Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 10

The Ten Commandments are a Map for a Spirit-Empowered Life

There once was a man who served time in prison because he was a thief. This had been his lifestyle, but during his time in prison, he heard the gospel and was wonderfully converted.

When the time came for his release, he knew that he would face a great struggle. Most of his old friends were criminals, and he knew it would not be easy to break the patterns of his old way of life.

With this anxiety in mind, the first thing that he did when he was released from prison was to find a church where he could pray.

As he looked to the front of the church, he saw the words of the Ten Commandments, inscribed on the wall. His eyes went immediately to the words of the command that seemed to condemn him. “You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15).

“That’s the last thing I need.” the man thought to himself. “I know my weakness. I know my failure, and I know the intensity of the battle I’m going to have with this temptation.”

The man kept looking at the words on the wall. As read them again and again, it seemed that God was speaking these words into his heart with a new meaning that he had never perceived before.

Before, he had always heard these words in the tone of a condemning command, “You shall not steal!” But now, it seemed that God was speaking these same words to him as a wonderful promise, “You shall not steal!”

You shall not steal, because I have put my Spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in my ways (Ezekiel 36:27). What once was only a condemning command now seemed like a marvelous promise of new possibilities that had been opened up by Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

A new life is possible for you through Jesus Christ and by the power of His Spirit. When you come to faith in Jesus, God gives you His Holy Spirit to empower you for the life to which He calls you.

God sent His Son,

In order that the righteousness requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:4)

Jesus fulfilled the law for us. But here the Scripture tells us that God’s purpose is that the law might be fulfilled in us.

How does that make you feel? If you’re like me, you will feel that you have a long way to go. But I have found great encouragement from the Heidelberg Catechism, a document from the sixteenth century that lays out the Christians faith in a question-and-answer format.

The Heidelberg Catechism is arranged under three headings: misery, deliverance, and gratitude. Misery deals with our state of fallenness in sin. Deliverance deals with what Jesus has done for us. Gratitude is a description of the entire Christian life.

Significantly, this is where the Heidelberg Catechism deals with the 10 Commandments. The commandments describe the life for which we have been redeemed. So, for the Christian, they don’t belong under misery, but under gratitude.

Question 114 of the catechism asks, Can those converted to God obey these commands perfectly?

Answer: No.

You may say, ‘I thought this was supposed to be encouraging!’ But that’s not the end of the answer:

In this life, even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience. Nevertheless… they do begin to live according to all, not only some, of God’s commandments.[1]

No Christian is everything that God calls him or her to be. The holiest person you know has only a small beginning of obedience. But there is a beginning of true holiness in every believer. Every Christian has this beginning: A beginning of loving God, a beginning of loving our neighbor. A beginning of integrity, a beginning of truth, a beginning of worship, a beginning of rest.

No Christian is completely pure, but there is the beginning of purity in every believer. No Christian is completely content, but there is the beginning of contentment in every believer. What we have now is a beginning of truth, of peace, of integrity, of rest, and of worship.

This beginning is real. We truly begin to live according to all, not only some, of God’s commandments. Every day brings fresh opportunities for this small beginning to grow. And when our Lord appears, what He has begun in us will be complete.

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This article is an excerpt of the sermon “Law” on the Ten Commandments. For a more detailed look at the Ten Commandments, check out Pastor Colin’s book The Ten Greatest Struggles of Your Life: Finding Freedom in God’s Commands.

[1] Ursinus, Zacharius, and Caspar Olevianus. The Heidelberg Catechism. Reformation Heritage Books, 2016. Page 39.

What Book of the Bible Should a New Believer Read First?

What book of the Bible should a new believer read first?

Great question. There are so many to choose from! I’m going to suggest two options. Before I make my case, I want to give you some general encouragement. Then, I will explain why I think you may want to begin your Bible reading adventure either in Genesis or John.

Before You Read the Bible for the First Time

I’m excited that you’re setting out to read the Bible. There is nothing in the world more worthy of your time than listening to God in His Word. Let me try and dissuade you from two dangerous thoughts as you embark on this life-long journey.

No matter where you flip to in your Bible, you’re landing in God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16). Every book of the Bible is God’s Word to us, given out of His love. God gave us the Scriptures to equip us for life and train us to be godly—to be like Him. In His wisdom, God gave us a book full of other books, to equip us for every experience we will meet in this life (2 Peter 1:3). Every part of the Bible was written for your good.

So friend, don’t succumb to an internal pressure to read the “right” thing. If you’re reading the Bible at all, you’re reading the right thing.

I want to rescue you from another dangerous thought. You may have heard that the Bible is a life-changing book. Perhaps you’re reading it for the first time because you long for transformation in your life. That’s a great reason to pick up the Bible. But you must understand that the Bible is not an end in itself—that is, the power of the Bible lies not in the book, but in the person who wrote it.

But there is a way to pick up the Bible and miss the point. Jesus corrected some people in the book of John who did just that:

“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40 NIV).

It’s easy to come to the Bible hoping for spiritual direction, better perspective, new ideals, an encouraging thought, or practical wisdom. Like these people Jesus addresses, we too are in search for life. The Bible does guide us (Psalm 119:105), make us wise (Proverbs 1:5), enlighten us (Psalm 19:8), and train us in righteous living (2 Timothy 3:16), but all these blessings only truly come to us through faith in Christ, not apart from Him. When you open your Bible, the words you read are the voice of the Lord who loved you and gave Himself for you (Galatians 2:20). Reading your Bible is a means of knowing Him.

Before you open the Bible, ask God to reveal himself to you, to help you hear His voice through His Word, and to help you get to know Jesus.

We’ve come all this way and you still need your question answered. So what book of the Bible should you read first? Let me give you two options.

Consider Reading John First

Here’s a brief case for why you should read the Gospel of John first. The apostle John, who authored this book, explicitly tells us this book’s agenda:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31 ESV)

John wrote his Gospel to convince us that Jesus is exactly who He says He is—the Son of God, the promised Rescuer to whom the whole Bible points. The Holy Spirit inspired John to write this book in a way that would lead us to believe in Jesus. John’s ultimate goal is that we would come to know Jesus personally, and being reconciled to God through Jesus, that we would experience the life that is truly life.

Hopefully you can see why this book would be a fantastic place to begin your Bible reading.

Consider Reading Genesis First

I’ll give you an equally great second option to read when you first open the Bible—Genesis, the first book of the Bible.

Naturally, reading the beginning of any book would help you understand the rest. However, Genesis proves to be a more important beginning to a story than any other beginning you have ever read. You desperately need to read it. It’s the beginning of God’s story, but it is also the beginning of your story. The Bible isn’t fiction; it’s the story of reality. It’s the story we actually live in, the one our Creator gave us, as though Shakespeare handed Hamlet the transcript of his own play.

Not only is Genesis the beginning of God’s story and yours, but it’s also the bedrock. Themes woven throughout the Bible find their source in Genesis, the patterns in plot that recapitulate throughout the Bible first appear in Genesis. The promises that are fulfilled in the rest of the Bible are first given in Genesis. In fact, just the first 11 chapters of Genesis are quoted from over 100 times in the New Testament! Reading Genesis will lay in your mind the foundation for a biblical worldview, and thus help orient you to life in general.

Take Your Pick!

Friend, two books I recommend that you read first—you can decide between them. Open John, and you’ll meet Jesus, who Himself is the best gift you could ever ask for in this life. Open Genesis and enter the story of the Bible. As you open the Bible for the first time, I pray you will find that instead of inviting God into your story, He has invited you into His.

Why We Created Open the Bible Story

Our ministry is all about opening the Bible with people because we have the conviction that comes from the Bible itself that God uses the Scripture to bring real and lasting change to people’s lives.

In the New Testament we are told that we are born again by the Holy Spirit, but we’re also told that we’re born again by the living and enduring Word of God (1 Peter 1:23). The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), the means by which the Holy Spirit brings new life.

Get your copy of the Open the Bible Story DVD this month for a gift of any amount.

If you’re really going to change, it’s going to happen through the entrance of God’s Word into your life. That’s how the power of the Lord Jesus Christ works in us.

We want to help you open the Bible for yourself, so we’ve created the Open the Bible Story DVD.

Open the Bible Story gives a two-hour journey of the Bible’s story that will introduce you to:

5 people from the Old Testament5 events from the life of Jesus5 gifts God gives to every Christian

I hope it will be a real encouragement for many people to open the Bible for themselves, to discover more about the Lord Jesus Christ, and to experience the change that God brings through His Word.

Here’s how one woman described the impact of Open the Bible Story on her life:

“I just can’t thank you enough for this series. I am a believer and have so enjoyed the foundational truth of each lesson. My heart was strengthened by the big picture lessons and the clear articulation of what I believe. This will be a tool and a resource I go back to again and again to make me a stronger communicator of truth. Thank you.”

But this resource is not just for believers. Who in your life needs to know the God of the Bible? This could be a wonderful introduction for them as well.

Get your copy of the Open the Bible Story DVD this month for a gift of any amount.

Why I Love Church Prayer Meetings

Low attendance at church prayer meetings sadly demonstrates the spiritual coldness of many Christians. And so, in the introduction, I dare affirm this: believers losing their passion for prayer as a congregation is the result of the deception of Satan, who has the goal of destroying the work of God in the believer (although we know that is ultimately impossible!). 

To combat this, we need to remember the importance of prayer meetings. This will change our attitudes so that we long to cry out to God with others.

Let me share three reasons why I love going to my church prayer meetings. With them, I hope to encourage you to make a commitment of faith and obedience to our God and to your church community. The church in Acts was characterized by prayer (2:1; 3:1; 4:24; 8:15; etc.); may it be said of us as well!

1. I talk with my heavenly Father along with my brothers and sisters.

Yes, I know. I can talk to my heavenly Father from home. But God desires that as we come together as a church, together as one body, we speak to our heavenly Father.

I used to converse with my dad alone growing up, something important and good. However, there was something different when the whole family sat at the table and talked with him about the experiences of the day, our challenges, and our fears. Our family relationships grew in harmony, empathy, and joy.

Likewise, I look forward to coming together with brothers in Christ to pray to our Father. Knowing that I can speak to my Father in a context in which “my Father” becomes “our Father” generates in me an urgent desire to participate in that prayer meeting. My brothers in Christ add a different touch to my time with God. As a body, we enjoy the same fellowship and show God’s love for each other.

Furthermore, it is interesting to note that in the Old Testament, God didn’t call His temple a house of preaching or a house of brotherhood, but a house of prayer, thus showing His desire to relate to His people. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said:

“These I will bring to my holy mountain, 
      and make them joyful in my house of prayer; 
                  their burnt offerings and their sacrifices 
      will be accepted on my altar; 
                  for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7)

2. My spiritual life is strengthened.

I have experienced it over and over again: arriving at the middle of the week prayer meeting loaded with trials and the cares of life. Dealing with disbelief and fears. Fighting my own sins.

However, through communion with the saints in prayer, the Holy Spirit revitalizes my soul. I have been able to feel the fullness that the Lord brings through His Word read, explained, and prayed in the midst of prayer with other brothers. My inner being takes courage and receives strength to continue in the battle of faith.

The Lord has promised His support and endorsement of corporate prayer. We see it in Matthew, as Christ speaks to His disciples about the process to follow when they must apply discipline in the church:

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Mathew 18:19-20)

Jesus assures an answer to the prayer of the church gathered in harmony, and confirms His presence among said group of believers.

3. It makes me more sensitive to others.

My heart softens when hearing the prayer requests of others; their temptations and trials, bitterness and anxieties, struggles with family, children, and work. It moves me to compassion, because I can feel their pain.

James teaches us that we are called to pray for each other:

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:13-16, emphasis added)

My soul is blessed by obeying this command together, not only because I am more empathetic to the suffering, but also because I see my problems as much smaller than I originally thought. God ministers to my soul through the confession and requests for prayer from my brothers. Praise be to God!

Prioritize the prayer meeting!

It’s sad to say, but I think one reason we don’t love prayer meetings is because we don’t trust God like we should. We doubt that He is capable of doing what He says He can do. 

Let’s turn our eyes to our all-powerful God Who has sovereignly willed that His children be included in the extension and administration of His kingdom. And, if we want to see God move in our midst, let’s pray together as a church.

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)

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A version of this article originally appeared in Spanish at Coalición Por El Evangelio.

The Ten Commandments are a Mentor Leading Us to Faith in Christ

A proper understanding of the Ten Commandments will lead you to faith in Jesus Christ. If you look at yourself honestly in the light of these commandments, it will not be long before you conclude that you are a long way from the life that God has called you to lead, and that you need a Savior.

The law will lead you to Christ by showing you that you need both His forgiveness for breaking His law in the past, and His strength to fulfill the law in the future.

The Ten Commandments are a mentor to lead you to faith in Christ. A mentor is someone who can show you where you need to go and walk with you till you get there. Properly understood, that’s what the commandments will do.

A Proper Understanding

I say ‘properly understood’ because it is possible to look at the Ten Commandments at a surface level and to conclude that we are doing rather well.

A brilliant and successful lawyer asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Our Lord responded,

…You know the commandments. Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.” (Mark 10:19).

The lawyer then said to Jesus, “Teacher, all these I have kept since my youth” (Mark 10:20).

I suspect that the lawyer really believed this. The man had lived a good moral life.  He hadn’t murdered anyone. He had been faithful to his wife. He was committed to speaking the truth. He never raided a bank. He was a good upright citizen who flossed his teeth and paid his taxes.

The lawyer wanted to be sure of heaven and, assuming that he had fulfilled the commandments, he wondered if there was anything else he had to do.  But the lawyer’s problem was that he did not understand the law!

A Matter of the Heart

Jesus made it clear in the Sermon on the Mount the scope of the commandments go beyond our actions and search out the thoughts and intentions of our hearts.  Each commandment identifies a particular sin, but behind that sin lie many others.

Take the sixth commandment for example: You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13). Picture a train moving along a track on which there are many stations. Murder is the station at the end of a line called ‘Conflict.’  Most people will never go near that station, but all of us have travelled somewhere on this line.

Jesus said,

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. (Matthew 5:21-22)

Abusive speech is an offense against the sixth commandment, for which a person is accountable to God. The problem it creates is not just that a person might be reported to the Sanhedrin, but that verbal violation of the sixth commandment would put a person in danger of the fires of hell.

That should get our attention.  If the sixth commandment relates only to murder, most of us don’t need to worry.  But if angry words that diminish another person constitute a breaking of the sixth commandment, we are dealing with something much closer to home.

The teaching of Jesus gives us a proper understanding of the law.  It moves us from the arrogance of the lawyer who said “all these I have kept from my youth” to the humility that says “I am a sinner in need of a Savior!”

Or take the eighth commandment: You shall not steal. (Exodus 20:15).  And again, picture a train moving down a line, this time called ‘Dishonesty.’ At the last station on this line, there are people who break into other people’s homes, raid banks, and perpetrate fraud. Most people will never visit that station, but all of us have travelled somewhere on the line.

Stealing can be defined as the desire to get as much as you can while giving as little as you can. It is about being a taker without being a giver. On that definition there is a lot of stealing in marriages, in families and in churches. Every attempt to have much while giving little is a violation of the eighth commandment.

Or take the ninth commandment: You shall not bear false witness, (Exodus 20:16).  It would be easy to say, ‘I have never committed perjury in court’ so I am in good standing when it comes to the ninth commandment! But that is to miss the point that each of the commandments relates not only to one sin, but to a whole category of sins.

The Westminster Catechism spells out what is included in the ninth commandment in stunning detail:

“All prejudicing of the truth, and the good name of our neighbors as well as our own, giving false evidence, calling evil good, and good evil, forgery, concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, slandering, backbiting, detracting, tale-bearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash or harsh censuring, misconstruing intentions, words and actions; flattering, boasting, thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others, denying the gifts and graces of God, aggravating smaller faults, raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports…,”[1]

The Ten Commandments search out the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  Each commandment speaks to a whole category of sins, and a proper understanding of the law will lead you to say, ‘I am a sinner who needs a Savior.’

Let the law show you your need and lead you to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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[1] Westminster Divines. “Westminster Larger Catechism.” Reformed.org, Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics, reformed.org/documents/wlc_w_proofs/i.... Question 145.

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This article is adapted from of the sermon “Law” on the Ten Commandments. For a more detailed look at the Ten Commandments, check out Pastor Colin’s book The Ten Greatest Struggles of Your Life: Finding Freedom in God’s Commands.

Seven Good Reasons to Read Pilgrim’s Progress

I’m rereading Pilgrim’s Progress… again. I’ve probably read it at least a dozen times, and I can’t explain why, but it seems to get better every time I read it! I’d love for you to be able to share in my joy, so I humbly offer you seven reasons to pick up Pilgrim’s Progress for yourself and give it a try.

1. It’s a classic.
While Pilgrim’s Progress may not show up on every literary classics lists, it is certainly a Christian classic. John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a pastor in Britain at a time when there were serious restrictions on worship for believers. He was arrested for preaching the gospel, and during his time in prison, he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress. This allegory of the Christian life has stood the test of time. It is one of the best-selling books of all time with over 250 million copies sold.

Get your copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress from Crossway this month for a gift of any amount.

2. It’s biblical.
While I don’t agree that everything in Pilgrim’s Progress is an accurate picture of the Christian life, there is a lot to like. Charles Spurgeon quipped about Bunyan: “This man is a living Bible! Prick him anywhere—his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God.” Get an annotated version of Pilgrim’s Progress to help you identify the Bible passages Bunyan had in mind at particular points in the story.

3. It’s profound.
The main character, Christian, is a pilgrim who is traveling from the city of Destruction to the Celestial City. He has many adventures along the way, and his story gives us powerful insights into the Christian life. For example, at one point, Christian is arrested by a giant called Despair, who locks him up in Doubting Castle. But then he finds a key called Promise with which he is able to escape. Every time I read Pilgrim’s Progress, I walk away with nuggets about God, myself, and the Christian life.

4. It’s enjoyable.
Pilgrim’s Progress is not a textbook on the Christian life. It is an allegory of the Christian life. In other words, it is a story that shows us what the Christian life is like. Perhaps this is why it has so often been adapted for children. I read through a children’s version with each of my four kids in later elementary school, and I’ve reread it every year since—not because I ought to, but because I want to. Once you’ve read Pilgrim’s Progress, you will want to come back to it again and again.

5. It’s understandable.
Bunyan’s genius was to capture the profound realities of Christian experience in pictures that anyone can understand. In my opinion, every Christian home should have a copy of this book. But here’s the problem: Bunyan wrote in the seventeenth century, and his language is sometimes hard to read. So, I was thrilled when Crossway published a beautifully illustrated edition of Pilgrim’s Progress in modern English. There are other good versions of this book too, but this one is a real gem!

6. It’s valuable.
A surprising number of Christian leaders over the years have found Pilgrim’s Progress uniquely valuable. Charles Spurgeon said, “Next to the Bible, the book I value most is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. I believe I have read it through at least a hundred times.”J. I. Packer in his book Praying said that he read Pilgrim’s Progress every year for fifty years! And Colin Smith said that if he were stranded on a desert island, next to the Bible, Pilgrim’s Progress would be the book he would most like to have with him.

7. It’s sharable.
If you had lived a hundred years ago and you were a Christian, odds are that you would have had a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress in your home. This is no longer the case. I would estimate that less than 1 in 10 Christians I know have read Pilgrim’s Progress, and if you’ll humor me for a moment, 99% of Christians I talk to under the age of 30 have never heard of Pilgrim’s Progress. So, if you choose to read Pilgrim’s Progress, you could have the privilege of introducing it to your friends and family.

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This month you can get a copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan by making a gift of any amount to Unlocking the Bible.

What Do You Want God to Think of You?

Do you try to impress God? I admit there are times when I realize I’m trying to dazzle God, eager to hear not just “well done, good and faithful servant” but “Wow! You’re the best!” 

Pride can easily creep into our good works, worship, and prayers. We don’t always spot it at a glance. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Jesus drew such stark contrasts in parables like this:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)

Taking a closer look at this parable, we can spot some subtle differences between the attitude of the Pharisee and the tax collector to help us distinguish between trying to impress God versus pleasing Him by coming to Him humbly. 

Self: Independent Versus Dependent

The Impressive Pharisee: Exalts himself (Count the “I”s in his prayer!).

The Humble Tax Collector: Counts himself a sinner. 

When we’re seeking to impress God, we’re assuming we can offer Him anything apart from Him. Like the Pharisee, we forget that everything we have – even our qualities and morality – comes from God. Apart from Christ’s righteousness, we always fall short. The tax collector, on the other hand, saw that what pleases God isn’t us trying to act independently but rather us depending on Him. 

In John 15:5, Jesus says, “apart from me you can do nothing.” That’s a fact but also an invitation. Throughout John 15, we find Jesus calls us to abide in Him, depending on Him to supply everything we need to glorify Him—including the mercy we need to truly serve Him.

Do your prayers exalt yourself rather than express dependence on God?

Worth: Earned Versus Received

The Impressive Pharisee: Lists his accomplishments.

The Humble Tax Collector: Acknowledges his need.

We unduly desire praise when we try to impress. We seek to exceed, not to honor. The Pharisee in the parable demonstrates this as he lists off his accomplishments, competitively comparing his status with others. He neglects the Spirit of God’s Word in an effort to earn praise by going above and beyond the letter of the law. 

Aiming to please God requires us to know our need for Him. Like the tax collector, we please God when we acknowledge that we’re not enough on our own, coming to Him and even crying out to Him if we are ashamed. We do what God desires when we think of ourselves “with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3).

Do your prayers acknowledge your need of God?

God: Acknowledged Versus Worshiped

The Impressive Pharisee: Sees God as his audience.

The Humble Tax Collector: Sees God as his Savior. 

It’s ironic that the Pharisee’s prayer begins with thanks because he expresses gratitude to God as if God is equally delighted by his pride. Comparison and performance are not what God calls us to or measures us by. The standard the Pharisee expects God to use is his own invention – making God an audience or a jury playing by the Pharisee’s rules. The Pharisee acts as though God can be swayed by his case, exalting himself by lowering his view of God. 

I’ve been guilty of thinking I can convince God of my worth too, neglecting the truth the tax collector evidences. He humbly worships God as judge and Savior. God is the exalted One. We are not. He sets the standards, and He gloriously, graciously exalts us—the humbled sinners. He saves us and is pleased with us as we turn, over and over again, to Him for everything. 

Do you turn to God in prayer regularly, or do you wait until you think you can impress Him?

A Change in Perspective

The humble view of the tax collector had of himself, his worth, and of God holds promise for us when we’re tempted by pride. Consider the result of his attitude versus the pharisees: The tax collector went home justified because “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). 

We can trust God will exalt us and be pleased with us when we come to Him humbly – He doesn’t need our convincing!

The Ten Commandments Are a Mirror Reflecting God’s Glory

The Ten Commandments are not an arbitrary set of rules. They are a direct reflection of the character of God.

Paul says “All have sinned and fall short. Fall short of what? You might expect the apostle to say, ‘all have sinned and fall short of the law of God.’ But that is not what it says.

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

The Ten Commandments reflect the glory of God. God says to those He has redeemed, ‘You are my people, and I am calling you to a life that reflects what I am like.’

A Reflection of God’s Character

Why should you not commit adultery?’ Because God is faithful.

Why should you not steal? Because God can be trusted.

Why should you not lie? Because God is always true to His Word.

Why should you not covet? God is at peace and content in Himself.

When God said, “You shall have no other gods before me,” it was because He is the only true and living God.

When God commanded that we rest on one day of the week, it is because He rested from His work on the seventh day.

God speaks to His own people in the commandments, telling us “You are My people. You are called to a life that reflects who I am. And this is what a life modeled on who I am looks like.”

David said in the Psalms “Oh how I love your law!” (Psalm 119:97). We might expect him to say that he would fear the law or honor the law, but why would he say that he loves the law? David loved the law because he loved the Lord. And the law of God reflects the glory of God. It is a mirror of who He is.

An Exposition of Love

Consider the difference between a kidnapper and a lover. A kidnapper says, “you are mine” on the basis of power. A lover says “you are mine” on the basis of affection.

Some people have the idea that the Ten Commandments are the talk of an authoritarian deity who, like a kidnapper, is intent on imposing his will on others. But Moses and the Israelites knew better. They had experienced the grace of God in their extraordinary escape from slavery. So, they did not hear God’s commands as the imposition of an authoritarian deity. They heard the commandments as the words of a lover who has given everything to win the affection of the one He loves. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2).

The Ten Commandments are an exposition of love. God is love (1 John 4:8), and the commandments tell us what a life of love looks like.

Our Lord Jesus was asked on one occasion, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matthew 22:36). Instead of picking one of the commandments and giving it priority over the rest, Jesus wrapped all of the commandments together and said,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

The Beatles sang “All you need is love… love is all you need.” But how do we know what love is? What does a life of love look like? What does it mean to love God? And what does it mean to love my neighbor as myself?

The Ten Commandments give the answer.

The first four commandments tell you what it looks like to love God (Exodus 20:3-11). If you really love God, you will have no other gods before Him. You won’t make an image—you will love Him as He is, not as you would like or imagine Him to be. If you love God, you will hallow His name, and never use it in vain. You give Him time: time to worship; time to serve; time to remember that a vast eternity lies ahead of you and that you must use the time you have to prepare.

The last six commandments tell you what it means to love your neighbor as yourself (Exodus 20:12-17). It has to start at home with the first people God puts in your life, so honor your father and mother. Loving your neighbor means that you revere all life as a gift of God to be protected and preserved in every way possible. It means that you are faithful to your spouse. It means you can be trusted not to take advantage of the weakness and vulnerability of others. It means that you are true to your word, and that your word is true. And loving your neighbor means that you rejoice in what God has given to others rather than coveting what He gave to others for yourself.

The Relevance of the Commandments

The Ten Commandments are a mirror reflecting the glory of God. They are an exposition of His love. As redeemed people who bear His name in the world, God calls us to live lives of love that reflect who He is. And what that looks like is spelled out in the Ten Commandments.

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This article is adapted from the sermon “Law” on the Ten Commandments. For a more detailed look at the Ten Commandments, check out Pastor Colin’s book The Ten Greatest Struggles of Your Life: Finding Freedom in God’s Commands.

We’re Always in Gospel School

When I took my last class in high school, I had the privilege of walking across the stage and throwing my cap in the air. I had graduated high school.

Four years later—an even bigger accomplishment—I was blessed to do the same thing, except from college. And two years after that I had the distinct honor to graduate from seminary.

Each time, I had finished my courses; my schooling was complete. No more tests, grades, or required reading. No more late-night cramming, last-minute studying, or early-morning lectures. However, that doesn’t mean I was finished learning.

And it is the same with the gospel. If you are a Christian, that means you have repented of your sins and trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ—you have believed the gospel! This single event is nothing short of a miracle—of God changing your old, stony heart with a live, fleshly one.

We may think we don’t “need” the gospel anymore because, well, we’re already saved. Friends, that is not so. I don’t need seminary education anymore—I met the requirements and shook the president’s hand. But I never stop learning the truths I learned there. Similarly, I may have believed the gospel for the first time, but I never stop believing it and applying it to my life.

Prevalent within evangelical culture is the notion that the gospel is only for unbelievers. This is tragically false. The gospel is for believers as well. We need it everyday.

There are at least three practical reasons why Christians need the gospel daily.

Pride

It’s too easy for us to fall back into the performance mindset. We have been saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), but we still naturally tend to try to live the Christian life on our own power and strength. When that happens, one reaction is we become puffed up with pride.

“A proud faith,” Stephen Charnock once said, “is as much a contradiction as a humble devil.” Being prideful in our Christian walks is antithetical to the gospel. A “proud faith” is an oxymoron. When we are prideful as a Christian, we’re behaving more like the devil than Jesus. This is why we need the gospel everyday. When we forget the gospel, pride swells up and we lean on our own so-called “goodness.”

Becoming prideful is nearly impossible when we are intentional about remembering what God has done for us. We cannot be conceited or prideful when surveying the cross. We cannot pat ourselves on the back if we fixate our eyes on the agony that Jesus went through—because of our sin.

Despair

Each day I forget the gospel means I revert back to the old, sinful ways of trying to earn God’s favor on my own. Yes, for many people, that can lead to pride. But it leads to despair for many others. A feeling of I’ll never be good enough or Why should I even keep trying? Countless Christians feel the same struggle with sin that Paul felt in Romans 7.

Which, of course, is the point of the gospel! Friends, when we remember the gospel, we are reminded that we aren’t, in fact, good enough. We should stop trying to be good enough. Why? Because Jesus was, and is, more than enough—and if we are saved, then we are in Him! He is our righteousness.

Despair is eradicated from the human heart when the gospel is pounded into our mind each day. We know we can’t measure up—but Jesus does. We know we can’t earn God’s favor by our own volition—but Jesus did for us. We know we’d be doomed apart from Christ—thank God for the gospel!

Holiness

We need the gospel everyday, more than anything, to progress more in holiness. In other words, we need to think about Jesus to be more like Jesus. Ponder the gospel; meditate on the gospel; study the gospel. Have the gospel be so utterly saturated in your mind and heart that the natural result is you becoming more like Jesus.

We become what we behold (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). The more we look at Jesus—the more we remember the gospel—the more we become like Him. What happens when we forget the gospel? We return to the muck and mire of our sin.

As a Christian, you should desire to become more like the one who died for you. You should not take your eyes off the gospel any day of the week. Wake up to the gospel. Talk about the gospel. Think about and read the gospel. Go to sleep pondering the gospel. Ultimately, that is the only thing that will keep you progressing forward in sanctification.

Never Graduate

As you’ve surely heard it said before, We don’t graduate from the gospel. There will never be a point in time when you don’t need the gospel. We need to be “gospelized” each and every day.

If your heart ever grows cold to hearing the gospel, something’s wrong. Ask God to forgive you and help you be freshly renewed by the sweet aroma of the gospel.

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This article first appeared at theology-and-life.com.

Why does God allow personal financial trouble?

I’ll never forget that April morning when we woke up without food. A million thoughts passed through my mind. We had only been married for a few years, and we were battling like any other young couple to get ahead in our Latin American country’s unstable economy.

I’ll be honest: our faith faltered. But, even amidst our doubts, God surprised us in showing the care He has for us.

When we go through experiences like this, we ask ourselves: Why does this have to happen to me? There are different reasons why God allows financial difficulties in the lives of His children. Here are six of them:

1) To strengthen our faith

Faith can be compared to one of the muscles of the body. If some part of our body is not used properly, it atrophies. Something similar happens in our spiritual life. The “muscle” of faith needs to be exercised.

Unless our faith is put to the test, it will not be exercised or strengthened. Aware that trials are a reality in the life of the believer, the apostle Peter encourages us by saying:

Though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Financial limitations or total loss of income can be orchestrated by God in the lives of his chosen ones to help us manage our income well and strengthen our faith.

2) To teach us wisdom

Exercising financial dominion requires practice. There are lessons we learn with experience such as discerning between a need and a want, deciding how much to tithe or donate, cutting expenses to stay within the budget, among others.

When our resources are limited, our options are narrowed. Sometimes it’s only under that stress that we learn financial truths. Therefore, financial crises are a good opportunity to correct behaviors and prioritize God’s will in our lives.

If take the path of biblical wisdom, we will avoid the various regrets of bad decisions and move toward a better financial future. You may need to seek advice, read a book, or listen to a podcast about finances. In financial trials, my recommendation is to, “[Make] your ear attentive to wisdom and [incline] your heart to understanding” (Proverbs 2:2).

3) To show us that money should not rule us

There is a sense of relief and comfort when we find ourselves in stages of life where our needs are met. This is more evident when our income allows us to enjoy financial comfort.

Unfortunately, that feeling could lead us to the idolatry of money, comfort, or pleasure—popular gods of this world. Tolerating these idols can make us sin against God by making money the object of our devotion. The Lord allows economic crises to teach us that money should not be the king of our hearts. Christ should!

We find a warning against the danger of idolizing money when Paul tells the Ephesians to not even mention greed among them, “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 5:3, 5, emphasis added).

4) To teach us the value of contentment

Being born into a deprived home does not free us from the influence of materialism. One of materialism’s effects is that we stop appreciating some intangible riches, such as the life and spiritual blessings that we enjoy in Christ. When this happens, we are easily drawn into the sin of discontent.

Seeking to counteract this way of thinking in believers, the author of Hebrews reminds us that we must live content with what we have, “For he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Heb 13:5).

Despite our sufferings due to economic situations, we can grow in contentment. Paul is an example that it is possible to learn to be content—regardless of the circumstances—because we have Christ (Phil 4:11).

5) To teach us to comfort others

We often appreciate support and counsel more from someone who has overcome the same affliction that we are suffering. Christ’s incarnation and suffering is just one illustration of this (Hebrews 4:15). Our Lord experienced the pains of living in a fallen world. He did it all because of our sins. Therefore, He brings encouragement through His Holy Spirit to the souls of those who have been transformed by the gospel.

Christians can also encourage others after they have experienced such comfort. Both ideas are considered by Paul when he writes that God, “comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). When we go through periods of want and experience the comfort of God, we can have the conviction, the testimony, and the willingness to comfort those who experience the consequences of their lack.

6) For the glory of Christ and the advancement of the gospel

God is working to display His glory in our financial limitations. This is true not only because it forges our character to become more like Christ, but also because it allows us to be witnesses of Christ to those who do not know Him.

When a Christian reacts appropriately to such circumstances, unbelievers may find that a believer’s identity is not found in the vehicle he drives, that true joy is not in the clothes he wears, that peace is not found in a luxurious home, that the secret to security is not a prominent job or academic degree. While all the above can have a place in the life of a believer who gives God the glory, the search for fullness ends only when we find Christ.

Christians are light to the world because we demonstrate that our citizenship is in heaven (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 3:20). Our final hope is not found on earth. Certainly, our Father allows his children to experience various afflictions, including economic ones. But there are greater purposes that we are fulfilling through these difficulties. Ultimately, they all result in the maturity of His children, the spread of the gospel, and the glory of His name.

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This article first appeared in Spanish at Coalición por el Evangelio.