Jim Wilson's Blog, page 20

Favorite Verses

Here are a few favorite verses of mine.

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare toyou: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who isthe image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, andourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shineout of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light ofthe knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we havefellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us fromall sin” (1 John 1:7). 

“In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and ofChrist Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the goodconfession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until theappearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his owntime—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, whoalone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seenor can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:13-16).

Written October 2008.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Defender of the Fatherless, the Widow, the Alien

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, thegreat God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien,giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for youyourselves were aliens in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:17-19).

"And you are to love those who are aliens."

If we were to characterize all of history in all nations, itwould be, "Hate the aliens." God's directions are contrary to theworld's. On the whole, Christians do not hate aliens. They just ignore or avoidthem. That is saying that neither do Christians love aliens. Please prayfor an opportunity to love an alien.

 

Written August 1994.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

A Sure Thing

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But thegreatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).

Somehow, we have known that faith and loveremain. We have had our doubts about hope. Perhaps it is because we haveplaced a 21st-century definition on hope. For instance, wemay say something like, “I hope so,” meaning, “I wish it would happen, but itprobably won’t.” To us, hope is wishy and doubtful. That is why it doesn’tsound like it belongs with faith and love.

In the Bible, hope is not wishy; it is a sure thing.

“God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in whichit is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hopeoffered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for thesoul, firm and secure” (Heb. 6:18-19).

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared toall men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and tolive self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while wewait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and topurify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good”(Titus 2:11-14).

Notice:

·      Hope is firm and secure.

·      Hope is blessed.

·      Hope is future.

·      Hope is centered on the appearing of JesusChrist.

In other words, hope, as spoken about in the Bible,is a glad anticipation of a future certainty, the return of Jesus Christ.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await aSavior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Example & Imitation

Example and imitation are not just the best means ofteaching and learning: they are commanded in Scripture.

“Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care,serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as Godwants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it overthose entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3).

“Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I amsending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. Hewill remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what Iteach everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:16-17).

“Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or thechurch of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am notseeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow myexample, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:32-11:1).

“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young,but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith andin purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving eachother, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, asdearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gavehimself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians4:32-5:2).

Who are we to imitate? Timothy, Paul, Jesus Christ, and God.What are we to imitate? Speech, life, love, faith, purity, forgiveness,pleasing everyone. Why? So that many will be saved.

We cannot get graduate degrees in these subjects. Thedegrees are not offered. We get these by the Holy Spirit as we imitate Jesusand those who imitate Him.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Sinful Loyalties

“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord JesusChrist, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be nodivisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind andthought…What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘Ifollow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paulcrucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:10,12-13).

This appeal is followed by information on the divisions inthe church. These divisions were not on theology or ecclesiology. The quarrelssimply were about loyalties to teachers. To our knowledge, the teacherswere even in fellowship with each other. These loyalties were sins and were tobe repented of and forsaken. They were the cause of the divisions, thedisunity.

Today, such loyalties are still one of the major causes ofdivision in the church. However, today loyalty is a good word; it is considereda virtue. When it comes to following teachers, however, loyalty is not avirtue. It is a sin; and it is hard to confess something as sin when we thinkit is a virtue. Nevertheless, confession of this sin must happen.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Setting a Condemning Heart to Rest

“Dear children, let us not lovewith words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we knowthat we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presencewhenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and heknows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we haveconfidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey hiscommands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:18-22).

There are two expressions in these few sentences, oneseemingly disturbing, and the other reassuring. They are “whenever our heartscondemn us” and “if our hearts do not condemn us.”

The second expression is the reassuring one. It is connectedwith confidence, answered prayer, and obedience. It is wonderful to be in astate where our hearts do not condemn us. However, with some of God’s people,the disturbing expression seems to be true more of the time. They have heartsthat condemn them.

There is something else, however, that takes the disturbingand makes it reassuring, and that is the main purpose of the passage:

“Dear children, let us not lovewith words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we knowthat we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in hispresence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than ourhearts, and he knows everything.”

How do we take a condemning heart and set it at rest in God’spresence? God is greater than our hearts. The heart is not a legitimatecondemner or non-condemner. It’s not always correct. God is in the business ofsetting our hearts at rest in His presence.

 

Written May 1983.

This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Do You Want to Be Godly?

One of the questions I have asked individuals over the lastseveral years* is, “Do you want to be godly?”

The question is probably counter-productive. The answers arehesitant, preceded by looking around the room. When the answer is yes, it isbecause that is supposed to be the right answer.

Here are a few verses for meditation:

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”(Matthew 5:48).

It does not matter what the definition of “perfect” is.Whatever it is, it is “as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in allyou do” (1 Peter 1:15).

The same reasoning follows this command. It is because Godis holy.

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children”(Ephesians 5:1).

We are to imitate God in love and forgiveness.

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with allwisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ” (Colossians 1:28).

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformedto the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers”(Romans 8:29).

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord'sglory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

God’s purpose and provision is for us to be holy.

 

* Written August 2008.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Taking Away Sin

“The gifts and sacrifices offered were not able to clear the conscience” (Heb. 9:9).

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who throughthe eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciencesfrom acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God” (Heb. 9:14).

''Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”(Heb. 9:22).

“Just as a man is destined to die once, and after that toface judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of manypeople; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bringsalvation to those who are waiting for Him” (Heb. 9:27-28).

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you exceptJesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).

The first verse tells us of the inadequacy of Old Testamentsacrifices. They were a shadow, not the reality. They did not work. The nextthree verses tell us that the death of Christ is effective in:

·      cleaning the conscience

·      delivering from death

·      forgiving sins

·      taking away sins

·      doing away with sin

Even if you think that this is five different ways of sayingthe same thing, the truth of it is great. The verse from Corinthians to do withthe proclamation. Jesus Christ took away sin. We proclaim it.

Written July 22, 2019.

This post coordinates with tomorrow's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Making Restitution

It has been several years since I taught on this subject. It istime for another reminder.

If you are a normal, moral person, that is, not into drugs,sex, or alcohol, you are probably still guilty of stealing and lying. Todaywill be about stealing—not bank robbery, but just taking things that are notyour own.

This is described in Leviticus 6:1-7. Pay attention to thetext. “The Lord said toMoses: ‘If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or leftin their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor,or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if theyswear falsely about any such sin that people may commit—when they sin in any ofthese ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen ortaken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property theyfound, or whatever it was they swore falsely about.They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give itall to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering. And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, their guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect andof the proper value. In this way the priest will makeatonement for them before the Lord, and theywill be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.’”

·       Thepassage says that stealing is unfaithfulness to God. “Youshall not steal” (Ex. 20:15).

·      It includes several types of stealing.

·      The solution includes taking it back to theowner.

·      This restitution includes adding 20% of thevalue stolen.

·      You confess it to God. His forgiveness is basedupon Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection. The animal sacrifices wereprophetic events that pictured Jesus’ sacrifice.

Exodus 22:1-15 gives more details on restitution. If the thiefsteals an ox and kills or sells it, he must return five oxen or 500%. If it isa sheep that he kills or sells, he must return four sheep or 400%. If the oxenor sheep are alive when they are returned, the thief must return double whatwas stolen.

Restitution includes things stolen before you were a Christian.When you were saved, all of your sins were forgiven by God. However, the itemsyou stole are still not yours and must be returned. It is like robbing a bankand confessing the robbery in order to be forgiven by God, but keeping themoney. Confessing and restitution go together.

Numbers 5:8 tells us what to do when we can’t find the originalowner. “But if that person has no close relative to whomrestitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest, along with the ram with whichatonement is made for the wrongdoer.”

 

Written December 22, 2017.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships

Impossible Commands? Be Ye Holy

“But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in allyou do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father isperfect” (Matthew 5:48).

There are several common things in these two commands.First, they are not suggestions. Second, they are be commands, not docommands. Third, they are in each case related to the holiness and theperfection of the Father.

We can assume that God does not command us to besomething that He will not provide the means for us to be. Therefore, we shouldnot think that these commands are impossible. If we think that way, then we arenot believing or obeying God. We are following the suggestions of the Enemy.

We can start obeying these commands by believing thatit is possible to be holy and by wanting to be holy.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the Tothe Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan,please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.

How To Be Free From Bitterness and other essays on Christian relationships