The Messiah’s time on earth was limited to 30-or-so years with the last three representing His public ministry. This meant that within those three years, He would have to identify and train His disciples, demonstrate His messiahship to them not only through teaching, but also through many miracles. He would need to lay a foundation for the entire church age. This foundation would include introducing the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit by the empowering of His followers as well as being the inspiration of New Testament writers. The indwelling Holy Spirit directs the believer to walk in God’s will and teaches him the dynamics of a progressive relationship with Jesus Christ and to be His witness. Just as Old Testament leaders were anointed to fulfill their obligations, the new covenant believer requires an anointing, God’s ability to complete.
The Apostle Paul uses the terminology “in Christ” or “in Him” nearly 100 times as a representation of the relationship ordained by the finished work of Christ for each believer. In Colossians 2:10, we are complete “in Him”. Another part of the new covenant believer’s spiritual empowering is found “in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6), a reference to the supernatural unity ordained by God for all believers as members of the universal Body of Christ. Paul lays out the particular dynamics of this spiritual Body in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.”
One Body in Christ
How can a diverse group of people with varying abilities, gifts, cultures, etc. become so united? This passage and others tell us that it is due to a series of ones: one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one Father, one baptism and one hope (see Ephesians 4:3-6). The unity ordained for members of the Body of Christ is produced by one! One body means that no matter which local assembly one attends, he and all true believers are part of one Body, with Jesus as its one Lord. One Spirit speaks to the reality that each believer is indwelt with the same Holy Spirit and it is this Spirit who baptizes the believer into the Body of Christ at salvation, sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). One hope promises believers the same future, eternal life, and one faith means that there are certain doctrines or elements of belief, known as cardinal doctrines that all true believers must accept. Finally, one Father means that all believers are children of the same Father, the God of the Bible.
Jesus’ Prayer for Unity
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” (John 17:20-23)
During the night before Jesus was crucified, He prayed to His Father His concerns for the disciples He would be leaving behind who would carry on the work and establish the church. He was praying to His Father for the same unity that exists between the Father and the Son, “that they also may be in Us”. The oneness of the Body of Christ is derived from the unity between Father and Son. This unity is as a result of the glory of the Father given to the Son, now given to the disciple. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary defines that glory this way:
“The glory, then, here meant is all that which Jesus received from the Father as the incarnate Redeemer and Head of His people–the glory of a perfect acceptance as the spotless Lamb–the glory of free access to the Father and the right to be heard always–the glory of the Spirit’s indwelling and sanctification–the glory of divine support and victory over sin, death, and hell–the glory of finally inheriting all things.”
A Mystical Body
The Body of Christ is an amazing spiritual organism, that one mystical body of which Christ is the sole head, and in the unity of which all saints, whether in heaven, or on earth, or elsewhere, are necessarily included as constituent parts. In 1 Corinthians 5:44, “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body”. The Body of Christ is used of God as a place where the natural man is transformed into a spiritual man. It is the place where each member finds his significance within the eternal work of God. In 1 Corthians 12:24-25, “But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.” The spiritual church provides the environment where the most needy are cared for by other members. It follows the principle that the organism is only as strong as its weakest member, so special attention is so provided.
Fellowship in the Body
Life in the Body of Christ is most clearly demonstrated by fellowship as 1 John 1:7 reveals, “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin”. To walk in the light of Christ is to walk in the truth of the spiritual relationship with Christ and to recognize our brothers and sisters in Christ as family, as part of each one’s spiritual support system in the world. It happens when we know other believers not after the flesh, not after the things that may naturally divide us, but our fellowship is with the life of Christ in each believer (2 Corinthians 5:16). The Greek word translated fellowship is koinonia and means that each believer is part of a spiritual community and has a participation in each other’s life. Life in the Body of Christ is most clearly motivated by God’s agape (unconditional, self-sacrificing) love.
For the believer to find his proper place within the Body of Christ is to find fulfillment as a member in particular. In order for the world to understand the gospel, it must be modeled, The Body of Christ manifests the life of God on earth like nothing else.
The doctrine of the deity (divinity) of Jesus Christ is a central and necessary belief of Christianity since it qualifies the true nature of Jesus as both man and God. As a result, it can also be used as a measuring stick against false religions and religious systems that pervert the Word of God and the true nature of Christ. Each believer should have an understanding of and a conviction for this doctrine. Following are fifteen important proofs about the Biblical claims that Jesus Christ is fully God.
In John 1:1, “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In verse 14, we see that this “Word” became flesh and dwelt among us, a direct reference to Jesus Christ. Some non-Christian groups have attacked this translation of the italicized portion of this verse from the Greek, “kai theos een ho logos”, as referring to “a god” rather than “God” because of a lack of a definite article with “theos” (God). This claim is not accurate because:
The grammatical construction of the sentence does not require there to be a definite article in order for the word to be a definite predicate nominative. This is consistent with other verses in John 1 (vss. 6, 12, 13, and 18) where “theos” is translated as “God” even though it has no definite article.
The exact sentence structure of this verse is found in John 19:21 and translated, “I am King of the Jews”, not “a king”.
Isaiah 9:6 is clearly a reference to Jesus Christ (“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us”). In this verse, Jesus is referred to as “Mighty God” (“eel gibbor” in the Hebrew). These same Hebrew words are used in Deuteronomy. 10:17, Jeremiah 32:18, and Nehemiah 9:32 and refer to Yahweh (God the Father). Isaiah 10:20-21 is a clear reference to the LORD.
In Matthew 1:23, Jesus is referred to as “Emmanuel”, which means “God is with us”.
In John 8:58, Jesus says, “before Abraham was, I am”. The Greek word for “I am” is eimi and, according to a number of Greek scholars is “the formula for absolute and timeless”. This means that Jesus was eternal (no beginning) and thus, He was not created (see John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16). This terminology was purposely used by Jesus as a direct reference to Exodus 3:14, Deuteronomy 32:39, and Isaiah 43:10, which all refer to Yahweh. Notice in John 8:59 that the Jews reacted to Jesus’ statement by picking up stones to kill Jesus in accordance with Leviticus 24:13-16, the Levitical punishment for blasphemy.
In John 5:18, the Jews wanted to kill Jesus because He referred to God as “My Father, making Himself equal with God”. This was another statement received as blasphemy by the Jews. In Matthew 26:63-65, Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of God”. In verse 65, the high priest understood this as a messianic statement and thus, blasphemy according to the Levitical law.
In Isaiah 6, the glory of God is revealed to Isaiah in a vision of the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up. It is this chapter where Isaiah is commissioned to be a prophet. Isaiah 53 is the chapter that deals with the Messiah’s death and how He will be “bruised for our transgressions”. In John 12:37-41, the Word of God quotes verses from both of these chapters of Isaiah (6 and 53) and then makes the following statement in verse 41: “These things says Isaiah when he saw his (Jesus’) glory, and spoke of him”. The glory of God as seen in Isaiah 6:1-2 was Jesus Christ, Himself. This statement is supported by John 1:18 and 6:46 when they state that no man has seen the Father at any time. Isaiah could not have seen the Father, but Jesus Christ.
There are many titles and roles that are ascribed to the Father in the Old Testament and also given to Jesus in the New Testament.
God is immutable; Malachi 3:16 | Jesus, the same yesterday, today, and forever; Hebrews 13:8
God is creator; Isaiah 40:28 | all things made by Him; John 1:3
God is savior; Isaiah 43:11 | Christ, savior of the world; John 4:42
God is my shepherd; Psalm 23:1 | I am the good shepherd; John 10:11
God is judge; Joel 3:12 | Jesus given all authority to execute judgment; John 5:27
God is light; Isaiah 60:20 | I am the light of the world; John 8:12
God worshipped by angels; Psalm 148:2 | Let all angels worship Him; Hebrews 1:6
In Jeremiah 3:34B, the Lord says, “for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more”. In Mark 2:7, the scribes recognized that, “who can forgive sins, but God only”. In Psalm 51:4, David confesses to God that his sins of adultery and murder were against God and God only. Yet we see in Mark 2:5 Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic and in verse 10, He says He has the power to forgive. If we sin against God, then God must be the one to forgive! By forgiving the paralytic, Jesus was saying He is God.
Jesus became the object of worship, even encouraging that worship in Matthew 8:2, John 9:35-39, John 20:27, and Matthew 16:15. Yet worship is restricted to God and God alone in Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8. This is supported by Acts 10:25-26 when Peter stops the centurion from worshipping Peter and Revelations 19:10 when the Angel of the Apocalypse stops John from worshipping an angel.
In Titus 2:13 (“our great God and savior, Jesus Christ”) and 2 Peter 1:1 (“our God and Savior, Jesus Christ”), Scripture refers to Jesus as God. Some suggest that these references are to the Father and the Son, but the Granville-Sharp rule of Greek grammar, which is universally accepted by Greek scholars, supports the fact that the titles in each list are referring to the same person.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus quoted a number of Old Testament Scriptures as He taught and then added to them by saying, “but I say to you…” See Matthew 5:20, 22, 26, 28, 32, 34, & 44.
In 1 John 5:20, the Apostle John makes this statement: “And we know that the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, even His son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
Jesus has characteristics which belong to God alone:
Eternality – Micah 5:2, John 1:1-2, John 8:58, John 17:5
Immutability – Hebrews 1:10-11, Hebrews 13:8
Omnipotence – Philippians 3:21, Matthew 28:18
Omniscience – John 6:64, John 2:25, John 21:17
Omnipresence – John 14:23, Matthew 18:20, Matthew 28:20
In 2 Corinthians 1:9, Paul writes: “that we should not trust in ourselves, but God who raises the dead”. In John 5, the Apostle John speaks of Christ’s ministry of reconciliation in verses 23 and 28-29. In John 11:25, Jesus refers to Himself as “the Resurrection and the Life”.
Jesus makes this statement in John 10:30: “I and the Father are one”. In John 14:9, Jesus says, “he that has seen me has seen the Father”. In John 8:19, He proclaims, “if you knew me, you would know my Father also”. In John 5:23B, Jesus says, “He that honors not the son honors not the Father which has sent him”. Colossians 2:9 says, “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”. There is no qualitative difference between the Father and the Son.
In conclusion, consider the following quote from Richard Watson (Theological Institutes):“Of Christ, it will be observed that the titles of Jehovah, Lord, King, King of Israel, Redeemer, Savior, and other names of God are ascribed to Him, that He is invested with the attributes of eternity, omnipotence, ubiquity, infinite wisdom, holiness, goodness, etc., that He was the Leader, the visible King, and the object of the worship of Jews, that He forms the great subject of prophecy, and is spoken of in the predictions of the prophets in language, which if applied to men or to angels would by the Jews have been considered not as sacred idolatrous, and which, therefore, except that it agreed with their ancient faith, would totally have destroyed the credit of those writings, that He is eminently known both in the Old Testament and in the New, as the Son of God, an appellative which is sufficiently proved to have been considered as implying an assumption of Divinity by the circumstance that, for asserting it, our Lord was condemned to die as a blasphemer by the Jewish Sanhedrin, that He became incarnate in our nature, wrought miracles by His own original power, and not, as his servants, in the name of another, that He authoritatively forgave sin, that for the sake of His sacrifice, sin is forgiven to the end of the world, and for the sake of that alone, that he rose from the dead to seal all these pretensions to Divinity, that He is seated upon the throne of the universe, all power being given Him in heaven and in earth, that His inspired apostles exhibited Him as the creator of all things visible and invisible, the only wise God and our Savior, that they offer to Him the highest worship, that they trust in Him and command all others to trust in Him for eternal life, that He is the head over all things, that angels worship Him and render Him service, that He will raise the dead at the last day, judge the secrets of men’s hearts, and finally determine the everlasting state of the righteous and the wicked.”
Accepting the Word of God as absolute truth is critical for a strong relationship with God. Without that conviction, any Biblical account that man does not accept as true can be negotiated away as a difference of interpretation or opinion. This begins with an acceptance of the literal Biblical account of creation in six solar days in Genesis 1 and its place in human history. Although the secular world and even many Christians cannot accept creationism over evolutionism, the evidences for a young earth are overwhelming and become the strongest support of a literal interpretation of the creation story and therefore, the entire Bible.
If we trace our ancestry back to Adam through biblical genealogies, we come to the conclusion that man was created approximately 6,000 years ago. Since evolution teaches that the universe is 4.5 billion years old, we have a major difference of opinion. If the Bible is accurate, there should be real evidence. And there is.
Geological time clocks
There are a number of geological time clocks that support a young earth. These include:
The strength of the earth’s magnetic field has decreased 14% over the past 130 years. Given this same rate from the beginning, the earth could not support life as little as 10,000 years ago.
The sun is shrinking in size by 5 feet per second. At this same rate, the sun would have been twice its current size 100,000 years ago. The size and radiation of the sun could not support life 1,000,000 years ago.
Oil and natural gas are found in deposits of porous rock with many having extremely high pressure and this pressure would have been completely dissipated by now if they were more than 100,000 years old.
The erosional processes of wind and water provide evidence for a young earth. At its current rate, the continents could be completely eroded to sea level within 14,000,000 years.
The presence of comets in the universe suggests a young earth. Many scientists suggest that comets lifespan is not much more than 10,000 years.
When Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the moon, they expected to find 50 feet of cosmic dust on the surface when they landed. Instead, they found only a few inches, consistent with a young earth.
Noah’s flood explains it all
God’s greatest evidence for a young earth is supported by Noah’s flood, found in Genesis 7-8. The secular world has assigned millions and billions of years to the creation/evolution of the earth and universe with the ultimate goal being to explain away God as creator. But if the Biblical account is accurate, then it suggests that the earth and universe are young and the flood is a logical explanation for the existence of dinosaurs, unique geological formations (ie. the Grand Canyon), and even the continental divisions within that young earth paradigm.
On May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens, an active volcano in Washington erupted and the subsequent events demonstrated that a cataclysmic event like this could help explain realties that evolutionists assign millions of years to accomplish. Within a few months, the results of this eruption teach us that the stratified layers commonly characterizing geological formations can form very rapidly by flow processes. Such features have been formed quickly underwater in laboratory sedimentation tanks, and it should not surprise us to see that they have formed in a natural catastrophe. The same is true for “petrified” logs forming in Spirit Lake as well as a layer of peat accumulation suggesting that coal deposits do not have to take thousands of years to appear.
Dating inorganic material
There are a number of methods used to date inorganic materials (rocks, carbon). They are based on the science that radiometric elements are undergoing decay and gradually become a different element. For example, uranium is a parent element to decay into lead, its daughter element. Using modern scientific equipment, scientists attempt to date a sample by measuring the ratio of the parent and daughter elements. The results of these methods assign millions and even billions of years to various samples. These dating methods operate on three assumptions:
The system must have been initially made up of all parent elements and no daughter elements.
The rate of decay must have been constant from the moment the process was started.
The system must operate as a closed system. Nothing from the system can be taken away; nothing from outside the system can be added.
The fallacy of these assumptions is that they are not testable. One way to examine the accuracy of each method is to test a material of known age. There are many examples of rock formations like lava rock in Hawaii that the particular method dates as millions and even billions of years when the particular formation is only hundreds of years old. There are also many examples of the same sample being dated radically different, even billions of years different. How can anyone put confidence in these methods?
Dating organic material
The organic methods have similar issues. The carbon-14 dating system measures the existence of carbon-14 in living tissues to determine the date of death; the more carbon-14 present, the younger the age. Assumption behind this method include:
The amount of radioactive carbon in the earth’s atmosphere must be constant.
The decay rate must be the same in the past as it is today.
No contamination of radioactive carbon can occur since the death of the specimen.
There are many environmental factors which indicate that the rate of radioactive carbon has not been constant in the past, including the reduction of the power of the earth’s magnetic field, the increase in volcanic activity at different times in the past, variable solar flare activity, nuclear testing, and collisions of asteroids and meteorites with earth. These concerns make the results of any carbon-14 dating to be highly suspect at best.
Humankind looks young
According to the United Nations, the world population reached seven billion on October 31, 2011. If the biblical record is accurate, the 7+ billion people that exist today can trace their history back to Noah and his three sons, who survived the Flood some 4,500 years ago. The evolutionist believes that man first appeared 2.4 million years ago. If we look back over 400 years of human history and extrapolate the observed population growth, it suggests that it should take almost exactly 4,500 years for population to grow from the eight members of Noah’s family to its current level. To explain the millions of years of effectively no population growth required to support 2.4 million years of human history would take a major suspension of the rational mind to accept.
This young human history model is further supported by examination of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Research biologist Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson studied hundreds of mtDNA sequences representing all major people groups and found that all samples can trace their lineage back to three sources, representing the three wives of Noah’s sons. This research supports the conclusion that everyone alive today carries one of three unique ancestral maternal sequences. In addition, 4,500 years of history from three women would produce 115 mutations; it is observed by many studies that one mutation occurs every six generations. When we add eight mutations associated with the patriarchs prior to Noah and we come to 123 difference. This is supported by current study results.
Fossils look young
The existence of soft tissue found in some organic fossils also contradicts the evolutionist’s dating of dinosaurs as 65 million-80 million years. The soft tissue can only be explained in the context of a young earth. In addition, some dinosaur fossils found contain carbon-14 which is only possible in those less than 100,000 years old.
Conclusion
Given the fact that the theories of evolution or the creation model are not provable by direct evidence, at the very least the observable physical evidence should support the belief system we embrace. The fact that there has never been any “missing link” found which would support the current evolution model being taught, why would we abandon reason to accept such a theory and then base our entire world view on that theory. It takes a lot more faith to accept that position than to accept the Bible’s account as true.
References
McLean, Oakland, McLean. June 27, 2007. “The Evidence for Creation, Examining the Origin of Planet Earth”. 183 pages.
Thomas, Brian. January 1, 2020. “Why the World Looks So Young”. Institute for Creation Research.
C.S. Lewis once said, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” To fully appreciate the quality of the Christian life, the believer must appreciate the quality of forgiveness and be willing to pass it on. Making this connection real begins with an acceptance that the new covenant offers the believer total forgiveness for all sins, past, present and future. In Hebrews 8:12, “FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.” Like many biblical realities, the Scriptures contain illustrations that make the principle more acceptable. In John 8:1-11, Jesus purposely demonstrates the principle to His disciples and others.
The scene takes place in the temple, where Jesus is teaching the people. The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to Him, caught in the act of adultery, to test Jesus regarding the Law of Moses. He is asked what should be done to the woman. In Leviticus 20:10, the Law says, “If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” The Jewish leaders ask him if the woman should be stoned to death. Jesus’ response was to bend down and write on the ground with His finger. Their persistence resulted in Jesus challenging them with this statement, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” You know the story; as Jesus wrote again on the ground, each accuser began walking away, beginning with the oldest.
The need for a witness
The legal issues surrounding this event require a closer examination. First, Leviticus 20:10 says that both the adulterer and adulteress should die. The leaders were only accusing the adulteress; where is the adulterer? Secondly, it is interesting to note that the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 17:7) requires that in cases of capital punishment, a witness should throw the first stone. But the Law also says in Deuteronomy 17:6-7 that capital punishment requires that there be two or three witnesses. Where are the witnesses? None of these requirements were met. Jesus was challenging the administration of the Law of Moses, that it should be completely lawful and the Pharisees were being selective in its application.
Looking closer at the events, we see a deeper meaning. In James 4:12, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy.” Compare that verse to Exodus 31:18 which says that the two tablets of stone were written with the finger of God and you begin to see that Jesus, the Lawgiver wrote the old covenant with his finger and He is now writing with His finger on the ground. The Lawgiver is writing a new covenant. He is not only writing it, but also demonstrating it.
Sin no more
Back to John 8, Jesus is now alone with the woman who had been accused. Jesus asks her if there is anyone left to condemn her and she responds no. Now Jesus reveals the truth of the new covenant, found in Romans 8:1, that, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Jesus tells her He does not condemn her either. Then He makes this amazing statement which is the purpose of the new covenant, “Go. From now on sin no more.” The old covenant condemns, the new covenant does not; the old covenant is concerned with punishment while the new covenant is focused on sinning no more. Living in the reality of forgiveness of all sin because of what Jesus did enables the believer to live in victory. This passage in the Gospel of John is graphically illustrating that the new covenant provides full forgiveness.
Total forgiveness of sins through the Messiah is also foretold in the Old Testament account of Joshua the high priest in Zechariah 3:1-5. It tells that Joshua was standing before “the angel of the Lord”, a reference to Jesus Christ and Satan was accusing Joshua, as evidenced by his filthy garments. The Lord rebukes Satan and in verse 4, Jesus says, “Remove the filthy garments from him.”, and then, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” Jesus then commanded to “Let them put a clean turban on his head”, signifying that Joshua’s priesthood was restored. In 1 Peter 2:5 and 9, Peter recognizes the new covenant believer as a part of a holy and royal priesthood.
Man’s ability to walk in the new covenant is related to his understanding and acceptance that all of his failures, mistakes, rebellion against authority, immorality, broken promises, lies, etc. have been completely paid for by the work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. The more one comes to appreciate the depth of his depravity, the more he will recognize the quality of the payment Jesus made for him. It becomes motivation to acknowledge the holiness of God and live with an eye toward that holiness.
Luke 7:44-50
“44 Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 ‘You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46 ‘You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 ‘For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ 48 Then He said to her, ‘Your sins have been forgiven.’ 49 Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, ‘Who is this man who even forgives sins?’ 50 And He said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'”
The woman in this passage was most likely a prostitute who had found forgiveness in Jesus and was expressing her “forgiven-ness” by demonstrating devotion to Jesus when she kissed his feet and poured perfume on His feet. She was willing to accept His forgiveness and it became a great teaching lesson for His disciples. Until His disciples could see themselves as sinners in need of forgiveness, like any prostitute, they would not be able to fulfill the divine call God had on their lives to bring the Gospel to the world after Jesus’ ascension. As Jesus says in verse 50, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Like the woman caught in the act of adultery, she was encouraged to go, living in the reality of her salvation. Being forgiven is a work of God; living in “forgiven-ness” is the result of the acceptance of man’s fallenness and the awesome provision of God for that fallenness by His grace.
When you want to get to know someone, you cannot rely on the five senses to tell you who a person really is. The real person lies somewhere beneath. What a person says and what he does tells so much more about the real person underneath. The same principle can be applied to God. Since He is Spirit (John 4:24), we cannot see or hear Him with our senses, but we can get to know Him by what He says and what He does. What He says, the Word of God gives us real insight into how He thinks and what are His motives. In Revelation 15:3, “And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!’” What He does confirms everything we need to know about who He is.
Psalm 66:1-7
“1 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; 2 Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You. 4 All the earth will worship You, and will sing praises to You; they will sing praises to Your name.’ Selah. 5 Come and see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot; there let us rejoice in Him! 7 He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves.”
A story is told about a young boy on an airplane who happened to be sitting next to a seminary professor. The boy was a diligent Sunday school student, and he was in the middle of reading a take-home newsletter. The professor, noticing the boy’s choice of literature, decided to engage the boy in conversation. He said, “Son, if you can tell me one thing that God can do, I’ll give you a big, shiny apple.” The boy thought for a minute and replied, “Mister, if you can tell me something that God can’t do, I’ll give you a whole barrel of apples!”
The greatness of God is most clearly demonstrated by His works and the way He carries out His will. When He promises that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6), we can believe it. He has not only the ability to do it, but also the desire. In Ecclesiastes 7:13, “Consider the work of God, for who is able to straighten what He has bent?” We can be confident not only that God will do it, but also that no one can undo it. In Genesis 2:2, “By the seventh day, God completed His work which He had done” and then He rested. God wants us to find our rest in the fact that He has rested from His work (Hebrews 4:10). But how?
Working the works of God
Jesus taught His disciples in John 6:28-29, “’Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ 29 Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’” This means that our faith in Jesus connects us to His work. When Jesus left behind the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, He was equipping His disciples to fulfill the work that He began. By faith, “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”. The work of God becomes our work and we learn how to walk in His works on the basis of faith. Romans 4:4-5 says, “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4
“2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, 4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;”
Paul commends the church at Thessaloniki because their works were motivated by their faith, their labor came from agape love and their steadfastness was the result of their hope in the Lord. These are the three most precious motives any believer can have (1Corinthians 13:13). They bring him into full compliance with the will of God since they are eternal realties. If God is to work through man, it is because man has embraced His heart for every matter. 1 John 4:12 says, “No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.” The manifestation of His love is evident in the way the believer treats his fellow man.
Daniel 4:1-3
“1 Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: ‘May your peace abound! 2 ‘It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. 3 ‘How great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation.’”
Even the most powerful non-believers can recognize the wonderous works of the Most High God on behalf of His creation. These are the clearest evidences of His dominion “from generation to generation.”
This article is a collaboration with Levaire author, Yaneke Lewis.
Relationships, dating and marriage; to put it politely, they can be a real bugger.
Our romantic relationships don’t often start as curses though, do they? No, not at all. In fact, if a budding relationship starts off too roughly, we’re usually keen to cut if off at the root before we get too invested. When that happens, most of us simply sweep the attempt aside and say we weren’t a good match. We may be disappointed, even hurt or rejected, but we move on. We minimize to normalize. We forgive (hopefully) and we forget (most certainly).
“There are plenty of fish in the sea,” we say. I no longer believe that, but that’s what we say.
Our marginally healthier relationships often begin similarly, full of long talks, hours of easy conversation and laughter, genuine interest and attraction. Sure, there may be warning signs early on—if we were looking for them—but the excitement and newness behind the possibility of mutual “love” and adoration shines a light that easily fades any potential hints of future darkness.
So, if all goes well, we may marry. Hope wins (for the moment.)
From bright adventure to faded glory
At first, married life can be great; an absolute adventure. But let’s notice one thing about almost all the fairy tales, books, movies and television shows we’ve ever consumed: precious few of them include the mundane minutiae we experience in our day-to-day journey through life. If they did, we would almost certainly get bored and close the book or change the channel.
From our earliest years, our programming has romanticized the events of life and has neglected to prepare us for the life between the events.
For many, we find ourselves locked into married life—all of it—for better or for worse, ‘til death do us part. For many, at first, this seems like a dream fulfilled.
In time, we may find the luster on our beloved spouse begins to fade. Often that starts with the little things. Maybe we notice they keep leaving the cap off the toothpaste. Or they leave the toilet seat up. Or they leave their clothes on the floor. Maybe it’s morning breath. Maybe that cute mannerism we used to adore now looks more like an annoying tick. Our rose-colored glasses take on a few scratches.
Life gets busy and what was once a commitment to do life together often becomes doing life separately but under the same roof. In time and without intention, we drift apart. Our interests shift. The gaps between love notes and romantic expressions grow. Our love and adoration ebb. Our words get harsher, our patience shorter. We no longer fight for each other as much as we fight with each other.
Add to this the pressures of raising children, the demands of work life, bills, responsibilities and a myriad of worldly concerns and eventually, we may wonder what we ever saw in our spouse at all. We compromise, we bite our tongues, we lose our tempers, we complain to our family and friends to gather support and evidence. We may even seek marital counseling and still, the nagging feeling we’ve made a mistake looms.
We feel trapped.
Divorce—or a life sentenced to a dead marriage—seem to be our only two options.
Where is God in all of this?
Up to this point, maybe you’ve noticed I haven’t mentioned God in this picture at all. I haven’t quoted a single Bible verse. This is because, largely—whether you’re a card-carrying Christian or whether you can’t even spell “God”—this pattern I’ve described is a common one in the decline of marriage.
But as Christians, what would God have us do in the face of a failing marriage? When every fiber of our being seems to scream, “I’M DONE!”, what is it He would have us to do? If we believe the Bible is the Word of God, what does God say about divorce?
Though infidelity, addiction, abandonment, violence, poor communication, money problems and a host of other sins can accelerate the decision to divorce, are these all Biblical grounds for divorce?
Here are five Scriptural truths to consider.
Truth #1: It’s not your life.
To begin with, once you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your life is not your own; not that it ever was. That self-deception should be on its way out.
“What then? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, who you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Claiming Jesus as Lord over your life means you now live for Him. You now have a new owner. You’re under new management. After all, you were bought.
Therefore, we defer to the Living Word for our direction and to the Written Word for our final authority, regardless of how we feel or what we think. Our feelings and circumstances are temporary, but His Word is everlasting. This truth should be the guide to every facet of our daily lives, marriage included.
Truth #2: Trust in God; not your wayward spouse.
When it looks like our marriage is rushing headlong into the rocks, what do we do? Do we trust God? I mean, do we really trust God? Or do we take matters into our own hands?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
If we’re trying to control our significant other, their behavior or our situation, we are taking justice into our own hands. Some common tactics may be manipulation, negotiation, self-defense, neglect, threatening, guilting, begging, lying, yelling; the list goes on. Our spouse’s behavior might take us by surprise, and going on the defensive, we may automatically react with the tools we most understand. Suffice it to say, this far too often does not look like Jesus’ example!
There is an old story of a scorpion and a frog that may help illustrate what you’re dealing with if you find yourself struggling with your spouse. This illustration works particularly well if your spouse is (or is living like) an unbeliever.
One day, a scorpion approaches a frog readying to cross a river. The scorpion asks for a ride, but the alarmed frog declines, sure the scorpion will simply sting the frog once they get to the other side. The scorpion promises the frog it will not be stung when they land, so the wary frog agrees to let the scorpion climb onto its back. As the pair are about halfway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog. As they both begin to drown, the frog cries out, “Why!?” The scorpion answers, “Well, I’m still a scorpion.”
In this account, the scorpion was true to its nature. Scorpions sting. If we consider the nature of an unbeliever—someone who is living apart from the revelation of God, the saving lordship of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—we can expect to be stung occasionally. Jesus said it best in John 15:5 when He said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
I believe—if we truly trust that God will carry us through our trials—we will press into Him when our relationship woes flare up. We do this, not from a frantic, emergency-mode mindset, but to call on the One who is very present in trouble. (Well, we might freak out once or twice, but it shouldn’t be our norm to throw our ailing relationship at God when we need His help, then forget to give it to Him during our happier moments.)
Committing our relationship to God should be our habit. This does not mean our relationship will always go smoothly. What it does mean is that we’ll have all the strength we need to weather the storms; a strength that is ours if we’ll simply turn our spouses over to Jesus again and again.
Ultimately, if our spouses are not being regularly filled with the Holy Spirit, they will not be able to offer us much light or life, both of which come through Jesus. Until that happens, expecting them to fill our emotional or spiritual needs is misplaced. This is like trying to quench our thirst by drinking from a dry cup. Hence, we direct our hope and trust towards God.
But just so we’re clear, the same is true for you. If you are not growing closer to God regularly, what light are you really offering your spouse?
Truth #3: What would love do?
You have heard it said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward is that? Do not even the tax collectors do that? And if you salute your brethren only, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do that? Be therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)
Feel like a tall order? If one who was once your best friend has somehow become your household enemy, this heart posture can seem near impossible to achieve or maintain. Here is where we want to reconnect with our true identity and the love we have been crafted for.
Genesis 1:26-27 says we were originally made in God’s image. That image was destroyed when Adam ate from the tree. When God called, “Where are you?” to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, do you really believe our all-knowing Father didn’t know where they were? I believe this call was a heart-cry of separation, like Jesus’ heart-cry when He hung from the cross and experienced the separation of sin for the first time: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)
God knew exactly what had happened, just as He knew it would happen.
In what must have been a violent, painful instant, God’s children were spiritually severed from Him; and not just them, but all creation that had been placed under their dominion—the entire earth. Adam and Eve’s spiritual death in Eden through the first human rebellion destroyed them, just as God promised it would. God was separated from His creation through sin (as there is no sin in Him) and with sin comes death and brokenness, whether spiritual, mental, financial, physical or relational.
What kind of crazy love shares its own life with a creation, knowing in advance that creation would willfully and painfully break off from its source and run headlong into self-destruction?
What kind of crazy love picks almost complete and recurring rejection, generation after generation after generation?
What kind of crazy love already has the rescue plan crafted in advance, even in the face of this future rebellion and rejection?
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that through Him the world might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
Enter Jesus, the Spotless Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Our perfect atonement for sin. The Way, the Truth and the Life. As the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15), Jesus’ crucifixion on a tree recovers what Adam lost when he ate from the tree. As the curse came through Adam unto all the earth, Jesus took the whole curse upon Himself. As Adam lost his spiritual appearance at his transgression, Jesus lost his physical appearance paying for our transgression (Isaiah 52:14). God’s “I love you” was sent loud and clear, from a Roman cross to a dying world, 2,000 years ago.
God, is it any wonder You took delight in Jesus’ destruction? You see the long game. You see Your creation loving You back, restored back to You, made whole in You, walking in perfect communion with You. The prodigal people returning to their Father, greeted with an embrace and a kiss and a celebration.
“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:10-12)
That is the love that we’ve been created for. And that is the love we’re called to. That is the image we’re called to. Love takes no account of its own, and now, neither do we.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Truth #4: We’re being sanctified along with our lost spouse.
And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she departs, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
But to the rest I speak, not the Lord: If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is pleased to stay with him, let him not divorce her. And the woman who has an unbelieving husband, if he is pleased to stay with her, let her not leave him.
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: God has called us to peace.
For who knows, O wife, whether you shall save your husband? Or how do you know, O man, whether you will save your wife? (1 Corinthians 7:10-16)
If we looked beyond the personal pain of a disappointing marriage, we would recognize an opportunity: that of soul-winning.
But this contradicts the intention with which we marry in the first place, doesn’t it? Whether we want to admit it or not, each partner has placed his or herself at the forefront of their marital fantasy. So, when the real tests come along—demanding a sacrificial care be given to one we’re no longer enamored with—marriage becomes hard.
If you are a believer, you have the spiritual advantage. Your faithfulness, enduringly displayed to a wayward spouse, may provide just the witness they need to be saved and restored.
If your spouse’s behavior bears unsaved or backslidden fruit, this is the time, Believer, that he or she needs you the most. God declared in Ezekiel 22:30 and Isaiah 59:15-16, that He sought for a man to stand in the gap; an intercessor. Was that at a time of holiness and consecration among His people? No. In fact, it was at a time when God’s own people were at the brink of harsh judgement, and deservingly so! Yet God still wanted and sought for an opportunity to spare them.
God wanted an intercessor for His wayward people. He wants you to be a sanctifier for your wayward spouse. But if you give into your great burden and leave, where will the opportunity be? Who will be the sanctifier? How then would a soul be saved?
“But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For who knows, O wife, whether you shall save your husband? Or how do you know, O man, whether you will save your wife?” (1 Corinthians 7:15-16)
Truth #5: Divorce is not God’s will for us.
The Pharisees also came to him, tempting him, and saying unto him, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”
And he answered and said unto them, “Have you not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and for this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh? So they are no longer separate, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not break apart.”
They said to him, “Why then did Moses command to give a writing of divorce, and to put her away?”
He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whosoever divorces his wife, aside from fornication, and marries another, commits adultery; and whomever marries her who is divorced also commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:3-9)
With God the Father as our example, and Jesus the Lamb of God as our example, it becomes understandably clear that divorce is never God’s perfect will. So much so, that marriage has been selected by God to illustrate the relationship of Christ with the Church. That’s special!
It’s significant to think about what caused the first divorce case to arise. It wasn’t infidelity. It wasn’t spousal abuse. It wasn’t an “irreconcilable difference”. It wasn’t any other reason we give before the courts these days. Jesus put the blame on only one factor: hardness of the heart. Hardness of the heart translates and manifests into unforgiveness, impatience, anger and self-centeredness. Hardness of the heart keeps a record of offences. It’s always had enough. Hardness of the heart is the arch nemesis of marital union.
So unbreakable is the marriage bond that there are only two biblical provisions for divorce:
Infidelity: In Matthew 5, our Lord establishes infidelity as grounds for divorce. “It has been said, ‘Whoever puts away (divorces) his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement’, but I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away (divorces) his wife, except in the case of fornication, causes her to commit adultery: and whoever marries she who is divorced commits adultery.” (Matthew 5:31-32)
Death: The second biblical foundation for divorce is given in 1 Corinthians: “The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:39)
Hardness of the heart wants to quit before death us do part.
The call to sacrificial love
The same marital challenges that tend to harden our hearts provide us a rich opportunity to shine forth what marriage is all about: true, self-sacrificing love. Yes, it may seem like you’re the only one giving, but that’s not to be taken as a punishment. You are blessed to be a partaker with Christ.
“Therefore, if your enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink: for in so doing, you shall heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19-21)
