

January 14, 2017 No Comments

Lord, You have provided perfectly for us. You have given us a means for relationship with You through Jesus. You’ve given the Holy Spirit to keep us walking in step with You, yet I still think I can hide the real me from Your face. Father, forgive me for putting

Read More »

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Tags :
Easter,eternity,hope,life,martyr,redemption,victory
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Lowly Day 3 In Merciful Compassion

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Lowly Day 3 In Merciful Compassion

Lesley Crawford

December 11, 2024

gentle,Humility,Perfect,Redemption,Relationship

Read His Words Before Ours!

Philippians 2:5-8
Ephesians 2:4-5
Luke 1:78-79
Psalm 86:15-16
Psalm 103:13-14

I remember the first time I was struck with amazement that Jesus humbly came to earth as a human. As I stood with the choir one Christmas, suddenly words came to my mind as clearly as if Jesus was speaking directly to me:

“Don’t ever consider anything beneath you. I didn’t.”

“Merciful” and “Warrior” don’t really mesh, but this is the truth of the Christmas story. 

The all-powerful Creator God, the Sovereign One above everything, chose to humble Himself and enter His own creation as a vulnerable baby. He lived as a human, experiencing all our joys and sorrows, even going so far as allowing Himself to be nailed to a cross and killed.

His example provides a striking contrast to most worldly leadership, which is usually concerned with clinging to power. Rather than trying to lord it over others, Jesus “emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant.” (Philippians 2:7) 

This raises the question: what motivated Jesus to do this?

Zechariah’s prophecy, which came just a few months before Jesus was born, provides a simple explanation, “because of our God’s merciful compassion.” (Luke 1:78)

Throughout the Bible, we see merciful compassion as a key attribute of God’s character. 

Psalm 86:15 describes Him as a “compassionate and gracious God,” while Psalm 103:13 likens God’s compassion toward His people to that of a father for his children. 

God’s compassion is clearly depicted in God’s dealings with His people throughout the Old Testament. Despite their constant sin and rebellion, God always remained faithful to His people, forgiving them and showing them mercy.

Joshua, our unlikely Christmas pageant player, also tells the same tale to Israel, rehearsing the truths he learned at Moses’ side.

“The Lord had His heart set on you and chose you,
not because you were more numerous than all peoples,
for you were the fewest of all peoples.
But because the Lord loved you […]”
(Deuteronomy 7:7-8, emphasis mine)

Joshua understood it wasn’t his military prowess which would conquer Canaan, for it was impossible for the diminutive, nomadic tribe of wilderness wanderers to accomplish such a feat. It was only by the power of Yahweh, made accessible to Israel, out of His heart of merciful compassion.

The word “compassion” has its root in the Latin word “compati,” which means “to suffer with.” It is linked to empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Yet compassion goes further, also involving a desire to help alleviate suffering.

We see this clearly demonstrated through Jesus’ example:

  • In His willingness to come to earth to live as a human, “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) came to be with us in order to bring light to the darkness and guide us in the path of peace. (Luke 1:79)
  • In the love and care He showed throughout His ministry. He touched lepers, ate with tax collectors, and made time for the broken, downtrodden, and overlooked.
  • In the unimaginable suffering He endured on the cross, which was motivated by His desire to alleviate suffering by dealing with sin and its penalty. By His wounds, He made a way for people to be wholly reconciled to God.

If we truly grasp Jesus’ merciful compassion, it will begin to make a difference in our lives. 

Christ’s merciful compassion…
encourages us to approach God boldly, knowing He understands our struggles and confident we will be met, not with condemnation, but with mercy and grace. (Hebrews 4:16)

Christ’s merciful compassion…
stirs up gratitude in us for all He has done on our behalf. Knowing God chose to save us and give us life because of His great love, that isn’t based on anything we have done to deserve it, can only lead to praise. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Christ’s merciful compassion…
produces His humility in us which impacts how we view and treat others. It reminds us we are all on equal footing before God. All of us are sinners deeply loved by God and in need of the mercy and grace He readily offers to each of us. 

Christ’s merciful compassion…
Grows our compassion for every person we encounter as we remember Christ’s love is for them too. Philippians 2:5 urges us to “adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus.”

His example is not just for us to admire, but to follow.
This isn’t an easy task, but we are not called to accomplish it in our own strength. As we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, He will empower and enable us.

The Babe in the manger was foreshadowed by an unlikely warrior, Joshua, who relied wholly upon the heart and mind of Yahweh. Christ, likewise, did only as the Father commanded. (John 5:19)

His command birthed Jesus in a feeding trough,
stripped Him on a cross,
and raised Him magnificently,
leaving death behind in the tomb forever.

What would this Eternal Warrior do with His victory? 
Stoop low to offer it freely to all who believe.

Come near, come afresh, to the side of the manger this Christmas.
See the humility, see the Warrior, and entrust yourself to One who sacrificially loves you enough to be brought low. Then, step away, look to the cross, and wear His own humility as your own, loving the ones He’s placed around you. 

“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved,
put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience[.]”
 (Colossians 3:12)

Tags :
Christmas,compassion,humility,lowly,mercy
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Lowly, Day 4
Digging Deeper

“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones,
holy and dearly loved,
put on compassion,
kindness,
humility,
gentleness, and patience."

Put them on for the Warrior King stooped low to wear them for Himself first. From these, He loves and carries and sustains all things.
Dig Deeper!

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Prayer is central to our ministry as believers in Jesus as we carry eachother’s burdens and intercede for one another. Our team is honored to share the work of praying alongside you!

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Dec 9 - Dec 27, 2024 - Journey Theme #135

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Therefore Day 7 A Fragrant Life: Digging Deeper

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Therefore Day 7 A Fragrant Life: Digging Deeper

Dr. Leslie Umstattd

June 4, 2024

Alive,Perfect,Redemption,Trust,Truth,Victorious,Worship

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "A Fragrant Life"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 5:1-17

Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, 2 and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3 But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. 4 Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. 5 For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. 7 Therefore, do not become their partners. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— 9 for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth— 10 testing what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made visible, 14 for what makes everything visible is light.

Therefore it is said:
Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) What do verses 1 and 2 tell us about who we are to imitate and why?

Paul starts chapter five with the word “therefore”, which references back to chapter four and all he has written about living the Christian life. With this transition word in verse 1, he is saying, because of what I have just said, here is what you need to do.

He tells the Ephesians to “imitate God” because they are children of God. The way we are to imitate Him is by walking in love just as He humbly and sacrificially loved us. The motivating “why” for every believer to walk in such a way that runs counter to the world, is because Christ walked in love for us first. (1 John 4:19)

Ultimately, He demonstrated this love by laying Himself down and giving Himself up to brutal death on a Roman cross. He sacrificed Himself so our debt of sin could be paid for and we could be adopted as children of God. Adoption isn’t automatic, but it is freely offered to all. When we humble ourselves, recognizing and confessing our sin, and trusting Him to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, we are made His forever.

The Everyday Application

1) What do verses 1 and 2 tell us about who we are to imitate and why?

Paul tells the believers gathering in house churches in Ephesus to walk in love because Christ loved them and gave Himself up as a fragrant sacrifice. (1 John 4:10) This is our motivation in following Jesus in everyday life as well, even though we are 2,000 years removed from Jesus, Paul, and the early church.

The manner in which we walk in everyday life as Christians is intended to follow God and seek to honor Him so that others may see Jesus’ love and humility in us. Jesus is our example of how to follow the Father. (John 10:30)

In Philippians 2:5-11, we are given a picture of what it means to imitate Christ. He gave up His life in obedience, so we could be in a right relationship with God and honor God, the Father, just as Jesus did. (John 5:30) He loved us, so we in turn, must love out of obedience and honor to Him. (1 John 4:19)

This kind of love does not come naturally to us apart from the Spirit of God living within believers to make us new, shaping us into the image, or pattern, of Christ. (Romans 8:29) When we find ourselves not loving others as generously and humbly as Christ loves us, this should signal us that we are relying on our own strength instead of the Spirit of God inside us. (Philippians 2:12-13) The good news is we can stop where we are, ask the Spirit to work in us to come more in alignment with Him, and He will faithfully shape us to be more like Jesus!

This takes practice and diligent consistency to surrender to the Spirit’s work, but the result is a truly fragrant life of love that testifies of Christ!

The Original Intent

2) In verses 3-6, what sin is Paul explaining and what is the result?

In verse 3, Paul discusses immorality, impurity, and greed which are broad words that cover a variety of individual sins.

As a few examples, pornography falls under immorality, while lust or anger would be covered by impurity, and greed covers sins like wanting what others have, materialism, and frivolous spending.

Paul continues in verse 4 to discuss the ways we use our mouth regarding joking and filthy or meaningless, empty talk. Harsh comments, condescending tone, mockery, lewd or suggestive words are just a few sinful examples that fall under these big umbrella words.

The consequences for choosing to walk in these sins are severe and Paul plainly tells the Ephesians in verse 5 that all of those things are idolatry against God. These sins lead us directly away from a relationship with God and an inheritance in His kingdom. Instead, the direct result of these sins is God’s wrath upon us because of our disobedience. (verse 6)

When Paul discusses these sins and the severity of their consequence, he is speaking of perpetual choices that lead to a lifestyle of turning away from God. These consistent, rebellious choices prove an identity as a “son of disobedience” instead of a “child of God”. (verse 6, 1 John 3:10)

These sins are not one time sins, or even occasional sins that the true believer grows to hate and fight hard against, coming to the Lord in repentance over, but rather a lifestyle of sinfulness and unrepentance.

The Everyday Application

2) In verses 3-6, what sin is Paul explaining and what is the result?

We have all sinned and dishonored God by choosing our own rebellious ways; this is evidenced by sin of any kind. Even just one sin, at one time, earns us death and eternal separation from the Holy God. (Romans 3:23)

This reality leaves us in a state of disobedience where we live in the flesh and cannot inherit the kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21) Jesus’ disciple, John, explains it like this, “He who has the Son [Jesus] has life; he who does not have the Son [Jesus], does not have life.” (1 John 5:12)

Apart from Christ, we are left without hope.

But Christ did not leave us there, rather, out of His great love for us, even while we were stuck in our sin, He died on the cross, sacrificing Himself in order to save us. (Romans 5:8) We must choose to follow Him and come under His protective Lordship in order to be saved from the consequence of our sin. This means confessing our sin, submitting to the Holy Spirit’s rule and reign in our life, and coming underneath the authority of Scripture.

It is because of His great love and mercy that we can live at peace with God and we no longer need to obey our taskmaster of Satan who leads us only to the deeds of the flesh. Instead, we can be free to walk as children of God by the power of the Spirit of God! (Romans 8:9-13)

Our sin separates us from God, but as we seek to honor Him, we choose to live a life of holiness in obedience to Him as we learn to love Him more and more. (1 Peter 1:14-16) Every part of our being comes under His authority when we submit to His loving reign, which leads to a fragrant offering of ourselves to Him, “a pleasing sacrifice”. (Romans 12:1)

The Original Intent

3) In verses 7-14, what does Paul say about light and darkness?

Paul uses “therefore” again in verse 7 as he transitions his listeners to a deeper understanding of what he has said in the first part of the chapter. Paul declares in verse 7,“Therefore, do not become their partners”, where the pronoun “their” refers to the “sons of disobedience” from verse 6 and the explanation of their lifestyle in the previous verses.

To emphasize his point, Paul uses the analogy of light and darkness to differentiate between those who formerly walked in darkness, describing every human being, but are now children of the Light. (verse 8) His audience, like us, were separated from God and lost in darkness and sin, but in God’s grace, genuine Christ-followers who have repented of sin and submitted to Christ, walk freely as children of Light. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-11)

In verse 9, Paul describes the fruit of light demonstrating in everyday life as goodness, righteousness, and truth. He continues in verse 10 to tell the Ephesians that walking as children of the light means both seeking to please God and diligently learning how to please Him. This is accomplished by studying His Word and surrounding ourselves with fellow devoted Christ-followers.

Paul continues digging deeper in verses 11-14 as he describes the power of Christ’s Light to expose Satan’s sinful “deeds of darkness”. Finishing strong, Paul exclaims in verse 14 that only the light of Christ can accomplish these things by shining brilliantly in the inner life of the genuine “child of God”.

The Everyday Application

3) In verses 7-14, what does Paul say about light and darkness?

Paul used the analogy of light and darkness to explain the dichotomy that exists between those who follow Christ and choose obedience versus those who choose to follow the world and are disobedient to Christ’s call to righteousness and connective relationship with Him.

As we think about our daily life in terms of light and dark, some things are more obvious sins like greed, jealousy, and envy, but it is in the gray areas of our lives that the rebellion of sin becomes less clear. Unless, that is, we are submitting to the leadership of God’s Spirit who will faithfully lead us into all truth. (John 16:13) The key to victorious Christian living is studying our Bibles with humility as we continually seek to be made new according to the rule of the Spirit in us!

The thing we must foundationally remember is that there is no darkness in God at all. “Therefore” (made you smile, didn’t I), if we truly desire to follow Him, we must be children of the light as we seek Him and as we live for Him. (1 John 1:5-7) There simply is no other alternative.

The power of Christ’s Light in our lives, and in the world, is that it exposes darkness. (John 16:8, verses 11 and 14) The psalmist says that even darkness is not dark to God, He pursues us with His light in our darkest places to expose the lies of sin in us, not to shame us, but to set us free to the Light of Life! (Psalm 138:11-12)

As new creations in the light, we are to put on His holiness and put to death the deeds of darkness. (Colossians 3:1-17, Romans 8:13)

The Original Intent

4) In verses 15-17, what warning does Paul give?
In yet another use of “therefore” in verse 15 that brings forward everything he has previously discussed as being essential to this new expounding of deeper truth, Paul wants the Ephesians to understand how they must be on alert and ready.

He warns them to be diligently careful how they walk as they consider Who they are made to live for: Christ, the Lord of Light and Life. Paul instructs believers to walk in wisdom (verse 15), making every moment, every decision, count for Christ. (verse 16)

The goal of the believer, whether in Ephesus 2,000 years ago or today, is to not be foolishly wasting our days on fleshly desires that rebel against the One who Rescued us (1 Peter 4:3), but seek to understand God’s ways and follow Him. (verse 17) In this way of living, we ourselves become a living sacrifice along with all other Christ-followers! (Romans 12:1)

The Everyday Application

4) In verses 15-17, what warning does Paul give?
Paul very seriously warns believers as he concludes this section of his letter and prepares to bridge to very practical living, “pay careful attention, then, to how you walk […]”. (verse 15) The believer is to be utterly consumed with Christ; as our focus stays fixed on Him, so directs the pattern of our lives.

Distraction is one of the enemy’s oldest weapons against Christ-followers as it effectively sidelines us from following Jesus with attentiveness. Rooted below distraction is deadly pride, insisting we choose something or someone else to love above God simply because we want it, deserve it, or somehow know better than the Almighty. Attacked with distraction and embracing our pride, we easily fall away from God’s path of righteousness into unwise, rebellious choices.

Still, God is faithful even in our weakness, for He is always ready, armed with undeterred love to forgive us and place our feet on solid ground once more when we come to Him in genuine, humble repentance. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13, 1 John 1:9)

It is our responsibility to be on guard, diligently aware of our heart’s propensity to wander. When we act in unwise ways, it dishonors God. James 1:5 tells us if we lack wisdom we can ask God, and He will give it generously. The proof of our allegiance to Christ and our desire to submit to the Holy Spirit is made evident in our choices and heart attitude towards God, His Word, and His people. (John 14:15-26)

When we become believers, we are given new life and our new selves are crafted to walk in a manner worthy of Christ our Savior. (Romans 6:4) When we abide in Christ and His Word, seeking His wisdom through prayer, His Spirit puts His righteousness on display for the world to see, effectively making the most of our time on earth! (Colossians 4:2-6)

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Therefore, Day 6
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We have all sinned and dishonored God by choosing our own rebellious ways; this is evidenced by sin of any kind.

Even just one sin, at one time, earns us death and eternal separation from the Holy God. (Romans 3:23)

This reality leaves us in a state of disobedience where we live in the flesh and cannot inherit the kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21)

Jesus’ disciple, John, explains it like this, “He who has the Son [Jesus] has life; he who does not have the Son [Jesus], does not have life.” (1 John 5:12)

Apart from Christ, we are left without hope.

But Christ did not leave us there...
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Therefore Day 5 New Mind; New Everything: Digging Deeper

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Therefore Day 5 New Mind; New Everything: Digging Deeper

Rachel Jones

May 31, 2024

Accepted,Gospel,Grace,Ordinary,Perfect,Redemption,Rescue,Restored

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "New Mind; New Everything"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Luke 12:16-21

16 Then He told them a parable: "A rich man's land was very productive. 17 He thought to himself, 'What should I do, since I don't have anywhere to store my crops? 18 I will do this,' he said. 'I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. 19 Then I'll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”

20 But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared-whose will they be?'

21 That's how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
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The Original Intent

1) How does ignorance and hardness of heart exclude us from the life of God? (verse 18)

In Ephesians 4:18, Paul warns we can be “excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in [us] and because of the hardness of [our] hearts.“ In our ignorance, our natural, sin-nature shuts God out. We easily default to thinking that our selfish, worldly pursuits will fill our emptiness (Ecclesiastes 1:14), when in reality, only God can truly satisfies our deepest longings (John 6:35).

Curtis Vaughan explains it “is not that unregenerate minds are empty. It is that they are filled with things that lead to nothing.” Apart from Christ, we chase after futility and perpetuate our ignorance. We unknowingly, or stubbornly, run away from the only thing we really need, which is life with God.

David Guzik suggests, “Ignorance and lack of understanding of man is a heart problem. It is shown not only in a foolish denial of God, but also in his moral failures.” When we harden our hearts, we can’t hear God or acknowledge God’s power or His Truth. (Matthew 13:15)

Leon Wood explains that the ancient Greek word employed in this passage for hardness, porosis, “is used medically to denote the callus formed when a bone has been fractured and reset. Such a callus is even harder than the bone itself.” A hardened heart will embrace sin’s deceptions (Hebrews 3:12-13) and will refuse God’ offered gift of complete forgiveness of sins. (Romans 6:23)

A humble, willing, receptive heart is required to accept the Gospel message that leads us into right relationship with the Lord. God can turn our hearts toward His precepts (Psalm 119:36) and enlighten the eyes of our hearts (Ephesians 1:18) so we recognize His sovereignty and are freed to enjoy a life lived with Him. Let’s plead this for ourselves and our lost friends and relatives!

The Everyday Application

1) How does ignorance and hardness of heart exclude us from the life of God? (verse 18)

A passage in Jane Eyre reminds me of Paul’s description of the unrighteous who “are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts” (verse 18)

This moment occurs when Jane returns home to visit the deathbed of her Aunt Reed, who had treated Jane cruelly in childhood. Aunt Reed confessed something to ease her conscience before she died. Though upset by the disclosure, Jane forgave her aunt, offering to make peace with her. Even as she lay dying, Aunt Reed could not relinquish her long held dislike of and prejudice against Jane, though Jane offered her love and more kindness than her own beloved children displayed as she slipped away.

Jane’s goodness was evident in the tender care she provided, even after years of abuse, but Aunt Reed stubbornly clung to her ingrained opinions of Jane’s unworthiness, refusing to let Jane’s love soften her heart. Considering this scene in the light of hardening my own heart towards God is uncomfortable because I see more resemblance to Aunt Reed than to Jane.

I see the times I have ignorantly clung to dark, or even harmless, things that kept me from God, all the while hardening my heart to His invitation to release them and follow Him. (Romans 6:12-14) As Liz Curtis Higgs explains, “My inclination is to tuck such [sins] into the deep recesses of a drawer. Just in case I need them later. Just in case I miss them.” God graciously offers to take those sinful hindrances from us and replace them with His loving care. (1 Peter 5:7)

It is an amazing offer, to give up what can never fulfill us (Ecclesiastes 1:8), instead, taking hold of the One who can satisfy all our longings! (Psalm 145:16)

The Original Intent

2) How do we take off the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires? (verse 22)

Paul urges his readers “to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires.” (verse 22) David Guzik suggests, “This has the same idea of putting off or putting on a set of clothes. The idea is to change into a different kind of conduct.”

Paul wants us to change out of our old ways of thinking, acting and believing. One way to change out of the old self is by neglecting it, allowing it to shrivel up and die for lack of attention by no longer feeding its cravings or fulfilling its desires. (Romans 13:14) This may mean no longer frequenting places or hanging out with people who pull you toward sinful thoughts, actions, or attitudes. To abandon our former godless way of life requires us to dismantle and destroy those things which are unhealthy and don’t honor God. (Galatians 5:24)

Paul does not suggest we do this in our own strength, but with the help of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:2) Andrew Murray asserts, “If you are willing to come entirely away out of self, and to allow Jesus Christ to become your life within you, inspiring all your thinking, feeling, acting, in things temporal and spiritual, He is ready to undertake the charge . . . He asks but one thing: Come away out of self and its life, abide in Christ and the Christ life, and Christ will be your life. The power of His holy presence will cast out the old life.”

God instructs us to be done with the former, lesser things that have kept us from Him, and then He graciously offers His Holy Spirit to empower the choices He asks us to make as He leads us by His Spirit into a life that sets us free to dance in love and righteous living!

The Everyday Application

2) How do we take off the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires? (verse 22)

My Dad has a radical salvation story similar to the apostle Paul’s. (Acts 9:1-9) One minute he wanted nothing to do with Jesus, and the next minute, he was on his knees, repenting and accepting Jesus as His Savior!

While his conversion was dramatic, he still needed to learn to “take off [his] former way of life, the old self […] corrupted by deceitful desires.” (verse 22) He recounts how his first prayer after his salvation contained curse words, and how one of his first visits to adult Sunday School class raised quite a few eyebrows as he shared some decidedly un-Biblical opinions about marriage and relationships.

Each time his old way of thinking and behaving clashed with what he was learning in the Bible, he had to make a choice: keep doing things the old way or leave the old way behind. Eventually, his vocabulary changed from prolific cussing to never cursing. He sought out mentors who helped him change his outlook on marriage and the role of a husband. And because most of his spiritual input had been from secular music lyrics, he got rid of his record collection (even the Beatles albums!) and did not listen to anything but Christian music for a decade as he let go of his unrighteous practices and made way for God to renew his mind. (Titus 3:5)

This challenging practice is vital for new Christians, but it is not limited to those who recently professed faith. All Christians experience times of reverting back to old habits or unrighteous practices. (Galatians 5:1) In those times of temptation from past desires and habit, this verse can remind us to slough off those corrupted ways and striving forward toward a life like Christ’s. (1 Peter 1:14-15)

The Original Intent

3) How do we put on the new self that is created according to God’s likeness? (verse 24)

The Apostle Paul exhorts Christians to “put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.” (verse 24) Paul isn’t just suggesting we only follow the example of Jesus on occasion, but that we take on His character and His image, actually becoming like Christ in everyday life and all our relationships.

David Guzik explains, “Jesus isn’t merely added to our old life; the old life dies and He becomes our new life.” When we put on the new self, we start to look and act like Jesus. Our speech becomes like His, full of love and kindness. (Isaiah 50:4) Our faith becomes like His, strong and unwavering. (Mark 11:22-24)

We should try to be like Jesus in every way, but we also must allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, conforming us to His image; this is His job! (Colossians 3:10) Liz Curtis Higgs notes, “When we are in Christ, and He is in us, we are transformed. God doesn’t just clean us up, fix us up, straighten us up. He recreates us in the image of His Son. He starts from scratch. He makes us new.”

We can take steps to become more like Jesus every day by living like Jesus lived, but we don’t need to try on our own strength alone. God not only shows us how to live rightly by pointing us to the life of His Son (Philippians 2:5), but He also empowers us to live that life through the gift of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). His abundant grace supplies all our needs!

The Everyday Application

3) How do we put on the new self that is created according to God’s likeness? (verse 24)

It amazed me that when the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 2022, players and coaches had already donned championship gear for the post-game interview immediately following the football game.

Their victory was minutes old, but they already had hats and shirts declaring their new status as Super Bowl victors. Loyal fans immediately formed lines out the door at sporting goods’ stores, impatient to obtain new garb declaring their team as the best of the best. They had a new, elite title, and they wanted everyone to know.

Paul urges Christians to do something similar when they come to faith in Christ, telling them to “put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth”. (verse 24) Paul wanted Christians to put on the new self to exemplify a victorious life in Christ Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Now that they were Christians, Paul wanted the church to put on the life of Christ (Romans 13:14) so they would authentically represent Jesus to everyone they met. Becoming a Christian represents a radical change in the believer, who God calls a “new creation”. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

John Piper suggests, “In the school of grace, God creates the new person—and that includes all the new attitudes and emotions and practices that we are supposed to put on.” Christians can be just as excited and enthusiastic as a Super Bowl team in their championship gear when we put on the new self, because it represents the new, purifying work Jesus is faithful to complete in each believer who has surrendered their sinful selves in exchange for freedom that comes from complete forgiveness from God! (Philippians 1:6)

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Therefore, Day 5
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Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts.

They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts.

They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
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May 27 - June 14, 2024 - Journey Theme #133

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Therefore Day 2 One For All; All For One: Digging Deeper

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Therefore Day 2 One For All; All For One: Digging Deeper

Melodye Reeves

May 28, 2024

Faith,Kingdom,Paul,Purpose,Redemption,Scripture

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "One For All; All For One"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 4:1-6

1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope at your calling — 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
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The Original Intent

1) What was Paul’s urgency? (verse 1)

Therefore. The necessity of exploring the background (context) in which this word is used is the purpose of our current GT Journey Theme. We are learning how a deep dive into Scripture is incomplete without reading what comes “before ‘therefore’”.

As some would ask, “What is “therefore” there for?”.

Leading up to chapter 4, the apostle significantly emphasized the gospel’s offer of freedom and forgiveness extended to the Gentiles’ (non-Jews). Paul highlights that, in Christ, reconciliation to God offers relationship with both Him and His people, Israel. “For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:18-20, emphasis mine)

Ephesians 1-3 speaks thematically of all Christ has Done to bring unity and freedom to all those who trust in Jesus for salvation. As he begins chapter 3, Paul identifies himself as “the prisoner of Jesus Christ on behalf of the Gentiles.” This idea connects the purpose of much of Paul’s writing: The gospel gives everyone, Jew and Gentile, the grace to walk in a worthy manner of Christ. (Colossians 1:9-12, Ephesians 2:10-13)

“Walk worthy” is not a command demanding obedience in order to prove our worthiness of salvation. Instead, Paul is encouraging believers to live their lives in unity as evidence (confirmation) they belong to Christ.

Genuine believers will display the fruit of the Spirit alive within them. (Galatians 5:22-26) As they interact with others, the Spirit provides the inner strength to demonstrate their changed lives if they willingly submit to Him. This change testifies of Christ to those watching.

The urgency in Paul’s tone comes from his passion for the gospel message to be made known through the daily walk and talk of the believers.

The Everyday Application

1) What was Paul’s urgency? (verse 1)

I’m thankful we don’t merit what we receive from God. Paul teaches us to walk in a way such as the Lord deserves from us, not in a way that we earn or deserve from Him.

Paul’s call to walk “worthy of the Lord” was an exhortation for the believers to walk together in unity to demonstrate how worthy the Lord is. In the context of this letter, we understand Paul’s call was urgent because he knew their interactions with each other were part of the testimony of faith to a watching world. Their unity was a living example of the gospel, as reconciliation and union fit the glorious nature of God and the message of salvation we’re called to proclaim.

It is by the one Faith of believers and its fruit of love that the worth of God and the gospel is adorned. (Titus 2:10-14) Paul’s prayer for believer in Ephesians 3 reveals his heart for them, “I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through His Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

From this heart, one filled with boldness and confidence regarding God’s purposes (Ephesians 3:11-12), Paul urged them to be unified in their walk with Jesus. With this same heart, my sweet Sister, I urge you to do the same!

The Original Intent

2) What are the characteristics of those who walk together in the Spirit of Christ? (verses 2-3)

Genesis 1:26-27 tells us humans were created by God, not manufactured in a factory. In Scripture we learn He created us with different talents, personalities, and characteristics. (Psalm 139:13-16, Exodus 31:1-10)

As believers, we dig into God’s Word to learn how He wants to use our gifts for His glory. We should desire to be growing in our awareness of how we can be used by the Spirit of God for the good of the Church, as well as praying for His Spirit to shape our attitudes. The emphasis on the Spirit makes it clear that we won’t be able to maintain the right posture toward others apart from God’s Spirit working in us. (Galatians 5:22-26)

Unity in purpose is a natural result of believers being filled with God’s Spirit. To maintain godly unity, there must be an intentional effort by all. (verse 3) Paul doesn’t expect a perfect peace among believers, but there should be a healthy bond between us, one void of long-term resentment or bitterness.

Paul made it clear that walking by the Spirit was not only to be an individualistic obedience, but a mutual response of obedience. (Ephesians 2:21-22) Unity comes from the Greek word henótēs, and is especially referencing “the God-produced unity (oneness) between believers – i.e. the harmony from sharing likeness of nature with the Lord.” (biblehub.com/greek)

Together, they were to practice humility, gentleness, patience and love. The idea of cooperative humility must have been a key component of following Jesus, because Paul repeated this teaching often in his letters. (Romans 12:9-13, Philippians 2:1-6, Colossians 3:11-14)

The Everyday Application

2) What are the characteristics of those who walk together in the Spirit of Christ? (verses 2-3)

Paul gives us quite the challenge in these verses, doesn’t he? “… with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” I am so thankful we don’t need to attempt this on our own effort. In fact, it would be impossible without Jesus’ love and power working in and through us. (Romans 13:14, Colossians 3:9-17)

Friend, when we exchange our life for Christ’s we begin a journey with Him. As we learn what walking worthy looks like (Colossians 1:9-11), we understand He has walked out His obedience before us and now walks along with us. There is no greater picture of this than what the apostle wrote in Philippians 2:5-8, “Adopt the same attitude as Jesus.”

Growing in Christian maturity will be demonstrated in how we interact with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul wasn’t demanding perfection from them. He understood that conflicts could arise among believers. Paul himself experienced a relational tension with a gospel partner in which he had an opportunity to practice these characteristics. (Acts 15:36-39, 2 Timothy 4:11)

It’s inevitable that disagreements will arise between Christians. Our call is to pursue faithfulness in disagreement, with love always being our aim. The conflict with Paul and Barnabas is the only one of its kind in the New Testament, but we believe it was preserved and given for our instruction. It would be wise to conclude, though, that most disagreements ought to be reconciled without separation.

We do know we must not allow bitterness to take root toward and among our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Original Intent

3) What does it mean for believers to be one with God and one other? (verses 4-6)

Paul uses the word “one” seven times in just two verses! Whenever a word is repeated in just a few verses, it’s worth a deeper look. In chapter 3, Paul prays for the believers “to be strengthened with power in your inner being through His Spirit … that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, [and] that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love.” (Ephesians 3:13-19)

Paul’s prayer demonstrates his understanding of God’s work in the life of believers. He wants followers of Jesus, as a merged group of believers, to know the depth of God’s love in order to walk it out. His urgency (verse 1) is demonstrated in his desire for the reader to comprehend the greatness of God’s power in them as one body. (verse 5)

Remember, unity is a theme in this letter. (Ephesians 2:16-19) Paul expounds a bit more regarding oneness and unity in the Spirit in his letter to the Corinthian church. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14) Though it may be tempting to linger at “one baptism,” we shouldn’t let it prevent our understanding of the whole.

Whether Paul is referring to water baptism (literal baptism of believers as a testimony to their salvation) or Spirit baptism (symbolic baptism of believers into the Body of Christ through the Spirit), the emphasis is certainly on unity among the believers.

In Romans 10:10-13, Paul writes against making distinctions among God’s people. Since there is one God over one body of believers, then there is only ONE FAITH we have obtained through the grace poured on us all. (Ephesians 1:7-8)

The Everyday Application

3) What does it mean for believers to be one with God and one other? (verses 4-6)

Sister, don’t miss this: all Christ followers are of ONE faith! (verse 5) As we offer God our empty-handed and true-hearted response to His gift of salvation, humbly casting ourselves on His mercy through Jesus Christ, we also receive a family.

No other response promises so rich a result as this one. The Scriptures take on fresh meaning as together we read and apply them. There is one faith we share and present to the world. (Jude 1:3)

This is the Faith:
1) An acceptance of the truths of the gospel as found in the Bible;
2) a trust in the person of Christ Jesus to provide forgiveness of your sins;
3) a commitment to follow and obey Him as Lord. (Romans 10:9-13)
It is in this commitment we become one with God and each other.

Three components, one faith. Friend, have you come into this oneness with God and others through faith in the finished work of Jesus? There is no one left out of the salvation God offers. Even now, Sister, you can humble yourself by asking God to reveal Himself to you and give you the faith to trust Him for salvation.

I’m so thankful that 50+ years ago I did just that. Are you enjoying the gift of being in God’s family? If you haven’t found a place to belong, don’t lose hope. Pray and seek a place to grow with others in the family of God. For these many years, I’ve savored the gracious gift of being unified with all those in the family of God … even those spread across the world!

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Back in Ephesians 2, Paul identified this unity as a key aspect of the gospel message. Christ died not only to unite us with God, but also to unite us with one another.

Writing about the Jews and Gentiles, Paul says Jesus’ death “made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.” (Ephesians 2:14)

Together, all who follow Jesus are a holy temple to God, with Jesus as the cornerstone.

This unity can be a challenge, though. Despite our common faith in Jesus, Christians come with different backgrounds, perspectives, and opinions.

We don’t always agree with one another, but we can choose how we handle disagreements.
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May 27 - June 14, 2024 - Journey Theme #133

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Done Day 12 Reconciled Redemption: Digging Deeper

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Done Day 12 Reconciled Redemption: Digging Deeper

Merry Ohler

May 21, 2024

Justice,Mercy,Redemption,Significance,Victorious

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Reconciled Redemption"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 2:11-22

11 So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh — called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands.

12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.

17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.”
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The Original Intent

1) Why does Paul reference circumcision to the church at Ephesus? (verse 11)

Throughout Jewish history, God repeatedly commanded Israelites not to intermarry with non-Israelites. (Exodus 34:15-17, Deuteronomy 7:1-6, Joshua 23:9-16) God’s direction was clear: He wanted to preserve His chosen people through their family lineage in order to show all peoples of earth that the Israelites were set apart as a holy people for God’s glory.
God knew that if the Israelites joined with those who worshiped idols and false gods, His people would adopt those practices. History revealed this to be true, and time and again the Israelites were rebuked and suffered consequences for their disobedience to God. (2 Kings 16:1-4, 2 Kings 17:7-20, 2 Kings 21:1-15)

Before God revealed to Peter His plan for His church on earth to include both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 11:4-18), relations between Jews and Gentiles were tense. The self-appointed and self-righteous Jewish religious leaders, the Pharisees, did nothing to improve relations. By taking on their own extra rules and regulations, they perverted the heart behind God’s laws and directions. They took God’s holy designation of “set apart” and added their twist: better than.

The church at Ephesus was a mixture of new Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, and with diversity came challenges. Paul’s reference in verse 11 is a nod of acknowledgment to the callous way the Jewish people treated Gentiles prior to coming to salvation in Christ Jesus. The “dividing wall of hostility” Paul writes about in verse 14 would have been nearly palpable to the believers reading or listening to his letter; it was a reality they would have known well.

Jews frequently referred to Gentiles as “the uncircumcised,” a clear derogatory barb. Paul’s words to Gentile believers were a soothing balm to fresh wounds that needed the healing and truth of the gospel, while pointing their Jewish Christian counterparts to humility and Christ’s way of love. 

The Everyday Application

1) Why does Paul reference circumcision to the church at Ephesus? (verse 11)

Paul’s words to the Ephesian church may have referenced circumcision, but his exhortation was more than skin deep; Paul spoke of heart posture. Some within the body felt discouraged and “less than”, while others felt prideful and “better than”. Jews thought their heritage deemed them “cream of the crop” while their Gentile brothers and sisters felt they were “bottom of the barrel” believers because they were “outside” of Jewish bloodlines. Both missed the mark, and Paul’s encouragement to Christian life together in Christ Jesus pointed both sides toward unity flowing from the gospel.

Today, one might simply substitute “Jewish” for “Presbyterian” and “Gentile” for “Lutheran,” “Baptist,” or “fill-in-the-blank,” and it’s easy to see we’re no different. Just as Jewish and Gentile Christians in the church at Ephesus struggled with a “wall of hostility,” we in the body of Christ today struggle with the same.

In our case, we tend to latch on to secondary issues not pertinent to salvation. Instead of grabbing hold of the primary salvific areas where we agree, we fixate and pick at minor issues or things not central to the faith. New believers who’ve recently left a life of sin may feel hesitant to share and contribute to the gathering when seated alongside believers who’ve walked with Jesus for decades. Mature believers may be reluctant to listen to what newer believers have to share, deeming the length of their walk the sum of their depth.

Both operate in error. Both miss the mark. As Paul wrote, “In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.” (verse 22) All are needed, all being built together into the whole, holy temple of God.

The Original Intent

2) Jesus stated He came to fulfill the Law in Matthew 5:17, but Paul says Jesus “made no effect of the Law”. Do these contradict each other? (verse 15)

Jewish law was given to Moses by God and recorded in the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.) These laws revealed God’s holy character to the Israelites, they identified sin, and displayed how sin could not be in God’s holy presence.

The laws provided a guideline for how God desired His people to live in day-to-day life, and outlined how God provided for His people’s sins to be forgiven. The laws also showed the Israelites how to worship God together. Together, the Law pointed Israelites toward the coming Savior, Jesus Christ.

By revealing His character, the nature and cost of sin, their sinfulness, God’s desire to reconcile them to Himself and forgive them, His intent to set them apart, and how to worship Him, God was consistently pointing His people toward the coming Person and work of Jesus Christ. When Paul wrote, “In His flesh, He made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations,” Paul was not writing that Jesus Christ invalidated the law, or that it had no purpose. Rather, he told of the reality that because Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, came to earth and lived a sinless life, fully God and fully man, then laid down His life when He was crucified on the cross for all sin, He satisfied the requirements of the Law for all mankind, for all time. (Hebrews 9:23-28, Romans 5:6-11, 1 John 4:7-16)

Fully man, Jesus satisfied the requirement of a holy, sinless, set apart life, lived perfectly. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21, Hebrews 4:14-16, 1 John 3:4-6)

Fully God, Jesus satisfied the requirement of a pure sacrifice; His blood was shed for our sins, and the sins of all mankind. (Colossians 1:15-20, Ephesians 1:3-10, Hebrews 9:11-22)

None of this fulfillment negates the Law or its purpose, but it does satisfy it perfectly and permanently in the way no human ever could.

The Everyday Application

2) Jesus stated He came to fulfill the Law in Matthew 5:17, but Paul says Jesus “made no effect of the Law”. Do these contradict each other? (verse 15)

There is a wide variety of teachings shared in the church regarding the Law and the new covenant. In transparency, I have struggled various aspects of these teachings.

Some teachings seemingly minimize the importance and purpose of the old covenant, emphasizing freedom in Christ and the wondrous reality of the new covenant made available to us because of Jesus. These teachings seem to invite willful sin because of freedom in Christ.

On the other hand, some teachings seemingly minimize the importance of the new covenant, emphasizing instead the duty of Christians to continue to uphold God’s law as we are sanctified and made into the likeness of Christ. Some of these teachings seem to hint at a gospel of Jesus Christ plus works.

When we consider the Law as obsolete, or choose not to study it, we miss out on a rich invitation to learn more about our God and His character. While we aren’t held to Old Testament requirements, there is still treasure to be found in every line.

When we consider salvation as something we can in some way obtain through our performance, we are in great danger of missing out on the true Gospel of Jesus. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Not “everyone who believes in Jesus and follows the law.” Not “everyone who believes in Jesus and fulfills X, Y, and Z.” Just, “Everyone who believes in Him”.

God, in His perfect wisdom and timing, chose to deliver the Law to the Israelites to provide a way for them to have a relationship with Him, and to prepare the way for Christ. The old covenant was not a reaction or a response; it was part of God’s plan from the beginning, designed to point all of us straight to the Savior.

The Original Intent

3) What does Paul imply by stating that members of the church at Ephesus are no longer foreigners and strangers? (verse 19)

While his words address the Gentiles in the body, their Jewish counterparts would also have heard his encouragement as Paul’s words were read aloud to the church. Knowing this, Paul deftly comforted and encouraged the Christian Gentiles, showing them they were no longer outside the family; they were welcomed and joined under the saving blood of Jesus Christ.

At the same time, Paul’s encouragement to the Christian Gentiles served as a gentle reminder to the Christian Jews in the body. They were simultaneously encouraged that they were brought to peace only through Christ Jesus, and by Him alone, all members of His church were being woven together into His perfect design.

Neither party could claim preference, elevation, or special status. Neither party could claim they were more or less worthy. Neither party could claim sinlessness, better sacrifice, or better information. Both parties, and the hostility between them, were under and united by Christ.

God’s plan for the Israelites to become the nation through which He would bless every nation on earth with the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, was brought to fruition in Jesus. The Gentiles, or all the other nations of earth, were now invited and welcome to join God’s family and be made righteous, by the blood of Jesus.

Paul exhorted the Gentile Christians to own their new identity in Christ and embrace the fact that they were embraced by God. In his encouragement to the Gentile Christians, Paul exhorted Jewish Christians to live in the reality that there was no longer any separation between Jews and Gentiles. Both were united in Christ Jesus. Both were part of God’s family. Both, together. 

The Everyday Application

3) What does Paul imply by stating that members of the church at Ephesus are no longer foreigners and strangers? (verse 19)

As a Gentile Christian, centuries removed from the time these words were penned, I am overcome by the incredible love of God for all people, and especially for His Church because I know I am included in God’s family. When I consider Paul’s exhortation to the Gentile Christians at Ephesus, my heart is encouraged and my faith is strengthened.

Our Father knows all things. He knew the hearts of the church at Ephesus. He knows our hearts and every secret sin we’ve committed. He knows our adversary, and our minds, attempt to draw up and hurl every reason we are disqualified, or not enough, or too sinful, or just not right for God’s family.

He also knows that each of those things is true. We aren’t qualified. We aren’t enough. We are sinful, and in our flesh, we are not fit for God’s family. But Jesus. Because of Him, God views me, and you, through His shed blood. We are made holy and righteous when we exercise true faith.

When we put our trust in Him, repent of our sinful state, and accept the gift of salvation, the enmity between us and God is abolished, and we are joined to His family by Christ alone, for His glory. The Gentile Christians were once separated from God by their sin, with no hope for a relationship with Him. The Jewish Christians may have been God’s chosen people, but they were separated from God by their sin, with no hope for a relationship with Him.

God provided a way for the Israelites’ forgiveness when He provided the Law, which pointed forward to the time when Jesus Christ would come to pay the price of sin for us all, bringing all who repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ into His family. 

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hope,injustice,justice,reconciliation,redemption
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Done, Day 11
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Today, claims of injustice – and attacks levied against those who dare to acknowledge and condemn injustice! – have reached a fever pitch.

Derogatorily labeling people as “woke” or “liberal” as an excuse to ignore reality by refusing to look full into the face of oppression while erecting ever-higher racial dividing walls has become commonplace in many circles – including Christians.

My friends, this ought not be so.
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Done Day 1 Chosen For Blessing

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Done Day 1 Chosen For Blessing

Lesley Crawford

May 6, 2024

Faith,Glory,God,Good,Hope,Love,Redemption

Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 1:1-8
Malachi 3:16-18
Deuteronomy 14:1-2
Psalm 103:11-14

As I consider the concept of being chosen, it brings back memories of teams being chosen at school for a sport or a game.

The usual method in my school was to select two team captains who would take turns in choosing someone to join their team until everyone had been allocated a place. This may have worked well for those who were sporty or popular, but if you were anything like me, you knew the only chance you had of being chosen anywhere near the start was if your best friend was a team captain. Otherwise, there was the agony of waiting while person after person was chosen, hoping that you wouldn’t be last. 

Everyone would be chosen in the end, but if you were only chosen because you were the last one left, it didn’t really feel as though you had been chosen.

For a long time, when I thought about being chosen by God, this is the image that came to mind.

Of course, I knew God loved everyone, but I couldn’t quite let go of the idea that if I was chosen, surely it was out of obligation or politeness. I certainly wouldn’t be His first choice.

Ephesians 1 helped me think differently about this.

Paul begins by addressing the believers in Ephesus as “faithful saints” (Ephesians 1:1), and goes on to list the many blessings they have because they are chosen by God, wonderful blessings such as adoption, forgiveness, and redemption, in fact, “every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” (Ephesians 1:3)

The exciting part is that if we are followers of Jesus, all of this also applies to us.

We may be all too aware of our faults and failings and struggle to think of ourselves as “faithful saints,” but that is who we are “in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 1:1)

Those three words provide the key to this whole passage. We don’t receive God’s abundant blessings or the accolade of “faithful saint” by our own goodness or effort. It is all a gift of God’s amazing grace “in Christ Jesus.” None of us earn “first pick status”, we’re all first because of His lavish love!

Truly, this is an incredible gift! Paul goes on to highlight several aspects of God’s purpose in choosing us:

  •     We are chosen to be made holy, to be set apart for God as His own special treasure. (Ephesians 1:4)

  •     We are chosen to be adopted into God’s family, brought to Him through Jesus. (Ephesians 1:5)

  •     We are chosen for redemption and freedom, purchased with Jesus’ blood and completely forgiven, showered with kindness and grace. God doesn’t hold anything back as He pours out His grace on us. (Ephesians 1:7-8)

Ephesians 1:6 uses the word “lavished.” The pastor of my former church used to say that the word translated as “lavished” in the text came from the Greek word “Nutella”. He was joking of course, but he went on to describe a slice of bread thickly laden with chocolate and hazelnut spread, right to the edges, and it was certainly a vivid illustration of the richness and abundance of God’s love for us.

It is encouraging to know this was always God’s plan.

Paul writes that we were chosen “in Him, before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4), so it is clearly not dependent on anything we have done. It was what God had already decided to do.

We see glimpses of this throughout the Old Testament of the Bible.

Malachi prophesied, “‘They will be mine,’ says the LORD of Armies, ‘My own possession on the day I am preparing. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.’” (Malachi 3:17)

As Moses gave the Israelites the law, he encouraged them, “[Y]ou are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be His own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 14:2)

David wrote of God’s desire to bring forgiveness and cleansing, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

It was always God’s plan to give us Himself, to free us, to forgive us and to make us His own people. His plan is not dependent on our goodness or our abilities.

If you’re still wondering whether there is any sense of being chosen reluctantly or out of obligation, I love how the New Living Translation of Ephesians 1:5 makes it clear that is definitely not the case. Speaking of God’s plan to make us holy and adopt us into His own family, it says, This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.” (emphasis mine)

When we begin to truly grasp this truth, it changes everything.

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Done, Day 2
Digging Deeper

Every aspect of tabernacle worship reminded the people of God’s holiness.

The people brought sacrifices throughout the year as a reminder of the holiness of God.

These sacrifices didn’t remove their sin guilt permanently, as they needed to keep returning to the Lord with sacrifices in order to be forgiven.

Living up to the expectations of God was indeed impossible.

How could they be holy?
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Sketched XII, Day 14 Power & Prestige To Full Surrender: Digging Deeper

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Sketched XII, Day 14 Power & Prestige To Full Surrender: Digging Deeper

Marietta Taylor

May 2, 2024

Excuses,Faith,Gospel,Grace,Justice,Lord,Redemption,Righteousness

Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

This DD Connects With "Power & Prestige To Full Surrender"
Why Dig Deeper?

Read His Words Before Ours!

Romans 2:1-16

Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. 3 Do you think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment?

4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? 5 Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. 6 He will repay each one according to his works: 7 eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth while obeying unrighteousness. 9 There will be affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no favoritism with God.

12 For all who sin without the law will also perish without the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified. 14 So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them 16 on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
Read More Of His Words

The Original Intent

1) According to this passage, why must we stop judging others? (verses 1-5)

In chapter 1, starting at verse 18, Paul gave his argument concerning the sin of the Gentiles (non-Jews). “For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21-22) As a result, “God delivered them over in the desires of their heart..” (Romans 1:24)

One significant statement, which is later repeated, related to knowing God and righteousness yet choosing to reject His ways is, “[…] people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) Paul knew “the moralists” among the Jews, would equate “people” solely with Gentiles. Moralists would be “congratulating themselves that they are not like the people described in Romans 1.” (David Guzik) But cue chapter 2.

Paul begins with, “Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse.” (Romans 2:1) Why? Because many of them manifested the same rebellion against God, while still presenting themselves as moral. (verse 1) Paul reasons, if God judges “those sinful Gentiles”, would you, a favored Jew, escape His judgment? (verse 2) “God has one standard He judges by and that is truth.” (Precept Austin)

While the moralists would point out Gentile sin, they should be thinking about the judgment they were incurring for themselves. Jesus spoke of this hypocrisy in Matthew 23, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

God has “kindness, restraint, and patience” (verse 3), but it’s not to be taken for granted. (verses 4-5) His kindness does not mean He will excuse us from judgment, including the sin of hypocrisy. (Matthew 7:3-5) When we judge, we’re worshiping ourselves. But there is only One worthy of worship, God.

The Everyday Application

1) According to this passage, why must we stop judging others? (verses 1-5)

It is surprisingly easy to judge others; if you’re like most, you even find pleasure in the judging as you press another lower while inflating yourself. We look at one external aspect of someone’s life and start making extrapolations about their life motivations and choices.

But the not so funny thing is, people are also doing the same to us. We are not so perfect to be able to condemn others. I know this is true because God has convicted me of it many times. I have heard people comment, “They need Jesus”, perhaps with a bit of an eye roll of condescending sting to their tone, but let it be known, we all need Him.

“No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.” (Christine Wood) That person we are judging might be someone God intends to use in the future, or is already using, for His glorious purposes, one of which may be to remind us we aren’t perfect either.

Matthew 7 instructs us well in this matter, “Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye?” . How can we judge another’s sin, or appearance of sin, when we ourselves sin? Romans 3:10 says, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” So, if no one is righteous, then no one can judge. God is the only true judge. We should leave judgment to Him.

*Note that this discussion focuses on the type of judgment where we elevate ourselves and look down on another’s sin or appearance of sin, which is condemned in Scripture. This is not the same type of judgment that holds fellow believing brothers and sisters accountable to walking according to the ways of the Lord. This type of judgment is condoned and commanded by the Lord for the health and unity of the global Church.

The Original Intent

2) How do our heart motives, and connected behaviors, affect God’s judgment of us? (verses 6-10)

Verse 6 sets the stage by reminding us the Lord is the righteous Judge, “He will repay each one according to his works.” The “works” are distinguished by the heart motivation behind them. “Those who are others seeking (glory of God which is what we were created for) or those who are self-seeking seeking their own glory” (Imago Dei Church)

The first group will receive eternal life and the second group, God’s wrath. (verses 7-8) But, “There will be affliction and distress for every human being who does evil.” (verse 9) Jesus taught on this in Matthew 25:31-46 where the sheep, who had done good to “the least of these” were rewarded, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (verse 34)

Meanwhile the goats, who had only looked out for themselves, were told, “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!” . (Matthew 25:41) Each was rewarded based on the works they had done, whether good or evil, seen or unseen.

To be extremely clear, no one can do truly “good works” (remember Romans 3:10?!) unless their hearts have been remade to come alive by the Holy Spirit of God living within them. And we can’t get access to the Spirit unless we come to the Father through Jesus, confessing our sin, turning away from it, and trusting in Christ for our salvation.

The Everyday Application

2) How do our heart motives, and connected behaviors, affect God’s judgment of us? (verses 6-10)

In college when you write papers and do projects, the teacher provides a rubric. For each graded area, they list the points available ranging from least to most. Students can choose how much work to put into each area in order to gain the cumulative grade they desire. For example, if your paper included 3 references, but you only wrote 3 pages it’s a C. If you included 6 references and had at least 7 pages, then it’s an A.

While we don’t have a rubric per se for being Christians, God has given us His Word to instruct us on how to live. He gives everyone opportunities to either honor Him or love ourselves in everyday life. For every circumstance we find ourselves, we get to choose whether we will live a life of worship to Christ or worship to ourselves. Adrian Rogers said, “You’re not saved by works, but you will be judged by works.”

But not just doing the works, having the right attitude and motivations matter as well, not to mention the aforementioned requirement of salvation by faith alone through Christ alone as the base foundation. This admonition from West Palm Beach Church of Christ says it well, “The Scriptures are full of admonitions to make every effort, strive, seek, fight the good fight, press on to the goal, work out your salvation, and the like. There are no Scriptures telling us to coast to eternal life. There are no passages instructing us to float our way to Heaven. There is no floating, coasting, resting, sitting, or relaxing our way to eternal life. Eternal life is given to those who seek.”

When we seek the Lord and align our desires and motivations with His (Proverbs 3:5-6), we will do good deeds by the inner work of the Spirit of God at work in us, and they will be done with the right motivation!

The Original Intent

3) When God judges man, does anyone have an advantage over another? (verses 11-16)

“ For there is no favoritism with God”. (verse 11) Blue Letter Bible says, “Jews and Gentiles stand upon the same level before God.” God will judge, not according to your family of origin, your nationality, or anything else besides His own righteous and just criteria.

This was an important distinction for the first audience because “Some ancient rabbis taught that God showed partiality towards the Jews.” (David Guzik) It was necessary for Paul to refute this false teaching. Paul further explains that God does not give an exception or advantage simply because you heard the law. You will be condemned if you heard the law but did not obey it. (verses 12-13)

If you did not hear the law, such as the Gentiles, God can still condemn them because “they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts.” (verse 15) So if they do not follow that “hidden law” they will be condemned. But if they follow it they will be rewarded. This was the same criteria as the Jews.

Verse 16 reminds us that Jesus is the final judge who will bring to light and judge the seen and the secret. This can feel depressing, because it seems hard to measure up. Why did God give Paul this message? “He tells us how hopeless is our condition in order that we might see how hopeful is the condition in Jesus Christ — and here He has once for all revealed the utter folly of attempting any other approach.” (Precept Austin)

God, through Paul’s words, was offering a way to pay for the sin they all had surely committed. Jesus was that payment plan for sin. Christ alone was their only advantage, not their heritage. Christ alone was their completed good work to gain salvation, and every fruitful action after salvation, proved the authenticity of their salvation because it is done in accordance to their faith as they submitted to the work of the Holy Spirit within them.

The Everyday Application

3) When God judges man, does anyone have an advantage over another? (verses 11-16)

“God deals with the Christian and non-Christian alike based on principles in creation. God will “render” judgment according to those principles.” (Verse by Verse Commentary)

Whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian, you will be subject to judgment just like neither Jew nor Gentile made a difference. In the end, not one of us can have an advantage with God based on our works “report card”. Because even the best of us have a moment or several where we did a good work, but for selfish reasons.

But fear not! Paul is leading us to a glorious solution for our depravity found in later chapters. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) “The person who has faith in Christ has already had judgment rendered. That person has been justified—that is, declared righteous—by God on the basis of Christ’s perfect work on his behalf.” (Got Questions)

Our victory in judgment comes from Christ. He is “our hearts’ missing piece”. He is the one who can right our motivations, spur us on to good deeds and fully pay for our sins.

There is no way around Jesus in terms of judgment. He is the payment for our debt and either we have Him or we don’t. With Him we become heirs. Without Him we face God’s wrath and pay for our sins with an eternity of death that never dies.

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faith,hope,judge,law,obedience,rescue,Sin
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Sketched XII, Day 13
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Like Peter, I too was devout, committed to doing the right things at the right time.

I came to truly know my sin and my Savior through another woman sharing her testimony of the mind-boggling forgiveness she experienced in God. She was in awe, something I wanted as well.

As I heard her story, the Lord revealed to me how I was trying to save myself by “doing all the right things,” rather than coming to Him in full acknowledgement of my struggles, with a heart of gratitude, awe, and worship.
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