Simple faith, desires to please;
Bows its head, bends its knees.
Longs for grace, to see God's face.
Sustains the weak, stops our stumble.
In the eyes of Christ, such faith is dear;
It's free to all, who will draw near.
~ apl
Tag: Faith
The True Son of Man
“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
~ Matthew 4:17
The Christian message has ceased to be a pronouncement and has become instead a proposition. Scarcely anyone catches the imperious note in the words spoken by Jesus Christ. The invitational element of the Christian message has been pressed far out of proportion in the total scriptural scene. Christ with His lantern, His apologetic stance and His weak pleading face has taken the place of the true Son of Man whom John saw—His eyes as a flame of fire, His feet like burnished brass, and His voice as the sound of many waters. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal our Lord as He really is, and He does not paint in oils.
~ A.W. Tozer
A Certain Kind of Spirit
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love…”
~ 2 Timothy 1:7
The Christian spirit should be one of boldness, courage and might. Often times, the timidity and humility that should shroud the Christian’s demeanor is misunderstood as weakness, frailty or even fear. But hidden inside the inner believer, deep inside the heart of the true follow of Christ, there lies the potential for a spirit of holy endurance, perseverance and strength.
The Lord Jesus showed His disciples this kind of reserved yet powerful spirit when He confronted the false teachers and corrupt religious men of His day. He demonstrated that though a meek and lowly figure, He would fashion a whip and drive those evil men out of the temple who sought to desecrate it. The spirit of Christ was a spirit of strength and might.
The spirit God has endowed the believer with is not only one of power, but also of love. It is good that strength and power be tempered by love. It is also worth noting it is only perfect love that truly cast out fear. Nothing will do more in the Christian life to cast out all our fear and doubt and foster in us a boldness for Christ than the love we have for Him.
Paul desired to encourage Timothy in his walk with Christ by reminding him of the kind of spirit God had imparted to him. A spirit not of fear, but of power and love. If you, dear reader, are currently walking in spiritual doubt or fear; if your spirit lacks the power and love you sincerely desire, seek the Lord, draw near to Christ in prayer and supplication, and come to more fully realize the kind of spirit God has intended for you as well.
~ apl
Do Not Marvel
“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
~ John 3:7
This proclamation from our Lord Jesus to Nicodemus in John chapter 3 still stand as the watershed declaration that separates true followers of Jesus Christ from the rest of the world. Jesus’ words sets Christianity apart from all else. To be Christ’s disciple, to be adopted into the family of the Lord, to be established in covenant with Jehovah God, you must be born again.
So what does it mean when the Bible says one must be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven? Well, this is where knowing the original language can be helpful. The word translated here “again” means “from above”. The phrase could be literally translated “You must be born from above, or from a higher place”. The idea Jesus was conveying is that of a spiritual birth.
To be born again, that is, from above, means we are transformed in our very being, in our principles, our feelings, and our manner of life. The beginning of this new life is called the new birth, or regeneration. It is so called because in many respects it has a striking analogy to our natural birth. It is the beginning of spiritual life. It reveals the light of the Gospel. It is the moment when we really begin to live with any purpose. Being born again is the moment when God reveals Himself to us as our reconciled Father, and we as adopted sons and daughters.
Though this new birth is a work of the Holy Spirit, we realize this glorious regenerating grace through our own personal repentance and faith. Through this new life we begin to experience the living God in our life. That is, through turning away from sin and turning towards Christ. There is no other way to be reconciled to God. My prayer is, dear reader, that you already know, or come to know Jesus’ words as your own, “You must be born again”.
~ apl
A Work In Progress
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”
~ Philippians 1:6
In the year 1192 A.D. ground breaking took place on what would eventually become one of the most remarkable, iconic and unique buildings ever constructed. It was in this year the freestanding bell tower of the cathedral in the Italian city of Pisa was begun. Shortly after construction of the 183 ft. tower started, the tower began to lean because of soft, unstable and unfirmed ground underneath. One hundred and ninety nine years later, in the year 1372, the tower was finally completed. Construction had to be slowed down over the decades as to allow the ground underneath to harden where it could support the structure. As a result, and with much enduring patience, this beauty and iconic tower took almost 200 years to complete.
In many ways, the Christian life is like that leaning tower of Pisa. And in Philippians 1:6, we read about how God is slowly but surely building in each of us, a beautiful, if even imperfect, image of Himself. Just because you’re a Christian, doesn’t mean you’re already perfect. Becoming a follower of Christ, doesn’t automatically sweep all your troubles away. Like that leaning tower, believers often feel like they may fall, they might stumble in their faith and lose all hope. Yet in our verse today, we find hope, encouragement and God’s promise.
Looking a little closer at verse 6 then, Paul says three distinct things: 1. Being confident of this very thing 2. He who began a good work in you 3. Will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. Paul begins this verse with full assurance and confidence in what he was about to say. He’s using particularly strong language here. He’s saying what I’m about to tell you, I tell you with the certainty of all my hope, faith and trust in God and the Lord Jesus Christ. There was not the shadow of a doubt in the mind of the Apostle that these words aren’t as true as the God in whom Paul placed his faith.
What did Paul assert to believe? Well first, that He who began a good work in you… What is the good work the Apostle Paul is referring to here in the lives of the Philippians? Well, he is speaking of their salvation, of the redemption brought to them through the finished work of Christ and the spread of that Gospel message which did reach and convert them. So the “He” is God Himself. It is God who works the grace and gift of salvation into the hearts of sinners. The Bible speaks of the transforming work of God in different ways such as being born again, receiving a new heart, repenting or turning from sin. So it is the Lord who opens our hearts and minds to Himself. It is He, that is God, who began a good work in you. And of course, like we said, that good work is really the greatest and glorious of all works that the Lord could ever do on behalf of mankind, the work of salvation, the work of Christ on Calvary, of saving people from their sins.
It is this third part of Paul’s comments though, I want to spend a little more time on. He says, I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you, WILL complete it. God knows nothing of an incomplete project. Just as with the work of Creation where in 7 days God finished the work of establishing the heavens and the earth, so too, does His Word promise He will complete that work of salvation in the hearts and lives of all those who belong to Him. God does not leave us unfinished, half done, incomplete Christians. He who began the good work of salvation, finishes that glorious work until the day of Christ Jesus. What the Bible is teaching us here is God does not forget nor forsake those He calls to Himself. Once we are called unto salvation, God through Christ, ultimately sees us through to the end. The work of salvation is a persevering work. In Romans 8:30 the Bible put it this way saying those God calls, these He also justifies; and whom He justified, these He also glorifies. Salvation once begun in the heart of the redeemed sinner is one day fully and finally completed.
And this, beloved, is where our assurance and our hope come from – from the goodness and grace of God. The reality is though, we struggle with this truth. Though we might know it is true, we don’t always feel it is true. We know we fail God. We know we aren’t always what we ought to be. We know sin continues to be a reality in our lives and all this can and does cause us to question our salvation. And no can really blame you when you wonder why God would want to have anything to do with you when you still disobey Him and do things you know displease Him. But I think it is because we do sometimes let doubt creep in that Scripture offers us these comforting words. That even though all those things are true, we never stop being loved and accepted by God our Father through Christ our Lord.
God’s love is greater than our weakness. Therefore He will complete the work of salvation in you and will bring you ultimately to Himself one day. But till that day, we are all still a work in progress. Like Paul says elsewhere in Sacred Writ, it is not as if we have already achieved or attained perfection. If you are still walking this earth, and you belong to Him, then you are a wonderful work in progress. Christians are not perfect, but we are forgiven and that makes all the difference. It took almost 200 years for the Italians to complete the leaning tower of Pisa. And to this day, centuries later it’s still leaning but it’s still standing. It was important enough for them to keep working on, even though they knew it was inherently flawed.
God promises to abide with us and to sanctify us little by little day by day, even though we might be flawed. He looks past those flaws to the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. And the Bible says He will never leave us nor forsake us. My prayer is that in those times when we might become discouraged in our faith, when we might be tempted to question the very salvation Jesus purchased for us with His own blood, that we would turn to passages like this one here in Philippians 1:6 an other like texts and lean on the promise of God and His Word, that He who began a good work in you, and in me, will certainly complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.
~ apl
Grace In Time Of Need
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”
~ Hebrews 4:16
As a result of the supremacy of Christ in His priesthood, and His attending mediatorial office of interceding on behalf of His people, we can come boldly (that is with confidence, with assurance, with conviction and by faith in the work of Christ) to the God’s throne of grace. I like to think we do this in our prayers. As we come before God in prayer, we can confidently approach Him on the veracity of His own character, and we can seek Him out, as our verse says, in time of need. It is by faith in Christ and with God that we may find and obtain mercy and grace. What wonderful comfort that is for those who have Christ as their Great High Priest.
~ apl
Definition of Faith
“In sharp contrast to the contemporary definition of faith, biblical faith is not an irrational “leap in the dark.” It is not a mystical encounter with the “wholly other” or the “ground of being.” Nor is it optimism, psychological self-hypnosis, or wishful thinking. True faith is a reasoned response to revealed truth in the Bible, and salvation results from an intelligent response, prompted by the Holy Spirit, to that truth.”
~ John MacArthur
Burn Them To Ashes!
“Therefore, put to death whatever in you is worldly: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.”
~ Colossians 3:5
“While a darling sin lives and keeps the throne in the heart — grace and holiness will be kept exceeding weak and low. But when your darling sin is dethroned and slain by the power and the sword of the Spirit — grace and holiness will quickly grow stronger and stronger, and rise higher and higher.
When a man has eaten poison, nothing will make him thrive, until he has vomited up the poison. Beloved sins are the poison of the soul — and until these are vomited up, and cast out by sound repentance, and the exercise of faith in the blood of Christ — the soul will never thrive in grace and holiness!
If ever you would attain to higher degrees of holiness, then fall with all your might upon subduing and crucifying your most raging corruptions, and your most darling lusts!
Oh do not think that your golden and your silver idols will lay down their weapons, and yield the battle, and lie at your feet, and let you trample them to death — without striking a blow! Oh remember that besetting-sins will do all they can to keep their ground, and therefore you must arise with all your strength against them, and crush them to powder, and burn them to ashes!”
~ Thomas Brooks
Saved By Works
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”
~ Matthew 5:17
I wonder if my title grabbed your attention? Bible-believing Christians know that we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works. Yet, the catch is, I’m not talking about our works – I’m speaking to the perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s right. It is by believing in His works we are saved. I hope you understand beloved how important, how imperative, how essential it is we affirm, as followers of Christ, salvation by works. Again, not by our own worthless works, but by the perfect work of Jesus Christ in fulfilling the Law of God. That Christ did what we cannot do. He kept the high standard of God’s holy law, something Adam nor any of his descendants did or can do in our own strength. Jesus did not run from the Law of God. He did not try to minimize the Law. He did not try to plead ignorance to the Law. No. Jesus boldly embraced, obeyed and perfectly fulfilled the Law of God on the behalf of His people. Praise His name!
~ apl
To Join Together
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”.
~ Romans 5:1
Conflict has become a part of mankind’s nature. Conflict is a result of man’s original fall from grace and that a state of peace and bliss into which he was created – only to fall into a condition of depravity, dejection and despair. Since the time when Cain slew Abel, mankind has suffered under the curse of this kind of conflict that is conceived and born from sin darkened hearts filled with lust, greed envy and all manner of sin and disobedience.
Yet, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is through faith, faith in Christ, who He is and what He has done that any one will ever have peace with God. It’s interesting the word Paul uses here in Romans 5:1 that we translate “peace” is the Greek noun “eirḗnē” which is derived from the Greek verb “eiro” which literally means “to join together”. As sin has separated us from God and caused His great displeasure to befall us, and separate us from God’s blessing and favor, so through Christ we can be joined together, we can be “eirḗnē” that is, at peace with our Maker once more.
~ apl
A Prayer Life 