Enemies of the Cross

“For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”  Philippians 3:18-19

          It’s a sad reality that many “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.”  It’s sheer insanity that sinners would oppose the only remedy for their destruction, lust, shame, and earthly-mindedness.  This grim reality brought tears to the eyes of the Apostle Paul and should do the same for us.  Should we not weep for those who reject the medicine that could heal their souls?  Why would anyone oppose the good news of salvation through the death of Christ on the cross?

          Some unbelievers enlist as enemies of the cross because they would rather attempt to secure their own righteousness before God by their good works.  Legalists are enemies of the cross.  They hate the cross because they do not see their own need for the cross.  They nullify the grace of God by asserting that righteousness comes through the law, but “if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose” (Galatians 2:21).  The word of the cross is folly to them (1 Corinthians 1:18), and they perish. 

          Other unbelievers are enemies of the cross because they love their sin and refuse to repent.  “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed” (John 3:20).  Libertines are enemies of the cross.  They believe that the grace of God is a license for sin (Jude 4) and that they should sin that grace may abound (Romans 6:1).  Little do they comprehend that Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). 

          Satan’s messengers always disguise themselves as “servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15).  They pretend to be friends of the cross.  Enemies of the cross may be happy to speak of the death of Christ as a good example for us to follow.  Or they may develop other “theories” of the atonement that sound attractive to naïve Christians.  But you can always discover whether a man is an enemy of the cross by asking him about the death of Christ as our legal substitute.  Enemies of the cross foam at the mouth when they hear that Christ bore our sins in our place!  Ask them, “Did Jesus Christ bear the wrath of God for you?  Is that good news to your soul?”  They don’t want to hear about how Christ suffered the wrath of God as a substitute for the sins of his people.  They find this repulsive and completely reject it.  Enemies of the cross don’t see their need for a wrath-absorbing sacrifice.  They may even speak of the idea of propitiation as outdated.  Lovers of the cross know better. 

          Enemies of the cross will disguise themselves and make the message of the cross into a theology of glory.  They will preach the cross as a way to have personal happiness or success or improve self esteem.  They will speak about how Christ died to make you healthy and wealthy.  They will soothe and entice the unsound Christian with their cleverness and seductive speech.  Discerning Christians will recognize that they have stripped the gospel of the cross because they hate the cross.  They abhor the idea that our right standing with God depends entirely only the bloody death of the sinless Son of God. 

          The enemies of the cross hate the cross because they do not understand it.  They are spiritually blind to the glories of the cross.  They cannot comprehend the depth of the Father’s love and the Son’s sacrifice.  Enemies of the cross find it strange and revolting that Christians sing about the cross, glory in the cross, and preach the cross.  True preachers resolve to know nothing except Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).  The cross of Christ is everything to them.  Likewise, true Christians cannot leave the cross of Christ behind for health and wealth, principles for living, how to have a positive self image, antinomianism, moralism, or any other such thing.  “But far be it from me to boast expect in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). 

          Be on guard against the enemies of the cross!  Know the truth about them and do not join their ranks!  “Their end is destruction.”  They shall be judged by God on the last day.  They travel the highway to hell.  They “disobey the word, as they were destined to do” (1 Peter 2:8), and they were “long ago designated for this condemnation” (Jude 4).  “Their god is their belly.”  They lust for food, drink, money, and sex.  False prophets are always trying to make a profit.  “They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin.  They entice unsteady souls.  They have hearts trained in greed.  Accursed children!”  (2 Peter 2:14).  Sometimes they do this by teaching that the grace of God excuses sin (antinomianism).  At other times they do this by making merchandise of God’s people by telling them that they must obey the laws of men in order to be righteous before God (legalism).  Sometimes they fill their coffers with a marketable idea like the health and wealth teaching that is popular in charismatic circles.  But they are hungry, ravenous wolves who shall devour the sheep unless the sheep can be wise enough to discern that they are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15).  “They glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”  How can men be so proud of a life that is so morally repugnant in the eyes of God?  The cross of Christ brings forgiveness and cleansing, but earthly-minded enemies of the cross have no need for such spiritual commodities.  They would rather continue to pursue the pleasures and possessions of the world. 

          We should be saddened by the folly of those who consider themselves to be enemies of the cross.  Paul told the Philippians about this “with tears.”  They have joined the wrong side of a battle in which the stake is eternity.  “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law” (Psalm 119:136).  Why would anyone want to be an enemy of the instrument of their salvation?  Perhaps there is no greater hubris in the whole world than standing in opposition to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.           

How to Study the Bible

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15

“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

Members of my congregation frequently ask me, “How should I study my Bible?”  I love getting asked this question because it usually indicates that the person is already reading his Bible regularly and now desires to dig deeper into God’s truth.  There is no substitute for Word of God intake in the Christian life.  “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3).  In this post, I would like to provide some step-by-step instructions for Bible study.  In doing so, my target audience is not other preachers or seminary students.  I want to explain how the ordinary Christian can read and study his Bible in order to grow in his faith, hope, and love.  Overall, there are three basic steps in Bible Study.  Firstly, we must determine what the passage of Scripture says.  Secondly, we must determine what the passage of Scripture means by what it says.  Thirdly, we must determine how the passage of Scripture applies to us today.  We might call these three steps: translation, interpretation, and application.  The order is important.  We should never study a passage of the Bible asking the question, “How does this apply to me?” before we ask the question, “What does this passage mean?”  Although a passage of Scripture may have many applications, there is only one interpretation.  What determines the validity of an application is the validity of the interpretation upon which the application is based. 

Translation

          Most Christians know that the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and that the Bible they hold in their hands is an English translation of a variety of ancient manuscripts.  So, unlike pastors, professors, and seminarians who learn the original languages, most Christians are dependent on an English translation of the Bible.  This is not a major disadvantage for two reasons.  The first reason for this is that there are many excellent translations of the Bible in the English language.  The second reason is that there are many Study Bibles and tools in English that can help the reader understand the original words of the Bible.  The most important step in studying the Bible for the average Christian is to choose a word-for-word translation of the Bible. 

There are two major types of Bible translations.  There are those that seek to capture each and every word of the original languages.  This is called formal equivalence.  And there are those that seek to capture each and every thought or phrase of the original text.  This is called dynamic equivalence.  Most Bible translations will have a section at the beginning of the Bible called, “Translation Philosophy,” that will explain what kind of translation the Bible is.  A good example of a word-for-word translation is the New American Standard Bible.  A good example of a thought-for-thought or phrase-by-phrase translation is the New International Version. 

Both approaches have their value, but, in my opinion, the word-for-word translation is the best for Bible study as we should be paying attention to each and every word.  One criticism of word-for-word translations is that they tend to make for a “wooden” reading.  Phrase-by-phrase translations are much easier to read.  Some translations, like the English Standard Version, are somewhere in between. 

It always helps to compare a variety of translations in seeking to determine what the original text says.  Let me make a very important clarification at this point.  When determining what the text says, the key factor is not what reading you prefer.  I have heard many Christians say, “I like the way this or that translation puts it.”  What we like is irrelevant to what the text says.  They key factor, then, in determining what the text says is accuracy (how faithful it is to the original languages), not appeal (how well you like).  It is important to have a Bible that is readable and understandable, but we want to be reading and understanding something that is an accurate representation of what was originally written by the inspired authors. 

In order to get a sense of what the original text says, I encourage people to use the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the English Standard Bible (ESV), and the New International Version (NIV).  The NASB is probably the most literal of the three.  The ESV is a little more readable than the NASB, and the NIV does an excellent job of making the text readable and understandable, even though the NIV does not always capture as literal of a reading as it should.  In order to make sure you have a good grasp on translation issues, I would recommend spending the money to purchase a good study Bible.  I recommend either the ESV Study Bible (Crossway) or the NIV Study Bible (Zondervan). 

Interpretation

          In my experience, evangelical Christians tend to skip interpretation in order to get to how the passage applies to their lives.  The problem is that there is no authoritative application of the Bible that does not first begin with interpretation. 

Usually, when Christians go straight for the contemporary application, they end up assuming an erroneous interpretation.  For example, I once heard a Christian say that we should be vulnerable with one another because 1 Corinthians 13:7 says, “Love bears all things.”  Now it may be true that Christians should be vulnerable with one another, but that is not what 1 Corinthians 13:7 says.  It says, “Love bears all things,” not “love bares all things.”  It is speaking about enduring love, not love that lays bare all the emotions of the heart.  So this Christian had an illegitimate application of this verse because he had a faulty interpretation of the verse.  That is always the way it works. 

Proper interpretation is the first step toward proper application.  There are certain questions that we should always ask in order to interpret a passage of Scripture.  In all these questions, we are trying to discern what the Holy Spirit originally intended when he inspired these words through the original author to the original audience.  At this stage in the process, the question is not, “What does this passage mean for me today?”  The question is, “What did this passage mean for its original author and audience?”  Here is a list of some good questions to ask when it comes to interpretation.

1.     Author:  Who is the human author of this passage of Scripture?  Different authors have different vocabularies and styles.  For example, knowing that Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts helps us to interpret those two books.  Or knowing that John wrote the Gospel of John, 1, 2, 3 John, and Revelation helps us to read those books in light of John’s vocabulary and style.

2.     Date:  When was this passage of Scripture written?  This goes beyond knowing dates and ventures into the significance of what was happening at that time in history.  It is helpful to acquire a Bible timeline for this purpose.  Most Study Bibles contain these timelines including key dates and events in Bible history.

3.     Historical Context:  What was happening at this time in human history that might impact my understanding of this passage?  Are there names, places, people, and customs that need to be researched in order to understand this Scripture? 

4.     Literary Genre:  What kind of writing is this?  Is it historical narrative, poetry, song, apocalypse, gospel, epistle, etc?  What does this tell me about how it should be read?

5.     Word Studies:  Are there important words in this passage that should be researched further?  What do the words mean?  Hint: Do not assume that biblical authors are using their terms in the same way that you would use them.  You must do the work in order to understand what they mean by those words.

6.     Literary Context:  How does this specific passage fit into the whole book?  For example, how does James’ teaching on faith and works in 2:14-26 fit into the entire book of James?  How does it mesh with the overall purpose of the book?  What is said before this passage?  What is said after it?

7.     Cross Reference:  What do other passages of the Bible teach on the subjects addressed in this passage?  Do other passages make qualifications to the truths in this passage?  Are there other passages that bring clarity?  Is balance on a subject achieved by pulling in other verses?  Remember: Scripture interprets Scripture. 

8.     Redemptive Context:  How does this passage fit into the overall redemptive storyline of the Bible (Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation)?  You do not understand the passage until you understand it in light of the history of salvation.     

Application

          Application is the goal of all Bible Study.  We want to be doers of the Word, not hearers only, deceiving ourselves (James 1:22).  After we have studied the Bible, there are certain ways to reach the application of God’s Word to our lives.

1.     The most important application is to determine what this passage teaches me about Christ.  Since the entire Bible is about Christ (Luke 24:44, John 5:46, 2 Timothy 3:15), we do not understand it unless we see Christ in the text.  This does not mean that we need to find Christ in the passage by the allegorical method, but it does mean that we should ask, “How does this passage prepare for, predict, picture, or proclaim the person and work of Christ?”  Some passages make answering this question easier than others, but do not rest until you are able to find the answer. 

2.       Use 2 Timothy 3:16 as a grid: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”  How does this passage teach me what is right (teaching)?  How does this passage teach me what is not right (reproof)?  How does this passage teach me how to get right (correction)?  How does this passage teach me how to live right (training in righteousness)? 

3.     Sometimes the application is what you need to know (doctrines), and sometimes the application is what you need to do (duties).  Never assume that application is always something that you need to do.  It is often a comforting truth that you need to hear.  There are a variety of ways to apply God’s Word to your life. 

4.     Avoid the errors of legalism (“If I am good, then God will accept me.”) and license (“Since I am saved by grace, I can do whatever I want”).  Search for the grace-oriented motivation:  “Since God loves me unconditionally in Christ, I will live for him.”    

5.     Consider the variety of applications that the Word of God can have to your life.  Jesus is Lord of all.  His Word applies to your spiritual and devotional life, your church, your family, your vocation and work, your use of your money, your entertainment choices, your understanding of the world and God’s purpose for it, etc.  Never reduce applications of God’s truth to one compartmentalized area of your life.  Think broadly. 

6.     Learn to ask good questions to draw out applications.

Is there a promise to believe?

Is there a doctrine to learn?

Is there a sin to avoid?

Is there a blessing to enjoy?

Is there an example to follow?

Is there a standard to apply?

Is there a command to obey?

7.      Study the Bible in the atmosphere of prayer and devotion to the Lord.  Never approach the Bible in a dry, academic way.  Pray at the beginning of your study.  Pray as your study.  Conclude your study with prayer.  Ask the Lord to illumine your mind to understand his truth.  Ask him to help you to apply his Word to your life.  Confess your sin as you see how far short you fall of his standards.  Believe the promises of the gospel.  Plead for the grace of repentance and the desire to walk in the way pleasing to him. 

A Final Note About Resources

          Christians often ask me to recommend resources for Bible study.  There are a plethora of good resources, but there are also bad ones.  First of all, I would begin with a good study Bible like the ones I mentioned (ESV Study Bible or NIV Study Bible).  Secondly, I would learn to use all the resources in the Study Bible.  Most Christians do not know what they have in their hands when they buy a Study Bible.  If you are having trouble, ask your pastor to sit down with you and show you how to use it.  If not, you probably can learn on your own by reading through the articles in the Study Bible.  Thirdly, I would purchase a whole Bible commentary.  There are not many of them, but Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible has stood the test of time.  Matthew Henry’s Commentary is not the best for in-depth interpretation, but it can really help in making applications to your life.  He does a great job linking interpretation with application.  This probably goes without saying, but always read non-inspired sources critically.  Just because notes are in the Study Bible or in a commentary does not mean that they are accurate.  You must evaluate the validity of the reasoning for the interpretations that are given.  Finally, one of the best ways to learn to study the Bible is to listen to expository preaching.  Pastors should show Christians how to interpret the Bible as they are preaching and teaching through it.  Most Christians learn how to interpret the Bible (for better or for worse!) from the way that their pastor preaches and teaches it. 

You Can Serve God at Work

“The LORD God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”  Genesis 2:15

Many ordinary Christians have the wrong idea about serving God.  They suppose that one must become a pastor or a church worker in order to serve God.  After all, the people who are really serving God are those who are involved in “spiritual” callings related to the Christian ministry.  But this isn’t true.  Christians may serve God by performing many different kinds of work.  Jesus is Lord of all life, and we should disabuse ourselves of the idea that some areas of life are “sacred” and others “secular.”  All life must be lived in light of the Lordship of Christ.  Therefore, our everyday, non-ministry related work really matters to God.  We may breathe a sigh of relief in hearing this because we already knew that our work really matters to us.  Yet we must keep in mind that the reason that it really matters to us is because it really matters to God.  We are made in God’s image in order to steward God’s good creation.  God has a plan for every kind of work under the sun except sin.  It all matters to God.  God calls people to serve in various tasks as benevolent stewards of his world.  The good news is that whether you are a janitor, teacher, lawyer, nurse, doctor, student, you can serve God at work. 

One of the ways that we know that work matters to God is that work is God’s creation.  After God made Adam from the dust of the earth, he placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.  God made Adam a farmer and called him to tend to God’s garden.  Adam was called to this work.  Our doctrine of vocation means that God calls Christians to serve in this world in many different ways.  God certainly calls some Christians to serve as pastors in the ministry of local churches, but most Christians will be called to tasks outside the church that are also important to God.  We must never get the idea that a pastor is serving God better than the person who serves faithfully in his earthly vocation.  God calls many different people to do many different things.  All is to be done to his honor and glory.    

Unfortunately, many Christians suffer from a limited understanding of our life and involvement in the world.  They evaluate their work solely in terms of “spiritual” tasks.  For example, they may erroneously assume that work is only a context for evangelism.  Therefore, they think that they only serve God when they tell another worker about Jesus.  Too bad for those who serve in earthly vocations who are not able to interact with other people!  But this view is mistaken.  The way that we serve God at work is not by trying to witness to everyone but by doing our work with excellence, enabling others to flourish in what they are doing in God’s good world.  Some Christians give the gospel a bad name by trying to evangelize when they should be taking out the trash.  There is a time and place for witnessing to be sure, but it is reductionist to think of serving God solely in terms of witnessing. 

Let me explain.  The mechanic serves God when he fixes a car with honesty, integrity, and excellence.  A nurse serves God when she is attentive to the needs of the patient and properly follows the instructions of the doctor.  A janitor serves God when he goes the extra mile to make sure the facility is clean and tidy.  A student serves God when he faithfully listens in class, does his homework well, and seeks to apply himself to his studies.  Serving God is about living all of life in light of the Lordship of Jesus.  If Jesus is Lord of all creation (Colossians 1:15-20), then surely he cares about all creation.  The idea of a secular domain of life where he is unconcerned, or where he is only concerned in “spiritual” things,” is completely foreign to the teaching of the Bible. 

As a pastor, I have not always excelled in affirming ordinary Christians who are faithfully serving God in their everyday callings.  This sends the wrong signal.  It makes people feel like they are not serving God unless they are at church or doing Christian ministry. Christians are called to bless the world and cause it to flourish as good stewards of God’s good creation.  God calls us to recognize that we can serve him in the here and now, even in the activities of life that seem mundane.  So hear this loud and clear!  You matter.  Your work matters.  You are serving God.  Let me encourage you to develop a sense of meaning and purpose when it comes to your work.  Consider what God is calling you to be and do in the here and now.  And rejoice in the fact that every area of life has value because of the exhaustive scope of Christ’s Lordship.  This recognition can really make a difference in your life.  After all, most Christians spend most of their time working.  It is a fact.  What if this time can be redeemed for the glory of God?  How might that change Monday morning for you?    

Drawn By the Father

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.  And I will raise him up on the last day.”  John 6:44

Two key truths of our salvation are taught in this passage.  This first is the moral inability of a sinner to come to Christ in his own power.  The second is that the only way for any sinner to come to Christ is by the effective drawing of the Father. 

We see the first point in the phrase, “No one can come to me.”  The word “can” is a word of ability.  The word “may” is a word of permission.  We may remember our childhood teachers telling us that we should ask, “May I use the restroom?” and not, “Can I use the restroom?”  To say that no one can come to Christ means that no one is able to come to Christ.  All people are certainly permitted to come to Christ, but what Jesus is saying here is that they are devoid of the power to come to Christ.  They are morally and spiritually incapable of coming to Christ in their own power.  They are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). 

All Christians readily affirm that sinners cannot save themselves.  Yet many Christians are uncomfortable affirming the equally biblical truth that sinners cannot cooperate in their salvation.  They are unable to do anything to come to Christ in their own power.  They are entirely dependent on Christ.  They are like crippled Mephibosheth who must be carried before King David (See 2 Samuel 9). 

Total depravity means total inability.  We are not only ruined in the totality of our being (intellect, emotions, and will), but we are also rendered unable to act in any way that is spiritually pleasing to God.  Our righteous deeds are filthy rags in his sight because they are tainted by the unrighteous motivations of our sinful hearts (Isaiah 64:6). 

So what must happen in order for us to obtain salvation in Christ?  We must be drawn by the Father.  The Father who sent Jesus to be our Savior must bring us to himself.  We must underline that the Father’s drawing in this passage is an effective drawing.  We can see this by the repetition of the pronoun “him” in both sentences.  The Father draws “him” to Christ and raises “him” up on the last day.  So all who are drawn to Christ are raised up on the last day.

 Many people have a false idea that the Father draws all people to Christ, and then they choose whether they will have him or not.  That is not what is being taught in this verse.  This is saying that the Father draws these sinners to Christ, and they are raised to spiritual life.  It is an effectual calling. 

The word for "draw" means "to drag."  It is used in the Greek New Testament for dragging in a net of fish.  The fish that are caught in the net are effectively dragged aboard the ship.  In the same way, when God catches his elect with the gospel of Jesus, he effectively drags them aboard the ship of salvation. 

The good news is that it is impossible for God to fail in bringing salvation to his people.  All those who are drawn by the Father will be raised up by the Son.  What a glorious gospel!  Salvation is not accomplished by the cooperation of the sinner with God but by the cooperation of the Father with the Son.  Jesus will not fail to save any of those people who have been given to him by his Father (John 6:37).  He will never cast them out.  He will raise them on the last day. 

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

“‘And you know the way to where I am going.’  Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going.  How can we know the way?’  Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on your do know him and have seen him.’”  John 14:4-7

Thomas didn’t get it.  Jesus told his disciples that he was going away so that he might prepare a place for them in the Father’s house.  He promised that he would come again and take them to himself.  Yet Thomas didn’t get it.  “Lord, we do not know where you are going.”  The disciples were often slow to understand the words of Jesus.  We find this surprising as the introductory words of this discourse couldn’t be clearer.  Yet Jesus becomes even more lucid in verse 6:  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”  In his Upper Room Discourse, Jesus is always directing his disciples to himself.  Even when he promises the gift of the Holy Spirit, he says, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). 

This statement about Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life, is one of the many “I am” statements in John’s gospel.  “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).  “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).  “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).  “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).  “I am the vine” (John 15:5).  Such statements teach us who Jesus is and what he is able to do for us. 

In this verse, Jesus is telling us that he is the only way to God the Father.  Jesus’ words highlight his uniqueness and exclusivity.  He is the only way, truth, and life.  “No one comes to the Father except through me.”  There are not many paths to God.  There is one and only one way to God, and his name is Jesus.  We cannot find our way to God with good works because we cannot be good enough to satisfy the demands of a holy God.  We cannot find our way to God with philosophy because we have not known the mind of God and are not wise enough to be his counselor.  We cannot find our way to God with our own man-made religion because God demands that we come to him on his terms, not our own.  And God tells us that Jesus, and Jesus only, is the way to truth and life.  Apart from Jesus, then, we are lost, deceived, and dead.  How shall we find our way?  Jesus.  How shall we know the truth?  Jesus.  How shall we live life to the fullest?  Jesus. 

Jesus explains why this is true about himself.  “If you had know me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.”  Jesus and the Father have something in common: divine nature.  To see the Son is to see the Father because they share in the single and undivided divine essence.  Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and God “manifested in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16).  If we want to know God the Father, then we can only know him through God the Son, Jesus. 

Jesus is not teaching in this passage that he and his Father are the same person, but he is saying that he and the Father share the same divine essence.  This distinction is important lest we obscure the distinction of persons within the holy Trinity.  Yet Thomas didn’t get this.  We know that he eventually came around after the resurrection (John 20:24-29).  He did eventually confess, “My Lord and my God!”  How does this apply to us today?  Are we seeking to find our way apart from Jesus?  Are we seeking the truth apart from Jesus?  Are we longing for life apart from Jesus?  Without Jesus we have lost our way.  Without Jesus we don’t know the truth.  Without Jesus we are dead.  “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10b).  We are meant to know this abundant life today.  We find it by continually drawing near to God the Father through God the Son.          

God Chose

 "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" 
1 Corinthians 1:26-31

The church in Corinth is an illustration of God’s unconditional election.  The saints in Corinth were not wise, powerful, or noble, but God chose them as his own in spite of who they were in this world.  The text emphasizes God’s unconditional choice of them by the repetition of the phrase, “God chose,” in verses 27 and 28.  Wisdom, power, and nobility were the immaterial idols of the Gentile world.  The Greeks wanted to be wise; so they studied philosophy.  They wanted to be powerful; so they studied politics.  They wanted to be noble; so they pursued riches.  The unbelieving world seeks significance in the things of this world, and when it obtains them, it boasts.  “Look at how wise I am!  Look at how powerful I have become!  Look at how noble I am!” 

But God shows us the unconditional character of his love in that he has not chosen the wise, the powerful, and the noble.  God’s choice of people is not like the world.  God does not choose people because of who they are, but God chooses people in spite of who they are.  God stands to gain nothing by his selection of the world’s losers.  It is only by his grace that they become recipients of his salvation!  We are told in this passage about God’s reason for making his election unconditional: “…so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (v. 29).  In verse 31, he quotes Jeremiah, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  Unconditional election is another window into salvation by God’s grace alone.  Since we are saved by grace, not by works, we have no reason to boast in our efforts. “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).  One reason why people seek significance in the world’s goods (wisdom, power, and nobility) is because they desire the world’s praise.  We desire others to praise us for what we have accomplished.  We want to boast in the presence of others that we have made something great of ourselves.  But God here reminds us that he did not set his love on us because of who we are in this life.  He set his love on us so that we might see that we are favored unconditionally and undeservingly. 

We need to remind ourselves daily of our unconditional election and effectual calling.  “For consider your calling, brothers” (v. 26).  We need to remember that God effectively summoned us into his presence because he loved us in spite of ourselves.  So why are we seeking greater significance by working for something in this world?  We may be working to achieve many things in this life because we want to boast in what we have accomplished.  We want to save ourselves from a life of worldly insignificance.  We want to be chosen in this life because of our accomplishments in school or work or community or home.  Yet God comes to us and says that he is not concerned with such things.  This should change our perspective about what is really important in life and about who is truly significant.  The world’s nobodies are God’s somebodies.  God sees us from the vantage point of grace, not human achievement.  He receives praise for who we are in Christ, not who we are in ourselves.  Believer, let these words shape your understanding of your identity: “God chose me.”  We may want to know why.  What did I do?  But the answer is always surprising: nothing.