Paid in full…

 

Not too familiar with many legal terms. I had to look up the meaning of a surety. This is a person who takes responsibility for another's performance of an undertaking, for example their appearing in court or the payment of a debt. In the Bible, this is a representative who offers himself under obligation for whoever he represents, in this case, Jesus is my surety before God the Father. He is “the guarantor of a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22) who willingly offered Himself to pay the debt owed for my sin against God. He said:

The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. (Isaiah 50:5–7)
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:18)

Last night our church had a prayer gathering. I wound up in a small group that included the mother and her daughter whose life is in turmoil. Mom needed assurance and daughter needed to know that the Lord would not give up on her. Those who prayed wanted to convey the love and power of God to these two and give them hope. While we didn’t use all the verses in today’s devotions, the Lord gave us what we prayed for, and affirms this to me today. He says:

Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. (Jeremiah 32:37–40)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved… In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3–14)

The love of Christ is our surety for He will never give up on us, no matter what we do. He said:

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:37–40)

Whatever God required for our salvation, Christ agreed to perform for us. He willingly became responsible to God for His people and His work as the Surety of the covenant will not be complete until he presents all God’s elect before Him in glory. He will not fail any one of us.

PRAY: My life and the lives of all who know You are safe in Your care. You keep every promise and love us without measure. Grace overrides performance. We cannot do it ourselves. You stand in our place and You died for all, giving not only security and eternal hope, but also deep joy and peace. Your commitment to Your people is the most precious gift of all.

Restored because He cares

He restores my soul . . . (Psalm 23:3)

The human way of thinking is that if I repeatedly fail in my Christian life, God gets angry or at least annoyed with me. For instance, in this passage describing what happened after Peter’s three denials that he knew Jesus . . .

And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:59–62)

 . . . I tend to imagine Jesus sternly looking at Peter and that look causing Peter to wilt. However, the shepherd does not do that. A sheep that has fallen and cannot get up gets his full and tender attention. The goal is always to get that poor animal restored to an upright and healthy condition. He restores my soul.

In another passage, Jesus tells of His care for the fallen in a parable. The Pharisees and scribes grumbled because He was “receiving sinners and eating with them” so Jesus said, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:1–7)

In another situation, the parable was not a story but enacted in real life. Those same scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. Trying to trap Jesus, they wanted to know if they should stone her as the law says. Jesus didn’t answer but wrote on the ground and when they persisted, He said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” He kept writing and they filed out, beginning with the older ones. Left alone with her, He asked her if anyone condemned her and she said no one. Then He said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:1–11)

This week, one of my professors pointed out the order of His words and how they show the way God thinks about sinners that He saves. Just like a shepherd would never say to a fallen sheep, “I will rescue you only if you promise to never get in this predicament again,” the Lord first saves by removing all condemnation, then talks about how we ought to respond. That is, Christ died for us while we were still sinners not when we cleaned up our act. His love for us is not conditional.

That means that no matter how many times I stumble, or tip over, or fall down and am helpless, He seeks me out with rescue and restoration in mind, not rebuke and wrath.

He once told a sinner that those who are forgiven much will love much. As a sheep that struggles to stay near my Shepherd, I’m beginning to understand how that works.

The Bride wears White

Our youngest son and his fiancé are planning their wedding. As mother of the groom, I want to wear an appropriate garment for this occasion. Since this wedding is going to have a vintage theme from the 1940's, my choices are limited, yet exciting.

With the Internet, it is not difficult to find out what people wore in that era. I was even able to find a Vogue sewing pattern that I like. Selecting fabric will be interesting. I want to make sure the color and design conform to the theme and are in harmony with what the bridal party will be wearing.

This morning, Spurgeon’s devotional tells of the standard garments that Jewish people wore during Bible times for a party. He says they wore white. I’ve not had time to check that out, but assuming he is correct, then the implications are interesting, even exciting.

Some say white is the absence of color, which is not true. When light hits an object and bounces to our eyes, we might see any combination of the seven main colors in the spectrum. If there is no light reflected, the object is black. If all seven colors reflect back, we see white.


In Scripture, white symbolizes justification, that is, purity from sin. Two verses illustrate this. The first is God pleading with His people. The second is from David’s confession after he sinned with Bathsheba and murdered her husband.

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7)

In the New Testament, a white garment symbolizes the same purity that happens to those who have confessed their sin. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, these are proclaimed clean, and our purity is because of His purity.

These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:14)

Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. (Revelation 3:4–5)

However, purity also refers the joy and gladness of knowing God accepts me. Because I am His, I am part of the Body of Christ which the Bible also calls the Bride of Christ. At the end, when all of God’s people are with Him, there will be a “marriage feast” and the Bride of Christ will be clothed in white. Solomon even hinted that those white garments are party garb, suitable for a great feast and great joy. He wrote, “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head” (Ecclesiastes 9:7–8).

Those who experience the grace of God and His acceptance through faith in Jesus Christ always wear white garments of joy and gladness while we walk in communion with Him. We have no reason for doubt, misery or gloomy faces, unless we defile our party clothes with sin and disobedience. David asked that God would “restore the joy of my salvation” when he sinned. The only way to be joyful and fully assured of my salvation and acceptance with God is to be filled with the Holy Spirit, not filled with sin and selfishness. I’m to keep my garments spotless, my life pure.

Another biblical mention of white concerns a white stone. A little research and I discovered that white stones were given to conquering soldiers as they returned home. These were also used in courts to designate a vote of innocence. This cultural background adds significance to this verse:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it. (Revelation 2:17)

These days, colors still have symbolism attached to them, yet the biblical associations are often lost. Black is now chic, not the color of darkness and sin. Red is exciting and trendy, not the color of sin or sacrificial blood. White is clean and uncluttered, not often associated with the amazing freedom of full forgiveness and communion with God. Thinking of color as the Bible describes it is not old fashioned; it is wonderfully symbolic of great realities.

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Lord, As I look at the world of color around me, I am grateful that You did not make a colorless world, but I’m also delighted at the symbolism where You link spiritual realities with color, even light and darkness. I’m also amazed how much richer these associations are through knowing that Your people have always connected white (a combo of all colors) with joy, approval and victory, as well as the purity of Jesus Christ, my spotless Savior and Lord.

Justified, a reason to party

Last night our children invited our friends to celebrate our wedding anniversary with us. The house was full of people, laughter and good food. It was a great night, but too short. People had to go home and we stayed much later than sane people should stay up. I don’t normally go for a ‘short’ devotional time, but this morning, God gives me something to think about that is simple and straightforward. 

Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man (Jesus) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38–39)

The word translated “freed” in the ESV is literally “justified” which is not as easily understood. Some explain it by saying that God treats those who believe in Jesus Christ “just as if I’d” never sinned. Spurgeon explains it well and restate it in my words.

Justification is the result of faith and was given to me the moment Christ came into my life, the same moment I accepted Him — and He is all that I need to save me from sin. I was and am fully justified, no less than all those who now wear white robes and are with God in heaven. The thief on the cross was fully justified the moment that he turned in faith to Jesus. Paul was fully justified the moment Jesus encountered him on the road to Damascus. 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

God accepted me the moment Christ took me into His kingdom by faith. I am pardoned fully, all past, present and future sin is put under the blood of Christ. I stand accepted in His sight as though I had never been guilty.

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Lord, last night we joyfully celebrated a milestone in our marriage. What a delightful time You gave us. Yet as I read this and think about being justified, this becomes an even greater joy to my heart. Because of Your grace, the joy and freedom of eternity are already mine. It started the day Jesus came into my heart. For those of us who believe, this justification is a current reason to celebrate. It is also our future hope and expectation that when we step from this life through the door to heaven, the party will go into full swing and never stop.