On Being a New Creation

The word “create” and its variations are used somewhat frequently throughout the Bible.  If you use some sort of Bible software (Biblegateway.com, E-Sword) you can search and you will find that in the majority of instances, it is speaking of God and His creating the world and all that is in it.  In all of these cases, whether it is in the Old Testament or New, Hebrew or Greek, there is a definite meaning to the word “create.”  We have the exact same meaning in English.  Webster’s Dictionary defines the word as follows:

“To Cause to come into existence; bring into being.”

Although there are other meanings, this is the primary meaning, and the same goes for the word when used in the Bible.  To created assumes that one is not simply changing something that exists into something else.  It is producing something where there was nothing before.  When God created the Heavens and the Earth, he did not simply rearrange what existed, he made them from nothing.  When God created the plants and animals of the world, he did not rearrange what already existed, he created them new.  When God created man, he may have produced man’s body from the dust he already created, but the soul and the human intellect and mind were brand new creations. 

One of the few cases (the only I found, not necessarily the only one in existence) in which the Bible uses create when referring to man and not God is in Romans 16.

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
[Rom 16:17 ESV]

Even in this case, those who create obstacles are creating them from nothing.  God did not give us teachings that set up Obstacles, we in our sin create them.  Even in this case, the word create means to bring somthing into existence.  To bring into being from nothing. 

That is what the word create means and we cannot get around the word create when the Holy Spirit uses through the writer’s of the Bible.  When King David says in Psalm 51 “Create in me a clean heart”  he is not saying that his heart needs to be cleaned.  Nothing in his heart is good enough to carry on, he needs a brand new one, a clean one that can only be created by God himself.  We too are sinful and our natural hearts too are not worthy of having anything to do with a Holy God.  We too need to beg God to create a clean heart in us. 

Fortunately God hears our prayers for a clean heart and is Happy to answer them. 

to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
[Eph 4:22-24 ESV]

God creates for us a new self, created after what our old selves could never match, what our old selves could not even tolerate, the true righteousness and holiness of God.  We are given this new self and the old, filthy, sinful self is given what he deserves, death.  The old self is drowned in the waters of our Baptism and our new self created by God Rises.  There is no good in our old selves, there is no way for our old self to come to Christ and work towards our own salvation.  The Old Adam’s only destiny is Death:

How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
[Rom 6:2-4 ESV]

We are told even more clearly in Ephesians 2 that in Christ we are a new creation in Christ:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
[Eph 2:10 ESV]

He made us a new creation, not because we have done good works, not because we have earned or deserved it, or even because we asked for it.  The Old Adam, he who has no future but the wages of his sin, is not capable of any of these things.  It is only the new creation that can do the good works that God has prepared for us to do.  It is only the new creation that will walk in the path God has laid out for him. 

What a blessing and comfort it is to be a new creation in God’s sight.  To know that we have been created in “true righteousness and holiness.”  The true righteousness and holiness that comes to us only from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

On the Comfort Seen in the Flood

Nearly everyone in the world is familiar with the Story of the Great Flood and Noah’s
Ark.  However, most people, even some who call themselves Christian, do not hold the story to be true.  For many it is just too terrible to imagine that God could be so disappointed with his creation that he felt the need to destroy it.  However, it did happen.  The Lord did see the need to destroy it and did cover the entire world with water for at least 150 days.  This water did kill every person and land animal that was not in Noah’s
Ark.  The Lord had shown his wrath.  There is a time coming when his wrath will be shown again.

Even in the midst of this rather unpleasant story, there are many things in which we Christians can find comfort.  The first and most obvious point in which we can find comfort is that God protected the faithful, his Elect from the punishment.  God is in control of his judgments and he will not execute them without providing for the safety of his people.  We see God providing Noah with safety in this story by giving him the exact information he needed to build the ark, and when he needed to enter it.  After they entered the ark, we find that it was the Lord himself who shut Noah and his family safely in the ark (Gen 7:16).   

This same attitude is shown by God when he rescues Lot and his family before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.  In verse 16 we see that even after the Lord sent angels to personally warn lot, he still hesitated in leaving the city.  Nevertheless, because of God’s compassion, the Angels physically took hold of them and brought them out of the city.  After it was decided that Lot and his family would take refuge in the small city of Zoar, God tells him “Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”  Even after having to physically remove Lot and his family from the cities about to be destroyed, he refuses to do anything until
Lot was in a place where he would be safe.

In Egypt, the Lord provided for the safety of his chosen people when he inflicted the Hebrew’s captors with the ten plagues.  When it was the plague causing the death of the livestock, the Hebrews were protected from the plague by God.  In the same way we are told that the Boils only affected the Egyptians.  The Plague of hail did not affect the land of
Goshen, where the Israelites were.  The Lord protected the Israelites in the same way from the darkness and the Death of the first-born.  In this time of great tribulation for the entire country of Egypt, God protected his chosen people, his Elect.  He did not need to remove them from Egypt to protect them, he simply provided safety and security to them.

 As Christians, we know that we too have God looking out for us.  In our time of great tribulation, we know that God will provide for our safety and our security, just has He has done for his people through the ages.  This does not mean that we will have an easy life, or that we will not be persecuted, we will.  However we will continue to be strengthened by the Lord and will eventually be brought home to be with him. 

The next item of comfort we see in the account of the flood is one that many probably overlook, it is simply the fact that God chose to take 40 days to destroy the world (and an additional 150 for the water to subside.  Compared to the six days that Good took to create the world, this is an extraordinarily long time.  He could have done it in the blink of an eye, but he chose to do it much more slowly.  I certainly see this as a comfort, a reminder that God is slow to anger.  It shows us that this was something that God saw as necessary to do, not desirable.  We know that God desires the salvation of all men (Eze 33:11, 1 Tim 2:3-4), the destruction of the entire world, save Noah’s family, must have been something that God would not have done if it was not absolutely necessary.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we know that the waters of the flood are a type of the waters of Holy Baptism. 

When God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. [1Pe 3:20-22 ESV]

When we look at the flood, we do see death and destruction, but we also see God saving lives through water.  This naturally reminds us of the Sacrament of Baptism in which we are granted new life through God’s Word connected with the water.  We are reborn and given new life, just as those who came through the flood started a new life after being saved through God’s promise connected with the water of the flood. 

Although on first glance we see nothing but death and destruction in the account of the flood, upon a closer inspection we also see many examples of God’s Grace being shown to his Elect.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

   

On the Magnificat

After hearing of her blessings from the Angel Gabriel, Mary goes to see her cousin Elizabeth, who was also miraculously pregnant at the time. Luke has recorded at least a part of their conversation for us. Of course, this is more than a little bit of “Girl Talk” between cousins, this is the culmination of a faithful Hebrew’s hope for the coming Messiah. These are the words of a woman who recognizes her sin and her need for a savior, and sees him coming quickly.  These are the words of a woman who, although she is “blessed among women”, gives all glory to God alone.  These thoughts are especially evident in the first five verses of the Magnificat.  These verses are most appropriate for a Christian to meditate on as the prepare to celebrate Christ’s first advent, and as we prepare for His second.

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, [Luke 1:46-47 ESV]

The very first thing Mary does is give Glory to God.  She uses the events in her own life to put the focus back on the the Lord and the great things that He has done for her.  Although the great things were no doubt plentiful, the first thing she speaks of is God has her Savior.  This is where her true rejoicing comes from, the God who forgives her sins and grants her eternal life.  Even though Jesus had not yet been born, even though she may not have fully understood what his purpose was to be, she was most certainly Christ-Centered in her prayer and her thoughts.   

As we look forward to our commemoration of Christ’s birth, we too are able to rejoice in God our Savior.  And as we look forward to Christ’s second advent, to Judge the Living and the dead, we too have the privilege of rejoicing in our fate, because our Judge is also our savior and redeemer.

For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;  for he who is mighty has done great things for me,and holy is his name.And his mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation[Luke 1:48-50 ESV]

The Lord has seen us humans in the depravity of original sin.  He has seen us in our true state, as slaves to sin and the Devil.  He has seen our inability to do a single thing to rectify our “humble estate.”  He saw this long ago in the Garden of Eden when he first promised to send the Messiah.  He had compassion for us in out humble state and he did send the Messiah to save us.  The Mighty one has done the mightiest thing possible.  He has conquered death.  He sent his only son to save us and because of this, every generation will call each and every Christian Blessed.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

on 2 Timothy 4:1-5

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.   [2Ti 4:1-5 NKJV]

The time will come when people will not endure Sound Doctrine.  They will want to follow the newest fad in what passes for Christianity (they have itching ears) at the time, whether it be gnosticism, millenialism, or some form of synergism.  If they do not like what one preacher has to say, they will simply go and find one who agrees with them.  People will be deceived by Satan, and they will deceive themselves by wanting to be in control of their own destiny.  People will believe anything you tell them, except that God became man, came down from heaven to live with us, as one of us.  They will not believe that this God-man will carry our sins and take the punishment that we could not have endured, all because he loves us.

This is the sad truth, we humans will never willingly put up with sound doctrine.  Yet, some us of have been fortunate enough to be converted.  Even though many others will not believe, we still have the responsibility to preach to them.  Even though we will certainly not be successful in every attempt, we must still “do the work of an evangelist”.  We must continue to spread the good news to all possible.  We must preach the Word both in and out of season, we must tell about Jesus saving work on the cross of Calvary.  It it too precious of a message not to be shared.

 SOLI DEO GLORIA

On Ephesians 6:10-17

St. Paul wrote his letter to the church at Ephesus without any particular error to refute, as he did is most of his other letters. He wrote it from Prison in order to send the Ephesians a word of encouragement, a very potent reminder of our being saved by Grace alone, and a deeper understanding of our strength in Christ.

It is this last part, our strenght in Christ that I wish to look at today. This is how Paul chose to close his letter, with a picture of Christ’s strength as our armor. We are to take up the “whole armor of God” in order that we will be able to stand firm in the day of Evil. We are told to gird our waists with truth, to wear the breastplate of righteousness, and shod our feet with the Gospel of peace. Finally, we are told to carry the shield of faith, wear the helmet of salvation, and carry the sword of the spirit.

All of this sounds very good, however the instructions to do so seem to be kind of vague. These instructions are actually given to us in verse 10.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.   [Eph 6:10 NKJV]

Of course, this is rather vague as well, how does a sinful human ”be strong in the Lord”. It would be more clear if we look at the original language. The word translated here as “be strong” is “ενδυναμουσθε” (transliterated as endunamoō). Although this word can be translated as it is, a better translation is “to receive strength” or “to be strengthened” (see footnote). This gives us a better understanding. Instead of placing on us the responsibility to remain strong, we are told instead to be strengthened by the Lord. Being strengthened by the Lord is much simpler than being strong. We all know how to be strengthened by the Lord, we are strengthened through the Means of Grace, the Gospel in Word and Sacrament. Whenever we hear the Word, we are being strengthened and putting on the whole armor of God. When we were baptized, and as our sinful nature is drowned daily, we are being strengthened and putting on the whole armor of God. When we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are being strengthened and putting on the whole armor of God.

Now that we know how to put on the armor of God, we must too understand what it means to put this armor on. In the 59th chapter of Isaiah, the prophet speaks of Christ himself wearing “righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head.” (Isa 59:17) From this we see that this armor of God is not simply how we are protected from evil, but is in fact another way of saying that when we were baptized into Christ, we were clothed with Christ. (Gal 3:27). Putting on the armor of God is the same as being clothed with Christ. It is not something that we do after being saved, it is part of being saved. Not only are we clothed with Christ’s purity, but we are surrounded and protected by his strength as well. When we become adopted sons of God we are clothed with the Chist’s righteousness and protected by Christ’s Strength.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

footnote:There are some translations which do translate Ephesians 6:10 more appropriately. I probably prefer the Holman Christian Standard Bible’s translation over the others.

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.[Eph 6:10 HCSB]

Although I am not a big fan of it, the Amplified Bible also has a decent translation of the passage.

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].[Eph 6:10 AB]

Finally, the Contemporary English Version has a good translation of the passage.

Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong.[Eph 6:10 CEV]

on the Baptism of our Lord

Our Lord Jesus Christ began his public ministry when he was 30 years old, by receiving Baptism from John the Baptist.  Each of the four Gospel writers take note of this event and at least mention in in their respective books.  However for most people it is somewhat of a mystery as to why Jesus asked John to Baptize him. 

There are primarily two schools of though on Baptism.  There are those who believe the Biblical view, that baptism is for the forgiveness of sin.  There are also those who believe it is nothing but symbolic of the change in their life.  The goal of this essay is not to defend the Biblical teaching of Baptism, however it is enough to note that neither of these views explain why Jesus was Baptized.  He had no sin that would be washed away.  There was no change in his life that would be symbolized.  Jesus was sinless for his entire life, and most definitely a believe in God for his entire life. 

In Matthew 3:15, Jesus gives a very brief statement regarding the purpose of his Baptism.  John had just protested saying that he was the one who needed to be baptized by Jesus.  Jesus simply tells him to “Permit it now; for thus it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  Again, this is not a very clear statement.  Jesus simply states that it is proper to do so. that it will fulfill all righteousness.  Jesus himself was already righteousness, John was the administrator of the baptism and certainly did not receive righteousness by doing so.  Something however did happen here.

 This is the first time that Jesus made a strong association between himself and sinners.  By submitting to a Baptism that he did not need, he was in effect publicly making himself to be viewed as one of us, as one who is under the law.  Even now, whenever someone is baptized, they are joined in the Body of Christ with all others who have received this blessed sacrament.  By receiving John’s Baptism, Jesus connected himself to all the sinners who had received John’s Baptism.  In this act, he expressed his willingness to take the sins of the world upon himself.  He is assuming his redemptive office, as our perfect high Priest.

The other two persons of the Trinity immediatly express their approval of Jesus taking on the office.  The Spirite decends upon him as a dove and the Father Speaks to all present that he is pleased.  John understands this and refers to Jesus as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” 

This is the beginning of Jesus public ministry, and what a fitting beginning it is.  The very Son of God humbles himself and shows us his willingness to take our sins upon himself. 

 SOLI DEO GLORIA

On Philemon: A Picture of God’s Grace

The book of Philemon is one of the shortest and most often overlooked books of the Bible. It comprises of a single chapter. In this letter, Paul is writing to Philemon in defense of Onesimus. Onesimus was a runaway slave of Philemon’s, who became a disciple of Paul’s. Paul sent Onesimus back to his master, but pleaded with him to show Christian Mercy to the runaway slaveThere are multiple messages that can be taken from this book. Probably the most common is that we need to show mercy to sinners, just as Philemon was encouraged to do. This is obviously not the most important theme in the book. It is best to look at this book not as a fable, a story with a moral message. We should instead look at it as an allegory, a symbolic story used to communicate a separate idea.

In this story there are three characters; Philemon, Paul and Onesimus. Philemon is the master, the one who will more than likely be looking to exact punishment on his rebelious slave Onesimus. Paul is the mediator between the two. It is quite easy to see this as a symbol of man’s relationship to God. We men are sinful and rebellious against God, just as Onesimus was against his master. Like Philemon, we deserve nothing but punishment for our actions. There is no way we can get around this by ourselves. However, in Paul, Onesimus had a mediator between himself and his master. We too have a mediator between God and ourselves, Jesus Christ.

In both cases, the mediator pleads for the wrongdoer before the master. In both cases, the mediator goes beyond doing this. In verses 18 and 19, Paul tells this to Philemon: “If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it.” Paul not only pleads for the wrongdoer, but offers to take all of his debt and punishment on himself. This is most obviously a symbol of what Christ actually did for us on the Cross of Calvary. He took the punishment for our wrong doing, our sin, and he made the payment for it that we could never make. Paul offered to take the debt, Christ did and paid it off with his own innocent sufferings and death. This is the true Gospel message of Philemon. In this short letter, Paul gives us a very vivid picture of What Christ’s work for us is. He is both our mediator and our redeemer. He is our one and only Savior.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

On Ephesians 2:1-10

A meditation on Ephesians 2:1-10.

Ephesians 2 is one of the most famous chapters in the bible.  It contains the gospel in its purest form.  It is the most essential & central of all messages in the scriptures.  Its central message is that of Salvation by Grace through Faith. 

The chapter in fact is a brief description of the entire life of a Christian, from before conversion through the entire process of sanctification.  This chapter cannot be covered too well, or too many times.

  V. 1-3  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

In the first three verses of this chapter, we have the description of our state before being converted to know Christ as our savior.  The very first thing the apostle notes about our state is that we were “dead in our trespasses and sins.”  We were not injured or weakened by our sin, be we were in all reality spiritually dead.  (See Also Pro 21:16, Luk 15:32, Joh 6:53, and Col 2:13)

Being Spiritually dead, we had no choice but to follow Satan, who is “The Prince of the power of the air.”  The one who still works in the lives of sinners, was our master.  Not only were we subject to the Devil himself, but we were subject to our own sinful flesh and our own selfish desires. 

In this state, it was not possible for us to please God.  (Rom 8:8, Rom 14:23, Gal 5:17)  In this state, without faith and without any spiritual powers, we were all together objects of wrath (vs. 3).  We deserved nothing but God’s punishment.  We were wretched sinners, and the wages of sin is Death (Rom 6:23)

Fortunately, God saw our pitiful state and had mercy on us.

V. 4-7 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved–and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

God not only has mercy, but he is rich in it.  He is in fact so rich in mercy that he loved us even when we were in our despicable state of spiritual death and separation from God.  It is important that the apostle states that he loved us when we were dead.  He did not love us for our works, or because we loved him.  He loved us when we still hated God (Joh 7:7, Joh 15:18) and were still doing all things contrary to his will.

Through mercy God loved us, and he showed his love by raising us from the dead.  Because of his love, and only because of his love, he made us alive together with Christ.  Not only were we granted new life, but we were raised to the heavenly places.  Through Christ, we have access to God (On The Comfort of Prayer).  Because of his love, he promises us immeasurable riches.  These are not earthly riches, but spiritual riches.  These are riches of his Grace.  What do these riches do for us?

V. 8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

These riches promised to us in love save us.  We are saved by Grace, the love God gives us that we do not deserve.  We did not work to earn it, we did not ask for it, we really did not even desire it.  We certainly did not deserve it.  We cannot boast and brag that we have earned God’s love, it was purely and simply a gift.  If we are to boast, we should boast of God’s love. (1Co 1:31)

There is not a more comforting thought than this, that we were loved by God and saved for no reason but his love.  So many people take it as a negative that we cannot earn this for ourselves.  It is certainly not a negative thing.  We have the burden taken from us, we cannot do it, therefore it has been given to us freely, not by works.

What is the result of us being saved?  We have treasures awaiting us in heaven.  We are no longer dead in our trespasses and sins.  We have been made alive in Christ.

V.10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Instead of leaving us Dead in our sinful ways, God has made us a new creation of his own workmanship.  We were created to do Good works.  God has prepared Good works for us to do and through Christ alone (Joh 15:5) we can do them.

In this remakable little section of scripture, the apostle sums up our entire life into 11 verses.  We were sinful and opposed to God.  God had mercy on us and sent His Son to take our punishment and die a cursed death on  the cross of Calvary.  Through this we are saved, and through Christ we are able to do Good works to show our thanks.  This truly is the Good news of Christ Jesus.

SOLI DEO GLORIA