One God & One Lord

Believe in God and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. “Believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1).

To believe in “the name” of Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23, 1 John 5:13) is, I believe, to recognize Christ as Lord in your heart and of your life (1 Peter 3:15, 2 Corinthians 4:5), believing that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

The commandment of God is to believe in His Son, and the commandment of the Son is to love one another. It’s as simple as that.

• 1 John 3:21-23 NASB
  (21) Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
  (22) and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
  (23) This is His (God’s) commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He (Jesus) commanded us.

Simplicity and Purity of Devotion to Christ

• 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NASB
  (3) But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
  (4) For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.

Did you ever consider that all the different doctrines that are out there, and the emphasis on what one must believe in order to be “right,” that very mess of confusion itself is a deception leading us away from the simplicity of Christ?

The commandment of God is to believe in His Son, and the commandment of the Son is to love one another. It’s as simple as that.

• Psalm 49:7 NASB - No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him–

I have been seeing this verse put forward by trinitarians as proof that Jesus had to be God in order to redeem mankind by his blood. However, viewing Psalm 49:7 in this way is to yank the verse completely out of context.

If one looks at the whole of Psalm 49, they will see that the context of the psalm is “The Folly of Trusting in Riches” (the NASB subtitle). In other words, the foolishness of thinking that material, worldly wealth will be able to redeem a man from death.

Verse 7 has absolutely nothing to do with the precious blood of the man Jesus Christ, who died for our sins.

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

Here is the entire psalm for your review:

Psalm 49 (NASB)

1 For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 Both low and high, Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,
6 Even those who trust in their wealth And boast in the abundance of their riches?
7 No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him—
8 For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever—
9 That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.
10 For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names.
12 But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah.
14 As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him.
18 Though while he lives he congratulates himself—And though men praise you when you do well for yourself—
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light.
20 Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.

Is there not another class who may properly be named speculative Christians? Christians who profess to have attained a correct religious faith, but who do not exhibit a truly christian practice; whose evidence of discipleship proceeds from their lips, and not from their lives? If so, they do not comply with the injunctions of Christ Jesus. He has no where required a belief in any enumerated set of opinions as a condition of divine acceptance. Sincere obedience is his only test of a christian profession. “Ye are my disciples if ye do whatsoever I command you.” A good life is the only scriptural evidence of a saving faith. The only scriptural heresy is immoral conduct. Continual reference is made by him to the actions of men, and not to their speculative opinions. We are directed to judge of persons by their characters, and not by their creeds. And we are assured that God will render unto every man according to his deeds, and not according to his religious sentiments. A correct faith is indeed valuable. It is of great value, because it is more likely to produce correct conduct; and for this reason we should search for truth as for hidden treasures. But a correct practice is infinitely more valuable; because this is the sum and substance of the gospel requisitions; and this can be secured where the faith is erroneous. For every candid person will allow that there are obedient Christians in every sect; and no man can allow that all religious opinions of every denomination are true. Unreserved obedience is therefore the test of discipleship required by Christ; and without this, a belief in all the creeds in creation will not entitle us to his approbation and acceptance.

Quoted from The Unitarian Advocate and Religious Miscellany, Vol. 1—No. 1, January 1830.

I never thought I’d be having them, but I am. Ecumenical thoughts. I’m not talking about a universal ecumenism among religions of the world, to include Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, and Muslims. No, I’m talking about only within the realm of Christianity: those groups who believe in God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Those who proclaim Christ as Lord and the only way of eternal salvation.

I participate in online Christian discussion forums and it is truly sad to experience groups of people, all who call on the name of the Lord, accuse one another of the most vile blasphemies, declaring them not to be Christians or not to be saved, or that they belong to a “cult,” with disgust oozing from every letter of the word, even though both sides serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Each group, whether they be Catholic, Protestant, Reformed, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, Seventh Day Adventist, Pentecostal, Church of Christ, Christadelphian, Lutheran, Baptist, Biblical Unitarian, or even your generic “nondenominational Christian fellowship,” they all believe that they are the true church, the group that has the majority of the truth, the remnant church, the group most certainly headed for heaven. All the others are viewed as apostate or lost or pagan, but with the right teaching can be brought into the fold. And they all think the same thing about each other. It’s a jungle out there, folks.

Why all this diversity of belief? Part of it can be blamed on the accepting as scripture the writings of men and women who came well after the apostles and disciples of Christ, sometimes claiming to be prophets themselves, sometimes not. Even those who never made a claim to being a prophet or inspired of God, their writings have been elevated to that status by those who came after. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have their Watchtower Society, the Mormons have their Joseph Smith, the Seventh Day Adventists have their Ellen G. White, the Presbyterians and other Reformed groups have their John Calvin, the Catholics have their Pope. All of those groups also accept the canon of Scripture, the 66 books of the Bible, as the inspired Word of God. An amazing giant leap toward unity would be seen simply by forsaking ALL non-biblical sources of guidance. Phrases like “but according to Calvin’s Institutes…..” or “it says in the Desire of Ages that…” or “the Vatican council declared…” or “the prophet Lehi said…” or “according to the Nicene Creed….” Away with all extra-biblical pronouncements! If it is not in the Bible, you have no business enforcing it as a necessary doctrine for all believers or quoting these people as spiritual authorities.

Get back to the Bible and stay there. Yes, there will still be differences of interpretation, but at least everyone will have an agreed upon source of truth for productive discussion. And if we don’t see eye-to-eye on some things, we can still love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, because when everything else is put aside, we recognize that we are all desiring to please God by serving His Son Jesus Christ.

But some will say, “but their conception of Christ is different than ours!” That may be so, and all cannot be right. If their conception is derived from the Scriptures alone, their intent is noble even if their conclusion is faulty.

• Mark 9:38-41
  38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”
  39 But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.
  40 “For he who is not against us is for us.
  41 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.
• Romans 14:17-19
  17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
  18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
  19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

Let’s look here not at what the kingdom of God is NOT, but at what it IS: Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. He who serves Christ in that way is acceptable to God.

Is Christ formed in you? (Galatians 4:19) Or do you bite and devour one another?

• Galatians 5:13-16
  13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
  14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
  15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
  16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

The brethren who constantly bicker and make accusations back and forth because they don’t believe the same things about baptism or communion or hell or spiritual gifts or end time prophecy, I think they have turned their freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. It is the desire of your flesh that wants to war and bite and devour. You are using the Word of God as bait for your flesh. However, in the Spirit, love should be manifest always. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).

With the variety of beliefs out there, just those based solely on the Bible, I believe we are all pretty much on our own about searching the scriptures and coming to a knowledge of the truth. We can share what we’ve learned with one another. Some may be persuaded, some may not. But why do we judge one another over such matters? I’m not talking about sin, because we are to correct one another regarding sin. But regarding our understanding, to our own Master we will stand or fall. As my friend Paul Kelly says,

At the end of the day God knows who’s right and who’s wrong. We don’t. All we know is that we act and believe on what we read and what we’re told….and we try to make sense of that to the best of our abilities. Whether we’re right or wrong, apart from God, who can say? We just try to do what’s right in the best way we can.

Faith working through love, serving Jesus Christ, living in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit: this is the kingdom of God. Instead of bickering, biting, and devouring one another, let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).

When we are taught something since childhood, or even for very many years, it becomes difficult to see any other meaning besides that which we were taught. Such is the case with verses like Matthew 1:23 -

• Matthew 1:23 NASB
  (23) “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

Most Christians have been trained to read this verse and imagine that it means that Jesus is God himself, come to be with them. However, if we let scripture interpret scripture, we shall discover the true meaning of this verse.

In the New American Standard Bible translation, when you encounter all capital letters in a New Testament text, it means that the translators have determined that the capitalized text is a quotation from the Old Testament. In the case of Matthew 1:23, the quotation is from Isaiah 7:14 -

• Isaiah 7:14 NASB
  (14) “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Let’s look first at a little more context for Matthew 1:23 -

• Matthew 1:21-23 NASB
  (21) “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
  (22) Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
  (23) “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

In Matthew 1:21 we see that Jesus (which means “YHWH saves”) would save his people, the people of Israel, from their sins. The birth of this holy child, who would be called the Son of God, was a sign to the people that God was “with them,” as opposed to being against them.

When God, through His prophets, instructs what to name a child, or when God gives someone a new name, that name always has prophetic meaning. The prophecy may involve the named person or child directly, such as in the name Jesus, through whom God indeed would save; or changing Abram to Abraham, which changed the meaning of his name from “high father” to “father of a multitude”:

• Genesis 17:5 NASB
  (5) “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

An example of a name given that does not involve the child himself but signifies to others a promise or prophecy of God is in Isaiah 8:3-4 -

• Isaiah 8:3-4 NASB
  (3) So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz;
  (4) for before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”

The Hebrew name in Isaiah 8:3 is rendered in the Jewish Targum as “hasten to seize the prey, and to take away the spoil.”

Even in the context of Isaiah 7:14 itself, we see the same thing: that of the name given to the child meant as a sign to the people of what God would do:

• Isaiah 7:14-16 NASB
  (14) “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
  (15) “He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.
  (16) “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

God would be with His people by desolating the land of their enemies.

God encourages His people by telling them that He is with them:

• Joshua 1:9 NASB
  (9) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
• 1 Samuel 10:7 NASB
  (7) “It shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, for God is with you.
• 1 Chronicles 17:2 NASB
  (2) Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
• 2 Chronicles 13:12 NASB
  (12) “Now behold, God is with us at our head and His priests with the signal trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”
• Psalms 14:5 NASB
  (5) There they are in great dread, For God is with the righteous generation.
• Isaiah 8:10 NASB
  (10) “Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; State a proposal, but it will not stand, For God is with us.”
• Zechariah 8:23 NASB
  (23) “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”‘”
• John 3:2 NASB
  (2) this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

“God is with you” or “God is with us” means that He is with the people in plan and purpose. He is “for them.”

• Romans 8:31 NASB
  (31) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

When we choose to follow Jesus, the one whom God has sent, then we are involved in the plan and purpose of God and surely God is with us.

• John 6:29 NASB
  (29) Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
• John 17:3 NASB
  (3) “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

I heard a preacher on the radio a day or two ago say that to “put on Christ” is the same thing as putting on “the armor of God” from Ephesians 6. Elsewhere, I read where someone said that to “put on Christ” was the same thing as putting on the “new self.” That made me curious to see if and how they all relate.

• Romans 13:14 NASB
  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

• Ephesians 6:11 NASB
  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. … through verse 18 …

• Romans 13:12 NASB
  The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Notice that “put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12) appears just two verses before “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). I split them on purpose in order to tie in Ephesians 6:11.

How do the above verses relate to the verses about putting on the new self? Are there two ways to view the idea of putting on Christ? Or do they all really mean the same thing?

1. To put on the armor of light.

2. To put on Christ

3. To put on the full armor of God

4. To put on the new self

5. To clothe yourselves with Christ

(To “clothe” and to “put on” are the same Greek word. Many translations use “put on” in Galatians 3:27)

• Colossians 3:10 NASB
  and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him
  

• Ephesians 4:24 NASB
  and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
  

• Galatians 3:27 NASB
  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

The meaning of Colossians 3:10 and putting on the “new self” is further defined in verses 12 and 14:

• Colossians 3:12 NASB
  So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
  

• Colossians 3:14 NASB
  Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Kind of sounds like the fruit of the spirit from Galatians 5:22-23, doesn’t it?

• Galatians 5:22-23 NASB
  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Similar attributes are also described as armor in 1 Thessalonians:

• 1Thessalonians 5:8 NASB
  But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Which brings us back to the armor of God in Ephesians 6, which includes the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation.

Looks to me like it is all speaking of the same thing. To put on Christ is to put on the new self, to put on the armor of light, the full armor of God, and to walk according to the Spirit, exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. (See also Romans 8:4, Romans 8:13, Galatians 5:25).

Have you put on the Lord Jesus Christ?

• Luke 16:16-17 NASB
  (16) “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
  (17) “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.

Verse 17 speaks of the difficulty, the unwillingness, of the Jews to depart from the Law to which they were married and enter the kingdom of God, the very thing to which the Law and the Prophets pointed: the coming of the Messiah, ushering in the kingdom of God. Jesus here was addressing the Pharisees specifically, who John tells us are “lovers of money” (Luke 16:14).

“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away” is an exageration to mark the difficulty the Jews would have. Jesus here is basically saying the same thing that he said in Luke 18:

• Luke 18:24-25 NASB
  (24) And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!
  (25) “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

“For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle…”
“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away…”

Both describe the difficulty of leaving one and entering another.

Note also that in Luke 16, Jesus follows up with a word about divorce and adultery:

• Luke 16:18 NASB
  (18) “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.

Every transgression is a betrayal of the Law; unfaithfulness to it and dishonoring to God. (See Romans 2:23-25, James 2:10.)

Likewise, he also follows up the same in Luke 18 with a word about leaving things (divorcing) to follow him (enter the kingdom):

• Luke 18:28-30 NASB
  (28) Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.”
  (29) And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,
  (30) who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”

The old must be completely left behind in order to fully embrace the new. They cannot be mixed without disaster:

• Matthew 9:16-17 NASB
  (16) “But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.
  (17) “Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

And to leave the old only to long for it and turn back to it is equally as disastrous:

• Luke 9:62 NASB
  (62) But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

• 2 Peter 2:20-22 NASB
  (20) For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
  (21) For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.
  (22) It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

For Jews, it was life under the Law that they had to choose to leave and follow Christ. For Gentiles, it is life in the world, a life ruled by the desires of the flesh. Both are wide paths to condemnation. Only in Christ, the narrow path to Life, can we be redeemed from the sins committed in the past. And all of us have sinned, there is no denying it.

• Romans 3:23 NASB
  (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

• 1 John 1:8 NASB
  (8) If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

Do you want your old sins forgiven and forgotten? Do you want the power to deny the temptations of the world and of your flesh, the power to live righteously in this life?

• Titus 2:11-14 NASB
  (11) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
  (12) instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
  (13) looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
  (14) who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Do you want the promise of eternal life?

• John 3:16 NASB
  (16) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

• John 14:6 NASB
  (6) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

If you are a Jew following the Law of Moses, do not turn your back on your Messiah, sent to you by God the Father. Read his words for yourself; let him speak to your mind and to your heart. If you are not a Jew, but just someone wondering about God, if he exists, pick up a Bible and start reading. The words of Jesus, who proclaimed the very words of life given to him by God, are contained in the four gospel records: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Read and pray. Ask God to lead you to the truth.

Jesus said that if you continue to learn about him through his word, if you believe him and follow him, then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).

What a question! But for the child of God, it is a question with an easy and obvious answer. Love is supremely important! Here are some reflections on love from the scriptures.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13, puts it quite bluntly: Without love, dear Christian, you are nothing. You can be abundant in spiritual gifts or have faith that can move mountains, but without love, says Paul, you are nothing. You can donate to charity, feed the poor, or take any other action of sacrifice to help others, but if you do it without the motivation of love in your heart, it profits you nothing. Or to put that in the words of Isaiah the prophet, all your righteous deeds are as filthy garments (Isaiah 64:6).

Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 13 to describe the markers of love. If we have the love of God in our hearts, these are the markers of our character: patience, kindness, not jealous, not boastful, not arrogant, we will not act unbecomingly (in other words, we do not act outside the boundaries of love), we are not provoked to anger or improper action, we do not keep track of the times when someone wrongs us, and we do not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoice in the truth.

He goes on to say that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and that love never fails. Wow.

Some want to believe that this agape love that is to characterize the child of God is meant to apply within the body of Christ. In other words, it is how Christians are to be towards one another. This is true in a sense, as Paul writes in Galatians 6:10 that we are to do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. But do note that he wrote “all people.” Jesus said that we are to love even our enemies and to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:27-28).

The apostle John wrote that If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20). And if we can’t love our brothers and sisters in Christ, how can we possibly love our enemies? It begins with God, beloved. When we love God, we will love our brothers and sisters. And if we love God and we love our brothers and sisters, we will love our enemies.

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” What are his commandments? Just read through the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They contain the words that Jesus wants us to keep. And his commandments are God’s commandments because “he whom God has sent speaks the words of God” (John 3:34) and Jesus said that he did not speak on his own initiative, but the Father who sent him commanded him what to say and what to speak (John 12:49).

Whoever keeps his word (the words of Jesus, the commandments of God), in that person the love of God has truly been perfected (1 John 2:5). By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and observe His commandments (1 John 5:2).

Peter speaking to Jesus, said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (John 6:68). How right he was. Jesus himself said, “the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63).

• John 12:49-50 NASB
  (49) “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.
  (50) “I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

How important is love? The kingdom of God is promised to those who love Him (James 2:5).

We started by defining love from the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, so let’s end with the very last verse of the same chapter:

• 1 Corinthians 13:13 NASB
  (13) But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Happy New Year, everyone! May grace and peace be yours in abundance this year, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A friend and brother in Christ pointed me this evening to an excellent article about Christian obedience. I thought it was so good that I wanted to share it with you. It is not exceedingly long and is easy to read. The author compares the teachings of Jesus, Paul, James, and John regarding obedience and redemption with the Reformation doctrine of sola fide (”faith alone”). For the relatively short article that it is, it is a real eye-opener. I hope you read it.

Many Christians are taught that the internal struggle between doing good and doing evil that Paul describes in Romans chapter 7 is a description of what is normal in the Christian experience. This, however, could not be farther from the truth. I believe Paul is describing his life before Christ, not while a Christian. Let me explain.

In verse 14 he says he is sold into bondage to sin:

• Romans 7:14 NASB
  (14) For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

However, the Christian is freed from sin - Romans 6:18, 6:22, 8:2.

• Romans 6:18, 22; 8:2 NASB
  (6:18) and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
  (6:22) But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
  (8:2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

In Romans 8:13, Paul wrote: “for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

So how can Romans 7:19 possibly be Paul describing his present state?

• Romans 7:19 NASB
  (19) For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

Practicing evil is living according to the flesh. In Romans 8:13, Paul says that if you live according to the flesh, you must die. Paul is not a hypocrite; therefore, Romans 7:14-24 must be describing his life before Christ.

If Paul was really describing himself as a Christian in Romans 7, how could he instruct the Corinthian believers to imitate him?

• 1 Corinthians 4:16-17 NASB
  (16) Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.
  (17) For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

If Paul was really describing himself as a Christian in Romans 7, how could he say that he is conscious of nothing against himself?

• 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 NASB
  (3) But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.
  (4) For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.
  (5) Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

In Romans 7:19,21, Paul says he practices evil and that evil is present in him. But he urges the Corinthians to imitate him?! And that he is conscious of nothing against himself?! No, I don’t think he was describing himself as a Christian. He was describing the conflict of someone still under the Law and without Christ.

In Romans 8:5, Paul says “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

As Jesus said, you must be born again:

• John 3:5-7 NASB
  (5) Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
  (6) “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
  (7) “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

And how do you know you are a child of God?

• 1 John 3:10 NASB
  (10) By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

Yet in Romans 7:19, Paul said that he practices evil. Was Paul a confused Christian? Or was he describing the unsaved person’s need for Christ?

• 1 John 3:7-8 NASB
  (7) Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
  (8) the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
  

To sum up, in Romans 7:14, Paul says “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.”

A Christian is not sold into bondage to sin. As a Christian, you are set free from sin! In Romans 7:24 Paul asks, “Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Then he answers the question in the next verse, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

If verses 14-24 describe the Christian experience with sin, then Paul says that Christians are in bondage to sin, and you know that is not so.

• Romans 6:22-23 NASB
  (22) But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
  (23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.