Devotion.al

Tag: Salvation

  • Relating Love

    Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 22:34–40, John 13:31-35

    It is not a minor thing for to affirm the Law and the Prophets. It is an essential fact to understand. Jesus in no way denied being a Jew, nor did he say being a Jew is bad. Over the course of history, it was bad theology that led people to think that Jews were worse than . They weren’t, and aren’t.

    In fact, if we do not recognize the Jewishness of Jesus, we deny him in many ways. For him to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, he had to be Jewish. This is incredibly important to understand as the Old Testament is critically important to understand Jesus, , God, and the New Testament.
    In many respects, the Law and the Prophets never pass away, they become something far greater. Through their fulfillment, we are able to go beyond their immediate and earthly meaning and find something far deeper and greater…the depths of God’s .

    Love is supposed to be the motivator, whether it is our with God, or with other people. When other emotions are a significant portion of our , we should recognize that that is not God’s intent. Emotions such as , desire to control, hatred, animosity, sadness. These are not the emotions that are healthy for our relationships, especially if they are the primary emotion we feel.
    This is also the case in our relationship with God, yet many people (Jewish, , Muslim) are taught that we are to fear God. Not the “He is God, the all-powerful, Creator-of-the-Universe” fear; the abject fear of someone who is afraid of another in such a way that loving is not possible.

    1) If a person’s primary relating emotion is not love, how would they understand Jesus’ on the cross?

    2) Many people state and even believe that their primary motivation and behavior toward others is love. How does one validate or invalidate that?

    3) How do you a person more toward love, and away from other emotions?

    4) What emotions (other than love) do you struggle with the most?

  • Such Saving

    John 6:40-44, 1 John 5:13-21

    ‘ words in John can be limiting if we let them be. For example, if we were too literal in seeing or not seeing Jesus (John 6:40), most of us would not have much for . There are many who have visions and dreams of Jesus, they might count. This one of those language problems. The Greek lends itself to beholding and experiencing. This is not to take away the responsibility of physically seeing Jesus, but to add onto it.

    This does lead well into the next slight challenge of verse 44. From the Wesleyan point of view, God did the calling (prevenient ), we do the responding/accepting. Why is this a challenge? Many would (have and do) this means we have no role in this business. Yet, while God acts first, God gives us the and ability to choose to accept.

    However, this does help us with the first phrase, for when God calls us and we respond, we are able to see Jesus for who he is…our savior.

    That “vision” provides us the assurance that we have eternal life. Yet, the world is constant calling us back to it, and away from God. When we are together as fellow believers, we are able to intelligently, understandingly, and compassionately pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. As John points out in his letter, God hears us when we pray according to his will. God’s will is that not should be lost.

    1) What is your reaction to knowing that you have a part (response) in your salvation?

    2) Why do you think it is important to understand that God did the saving before you did the responding?

    3) The that leads to is ominous. What do you think that might be?

  • Checkmarks and Tasks

    Galatians 2:15–3:6, Philippians 1:20–26,

    The church in Galatia was struggling. Someone was pouring bad ideas and thoughts into them, causing them to walk away from the that Paul had taught them. The funny thing is that many of them probably didn’t know that they were being drawn away. It is easy, step-by-step, to be drawn away. The Galatians were being influenced to follow the path of works righteousness. In other words, it was by their (, performed in compliance with the law) actions that saved them. It was no longer Jesus Christ.

    Often that is the trap of holiness. Somehow, people changed good suggestions, then turned them into rules, then made them an article of salvation. In other words, they had escaped the bondage of the world, then went right back to it.
    How many people that heard this letter (the letters were usually read publicly) and shook in anger? How DARE Paul to us in that way? How many others shook in disbelief, amazed and saddened that they had surrendered their freedom.

    Last week, Rachel Held Evans died at the age of 37. She was a progressive that challenged many evangelicals. She made many very angry, so angry one could say they cursed her. Others thought on her words, trusted her heart, and listened. That doesn’t mean she changed many minds. While that may have been her intent, it was the fact that she caused evangelicals to question and converse that made the biggest difference. Of course, there will always be those who become more rigid when challenged. There will also be those who become more filled when challenged, as they hear the heart and of others. Evans like many other progressives find their calling in challenging their perception of the status quo, and the church should be grateful.

    Not that Evans is Paul, but that we are challenged to think. Our faith isn’t one of checkmarks and tasks (salvation by works), it is one of relationship and love. Paul was happy to be alive on Earth because he saw it as his duty to challenge and encourage the church to be the church. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wants to remain (rather than go home to Jesus) because he is watching them grow in their faith.

    1) Growth and challenge. Why is it that when we are challenged, we grow? How how you see in work, , and faith?

    2) The church often resists being challenged, yet of history shows us that is where growth occurs. Why do we fight being challenged, especially if we know we will likely grow as a result?

    3) Progressive and Conservative Christianity both need to learn from each other. In so doing, they can show the world that opposites can work for the common good. Thinking of your friends and , how can you be one that learns from others and show that as the way to live?

  • Fire Is Best

    Psalm 66, Revelation 3:14-22

    You may not be aware of how the metal you are using comes to be. Most metals are dug up in an unusable form. They have to be made usable. There are three primary methods to get the raw material to be more like the goal: mechanical (e.g., crushing), chemical (i.e., acid), and temperature (i.e., ). Each of these is used for different metals, and also depends on what the goal of the metal is. If, for example, you are going to throw it in to mix with a bunch of melted stuff (i.e., not looking for purity), you would use chemicals to break down the bonds. If you just need raw material, you might just smash it until it’s as small as you want (it won’t stick very well, though).

    For purity and cohesion, fire is best. The metal your car is made from (at least some of it) was melted in a huge vat and became molten. Stuff will be added in known quantities to get the end properties desired, such as strong steel. Most gold that is worn is a gold alloy, where gold has stuff added to make it stronger without affecting its beauty. Gold is valued, primarily, because people value it (a circular argument, for sure). It is easily shaped for decorations (and people like to adorn themselves with it). It was used for money (can still be). In our day and , its greatest value is not jewelry, but electronics. It is a fantastic conductor. Not enough is used in your electronics to try to get it, however, it does improve the abilities of electronics to do their tasks using less electricity. Gold, even in the days of diamonds and platinum, is still the primary precious metal, and it was the best known precious metal in ‘ and ‘s day.

    Due to that, gold (along with silver, the second most valued metal) were a good subject lesson in regards to people. In the letter to Laodicea, Jesus talks about the Laodiceans blindness to their own poverty. Jesus is speaking spiritually. The of Laodicea is lacking in spiritual growth. The Laodiceans think they have it all together and are good to go. Yet, they are lacking. How often are we like they were? Thinking in all our blessings that we have it all together. There are false teachers who teach exactly that. Laodicea is our object lesson that this isn’t so. Laodicea was a wealthy city, but the church was spiritually poor. Laodicea was the home of a medical school known for an eye-balm, yet they were blind. Laodicea was also known for its cloth, yet they were naked.

    They needed to be refined. They had no money to buy the refined gold (cleansing and ). God would sell it to them anyway. With that gold, they could buy True eye-balm to see their real spiritual state. With that gold, they could buy the clothes that would cover their True nakedness. In other words, God’s got it covered…if they respond. Then we get to the hard part, to receive all of that (which they thought they already had), they had to be rebuked and disciplined (i.e., refined).

    1) Have you have thought you had it all together in your , and then everything came crashing down? How about spiritually? How was your different between the two events?

    2) Why are rebuke and discipline part of the refining process? What other words would you use?

    3) It is reasonable to look at ourselves as the “raw material” that God refines. Where do you think God used each of the three methods (mechanical, chemical, temperature) to refine you?

  • Coming to Life

    Psalm 122, John 17:12–19, Revelation 2:8-11

    Definitions are very important. Whether it’s theology, , or general conversation, having the same definition for a word is key to communicating. On top of that, there are cultural expectations and presumptions where two people can agree on a definition, but then disagree on how it is actually lived out. Have you ever had that experience? You are talking with a person, you both seem to agree on the definition, but by the of it you realize that while the definition is the same, you both ended up completely differently?

    Why are we talking about definitions? What is the Very Good ? That depends. The whole starting point of the Very Good Life defines the actual of the Very Good Life. For the world, it mostly is stuff and “happiness”. For those who follow other religions, their religion helps them to understand what the Very Good Life is (this is not going to be a comparative religion discussion). From a Christian point of view, the Very Good Life starts with Christ. It is not our , our continued growth in holiness (), it is not attending weekly. It isn’t that these activities are bad (they are, in fact, very good), but none of them exist without Jesus Christ.

    This of Jesus’ is both a prayer to the Father and a lesson for the disciples. Jesus asks the Father to protect his friends and followers. It gets very interesting when Jesus asks that his (Jesus’) joy be completed in them, and then we get to the world hates (and hated, and will be hating) them. What? Complete joy and the world hates it. Think about God’s . Full and complete Godly joy results in the world hating them (and us). How is this the Very Good Life? It’s not from the world’s point of view. God knows it. We should know. Yet despite the fact that we should know it, we act as if we don’t. Or we act as if there is a middle way. Jesus asks God to sanctify them (set them apart) by the Truth (the ultimate, absolute God truth).

    In the letter to Smyrna, Jesus opens up with, “…the one who was dead, and came to life…” This is to remind those who are suffering (the world hates them) that he (Jesus) has already died. Not only that, he came back. It’s an odd sort of assurance. He tells them they are rich, strongly implying that their riches are him (Jesus). The world can hate, jail, and even kill them, but that is not the end. At the end is the crown of life. Still, the Very Good Life is supposed to be our life lived now, not the afterlife. How can this be the Very Good Life? Again, that’s why it is so important to understand that the True Very Good Life starts with Jesus Christ.

    1) Why do you think we can claim (and should claim) that we are living the Very Good Live, even in the midst of trial, pain, and loss?

    2) Naming and Claiming the Very Good Life isn’t living the Very Good Life. How would you define living the Very Good Life?

    3) Where can walking between the True Very Good Life (Jesus) and the Good Life (the world) work? Where does in not work?

  • What Doesn’t Change

    Psalm 146, Isaiah 43:8–13, 1 Peter 2:2–10, John 14:1–7

    While we are still in the season (the year span between Easter and Pentecost), it is always good to recall all which testified to being the Messiah. This passage in Isaiah is a good reminder. Through the Messiah (Jesus) nations have been brought . We often look at the divisions, especially when it comes to the powerful using to justify their actions. Which is makes things all the more peculiar (and often a witness against the powerful), for God says that God is the Savior. No one else can do it. Only God. Still, we are told one political (let alone political party) is going to solve it all. They can’t. There is an important piece that often isn’t included in the fact that only God can save, that means insofar as our salvation depends on God, it doesn’t .

    God’s salvation doesn’t change. However, our understanding and/or acceptance of it may change drastically over our lives. It is not a minor theological point that Peter makes regarding growing into salvation. It is a huge thing. Think of a plant/tree/bush. If they are not growing, they are dead. Many people think they have arrived when they come to a salvation point with Jesus (in fact, many churches have taught that over the years). Peter’s point is that it is an ongoing process. Not only does he use “plant-growing” language, he then builds (no pun intended) on that by saying we are being built into a spiritual . We are part of God’s saving work in us. Now, that is not to say that our salvation is based on our work, but that it becomes deeper and more – when we participate in it.

    Life-giving should be the Very Good Life…the saving life that Jesus Christ invites us to participate in. When Jesus speaks on being, “…the way, the truth, and the life…,” it (again) is not a destination. Those that were part of the early church were often called the Followers of the Way. They lived life together around the truth. This particular passage is often used by (well-meaning) people as a dividing line between unbelievers and “true” Christians. Yet, it is more about Christians than it is about anyone else. We are to look to Jesus as our Savior. We are to follow his ways the best we can. As we follow him, we are better able to draw people to life with him.

    1) Through Isaiah, God says to the Israelites (and to us), “…you are my witnesses….” Read the verses before and after, then ask yourself, witnesses to what?

    2) Why is it crucial to think of the Christian life as a “growing” life?

    3) What are your thoughts regarding, “…the way, the truth, and the life…?” What does it mean to a Christian? What does it mean to one who doesn’t follow Jesus?

  • Wednesday after Easter

    Genesis 1:24–2:1, Genesis 3:6–13, Psalm 11, Matthew 6:22–23

    Up through verse 25, God’s creative acts end with the epithet, “…God saw that it was good.” Then God made mankind. With the completion of that , “…God saw that it was very good.” The word very can also be translated as exceedingly. Look around. Do we look exceedingly good? Our wars, our violence, our hatred, our favoritism, our biases, our brokenness. Exceedingly good? It is indeed true that our issues are not as God intended. Creation with the advent of humankind was very good. Then humanity lost it all.

    “Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.” -Obi-Wan Kenobi*

    Eve saw. Adam witnessed. Their eyes “were opened.” Obi-Wan Kenobi was very wise in sharing with his young about how our eyes do indeed deceive us. Illusionists and magicians are very much aware of this. If you’ve ever had motion sickness, it is often a result of a disconnect between your eyes and your inner-ear (or your stomach). Your eyes your body a signal, and the of your body disagrees.

    Yet, we have many phrases (like Thomas) such as, “I’ll believe it with my own eyes.” It’s as if we think our eyes are more “honest” or “true” than another’s. There is also the reality that often what we see is not the whole story. Most people now believe that the Earth revolves around the Sun. It wasn’t that long ago that people believed that a chariot pulled the Sun through the sky or some other similar mythology. They based their conclusions upon what they saw.

    Now, this could easily end up being a wild goose trip, if we let it. This is where both Psalm 11 and ‘ words in Matthew come in. The aspect of our eyes is one thing. Our eyes “lead” to our soul. While the serpent’s deceit and Eve’s (along with Adam’s) pride to “be like God,” definitely are part of the picture, Eve “saw” the apple. If we look at the 10 Commandments, much of it involves vision to some degree.

    God sees all we do. Our eyes deceive us in that we don’t see God, so he must not see us (the sinner’s version of peek-a-boo). When Jesus warns us about the between our eyes and our souls, it is because of how our eyes will often draw us away from the True desire of our souls…a deep and abiding relationship with God.

    1) We often look to others and compare ourselves to them. How does that lead us away from the Very Good Life?

    2) Our culture is very visual. Advertisers and media companies are aggressively pursuing our eyeballs. How should Jesus’ words influence our ? How does that reinforce Jesus’ words?

    3) The original has a symbol…an apple and a snake. Our salvation has a symbol…the cross. The as has a symbol…the cup and bread. What other symbols can you think of that evoke a powerful response?

    *GEEK ALERT! Just in case you don’t know the reference, this is from the movie Star Wars: A New Hope.

  • Resurrecting Perspective

    Matthew 28:1–8, 1 Corinthians 15:12–23

    HE IS RISEN!

    “Blessed be the God and of our Lord Christ. Because of his great , he has given us new birth into a hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3–4

    The cross is the threshold between the fallen life and the life. Once we have accepted all that comes with the cross, we step across the threshold. In many ways, we are now in a long state of waiting, yet…He is Risen!

    We have the ending. We know the ending. Yet, we wait.

    The wait between crossing the threshold and our own resurrection experience can be mere moments (e.g., deathbed salvation) or a really long time (e.g., a child’s salvation until they die). It is not just this day and age that looks at this wait as a very long time. When was writing, they were expecting the end to come soon. Much of what Paul wrote was with the (short) end in mind. There was soon a need to revise their expectations.

    Today we still have people who claim the end of the world and Christ’s return is imminent. To God, it is imminent. It is just that God’s time frame is a bit longer than ours. Just like in simpler things (jobs, children, saving), we can get a bit impatient. Many people’s bodies and hearts hurt to such a degree that they would accelerate Christ’s return. Yet, to do so is to deny our responsibility in the waiting.

    We are called to walk with the world. They are waiting, too. They are just not aware of what they are waiting for. Just as we get impatient with waiting, so do they. The difference is the of Christ in us. The power and hope of the resurrection may often be the only things that differentiate us from others. The power and hope of the resurrection may be the only thing that can keep us patient and maintain a positive outlook in this life. The power and hope of the resurrection to those who wait, but know not what they are waiting for.

    1) Does the resurrection really affect how you view this life and the lives of others? If so, how? If not, should it?

    2) For the last few generations, the has used the stick of Hell and the carrot of life to call people into a life with Christ. How does this work with and against the power and hope of the Resurrection?

    3) Why is it important to understand that Kingdom life is now, rather than past or future? How does the Resurrection empower the Kingdom life?