Besides Him, there is no Savior

Joshua 16–17; Psalm 148; Jeremiah 8; Matthew 22

This morning I was still not certain about yesterday’s challenge. What do I say to the person who is defending a false teacher? Anything? Nothing? Throughout yesterday, the Holy Spirit kept nudging me about my motivations. Something in me wanted to preach, to debate, to convince. The Spirit asked who do I trust? This morning I recognize the answer. It is easy to think that I can ‘save’ someone by using persuasive words, even God’s Word, using a powerful, well-spoken argument.

The above Scriptures did not say anything helpful so I went to ‘the verse of the day’ in my Bible software and God gently spoke to me: I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. (Isaiah 43:11)

In context, this verse affirmed with the Spirit was saying; I can try to be the Savior, but that is totally pointless. I have no power and no real understanding of what someone else needs to hear. I thought God was giving me verses of instruction and rebuke for someone else (1 Timothy 6:20-21) but He was speaking to me, warning me about listening to nonsense. God uses the verse of the day and its context to tell me that He will take care of that other person.

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you . . . . “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . . Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me, no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God. Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?” Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I send to Babylon (a place of captivity) and bring them all down as fugitives . . . . I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” (Isaiah 43:1–15)

God delivers those who are His. He may use human instruments as His witnesses yet I cannot assume that I can talk anyone into freedom. He is the Savior; I am not. He says “for your sake” He will rescue all fugitives, all those who are His, because whatever He does, no one can resist it or turn it back.

APPLY: “Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.” (1 Samuel 12:16) I must leave this with Him because I know my pride and tendency to want to take the credit. Keep praying. Be obedient should He ask me to say or do anything yet always trust the Lord to do what He alone can do.

 

I am what I am . . .

Complements make me feel uncomfortable. This is understandable if they are Insincere, butter-up remarks, but even genuine, well-intentioned words bother me too. Sometimes they stroke my vanity and desire to bathe in the flattery, yet I don’t like it. A swelled head is often dangerous and a warning of a fall soon to come.

Once I paid a compliment to a Christian friend and she quoted: “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.” (James 1:17)

I liked that, yet the words feel awkward to my mouth. This is not the way I talk. A better example was the time someone complemented my rock garden and I lifted my hands in a gesture of glory to God. The other person grinned and nodded. That gesture felt right and was well received, yet is not always possible — for instance in a telephone conversation. Besides, I want to use Scripture. Truth from God has a way of ringing its own bell.

Today I read this passage and God gives me an answer to those who give me credit when it should go to God . . .

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:3–10)

By the grace of God, I am what I am. Right! Whatever I do well, it is not because of any special skill or practice that I’ve developed; it is the grace of God. I could have been born to a family with less love, married to a man who abuses me, living in a situation of great poverty. I could have great health problems, physical deformities, a low IQ and no common sense at all, but by the grace of God, my life is filled with abundance and blessed.

The best of all is that I am forgiven. My sin is washed away, and I am declared righteous in Christ. I once was lost and far from God, but grace made me His child. I shudder thinking about what might have happened had God not been gracious to me. God reminds me of what Paul wrote to those who had awful sin in their lives. He gave a list of those sins, then said to them:

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)

What good news! What marvelous news! Once they lived sin-filled lives, but Jesus saved them! And I know that even if my situation in life was the opposite of all that it is, that is, even if I were less blessed with abundance and good things, I would still have Jesus. I would still be able to say — by the grace of God I am what I am. I am a person of joy, saved and in love with Jesus Christ. I have all I need — His grace has made it so.

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, the next time someone says ‘good for you’ about anything, remind me to reply in such a way that You are glorified, for You are worthy to receive glory. I know that in some cases a simple ‘thank you’ is appropriate, but I’d rather acknowledge that grace is the only reason for any good thing in my life, the only reason I am a saved and blessed person. I am what I am because of Your grace, because of You!

To God be the glory . . .

It often seems easier to glorify people rather than glorify God. For instance, we studied the New Testament story of the angel appearing to Mary telling her she would bear the Son of God. She responded with trust and a song of praise. Most of the group were praising her for being an exceptional young woman, even though we began the study by talking of how God asks us to do impossible things but always gives us what we need to do it. To God be the glory.

Since faith comes by hearing God’s Word, Mary believed because He was speaking to her. Since the Holy Spirit is the conveyor of truth, she knew that the words of the angel were true. Her story is not about her pious nature, her godliness, her anything; it is about the power of God to give His people what we need when we need it.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13–14)

These verses describe an important aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit. He says what the Father tells Him to say, and not only does He speak toward the future, He always glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He does it by receiving from Jesus whatever He is supposed to say and declaring it.

The example of the Holy Spirit shows me that when God speaks, I must follow through, but in the follow through, I will glorify the Lord and not myself or anyone else. Set beside God, my life is nothing, my wisdom is foolishness, and my knowledge is flawed.

Chambers compares those who think that a pious attitude of prayer and devotion is all that is required from those who claim faith in Christ. He says this type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous, or even stamped as the work of the Spirit. This makes me sad because when the work is obviously rooted in God Almighty but Mary gets the glory for her pious response, where is the Spirit in this? What business do any of us have in granting any person “hero” status when God is doing the work in their lives?

Personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ is a God-thing. Without regeneration, without being born again into His Kingdom, the best anyone can do is consider Jesus Christ as a good example, as Chambers says, “a pattern” for life. Yet we cannot follow His example unless He is first our Savior, first because of the Gospel, the One on whom I totally depend for life and breath and everything.

Jesus said—“When the Spirit of truth comes . . . He will glorify me.” When Jesus saved me from sin and drew me into His kingdom with His very life, He also gave me the Holy Spirit. This Spirit interprets what Jesus did and said. If I glorify people, I’m not only denying His work, I am denying His intention. God does not reveal truth to me that I might put anyone, including myself, on a pedestal.