Got hope? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 1:1,

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope..."

Merriam-Webster defines "hope" as "to cherish a desire with anticipation." The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1.

When we couple our faith with hope, we express anticipation for our cherished desires in what we know, what we are convinced of, what we are fully confident in: our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ and the breath-taking inheritance he has so graciously bestowed upon all of us who believe. As we consider the eternal pleasures at his right hand he has in store for us, Psalm 16:11, as we consider life in the resurrection where "No longer will there be any curse", Revelation 22:3, and where "'He [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 22:4, how great is this hope!

We read a more full description of our resurrection in Isaiah 25:6-8 (from which Revelation 22:4 quotes). Here our existence in the resurrection is described as the mountain of the Lord Almighty, "On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken."

Paul refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ as our "blessed hope", Titus 2:13-14, " ...while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." This hope is something we need to "boast in", Romans 5:2 and our hope will never be disappointed, Romans 5:5. Our hope provides us a rich and rewarding anticipation in this life, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13.

This hope should bring a boldness about us, 2 Corinthians 3:12. The full measure of hope may require some enlightening - something that may need to be an object of prayer, Ephesians 1:18-19a, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." We are told faith and love spring from the hope we have, Colossians 1:5. We are also told hope inspires endurance within us, 1 Thessalonians 1:3.

God promised us this wonderful hope from before time began, "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior..." Titus 1:1-3. This hope provides us a solid anchor, something which we can "hang our hat on" with full confidence in this life of uncertainty, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."Hebrews 6:19a. This hope is a living hope, charged with the energy and excitement of Jesus Christ's resurrection, 1 Peter 1:3. Our hope provides us an enabling as we deal with our lingering sinful nature, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." 1 John 3:2-3.

Our hope is Jesus Christ! What a wonderful hope this is! Who cannot get excited considering and meditating on our breath-taking hope?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Ordering our lives: as a fool - or as a wise person? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 6:18-19,

"Command them [the rich in 'this present world'] to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

In this part of his letter to Timothy, Paul instructs him on the direction he is to take with those who are wealthy under his charge within the fellowship, the "one percenters". They are to live their lives in view of "the coming age." And, come it will. This age that we live in will draw to a close. Likewise, our lives here in this age will draw to a close, and for the most, we will pass from this life before the new age dawns. Either way, there is the next life to consider. A rich fool is one who orders his life without regard to the next. Likewise, it might be said a poor fool, or a middle-income fool is one who orders his life without regard for the next as well.

From 6:6-19, Paul's focus is on the folly of living this life without regard for the next. Paul reminds Timothy, "we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." Verse 7. This is his reasoning for what he had to say in the previous verse, "godliness with contentment is great gain." He goes on to say, "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." Possibly these griefs will be encountered in this life (and probably so) and certainly in the next.

Throughout this section Paul has in mind how we should live our lives in light of what is next, what is coming for all people. He has, as his focus, the coming age and our decisions and choices in this life with the next in view. A thought that comes to mind, as I quickly approach those "retirement years", is how fleeting this life is. The older I get the faster the years seem to zip by. The reality is that most of us may live seventy or eighty years, or even longer, but compared with the next life, it is not even a drop in the ocean. Eternity is a long, long time. It literally never ends. My tenure here is going to be a blink of the eye compared to my tenure in the next, as it will be for us all. Why make decisions that may provide gratification for so little when it may cost substantially for eternity? A life filled with toys, sensual gratification, self-seeking fulfillment here at the expense of our eternal outcome is hardly wise.

This, I am certain, is one of the many reasons why the Scriptures refer to fools and to the wise. Fools elbow others out of their way so they can get "theirs" in this life without concern for the next. And, what they get is paltry, trivial, measly, pitiful and wretched compared to what those receive who order their lives with eternity in view. These, the wise, will say with David, "You [Lord] make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11. These are the ones who "will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

This life is not "truly life". This life is short, this life is temporary, this life is simply an obstetrics ward in the hospital of God's agenda of building his kingdom. The good stuff, real treasure, fulfilling and meaningful life comes when we graduate from this life into the next!

How are you ordering your life?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

So, what has God done for us? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 2:3-6a,

"This [Paul's request for prayer] is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people."

Paul tells Timothy to pray for all - in behalf of all: petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving. He singles out those in authority to pray for and provides the reason "that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." However, the request to pray for all has its grounds in that it is God's will that all people be saved and that Jesus Christ gave himself as a ransom for all people, becoming a mediator for all mankind.

This statement with Paul's request is breathtaking in its scope. All people! God wants us all! Not just some - but all. And, Jesus Christ gave himself for all! At the same time he has left it in our hands to make requests, to petition him on the behalf of others that they "be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth." God does not make the choice of faith for us - we must do that ourselves, but God has gone a long way to help us arrive there and prayer helps.

While there may be those who have abandoned the gospel of faith for a notion of salvation by appointment for a few, I am reminded of all God has done for all mankind to facilitate the salvation he desires for each of us. Since that salvation will only come by a decision each one of us might make to embrace him in faith, he has done much to help us get there. It is my understanding that Paul asked Timothy, and all of us by extension, to pray for others that the Lord might do even more to draw us to him.

As I think of all God has already done for us all, some things come to mind:

God has given each of us life (of course!).

God sent his Son as a ransom - to pay for the penalty we deserve for our sins.
God has given each of us the ability to think and reason, enabling us to consider the claims of the gospel.
God has given each of us a will that we can all exercise to choose him.
God has provided us the Scriptures that we may know of him, his agenda of salvation and the gospel itself.
God has sent the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, righteousness and justice.
God has provided us the knowledge of himself through his creation.
God has equipped and enabled others around us to share his message of salvation with us.

Surely this is a list that can be added to. What might you add?

I recognize there are those who are unable to think and reason, as with the case of the mentally infirm, those who are aborted before born, the still-born, etc. For these, I am convinced, based on God's sense of justice and fairness, God has another way. For the normative, however, look at all God has provided, enabling us to make that choice of faith!

Other things come to mind as well. Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." John 6:44. Here, I believe, is where prayer cannot be valued highly enough. Another interesting passage that comes to mind, "Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?" Romans 2:4. Also, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:8-9.

God invites us with arms open wide. He has done considerable things to facilitate the faith within us that he looks for. May we all find our way to that faith!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

A purpose of God's commands - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 6:11,

"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."

Here is a command from Scripture. The "flee from all this" refers to the famous statement of Paul, the verse just preceding, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

Here are six things Paul instructs Timothy to pursue: righteousness, godliness, faith, love endurance and gentleness as the alternative God provides. By extension, I recognize these are the things I need to pursue as well. The Scriptures provide us teaching in the how to of these things, particularly the book of Proverbs.

So, we have these "commands." Why did God give us these? Is it because I need to behave? Is it because he finds my sinful ways odious to his sense of righteousness, to his own pristine sinlessness? Did he give us these that we might become winsome representatives for him in his efforts of evangelize the world?

Possibly all of these things. However, given the context, something wonderful is on display here that helps me understand the heart of God for us. It relates to our happiness. In God's great love for us, he provides us a path, not only for an inheritance in eternal life, but also a path to happiness and joy in this life as well. He provides us the remedy for piercing ourselves "with many griefs."

"Wine, women and song" are the things that naturally attract us (well, the men anyway...). The pursuit of toys and diversions and so forth - fame and fortune. While we may find these fun for a season, God knows they will not ultimately provide us the happiness and joy we seek. Often these bring quite the opposite. I believe the reason we are given the direction to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness is for our happiness, our joy.

This command, this pursuit is the antidote to "piercing ourselves with many griefs." God does love us, and I am certain he desires our happiness and joy. What I may seek naturally, what I may pursue on my own, just may be my ruin. God knows what is best and he knows me better than I know myself.

Just something to mull over as we consider the many purposes of the commands of our Creator.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

How do you know what you think you know is true? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 4:6,

"If you point these things [the concerns of false teachings] out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed."

How do we know that what it is we think we know is correct? While our president is "evolving" on same-sex marriage, while some within the church teach we need to embrace environmentalism (because, after all, this is God's creation!), while some churches are embracing homosexuality, and teach that speaking against it is "hate speech", while many churches have adopted the concepts of "social justice", "economic justice", you-name-it "justice", just how is it we can be confident that what we think we know is truth? Is politically correct speech really correct? Is "hate-speech" really hate? Should global cooling (from the 70s), now global warming, now "climate change" really be approached as some kind of religion, complete with believers and "deniers"?

For instance, I have heard it said that embracing homosexuality is something we are evolving into, as if that provides that cultural shift legitimacy and is somehow superior to the outdated and unacceptable notion that it is a perversion and sinful. Who is right and how do we know? Speaking out on it as a sin these days is viewed as somehow mean-spirited, and those who do so are homophobic. (I think the term "homophobic" is misguided, as most, I am certain, who reject homosexuality are not afraid of it but are disgusted by it - there is a big difference between fear and disgust.) Should we be disgusted by it? Should we reject it as something wrong and immoral, or should we, in compliance with current cultural dictates, embrace it as something we now know to be on a par with heterosexuality? Simply one of many acceptable alternatives? And, if it is something we are "evolving" into as something superior and correct, how is it the Greeks and Romans practiced it as an art form more than two millenia ago, and we are just now evolving into it? We know there has been a cultural shift on thinking about homosexuality, but how do we know we are, in fact, evolving and not really devolving?

As we banter (I'm certain I banter way too much!) about proclaiming what it is we think we know, how do we know it for certain? Should we be assured, certain of what we know? There are very many in our culture that are horrified when the rest of us claim to know that what we know is certain, unassailable and universally true. Why do they have such a knee-jerk reaction? They insist that none of us can ever be certain we can know the truth of anything for certain (of course, with the exception that their certain truth that we cannot be certain of truth is certain!)

Paul told Timothy to oppose false teaching. How was he to measure what was false? Paul expected Timothy to know truth.

Traditionally, believers have held to the axiom that what is consistent with the Scriptures is truth, what contradicts Scripture is false. Good advice. Peter teaches us that the Scriptures came from God, did not spring from the interpretations of the men who wrote them, but that the Scriptures were in fact written as men were "carried along" by the Holy Spirit, 2 Peter 1:20-21. Therefore the Scriptures are truthful. Of course, to combat this, those who reject God have made a career of attempting to convince the rest of us that the Bible is loaded with errors, is unreliable and cannot be counted on as a basis of truth. I've been reading my bible for some 40 years and I'm still looking for those "errors".

In Paul's second letter to Timothy, he says of the Scriptures, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Paul clearly felt the Scriptures were truth. About lawbreakers, Paul provides a definition of what is lawless by defining it as what is contrary to "the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me." 1 Timothy 1:11. That which is consistent with the gospel of God is good. It is to be the yardstick in evaluating what is good and what is bad, what is true and what is not: the Scriptures inform our thinking that what it is we know to be true is, in fact, true. Jesus himself said he was the way, the truth and the life, John 14:6. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I can, without hesitation and with full and total confidence say that whatever it is Jesus has to say is truth (as well as the Scriptures he has had written for us.)

I don't look to MSNBC to inform my thinking. I don't look to the St. Louis Post dispatch to inform my thinking. I don't listen to Saturday Night Live, to musicians, to late night talk show hosts to inform my thinking. I look to what God has to say. I'm not looking to politicians, to pundits, to the persuasive in our pop culture - I'm not buying into anything our culture has to say. It just flip-flops around too much. Slavery was right, now it is wrong. Homosexuality was wrong and now it is right. That is simply not going to do it for me. I want truth to order my life by, not the whims of our cultural elites who have agendas not particularly well known.

In Ephesians 2:1-2 we read, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." I think Paul was speaking exactly to this issue here.

How wonderful it is that God chose to reveal himself to us! How wonderful God chose to give us truth, that we may be certain as to what it is we know to be true in the Scriptures! We don't have to guess where the culture is headed as to whether it is right or wrong. We don't have to flip-flop around. How wonderful we have truth right from the source of truth in the Scriptures!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

What do you know about faith? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 1:18-19,

"Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith."

Paul encourages his young charge, Timothy, in the tasks given him. The specific command Paul references here is relative to false teaching, "As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies." 1 Timothy 1:3-4a.

I note in verses 18-19 that the word "faith" is used in two ways. The first is that capacity we all have of exercising trust, belief and confidence in the Lord. The second is articulated, "the faith" which references and is synonymous with what the early church called "the Way" (see John 14:6; Acts 9:2; Acts 19:9, etc.) or what we might call authentic Christianity. Not the "Christianity" as the term commonly used by the world today which throws into a big pot the hodgepodge of both authentic Christianity as well as all kinds of wacky imitations, adulterations and perversions.

The term "faith" is very prominent in this letter of Paul to his protege Timothy. I love this other term used in apostolic days to identify this new, fledgling movement, "the Way." The goal, the destination is assumed in that name: the kingdom of God - eternal life. "The Way" also indicates a prescribed path to how the destination is arrived at. That path, that "way" is faith. It is certainly easy to see how both terms, "the Faith" and "the Way" were adopted by the early church to denote their movement.

"Faith" as an attribute or capacity we all have to embrace the Lord in trust, belief and confidence is mentioned eight times in this letter, by my count. About faith Paul says:
"Such things [false teachings] promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith." 1:4.
"The goal of this command [to stop false teaching] is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1:5.
"The grace of our Lord was poured out on me [Paul] abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." 1:14.
"Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience..." 1:18-19a.
"But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety." 2:15.
"Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus." 3:13.
"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." 4:12.
"But you [Timothy], man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." 6:11.

From these eight passages on faith, I learn:
God's work is by faith.
One of the goals of the command to stop false teaching is a sincere faith.
Faith was poured out on Paul.
Faith is to be held on to.
We are to continue in the exercise of our faith (women in childbearing).
We can have great assurance in our faith.
We are (Timothy was) to set an example with the exercise of our faith.
We are to pursue faith.

"The faith", as an alias for "The Way" is mentioned eight times as well, again, by my count:
"...which [faith and a good conscience] some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith." 1:19.
"They [deacons] must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience." 3:9.
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." 4:1.
"If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed." 4:6.
"Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." 5:8.
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 6:10.
"Fight the good fight of the faith." 6:12.
"Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith." 6:20-21.

From these eight passages I learn of "the Faith" (of "the Way"):

People can suffer "shipwreck" in regard to "the faith."

"The faith" holds deep truths.

"The faith" can be abandoned.

We can be "nourished" on the truths of "the faith."

We can deny "the faith" by our actions.

We can wander from "the faith."

"The faith" is something we need to fight for.

We can depart from "the faith."

I do not understand that bringing shipwreck to "the faith", abandoning "the faith", denying "the faith", wandering from "the faith", and departing from "the faith" indicates in any way the prospect that someone can loose a salvation that was already theirs. These passages do, however, point to the reality that some can profess a faith that they subsequently turn from, indicating their profession of faith was not a real, saving faith in the first place. Also, I see that genuine believers can do damage to "the faith", as well as themselves, by allowing themselves to be drawn away or wandering from it on their own. I see the immoral brother of 1 Corinthians 5 as an example of this, as well as the folks who are the objects of Paul's direction in 1 Corinthians 5:9-14. It is my perspective that Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is a further example of this.

In any event, look at the rich material we have on both faith as our capacity for trust, belief and confidence in the Lord, as well as "the faith", the movement spawned by our Lord and brought to the world through his apostles!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Equipped, empowered and entrusted! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 1:12,

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service."

Paul speaks of the charge the Lord had given him as an apostle. He goes on to say that it was in spite of him being the worst of sinners, verse 15. As Paul speaks of this service the Lord appointed him to, he acknowledges it was the Lord who had placed this trust in him and gave him the strength to perform.

I am mindful that all we believers might say the same thing. Although we are not appointed as apostles, the Lord, nevertheless, has provided each of us our own tasks in service to him, equipping and strengthening us for them, and entrusting us the responsibility for what we accomplish. I read in 1 Peter 4:10-11, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

In that passage in 1 Peter 4, I read that each of us have received some "gift" or gifts from God in service to others, as well as the strength to employ them. We all have a part to play in God's kingdom and in advancing his agenda in the world today. In Romans 12:4-8 we read, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts,according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." We are all gifted by God for a purpose in his program of redemption, the building of his kingdom.

What is striking to me about this is that God has entrusted us with these tasks! He leaves us the responsibility to accomplish what he desires! Talk about meaningful purpose in life!

In Ephesians 4:11-13 we read, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." It is those very "works of service" for which I believe the Lord not only raised up some to equip the rest of us, but also, as with Paul, for which the Lord provides us the strength, as he entrusts us for results.

The Lord has entrusted us all with things he wants to see accomplished. How are we doing with them?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Are the Lord's commands optional? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 1:1-2,

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."

I suspect few are unaware that God gives us commands. Almost universally, people are aware of the ten commands God gave Moses on Mt. Sinai. These represent only a few of the commands God gives.

Throughout the pages of Scripture commands are given. Consider, for instance, "Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing." This is a command given through the apostle Paul. Although it is Paul who gives it in his letter to Timothy, it is provided in the Scriptures, inspired by God, and so is a command from God himself.

Is it optional? Are the commands of God suggestions, offered for our consideration? Are we to take them as merely guidelines? I think this is an important point to consider. When the Scriptures tell us to do things, are those imperatives to be evaluated by us as to whether we are agreeable: do I have the time, the energy to make the effort ? Is it our prerogative to determine how important a command may be, with a view toward whether we may follow it or not?

That question rests on one simple point: is Jesus Christ your Lord or isn't he?

Not all commands are for all people. For instance, Paul explains that the ten commands given Moses are for the unsaved. Believers are no longer under this law, "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful." 1 Timothy 1:8-9a. Also, in speaking of the ten commands specifically, Paul says, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6. As he says in the previous chapter, "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!" Romans 6:15.

However, there are the many commands for us believers. "He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." 1 John 4:21. These are simply not optional for those who claim Jesus Christ as their Lord.

Here is a command from God through Paul that few appear to order their lives by, "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." For many, this is a command they will be willing to embrace only if the culprit would apologize first, or if so-and-so would just do this or that. I don't see any of those sorts of conditions provided the command, but I see it observed that way quite often. I'm sure you have too. Church business meetings is one place where this command often cannot seem to attend. The pastor at odds with the praise team leader. Arguments over what color to paint the nursery, resentment over the pick of a "singles" pastor instead of that youth pastor, etc. You get the idea.

It comes down to something very basic to our salvation: is Jesus Christ your Lord or not? "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9. This promise is only for those who profess Jesus as their Lord and make it so. Otherwise, it is simply a false confession. I'm not saying we need to follow all commands in Scripture to enter into eternal life - salvation is based on faith, not works, not by "the doing" of commands in Scripture. I am saying, don't declare Jesus as your Lord unless you make it so in your daily living. Saving faith is the kind of faith that brings changes in the things we think, do and say, especially concerning the things the Lord has asked of us. "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?... In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.... As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." James 2:14-26.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Unapproachable light - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 6:12-16,

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen."

In his final instructions to Timothy, Paul provides him with this direction. Timothy is to fight for the faith and cling to his eternal life given him when he confessed his faith "in the presence of many witnesses." His charge actually begins a verse earlier where Paul tells Timothy, "But you, man of God, flee from all this [false teaching and its consequences], and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." 1 Timothy 6:11.

Paul ends these instructions with the wonderful doxology: "To him be honor and might forever. Amen." However, it is the intervening observations about God that captures my eye this morning. Paul tells Timothy to keep the charge he gives him till "the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" - something that will happen in God's own good timing, "God will bring about in his own time." Verse 15. From this, it is my perspective that this instruction is to be followed by us all, not just Timothy, till Jesus Christ comes back for us believers. As we continue to wait, I am reminded these things are still important for us. I am also reminded that we are still awaiting the Lord's return for God's good timing. What are those things that impact God's timing? While it be far from me to know what it all is that drives God's timing, I can't help but think that at some point enough babies will be born, and of those, enough believers are brought into his kingdom. There will be, after all, a finite number of believers that will eventually populate the Kingdom of Heaven and when that number is reached, God will bring the age to a close and the Lord will return for those who are his.

The observation Paul makes about God is truly striking, "...God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." Jesus is given the title "King of kings and Lord of lords" in Revelation 19:16, and so this is further attestation to the deity of Jesus Christ: the only person to ever be fully God and fully man at the same time. What fascinates me about what Paul has to say about God here is, "who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see."

We can't see God. He exists as the only immortal, without a beginning and without an end, and lives in unapproachable light. It seems to me that light is the magnificent glory that emanates from his person, reflecting the many-splendored qualities that make up his character and nature, his very being. The pristine immaculacy (yep, its a real word) of God's nature, a nature having no stain or blemish, no flaw or error, spotlessly perfect is reflected in this glory of unapproachable light. Imagine! And one day, following our own resurrection, we believers will one day see him just as he is!

I can't wait for the day! How about you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Our wonderful, matchless Savior! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 4:10,

"That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe."

God is the Savior of all people! Not just some, not just the pretty ones, not just the intellectual ones, not just the wealthy ones, not just the accomplished ones, not just the religious ones and not just the famous ones. Not just the clergy, not just the pillars of the community and not just the powerful. God is the Savior of all people!

I understand this to mean that the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on that miserable cross to pay the penalty for our sins was for all mankind, all who have ever lived. I'll let those stew who cling to some odd idea that Jesus Christ only died for a few while I celebrate loudly, and exult in richly, the magnificent expression of love God manifested for all mankind when he sent us his Son to pay the penalty for all. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

This was a big sacrifice - not a little one! The burden Jesus bore on the cross was for all sins ever committed by all people for all time!

I also understand this to mean that while God is the Savior of all people, he is only so especially for those who believe. Although Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all people, that payment will only be credited to those who embrace him in faith. Kind of like a lifeboat. A lifeboat is a rescue for all who will jump in it when the ship goes down. As it sits birthed on the ship, it is a rescue for all, but especially for those who will jump into it when needed. Those who won't will go down with the ship.

After mankind had rebelled against God, after mankind had turned from him, spurned him - what a wonderful and astonishing love God has expressed by becoming our Savior. It is surely an expression of love that lies beyond our comprehension! Our rejected Creator has now become our Savior!

All he asks is that we place our faith and trust in him! How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

A woman's role in the church - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 2:11-14,

"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner."

In his letter to Timothy, Paul provides some instructions on worship relative to the two (and, there really are only two) genders.

How impolitic!! How sexist! What a misogynist! I can just hear the cacophony, the shrieks, the shrill indignation. Here is a statement that just won't square with today's culture. Paul says he does not permit women to teach or have authority over a man. Just wait for those gals who force their little boys to play with dolls and their little girls to play with toy trucks to hear this!

Unfortunately, for those little boys who played with dolls and somehow made it into the church without a spine, their futile attempts to salvage the authenticity, authority, and credibility of their Bibles by claiming Paul was addressing the cultural context of the day, Paul has taken away any attempt to correlate this teaching with the cultural proclivities of the day. His reference to Adam and Eve clearly lifts his teaching on the genders here out of any cultural context and places it squarely in the cosmic dimension of God's creation.

What Paul is saying is that the formulation of correct doctrine and teaching is not within the purview of the female gender. It is to be left up to the men. I have read way too many detractors of Paul, claiming he was, in fact, a misogynist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Paul loved women and held them in great appreciation and regard for their many wonderful contributions to God's agenda of redemption. Listen to his expressions of appreciation regarding some of the women who labored in the gospel, "Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord." Romans 16:12.

Note Paul's appreciation of Priscilla, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them." Romans 16:3-4. Note also Paul's acknowledgment of another woman, Mary, "Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you." Romans 16:6. Also Junia, "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." Romans 16: 7.

In Paul's concerns for Euodia and Syntyche, note his acknowledgment of their past efforts working with Paul, expressing his appreciation, "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life." Philippians 4:2-3.

Don't tell me Paul was a misogynist!

It wouldn't make any difference anyway, since the argument against not permitting a woman to teach or assume authority over a man is an argument with God through the Holy Spirit, not Paul. Paul's writings, what he had to say in Scripture was inspired. Listen to what Peter says of Paul's writings, "He [Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:16. When Peter says unstable people distort Paul's writings as they do the "other Scriptures", it is an affirmation of Peter's knowledge that Paul's writings were Scripture, that is, inspired by God. Of this, Peter says in another place, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.

As I say, anyone who would argue that women not be limited from establishing doctrine and assuming authority over men in the church has an argument, not with Paul, but with God. Shall we accuse God of being a misogynist? I believe it was God that created women, as well as men and said it was all very good! In fact, God loves women so much that he sent his own Son to die a miserable death in order to pay for their sins. God loves women. And, just as he does for men, he has a role for them in the church - and it is not the formulation of doctrine or the assertion of authority over men.

Are you going to go with the pop culture of the day, or are you going to go with God? Are you going to yield to the insistent demands of our culture that we bow to political correctness, or have a spine and stand for God's truth? We have many issues that force us to choose: abortion, homosexuality, immorality, etc. God has provided a great "shaking out" of the church these days as we see whole denominations abandon God to follow the cultural dictates of the day.

For all you men who grew up as boys playing with dolls, it is time to man up! Same for the women (well, can I say woman up?). Proclaim your allegiance and loyalty for God and his perspective over the culture of our day. Let Jesus Christ be the Lord of your life. This is, after all, what this is all about.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Exquisitly deceptive religion - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 1:3-7,

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so
that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any
longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such
things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God's
work--which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes
from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have
departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to
be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking
about or what they so confidently affirm."

I call religion exquisitely deceptive, because it certainly is. It
often passes unnoticed as a counterfeit means to connect with God.
Paul calls on Timothy to confront those attempting to bring their
religious impulses into the fellowship. In this case, it seems the
Jewish pedigree was a fascination for them as well as the typical
development of dos-and-don'ts. We have had this bunch (sans the
genealogy) infiltrating the kingdom of God since the apostolic days
till our current day. There are so many folks today pushing their
religiosity on the rest of us, for the very same reason they did
during Timothy's day. They do it because they want to be "teachers of
the law", the ecclesiastical big boys who tell the rest of us what it
is we need to be doing. All the while "they do not know what they are
talking about or what they so confidently affirm." Obviously, what
they are so confident about fails to square with the straight forward
teaching of the Scriptures.

You know who these people are. They resort to the Scriptures, handling
it in such a way they arrive at their "distinctives", start new
denominations and fellowships where only they have the inside scoop.
They wave their lists "of the eight things (or whatever) we must do to
be saved." They teach the many things we need to do to earn God's love
and acceptance. A love and acceptance that is already ours through
faith, without the help of their religious demands. They ignore
apostolic teaching that affirms such things as "But now, by dying to
what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we
serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the
written code." Romans 7:6. However, they have all kinds of "written
code" that seeks to supplant the Holy Spirit's work in our lives and
reduce us from members of the Kingdom of God to mere members of their
religious group.

There is so much of this going on today, even under the disguise of
"truly following the Scriptures" as they misread, mis-interpret and
misunderstand what it is they are so confident about.

I hold in the highest regard those who have abandoned the hopeless
misdirection of the religious folks and have turned to Jesus Christ
unadulterated. Folks who study their Bibles without bringing their
theological "stuff" into it, to see what it really is the Lord has to
say. Folks who pray and rely on the Holy Spirit for illumination of
the true apostolic teachings found in their Bibles. Folks who have
discovered that our access to God and our communion with God is
founded and established through faith. Folks whose goal it is to serve
God in "love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere
faith."

Unfortunately, these are the very claims of those who would seek to
distract us from the truth. I am convinced very few people really
embrace Jesus Christ as Lord in their lives, an embrace of faith. It
is a pre-packaged Jesus Christ they embrace, a religious caricature of
our wonderful Savior that died for our sins, that made a way for us,
that freed us from the law and all religious claims.

May we all quit the religious stuff and get serious about the One who
loved us so much that he came and died a horrible death to pay for our
sins. May we find him and revere him who made a way for us into his
kingdom, his family. This is something that we can all do, and that we
can do every day! It just takes... faith!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Pray for all - including politicians??? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 2:1-4,

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and
thanksgiving be made for all people-- for kings and all those in
authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness
and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all
people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

Paul urges Timothy that all people should be prayed for, particularly
for "all those in authority" with the view that "we may live peaceful
and quiet lives..." Paul goes on to say that it pleases God we do so
because he wants all people (not just some) to be saved, "to come to a
knowledge of the truth."

Perhaps it is rather obvious, but God does want all to be saved. Not a
select few from every demographic, but literally, he wants all people
everywhere to be saved. He has, however left that choice up to each
one of us, so Paul urges believers to pray for all people that they
come to a knowledge of the truth. We are told that the Lord draws
people to himself, that they may be saved, "And I, when I am lifted up
from the earth, will draw all people to myself." John 12:32. Jesus
also said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws
them, and I will raise them up at the last day." John 6:44. This is
the point of praying for others, the Lord has given us a part in what
he is doing. We ask the Lord to draw them to himself, that they be
saved. The choice is theirs, but we can ask the Lord to be active in
drawing them. We see this in John 16:7-11, where Jesus told his
followers he would send the Holy Spirit for this purpose, "Unless I go
away, the Advocate [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I
go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to
be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin,
because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am
going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about
judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."

We are to pray for all, but Paul specifically calls attention to the
need to pray for those in authority that we may live peaceful and
quiet lives. His comment calls to mind something he said in Romans
13:1, "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there
is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities
that exist have been established by God." Paul tells us no less than
three times that the authorities are God's servants. "For the one in
authority is God's servant for your good." Verse 4. "They are God's
servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." Also
verse 4. "This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are
God's servants, who give their full time to governing." Verse 6.

We are to pray for all people, particularly those in authority -
sometimes not such an easy thing to do.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

A ransom paid - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 2:5-6a,

"There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people."

Merriam-Webster defines a ransom as "a consideration paid or demanded for the release of someone or something from captivity." With this in mind, what exactly was this ransom Jesus gave himself as? What is it we were all ransomed from, the captivity?

John the Baptist once said, "Whoever believes in the Son [Jesus Christ] has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them." John 3:36. It is this wrath of God and the certainty of his judgment, eternal death, that has hung over the human race since Adam and Eve that was the captivity Jesus ransomed us from. In Jeremiah 9:24 we read, "'I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.' declares the Lord." It is in this finely tuned sense of justice that God has his court to prosecute all who have ever sinned. That would be all of us because we have all sinned, Romans 3:23. All mankind has been enslaved to this judgment of God born of his voracious appetite for justice. Sin will be paid for, God's justice requires it.

In God's court, payment for sins is fungible. However, since we have all sinned, none of us can pay the penalty for any one else's sins. Each of us can only pay for our own sins, by suffering an eternal death. For this reason, since the Son of God has never sinned, he is qualified to pay the penalty for all our sins in his Father's court. The payment Jesus made for our sins brings the possibility of the forgiveness of our sins. They are paid for.

This is the greatest news anyone could hear. In addition, we learn that the payment Jesus made for our sins is credited to our account with God in his court if we embrace Jesus Christ in faith. This is the point John the Baptist was making. "Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them." Jesus has made the payment, the ransom. It is available to each of us, but is only credited to our account when we place our faith and trust in him. This is why Paul, in Romans 4:3, points to Genesis 15:6, which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

The judgment of God is horrific and is on display in the ransom Jesus Christ made for all people. The love of God is incomprehensible and breath-taking as displayed in the ransom Jesus Christ paid to free us. It was all expressed on that horrible cross and is available to each of us if we embrace him in faith. Astonishing and even a bit startling to think of when mulled over.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

All sins of all people for all time - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 2:5-6a,

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people."

There is a popular theology enjoying its heyday these days that teaches what they refer to as "Limited Atonement." The notion is that since God is sovereign, all for whom Jesus Christ died will be saved, none lost. No one can thwart God's sovereignty and so God takes his steps to insure this happens. Since we know all people are not saved, and, unfortunately, most people are not saved and facing God's judgment at the end of the age, then Jesus did not die for all people. His atonement for sins only covers certain ones he has predestined for salvation. It is an overall theology that speaks of faith, but is most accurately understood as a theology that promotes salvation by appointment.

The problem with this approach to theology is that it fails to comport with Scripture. All faulty theology fails to be consistent with the Scriptures at some point, and the doctrine of limited atonement is no exception. Look at the above verse, "Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people." Not some people, not those perceived to be "chosen" and not just those who ultimately make their way into God's kingdom by faith. Look also at 1 John 2:2, "He [Jesus Christ] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." There are many other passages that can be looked at, but you get the idea.

Feeble attempts have been made, consistent with our pop culture's fascination with "diversity" to legitimize this doctrine. Promoters of limited atonement tell us that "whole world', the "all people" are to be understood not as literally "all", but is to be understood as some people from every, all, demographic groups. Some whites, some blacks, some this and some that. As I say, a feeble attempt to patch up an incoherent theology.

The payment Jesus Christ made on the cross was for all sins of all people for all time. There is no sin not payed for by Jesus Christ on the cross. The only sin that will not be covered is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. Look at what Jesus told Nicodemus, "Whoever believes in him [Jesus Christ] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." All sins have been paid for. At the judgment the sins of the unbelieving will be recounted, but it is the rejection of God's one and only Son, who died as a ransom for all people that brings an eternity in that fiery lake of burning sulfur we read of in Revelation 21:8. Although all sins have been paid for, that payment for sin is only credited to those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith.

So, what difference does it  make? When a person starts to whittle down what Jesus accomplished on the cross, the totality of the payment must necessarily be understood as reduced. If Jesus only made payment for the sins of the relatively few people, then that payment was not as great. This is what the calculus produces - a smaller payment, a reduced suffering. My point isn't that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ must be defined in terms of the greatest suffering for no reason. But, if in fact, Jesus did die for all the sins of all people for all time, then those who promote such theology seek to diminish our understanding of the full nature of the suffering of Jesus Christ. This is no mere inconsequential matter of little importance. It means the expression of God's love represented in the cross of Jesus Christ is reduced. It means the expression of the Father's judgment for sins as represented in the cross of Jesus Christ is likewise reduced.

My Savior died for all the sins of all people for all time. It was an enormous payment and an horrific suffering he experienced. It expresses the enormous judgment of the Father and an enormous and unfathomable love. For anyone to attempt to diminish what the Scriptures have to say of these realities will ultimately have to give an account. I love my Savior and I certainly hate to see how so many seek to diminish our understanding of what he has done for us all.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

What in the world are we doing? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 1:15a,

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..."

Here is a clear and straight forward statement. Paul tells us why the Son of God came to planet Earth. It wasn't to establish a new religion. It wasn't to create a new priesthood (well, other than in the sense of 1 Peter 2:4-5, "As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." - a priesthood all believers share in.) It wasn't to build a new temple or anything other building. He didn't come to provide religious occupations for the many who have them, he didn't come to provide new denominations for people to split off into, he didn't come to insure a tax exempt status in the tax code. He didn't come to provide youth groups to keep teens out of trouble (he came to save them), or Sunday School to instruct our family members (however, hang in there and see below). Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Sinners like you and me.

In Luke 19:10, Jesus put it this way, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” In Romans 3:22b-25a, we read, "There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith." This is why the Son of God came to planet Earth, to offer himself as a sacrifice to pay for our sins, making a way for us to eternal life in his kingdom. We read in 1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

There may be nothing wrong with some of the things I listed above. Some of those may facilitate the pursuit of why the Son of God came into the world. Therefore, there may be good in those kinds of things, but not if they supplant the primary agenda of why God the Father sent his Son into the world. Certainly, instruction in the word of God for believers is something the Lord wants us to do. The pastoring of believers, the providing for corporate worship of believers are all things we are instructed to do within the church, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13. Also, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25. So, yes, there may be very good reasons why we are all doing what it is we do, but... maybe not. Do we all have clarity on what we are doing?

Having clarity on this is of utmost importance in my thinking. Things have a way of getting muddied up such that we may lose sight of why Jesus Christ came in the first place. We might find our priorities confused and focus our efforts on secondary or unessential things, to the neglect of seeing sinners saved. Jesus left his followers with the following command, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20a. I don't see anything in there that specifically speaks of a new church building. I don't see anything in there that speaks of establishing denominations with their cherished "denominational distinctives." I don't see anything in there that speaks of my favorite foreign missions board. I don't see anything in there about youth groups, Sunday School, Sunday evening prayer meetings or a Wednesday night mid-week service. I don't see anything in there about a "praise team" or drama ministry or food pantry.

My point isn't that any of those things are wrong. Many of them may, in fact, be very right. But any of those things only have value of they advance very specifically the purposes of Jesus Christ, his agenda... not ours. That purpose could not be clearer. Jesus Christ came to save sinners. What moves that agenda ahead is of value, what does not needs to be discarded in favor of that which does.

I don't know about you, but it has appeared to me that there is a lot of religious junk that is pursued in the name of Jesus Christ that seems to hardly advance the saving of sinners for God's kingdom. It never hurts to ask: is the time, treasure and talent I invest each week used in the most productive ways to see sinners saved?

I don't intend to be a trouble maker, but I do intend to get us rethinking what it is we are all doing.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Who are you going to call? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in 1 Timothy 2:5-6,

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people."

"The man Christ Jesus" is the one mediator between us and God. Just as there is only one God, so there is only one mediator. What is a "mediator?" Merriam-Webster defines it as someone who acts as an "intervening agency." An "in-between."

Why do we need a mediator? Paul tells us that the wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23. The death spoken of here is an eternal death following this life. It is an eternal death that we all face. It is to be cast into an outer darkness due to God's judgment of us as sinners. In Revelation 21:8, it is to be cast into a "fiery lake of burning sulfur." Paul further tells us we are all sinners, Romans 3:23, therefore we all need a mediator between us and God as our judge if we are to avoid this judgment.

Jesus Christ is uniquely qualified as a mediator on our behalf. We are told he "gave himself as a ransom for all people." Which people? "All people", 1 Timothy 2:6. Jesus Christ came to offer himself as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for all the sins of all people!

I notice that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and mankind. "One mediator" just as there is "one God." My pastor didn't die for me, he did not secure God's forgiveness of my sins. Only Jesus Christ has done that. My pastor is not a mediator between me and God. The pope did not die for me, he did not secure God's forgiveness of my sins. The pope is not a mediator between God and me. No clergy ever died for my sins, therefore no clergy can mediate before God on my behalf.

Joseph Smith didn't, Mohammed didn't, Buddha didn't, Confucius didn't, John Calvin didn't, Joseph Arminius didn't, no one else, save Jesus Christ ever died to pay the penalty for my sins, no one else save Jesus Christ was qualified to pay that penalty for my sins, therefore no one else save Jesus Christ has traction with God as a mediator to save me from his wrath for my sins.

How about you? Just like me, you know you are a sinner. Who is going to stand in your behalf to save you from God's punishment for those sins? It is not going to be you or me, we are already guilty and not qualified to secure for ourselves God's forgiveness. It is not the clergy at our church, they can't mediate for us. Only Jesus Christ can secure God's forgiveness of our sins. Call to him.

There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com