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
"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
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