Category Archives: Bible Reflection

Before you do anything, hear this!

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I am currently teaching through the book of Romans and one of the things that has struck me in going through the first eleven chapters is how little we are asked to do. Apart from one brief exhortation in Romans 6 which tells us to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, there’s actually no positive command given to us. That is quite shocking! Every man made religion tells us to DO something to achieve spiritual awareness or to climb the mountain and meet “God” at the top. Yet Christianity is not the message of mankind climbing his way to some spiritual summit. The exact opposite is true – we cannot climb our way to God. All of us have sinned and fall short of God’s standard – every single one of us. Yet the good news is that God has not left us in this desperate plight but has actually climbed down the mountain to find us in the valley. That’s the message of the Incarnation – the second Person of the Godhead left His eternal throne in the heavens and became one of us; He lived a sinless life and died an atoning death for sinners and rose again from the dead.

Obviously we are called to believe what we read in the first eleven chapters of the book, and that means understanding the depravity of the human race, our deep and desperate need for a Savior and to place our trust in Him. Yet, I think it is very informative to read the Epistle through and realise that in this most comprehensive declaration of the Gospel anywhere in Scripture (which is what the book of Romans is), God is wanting us to know so many things before we ever start actually doing anything.

No one starts a conversation by using the word “therefore.” Something goes before it. There’s an old saying, “when you see a “therefore” find out what it is there for.” The word “therefore” is a linking word that stands between something preceding it and the logical consequences or ramifications that follow. That’s what we have in Romans 12. God is saying (through His apostle); in light of all that has been said, the logical response should be the following things.

It is only as we grasp the Gospel, understanding the nature of sin and the Divine remedy found in the Gospel; learning too that God is absolutely Sovereign in the matter of grace, and yet this does not eleviate our responsibility in any way at all or of our need to preach the Gospel, and that “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36) – only then are we told in Romans 12: 1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”

As Justin Taylor once remarked, “So because of the great doctrines of creation, righteousness, depravity, faith, propitiation, justification, union with Christ, sanctification, glorification, election, divine freedom, therefore, by God’s mercy and grace we can receive and respond to the following imperatives:

present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God
Do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewal of your mind
he [ought] not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but
think with sober judgment,
let us use our gifts that differ according to the grace given to us
Let love be genuine.
Abhor what is evil;
hold fast to what is good.
Love one another with brotherly affection.
Outdo one another in showing honor.
Do not be slothful in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
be patient in tribulation,
be constant in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints and
seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you;
do not curse those who persecute you.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty, but
associate with the lowly.
Never be wise in your own sight.
Repay no one evil for evil, but
give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
live peaceably with all (if possible, so far as it depends on you)
Never avenge yourselves, but
leave it to the wrath of God. . .
if your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink
Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.”

Until we KNOW what God has done for us in Christ, God wants us to do nothing whatsoever. Works (the things we do) play no part in our justification before God (Romans 4:4, 5; Eph 2:8-9). Holiness is a fruit not a root of our salvation, and this is clearly seen in the big picture of how the Gospel is presented to us in the book of Romans.

Romans 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness

But I have prayed for you…

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Luke 22: 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Peter is about to face his greatest ever crisis. He would indeed be sifted, almost to utter breaking point, yet in the midst of his darkest despair and greatest moments of anguish, he would find great comfort knowing that His Master had prayed for him.

The result of Jesus’ prayer was certain, for it is not a question of “IF” Peter turns again but “WHEN.” Jesus will get His prayer answered; Peter will turn again and when that happens, he is told to strengthen his brothers around him. When at his weakest moment, feeling so cut off from God, feeling he had blown it so severely that there was no hope for him left at all; what a deep abiding comfort it would have been to know that Jesus’ prayers would avail. One day, very soon, he would be used by God again to help fortify the faith of others. It seemed impossible to believe, but Jesus never gave a false promise, and His words were to be trusted. What a vision to keep in view in the midst of his darkest hour. On Christ the solid Rock he could stand, believing the words spoken personally to him, for as he was about to find out, all other ground would indeed be sinking sand. There would be nothing else to hold on to – nothing sure, nothing stable, outside of the promises of God.

I find it very interesting that He told Peter this, informing him of His intercession for him. Yet in contrast, there’s no record that he had this kind of a conversation with Judas. There’s the concept of divine election right there.

And what happened? Well, we know what happened, don’t we? Peter denied Him, Judas betrayed Him.

Peter came back… Judas never did, for he was never one of His (Jesus called Judas a devil – John 6:70).

And more than this, such is God’s grace that it was not a 10 year probation period before Peter was ever used by God again, but instead, just a few weeks later, in the very same city where he had denied him, he was the FIRST preacher on the day of Penetecost, and 3,000 souls were added to the Church. Astounding!

In Hebrews 13:5, our English Bibles contains the simple statement, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Yet in the original Greek text, it says far more than this. There is a 4 time repetitive statement of denial.

The Amplified Bible gets closest to the original:

Heb 13: 5 for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

There are times when it seems we are so battle weary that there is seemingly no strength left to pray. I have been there, and I know I am not alone in that. What a comfort it is to know that we have been given a supreme gift in our Great High Priest and His prayers of intercession for us.

“It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life; that He is presenting to the Father those spiritual needs which were not present to our minds and which we often neglect to include in our prayers; and that He prays for our protection against the dangers of which we are not even conscious, and against the enemies which threaten us, though we do not notice it. He is praying that our faith may not cease, and that we may come out victoriously in the end.” (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology p. 403)

“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” – Robert Murray M’Cheyne

John 17: 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

Romans 8: 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Hebrews 7: 22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. 23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Can you hear the words of the Master today? Whatever it is you face, hear Him say, “but I have prayed for you!”

Build your nest in no tree here…

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The heart conquered by His love is a heart filled with strong desire. Above all else, the saint longs to see the smiling face of Jesus, and the visible, tangible manifestation of His Sovereign Kingly rule in a new heaven and a new earth.

In light of this future hope, may we always know and remember this: Babylon, with all its wealth and power; with all its commerce and false religion; every last vestage of it, will one day be no more. When it falls (and fall it will), let us not be seen to be weeping, in dismay because all our heart’s investments are now vanished away. Instead, on that day, may each of us be able to say without even a moment’s hesitation, “Hallelujah, for the Lord God almighty reigns.”

In the words of Samuel Rutherford, “Build your nest in no tree here… for the Lord of the forest has condemned the whole woods to be demolished.” Continue reading →

Happy Holy Days!

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“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” – 1 Corinthians 5:7

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord…” – Romans 1:1-4

When I first discovered that many of the Biblical sites in the ancient holy land were now Christian Churches (of different persuasions and denominations) I immediately felt saddened. I guess I expected to see the hillside where Jesus delivered His “Sermon on the Mount” kept in its original condition; I wanted to see the birthplace of Christ, and be on the lookout for sheep, shepherds, donkeys and farmyard animals. But as anyone who has been to Israel knows, such is not the case. Christians through the centuries, after making careful inquiry as to the exact locations, have claimed many of these sites for their own by building grandiose Church structures right on top of them. Continue reading →

If God Wills Disease Why Should We Try to Eradicate It?

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I read this short article by Dr. John Piper today and thought it was well worth passing on:

This question arises from the biblical teaching that all things are ultimately under God’s control. “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:10). “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps” (Psalm 135:6). “He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?'” (Daniel 4:35). “[He] works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).

This means that God governs all calamity and all disease. Satan is real and has a hand in it, but he is not ultimate and can do nothing but what God permits (Job 1:12-2:10). And God does not permit things willy-nilly. He permits things for a reason. There is infinite wisdom in all he does and all he permits. So what he permits is part of his plan just as much as what he does more directly.

Therefore this raises the question: If God wills disease why should we try to eradicate it? This is a crucial question for me because I have heard Christians say recently that believing in the sovereignty of God hinders Christians from working hard to eradicate diseases like malaria and tuberculosis and cancer and AIDS. They think the logic goes like this: If God sovereignly wills all things, including malaria, then we would be striving against God to invest millions of dollars to find a way to wipe it out.
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Love is Selfless

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1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Lust is consumed with self and self satisfaction; love, on the other hand, desires the care, welfare and happiness of the other person. Love is honest and true, enduring (the exact opposite of fragile or fickle), faithful at all times and under all circumstances. The person in lust may or may not be there for you in crisis time, perhaps only showing up if it coincides with their own agenda and purposes; but the person who loves you is always there for you, even at cost to himself. He will do whatever it takes to show his love is real. He is dependable and trustworthy, when in sight, and when no one can see him.

The song below always touches my heart when I hear it. It seems to portray a very proud man struggling to vocalize the fact that he would do all in his power, even to the point of laying down his very life, to care for and protect the one he loves. Here, Eric Clapton (on guitar) and Sting (on vocals) team up together to produce the perfect musical blend. The song is called “It’s Probably Me.”

If the night turned cold
And the stars looked down
And you hug yourself
On the cold cold ground
You wake the morning
In a stranger’s coat
No-one would you see
You ask yourself, ‘Who’d watch for me?’
My only friend, who could it be?
It’s hard to say it
I hate to say it
But it’s probably me

When your belly’s empty
And the hunger’s so real
And you’re too proud to beg
And too dumb to steal
You search the city
For your only friend
No-one would you see
You ask yourself, Who’ll Watch For Me?’
A solitary voice to speak out and set me free
I hate to say it
I hate to say it
But it’s probably me

You’re not the easiest person I ever got to know
And it’s hard for us both to let our feelings show
Some would say
I should let you go your way
You’ll only make me cry
If there’s one guy, just one guy
Who’d lay down his life for you and die
I hate to say it
I hate to say it
But it’s probably me

When the world’s gone crazy, and it makes no sense
And there’s only one voice that comes to your defence
And the jury’s out
And your eyes search the room
And one friendly face is all you need to see
If there’s one guy, just one guy
Who’d lay down his life for you and die
I hate to say it
I hate to say it
But it’s probably me

I hate to say it
I hate to say
But it’s probably me
I hate to say it
I hate to say
But it’s probably me
I hate to say it
I hate to say
But it’s probably me

The Shepherd and the Sheep

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“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” – John 10:14-16, 26-28

“I have other sheep not of this fold…” (v. 16).

There are many people in the world besides those who have already become Jewish converts (“this fold”), who are referred to as His sheep. There are numerous motives for reaching out in evangelism, and for preaching and praying for lost people everywhere. One of them is the confidence that the Shepherd has other sheep, and they will respond to the Gospel. It was precisely this truth that encouraged the apostle Paul when he was downcast in Corinth. “And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man shall attack you to harm you; for I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9-10)

In John 11:51-52, Caiaphas, the high priest, had given a prophecy which John now interprets this way:

“He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”

These scattered children are identical with the “other sheep that are not of this fold.” World evangelization is the ingathering of the children of God – that is the finding and saving of the “other sheep” that are not of this (Jewish) fold.

John 11:52 says Jesus died to gather into one the scattered children of God. John 10:15 says, Jesus laid down his life for the sheep. So the evangelistic mission of the Church can no more fail than the death of Christ can fail.

“They will hear My voice” – Through You! We have the promise that our evangelistic efforts will not be in vain because the Lord Himself will bring His lost sheep home. He promises to do it. In John 17:20, Jesus said, “I do not pray for these [His disciples] only but also for those who believe in Me through their word.” Jesus uses us today to call His sheep. Just as Jesus called His sheep with His own lips, so He still calls them today using our lips, and in the gospel they hear His voice and follow Him.

From John’s Gospel, we can make the following scriptural statements: All that the Father has chosen to be His from eternity, He has given to the Son (John 6:37); and all whom He has given to the Son, the Son knows (10:3); and calls (10:3-5); and all whom He calls, know Him (10:14) and recognize His voice (10:4-5) and they come to Him (6:37) and follow Him (10:4, 27); and the Son lays down His life for His sheep (10:11); and He gives them eternal life (10:28) and keeps them in the Father’s word (17:6), so that not even one of them is lost (6:39), to glorify the Son forever (17:10). This is the indestructible foundation for an infallible salvation that resounds in the end to the glory of both the Father and the Son.

None of Christ’s sheep finally reject His word. Though He allows some of His sheep to resist the word for a long time, never do they reject it finally. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me.” (John 6:37). What a promise! And what a privilege we have in sharing the Gospel with people, as we witness the Good Shepherd rounding up His sheep.

Romans from 30,000 Feet

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“The problem that all of humanity faces is the wrath of God, which is entirely justified because the Gentiles know God according to general revelation and the Jews know God according to special revelation. Yet both have failed to truly acknowledge God since they have violated His law. Since everyone is under sin and God’s wrath the only way out is the Gospel, the announcement that in Christ, God has provided a righteousness that satisfies his holy requirements. Christ has absorbed God’s wrath in His death and justifies the wicked in his resurrection. All of this is received by faith alone apart from works as the examples of Abraham and David demonstrate. Yet God has not only secured our life from the condemnation of the law, but also from the dominion of sin and death.

Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection we are made new creatures and yet we continue to struggle throughout our lives with indwelling sin and the only hope we have is to look outside of ourselves to Christ, with the indwelling Spirit testifying in our hearts to our free adoption and keeping alive within us the hope that not only we but the whole creation will share in the final redemption.

In the light of all this, nothing can separate us from God’s love. But how then can we trust this gospel if God has been unfaithful to his early promises to Israel? Well, God has always maintained his prerogative of Election, even among the physical descendents of Abraham. So salvation isn’t a matter of physical decent or of human decision or effort, but of God’s mercy alone. God has been faithful to His promises, because even now an elect remnant is being saved from among Jews and Gentiles and after God adds alien Gentile branches to the tree of Israel he will finally bring in the fullness of the Jews as well. In view of all these mercies that stagger our imagination, we can now offer, not the dead sacrifices of animals for atonement, but our own bodies as living sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. In that light, stop judging each other about things indifferent and get on with the business of loving and serving each other.” – Michael Horton, from an Overview of the Book of Romans, WHI 2006

If possible…

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Matthew 24: 22 And if those days had not been cut short, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

Just an observation: thankfully the phrase “if possible” there in Matthew 24:24, shouts loudly to us that it is indeed not in any way possible for the elect to be deceived. God will make sure His chosen ones are safeguarded from the deception, though all around them fall for the lies.

The more time goes by, the more I see that the ONLY reason you or I are ever kept from such deception is not because of any smarts on our part, but God’s Sovereign choice and mercy.

Explicit Sexual Imagery and the Christian Walk

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Some time back I wrote an article called “Run for your life” found where I warned of a very troubling concept found in a book by Ann Voskamp, namely to think of our union with God in sexual terms. For many days afterwards I was bombarded with hostile personal attacks in the comments, many of which I had to delete, and yet, no one was able to say that I had misunderstood the author’s words or taken them out of context in any way at all. Anyway, regarding this, here’s a question I received today (edited slightly):

Pastor Samson, I am in absolutely disagreement with Ann Voskamp’s book; but now I have a question, that I am not finding “easy” to answer. Ann has posted a sort of a response to criticisms she has received, in which she quotes men like John Piper, C.H. Spurgeon and Jonathan Edwards, using the “same kind” of metaphor that she used. I find this very dangerous because many Reformed women now are feeling “safe” about following her lead. That is why I want to be ready to give them an answer. What are your thoughts? Would you consider writing a post explaining what Edwards and Spurgeon meant when they used these words? Thank you.

Thanks for your question. I am not sure I could write with any degree of authority or certainty concerning what was in the minds of the men quoted when they wrote. God would know that for certain, but quite obviously, I do not.

I will say this though. A writer often uses hyperbole and every legitimate means to grab the attention of the reader and rightfully so. May God preserve us from boring writers! Because of this, we should always seek to believe the best of a writer until it is absolutely impossible than to see their words as crossing a theological boundary of heresy and blasphemy. I tend towards giving the benefit of the doubt to any author until I am absolutely forced by sheer weight NOT to do so. I would also hope that those who read my words would extend to me the same degree of courtesy.

Of course, though these men are very highly respected, their own writings would seek to remind all of us that neither any of them individually or all of them collectively are in any way infallible. Even the greatest teachers of the Church should be subject to the God breathed Scriptures and the boundaries of orthodoxy found there. Continue reading →