The Names of God - The Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus

The Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Romans 3:26

The practice of using what is known in the preaching circles of “proof texts” has sometimes lulled us to sleep to the point that we miss the surrounding verses. This is the practice of taking one verse, usually out of context, in order to prove a particular part of one’s theology. One example of this is 1 Corinthians 2:9:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV)

This verse appears on greeting cards and is used liberally around milestone events in the lives of loved ones, such as graduation, etc. It sounds poetic, full of wonder and speculation as to what the future holds. However, God would never leave His children without direction, without a sense of purpose and plan. It wasn’t until I finally read the next verse that my angst was removed. Some of you may have never read it, so here it is:

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10 (KJV)

But!! How could this conjunction be ignored by anyone studying scripture? God has left us in the dark regarding His plans for us. He gave us His Spirit to abide in us, to lead us, direct our steps, and help us find His plans, purposes, and pursuits.

That is not the topic of this Names of God installment but is necessary to illustrate what we are about to see regarding God being the Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus. 

Growing up in an evangelical church, I learned the Roman’s Road, a series of verses from the book of Romans which can be used to lead someone to Christ. The first of these verses is Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Those words are in the Bible, and they are true. However, they do not accurately express what Paul is trying to communicate to the Roman Church in this passage of scripture. Let’s take a closer look. First of all, read the verse in context with what comes before and after.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. 

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21–26. (ESV)

Honestly, today was the first time in sixty-four years of living that I ever knew the context of this verse. The evangelical church was so sin-conscious that they totally missed the point Paul was trying to express. The Law says, “All have sinned.” Righteousness has been restored through Jesus Christ. Notice the conjunction, “and.” It’s the same as the passage in 1 Corinthians where two opposing statements are joined together to make a much stronger truth. Romans 3:23 is not even a complete sentence. Paul declares, 

“There is no distinction between what the Law did to bring us to repentance and what faith in Jesus Christ did to bring us into righteousness.” 

We have all sinned AND we have all been justified through our identification with Christ. This is much better “Good News” than just learning we are “dirty rotten sinners.” So much more! Once you see this truth in Romans 3:23-24, verses 25-26 makes so much more sense:

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 

God has always wanted to redeem man. It was His plan in the Garden. It was His plan when He made covenant Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was His plan when He made covenant with Israel. Even the giving of the Law to demonstrate the sinfulness of man was part of the plan of redemption. This is what Paul is trying to communicate here. All have sinned AND we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Do not allow the truth of the gospel to be lost in proof texts. Find out the fullness of the promises made in the “new” covenant we have with our Creator, the Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus.

The Names of God - Messenger of the Covenant

Messenger of the Covenant

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:1

You cannot separate Jesus from The Covenant. As a matter of fact, The Covenant doesn’t even make sense without Jesus. John 1 tells us how “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus has been from the beginning. In creation, He was The Word. The original covenant made with mankind came through The Word. When God spoke to Abraham, it was The Word who brought the covenant which made Abraham into a great nation. When God spoke to Moses at the bush and on the mountain, it was The Word who spelled out the covenant made with Israel.

Jesus changed time when He “became flesh”. Time used to be described by B.C. and A.D., which stood for “before Christ” and “Anno Domini”, meaning 'in the year of the Lord' (later changed to B.C.E. and C.E.). No other person affected the world like Jesus.

The reason for His coming was clear – to make a new covenant with mankind. And who was better qualified to do this but Jesus? No one, because He was the Messenger of the Covenant! There was a forerunner so we would know when the “messenger” arrived. John the Baptist came declaring the coming of “One whose shoelaces I am unworthy to untie.” 

Then, through a virgin named Mary, by a “word” given through the angel, Gabriel, The Word became flesh; Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Messenger of the Covenant had returned to earth, but this time in the body of a man. The Second Adam was now here to begin the completion of what the Old Covenant had started. The “schoolmaster”, as the Old Covenant was called (Galatians 3:24) brought us to a place of realizing the need for a Savior. Blood sacrifices on a brazen alter could only cover sins. There was a need for a Spotless Lamb who could place the blood (the propitiation) on the heavenly mercy seat to once and for all remove sin from mankind.

This was the Good News (gospel) Jesus brought. He made righteousness available to mankind, which could bring us back into fellowship with our Creator, so we could once again “come boldly to the throne of grace.” What a welcoming place that is; to have Father God lift our head so we can gaze into His eyes of compassion and be consumed by His love, restoring everything in us – spirit, soul, and body. That is the New Covenant! This is why Jesus came as the Messenger of the Covenant one last time. All He accomplished made a way, once and for all, back to the Father. All we have to do is choose to walk in it. How can we not?

The Names of God - The Ernest of Our Inheritance (the Holy Spirit)

The Ernest of Our Inheritance (the Holy Spirit)

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV)

I love the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus. To me, it is the most detailed description of what it means to be saved. Paul relates the salvation experience to all Jesus went through in His last few weeks/months on earth. Paul’s description includes being identified with Christ is several key elements: His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right hand of the Father. But that is not the best part. Typically, that is were “being saved” ends for most people. However, before Jesus ascended, He gave a promise to those He left behind.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16–17 (ESV)

The ”Helper” referred to here is the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to send “another” to help us walk out the salvation provided through Jesus. The thing we sometimes lose sight of is this: salvation is actually a covenant with God. And, like all covenants, there was a “guarantee” given by God that He would fulfill His end of the agreement. His Son, Jesus, fulfilled His mission by coming to earth as a man, fulfill all righteousness (necessary to make His blood eligible to be the “spotless lamb” needed to atone for the sin of mankind), and then offer Himself up unto death in order to pay the debt created by Adam in the Garden when he violated God’s command. The work of Jesus was completed, and God received Him back into Heaven to be once enthroned as the King of the Kingdom.

So, God gave “another” One just like the first, but this One would remain with us forever. The Holy Spirit was sent to take up residence inside every Believer, to inhabit them as a guide, teacher, and comfort; to empower, encourage, and help us live this new life of following Jesus. The Holy Spirit was given as a gift to The Church, but it was more than this. The Holy Spirit became the “Earnest of Our Inheritance.” Through salvation, God promised us Heaven; a new home with Him forever. The guarantee that He would fulfill this promise came in the form of the Holy Spirit. God (The Father, The Word, The Spirit – three in one) gave us a part of Himself to show us He would keep His word.

In the U.S., it is customary when buying a house that you put down earnest money with your offer to purchase. This shows the owner you are serious. If you withdraw your offer without merit, you forfeit the earnest money to the owner.

Just as God did in another place, when God made covenant with Abraham, He made this declaration:

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Hebrews 6:13 (KJV)

God gave Abraham His word, sworn by Himself, because there is none greater. He did the same thing to fulfill the promise made to us by Jesus as He ascended to Heaven. God said, “There is nothing more valuable than Me. I will send you My Spirit to indwell you forever, until we are united again in Heaven.” That is how serious God looks at the covenant He made with you. It took “the Word becoming flesh” so that flesh could then shed His blood to pay the penalty for sin, then gave us His Spirit to guarantee that we received all Jesus purchased. That is about as tight of an agreement you can make. We have the promise of the Creator, the covenant sealed with Jesus’ blood, and the Holy Spirit as our guarantee. It’s time we started acting like we have the fulness of God living inside us, the resources of God available to provide for us, and the blessed hope of a life with Him forever.

I hope you find, not only solace in these words, but also hope of a better tomorrow, forgiveness for every yesterday, and an abundance of grace for today. Let us, as Paul put it in Ephesians, “Be to the praise of His glory.” Amen!

The Journey – Day 35

The Journey – Day 35

Changing habits is an arduous process. I remember a poster I saw on the bulletin board in the School of Music at Samford University my freshman year (1977). It said:

Sow a thought; reap an act.

Sow an act; reap a habit.

Sow a habit; reap a character.

Sow a character; reap a destiny.

I have returned to these words many times since then. They speak volumes to me, and also challenge me to work at becoming someone with a destiny worth reaching. It is a constant process. At any given moment, you are moving toward the destiny formed by your current habits. Every day you are either reinforcing habits you already have, forming new ones, or trying to overcome some which are either detrimental or at the very least, non-productive.

The first step is identifying habits, then determining if they are beneficial or not. Some things you do not even realize are habitual behaviors. These are sometimes the most harmful.

I’m still in the process of taking a personal inventory to determine exactly where I am, then I can start moving toward the person I want to be. I feel I’m making progress. Each day brings new challenges, and each day choices have to be made, but I’m beginning to get accustomed to the change.

The Journey – Day 28

The Journey – Day 28

I’ve been at the campgrounds for four weeks. It’s very hard to believe that much time has passed. Many habits are changing. The new gym is working out well (no pun intended). The surprising thing to me is that I have not run into anyone I know in any of the stores or restaurants I’ve visited. I realize it’s been 25 years since I lived here, but with all of the relatives and acquaintances I have who still live in the area, I fully expected to run into someone by now.

That has proven to be the most difficult thing thus far. I miss familiar faces. I love people. Learning to be OK with just me is stretching me. But it’s a good stretch. Eating out has always been a backup plan for being with people. Even though I didn’t know the people at the restaurant, I still felt some consolation because they were there. I have only eaten out four times in the past two weeks. That is a major change for me.

I’ve also been working remote most days. I have worked in the office three days in the past four weeks. This has also been a stretch. However, we have frequent Zoom meetings which require interaction with my coworkers, so this has also helped.

I did laundry at the campground laundromat. It was interesting. It’s a very small room with 7 machines (three washers and four dryers). There’s no place to hang anything and no table to fold. However, it got the job done.

Cleaning has never been my forte. I have cleaned all of my life, but only a short time where I was the only one in the space. I like having a clean place to live, so I have stepped up my cleaning routine. The place still looks like it did when I moved in four weeks ago.

I realize none of this is “heavy” revelations, but it is part of the process of change. I sense some deeper things stirring which I hope I can effectively communicate once I have them in view. Until then, it’s on with the journey.

The Names of God - The Sword of Thy Excellency

The Names of God - The Sword of Thy Excellency

The Sword of Thy Excellency

Happy art thou, O Israel: Who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, The shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places. 

Deuteronomy 33:29 (KJV)

Because of disobedience, Moses was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land with Israel. In Deuteronomy 33, the Final Blessing which Moses gave Israel is recorded. In the words which Moses spoke over Asher, we have two name for God given in verse 29: The Shield of Thy Help and The Sword of Thy Excellency.

The name Asher means “to be happy.” Moses declared the reason for their happiness. The Lord will be to them like a shield of help. I couldn’t help but see the Holy Spirit in that name. First of all, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit of Promise, that He would be a Help to the Christian (follower of Christ). Then Moses declares this name: The Sword of Thy Excellency. There are many places where a sword is used as a type, or picture, of the Word of God, which we learn from the Gospel of John, is Jesus; He is the Word made flesh and dwelled among us.

So, here we have Moses speaking a blessing over the last tribe of Israel, prophesying the other two parts of the Godhead coming into play, for the purpose of bring “happiness” to the people. Israel had just spent the last 40 years getting reacquainted with God the Father, learning again how to hear His voice and fellowship with Him through sacrificial worship implemented in the Tabernacle of Moses. Now, Moses tells them of the Lord, who will be their Shield of Help, and the Lord, who will be their Sword of Excellency, or as the ESV calls it, the Sword of Triumph. When the full expression of the Godhead in the life of human on earth is experienced, the result will be happiness.

The Hebrew word for “excellency” can also be stated as “majesty”. This speaks of the King and His Kingdom. Royalty is often referred to as “His/Her Excellency”. The pomp and circumstance practice in the presence of the King is call majestic. While the King is on the throne the Kingdom is in a state of triumph. They are at peace because the King reigns.

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 (KJV)

Like Israel in the Promised Land, Christians now reign in their life through Jesus Christ, the Sword of Thy Excellency (or majesty). We need to learn the fullness to live as citizens of The Kingdom, serving The King. We do this in the power of Holy Spirit, The Shield of Help. With our Father seeing to our happiness, we have the Son, The Sword of His Excellency, interceding for us night and day, and the power of the Holy Spirit, The Shield of Help, guiding our every step. The Word and the Spirit in concert with the Father; how can we not be happy?

Important vs. Urgent

 Important vs. Urgent

I benefit from yesterday’s efforts. I also fall victim to yesterday’s procrastinations. The key is knowing which things need to be done versus which ones can wait. This requires understanding the difference between urgent and important.

Urgent demands our time, even if it has no importance whatsoever. Important rarely demands time, but requires it in order to not suffer consequence by neglecting it. The problem arises when we choose unimportant urgent things over non-urgent important things. This is most difficult to discern in the moment. Learning to mind the gap between stimulus and response to evaluate urgency and importance can make all the difference in the outcome … tomorrow.

Many times, choosing the important doesn’t yield immediate results. These are things that, if neglected over time, cause significant problems. Responding to the urgent usually yields immediate results, but often they have a very short-term effect. May you choose well today, for tomorrow’s sake.