Todd Linn's Blog, page 19
September 23, 2021
What The Bible Teaches About Satan
Today’s Theology Thursdays presentation introduces a 3-part series on satanology (the study of Satan). It begins by dispelling some popular misconceptions of Satan and then overviews a number of tiles for Satan such as Devil, Tempter, Father of Lies, and Beelzebub.
View it here on Slideshare 
September 21, 2021
Sharing Christ When Suffering For Christ
Continuing our verse-by-verse studies of 1 Peter, you’ll recall from our previous post that Christians will, in fact, suffer as they live out the Christian life. They will suffer “for righteousness’ sake.” We pick up in verse 14 of Chapter 3:
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”
Peter tells Christians that even when they do suffer for righteousness’ sake, they are “blessed.” This teaching calls to remembrance a teaching of our Lord’s that Peter would have heard as he listened to Jesus preach His “Sermon on the Mount”:
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:11-12
When Christians suffer for their faith, Jesus says, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”
Some of you may suffer for righteousness’ sake this very week. In some countries that means being denied goods & services and healthcare simply because you’re a Christian. You may be shunned, threatened, imprisoned, and, in some cases, even martyred.
Some of you may be refused a position or opportunity because others know of your Christian commitments. Some will hate you, or tell you that you “don’t belong” in their group, clique, or gathering.
Of course, the suffering endured by many of Peter’s earliest readers was rather exceptional. In just a few short years after Peter wrote this letter, many Christians living in the Roman Empire would undergo severe persecution, many killed with the sword, simply because they professed faith in Christ and refused to declare that the Roman Caesar was Lord.
That’s why Peter says in the second part of verse 14, “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” That’s a quote from the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 8:12-14) where Isaiah is essentially saying, “Don’t fear others, fear God.”
To paraphrase, Peter says, “When your life’s on the line for your faith in Christ, don’t be afraid. Better to fear God than to fear others.” And while few of us will face that kind of situation this week–where our lives are on the line for our Christian faith–there are other ways we may fear others:
You may fear speaking up for Christ.
You may fear to take a stand for your Christian principles at work.
You may fear the reaction of your schoolmates or co-workers when they hear that you love Jesus Christ.
You may fear people thinking you’re odd or strange for being a Christian.
Peter says in verse 14, “Do not be afraid of their threats, no be troubled.”
Then Peter gets really practical and tells Christians how to do this. He says in the very next verse:
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts… (verse 15)
The text literally reads, “But sanctify Christ as Lord.” The NIV translates the phrase: “In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord.”
Sanctify Wholeheartedly (15a)“Sanctify Christ as Lord.” The imperative mood in this phrase requires a decisive action on our part. To “sanctify Christ as Lord” is not an option for the Christian. It is a “must-do.”
But what exactly does it mean to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts? Peter seems to mean that we are to regard Christ as the greatest treasure of our hearts. To “set apart Christ as Lord” is to recognize that He is the supreme object of our affections, the greatest, holiest, and most wonderful Lord with Whom there is no equal.
Applied to suffering for righteousness’ sake, Peter probably means that we are to recall this reality when the going gets tough. Whatever persecutions we face, we will gladly endure them knowing that our holy and eternal Lord is greater than any short-term sufferings we face in this unholy and temporary world.
It includes believing–really believing–that the Lord Jesus Christ is in control of all things. Those who persecute Christians are not in control. Our Lord Jesus Christ is in control.
Each day, and throughout the day, Christians must “in their hearts, set apart Christ as Lord.” This is either to think or to say something like, “Jesus, I believe You are in control of this day. My enemies are not in control, nor are my circumstances, or my feelings. You are the holy and sovereign Lord before Whom all must bow. In my heart I sanctify you as the greatest possession I ever could possess. You are Lord of everything!
Speak Courageously (15b-16)When we sanctify wholeheartedly we’re able to speak courageously. Peter continues in verse 15:
…and always be ready to give a defense (or answer) to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (verse 15)
Always be ready to speak about your faith in Christ. Are you always ready to do that?
If you are in the habit of “in your hearts setting apart Christ as Lord,” then you will be ready to speak about your faith in Christ. You will gladly share with others your love for the holy treasure that is the Lord Jesus Christ. And you will do this confidently and courageously in the presence of unbelievers.
It is important, however, that we speak not in an arrogant or self-righteous way, but rather “with meekness and fear.” That is, “with gentleness and respect (ESV).” Peter adds in verse 16:
16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. (verse 16)
The idea here is to speak and act in such a way as to be as blameless as possible, sharing the truth in an honest, but respectful manner.
As a helpful study Bible puts it:
“You may not be able to keep people from speaking evil against you, but you can at least stop supplying them with ammunition. As long as you do what is right, their accusations will be empty and only embarrass them. Keep your conduct above criticism!”
Life Application Bible (Note on 1 Peter 3:16)
Peter assumes that people will be asking about our faith. Apparently, he also assumes that folks will notice that our behavior is different from others, different in a good way.
It’s a wonderful thing when someone approaches you and says, “Hey, there’s something different about you. What is it?” And you have the opportunity to share with them the gospel.
That opportunity is more likely to come when in your heart you regularly set apart Christ as Lord. When you do that, calmly believing He is in control of all things, people detect a weightiness to your faith and they ask questions like, “What is it about you? You don’t seem to get as rattled as the others here at work. You don’t seem to be as alarmed as others when receiving bad news about your health, or your family, or your finances. What is it about you?”
Then you have an opportunity to give an answer. You tell them about Jesus.
And there’s something really encouraging for us to remember: when we speak for Christ, it is the Spirit of Christ who speaks through us.
You may recall from back in the opening chapter that “the Spirit of Christ” witnessed through believer in the Old Testament. Peter wrote back in Chapter 1:
Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. (1 Peter 1:10-11)
This same “Spirit” of Christ who was in the prophets was also in Noah when he preached to the people of of his day while building the ark. Peter says in Chapter 3 that the “Spirit” preached through Noah as he warned the unbelievers, lost souls who are now “in prison” because they refused to heed Noah’s life-saving message. (1 Peter 3:18-20)
We’ll treat those verses more fully in a future post, but for now, note the encouragement here: just as in Old Testament times, when the “Spirit of Christ” did the preaching through faithful followers, so in our day, the Spirit of Christ speaks through us.
Every time you speak about Christ, the Spirit will guide your words. So never fear giving an answer to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope you have in Christ!
Sanctify Wholeheartedly.
Speak Courageously.
September 20, 2021
Earning God’s Approval: Good Luck With That!
James says: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” Given the examples provided in these verses, it seems clear that James has in mind what we often describe as the “moral law” in the Old Testament. Much of the “cultic law,” such as dietary laws or other laws of rite and ritual, are no longer binding upon believers today. But the “moral law” is timeless. Every culture has some sense of moral law woven into the fabric of their social code, even if that culture fails to understand that the essence of their law is rooted in the grace of God.
For Christians, the moral law is aptly summarized in the “Ten Commandments” located in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. This moral law is a cohesive unit to be obeyed in its entirety. We are not permitted to ignore any of it. James says we are to “keep the whole law.”
This raises a necessary clarification. Remember that James is writing to Christians. We’ve stated numerously that this letter is not about how to become a Christian, but how to behave as a Christian. James is writing to those who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. So James is not teaching here that the way one is saved is by keeping the Old Testament Law, keeping the 10 Commandments.
Many people believe this is what the Bible teaches. Many people wrongly think that Christianity is about following rules and regulations in order to gain God’s approval. But Christianity is not so much about following principles as it is about following a Person, namely Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only one who obeyed perfectly “the whole” law so that we could be forgiven of our sin. Once we have trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we live out the moral law in obedience to God not as a means by which to be saved—that has been accomplished already through faith in Jesus Christ—but as a means of glorifying God with our new hearts.
One of the primary functions of the Old Testament law is to convict unbelievers of sin, forever pointing out their inability to keep the law and pointing to the only one who perfectly has, Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:21-24).
The Bible is a mirror. As we look into it, we must allow it to show us what we are before we can expect to do what it says. We can’t really do what it says until we first see what we are. We must first see our sin before we can rightly see our Savior. Then we turn to Him, trusting Him as Lord. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Jesus lived for us and died for us. He kept the law perfectly and thus fulfilled the law on our behalf. He died, taking our punishment for breaking the law, and He rose from the dead so we could be declared righteous by faith in Him (Romans 4:25).
So if we have been saved through faith in Christ, then the law is now “lived out” in us, not to gain our justification, but to grow in our sanctification. Christians live the law not in an effort to get saved; Christians live the moral law because they are saved.
James teaches that Christians, then, should be living out this moral law, by “keeping” it, keeping “the whole law.” Again, William Barclay is helpful. He notes the erroneous way many in James’ day thought of the Law:
The Jew was very apt to regard the law as a series of detached injunctions. To keep one was to gain credit; to break one was to incur debt. A man could add up the ones he kept and subtract the ones he broke and so emerge with a credit or a debit balance.
This is exactly how many today regard the observance of biblical commands. They think if they keep a biblical command they will gain a credit, and when they break a biblical command they will incur a debt. They hope that they will have more credits than debts in the end and perhaps tip the scales of justice in their favor or gain greater acceptance with God.
But one reason it is impossible to be saved by keeping the law (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:16) is precisely because it is a cohesive unit. A person must obey it in its entirety—and no person does that consistently and perfectly. To break one single command is to break all the law, just as a single crack in the glass affects an entire windshield.
If you hope to be saved by keeping the law, you would have to keep all of it consistently and perfectly.
Think about taking a test in school. Say there are 100 questions worth one point each and you miss 5; you get a 95%. That’s an A by most calculations. But imagine if you took that test and there were 100 questions worth one point each and you missed only one and received an F. You would argue, “But I got 99 right, I missed only one!” The teacher replies, “Doesn’t matter. This test is a “pass” or “fail” test and because you did not get all of the questions correct, you fail.”
If you’re hoping to keep the Old Testament law as a means of earning salvation, you need to know that God does not grade on a curve. You’ve got to keep the whole law in its entirety. Breaking any one of the laws is to break all of them. Breaking just one command makes one “a transgressor of the law.”
Here’s another way to think of it: Imagine you are rushing to catch a plane. You are hurrying through check-in, moving quickly through the security line, and now running to the gate so you can catch the plane. But when you finally reach that gate it does not matter whether you are just one minute late or ten minutes late, once that gate is closed you are not getting on that plane. It doesn’t matter how close you got, you are not allowed to board that flight.
If you are not a Christian, it doesn’t matter how closely you try to follow the 10 Commandments. It really doesn’t matter how “close” you get, because you are not saved by keeping the law. Nobody keeps the law consistently and perfectly—nobody but Jesus. That’s why He is the only way in.
From the standpoint of an unbeliever, “sin is sin” whether it is murder or adultery or lying. just one sin will keep a person from getting though the “gate” into heaven. It doesn’t matter if it’s a so-called “big” sin or a so-called “little” sin. Just one is enough to keep anyone from entering heaven.
This raises the need for another important word of clarification. While the phrase “sin is sin” is rightly used when referring to an unbeliever’s inability to earn forgiveness or his hoping somehow to gain entrance to heaven based on an accrued number of “credits,” it is not always helpful to use this phrase.
We should use the phrase “sin is sin” with care. Not all sins are equal in the sense that not all are equally heinous, equally ugly, or equally reprehensible. You may be fired from a job for lying to a co-worker or for beating a co-worker, but which would you rather have to explain at your next job interview?
Would you rather your daughter be found guilty of driving too fast or for robbing a bank? To say, “sin is sin” is to fail to account for degrees of wickedness as well as degrees of punishment or consequence.
Some sins are more or less heinous, but all are equally deadly in terms of a lost person’s hope of gaining some sense of favor before God, doing good works in the hopes of becoming more “savable.”
The law is a cohesive unit. It is an interdependent whole. It is to be obeyed in its entirety. So the Christian lives the law not in order to gain justification, but to grow in sanctification. And James reminds Christians that they are not permitted to “cherry pick” which commands they like and leave off those they don’t like.
So you can’t say, “Well, I know murder is bad and I’m not going to do that,” but then you ignore the commandment forbidding adultery by lusting in your heart, which makes you a lawbreaker (Matthew 5:27-28). More to James’ point: it is wrong to think, “Well, adultery and murder, I’ve never done these things and I never will,” but then you show favoritism by being kind to rich people and shunning poor people. You have become a lawbreaker.
Love Others Without Partiality.
Obey The Law In Its Entirety.
There’s one more action James calls for in these verses:
Live With A View To Eternity.
We’ll explore that action next time!
**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020), pages 72-77, available on Amazon.
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Communication Habits Outside The Pulpit
I’ve written a few posts over at chucklawless.com in recent weeks; grateful to Chuck for his inviting me to provide a few “Thursdays With Todd” on his terrific site. This post is similar in format.
While preaching is arguably the greatest concern of weekly ministry, much of the preacher’s communication will occur outside of the pulpit when he interacts with individuals during the week. Aside from in-person meetings, the preacher will be communicating through phone calls, email, and other forms of media. How he uses these tools could make or break his ministry. Here then are 5 healthy habits to develop when communicating outside of the pulpit:
1) Share How You Can Be ReachedWe honor people when we tell them the best way to contact us. It shows we are approachable and that we’re interested in hearing from them. Whatever your preferred tool for communicating, make it known. Redirecting someone to your preferred method can be done simply and tactfully: e.g., “Hey, John! Great to hear from you. I’m rarely on Facebook, so please email me (or, call me, etc.) and I’ll be sure to follow up.”
2) Return Every MessageNo matter how you’re contacted, be sure to return every message. It’s a common courtesy. Support staff and volunteers may help filter out unwanted sales calls and impersonal inquiries, but those messages that come directly to us from members, attenders, colleagues, and acquaintances should be returned in a timely manner.
3) Answer Email Within 24 HoursSome may disagree here and that’s okay (see habit #5), but don’t underestimate the need for timely responses to email. In a world where most organizations use email as their preferred method of communication1, user expectations have grown exponentially.
Your recent online transaction likely resulted in your receiving at least one email thanking you for your order and another containing shipping information–all within a matter of minutes. Those who contact us by email are conditioned to expect similar results. Most members know we’re busy, but they likely expect we’ll return their email within 24 hours. We show we care even when we briefly respond: “Hey, I got your email and I’ll get back to you soon.”
4) Remember Nonverbal Cues Are MissingBecause we cannot observe body language in a call, text, or email, we may miss nonverbal signals that aid communication. Without these signals, messages can be interpreted incorrectly. We may read a tersely worded email, for example, and believe the sender was upset when he or she was just fine. While we won’t always interpret the messages of others correctly, we can work for clarity in our own communications.
5) Don’t Expect Others To Share Your HabitsPastors are responsible to some degree for the communication habits of those under their supervision. Beyond staff, however, we cannot expect others to communicate as we do. Communication habits differ from person to person and we are wise to extend grace to those whose habits are not our own.
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What The Bible Teaches About Babies Who Die
Do babies go to heaven when they die? That’s today’s Theology Thursdays topic as we conclude our study of soteriology (the study of salvation). This Slideshare presentation examines what the Scriptures teach and summarizes a terrific article on this topic by R. Albert Mohler and Daniel Akin available in full here and modified slightly by Dr Akin here.
Enjoy!
September 14, 2021
Suffering For Doing Good
Popular author and speaker Steve Brown is known for reminding us that Christians suffer the same tragedies and afflictions as non-Christians–so that the world may see the difference. That’s a great statement, isn’t it? Wish I’d said it!
The Apostle Peter would agree with that statement, too. As we continue our verse-by-verse studies in 1 Peter, we focus today on 1 Peter 3:13-14 & 1 Peter 3:17, a passage that teaches how Christians are to behave when (not if) they suffer.
The reality of persecution and suffering does not sit well with many who peddle the so-called “health, wealth & prosperity gospel.” They would have us focus on material blessings God gives to those who “have faith” (and give their money, too).
And other preachers and teachers choose to avoid passages on suffering altogether. They seem to think it is an unpopular concept, so why address it? Perhaps these folks are more interested in building a crowd than building a church–there is a difference! God wants His church to know that suffering in this fallen world is not unusual, but may be expected.
The New Testament teaches that Christians will experience trials of suffering and persecution. Jesus, for example, says to His followers in John 15:19: “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world…the world hates you.”
He doesn’t mean that all unbelievers are always against Christians at all times. But he does mean that when you follow Christ, you are swimming against the tide. You are living as “counter-culture” Christians. You are living among a people who are highly resistant to the gospel. So expect some suffering and persecution–and Peter agrees as we have seen previously (1 Peter 1:6, 1 Peter 2:19-21).
Let’s take a look now at our verses for today. While our passage is 1 Peter 3:13-17, we’ll focus today’s post on the first two verses (13-14) and the last verse (17):
13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? (verse 13)
Here’s a paraphrase of verse 13: “In general, you will avoid trouble if you do the right thing.” Generally speaking, if you do good and stay out of trouble, then you won’t get into any more trouble.”
There’s kind of a “sandwiching” here in this passage. Verse 13 is the top of the sandwich and verse 17 is the bottom. Verse 17 parallels verse 13. See how it is similar:
For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (verse 17)
Here’s the point: you can suffer for doing good or you can suffer for doing evil. And note that it is often the will of God that we do, in fact, suffer for doing good. See that phrase in the middle of verse 17? This one: “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good…” Again, sometimes it is God’s will that we suffer for doing good.
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” (verse 14)
So Peter reminds Christians who do, in fact, end up suffering for righteousness’ sake–suffering persecution simply for being a Christian–Peter says, “If that does happen to you, you are blessed.”
This statement recalls the teaching Peter had heard from Jesus in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount:
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)
Some of you may suffer this week for righteousness’ sake. It could be a suffering similar to Christians in the New Testament age, or, depending on your cultural context, a different kind of suffering.
For most of us living in the developed west, suffering generally takes different forms. You may, for example be refused a position or opportunity because of your Christian commitments. You may be thought of as an extremist, or labeled as intolerant. You may be considered narrow-minded for your spiritual views. Others may shun you because they feel uncomfortable when you speak of your relationship with Christ or your church.
Of course the kind of persecution Peter’s readers were facing in his day was far greater. In just a few short years after Peter wrote this letter, many Christians living in the Roman Empire would undergo severe persecution, many killed with the sword, simply because they professed faith in Christ and refused to declare that the Roman Caesar was Lord.
That’s why Peter says in the second part of verse 14: “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” That’s a quote from the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 8:12-14) where Isaiah is saying, “Don’t fear others, fear God.”
In essence, Peter is saying, “When your life’s on the line for your faith in Christ, don’t be afraid. Better to fear God than to fear others.” And while few of us, if any, will face that kind of persecution this week (where our life is at stake), there are other ways we may fear others.
You may fear others when you speak of your faith in Christ.
You may fear to take a stand for your Christian principles at work.
You may fear the consequences of your classmates or co-workers, when you talk with them about spiritual things.
You may fear people thinking that you are odd or strange because you’re a Christian.
Yet, Peter says in verse 14, “Do not be afraid of their threats, no be troubled.”
Then Peter gets really practical by telling Christians how they can keep from becoming fearful in times of suffering and persecution. He says in the very next verse, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” (verse 15)
The text literally reads, “But sanctify Christ as Lord.” Or, as one translation renders it, “In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord.” (NIV)
Make a firm decision to set apart Christ as Lord in your heart. That’s the second action in this passage–and we’ll talk about exactly what that means next time.
For now, remember that suffering for good carries God’s blessing. He smiles upon us when we stand in the midst of suffering and persecution, blessing us with a loving resolve that is strengthened by His abiding presence and power.
And, there will be some folks watching you closely as you suffer for good. They will note the loving way you stand for Christ without returning evil for evil. They will see that there is something different about you that intrigues them and causes them to think more deeply about the claims of Christ. And that’s a good thing!
“…that the world may see the difference.”
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Loving Others
Jesus says there is a way that others will know unmistakably that we are Christians. He says in John’s Gospel, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).” And that love for one another is a love that extends to all persons without exception; our neighbors, our friends, and even our enemies. He says, “Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…for if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have, or what good is that (Matthew 5:43-47)?”
Love is the distinguishing mark of all true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. If a person truly has the love of Christ within, then that love will manifest itself outwardly through loving actions.
If a man is physically sick, for example, he has something wrong on the inside. He has a bad heart, a virus, or a disease of some kind. What is wrong on the inside shows on the outside: his breathing is erratic, his color is bad, his body is weak. And others look at him and say, “You don’t look so good.” But then he gets what is wrong on the inside fixed. He has surgery or receives treatment. The procedure is completed and he is better on the inside and so it shows on the outside. His breathing is normal, his body is strong, his color is good. Others say, “You look good!” When we are healthy on the inside it shows on the outside.
Spiritually, we enter into this world dead in trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1). You might say we have a spiritual “heart condition.” Our hearts are evil. They are hard and stony. We need to get what’s wrong on the inside fixed. For Christians, God has performed a procedure, a “heart surgery.” The Bible says in Ezekiel 36 that God takes out our heart of stone and replaces it with a new heart, a heart of flesh, a heart that is not hardened and calloused, but a heart that is soft and responsive to the will and way of God.
And once we are fixed on the inside, it shows on the outside. Things are different now. There is a change, a change that affects the way we live and the way we love.
Here’s how James puts it in our ongoing study of the Book Of James:
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;
9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (James 2:8-9)
In these verses James continues to warn the church against showing favoritism or “showing partiality (2:1, 9).” You’ll recall from Chapter 8 that we wrongly show partiality when we favor those who are dressed well over those who are not.
We show partiality when we favor those who are popular over those who are unpopular. And we show it when we favor those who are educated over those who are uneducated, those who have over those who have not, and those who are rich over those who are poor. We show partiality if we favor those who live on the “right” side of town, drive a certain kind of vehicle, go to a certain kind of school, talk a certain kind of way, or have a certain kind of skin color we believe to be the “right” color. Partiality, or favoritism, takes many forms.
Building upon this teaching, James writes that we “do well” if we truly fulfill what he calls “the royal law” in Scripture, namely: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The word “royal” means that which “belongs to the king,” or the law of the kingdom (cf. verse 5).
We serve our Lord, our King, Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus Himself taught us to love, teaching us to love our neighbor as ourselves. And James is quoting from the Old Testament, specifically Leviticus 19:18: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
Jesus was once asked about the greatest commandment. Matthew’s Gospel describes a certain Pharisee who approached Jesus and asked Him a question, testing Him. He said: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus replied:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:34-40).
There was another Pharisee who wanted to “justify himself” so he asked Jesus to expand upon His teaching, namely this matter of loving one’s neighbors. He asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” And Jesus answered his question by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan teaching, in essence, that our neighbor is anyone with whom we may come in contact (Luke 10:25-37).
Jesus also taught us to love those especially difficult to love. Hear again His commands:
Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…for if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have, or what good is that (Matthew 5:43-47)?
If you are a Christian you have been changed on the inside and that change will show up on the outside. You will love others. And by God’s grace you will even love your enemies. James’ focus is primarily upon loving those who are easily overlooked, like the “poor man in filthy clothes (James 2:2).” And James minces no words here. He warns: “but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
Make no mistake: showing partiality, or favoritism, is a sin. We are to love all people, treating all equally, showing favoritism to no one. Love others without partiality. There’s something else here that James says Christians must do, but we’ll look at that next time!
**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020), pages 69-72, available on Amazon.
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4 Reasons To “Share Your Location” When Preaching
I’ve written a few posts over at chucklawless.com in recent weeks; grateful to Chuck for his inviting me to provide a few “Thursdays With Todd” on his terrific site. This post is similar in format.
If you own a cell phone, then you know the benefit of third party applications that allow you to “share your location” with family & friends. Whether your group is visiting a theme park, camping in the mountains, or shopping at one of those large factory outlets, sharing one’s location is a way to ensure that no one in the family gets lost. In a similar way, when worshipers gather together to hear the preaching of the Word, the thoughtful preacher will regularly “share his location” while preaching so that everyone in the church family knows where he is.
Location sharing is what occurs when preachers say something like: “Look at verse 1” or, “See this in the following verse.” When preachers use such phrases, they are challenging their listeners to “visit” the respective location in the text to find where they are. If you are a preacher, consider at least four reasons to regularly “share your location” with your listeners while preaching:
1) It Reclaims Wandering ListenersWe must remember that our listeners are not always listening! They are just as prone to wander while hearing our words as we are in preaching them. Regularly “setting the address” by stating the particular book, chapter, or verse, increases the probability of reclaiming those with wandering thoughts and improves the odds that they’ll stay with us.
2) It Teaches People How To Study The BibleWhen preachers frequently use phrases such as, “Now look at verse 2” or, “See this recurring theme in chapter 3” or, “Take note of the context in the verses preceding the passage,” they are teaching their listeners how to read and study the Scriptures. By directing their attention to the location of specific verses, words, and phrases, they are demonstrating that careful study of the Word yields correct understandings of the text.
3) It Engages More Of The SensesKnowledge is gained largely through the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch). The more senses involved, the better the learning. Preachers who not only “preach” messages (sound), but also lead listeners to open their Bibles (touch), and find the location of specific verses (sight), will increase the likelihood that their hearers learn and retain the message.
4) It Locates Authority In The WordEvery time a preacher “shares his location” while preaching, he teaches his hearers that the authority of the sermon is rooted in the biblical text. In essence, he is saying, “Look at the Scriptures and you will see that this is not my opinion, but the very Word of God.” And, because listeners grow accustomed to finding the location of texts themselves, they learn to judge the accuracy of the preacher’s statements against the authoritative Word of God.
Preachers: What other reasons would you give for regularly “sharing your location” when preaching?
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Assurance Of Our Salvation
Can Christians really know for certain whether they are saved? I believe so. As we continue our systematic treatment of soteriology (the study of salvation), today’s Theology Thursdays posts examines what the Bible teaches about assurance.
This Slideshare presentation provides central passages that teach assurance, some reasons people may lack assurance, and offers the doctrinal phrase “perseverance of the saints” as a better way of teaching assurance than the often misunderstood phrase “eternal security.”
Finally, our study provides “3 Questions To Answer That Can Give Genuine Assurance Of Salvation.” Enjoy!
September 7, 2021
Loving Life And Seeing Good Days
Continuing our verse-by-verse study of 1 Peter, we left off in Chapter 3 and verse 9, where Peter challenges Christians to bless one another. And, in the last part of that verse, he gives what I believe to be a supernatural principle:
“knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
Here’s the principle:
**Those who bless others will receive a blessing from God.
Bless Others and God Blesses YouPeter goes on in verses 10-12 to show how this principle works. In these three verses, Peter is quoting Scripture (Psalm 34).
By the way, do you know Scripture? Do you quote Scripture to help you in daily life? That’s what Peter’s doing here, quoting from Psalm 34 to show how this ‘two-way blessing principle’ works:
For
1 Peter 3:10-12
“He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
There are two main ways God blesses you when you bless others: 1) He gives to you His peace, and 2) He listens to your prayers. Let’s take them one at a time.
1) He Gives to you His Peace
Peter teaches that when you and I are committed to living out our calling of blessing others, God rewards us with peace and contentment.
Look again at verse 10:
“He who would love life and see good days…”
The blessing that “we inherit” (1 Peter 3:9) begins here with loving life and seeing good days. It speaks to the matter of peace and contentment in life, contentment in the life God has given us regardless of our outward circumstances.
It’s like what Paul talks about in Philippians 4 where he writes about having “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), a peace that leads to contentment. Remember Paul writes later in Philippians 4:11: “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”
When you live-out your calling to bless others–those around you and those against you–God rewards you with the blessing of loving life and seeing good days. You are content in the life God has given you. That is a peaceful blessing, indeed!
Then, in the second half of verse 10, Peter reminds us not to return evil for evil or reviling for reviling:
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
He adds in verse 11:
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
Again, there is a principle at work here: Bless others and God blesses you. How? He gives to you His peace. But note: this peace isn’t something that “just happens” to us. It requires action on our part.
In this context, Peter is talking about our taking the initiative to make peace. Remember, he was there at the Sermon on the Mount when he heard Jesus say, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).
That’s what Peter’s talking about here. This peace is something you work for. You seek it. You pursue it.
So you refrain some speaking unkind words to people because you know your words will hurt them. And, when wronged, rather than “paying back evil for evil,” you leave the matter to God.
And when you work for peace like that–you receive peace from God. You “love life and see good days” (1 Peter 3:9).
There’s another blessing that God gives to us when we are active peacemakers:
2) He Listens to Your Prayers
Don’t miss this!
For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12)
This is powerful! Peter is actually saying, “If you will commit to blessing those around you and those against you, God will bless you by hearing your prayers.”
On the other hand, if you live like you did before you were a Christian, and if you say, “I’m not going to bless others,” then don’t expect to sense the closeness of God. Why? Because you’re living like an unbeliever and the last part of verse 12 says, “the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Remember that James says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16),” the prayers of a righteous person–not an unrighteous person.
Bless others and God blesses you by listening to your prayers. I don’t think this means that God doesn’t hear the prayers of Christians who are not living as they should. If that were so, then who among us could ever expect to be heard?!
On the other hand, we know what it is like to walk in close fellowship with God, don’t we? We sense His presence. We commune with Him. We are talking to Him and listening to Him. It is true prayer.
This is similar to what we saw in a previous post on verse 7. Remember? Peter says, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them [your wives] with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life,–[so that]–your prayers may not be hindered.”
The implication? If you’re not the husband you’re supposed to be, your prayer life will suffer. You won’t sense the closeness of God and the confidence that He is right there with you.
Similarly, here in verse 12, Peter says, “Don’t expect to have the joy of communion with God if you’re not committed to blessing others; blessing those around you and blessing those against you.”
Christians are to bless those who are easy to love and those who are not so easy to love–blessing fellow Christians as well as blessing future Christians. Think of your enemy as a future Christian. It may help you bless him!
Oh, one other thing. When Peter says, in essence, “Bless others and God blesses you,” he is not pushing the popular “prosperity gospel.” Don’t think that for a moment!
Think of it like this:
Bless others and God blesses you–not by taking away your suffering. 1 Peter 2:19 teaches you may suffer wrongfully. But 1 Peter 5:10 says that God will strengthen you through your suffering.
Bless others and God blesses you–not with material stuff; a new house, a new car, lots of money. No. You may get some of that stuff, but the blessings of the New Testament are primarily spiritual: blessings like salvation, peace, contentment, and the blessing of “loving life and seeing good days.”
Why?
Because that’s what matters most.
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