Jim Wilson's Blog, page 22

Our Rock, Our Light, Our Truth: God's Word

 

"This world is a slippery place, and the Scriptures are arock on which to stand. This world is a dark place, and the Scriptures are thelight with which we may make our way. This world is a corrupt place, and theScriptures outline the true way of purity for us. The world is a false place,and the Scriptures tell us the truth—about God, about man, about sin, aboutsalvation, and about revelation. The world is a seductive place, and theScriptures speak to us in a way that reveals the vanity of it. The world is ablurry place, and the Scriptures bring everything into singular focus. Theworld is a distracting place, and the Scriptures bring all the right prioritiestogether. The world is an evil place, and the Scriptures testify to us of allthat is holy, righteous, and good. The world is a lost place, and theScriptures show us how we might be used to lead the world home."
- Doug Wilson, Mere Fundamentalism
The 2023 To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge begins Monday, September 4.Please join us in reading through the Bible this school year at TotheWord.com.

 

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

The Lamb's Book of Life

“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine init, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nationsof those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earthbring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day(there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honorof the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything thatdefiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written inthe Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Rev. 21:23-27).

It’s very simple. Nothing unclean will be in heaven, and noone who practices abominations or lying, but only those whose names are writtenin the Lamb’s book of life. A person gets written in the Lamb’s book of lifewhen he recognizes that he is a sinner by birth and a sinner by practice, andhe receives the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for his sins, as his Savior andLord. That is the means of gaining access to heaven. At that time, his name iswritten in the book of life.

When we die, it will be simple. If your name is written inthe Lamb’s book of life, you will be in that holy city.

According to this passage, liars do not make it. Forgivenliars do make it. The Bible tells us that all of us have sinned and fallshort of the glory of God. That’s not the same as saying all men are thieves orliars or murderers. But just being short of God’s glory is the definition ofsin.

If you haven’t been written in the book of life, then youare still someone who sins by nature, very naturally—even if you are a verymoral person, as I was before I was a Christian. I didn’t smoke, I didn’tdrink, I wasn’t sexually immoral. I did lie. I lied a lot. In high school, Ifabricated a lot of stories about myself. It didn’t bother my conscience. Ididn’t even know how to exist without it. My identity was in lying. Then, inOctober 1947, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

 

Written in 2019.

This post coordinates with today's reading in the SamePage Summer Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily readingplan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading withus. We will start a whole-Bible reading plan next week.

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

Three Types of People Christians Aren't Loving

There are three types of people in the world that Christians donot love with the Gospel. The first type are the people we witness to butdo not love. The second type are the unbelievers that we do not witness to. Thethird are people we love but do not witness to.

That sounds like doubletalk. Let’s change it. 1) We witness topeople we love. 2) We love everybody and witness to them with love.

As Christians, we have the fruit of the Spirit—love. We arecommanded to love our neighbors and our enemies. The first thing is to havethe love. The second is to choose to love our neighbors and enemies.

Sometimes we can’t make the choice because we have lost thefruit of the Spirit, love. We lack the fruit of the Spirit of love because we areunder the chastening of the Lord because of unconfessed sin. In order to getthe love back, we must confess sin.

Once we get the love back, we can choose to love our neighborsand enemies and preach the gospel to them.

 

Written December 22, 2017.

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

Hear What the Spirit Says

The second and third chapters of the book of Revelation bearreading and rereading. There is one sentence that occurs seven times:

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saysto the churches."

This is written to people in the singular. These people areto listen to what the Spirit says to the plural churches. In other words, I, asan individual, am to pay attention to what God has written to all sevenchurches.

Notice that there are two groups of people in Sardis whowill be dressed in white: those who did not soil their garments and those whoovercame.

 

Written June 1990.

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

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

Practicing for the Varsity Team

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explainbecause you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to beteachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word allover again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, beingstill an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Butsolid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves todistinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14).

Among Christians there seem to be many differences on howthey view good and evil, including: 1) legalistic rules taught by men and 2) licentiousviolation of God's rules.

Both of these are wrong. There is another difference: thatis the difference between infancy and maturity. There are many Christians whoneed to be taught elementary truths all over again. Much of my time is spent inthis occupation.

However, it is not the amount or depth of teaching thatmakes a Christian mature. It is he who has his “faculties trained bypractice" (RSV) or by "constant use" (NIV) to "distinguishgood from evil."

If we spend our time in practice, we will be able toeat with the varsity at the training table of solid food.

 

Written April 1991.

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

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

What Scripture Is For

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God maybe thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and ofChrist Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of hisappearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be preparedin season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patienceand careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up withsound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather aroundthem a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you,keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of anevangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Timothy 3:16-4:5).

This is an instance where there should be no chapterdivision. Notice that the Scripture is inspired, what it is useful for, and whyit is useful: 1) Word of God. 2) Teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training.3) Man of God is thoroughly equipped.

Now notice the commands: 

1) Preach the Word. 

2) Be preparedall of the time. 

3) Correct, rebuke, and encourage. 

4) Do this with patienceand careful instruction.

Now we see the reasons: 

1) Men will not stand for soundteaching. 

2) They will get teachers to please them. 

3) They will turn fromtruth and to myths.

Next, we have a few more commands: 

1) Keep your head in allsituations. 

2) Endure hardship. 

3) Do the work of an evangelist. 

4)Discharge all the duties of your ministry.

 

Written October 1993.

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

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

Do What It Says

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceiveyourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not dowhat it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after lookingat himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the manwho looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to dothis, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in whathe does” (James 1:22-25).

Do what it says.

 

Written May 1990.

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

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

Seeing the Glory

Isaiah saw the Glory (Isaiah 6:1-4).

Ezekiel saw the Glory (Ezekiel 1:26-28).

Moses saw the Glory (Exodus 33:18-21).

John, James, and Peter saw the Glory (John 1:14; Mark 9:2-3;2 Peter 1:17).

“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…. The god of this age has blindedthe minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel ofthe glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves,but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ForGod, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in ourhearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face ofChrist” (2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:4-6).

When we received the Gospel, we received the light of theglory of Christ. This glory ever increases until that great day. If the gloryhas gotten dim, then there is something seriously wrong. We are going to be inglory with Christ.

I want to share with you the last two stanzas of Tersteegen’shymn “Midst the Darkness, Storm and Sorrow.”

Where no shade nor stain can enter,

Nor the gold be dim,

In that holiness unsullied,

I shall walk with Him.

Meet companion then for Jesus,

From Him, for Him, made—

Glory of God’s grace forever,

There in me displayed.

 

He who in His hour of sorrow

Bore the curse alone,

I who through the lonely desert

Trod where He had gone;

He and I, in that bright glory,

One deep joy shall share—

Mine, to be forever with Him;

His, that I am there.

 

Written November 1993.

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

Watch Your Life & Doctrine

"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere inthem, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1Timothy 4:16).

This quotation may raise questions, but they are likely goodquestions. Recently* I was talking with a young woman who had gone through aChristian high school and who had graduated from a well-known Christiancollege. Her parents were in Christian work. When asked when was the last timeshe had completed reading the New Testament, she replied that she had neverread it all. And of course the Old Testament had been read less. This is now astandard question I ask, and it is almost a standard answer. Christians are notwatching their life and doctrine closely.

 

*Written June 1986.

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

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

The God of All Comfort

Did you know that God the Father is described as the God ofhope, the God of all comfort, the God of peace, and the God of love?

Here are some of the texts.

May the God of hope fill you with joyand peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the HolySpirit. (Rom. 15:13)

Blessed be the God and Father of ourLord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, whocomforts us in all our affliction. (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

The God of peace be with you all.(Rom. 15:3) 

Now may the God of peace Himselfsanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preservedcomplete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess. 5:23)

Now the God of peace who brought youup from the dead, that Good Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of theeternal covenant, equip you with everything good… (Heb. 13:20) 

The things you have learned andreceived and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peacewill be with you. (Phil. 4:9)

 

Written December 11, 2017.

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

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