Pick and Choose Religion

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

-Second Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV)

We've been looking at the topic of false teachers and false teachings. Yesterday, I asked if you had "itching ears" that only wants to hear what you want to hear. Paul gives us good reasons why we must hear the Word of the Lord.

Verse 16 says, "All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" Notice Paul's words: ALL SCRIPTURE. That means every book, every verse, every word of the Bible. Those who have "itching ears" are missing out on blessings from God when they pick and choose what they want to hear and what they want to skip. Paul says that All scripture is given by the inspiration of God. God had given these words to those who wrote the various books, letters and poetry in the Bible. Those words were given for a purpose. Paul goes on to reveal what the purpose is: and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." The Scriptures are beneficial for doctrine. Doctrine is what we believe. It is the things that define our faith. One of the doctrines of the Christian faith is that Jesus was born of a virgin. Without accepting that statement as truth puts Jesus no different than you and I. Yet Jesus was fully human, and fully God. The Scripture reveals to us the things that must make up our faith and beliefs.   Without Scripture, our faith would have no basis. Scripture is also beneficial for reproof and correction. Reproof means a reprimand, a scolding. Use the Scriptures to correct our evil, sin nature led ways, into the paths that God has for us, and the ways He expects us to live. Finally, Scripture is beneficial for instruction in righteousness. Scripture is beneficial for us to know the right way that God wants us to live. Scripture provides for us our beliefs, corrects our failures and provides instruction in how to be the people that God wants us to be. Why is all this important? I believe verse 17 answers that.

"That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." God has provided the Scriptures so that we "may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Without the correction and rebuking of Scripture, we'll never be perfect. Without the instruction of the Scripture, we'll never know the good works that we should do. Maybe that is why the church is fading in America today. We've become a society that only wants to do and hear the things we want to do and hear. We've become a "me" society, do what I want, when I want. Friends, when we pick and choose what we want to hear and read in the Bible, we're never going to be the people Jesus shed His blood for. When we pick and choose what we want we want to believe, and what we want to ignore, we're basically telling God that He is not good enough for us. Is that your message to Him today? 

~Think About It~

The Gospel of God's Grace # 41

A Study of the Epistle to the Romans

Salvation: The Blessings That Accompany Justification

Our Standing with God

Let us face a real problem, one that has been the problem of the ages: how can a sinner stand in the presence of a holy God? "If thou, Lord shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" (Psalm 130:3). Let somebody answer that question. If God would begin to pick out iniquities in your life, would you stand under that scrutiny? The same thing the apostle is talking about in this passage is referred to in Revelation when the wicked cry out in the presence of the wrath of God: "Who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:17). The Psalmist declares the same thing in the first Psalm: "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment." He will go down to wreck and to ruin when he comes to the day of judgment!

But "being justified by faith, we have" a standing. We stand, and our standing is in Christ Jesus. In Christ Jesus is the only place any man will ever be able to stand.

How is that standing maintained? By grace. Any man who tries to stand in his own works, his own character, his own righteousness, will fall. Grace is the only thing that can maintain his standing. I praise God for His grace this day, and you ought to, too.

Our Rejoicing In Hope of Glory

"Being justified by faith, we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." The apostle introduces a subject he later discusses in full (see Romans 8:18). In this introductory statement he is saying, "We rejoice in hop of the glory of God". We have hope that some day we are going to have the glory of God and because of the hope, we rejoice!

What is the glory of God? To put it simply: the glory of God is the likeness of God. God's glory is what God is in character, in essential power, and in external appearance. That is the glory of God. Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus Christ is the brightness of His glory, and that word "brightness"means "outshining." Jesus Christ is the outshining of God's glory; He is the image of God's glory.

Paul means our hope is to be like Jesus Christ in every respect. As he says, "Whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29).

When we have the image of Christ, then we shall have the glory of God. Glorification for the Christian is putting on to the full the likeness of God Himself as it is revealed in Jesus Christ. That is "the hope of the glory of God," a wonderful hope! The apostle says we rejoice in it! You know the hopes of men - oh, how they fail! But here is something that cannot fail. Paul says we rejoice in it!

Our Rejoicing in Tribulation

"We also rejoice in tribulation." Let me emphasize the verb, we "rejoice" in them! The unbeliever is unable to do that. To the unbeliever this life is all he has. He has no prospect of joy or happiness hereafter. He doesn't even know whether there is another life. If, in this life, his joy and happiness is marred by tribulation and affliction, he is miserable, because he has lost all he had.
But it is not thus with the Christian. No matter how dark it may be, he knows the morning still comes. There is not an experience nor a tribulation, no matter how hard it is, that will take away his hope. He can actually take a tribulation, look it in the face and say, "I thank God for this! I rejoice in it!"

The King James Version reads, "We glory in tribulations,"  and it is commonly interpreted, "We rejoice in the midst of tribulation," that is, we rejoice in spite of tribulation. But it does not mean that "I thank God in spite of my tribulations." Paul says in effect, "I thank God for my tribulations!"

Look at the eleventh verse: "We ... rejoice in God." Does that mean we rejoice in spite of God? It means that we look at God and take pleasure in Him. Now it is the same Greek construction here: "We ... rejoice in tribulation." It means that we praise God for the things that come into our lives. You may say, "How can I do that?" There are a good many reasons why you should. "If children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (8:17). Then suffering leads mo glory. If you can rejoice in the glory of God, and suffering leads to glory, can't you glory in suffering? "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (8:18). "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

The text here in this fifth chapter tells us why we should rejoice in tribulation. It is because we know something: "Tribulation worketh patience" (5:3). Let us leave the patience for a moment, and dwell on the word "worketh". Tribulation works patience for us, and not merely patience but steadfastness.

Here is a principle by which  you can discover the difference between a true child of God and one who is just a professed child of God. It is by the effect that tribulation has on him. In the life of a true child of God, tribulation brings him close to God, makes him steadfast, makes him patient. There is another sort of person. Troubles come into the life and instead of bringing him close to God, tribulation makes him hard. If tribulation comes into your life and does not make you more tender, if it does not make you love Him more, then it would be wise to examine your life in order to discover what the trouble is. In justified people, tribulation works steadfastness and patience.

~Alva J. McClain~

(continued with # 42 - "Patience Works Experience")

A Prosperous Attitude

In our previous devotional, we learned that God is pleased to bless us.  But that prosperity must be accompanied by a special attitude…an attitude that is captured in 1 Kings 3.

This passage records God's appearance to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon.  In the dream God said to Solomon, "Ask!  What shall I give you?"

What an incredible statement, and question!  Equally incredible is Solomon's response, which revealed the attitude of his heart, the attitude which must accompany our prosperity.  That response is captured in verses 7-10,

"Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.  And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.  Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil.  For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"  The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.

God is pleased when, in our hearts, we put others before ourselves.  God delights in prospering us when prosperity is not our chief aim.  When we get it right, and in our hearts we do place others before ourselves, God can bless us beyond our wildest dreams.

God will give you everything you need to fulfill His plan for your life. He will give you richly all things to enjoy, as long as you have a prosperous attitude that puts His plans and His people first.

~Bayless Conley~

The Gospel of God's Grace # 41

A Study of the Epistle to the Romans

Salvation: The Blessings that Accompany Justification

Peace with God

Peace with God does not mean that we have a feeling of peace. An unbeliever may feel in his heart perfectly at peace, and yet not have peace with God. A Christian who is untaught and does not know the  truth may have peace with God, and yet not feel at peace in himself.

Between the sinner and God there exists a state of enmity. It could not be otherwise. "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river" (Isaiah 48:18). If Israel had only kept the commandments of God, then there would have been peace. Look at the twenty-second verse: "There is no peace, saith the Lord, to the wicked." Does he mean a feeling of peace? Not at all. Some wicked men are perfectly at peace in their hearts, not disturbed at all by the thought  of facing God in judgment. Even where this is true, there is still a state of enmity between God and wicked men, set forth in Romans 5:10 by the clause, "when we were enemies." In other words, the sinner is an enemy of God. It could not be otherwise. Unsaved men have rebellious hearts. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God ... [it] is not subject to the law of God" (Romans 8:7). If a man rebels against the government and flees to another country, even though he is a refugee in that country, there exists a state of enmity between him and his original government. It does not matter how tranquil this man may feel in this foreign refuge, he is not a peace with his own government. If he comes back to his own country, the government will immediately initiate action against him.

Here is the point about being justified: when a man is justified, that enmity is taken away and there is peace between the sinner and God. When the justified man realizes that peace has been declared between God and him, the result is peace in the soul; he then feels at peace. However, do not confuse the feeling of internal peace with the external relationship of peace with God, which is the subject about which the apostle is now talking.

A prophecy in Isaiah refers to this peace: "He was wounded for our transgressions, ... the chastisement of our peace was upon him" (Isaiah 53:5). He suffered for our sins. He was punished for our sins, and that brought peace between us and God.

The apostle speaks of this in his letter to the Ephesians: "He is our peace" (Eph. 2:14). Not making you "feel" peaceful, but making peace in your relationship with God. "Having slain the enmity," Paul continues in that thought, "He came and preached peace to you that were near and to them that were afar off" (Eph. 2:17). He took away the enmity and then He preached peace to us.

Whereas in time past we looked forward to someday standing before God in judgment, and if we knew the truth, we trembled. But now we have no dread of Him, because the state of enmity centered in sin has been removed.

As Paul concludes this section, you will remember he says we even "rejoice" in God! We can look at Him and realize that He is a Holy God, and we can rejoice in Him because we have peace in Him.

Access to God

"By whom also we have access." In ancient times a king might have a man who had rebelled against him, but the king would forgive him and peace would be restored. But that pardon did not necessarily carry with it the right to come into the presence of the king. It was perilous to go into the presence of the king without permission. Thus, the man did not have the right of "access."

Paul says that God, in Christ, has not only taken away the enmity, but He has made it possible for the sinner to have access into the very presence of God. The tense of the verb in the original language does not appear in the English version, unfortunately. The perfect tense indicates that Christ has achieved a completed and continuous access for us. He led us into the presence of God and we still have that access today. "We both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Eph. 2:18). Peace and access in the Bible always go together.

~Alva J. McClain~

(continued with # 42 - "Our Standing with God")

Nothing to Show

	"I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown."

—Revelation 3:11

Did you know that it is possible to have a saved soul and a lost life? A saved soul means that you are saved because you believe in Jesus and not because of the works you do. You have turned from your sin and put your faith in Christ. And God has a plan for your life: He wants you to serve Him.

But a lot of Christians don't do that much for the Lord, though they should. And this means they have a lost life. The Bible says that we will stand before God one day, and our work will be tested to see what sort it is (see 1 Corinthians 3:12–14). If it is built on the wrong foundation, then it will be burned up, but our soul will be saved.

Jesus said, "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown" (Revelation 3:11). Hold fast. Hang on. Don't let go. Don't relax your grip. If you do, you could lose your crown.

The crown is a symbol of rewards that are awaiting Christians. To lose your crown means to lose your reward. The Bible speaks of a crown that God gives for our faithfulness to Him (see Revelation 3:11). First Thessalonians 2:19 mentions a crown of rejoicing, which would appear to be a crown for winning souls. Then, in 2 Timothy 4:8, there is a crown of righteousness. James 1:12 speaks of a crown of life for enduring temptation and persevering under trial.

These are the rewards God will give to each of us. But how sad it will be for those who stand before Him on that day and have nothing to show for the life that was given to them.

~Greg Laurie~

The Gospel of God's Grace # 40

A Study of the Epistle to the Romans

Salvation: The Blessings that Accompany Justification (5:1-11)

The last word in the fourth chapter is the word "justification" which means to declare and treat as righteous. With the close of the fourth chapter, Paul is finished with the discussion of how God justified a certain man, who is representative of all men. He turns to another aspect of justification in the next chapter.

A good many people think of justification as the first or initial blessing of the Christian life, its value ending at that point. But while justification is the initial blessing, it is more than that in the Christian life. Justification is not only the first or initial blessing, but justification carries with it every other blessing of the Christian life, and when a man is justified, he has everything that God has to give.

So, let us never think of justification as being a small thing. It is the greatest thing in the Christian life, because it carries with it everything else. There are a great many Christians who are not enjoying every blessing. There may be some Christians who do not know what they received when God justified them and of course can't enjoy what they are ignorant of. But that does not change the fact that when God gives justification by faith, He gives with that justification everything that He has to give. In these first eleven verses of chapter five, Paul will give a summary of the blessings that go with justification.

There are two key phrases which occur twice in this section. Following the first comma in the first verse, "Therefore being justified by faith," come two words. "We have." This means we have some possessions that come with justification. Then look at the ninth verse: "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be."

First, being justified by faith we have something; and then, being now justified we shall be something. One phrase has to do with the present, the other with the future.

I have spent a good many hours on these eleven verses, and I admit failure to make any outline of them that satisfies me, because the thought and the argument are so close and continuous that it is almost impossible to analyze it without breaking the thought. So I have not tried to do that but am going to point out to you twelve blessings that go with justification using "being justified" as the key phrase:

1.  Being justified by faith, we have peace with God."
2.  Being justified by faith, "we have access, by faith, into this grace."
3.  Being justified by faith, we have a standing in grace.
4.  Being justified by faith, we have joy ("we rejoice") "in hope of the glory of God."
5.  Being justified by faith, "we glory in tribulations." Glory is the same word in the Greek as "rejoice". Being justified by faith, we "rejoice ... in tribulations." We have joy in our tribulations. The unsaved man cannot rejoice in his tribulations.
6.  Being justified by faith, we have a hope that "maketh not ashamed."
7.  Being justified by faith, we have "the love of God ... shed abroad in our hearts." We have an experience of the love of God.
8.  Being justified by faith, we have the Holy Spirit. A justified man need not anxiously look for a future time when he will receive the Holy Spirit (but he can be filled and filled again, and he can grieve the Holy Spirit, and  hinder his faith walk). This fifth verse is a remarkable verse, for it is the first occurrence in the Book of Romans of the Holy Spirit, and here too the love of God is first mentioned.
9.  Being justified by faith, we have the proof of God' love because "Christ died for us."
10. Being justified by faith, we are going to be "saved from wrath." We have immunity from wrath to come.
11. Being justified by faith, we are going to "be saved by his life." This is no denial of the fact that we have already been saved, but this is looking forward to something else.
12. Being justified by faith, we "rejoice in God." We are not afraid of Him any longer, but we actually rejoice in God. We look at Him, see Him in all His holiness, and we rejoice in Him!

First of all, notice the preface: "Being justified by faith." The word "justified" is in a Greek tense that points to an accomplished fact. It occurred at the time of faith. This is a great testimony to the fact that justification is a thing that takes place instantaneously. In this statement the apostle Paul is looking back to the time when these people believed, hence the expression, "being justified by faith." Here is a most practical point. You cannot grow into justification. You cannot be more and more justified. It is not a continuous process at all. It is something that happens suddenly, instantly, in the twinkling of an eye, in the moment you look up into the face of God and say, "I receive Your Son." At that moment yo are justified!

"Now then," he says, "being justified by faith, we have some benefits!"

~Alva J. McClain~

(continued with # 41 - "Peace with God")

Don't Take Away the Lord's Glory

---

My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. (Galatians 4:19ESV)

The profaning of the Lord's Name, and the taking away of His glory, is the inveterate habit and course of the old creation nature. Should you see any of the old creation getting into the realm of the things of God, what is the result sooner or later? That man takes the glory, and dishonors God. Is not that the tragic, dark story of "the Church"; man in his old creation powers and life pressing into the things of God, and making a name for himself? The Church has been the happy hunting ground of men for reputation, position, influence and all such things. The flesh always does that. It takes God's glory away, it profanes God's Name. In order that that might not be so there must be a new creation, where all things are of God.... I see the appalling state of things today amongst the Lord's people everywhere; death, weakness, limitation, defeat, failure, inability to stand up, to go on; and, without being critical, censorious or judging, you have to come to the conclusion as you speak with so many, that the measure of Christ is pathetically small. Sometimes when you speak about the Lord to people, who have borne the name of Christian for many years, they gape at you as though you were talking a strange language.

Let us ask the Lord that, so far as we are concerned, there may be an increase of Christ in every way. Let us seek grace for any fiery furnace in the light of the explanation, that it is neither what is of Christ that is being tested in us, nor any good within ourselves, but that what is not Christ should disappear, that it should be Christ, only Christ. At last this universe will know nothing but Christ. He will fill all things, and that will be a great day! May He be fully formed in us.

~ T. Austin-Sparks~