The Pillar of Cloud and Fire

“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.  The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”  Exodus 13:21-22

This passage teaches us three great truths about how our Lord guides his people.  We learn in the first place that our Lord goes before us.  The picture is not of the Lord pressing behind us or of him walking beside us.  No, the text says, “And the LORD went before them.”  The Good Shepherd was in front taking an active role in leading his flock.  The people followed behind him.  When our Lord goes before us, we know that it is he who decides where we shall go, and it is he who shall first meet our enemies.  We will never get lost if we stay behind the Lord.  We will always be safe if we stay in the shadow of his pillar by day or in the light of his fire by night.  The Israelites were leaving Egypt the land of their slavery and heading for Canaan their Promised Land.  In between they would face a journey in the wilderness.  So they desperately needed the guidance of God.  The deliverance and journey of Israel is a pattern of the deliverance and journey of the Church.  We were enslaved to sin.  God delivered us from the tyranny of sin and the devil through Jesus.  We are now headed to our Promised Land in heaven.  We must follow our Lord through the sufferings of this present wilderness because he is leading us to the city whose designer and builder is God.  The second lesson in the text is that our Lord provides what we need to follow him in both the light and the darkness.  God always gives us exactly what we need.  God desired his people to travel by day and by night in order to make it to their Promised Land.  So he gave them a pillar of cloud which would be visible by day and a pillar of fire to illumine their steps by night.  The Lord did not hide himself from his people.  He revealed himself and made his way known.  In the same way, we must trust that the Lord has given us all the resources and guidance that we need today.  Today he does not lead us by a pillar of cloud and fire.  He leads us by his Word and Spirit.  He does not ask us to search the hidden decrees of his mind or to try to interpret the riddles of providence.  If he wanted us to know more, he would make it clear to us.  “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).  When our God desires to lead his people, he is not a God who whispers in the shadows but a God who appears in the open to make his way known.  We know that the Lord provided all that his people needed.  Later when his people were hungry and thirsty, he gave them bread from heaven and water from a rock.  He always provided exactly what the people required.  No good thing does our Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11b).  The third truth in the passage is perhaps the greatest of all.  Here we see that our Lord does not depart from us.  It says, “The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”  The leading of the Lord was not a mirage in the wilderness.  It was real.  And the people were never abandoned.  The Lord will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5b).  He shall not abandon his people who are his heritage and portion.  He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and places beneath us the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27).  When we lose our way, he seeks us and finds us.  Sometimes we do not know what to do, but we set our eyes on the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:12c).  He will show us where he wants us to go when the time is right.  In the meantime we must wait on him and stay behind him.  He goes before us.  He gives us what we need.  And he shall never abandon us.  Jesus taught us the same when he said, “Behold, I am with you always even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).  Always.  Christians are pilgrims, and as we journey to our heavenly home let us keep before us that our Lord leads us to the place he has prepared for us.  Let us lift up our heads, strengthen our weak knees, and walk in his ways! 

After Death: Jesus

“Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”  2 Corinthians 5:8

“I am hard pressed between the two.  My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”  Philippians 1:23

What happens to Christians after they die?  We depart this life to be with Jesus.  The Bible speaks of three conditions of our life.  The first condition is our life “in the body” (2 Corinthians 5:6).  This refers to our present life on earth.  The second condition is “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).  This describes our life after death but before the resurrection.  Theologians call this the intermediate state because it is the period in between death and the resurrection.  The third condition is “in the resurrection” (Matthew 22:30).  This is our life in our glorified existence.  When Jesus returns to earth, he will resurrect our bodies, and we shall dwell with him on a renewed earth.  “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).  He “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:21).  When Christians die, our bodies are buried, but our spirits immediately pass into the presence of God.  Jesus proclaimed to the thief on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).  Christians need not wait until the resurrection in order to be with Christ in Paradise.  Paul describes this state as being “at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8) and as being “far better” (Philippians 1:23) than his life on earth.  Shorter Catechism 37 asks, “What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?”  The answer is, “The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves, till the resurrection.”  So what happens when a Christian dies?  Jesus happens!  We do not know many details about the intermediate state.  We have a visionary description of it in Revelation 4 and 5 where we read of the continuous worship of heaven, but as a vision it is difficult to know how literal the description is intended to be.  We may observe that heaven is a place of joyous song and uninterrupted adoration of the Trinity.  God is praised for his holiness, power, eternity (Revelation 4:8), creation (Revelation 4:11), and redemption (Revelation 5:9-10).  Heaven is God-centered and God-exalting.  We have another visionary description of the intermediate state of the redeemed in Revelation 7:9-17.  There we read the following description of our blessed condition: “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:15-17).  Nevertheless, as wonderful as the intermediate state is for believers, it is not our ultimate destination.  Our final destination is the resurrection of the body and the renewed heaven and earth.  Paul explains the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.  The passage emphasizes that the resurrection is not extraneous to our creed but is the essence of our faith.  So then, as great as it is to be present with the Lord in the intermediate state, we know that those souls still long for the Second Coming, the resurrection of the body, and their ultimate vindication.  They cry out to their Sovereign Lord, “How long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on earth?” (Revelation 6:10).  Revelation 21 teaches us that the end of the story is the creation of a new heaven and earth.  This is the consummation of God’s plan of salvation for his people.  This condition is far better than the intermediate state.  Heaven descends to the earth.  God again dwells with his people (Revelation 21:3) and removes his curse from creation (Revelation 22:3).  The whole world then becomes a temple for the Lord and a place of righteousness, peace, joy, and love.  Shorter Catechism 38: “What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?  At the resurrection, believers, being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the Day of Judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.”  In heaven our full human purpose will be realized.  In this life we should glorify God and enjoy him forever; in the life to come we shall glorify God and enjoy him forever.  One problem that Christians will encounter when it comes to the intermediate state is that we are not given much information.  We are told that we will be “with Christ” and that it will be “far better.”  God will remove the curse of sin and dwell with us.  Yet many of our questions remain unanswered.  One reason for this is to teach us to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  “But it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).  Another reason for our limited knowledge is to teach us to ponder what heaven will be like.  We are called to enjoy the anticipation of our heavenly home.  Thoughts of heaven should make their way into our songs, prayers, and conversations.  How little Christians speak about heaven today!  Let us employ our sanctified imagination to consider what the life to come might be like.  Christian theologians provide two main ways to ponder the glory that shall be revealed to us: a positive way and a negative way.  First, the positive way is to take all the good things of this life and to imagine a world with more of the same.  Second, the negative way is to take all the bad things of this life and to imagine a world without them.  So let us reflect upon a world with delicious food, beautiful music, fascinating conversations, breathtaking sights, and exhilarating worship!  Let us also ponder a world without death or disease.  Let us hope for a world without poverty.  May our thoughts dance as we think of a world without murder, theft, rape, molestation, adultery, divorce, disappointment, pride, greed, and selfishness.  In his Word God has painted heaven with broad strokes, and he graciously invites us to fill in the colors of our home with the anticipation of our hopeful hearts.  After we have spent our energies contemplating the renewal of creation, we must keep in mind that the greatest joys of heaven will be to be with Jesus.  Charles Spurgeon said, “Heaven is wherever Jesus is.”  When we are in heaven, we shall see the One who loved us and gave himself for us on the cross.  We shall see the One who emerged from the empty tomb to reverse the curse pronounced on the sons and daughters of Adam.  We shall see the One who now abides in us by the Holy Spirit.  We shall see him and be like him for we shall see him as he is.  Let us set our hearts and affections on this place prepared for us!         

Glory to God Alone

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 

1 Corinthians 10:31

Soli Deo Gloria (“Glory to God Alone”) unites the Five Solas of the Reformation because it reveals the ultimate goal of the Reformation: to glorify the triune God.  The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism effectively captures the spirit of Soli Deo Gloria.  “What is the chief end of man?  Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”  Sometimes people ask about the meaning of life.  The meaning of life is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.  Since our God created us for his glory (Isaiah 43:7), the purpose of our lives is to bring honor to him.  Although sinners seek their own glory, God will not share his glory with another.  “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isaiah 42:8).  Since God created all things, and since God saves us by his sovereign power, he deserves the glory and praise for what he alone has done in Jesus Christ.  Sinners do not deserve the honor and praise; for they are completely dependent on the work of God.  On a practical level this means that we should seek to glorify God in all that we do.  We glorify God not only by attending church, reading our Bibles, and sharing the gospel with others, but we may also glorify him in our secular life.  The mundane activities of life may be redeemed for the praise of God.  1 Corinthians 10:31 mentions “eating” and “drinking” and “whatever you do.”  Glorifying God is a principle of operation that should impact every detail of our lives.  What does it mean to eat and drink to the glory of God?  It means that we thank our Creator for these good gifts.  In addition, it means that we consider his goodness in the blessing of his gifts.  St. Augustine once prayed to God, “He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.”  We must love God’s gifts for God’s sake.  This brings him glory.  Have you ever stopped to consider what kind of God would create such a thing as laughter? or pleasure?  or wonder?  How it brings him glory to ponder such things!  The Reformation teaches us that we may glorify and enjoy God in any activity of life except sin.  We can glorify and enjoy him at church, at work, at home, and even at play.  God is the Sovereign Lord of all creation.  We should not compartmentalize our lives into spheres where we are able to praise him and spheres where we are not.  The Reformers rediscovered the great truth that you do not have to be a monk or a priest in order to bring glory to God.  We all can bring glory to God by doing what we were created and redeemed to do.  Specifically, we glorify God by serving him faithfully in our earthly callings as children, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and workers.  Today let us remember that true spirituality does not mean that we must always be engaged in “spiritual” activities; it means that we must recognize that in every activity of life God deserves to be acknowledged and adored.  What do you have to do today?  Do all to the glory of God!       



Christ Alone

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” 

Philippians 3:8-9

Luther was once asked, “If you take away penance, indulgences, and the veneration of relics, what will you put in their place?”  Luther responded, “Jesus Christ.  Man only needs Jesus Christ.”  Solus Christus (“Christ Alone”) means that Christ alone accomplishes our salvation by his life, death, and resurrection.  Christ’s work is sufficient to save us from our sins.  Solus Christus weaves together Sola Gratia and Sola Fide.  We are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in what Jesus Christ alone has done in our behalf.  The reason salvation is by grace alone is because Jesus is the grace of God that has appeared bring salvation to all people (Titus 2:11).  The reason it is by faith alone is because faith is the only Spirit-wrought virtue that receives everything and contributes nothing.  We must accept and receive what Christ has accomplished in our behalf.  We must not attempt to add any good works to his perfect finished work.  We are nothing; Christ is everything.  “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).  Christ is the Christian’s perfect righteousness.  Jeremiah prophesied that Christ would be called “the LORD our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6).  Christians are those who are “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Our Christian baptisms signify and seal our union with Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:11-12).  Christ died for us, and we died with Christ.  Our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).  We confess, “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).  Here we see the Christ-centered nature of the Christian life.  He speaks of Christ for him.  Christ loved him and gave himself up for him.  He also speaks of Christ in him.  “Christ lives in me.”  One speaks of our justification; the other speaks of our sanctification.  Since Christ loved me and gave himself for me, I am justified by grace through faith in him.  Since Christ now lives in me, I am being sanctified by the power of his Spirit who enables me to die daily to sin and to live to righteousness.  This keeps us from thinking that we need Christ more at conversion than we do throughout the Christian life.  Instead we should see that we are dependent on Christ from beginning to end.  He is the vine, and we are the branches (John 15:5).  We must commune with him in a moment-by-moment relationship.  As the vine supplies the branches with the resources for life and power, Christ supplies us with the resources for life and power in him.  He produces his fruit through us (Galatians 5:22-23).  As Christ alone justified us by his life, death, and resurrection, he alone sanctifies us by the power of his Holy Spirit.  Today we must remember that Christ is our all in all.  Make the following words your motto:  “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).  May God grant it “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Faith Alone

“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”  Romans 3:28

“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”  Galatians 2:15-16

When Protestants think of the Reformation, the great doctrine of justification by faith alone comes to mind and rightfully so.  The Reformation began with Luther’s rediscovery of the liberating truth that sinners are declared righteous (“justified”) in God’s sight through simple faith in Jesus Christ.  This is called Sola Fide (“Faith Alone”).  The two main books of the Bible that discuss justification by faith alone are Romans and Galatians, and these two books were instrumental in Luther’s conversion to the Reformation doctrine.  Years later in 1647 the Westminster divines would provide an excellent summary of the doctrine in the answer to Shorter Catechism 33: “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”  This definition is helpful because it connects Sola Gratia (“Grace Alone”) with Sola Fide (“Faith Alone”).  We are told that justification is both “an act of God’s free grace” (Sola Gratia) and “received by faith alone” (Sola Fide).  The point of the statement is to show us that God’s grace is the sole and sufficient cause of our salvation, and that our faith is the sole and sufficient instrument by which we receive our salvation.  God’s grace speaks of the divine side of salvation; faith speaks of the human side.  We may observe the inseparability of Sola Gratia and Sola Fide in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  So then, Sola Gratia and Sola Fide convey the truth that we are saved by grace through faith.  The preposition “through” indicates that faith is the means or the instrument of our justification.  We also learn from Shorter Catechism 33 that our justification consists in both the forgiveness of sins and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ.  Both the forgiveness of sin and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness are essential.  Since Jesus died for the law’s penalty, God can justly forgive my sin.  Since Jesus obeyed the law’s precept by his entire life of obedience, God can credit Christ’s righteousness to me for my complete acceptance.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  Christians who have been justified by faith alone are more than forgiven (as wonderful as that is); we are the righteousness of God.  God has “blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6) with his perfect acceptance.  When God looks at us, he views us as we are in Jesus Christ (righteous), not as we are in Adam (sinners) (Romans 5:12-21).  We are “found in him, not having a righteousness of [our] own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9).  Thus good works and merit are completely excluded from our justification.  We are declared righteous in God’s sight on the basis of what Jesus has done in our behalf, not on the basis of our works.  Our best works are but filthy rages in the eyes of a just and holy God (Isaiah 64:6).  “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).  When we looked at Sola Gratia, we learned that works and grace are opposed to one another (Romans 11:6); we see now that works and faith are opposed to one another when it comes to our justification.  Romans 4:4-5 makes clear the contrast between works and faith: “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.  And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”  The contrast is between works receiving deserved wages and faith receiving an undeserved gift.  Luther called faith “the empty hand” with which we receive the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.  Toplady’s hymn confirms this truth: “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the Fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.”  We have no righteousness in ourselves to offer God; we must receive the righteousness that he alone provides through faith in Jesus Christ.  Roman Catholics often accuse us of minimizing the role of good works.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  Although we deny that good works are instrumental in our justification, we affirm that good works are involved in our sanctification.  Sanctification is the process of becoming holy, but sanctification only happens to those who have already been justified by faith alone.  We teach that good works are the fruit and evidence of true saving faith in Christ.  The Bible reveals this in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  So we are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works.  If we have true and saving faith, then we will perform good works because faith without works is dead (James 2:17).  In his commentary on Galatians, Luther explains the relationship between justification by faith alone and a life of good works.  He says, “Christians are not made righteous by doing righteous things; but having been made righteous by faith in Christ, they do righteous things.”  When we believe that we are righteous and accepted in God’s sight through faith in Christ, we are forever changed.  We desire to obey God because we love him and are thankful for Jesus Christ.  Christians do not obey God because we fear hell or desire to earn divine acceptance by being good.  We do his will because the love of Christ compels us.  We keep the commandments of God and do not find them to be burdensome (1 John 5:3).  Our obedience to Christ is our joyful response to his love for us.  We are not running on the treadmill of human performance.  Instead, we are resting in the perfection of Christ and being gradually changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).  We are new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17) with new affections and desires.  We desire to please to God in all that we do.  Let us live this day in light of God’s acceptance of us in Jesus “who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25)!        

Grace Alone

 “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

Sola Gratia (“Grace Alone”) means that God’s grace is the sole and sufficient cause of our salvation.  Our God is “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10).  God’s grace is his undeserved favor to sinners.  We must know the difference between God’s justice, mercy, and grace.  God’s justice means that God must punish us for our sins.  God’s mercy means that God withholds the punishment that we justly deserve.  God’s grace means that God bestows his favor in spite of our sin and just desert of his wrath.  So God’s grace is even greater than his mercy.  And God tells us that we are saved by his grace alone.  Salvation is not a combined effort between God and the sinner, God doing his part and the sinner doing his part.  Salvation is entirely the work of God.  God the Father plans it.  God the Son accomplishes it.  God the Holy Spirit applies it.  “Salvation belongs to the Lord” (Psalm 3:8).  God does not need help from the will and the works of the sinner in order to save.  He is not dependent on us; we are dependent on him.  He is free to save completely by his own sovereign power.  This is why the Bible says, “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16).  We are not saved “because of works done by us in righteousness” (Titus 3:5); for we are justified us “by his grace” (Titus 3:7).  It is all of grace!  Grace from beginning to end!  We are “chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5), called by grace (Galatians 1:6, 15), “justified by grace” (Titus 3:7), and saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8).  Jesus is “full of grace” (John 1:14), and in him we have received “grace upon grace” (John 1:16).  Jesus is the “grace of God” that “has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11).  It was the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that caused him who was rich to become poor so that we, through his poverty, might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).  Jesus tasted death for everyone by the grace of God (Hebrews 2:9).  When Jesus returns in glory, he will bring grace to us (1 Peter 1:13).  Jews and Gentiles are saved “by the grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11).  God’s grace enables us to believe (Acts 20:24) for faith is a gift that God grants to his elect (Philippians 1:29; Titus 1:1).  Paul desired to testify to “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) because the “word of his grace” edifies us (Acts 20:32).  God’s promise of salvation rests upon his grace (Romans 4:13).  Christians stand in grace (Romans 5:2).  God gave a law to increase sin so that his grace might increase all the more in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:20).  To be “under grace” means to be “not under the law” (Romans 6:14).  Sola Gratia means that we are saved by grace without any human works at all because “if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6).  Salvation by God’s grace alone excludes all ideas of human merit or cooperation.  The Father chooses by grace alone.  The Son dies for our sins by grace alone.  The Spirit causes us to be born again by grace alone.  By the grace of God we are what we are (1 Corinthians 15:10).  When Paul writes to Christians, he greets them with the phrase, “Grace to you,” because they need grace to understand what he has written by the Holy Spirit.  When Paul sends his readers away to apply what they have read, he says, “Grace with you,” because God’s grace must go with them to enable them to carry out what God requires.  God’s grace produces in us thanksgiving that redounds to God’s glory (2 Corinthians 4:15).  God’s grace is sufficient not only to save but also to strengthen us in our trials.  His grace is sufficient for us; his power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).  “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).  Our triune God saved us “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:6).  God’s grace made Paul a minister to the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:7).  Christian conversion is explained as coming to understand “the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:6).  Today our Lord Jesus Christ sits on a “throne of grace” and invites us to draw near to God through him (Hebrews 4:16).  Wicked men may “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality” (Jude 4), and men may come to the erroneous conclusion that they should sin that grace might abound (Romans 6:1).  Yet we know that God’s grace trains us “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:12).  Since then we are chosen, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified by grace, let us grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18)!  Glory be to the triune God for his amazing grace!

Scripture Alone

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”  2 Timothy 3:16-17

This upcoming Lord’s Day is the last Sunday in October known as “Reformation Sunday.”  It commemorates the day that Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg on October 31, 1517.  Luther’s actions began the Protestant Reformation.  The theological issues motivating Luther’s actions are effectively summarized in the Five Solas of the Reformation (“sola” is Latin for “alone”):

1.  Sola Scriptura (“Scripture Alone”),

2.  Sola Gratia (“Grace Alone”),

3.  Sola Fide (“Faith Alone”),

4.  Solus Christus (“Christ Alone”), and

5.  Soli Deo Gloria (“Glory to God Alone”). 

I would like to spend the next five days leading up to Reformation Sunday meditating upon each one of these great truths.  Today I want us to reflect upon Sola Scriptura or Scripture Alone.

Scripture Alone means that the Bible alone is the only infallible rule of faith and practice for the Christian Church.  Scripture Alone does not mean that the Bible is the only standard of truth.  We certainly have other standards like the historic creeds and confessions of the Church, but these standards are not infallible and are subordinate to the Bible.  Scripture Alone, then, does not mean that the Bible is the only standard; it means that the Bible is the only infallible standard.  "Infallible" means that the Bible is incapable of error.  It is completely true in everything it teaches.  All Scripture is “God-breathed.”  This speaks of the divine source of the Bible.  The words of the Bible were breathed out by God the Holy Spirit through the agency of human authors.  “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).  Since the Bible is breathed out by God, it is sufficient.  It makes us “competent, equipped for every good work.”  There are no necessary beliefs or good works contained outside the Bible; for the Bible is enough.  We are "equipped for every good work."  The word “every” is essential because it underlines the sufficiency of the Bible.  If we have the Bible, then we have all the good works that God requires of us.  No one can lawfully impose additional doctrines and commandments upon our conscience.  At the Diet of Worms Luther gave his famous “Here I Stand” speech and boldly proclaimed that the Church must support all its doctrines and commandments from the Holy Scriptures.  Church councils, creeds, and traditions must be subordinated to the teaching of the Holy Spirit in the God-breathed Scriptures.  Human traditions are good but not infallible.  The Church is good but not infallible.  The Bible alone is infallible.  Thus the Bible alone is the only infallible rule of faith and practice for the Church.  This means that all the Church’s doctrines and duties are contained either explicitly in the Scriptures or they may be inferred by good and necessary consequence.  In addition to Sola Scriptura, we should also be sure to consider Tota Scriptura or the totality of Scripture.  Since “all Scripture is breathed out by God,” it is imperative that we study "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) and interpret Scripture with Scripture.  The Reformers stressed that the only infallible interpreter of Scripture is the Scripture.  The pope, the Church, and the creeds are all capable of erring, but the Scripture is inerrant.  The principles of Sola Scriptura and Tota Scriptura explain why the Reformers translated the Bible into the language of the people and also provided cross references to aid in interpretation.  The Reformers believed in the priesthood of the believer.  This means that every Christian can and should read the Bible with the due use of ordinary means.  This truth liberates us from ecclesiastical tyranny.  Living in a church context where believers are not encouraged to read and study the Bible for themselves is a recipe for disaster.  In such conditions the clergy take advantage of the laity and enslave their conscience with the doctrines and commandments of men.  Our Lord's yoke is easy, and his burden is light (Matthew 11:29), but the Pharisees place heavy burdens on the backs of those who are ignorant of the sufficiency of Scripture (Matthew 23:4).  So we must always keep in mind that the principle of Scripture alone is good for us.  It is liberating.  It is also a great responsibility.  We must read and study the Bible for ourselves.  Luther fought for us to have a Bible in our own language.  He fought for us to be able to know what God actually had said.  Later, men like William Tyndale would burn at the stake so that we might have a Bible in the English language.  Let us thank God for giving such men to his Church!  Is there any better way to thank our God than by reading the Bible carefully and prayerfully?  Let us hold our Bibles to our hearts and sing Burton’s words, “Holy Bible, book divine, precious treasure, you are mine; mine to tell me whence I came; mine to teach me what I am; mine to chide me when I rove; mine to show a Savior’s love; mine you are to guide and guard; mine to punish or reward.  Mine to comfort in distress, suffering in this wilderness; mine to show by living faith, man can triumph over death; mine to tell of joys to come, and the rebel sinner’s doom; Holy Bible, book divine, precious treasure, you are mine.”         

The Exclusivity of Jesus

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”  John 14:6

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

Nothing is more repugnant to the offspring of postmodernism than the proclamation of an exclusive gospel.  The children of tolerance desire truth to be inclusive.  “Let us not divide humanity into sinners and saints.  Let us include and affirm everyone equally,” says their creed.  Yet they never seem to consider the stubborn fact that truth is necessarily exclusive.  Whenever we say that something is true, we also exclude an indefinite number of other propositions that must be false.  For example, when I say that two plus two equals four, I also mean that it is not five or six or a whole list of other numbers that are not four.  Truth claims always exclude counterclaims; for that is the essence of a truth claim.  This even applies to the ridiculous claim that truth is inclusive; for it excludes the notion that truth is exclusive.  Therefore, we can see that the denial of exclusive truth claims necessarily assumes agnosticism about truth itself.  No one knows the truth; so we dare not assert it with confidence.  This explains why people now speak of “epistemic humility” (translation: humility about what you claim to know).  The postmodern world has made us skeptical about the possibility of knowing anything.  And we are no better for it because if this were so, then we could not know that we cannot know anything.  Thus we see that postmodernism has contained within it the seeds of its own destruction.  Enter the Lord Jesus Christ who claims to be the truth.  The proleptically postmodern sensibilities of Pilate may cause him to query, “What is truth?”  Regardless, Jesus proclaims to be the way, the truth, and the life.  We should observe that Jesus did not claim to be a truth or a way or a life.  He claimed to be the truth, the way, and the life.  He intended to communicate that he was the exclusive truth, way, and life.  This means that the other ways are false ways.  With these words our Lord excludes all other philosophies and religions as false.  The language of the apostles is a lucid negation: “There is no other name under heaven.”  His name is the only name.  Salvation from sin and death are found in him alone.  Despite the clarity of Jesus and his apostles on this matter, ivory tower theologues have sought to adjust teaching in order to accommodate postmodern sensibilities.  They have argued for a universalism that teaches that all people will eventually be saved.  “Love wins,” they say.  Obviously, this is appealing because it conveniently discards the just wrath of God and the unspeakable thought of an eternal hell.  Many American already believe that all people go to heaven.  After all, “God is a loving God who would never send a good person to hell.”  The Christian scratches his head and wonders where he might find this hypothetical good person.  Another corruption of the simple truth of Scripture on this matter is inclusivism.  This is sneakier than universalism as it claims that Jesus will save some good people out of other religions and philosophies without their knowing it.  Some inclusivists refer to “anonymous Christians.”  So in their minds they are able to maintain that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  A person may benefit from this truth yet not know it.  Now this is a distortion of the biblical gospel that calls for repentance and faith.  But they overlook the obvious and stubborn fact that the Bible tells us that Jesus must be acknowledged.  There are no “anonymous Christians.”  Those who are Christians know that they are Christians.  They know Jesus by faith.  No Muslim is saved by being a follower of Muhammad.  No Jew is saved by obeying the works of Moses.  No Buddhist is saved by applying the principles of Buddha.  There is no other name.  The name is the means by which Jesus is known.  A bold person will ask, “Does this mean that those who have never heard the good news of Jesus are perishing in their sins?”  Absolutely.  Let me ask you, “Why would we send missionaries if they were going to heaven for not knowing?  If not knowing means heaven, then why would we give them the possibility of knowing and rejecting and then reversing their blessed condition?”  The first three chapters of Romans teach us that God’s creation and their conscience reveal enough truth to condemn them.  General revelation is to damn them, not enough to save them.  We have the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.  The gospel alone is the hope of those who have never heard.  So let us take them the gospel!  Let us pray for their salvation!  Let us support missionaries!  If we are called, let us go to the place where they have never heard and lay down our lives for the gospel!  To be sure, this is not an easy doctrine, but it is the truth; and if it is the truth, we should respond to it accordingly.  We may not like the truth, but the truth is a stubborn thing.  The exclusivity of Jesus is a stubborn reality and a glorious one.  Jesus Christ alone suffered and died on the cross for the sins of the world.  He alone rose again and ascended to the right hand of his Father in heaven.  He alone rules the universe as the Lord of heaven and earth.  He alone shall return to judge the living and the dead.   This truth may be denied, but it cannot be changed.  So who dare deny it?  It is truth.  Let us keep this great truth in mind today.  Your co-workers, classmates, and neighbors cannot find their way to God in any other way but Jesus.  They cannot be good enough for God.  They cannot be ignorant enough to excuse their sin.  Their only hope is the name of Jesus.  You know his name.  Shall you be silent?  Dare you be silent?  “There is no other name under heaven.”  “There is salvation in no one else.”     

Patiently Awaiting the Coming Lord

Here is my sermon manuscript from Sunday's sermon (October 14, 2012).  I write a manuscript as a discipline of preparation.  I reduce the manuscript to an outline and then preach extemporaneously from the outline.  Sometimes folks request a copy of the manuscript.  I do not stick to it at every point, and there are bound to be grammatical mistakes and other stumbling blocks for English teachers.  Yet here it is.  Enjoy!   

"7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful."  James 5:7-11

The Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is presented in the Scriptures as a day of judgment and salvation.  When our Lord returns, he will repay the wicked for their sin.  Last week we looked at the first six verses of this chapter and learned about the coming judgment on rich unbelievers.  This week we see in our text that this coming judgment on rich unbelievers means salvation for poor Christians.  God’s judgment on the wicked brings consolation to the faithful.  James assures us that God’s judgment on rich sinners (vv. 1-6) and God’s consolation to poor saints will happen at the coming of the Lord.  The coming of the Lord is mentioned in verses 7, 8, and 9.  We are told that the coming of the Lord is “at hand” (or “near”) and James provides a picture of the nearness of our Lord’s coming by presenting him to us standing outside the door (v. 9).  The Judge is ready to open the door and come in at any time.  Despite the fact that the coming of the Lord is imminent, believers may grow impatient as they await his return.  We may tire of serving him or grow discouraged by suffering and persecution or become defeated by temptation.  Yet James tells us that we must be patient as we await the coming of the Lord as verse 7 says. “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.”  This word “patient” means to suffer long.  We must suffer long and hard through the trials of life before the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.  He says, “Be patient,” in verse 7.  He says, “You also, be patient,” in verse 8.  He says that the prophets are an example of suffering and patience in verse 10.  So we are here summoned to patient endurance as we await the coming of our Lord.  This is the main point that I want to impress on your conscience today.  We must be patient as we await the coming of the Lord.  Now as we consider this patience I want us to examine our text in two divisions.  1.  The Exhortations to Patience in vv. 7-9.  2. The Encouragements to Patience in vv. 10-11.

1.  The Exhortations to Patience (vv. 7-9).

James exhorts us to patience by exhorting us to three tasks: waiting like the farmer (v. 7), establishing our hearts (v. 8), and not grumbling against one another (v. 9).

1. a.  Wait like the farmer (v. 7).

 Patience means that we must wait.  James illustrates the way that we are to wait by telling us about a farmer.  “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.”  This illustration would have been familiar to James’ readers who were living in an agrarian society.  Some of his readers were farmers.  Farming is an apt illustration of waiting on the coming Lord.  There are two main reasons for this.

          i.  The farmer waits actively. 

There is passive waiting and active waiting.  When we wait in line, we are passively waiting.  We are just standing there.  But this is not the way the farmer waits.  He plows the field.  He plants the seed.  He waters the crop.  He tends the garden for weeds and protects it from animals and other pests.  He is waiting for the plant to grow and bear fruit.  But he is not sitting around doing nothing.  He is actively waiting.  He works while he waits.  There have been some Christians who have gotten the idea that being patient and waiting for the coming of Jesus means inactivity.  This must have happened to the Thessalonians because when Paul writes to them about the Second Coming, he also warns them about idleness (1 Thess. 4:11-12; 5:13; 2 Thess. 3:6-12).  There have been cult leaders who have duped their unsuspecting followers into thinking that they should get together in a room and sit around and wait for the coming of the Lord.  This is not the teaching of our Lord.  Our Lord calls us to be ready.  He calls us to be prepared and watchful.  He tells us to be busy serving him until he comes.  “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes” (Matt. 25:46).  We wait actively like the farmer who tends the crops as he waits for them to produce fruit.

ii.  The farmer waits expectantly.   

The second reason that the illustration of a farmer is an apt image of waiting for our Lord’s coming is because the farmer waits expectantly.  To be sure, he may tire of plowing or planting or tending his crops.  Yet he waits because he expects growth and fruit.  And why is the farmer willing to wait?  Because the precious fruit is worth the wait.  Sometimes we are willing to go to a nice restaurant and wait longer than usual because we know that the food is worth the wait.  We may become bored or tired or agitated.  Yet we are willing to wait because the wait is worth it.  In the same way, we should be willing to wait for the coming of the Lord because it will be worth it.  We shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.  Mortality shall put on immortality and death swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15).  The sufferings of the present time cannot compare with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  Rom. 8:18.  We should wait actively.  We should be busy reading God’s Word, praying, sharing our goods with others, telling others about Jesus, and serving faithfully in our earthly vocations.  And we should be expectant.  Our precious fruit comes at the Lord’s return.  Rest assured that it shall be well worth the wait! 

1.b. Establish your hearts (v. 8).

After the illustration about the farmer, James says in v. 8, “You also, be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”  The phrase “establish your hearts” is translated “strengthen your hearts” in the NASB and even more loosely in the NIV as “stand firm.”  The NIV leaves out the Greek word for “hearts.”  As we await the coming of the Lord, we must tend to our hearts.  We must strengthen and establish them.  According to Louw-Nida’s Greek-English Lexicon of the NT, this word means “to cause someone to become stronger in the sense of more firm and unchanging in attitude or belief.”  So as we are tempted to doubt, despair, and discouragement as we await the Lord’s coming, we must strengthen our hearts.  We must make sure that our faith is firmly fixed on the truth that is in Jesus.  God strengthens and establishes us through the preaching of his gospel.  “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ…” Rom. 16:25.  Sitting attentively under Christ-centered gospel preaching is the most important means of heart-strengthening.  James tells us that we must establish our hearts because the coming of the Lord is at hand.  The phrase “at hand” could also be translated “near.”  The Scriptures teach us that the Second Coming of Jesus is imminent.  Some theologians prefer to use the word impending.  We are to live every day as if he could come today.  We are to be ready.  And we can see that the way we get ready is by establishing and strengthening and confirming our hearts in the gospel.  We must be confident in Christ and his inerrant word.  We must trust God’s promises and pray for the faith to rely upon them.  We are not to be shifting from one idea to the next, but we are rather to be fixed upon the truth of the gospel.  We establish our hearts by bearing fruit in every good work.  We must put our faith to work in obedience.  We establish our hearts by increasing in the knowledge of God.  We must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.  We establish our hearts by spurring one another to love and good deeds.  We establish our hearts by prayer.  We establish our hearts by fixing them on the Rock of Ages.

1.c. Do not grumble against one another (v. 9).

Verse 9 says, “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”  Grumbling or complaining against one another is a sign of unbelief and gross ingratitude.  When the Lord delivered his people from slavery in Egypt through the leadership of Moses, his servant, the people later grumbled in the wilderness.  They grumbled against Moses.  They grumbled against Aaron.  They grumbled against the Lord for bringing them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness.  They even grumbled about the manna that God provided from the Rock.  Grumbling and complaining are always out of place for God’s people.  We are to be patient on the Lord as we await his coming.  We must also be patient with one another.  Let us love each other and not complain about one another.  The motive here is that we may not be judged.  God sent a plague on his people for their grumbling.  Shall we fair any better if we share in their grumbling?  James adds: “the Judge is standing at the door.”  What an image!  Suppose a father tucks his two sons into bed and then tells them to stay in bed and not get up and fight as they are prone to do.  Then suppose he closes the door to their room and stands outside.  If they disobey his orders and get out of bed and begin to fight, then the father does not have far to go in order to enter the room and reprove them for defying his orders.  Suppose the sons’ know about the presence of their father outside the door.  Are they not less inclined to fight with one another?  Do they not fear the father coming inside the room and punishing them?  Similarly, when we consider that the Lord stands outside the door, this should make us cease our grumbling with one another.  Is this not a fitting image when we consider that much grumbling happens behind closed doors?  We ought to consider that our Lord stands at the door.  He is ready to enter.  He is ready to judge.  He can hear.  He is coming.  Again we see the impending nature of his coming.  It is “at hand” for he stands “at the door.”  Let us fear.

So much for the exhortations to patience.  Now let us turn to the encouragements to patience.

2.  The Encouragements to Patience (vv. 10-11)

Our Lord gives us exhortations to patience to show us what is involved in patient endurance.  He also gives us encouragements to motivate us as we patiently await his return.  There are three encouragements to patience in verses 10-11: the Lord’s suffering prophets (v. 10), the Lord’s sovereign purpose (v. 11a), and the Lord’s compassionate heart (v. 11b). 

2.a.  Consider the Lord’s suffering prophets (v. 10).

The Lord’s prophets are a great motivation and encouragement to patient endurance.  “As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord” (v. 10).  The prophets suffered greatly for their faithfulness to the Lord.  They spoke the Lord’s Word and received the Lord’s reproach.  The prophets remind us that following the Lord is not a bed of roses.  Christ has promised us a cross of nails, not a bed of roses.  The prophets were ridiculed, ignored, maligned, beaten, and many of them killed.  Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet because of the agonies he endured even from his own people.  Isaiah preached and the more he preached, the harder the hearts of the people became.  Elijah and Elisha were both persecuted mercilessly.  We are not prophets. Yet when we patiently endure suffering in this life, we join their company.  We have the blessed privilege of suffering with those great men of God.  “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). 

2.b.  Consider the Lord’s sovereign purpose (v. 11a).

James moves from the prophets in general to Job in particular.  Verse 11 speaks of what we learn from Job.  “Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.  You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”  James has already told us in 1:2-3 that our trials produce steadfastness (endurance) in the faithful.  He told us in 1:12 that those who endure trial will receive a crown of life.  Job is a great example of this.  He is one of the most well-known examples of righteous suffering. He did not suffer for his sin but for his righteousness.  That is why the devil wanted to afflict him and test him.  Job endured great suffering.  There are two aspects to the story of Job.  There is the human side, and there is the divine side.  The human side is Job’s steadfastness (endurance); the divine side is the Lord’s purpose.  When we finish the book of Job we realize that the Lord had a sovereign purpose for all that happened to Job.  God’s sovereign purpose is unstoppable.  Job 42:2 says, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”  That’s what Job learned from all the evil that the Lord brought upon him (Job 42:11).  He learned that God has a purpose that no one can counter.  Satan has nothing to say about it.  Wicked men have nothing to say about it.  We have nothing to say about it.  It is God’s sovereign plan.  He works all things according to the counsel of his will. Ephesians 1:11.  No one can stay his hand or say to him, “What are you doing?”  Daniel 4:35.  He does all that he pleases.  Psalm 115:3; 135:6.  This is good news because it means that Romans 8:28 is true.  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  God’s good purpose is to transform us into the likeness of his Son.  He seeks to make his people share in the holiness of Jesus. 

2.c.  Consider the Lord’s compassionate heart (v. 11b). 

The Lord’s sovereign purpose would not comfort us unless it was the sovereign purpose of the Lord who is compassionate and merciful.  Behind the purpose of the Lord is the Lord’s gracious plan for his people.  We must always remember that behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face.  The Lord has a good purpose for the tribulations that we must endure before he returns.  So let us face them with courage because we are in the hands of our compassionate Lord.  He is wise and good.  Or as we sing, “Jesus doeth all things well.”  Let us entrust ourselves to our Creator while doing good. 

The Lord Jesus is coming soon to judge the wicked and console the righteous.  We must be patient and endure suffering as we await his return.  We may grow weary in well doing or be burdened by suffering or pressed in by persecution or overwhelmed by temptation.  Yet we must be patient.  We must be like the farmer who waits actively and expectantly.  We must strengthen our hearts.  We must not grumble or complain about one another.  We must be encouraged by considering the prophets who suffered so.  We must think of the Lord’s perfect plan.  And we must know that behind it all is the Lord who is compassionate and merciful.  We are looking for the coming of the Lord.  It will be well worth the wait if we are patient.  Let us lift our heads for our redemption draws near.  Amen.