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"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21)
I was on the treadmill this afternoon, beloved, and doing what I do best when logging miles without going anywhere - reading a good book! The one I am working my way through right now is all about "forgiveness" and it is excellent. As I read, the glory of the mystery of God "imputing" our sins to Christ came into view and I felt overwhelmed by the wonder of His grace.
The truth of imputation we find above in Paul's words to the saints in Corinth - "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us." The New Testament word describes a legal reckoning or charging of something belonging to one to the account of another. In other words, when God imputed our sin to the Lord Jesus Christ, He charged Him with the sin that rightly belongs to each one of us. But Jesus only became guilty in a purely legal sense. And that is the difference between something "imputed" and something "imparted."
Some mistakenly believe that somehow Jesus Himself became a sinner when our sin was laid upon Him or that it was "imparted" to Him. If that had been true, then Jesus would have taken on Himself our sinful nature, His character radically and negatively changed. Had that happened, then Jesus would have borne the guilt of His own sin nature and He Himself would have needed a Redeemer. Very simply, Jesus could not have died as our substitute for who, then, would have died for Him?
Scripture itself makes abundantly clear that the imputation of our sins to Christ was legal in nature. The following are examples of how clear this truth is:
"He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5)
"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross" (1 Peter 2:24)
The guilt that Jesus bore for us was our guilt, beloved, not His. But God still treated Him as if it had been His own and He felt the full wrath of the Father's hatred for sin as He bore the guilt that we rightly bear. That is the wonder of "imputation" and of Jesus Christ becoming sin for us! It was an act solely of grace and borne of love, the love of God for the sinner even as He hated the sin. And as a result, you and I are forgiven by God and cleansed of all unrighteousness. And the other side of that coin is that the personal righteousness of Jesus Christ was "imputed" to you and me so that we are fully acceptable to God. But that's another subject for another day! Maybe next week...
Ron
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Jesus: A Taste of New Wine
"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins" (Mark 2:22)
I will readily admit that I know next to nothing about wine, beloved, other than participating one time in a Passover Seder. But you do not have to be on speaking terms with wine to discover and appreciate a wonderful lesson Jesus taught His disciples using the wine of their day as an illustration.
In Palestine wine was commonly made at home by families. This "fruit of the vine" when fresh was stored in new animal skins so that both the mixture and the skins themselves could expand together. The wine gave off gases as it hung on the wall in the animal skin bag and, thus, caused it to stretch. New wine that was stored safely in the animal skins could be enjoyed by the family, then, to the last drop.
But as Jesus so clearly stated the obvious, no one who knew anything about making and storing wine would ever store it in an old animal skin bag. Animal hide that had become dried out and brittle had lost its capacity to change and to expand and would only rupture with the inner action of the wine and cause its contents to be spilled and lost.
So what was Jesus' point for His listeners and what does this verse reveal to us about our own lives today as Christians? It should be apparent to all of us, beloved, that Jesus is Himself the "new wine" about which He was speaking. When He comes into a believer's heart by faith, He is the "new wine" that is given to us as a sacred deposit. He is the "treasure" stored in our "earthen vessels" (2 Corinthians 4:7) and as such His working within us is to cause us to spiritually "stretch" and "expand." He comes in with a new vitality and needs for us to be so in harmony with His divine presence within that our thoughts and words and deeds are as one. Do you recall what the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome?
"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4)
"Newness of life" is what the "new wine" of Jesus' life within is all about! We as believers must be in harmony with Him, then, as He seeks to bring about within us this newness of life.
By contrast, I believe that the Pharisees were themselves clear examples of the "old wineskins" about which Jesus cautioned His listeners. They had become so ceremonially religious that their spirits were "brittle" and their hearts "dried out" by their many man-made traditions and by their estimation of their own piety. They could not see Him as their Messiah, God's gift of "new wine," because they were not looking for One who would change them, but for One who would change for them. Consequently, the "new wine" that He brought for them would do them no good. They wanted no part of who He really was!
Today, beloved, we discover a much needed emphasis on the "new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus wants to make us as He comes into our hearts by faith. We cannot be saved and remain the same people we were before we met Him! He is looking for us to change and grow, to stretch and expand in our faith and to be transformed by the presence of the "new wine" that He is within us. We have this Treasure in earthen vessels, beloved! Is yours soft and pliable and moldable, or is it brittle and dried out?
Ron
I will readily admit that I know next to nothing about wine, beloved, other than participating one time in a Passover Seder. But you do not have to be on speaking terms with wine to discover and appreciate a wonderful lesson Jesus taught His disciples using the wine of their day as an illustration.
In Palestine wine was commonly made at home by families. This "fruit of the vine" when fresh was stored in new animal skins so that both the mixture and the skins themselves could expand together. The wine gave off gases as it hung on the wall in the animal skin bag and, thus, caused it to stretch. New wine that was stored safely in the animal skins could be enjoyed by the family, then, to the last drop.
But as Jesus so clearly stated the obvious, no one who knew anything about making and storing wine would ever store it in an old animal skin bag. Animal hide that had become dried out and brittle had lost its capacity to change and to expand and would only rupture with the inner action of the wine and cause its contents to be spilled and lost.
So what was Jesus' point for His listeners and what does this verse reveal to us about our own lives today as Christians? It should be apparent to all of us, beloved, that Jesus is Himself the "new wine" about which He was speaking. When He comes into a believer's heart by faith, He is the "new wine" that is given to us as a sacred deposit. He is the "treasure" stored in our "earthen vessels" (2 Corinthians 4:7) and as such His working within us is to cause us to spiritually "stretch" and "expand." He comes in with a new vitality and needs for us to be so in harmony with His divine presence within that our thoughts and words and deeds are as one. Do you recall what the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome?
"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4)
"Newness of life" is what the "new wine" of Jesus' life within is all about! We as believers must be in harmony with Him, then, as He seeks to bring about within us this newness of life.
By contrast, I believe that the Pharisees were themselves clear examples of the "old wineskins" about which Jesus cautioned His listeners. They had become so ceremonially religious that their spirits were "brittle" and their hearts "dried out" by their many man-made traditions and by their estimation of their own piety. They could not see Him as their Messiah, God's gift of "new wine," because they were not looking for One who would change them, but for One who would change for them. Consequently, the "new wine" that He brought for them would do them no good. They wanted no part of who He really was!
Today, beloved, we discover a much needed emphasis on the "new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus wants to make us as He comes into our hearts by faith. We cannot be saved and remain the same people we were before we met Him! He is looking for us to change and grow, to stretch and expand in our faith and to be transformed by the presence of the "new wine" that He is within us. We have this Treasure in earthen vessels, beloved! Is yours soft and pliable and moldable, or is it brittle and dried out?
Ron
Friday, March 18, 2011
The Wonder of Servant-hood
"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God" (Romans 1:1)
Servant-hood is such an elusive issue among believers today, beloved! And I am convinced that one reason is surely that we would rather focus more upon our "freedom" in Christ than upon our calling to follow Him as servants. Circumstances in life have recently brought this critical issue back to my mind afresh and with a sense of urgency I want to share what I have discovered in God's Word about it with you.
First of all, here in the verse you see above, the Apostle Paul had no problem whatsoever referring to himself as a "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ. Familiar to all of his readers because of the Roman system of slavery in that day, the word that Paul chose is the Greek doulos and commonly referred to one who was an unwilling and permanent slave to the one who was his master. His will was not his own, his goals were not his own, his words were not his own, and his purpose in living was not his own. In every sense, he lived at the whim of and for the betterment of his master. As those ourselves who are douloi in the 21st century, we should never focus upon our own "rights" or upon our own agenda. Our goal should be and must be to seek the advancement of the One who holds our heart and life in His blood-stained hands.
"Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1)
Though translated virtually the same as the word we find in the Roman letter, beloved, in actuality Paul chose an entirely different word in this setting. The Greek huperetes meant literally "under-rower" and was a reference to the Roman galley ships powered by slaves who manned the many oars. And this word did not only refer to slave-rowers, but to the lowest level of rowers. The huperetes found himself manning an oar in the lowest part of the ship. His was the most dangerous and most demeaning level of servitude that one could render. I find in Paul's use of this word, in part at least, a focus upon oneself in relationship to other believers in their service. The apostle's view of himself was always that of ranking himself lower than his brothers and sisters in Christ. As "under-rowers" today, beloved, we are not called upon to think poorly of ourselves but rather not to think of ourselves at all!
"What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one" (1 Corinthians 3:5)
Once more the word in English seems to be very much the same, yet again the apostle has chosen an entirely different one. Here the Greek diakonos was commonly used to refer to a "table waiter." As doulos seems to focus upon the believer's relationship to his Master and huperetes the believer's relationship to other believers, so diakonos seems to focus upon the actual service rendered. Very simply, beloved, no one of us should ever feel that any service for Christ is beneath us. It is the nature of true servants that we do not ever seek the spotlight but are rather satisfied to serve.
Thus, as a doulos of Christ I accept that I am not my own, but that I live at the pleasure of my Lord and Savior and for His glory alone. And as a huperetes I accept that all others are more important than I and I live to push them to the front and to serve them in any way that I can. As a diakonos I am content with my place in the vineyard and find my great joy in the simple act of serving my Lord. What room is there in my life, then, for self-seeking and self-glorification? There is none! That was not the way of a servant of Paul's day and that is not the way of a servant of Jesus Christ today. The service itself is the glory and the glory belongs to Christ!
Ron
Servant-hood is such an elusive issue among believers today, beloved! And I am convinced that one reason is surely that we would rather focus more upon our "freedom" in Christ than upon our calling to follow Him as servants. Circumstances in life have recently brought this critical issue back to my mind afresh and with a sense of urgency I want to share what I have discovered in God's Word about it with you.
First of all, here in the verse you see above, the Apostle Paul had no problem whatsoever referring to himself as a "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ. Familiar to all of his readers because of the Roman system of slavery in that day, the word that Paul chose is the Greek doulos and commonly referred to one who was an unwilling and permanent slave to the one who was his master. His will was not his own, his goals were not his own, his words were not his own, and his purpose in living was not his own. In every sense, he lived at the whim of and for the betterment of his master. As those ourselves who are douloi in the 21st century, we should never focus upon our own "rights" or upon our own agenda. Our goal should be and must be to seek the advancement of the One who holds our heart and life in His blood-stained hands.
"Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1)
Though translated virtually the same as the word we find in the Roman letter, beloved, in actuality Paul chose an entirely different word in this setting. The Greek huperetes meant literally "under-rower" and was a reference to the Roman galley ships powered by slaves who manned the many oars. And this word did not only refer to slave-rowers, but to the lowest level of rowers. The huperetes found himself manning an oar in the lowest part of the ship. His was the most dangerous and most demeaning level of servitude that one could render. I find in Paul's use of this word, in part at least, a focus upon oneself in relationship to other believers in their service. The apostle's view of himself was always that of ranking himself lower than his brothers and sisters in Christ. As "under-rowers" today, beloved, we are not called upon to think poorly of ourselves but rather not to think of ourselves at all!
"What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one" (1 Corinthians 3:5)
Once more the word in English seems to be very much the same, yet again the apostle has chosen an entirely different one. Here the Greek diakonos was commonly used to refer to a "table waiter." As doulos seems to focus upon the believer's relationship to his Master and huperetes the believer's relationship to other believers, so diakonos seems to focus upon the actual service rendered. Very simply, beloved, no one of us should ever feel that any service for Christ is beneath us. It is the nature of true servants that we do not ever seek the spotlight but are rather satisfied to serve.
Thus, as a doulos of Christ I accept that I am not my own, but that I live at the pleasure of my Lord and Savior and for His glory alone. And as a huperetes I accept that all others are more important than I and I live to push them to the front and to serve them in any way that I can. As a diakonos I am content with my place in the vineyard and find my great joy in the simple act of serving my Lord. What room is there in my life, then, for self-seeking and self-glorification? There is none! That was not the way of a servant of Paul's day and that is not the way of a servant of Jesus Christ today. The service itself is the glory and the glory belongs to Christ!
Ron
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Satisfied When He's Glorified
"For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5)
As I think about the subject that faces us here, beloved, I recall with fondness a "message-magnet" that I found years ago in a small Christian bookstore. It read simply: "When the Master is glorified, the servant is satisfied." So taken was I with that powerful message that I bought the magnet and placed it on the dashboard of my car as a daily reminder of my purpose in life.
The Apostle Paul often referred to himself as a "bond-servant" and here confirms that every true believer is, in fact, a "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ. The Greek word doulos referred to a level of servitude common in that day in which the "servant" was one who had no personal rights of his own. His every moment was lived in service to his master, in pursuit of what his master wanted, in support of what his master said. It is fascinating that this is the very word which the apostle chose to describe not only his own service as a follower of Jesus Christ, but also that of every true believer of every generation.
Note first that he declared of a doulos that he does not promote himself in place of his Master. It is Jesus Christ who is Lord and it is He who commands us implicitly and completely. It is His message that we proclaim and His good that we seek daily. For us as Christians today, then, nothing is about us and everything is about Him and His glory.
But note also that Paul told the Corinthian believers that once we establish the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord in our lives, what is cleared up for us immediately is that we are the bond-servants of Jesus Christ and we live and serve at His pleasure. How often do we as Christians struggle today with this personal identity crisis! Somehow we think that serving Christ is about us - our recognition and our glory. Yet even as we express such an attitude, the truth is that we are but douloi or "bond-servants" of Jesus Christ.
If we could just come to realize and accept who we really are within God's wondrous plan, beloved, our role would become clear and our joy would be complete just in the privilege of serving the King of Kings. Or as my little message-magnet put it so clearly: "When the Master is glorified, the servant is satisfied."
Ron
As I think about the subject that faces us here, beloved, I recall with fondness a "message-magnet" that I found years ago in a small Christian bookstore. It read simply: "When the Master is glorified, the servant is satisfied." So taken was I with that powerful message that I bought the magnet and placed it on the dashboard of my car as a daily reminder of my purpose in life.
The Apostle Paul often referred to himself as a "bond-servant" and here confirms that every true believer is, in fact, a "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ. The Greek word doulos referred to a level of servitude common in that day in which the "servant" was one who had no personal rights of his own. His every moment was lived in service to his master, in pursuit of what his master wanted, in support of what his master said. It is fascinating that this is the very word which the apostle chose to describe not only his own service as a follower of Jesus Christ, but also that of every true believer of every generation.
Note first that he declared of a doulos that he does not promote himself in place of his Master. It is Jesus Christ who is Lord and it is He who commands us implicitly and completely. It is His message that we proclaim and His good that we seek daily. For us as Christians today, then, nothing is about us and everything is about Him and His glory.
But note also that Paul told the Corinthian believers that once we establish the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord in our lives, what is cleared up for us immediately is that we are the bond-servants of Jesus Christ and we live and serve at His pleasure. How often do we as Christians struggle today with this personal identity crisis! Somehow we think that serving Christ is about us - our recognition and our glory. Yet even as we express such an attitude, the truth is that we are but douloi or "bond-servants" of Jesus Christ.
If we could just come to realize and accept who we really are within God's wondrous plan, beloved, our role would become clear and our joy would be complete just in the privilege of serving the King of Kings. Or as my little message-magnet put it so clearly: "When the Master is glorified, the servant is satisfied."
Ron
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Proof through the Roof!
"And being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying" (Mark 2:4)
I am deeply indebted to my son for once again intuitively knowing just what to call this week's devotional thoughts! Surely you are all familiar with the story of the four men who brought a paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Unable to get through to Him because of the press of the crowd in and around the house in which Jesus was teaching, they carried their burden up to the roof and tore up the mud bricks in order to make a hole large enough to accommodate the pallet on which the man was lying. They then lowered him gently until he lay at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus not only healed him of his paralysis, but forgave him of his sins as well to the amazement of the crowd and the great dismay of the religious leaders also gathered in that place.
That all clearly understood, what struck my attention was at least three key principles that were at work in this miraculous encounter. Knowing the story, then, note with me first of all that these four men were willing to go to where the needy one was. How often today do we as the church of Jesus Christ sit in our worship centers and hope that those in need will come through our doors, hear the gospel, and be saved? It is clearly the will and way of Jesus for us today to follow their example - to go wherever people are in need to meet them at the point of their greatest need and share with them the unsearchable riches of God's grace.
Note also in this incident that the four men were willing to see their mission through to the end. When confronted by those that were unwilling to allow them to pass, they became "creative" in their thinking and took the man up to the roof. How many of us today would have thought of such an innovative approach to reaching Jesus? What we must realize today, beloved, is that what worked yesterday may not work today. We need to "think outside the box" in ministering the grace of God to those around us.
Note finally that these men were willing to pay the cost of bringing their friend to Jesus. Remember that they had torn a major hole in a man's roof! They could not simply go home and leave it that way. So either they repaired the roof themselves or they paid someone else to do it. How often today are we as the church of Jesus Christ willing to shoulder the cost of ministry? How often is the "missions" part of the budget the first thing cut when it is determined that reductions must be made? Beloved, if we are going to be successful in taking the gospel to our world, we must be willing to "pay for the hole in the roof"!
Are we willing today to go anywhere to meet anyone who is in need of God's grace? And are we willing to be creative in the methods we use for extending the gospel to the lost? Finally, are we willing to pay the cost of ministry, whatever it is, and consider it but a trifle just to see even one person brought into the kingdom of God? How well can you see the "proof through the roof" of people willing to do whatever it takes to bring one person to Jesus Christ?
Ron
I am deeply indebted to my son for once again intuitively knowing just what to call this week's devotional thoughts! Surely you are all familiar with the story of the four men who brought a paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Unable to get through to Him because of the press of the crowd in and around the house in which Jesus was teaching, they carried their burden up to the roof and tore up the mud bricks in order to make a hole large enough to accommodate the pallet on which the man was lying. They then lowered him gently until he lay at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus not only healed him of his paralysis, but forgave him of his sins as well to the amazement of the crowd and the great dismay of the religious leaders also gathered in that place.
That all clearly understood, what struck my attention was at least three key principles that were at work in this miraculous encounter. Knowing the story, then, note with me first of all that these four men were willing to go to where the needy one was. How often today do we as the church of Jesus Christ sit in our worship centers and hope that those in need will come through our doors, hear the gospel, and be saved? It is clearly the will and way of Jesus for us today to follow their example - to go wherever people are in need to meet them at the point of their greatest need and share with them the unsearchable riches of God's grace.
Note also in this incident that the four men were willing to see their mission through to the end. When confronted by those that were unwilling to allow them to pass, they became "creative" in their thinking and took the man up to the roof. How many of us today would have thought of such an innovative approach to reaching Jesus? What we must realize today, beloved, is that what worked yesterday may not work today. We need to "think outside the box" in ministering the grace of God to those around us.
Note finally that these men were willing to pay the cost of bringing their friend to Jesus. Remember that they had torn a major hole in a man's roof! They could not simply go home and leave it that way. So either they repaired the roof themselves or they paid someone else to do it. How often today are we as the church of Jesus Christ willing to shoulder the cost of ministry? How often is the "missions" part of the budget the first thing cut when it is determined that reductions must be made? Beloved, if we are going to be successful in taking the gospel to our world, we must be willing to "pay for the hole in the roof"!
Are we willing today to go anywhere to meet anyone who is in need of God's grace? And are we willing to be creative in the methods we use for extending the gospel to the lost? Finally, are we willing to pay the cost of ministry, whatever it is, and consider it but a trifle just to see even one person brought into the kingdom of God? How well can you see the "proof through the roof" of people willing to do whatever it takes to bring one person to Jesus Christ?
Ron
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