Dec 15
17
One of the most comforting passages of Scripture in the Word of God is, “Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (I cor. 1:30). This does not comfort every son of Adam. But I will tell you who it does comfort – those who see themselves to be foolish, unrighteous, unholy, and in bondage to sin. Only these people can find this to be good news! To the foolish, God has made Him to be wisdom. To the unrighteous, God has made Him to be righteousness. To the unholy, God has made Him to be sanctification. To those in bondage, God has made Him to be redemption. The Gospel is an objective message that becomes subjective when it is received as good news! HOW TO NOT BE JUDGED Paul had been warning of taking the Lord’s Table in an unworthy manner. He also warned about the chastening that would occur as a consequence. In the midst of that he said, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (I Cor. 11:31). Conversely, if we fail to judge ourselves, we will be judged. When I judge myself I take sides with God against myself. I do not vindicate myself, but agree with Him…guilty as charged. In doing that I once again look to Christ only, and in doing that I am not judged. Judging others is wrong on every level, but there is one person I should judge – Myself! Whatever we cover will be uncovered. Whatever we uncover will be covered. Modern day evangelism (so-called) says to any and all it approaches, “God loves you and Christ died for you.” But none of the prophets nor any of the apostles addressed people in this way. The starting point of true evangelism is to acquaint men with the holy and sovereign character of God. This is the “Beginning of wisdom”, which is able to make a man wise unto salvation: for THE FEAR OF THE LORD brings men to true repentance and faith.
Henry Mahan
THE BELIEVER’S RULE OF LIFE I left the pulpit one night and a fellow asked me, “Do you believe the law to be a believer’s rule of life?” He seemed surprised when I told him I did not. His very next question was, “How do you know how to live?” I told him immediately that I lived just as the Apostle Paul, “The life that I now life, I live by the faith of the Son of God” (Gal. 2:20). This was the rule of life for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Abel, and all others who have nothing but Jesus Christ to live upon. Someone would say, “You mean you live as you want to?” I wish I could: I’d be filled with the Spirit, I would never sin again, all my motives would be pure, I would be delivered from this body of death. Oh, I wish I could live just like I want to. The closest thing I have found to living just like I’d like to is living by faith upon Jesus Christ the Dear and Blessed Son of God.
Bruce Crabtree
LOOK TO CHRIST Believer, you will never find any comfort looking within. All you will find there is wanderings, wavering, and rebellion because of the presence of sin. The Lord has revealed what we are as fallen creatures in Adam…wretched sinners! But bless His Holy Name, it was just for such creatures that Christ came into this world… “To seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Look to the only source of life and peace… “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:22).
Marvin Stalnaker
“And delivered just Lot, vexed with filthy conversation of the wicked.”
II Peter 2:7
Considering the life of Lot, “A righteous man” seems an inappropriate title to pin on him. Fleshly, money-hungry, compromising, drunk, and incestuous all seem fitting, but not “righteous”. Yet, “righteous” is exactly the adjective the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to use in order to describe Lot. What are we to make of this? It is obvious from Lot’s story that the righteousness by which a child of God is justified comes from some source other than himself. If Lot is righteous, then his righteousness was not of his own making; it came from somewhere else. This is true of everyone the Scriptures justify, from faithful Abraham to despicable Lot. Jesus Christ is the righteousness of God’s people, so they are all equally righteous in the sight of God regardless how they lived. Moreover, pinning the title “Righteous” on Lot serves to put the focus on God’s grace in salvation. The Holy Spirit did not call Lot righteous in order to minimize Lot’s great wickedness, but that He might magnify God’s great grace! What glory to God that His salvation can bestow the title of “Righteous” on such a ne’er-do-well as Lot! Lot is not God’s example of how we should live: He is God’s example of how gracious He is to even the chiefs of sinners.
Joe Terrell