Jude 17-21 - 2011.09.24

KEPT and KEEPING

“But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”  — Jude 17-21

One of the great doctrines of the Bible is one usually defined by the two word expression, “eternal security.” Its essence is that a person once truly saved will never lose that salvation. The Biblical underpinnings of that great truth are considerable:

Jesus said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) And of His “sheep,”I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.” (John 10:28, 29) Paul wrote, “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 thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that 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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:35-39) And again, ”…I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” (II Tim. 1:12) The apostle Peter  wrote of believers that they are “Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”(I Peter 1:5)

If we had but one of these passages by divine inspiration, it would be enough to inspire assurance. Taken together, they provide a fabric of truth that cannot be ignored. This truth inspires confidence in the heart of every child of God who has struggled with sin in the process of his spiritual growth. Expressed in other terms, this is the doctrine of the preservation of the saints. Simply put, it is the promise that God guarantees to see the believer through, come what may, all the way from earth to glory. “Blessed assurance!”

However—having noted all that—there is another aspect of God’s word that must not be overlooked. We must never let the assurance afforded by the promise of divine preservation lead to complacency in our Christian life.Preservation—God’s part—is to be accompanied by perseverance on our part. The same God who encourages us by His great promises of security with equal vigor urges us to “keep [ourselves] in the love of God.” 

Jude perceived, at this early stage in church history, the intrusion of false doctrine and false apostles aimed at destroying “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) With that attack launched against the believer, we are counseled here on the importance of being everlastingly on guard. We are instructed throughout the New Testament to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the progress of our redemption. 

Three things vital to our perseverance are noted here. First, to protect faith from being undermined, we are to “remember the words…spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Bible is the ground and source of what we are to believe and how we are to behave from here to eternity. The Christian who neglects and/or forgets the Word will be in danger of being thrown off course and, if not losing his salvation, losing his potential as a disciple of Christ. 

The second admonition is to spiritual growth and Spiritual prayer, the one related to the other. There is no growth without prayer, and little power in prayer on the part of those who remain spiritual babies. (See Hebrews 5:12-14) 

The third exhortation, flowing out of the first two, is “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” The Christian life, biblically defined, does not come naturally, nor progress unchallenged. We face an adversary who is fiendishly clever and persistent. And, the problems we have to confront are not only those from the unregenerate world without, which are brought to our attention in other scriptures, but those that may arise within the organized church, which is the issue here. Believers need to be discerning in the church as well as in the world at large, if they truly seek to glorify God. Let us never take God’s truth for granted!

For His glory and our good, 

"Pastor" Frasier

3 John 4 - 2011.09.17

“O TO BE LIKE THEE!”

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." — III John 4

                                                   

Every pastor, worthy of the name, can echo this sentiment of the beloved apostle John. It might be added that every Christian parent worthy of that solemn title will feel the same way. And, if we take it but a step further, the same disposition may doubtless be found in the Son of God Himself. 

John, of course, is speaking metaphorically. The “children” to whom he makes reference are those who under his ministry had responded to the gospel and professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every true pastor is in the ministry not for personal gain or glory, but to see souls saved and lives transformed for the glory of God. When there is evidence of this in the life of one who has been under his spiritual care, it is, indeed, the ultimate reward of his labor.

The question arises, then, what does it mean to “walk in truth?” 

We will have, I think, a tendency to respond to that query in terms of doctrinal content, certain Biblical pronouncements, commandments. Certainly that is not wrong, as many other texts will verify, but it is not enough. It is of paramount importance to remember that in the New Testament “Truth” is a Person. As you are well aware, Jesus said,”I am the…truth [Jn. 14:6b].” Truth is not  simply something He communicates; it is Himself. Thus to “walk in truth” is to abide in Christ, finding in Him the reason, the resources and the regulation for living. John had said on another occasion, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked [I John 2:6].” 

The Person is “the image of God.”  The incarnate Christ is identified in the epistle to the Hebrews, among an number of other references, as “the brightness of [God’s] glory and the express image of His person [Heb. 1:3a].” The result is that when the apostle Philip said to Jesus, “Show us the Father,” (Jn. 14:8) Jesus could respond, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father (v.9).” 

When we “walk in truth,” —to the extent that we do so— the nature of Christ will be seen in us, just as the nature of the Father was evident in Christ. It is not mere conformity to a set of rules or standards, but embraces the whole person. It involves not only outward appearance, but internal character. It includes disposition as well as deportment; doing the right thing for the right reason and in the right spirit. And it is here that we so often fail. Jesus charged some very religious persons, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity [Mt. 23:27-28].” Too often our conduct has the appearance of conformity to Christ, but our heart attitude is far from being what it ought to be. And, that is not walking in truth.

Unfortunately, external conformity to a set of standards may cause a pastor to rejoice that his “children” are walking in truth, but it will not satisfy God. As the Lord said to Samuel when looking for a king for Israel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart [I Sam. 16:7].”

It is what I would call the “three dimensional image of Christ,” that constitutes walking in Truth.” And that is the divine goal for every believer; “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren [Rom. 8:29].” It is not attainable by us, but in us as we devote ourselves to contemplating Christ Who is Truth, and surrender our will to His, our government to His Holy Spirit: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [II Cor 3:18].” The “glass” (mirror) is the word of God studied not as a theological textbook, but as a revelation of Jesus Christ and with an eye to His glory.

May we be stimulated so to seek Him who IS truth and bring joy not only to a pastor’s heart, but to be a joy to the great Shepherd (pastor) who loved us and gave Himself for us. Let others see Jesus in you! This side of heaven, that is the goal of New Testament faith.

For His joy, 

"Pastor" Frasier

2 John 9 - 2011.09.10

THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST

“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son”   —II John 9

                                                   

The doctrine of Christ is key to our relationship with God. It is not the substance of theology, but a matter of divine revelation. If we are wrong about Christ, we are wrong. If we abandon the doctrine of Christ, we are lost. That is certainly the thrust of our text for today, and of this tiny, but significant epistle.

Familiar though it may be to my readers, it bears review for our good. 

John zeroes in on the subject in v. 3, where he identifies “the Lord Jesus Christ,” as “the Son of [God] the Father.” We have become so familiar with the words that we too often miss their significance. In His essential nature, Christ is Deity; God, the Son, co-equal and co-existent with the Father and infinite in power and glory. He is the uncreated cause behind every created thing. “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made [John 1:3].” 

He is not only the creator of all, but He is creation’s sustainer, “upholding all things by the word of His power” (cf. Heb. 1:3). This aspect of His enterprise is reinforced by the statement in the epistle to the Colossians, “He is before all things, and by Him all things consist [Col. 1:17],” where the Greek word rendered “consist” is closely equivalent to our English word, “cohere,” or “stand together.” Christ is the cohesive power of the universe, the Reason why it does not fall apart.

In addition, the scriptures indicate that He is the owner of it all, for the Father has appointed Him “heir of all things.” He owns the earth and everything related to it.  “The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein [Ps. 24:1].” One day it will all return to Him and be compelled to recognize His authority as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That day could be not too far away.

The second great emphasis of the Doctrine of Christ is disclosed in v.7; “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.” Doctrinally this is referred to as the incarnation: “God was manifest in the flesh,” becoming true humanity (Cf. I Tim. 3:16) This, of course, concurs with one of the names given to the Lord Jesus before His birth: “Emmanuel,” “God with us.” The great truth is that God, in the person of His Son, became one of us and one with us for the purpose of accomplishing our salvation, “full and free.”   John here echoes his emphasis in the first epistle, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life… [I Jn. 1:1].” It is clearly John’s conviction that the tangible flesh and blood Jesus was the eternal Son of God, and out of that incomprehensible union of the human and the divine carrying our sins “in His own body [to] the tree,” comes our hope of eternal life. And those who distort, diminish or deny this truth are here referred to as “deceivers” and “antichrist.”

Doctrine matters, and most particularly the doctrine of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

All of this is foundational to our text for today. The doctrine of Christ, as revealed in scripture, is the foundation, superstructure and capstone of our faith. Those who deny it, and those who abandon it are without God and without hope—in this world or “the world to come.” A mere “paper Christ” will not suffice. A Christ manifest only in words and not in deeds will not do. And a temporary relationship (“whosoever abideth not…”) will utterly fail in the end.

Hence John’s solemn warning, especially relevant in this day of growing apostasy and “church-ianity”: “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. (v.8) If our doctrine of Christ is sound, we cannot lose our salvation, but straying into alien territory can cost us dearly. We need to be sound in our faith, consistent in our walk and careful in our associations, lest we be “ashamed before Him at His coming.”

And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.     —I Jn. 2:28

For our good, 

"Pastor" Frasier

1 John 5 - 2011.09.03

ASKING

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”  —I John 5:14-15

                                                  

“He that hath the Son hath life…” (v.12a) Life, in the proper sense of the word, is the result of union with Christ through the operation of the Holy Spirit as a result of faith in the finished work of Christ. It is the Life of God in the soul. That is what God gave man in the beginning when He consummated His creative work by breathing into man the breath (spirit) of life, and “man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7) That is what Adam forfeited when he aspired to be his own God and disobeyed the word and will of God. From that day to this man has not had life, but death as his birth heritage. 

We labor under the illusion that we are living, but in reality every soul on the planet is dying from the moment he is born—until and unless he is “born again” of the Spirit of the living God. “He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” Life is the gift of God; the greatest gift a man can receive. With that gift come some incredible blessings, not the least of which is he privilege of fellowship with God by prayer—a privilege all of us utilize too little, and many a professing Christian fails to enter into, to his own impoverishment.

It is no coincidence that immediately after his terse statement regarding eternal life John utters these words that suggest that with life comes this access to the treasury of heaven. Sharing His life with us, God wills to share His resources. In a familiar text the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul assures us, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus [Phil. 4:19].” And, if some neglect this privilege, there are others who would abuse it, and some today who are engaged in false teaching with reference to it. Prayer is not a blank check for us to endorse and gratify our desires. Our nugget can provide some significant insight for both extremes.

First, we are made aware that asking is requisite to receiving. “If we ask…” The Lord Jesus Christ Himself made much of this in His teaching. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened [Matt. 7:7-8].” The underlying implication of this verse is not only the prerequisite of asking, but of persevering in prayer. Fellowship with God involves more than casual contact.  The apostle James later put emphasis on the same condition when he said, “…ye have not because ye ask not [Jas. 4:2].” The prayerless Christian will be spiritually poverty stricken, notwithstanding the fact that he is an “heir of God and joint heir with with Christ.” (See Rom. 8:17)

Note, however, that there is another constraint placed upon the privilege of access to divine resources. It is “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” It is not the divine intention to gratify the old nature, but to underwrite and undergird the new life we have in Christ. When the Savior gave the disciples a pattern prayer He included the phrase, “Thy will be done.” When He Himself agonized in the garden of Gethsemene and pleaded for exemption from the cross His ultimate plea was, “If Thou be willing…not my will, but Thine be done.” He asked according to the Father’s will and went on uncomplaining to Calvary. James, having indicted some for failing to ask, proceeded to chastise others for asking “amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Some “asked,” to be sure, but their prayers were self indulgent and missed the mark. 

When the will of God motivates our praying we will be concerned with our sanctification (I Thess. 4:3), well doing (I Pet. 2:15), the conquest of our fleshly desires (I Pet. 4:2) and the grace to suffer, if need be, for the testimony of Christ and the glory of God (I Pet. 4:19).  That is very different from much that passes for prayer today, but it is the ground upon which the confidence rests, “whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 

Appropriate to this, and perfectly aligned with John’s teaching in this first epistle is Paul’s plea, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God [Rom. 12:1-2].”

The life we have from God is to be invested for God, and it is thus that we have unrestricted access to His limitless resources and the fulness of joy. ("Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" —Jn. 16:24)

For His joy in your life, 

"Pastor" Frasier