The Power of Salvation

God reminds me today of all that He has done and is doing in my life. Because of His faithfulness I live in His mercy which is “new every morning.” As we age, forgetfulness is common, yet the  only sign of amnesia in the Lord is that He forgets to remember my sins against Him! These thoughts fill me with peace, joy, and hope. His words of truth keep changing my life. 

He tells me to “Count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2–4) 

Joy in trials once seemed impossible, but as He shows His goodness, then I start to see it, even before the trials are over.

He bids me to ask for wisdom, trusting Him. If I cannot do both He patiently keeps showing me that He is the source of wisdom and His wisdom can be trusted. 

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” not from me, not from the kindness of others. He is the first source, the origin of goodness and this produces humility and thankfulness. 

When I watch the congregation go forward to participate in communion, I see that partiality is foolish. We all stand before Him, saved sinners remembering what He has done for us. There is no rich or poor, only family — together to thank and glorify our Savior. 

He also reminds me that the praying field is level; “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” No little/big sins. It is just sin that we fight — and salvation by faith that we share. Yet this salvation is not mere talk. If it is real, it show up:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 

Faith without works is only talk, not saving faith. Saving faith changes lives. God says, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?… For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” 

One example of faith is tongue control. The Bible says it is “a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”  So I need the grace of God and the power of God to know when to speak and when to shut up. I also need His wisdom: 

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
God also points out the reason some of my prayers bounce off the ceiling: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” and He tells me what to do about it — in this order: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. . . . Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, I will live and do this or that.” As it is, “You boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So if you know the right thing to do and fail to do it, for you it is sin.” 

He tells me of His patience and this changes my ’I want it now’ focus. He tells me of His healing power and I pray for the sick and for those who sin, but also confess my own, and more easily see that prayers coupled with simple obedience have great power. Yet as Piper says, the promises God made to Abraham and the prayer prayed through Mary all found their fulfillment in Jesus. My prayers are answered only because of Him.

PRAY: My Lord and God, I praise you for your grace and your mercy, and Your incredible power to speak to a sinful person and change their life, my life. Thank you for sending Jesus and making such miracles happen. 

The Perfect Gift

 

Last night’s Christmas Eve Service brought words like, “This was perfect.” I saw a young child and thought how perfect he looked. We bought some goodies yesterday that we thought were perfect. Obviously, God’s work and law are perfect as He is perfect. However, the definition of perfect can vary depending on who is defining it.

In Scripture this word “perfect” is used for all sort of things, including buildings. Each verse that uses the word must be considered in its context and how it aligns with other Scripture. The idea of perfection cannot contradict other passages. Those who study original languages say this:

perfect — adjective. being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish.
to perfect — verb. to make complete of its kind and without defect or blemish.
to be perfected — verb. to be or become in a perfect or consummate state with respect to a specific attribute.
perfection — noun. the state of being complete and without defect or blemish.
complete — adjective. perfect and complete in every respect; having all necessary qualities.
perfect thing — noun. anything that is without flaw or defect.
perfecter — noun. a person who brings something to completion without defect or blemish.
perfection — noun. the act of making something complete and without defect or blemish.
perfection — noun. an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept.

The New Testament depicts perfection or completion in terms of maturity or being fully grown into the design that God has for humanity. This means to be in the image and likeness of Christ, a designation only for those who are “in Christ” and part of His forever family.

The NT speaks of imparting wisdom to the mature: “Yet among the mature (perfected) we do impart wisdom…” (1 Corinthians 2:6) and it tells of power made perfect in weakness: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” ((2 Corinthians 12:9) Both verses strongly say that perfection is not being without a need for wisdom and having weaknesses. 

Paul, who seem to be the epitome of a complete and totally devoted believer, also said of himself: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Philippians 3:12). He knew he was not yet perfect.

James calls for believers to “be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4) and other NT writers proclaim that we find perfection and completeness not in our own efforts, but “in Christ” who “by a single offering … perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14).

In other words, perfection is a goal but it is not obtained by my efforts nor will it show up in this life as a goal reached.

The Galatians tried and Paul told them: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3) John encourages his readers with:

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2–3)

From these verses and many more, I get the message that Christ is my perfection, that He is using all things to conform me to His image so that I think, talk, and live as He did, but I will not reach that level of completion until I see Him as He is. Further, no one can claim perfection in themselves for this is a gift from God. Jesus is not only the founder and perfecter of our faith, but abides in us to perfect our love for one another, and give us all that He is so we can glorify Him.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. (James 1:16–18)

PRAY: Every good and perfect gift arrived as a Baby — and today we celebrate Your birth and rejoice in God’s gift to us — Your perfections are mine, now and forever. Today my weaknesses and flaws remain, even as Your perfections work to transform me. Needless to say, any maturity that shows up is still a gift from You and not my doing. For the gift of You, I am so grateful!

God’s faithfulness

 

READ Psalm 51–55

Yesterday I discovered a forgotten file while purging my computer. It lists the contrasting behavior of a person filled with the Holy Spirit and a person filled with himself. Anyone who seriously follows the Lord Jesus Christ realizes this is not an either/or but a both/and description. Christians still sin. We are growing in grace and more able to overcome our bad attitudes and actions, but the learning curve remains — and that list was convicting.

King David knew this. He was called “a man after God’s own heart” yet one day stayed home instead of going to war with his army. He was up on his rooftop and saw a beautiful woman bathing on her rooftop. Most of us know the story. He not only took her, made her pregnant, but had her husband killed to cover what he had done. I could say that most Christians would not go that far, but I’d likely be wrong. Besides, sin is sin, regardless of its extent or who it harms.

David was confronted by a prophet and deeply convicted. He pleaded with God for mercy, forgiveness and cleansing:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart . . . . Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me . . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. (Psalm 51:1–13)

Last Sunday our pastor said that one thing that keeps people from fellowship with other Christians is holding the standards higher than the reality. In other words, don’t expect perfection from others when the Bible clearly says God’s people need to keep confessing our sin. Sinless perfection belongs to Jesus Christ and while we are being transformed into His likeness, none of us will get there this side of heaven. In other words, don’t be disappointed at anyone’s imperfections!

As I read that list, whoever wrote it knew another truth and included this in the ‘good’ list: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (51:17)

The contrast on other side of the page said this, condensed yet plainly the opposite:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. (53:1–3)

That is, being a person devoted to God, I must be able to see and confess sin in humility and repentance. The following verse from the psalms is another way of saying the same truth in the next verse from the NT. Both are vital to spiritual growth and well-being, and both honor God and His grace and goodness:

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. (55:22)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Sometimes I pop into the selfish side of the list, yet God is faithful. It might take me awhile to ‘get it’ but when that sin is confessed, He is faithful to do His saving work and sustain me as His child. This promise is the wonder of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.