There are many verses in the Bible that help us to realise that we can have complete confidence in our eternal life. Probably the most famous is John 3:16, where Jesus himself says:
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
I’ve long found the very next verse (John 3:17) equally interesting & encouraging, it reads:
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
So there Jesus is telling us why he came into the world, to SAVE the world, i.e. the people of the world.
How does that work?
If we believe in Jesus the Christ (Messiah) then we will be saved from the sure & certain eternal punishment for our wrong-doings (sin), which comes on the Day of God’s Judgement - an unavoidable day that is to come for us all.
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” This is actually a very hopeful message, because it shows JUST HOW committed God the Father is, through the actions of God the Son (on the cross) to save the world. The way TO BE saved is completely open. Nothing is stopping you from being saved right now - wow!
But the Good News gets even better! In the first part of John 3:18 Jesus says:
“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.” So if you’re worried about the coming, completely unavoidable judgement of God, where ALL OUR SECRET SINS & WRONG-DOINGS will be laid bare for all to see... YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE! Because accepting Jesus as your own Lord & Saviour (becoming a Christian) means that John 3:18 comes into play FOR YOU: “There is NO JUDGMENT AGAINST ANYONE who believes in him.” Christians will not face judgement, because the blood of Jesus on the cross wipes away all our sins - & God makes a promise never to keep a record of our wrong-doings [1] & [2] - how FANTASTIC is that!
Why don’t people want to become Christians?
If we do not accept Jesus as the Saviour of our lives, then obviously the judgement of God remains upon us, as John 3:18 goes on to prove:
“But anyone who does not believe in him [Jesus] has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this FACT: God’s light came into the world [that is Jesus came], but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”
You have the reason why people will not accept Jesus as Saviour of their lives right there: “All who do evil hate the light [that is, Jesus] and REFUSE to go near it FOR FEAR THEIR SINS WILL BE EXPOSED.” But guess what guys? Your sins WILL be exposed, for all to see, UNLESS you take option A & become a Christian! That’s just the way it is.
As we just read: “20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.” All people have been given a conscience, a moral compass, & that is one way that God helps us to know for ourselves what is right & what is wrong. We KNOW, inside our own minds, if our actions & intentions are right or wrong. So we have no excuse for choosing to do wrong. God didn’t want us to be in doubt about that.
Walking into the light.
It is interesting to note that in contrast to people who CHOOSE to remain in darkness & continually choose to run their own life into the eternal fiery pits of hell...
“21 But those who DO WHAT IS RIGHT [become Christians] come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
I hadn’t noticed that last bit before, “... so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” Jesus points out here that it is FANTASTIC to come to the light for our own sake; to be saved from our own sins; to come to close friendship with God (who lives in the light). But Jesus is also pointing out in the verse that there is purpose & a by-product of “coming into the light”, & it is that OTHER PEOPLE can see that we are “doing what God wants.” In other words, people can have an example to follow. They can see people being saved (becoming Christians) & going on in a positive, encouraging, life-affirming way. This “step towards the light” is called obedience elsewhere in the Bible. People who are obedient walk into the light, & get all the benefits of the light - and there are MANY!
Bible References
John 3:16-21 (NLT)
16 [Jesus said] “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
[1]
Hebrews 8:12 (NLT)
[God says] “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
[2]
Psalm 103:10-13 (NLT)
“10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him*
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 HE HAS REMOVED OUR SINS AS FAR FROM US
AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him*.”
* "Fear” refers to reverence; worshipful acknowledgement of the awesomeness of God. Not as in fearful running away from God!
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Friday, 8 November 2013
Thursday, 10 January 2013
We walk by faith, not by sight
I encountered this phrase in some on-line preaching the other day, “we walk by faith & not by sight” & it seemed to be used to justify a message of sucess & prosperity for us modern Christians. I wondered if that was what the phrase originally meant. He’s my findings, observations & conclusions:
2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (AMP)
6 So then, we are always full of good and hopeful and confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with the Lord [that is promised us]. 7 For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervour; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (ANIV)
7 We live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)
7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (MSG)
6 That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. 7 It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. 8 Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.
When I looked at a commentary to find out what was meant, it said this:
‘What sustained Paul was the realization that this was a temporary and transitory state (2 Cor. 4:18). He focused not on present but on future conditions, not on the seen but the unseen. To live this way is to live by faith, not by sight. It is to live in light of ultimate rather than immediate realities (cf. Rom. 8:24-25), to be obedient to God’s commands despite the hardships that obedience produces (e.g., 2 Cor. 11:23-29). Such was Paul’s life. If the choice were his, he would have seized the opportunity to depart this pilgrimage life and take up residence (be at home) with the Lord (Phil. 1:21-23). But the constraints of his commission caused him to press on (cf. Phil. 1:24; Eph. 3:1-13).’
(source: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.)
Can we legitimately quote this verse to say that we will have success & prosperity in our lives? I’m sure I’ve heard some Christians say that “We live by faith, not by sight” & go to use that as a justification for expecting success & prosperity to come to them. They say we can expect success & have prosperity when we live by faith & not by sight. But is that what this verse is actually saying?
And that question opens up the question of interpreting what we read in the Bible.
How can we be sure that we are reading a verse or chapter correctly... as it was originally meant to be read? The answer may be in the context. Taking a verse out of context & just reading it on it’s own can be misleading for us. So, in order to understand what Paul was actually saying in this verse, we need to read the previous & next few verses; to examine the whole chapter perhaps. Then, once we know the context, we can be more certain that we understand what Paul was actually writing about.
So, what was Paul writing about?
In the previous chapter Paul was writing about determination in fearlessly preaching the Gospel of Jesus the Christ & concludes that what we see on earth is only temporary, but unseen things are eternal. In chapter 5, Paul continues by writing a comparison between living on earth in our mortal bodies, & living in heaven with eternal, imperishable bodies. He even says that one purpose of the Holy Spirit within us is to give us a little taste of what heaven will be like. Paul’s writing (chapter 5, verses 1-10) builds up towards the day of Judgement, concluding that we will receive a ‘reward’ depending on what we have done in our earthly bodies: who we have lived for.
So, can we legitimately appropriate verse 7 “We live by faith, not by sight”, to mean that we will have success & prosperity whilst we live on earth? Is Paul writing about success & prosperity whilst we live on earth within these verses & chapter?
When I read it, Paul is writing a comparison between life on earth & life in heaven. In verse 6 Paul writes, ‘So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.’ To me, that speaks of the tension that exists between living here on an imperfect, sinful earth in mortal bodies when compared to what it will be like when we are clothed in a new, eternal body in a perfect, sinless heaven. That sounds like spiritual tension to me!
Verse 8, says ‘Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.’ And verse 9 says that our goal (whether on earth or in heaven) is to please the Lord.
So, it seems to me that Paul isn’t writing a ‘prosperity on earth’ message in verse 7. Therefore, to use verse 7 in that way, to justify a “success & prosperity on earth” message seems a ‘stretch’ at the very least.
The danger of taking a verse out of context.
There is a ‘danger’ of taking one verse, out of context, & applying it to a different situation. If a verse when read in context means one thing, then it would be daft to try to use that verse out of context, to ‘twist’ it to say something that the author never meant when it was originally written. Interpretation is a rather subjective thing!
Then again, we believe that the Holy Bible is living & active, & that multiple meanings can be applied to the scriptures. Certainly God is quite capable of getting us to notice a verse & to ‘speak’ to us about it, in terms of a different situation, condition or meaning. In this way, the verse we read CAN have multiple meanings.
Can we interpret the Bible, based on the character of God, as revealed in the Bible?
Another ‘angle’ would be to ask what the Lord God is like, as a person, & what He might want from us, or to give to us. It seems to me that the Bible DOES INDEED promise lots of good things for us. I don’t think it is beyond the realms of reason to interpret the Bible in that God wants to bless us with success & prosperity. Although someone else will always point to Jesus Himself saying, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 (ANIV) ) There are other verses where Jesus, the prophets & the apostles spoke/wrote of trials, difficulties & hard times that we should expect as Christians.
I suppose I am trying to figure out here what we can legitimately expect in our Christian life. On the one hand we have the promises of God in the Bible & the “success & prosperity” preaching of modern Christians. On the other we have the Bible, Jesus, prophets & apostles talking about trials & facing hardships, difficulties, even death, as we live out our Christian lives.
Maybe that is why it is so important to get to know the character & nature of God, because in situations where your interpretation of what you read in the Bible can ‘take you’ to one place (positivity) or the other (negativity), in the end, your interpretation can be based on what you think about the character & nature of God: either He is your rescuer & is ultimately for you & will grant you success & prosperity, or He is for you, but situations & circumstances that are worldly, difficult & tough to overcome will inevitably come into your life.
Which will we encounter, success & prosperity, or trials & tribulations? I think we will probably encounter both!
I think the Bible ‘proves’ that God is for us. So that ought to give us confidence. But even though God is definitely FOR us, we also need to realise that this fact won’t stop bad things happening to us in this earthly life. And even some of those bad things are a result of us being in close fellowship with the Lord, i.e. persecution due to our Christianity.
Personal goal
I just want to know the truth. That’s what I’m interested in knowing. What is God saying to me, at the time I am reading a particular verse in the Bible?
I’m not trying to be clever when I talk about reading a verse in context. My motive is to get to know the truth.
I need to be wise enough to read any given verse in context, but I also need to have faith that God can use any given verse to mean what ever He wants it to mean, in all the times & situations of my life.
Conclusions:
1) God is for us. He is our rescuer, advocate & helper in times of trouble. I think the Bible ‘proves’ that this is so.
2) God wants to prosper us & give us success.
3) We will be tried, tested, face difficulties & may even be persecuted due to our faith in Jesus the Christ.
4) We will face problems, hassles, ‘aggro’, & issues that make us flip! Bad things do happen to good people. But that doesn’t mean that God isn’t for us 100%, or that the world is out of His control.
2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (AMP)
6 So then, we are always full of good and hopeful and confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with the Lord [that is promised us]. 7 For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervour; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (ANIV)
7 We live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)
7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (MSG)
6 That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. 7 It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. 8 Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.
When I looked at a commentary to find out what was meant, it said this:
‘What sustained Paul was the realization that this was a temporary and transitory state (2 Cor. 4:18). He focused not on present but on future conditions, not on the seen but the unseen. To live this way is to live by faith, not by sight. It is to live in light of ultimate rather than immediate realities (cf. Rom. 8:24-25), to be obedient to God’s commands despite the hardships that obedience produces (e.g., 2 Cor. 11:23-29). Such was Paul’s life. If the choice were his, he would have seized the opportunity to depart this pilgrimage life and take up residence (be at home) with the Lord (Phil. 1:21-23). But the constraints of his commission caused him to press on (cf. Phil. 1:24; Eph. 3:1-13).’
(source: The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty.)
Can we legitimately quote this verse to say that we will have success & prosperity in our lives? I’m sure I’ve heard some Christians say that “We live by faith, not by sight” & go to use that as a justification for expecting success & prosperity to come to them. They say we can expect success & have prosperity when we live by faith & not by sight. But is that what this verse is actually saying?
And that question opens up the question of interpreting what we read in the Bible.
How can we be sure that we are reading a verse or chapter correctly... as it was originally meant to be read? The answer may be in the context. Taking a verse out of context & just reading it on it’s own can be misleading for us. So, in order to understand what Paul was actually saying in this verse, we need to read the previous & next few verses; to examine the whole chapter perhaps. Then, once we know the context, we can be more certain that we understand what Paul was actually writing about.
So, what was Paul writing about?
In the previous chapter Paul was writing about determination in fearlessly preaching the Gospel of Jesus the Christ & concludes that what we see on earth is only temporary, but unseen things are eternal. In chapter 5, Paul continues by writing a comparison between living on earth in our mortal bodies, & living in heaven with eternal, imperishable bodies. He even says that one purpose of the Holy Spirit within us is to give us a little taste of what heaven will be like. Paul’s writing (chapter 5, verses 1-10) builds up towards the day of Judgement, concluding that we will receive a ‘reward’ depending on what we have done in our earthly bodies: who we have lived for.
So, can we legitimately appropriate verse 7 “We live by faith, not by sight”, to mean that we will have success & prosperity whilst we live on earth? Is Paul writing about success & prosperity whilst we live on earth within these verses & chapter?
When I read it, Paul is writing a comparison between life on earth & life in heaven. In verse 6 Paul writes, ‘So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.’ To me, that speaks of the tension that exists between living here on an imperfect, sinful earth in mortal bodies when compared to what it will be like when we are clothed in a new, eternal body in a perfect, sinless heaven. That sounds like spiritual tension to me!
Verse 8, says ‘Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.’ And verse 9 says that our goal (whether on earth or in heaven) is to please the Lord.
So, it seems to me that Paul isn’t writing a ‘prosperity on earth’ message in verse 7. Therefore, to use verse 7 in that way, to justify a “success & prosperity on earth” message seems a ‘stretch’ at the very least.
The danger of taking a verse out of context.
There is a ‘danger’ of taking one verse, out of context, & applying it to a different situation. If a verse when read in context means one thing, then it would be daft to try to use that verse out of context, to ‘twist’ it to say something that the author never meant when it was originally written. Interpretation is a rather subjective thing!
Then again, we believe that the Holy Bible is living & active, & that multiple meanings can be applied to the scriptures. Certainly God is quite capable of getting us to notice a verse & to ‘speak’ to us about it, in terms of a different situation, condition or meaning. In this way, the verse we read CAN have multiple meanings.
Can we interpret the Bible, based on the character of God, as revealed in the Bible?
Another ‘angle’ would be to ask what the Lord God is like, as a person, & what He might want from us, or to give to us. It seems to me that the Bible DOES INDEED promise lots of good things for us. I don’t think it is beyond the realms of reason to interpret the Bible in that God wants to bless us with success & prosperity. Although someone else will always point to Jesus Himself saying, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 (ANIV) ) There are other verses where Jesus, the prophets & the apostles spoke/wrote of trials, difficulties & hard times that we should expect as Christians.
I suppose I am trying to figure out here what we can legitimately expect in our Christian life. On the one hand we have the promises of God in the Bible & the “success & prosperity” preaching of modern Christians. On the other we have the Bible, Jesus, prophets & apostles talking about trials & facing hardships, difficulties, even death, as we live out our Christian lives.
Maybe that is why it is so important to get to know the character & nature of God, because in situations where your interpretation of what you read in the Bible can ‘take you’ to one place (positivity) or the other (negativity), in the end, your interpretation can be based on what you think about the character & nature of God: either He is your rescuer & is ultimately for you & will grant you success & prosperity, or He is for you, but situations & circumstances that are worldly, difficult & tough to overcome will inevitably come into your life.
Which will we encounter, success & prosperity, or trials & tribulations? I think we will probably encounter both!
I think the Bible ‘proves’ that God is for us. So that ought to give us confidence. But even though God is definitely FOR us, we also need to realise that this fact won’t stop bad things happening to us in this earthly life. And even some of those bad things are a result of us being in close fellowship with the Lord, i.e. persecution due to our Christianity.
Personal goal
I just want to know the truth. That’s what I’m interested in knowing. What is God saying to me, at the time I am reading a particular verse in the Bible?
I’m not trying to be clever when I talk about reading a verse in context. My motive is to get to know the truth.
I need to be wise enough to read any given verse in context, but I also need to have faith that God can use any given verse to mean what ever He wants it to mean, in all the times & situations of my life.
Conclusions:
1) God is for us. He is our rescuer, advocate & helper in times of trouble. I think the Bible ‘proves’ that this is so.
2) God wants to prosper us & give us success.
3) We will be tried, tested, face difficulties & may even be persecuted due to our faith in Jesus the Christ.
4) We will face problems, hassles, ‘aggro’, & issues that make us flip! Bad things do happen to good people. But that doesn’t mean that God isn’t for us 100%, or that the world is out of His control.
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