In the last blog post, we talked about sanctification as being a) a consecration – a setting apart – a separation; for the purpose and the service of God (see 1 Cor. 1,30; 6,11; Rom. 1,7; Phil. 1,1 etc.), and b) a process, whereby we are being conformed to the image of his Son. In the mind of Paul, it was unthinkable, but that the latter should be the outcome of the former; that we are set apart for him…
“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.”Eph. 2,8-9 Having been saved by grace, we are now not made perfect (or holy) through works of the law. I have described the Christian life as a continuous motion towards the Father; a motion in and by the power of the Spirit! I called this «sanctification»,…
We have established then, that the Christian life is not a matter of law-keeping, of trying our best to lead as good a life as possible, in order to please God; holy and righteous though he certainly is. Such an endeavour may seem admirable at first sight. Then when we see this for what it really is, an attempt to establish our own righteousness over against God – to establish some credit with him – we understand that this is…
Reading through my last blog: “The Law and the Christian”, I have chosen this week to make 3 comments on points I made – points which I felt needed further comment, to avoid misunderstanding. 1. To the statement that Christians have never believed they had to keep the whole Torah: This is true after the final break with Judaism. However, the first Christians did not think they had started a new religion, separate from their ancestral faith, Judaism. They believed…
Twice during Easter I posted a blog about living the Christian life; on the 8th of April, and on the 12th. I was concerned to show that the Christian life is lived by faith, and in the power of the Spirit! I was careful to emphasis this, over against the keeping of law! Of course “the Law” in Paul’s day, could mean the whole Torah, or just the 10 commandments. Christians have never, to my knowledge, thought that the whole…
Many of us will at this moment in time be wondering what is happening in our world; living with an uncertain future; wondering whether we or our loved ones are at risk from the current pandemic. In this very difficult time when we are all listening for the latest update on the coronavirus, fear and anxiety can grip our hearts. And whilst medical authorities rightly warn of the dangers of this virus, and at the same time channel a measured…
INTIMACY WITH GOD God created us for intimacy with him! Everything is made ready for you to have that intimate relationship – to sit at the table – to partake – to know his presence, to hear his voice. It matters not how long you have been a Christian – from the start of your life of faith, God wants that intimate relationship with you! And, it is the Spirit that makes the things of God real to us! The key…
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may…
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say…
That the man (or woman) of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Tim 3,17 TIMOTHY These are Paul´s words to Timothy, a young man and a beloved co-worker in the Gospel. You should read the context, from verse 10. Timothy came from Lystra in the Roman province of Galatia. He was of mixed race, his mother being a Jewess, and his father a Greek. He was brought up by his mother in the Jewish faith and…
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus… (Rom 15,5) What a wonderful verse popped up on my YouVersion Bible app today!(verse of the day) THE GOD OF ENDURANCE AND ENCOURAGEMENT These are two genitives in the Greek (of endurance and of encouragement). There are several types of genitive, and in translation, you have to try and pick the right one. These are most naturally taken…
A scribe asked Jesus which commandment was the most important? Jesus answered, “The most important is “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” Mark 12,29-31. The scribes distinguished 613 commands in…