1 Timothy 4 - 2011.03.26

THE PASSION OF GRACE

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” — 1 Tim. 4:12

The fact that we shall not attain to that ideal “godliness,” discussed in last week’s meditation, until we get to glory must not discourage us from aspiring to it and striving for it. The Holy Spirit’s counsel to Timothy is “exercise thyself…unto godliness.” That is ever the goal of the sincere Christian. (See v.7-8)

Timothy, of course, is being instructed with specific reference to his ministry, but the principle applies to every believer, for we are all called to ‘minister Christ‘ to those around us. And of particular note here is that age is no exception. One does not have to be old to be wise, nor ancient to make progress in likeness to Christ. In fact scripture indicates to every believer whatever his age, sex, status or role in the body of Christ, that the divine objective for us is “to be conformed to the image of His Son.” (See Rom.8:29) The process begins with the new birth and will not be completed until until “He appears,” but the aspiring believer will be mightily aided by the Holy Spirit in the endeavor. Leadership brings added responsibility, hence the emphasis to Timothy, “be thou an example,” but, as we have implied above, everyone has a ministry role to someone. The husband is responsible to represent Christ to his wife; parents to their children; children to their siblings; redeemed children to unsaved parents; the workman to his employer and vice versa; and all of us to our neighbors.

There follows, then, some areas of particular significance.

“In word.” Scripture has much to say about the believer’s responsibility with respect to his tongue. We are admonished about profanity, vulgarity and “foolish talking,” as well as the disposition of our words. James, as you are doubtless aware, speaks incisively on the subject in the third chapter of his epistle remarking, “Out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be [Jas. 3:10].” Does our speech reflect the character of Christ?

“In conversation.” We might render the word “conversation” as “lifestyle.” In the old days schoolchildren were graded on “deportment.” or their general behavior. God still does grade that way, concerned for our appearance and conduct before the world, saved and unsaved alike. When Pontius Pilate looked for a reason to send the Son of God to the cross, he was obliged to say, “I find no fault in him.” That should be true of us when others look for something to fault us for. And the Spirit of God through the apostle Peter counsels us, “[Have] your conversation honest among the gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they behold, glorify God in the day of visitation [I Pet. 2:12].”

“In charity.” We need only to reflect again on the Savior’s declaration, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” That selfless love that is the love of God is the ‘badge of discipleship’ for believers and should distinguish us from the selfish love of the world. So important is this virtue that we have a whole chapter devoted to describing it in the first epistle to the Corinthians.

“In spirit.” This is the spirit of the believer under the control of the Holy Spirit. There is no better explanation of this than the list of “the fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians: “Love,” which here has already been referred to, “joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” which will be singled out next in our nugget, “meekness, temperance (self control),” These together characterize “the spirit of Christ,” and are to be evident in our lives if we are to exemplify Him.

“In faith.” Perhaps two qualities are discernible here: Faith in God sustaining us in every circumstance in life, and fiaithfulness to God in our daily walk, whatever the challenges that confront us.

“In purity.” This, of course, refers to moral purity, keeping one’s self morally clean. One writer renders the word, “chastity.” The apostle will lay this charge on Timothy again in ch. 5:22, “keep thyself pure.” In a decaying culture, where moral values are like shifting sands in a desert windstorm, the believer needs to keep God’s standards ever before him, knowing that God’s value system does not change.

These qualities are not reserved for Christian “professionals,” nor a class of super saints, but are together the aim of the Holy Spirit in the life of every born again believer in Jesus Christ. “Be thou an example” is the exhortation; “Oh to be like Thee” should be our consuming ambition.

For His glory and our good,

"Pastor" Frasier

1 Timothy 3 - 2011.03.19

THE PERSON OF GRACE

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” — 1 Tim. 3:16

“Great is the mystery of godliness.” To understand what the Spirit of God would set before us here, we must first understand that there is a different meaning for the word “mystery” as it is used in the New Testament from our popular use of it today. For us a mystery is something obscure or baffling. The term in scripture means almost the opposite; it refers to something once hidden, but now revealed.

To derive the significance of this text, we also need to understand the meaning of “godliness.” If you look the word up in a dictionary the definition will be something like “pious” or “devoutly religious.” Certainly that is not what the word means here. It is my judgment that the term as the Spirit uses it here is almost self defining; it means, God-like-ness.” To give godliness this significance will at once explain why it is clearly applied to Christ. He is the only one in all the history of man who manifests godliness in the ideal sense of unqualified likeness to God.

He revealed “the mystery of Godliness” (What is God like?) because He IS God. That is the first clue to the “mystery.” He was “GOD manifest in the flesh.” “In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily [Col. 2:9].” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [John 1:1, my italics].” Christ is “the image of the invisible God… [Col. 1:15],” The “brightness of [God’s] glory, and the express image of His person… [Heb. 1:3].” “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son,…He hath declared (revealed) Him [John 1:18]. Thus He could say, without qualification or exaggeration, “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father…” (cf. John 14:9).” What is God like? He is like Jesus Christ!

That is the declaration; what follows in our text is the confirmation.

“Justified in the Spirit.” Recall that on the occasion of His baptism “…the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased [Luke 3:22].” Thus did the Holy Spirit confirm His Person and identification with the Father.

“Seen of angels.” Angels attended and announced His birth. They ministered to Him when He withstood the temptation in the wilderness. Twelve legions (as many as 72,000) stood at the ready to come at His call when He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. They were present at His resurrection. And, it may be noted, they will form part of His retinue when He returns!

“Preached unto the Gentiles.” His work as Redeemer disclosed the love of God (Jn. 3:16) not for the Jew only, but for the lost Gentile world as well. Humanity has ever been divided into conflicting “camps” defined by country, color, class or culture; Christ, as God manifest in the flesh, embraced them all without discrimination when He bore our sins in His own body on the cross.

“Believed on in the the world.” The supernaturalness of the Son of God is evident in the scope of the embrace of His person and work in “every tribe and nation.” The message of the gospel is an offense to the natural man; only God could persuade men anywhere that the sacrifice of “the Lamb of God” affords a remedy for the sinfulness of lost mankind. Clearly this man is much more than a philosopher or a “cleric.”

“Received up into glory.” This concluding phrase in our text assumes the resurrection, and whatever the other elements may seem to signify, this is the cord that binds them all in the bundle of Truth and confirms the deity of Christ. His Person stands unique among men. He claimed to be God; He manifested “God-like-ness” and His triumphant return to “the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3) is the seal that endorses it all!

But, the wonder of this text does not end there. The “mystery of godliness” is magnified in its extension to every redeemed sinner. For now, Christ alone qualifies as truly “God-like,” but the day is coming when that magnificent quality will clearly define every born again believer; for, “we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is [I John 3:2b]!”

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

For the glory of Christ and of God,

"Pastor" Frasier

1 Timothy 2 - 2011.03.12

THE POWER OF GRACE

“God our Saviour…will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” —I Tim. 2:3b-6

Recently I engaged in an exchange with a very dear friend regarding who is eligible for salvation. The conversation revolved around the age old controversy regarding “election” and what it means. Certainly I am not equipped to resolve an issue that has divided believers for generations, and would be foolish to deny that there are some things in scripture that are “hard to be understood.” However, my inclination is to take scripture at “face value,” and that will be the approach here.

The subject is “salvation,” and that is, salvation from sin and its consequences. It is the most important subject the human mind can entertain, though few are much interested in it. Scripture declares that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” and that “the wages of sin is death.” The “death” referred to is not merely physical death, but the “second death” referred to by the apostle John who said:

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. [Rev. 20:12-15].”

The “second death” is the conscious condition of sinners separated from God and His goodness and glory for ever and ever. It identifies the need for salvation. It is this that we need to be saved from.

The key to salvation, as given here, is “the knowledge of the truth.” And from a New Testament perspective the Truth is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me [John 14:6].” In essence He is saying, “I am the only way to God and heaven.” That agrees perfectly with the phrase in our “nugget”: “For there is…one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” According to the scriptures, all men are by nature “lost” spiritually and destined for eternal damnation. But God has made a way that the “lost” can be “saved.” That way is the Lord Jesus Christ; as He said, “I am the way…”—theonly way!

On one occasion the disciples heard Jesus teach (read Matthew 19:23-26) and were prompted to ask Him a crucial question: “Who then can be saved?” Jesus response was, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” God, Jesus is saying, can make a way. And this God has done through the “one mediator…who gave Himself a ransom for all.” As the song writer put it, “Jesus paid the price, Himself the sacrifice, on the cross for me.”

Let me now reiterate the disciples’ question: “Who then can be saved?” Note the opening emphasis of our nugget. “God…will have all men to saved…” This is reinforced in another place where we read that the Lord is “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance [II Pet. 3:9].” On the cross Christ did not save all, but He gave himself a ransom for all, making salvation possible for all. And it is upon that ground that scripture holds out to all this hope, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [Jesus Christ] shall be saved [Rom. 10:13].”

When Christ gave His life a ransom for sinners, He opened a door and extended to all an invitation: “I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved…” (John 10:9) Who then can be saved? YOU can! Anyone who will “call upon the Name of the Lord,” in sincerity and truth, thus entering God’s opened door, so to speak, will be saved, according to the promise of “God our savior,” Who cannot lie. (Cf. Titus 1:2)

The objective here is not to argue for this gospel, but simply to declare it. The argument is established in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. The need now is to declare this truth if you know it, and to believe it if you do not. Your eternal destiny hangs upon it. God is not willing that you should perish; He would have you to be saved. The question is, are you willing to believe Him?

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”

Tomorrow could be too late!

For the salvation of sinners,

"Pastor" Frasier

1 Timothy 1 - 2011.03.05

THE PURPOSE OF GRACE

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” —I Tim. 1:15-17

In the nugget we have chosen for today, as we move into a new area for meditation, the apostle Paul, writing to a young understudy, gives us a bit of his personal testimony that can in some measure edify us all. Not by design on his part, the section we have chosen to consider today suggests a threefold purpose in the outworking of God’s grace. There is God’s past purpose in sending His Son, His present purpose in the lives of His children and His eternal purpose to be fully revealed in the future.

It will be no news to most of my readers to observe that God sent His Son into the world “to save sinners.” Christ did not come for Christmas, He came for Calvary. He did not come to be a good example, but to be a sacrifice for sin. This simple/profound truth is oft repeated in the New Testament. “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world [I John 4:14].” “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him [I John 4:9].” “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him [II Cor. 5:19-21].” These are few of the verses that reinforce Paul’s statement here. And as a result of this divine initiative, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved [Rom. 10:13].”

This is simple evangelism. Paul here, assured of his eternal destiny through this grace of God, calls himself the chief of sinners. You and I do not hold that distinction, but because of our own sin we were headed for exactly the same condemnation as this “chief of sinners.” But the question might be raised, as it has by some, if God has done everything necessary to save us from sin and qualify us for heaven, why has he left us here, in “this present evil world?” The answer is implied in the next verse, where the apostle declares God’s present purpose that he should be “a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on [Christ] to life everlasting.” The divine plan is no different for us. It is God’s will that we should so live as to represent the grace of God in all its aspects to give direction to those around us and those who will follow after us in the faith.

Paul could say to his hearers in another place, “…be ye followers of me” and “Be ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ [I Cor. 4:16; 11:1].” His implication is that if his hearers follow his pattern of behavior, they will be walking as Christ designs and desires. The apostle John gives the same emphasis when he writes, “He that saith he abideth in [Christ] ought himself so to walk, even as He walked.” We have a responsibility both to God and to those who will come after us to reveal the truth and power of redemption as ‘epistles’ of Christ “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” Is your life telling the truth about why Christ Jesus came into the world? That is God’s will for us in the “today of our experience,” and why He has left us here for now.

All of this leads to the ultimate purpose of redemption: To “the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.” God, by reason of His very nature, deserves to be glorified. He is glorified through our love for Him and our obedience to Him. Jesus said, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do [John 17:4].” And in that same chapter He also said, “All mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” The glory of God is the issue. When He is glorified, those who glorify Him are made partakers of His glory.”

Adam, yielding to the devil’s lie, sought to glorify himself, and it cost him and all of his descendants sin and shame. If we will seek to glorify God, giving him his place in our lives, we will share His glory throughout all eternity. For Christ, and for Paul, seeking the glory of God was costly, and it may be no different with us; but it pays eternal dividends. As we glorify Him now, we will be glorified together with Him throughout the ages to come!

“Everyone that is called by my name…I have created for my glory.” - Isa. 43:7

For His glory—and ours,

"Pastor" Frasier