Category: Redemption

God chose to save the world through the gospel, the truth concerning the advent, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father reigning on His throne.  When we hear that gospel, our actions or lack thereof will determine whether we are saved . What must we do?

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Note:  PPTX presentation and verses supplied by Emberly Cox, age 9.

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On one of the occasions of Israel’s rebellions against God during the time of the judges, God chastised them. We are told that because of God’s anger for their idolatries, “He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon” (Judges 10:7). After eighteen years of harassment and oppression, “the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!’” Continue reading ““The gods which you have chosen”” →

The text is one of the most sublime found in all of scripture. It is a part of Paul’s discourse on the redemptive work of God, accomplished in His Son Jesus, Paul concludes by considering the victory we enjoy as a part of our relationship to Him. Consider Paul’s glorious words!

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39). Continue reading “Our Victory in Jesus!” →

LAGNIAPPE. Don’t try to pronounce the word phonetically.  The correct pronunciation is: (LAN-yap).  It is  defined as “a little something extra,” and is originally taken from the Spanish (la ñapa) “the gift.” Long ago it became a common word in the French/Creole culture in Louisiana. If you have been to New Orleans during their celebrations, you may have heard the term.

Consider what Jesus said in Luke 18 in response to Peter’s declaration that they had left all to follow Him.  “So He said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life’” (Luke 18:29-30). Continue reading “Lagniappe” →

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).

The Word references the Son of God. One of three in the beginning, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. John here affirms the place God’s Son had in creation. As He and the Father are One, God’s Son can truly and fully be referred to as the Creator of all things. He is described as “the light of men” (5).

After the first 5 verses, there is an ellipsis dealing the John the Baptist. John was the one who came to “bear witness of the Light” (6). Notice the word “Light” here is capitalized, emphasizing our point that the “light” is another designation for the “Word”, signifying God’s Son. Hence the capitalized word indicating deity. John the Baptist is not God’s Son. He is the forerunner of the “Light.” “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.’ ” (Matthew 3:1-3). Continue reading “The Incarnate Word” →

Paul here sets forth a classic if/then exhortation. The first half, “If then you were raised with Christ” (1). This refers to our redemption. Christ was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven. When we submit to God, in baptism we are in the same way raised to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

This newness of life is described here by Paul.  We are to “seek” and “set your [our] minds” on “things which are above” rather than “things on the earth” (1-2). We have been sanctified by God, and our lives should reflect the holiness to which we are called.

Redemption is described by Jesus as being “born again.” (John 3).  We are born again, as we have “died to sin” (Romans 6:10). Now we are “alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11), or as stated in our text our “life is hidden with Christ in God” (3).

The end of redemption is reward. God has promised this reward to all who have been born again.  When Christ comes again, “you also will appear with Him in glory” (4). (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:49).

Paul’s great teaching on man’s redemption is encapsulated in these few verses. They are plain, though often misunderstood by the biases and twisted theologies of men.  What is affirmed?:

We have been saved by the grace of God. This is God’s love expressed by a freely given gift of salvation. The sin of man brought death upon him, and only God’s mercy can lift that burden.  His justice demanded a sacrifice and God supplied His Son.  This is a fact to which we all give assent.

Salvation is not universal.  It is granted only to those who exhibit faith in Jesus. He is the sole Messiah.  He is God’s chosen, we must not look to another.

With these two truths in hand, we know that we can’t earn our salvation. No one can boast about his standing with God because it comes despite, not because of what we have done.

God has created us to obey.  To do His good works, works that God has determined beforehand we “should walk in them” (10).

Most of Acts chapter 2 contains Peter’s gospel sermon. It was at this time God kept His promise to establish the Messianic kingdom, and was the first time the declaration of the ratified gospel of Jesus was preached.

As such it is a significant event and significant message. In examining the first part of the lesson, we note first of all the gospel is proclaimed to be heeded by men (cf. Romans 1:16; 10:17). While some were wrongly thinking that these men who were preaching in tongues were drunk (cf. vs. 13), Peter revealed what was actually in play.

Their baptism in the Holy Spirit and the signs accompanying this event was prophesied in the Old Testament, and Peter brings their minds to this passage (cf. Joel 2). Not only was this a sign that the apostle’s words were to be obeyed, but it also was an indication that God’s ultimate blessing to all men had come. “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (vs. 21).

Peter had an arresting thought he shared in his first epistle, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now, ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’ Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator” (4:17-19). Consider the ramifications of this text.

First, we know that any man who is saved is “scarcely saved.” It has nothing to do with how righteous a man may strive to be. The reason for this is sin. The universality of sin is declared by inspiration, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). As the cost of that sin is our separation from God, man himself is incapable of securing his standing with Him. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Continue reading ““If the righteous one is scarcely saved”” →

The text of Mark 10:32-34 states the beginning of the final stage of Jesus’s life as he began his journey to Jerusalem where he would be crucified.

“Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles;  and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again’”

As Jesus had already spoken to them twice about His eventual death, no doubt his determination to go directly to the source of his opposition (Jerusalem) was both amazing (“they were amazed”) and troubling (“they were afraid”) to His disciples. For a third time Jesus declares His impending death, this time to the twelve as He took them aside. Continue reading “Jesus Predicts His Death” →

In Acts 8, a eunuch from Ethiopia was traveling a road from Jerusalem back to his home. He was reading from the prophet Isaiah, specifically the beginning of chapter 53 when he met the evangelist Philip. When the eunuch asked Philip, “of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”, Philip correctly answered that the prophecy was about Jesus Christ (Acts 8:34-35).

In truth, there is much said about the Christ in Isaiah’s book of prophecy.  The interesting thing about chapter 53 is that it pictures a Messiah that the Jew of Jesus’ time would have a hard time accepting.  Let’s explain:

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). Continue reading “The Rejected Savior of Mankind” →

Peter here calls for love of your brethren in Christ. Not just any love — love that is sincere (unhypocritical) and pure (singular, without any corrupting influence).

The reason Peter gives for this love is a response to our redemption through Jesus Christ. Being “born again.” Here though, he emphasizes the gospel of Jesus Christ, a gospel that he describes as “the word of God which lives and abides forever.”

This word is the incorruptible (imperishable) seed that brings about conversion. Paul agrees with this assessment saying in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Put in a nutshell: God has delivered for us the perfect vehicle to save us. The death, burial and resurrection His only begotten Son! As this is proclaimed, it brings faith to men, and salvation. As we receive this great gift, our response must be love for one another!

Our text is one of many which teaches our salvation from sin through the grace of God. This salvation came because of God’s love and kindness toward us. Because He loves us, He has showed mercy where none was deserved. We in no way deserve our salvation because of our own “works of righteousness” (cf. Romans 6:23).

This salvation by grace was accomplished through the agency of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:5), through which we are born again or renewed; and the Son of God, “Jesus Christ our Savior” (6).  What a wonderful thing to know, that all three Persons in the Godhead — The Father, Son and Holy Spirit — were in agreement and assisted in bringing about our redemption (cf. John 3:13-15).

Because of His grace, we are justified. The word justified means to be pronounced righteous and to be acquitted of our sins. Equally wonderful is the reward that we look to receive as a result of that justification, eternal life in His presence!

A favorite turn of phrase by John in his first epistle is “by this”, the NKJ version’s interpretation of the Greek preposition “en”. For example:

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3). The Greek word is translated “hereby”, “in this”, “this is how” in other translations. The Christian Standard Bible makes the meaning plain, though the construction is awkward, “This is how we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments.”  The amplified Bible (more of a commentary) explains it well. “And this is how we know [daily, by experience] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]: if we habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings). So, the idea is that the Greek preposition “en” is the means by which something is accomplished (in this case knowing). If we keep God’s commandments, we can know that we have a personal relationship with God. Continue reading “By This…” →

Titus 2 tells us that Jesus appeared on earth over 2,000 years ago, giving Himself for us by dying a sacrificial death on the cross, “that He might redeem us from every lawless deed.” (14).

Our appreciation for what Jesus did is without limitation. Paul reveals here that no matter how heinous our sins have been, redemption is available to all. Think of the very worst atrocity of any man. No matter the degree of degradation and sin, redemption is available. Paul called himself the “chief” among sinners, because of His persecution of Jesus and His disciples. And yet he was redeemed and purified as one of God’s elect.

Is that fair? Wrong question! “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The fact is that you and I are every bit as guilty of sin and worthy of condemnation as the rankest and most vile. We all are unacceptable to God as our Creator. But God loves us, and so sent His only begotten son to be the sacrifice, redeemer, propitiation for our sin. (Propitiation — the act which regains the favor or goodwill of our just God). In effect, Jesus paid the price for sin so that we do not have to.

So, as it impacts us this is about mercy and grace, not fairness. And we are so glad this is true. How about you? Do you think about God’s love and mercy given to you?