Understanding Salvation

Just the other day I was asked, “How did I realise that Jesus was the answer?” The implication behind the question was how and who influenced me to take the plunge? I suppose we all play our part in leading an individual to the feet of Jesus but its God who saved, no one else can make that happen; “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth…” We must never make the mistake and think we decided to follow Jesus because of who we are and what we may have done. “It’s the goodness of God that leads a man to repentance”. He initiates the will in us to cry out to Jesus and seek forgiveness for our sins. He gives life, we do not chose life. This is a crucial fact we need to make our own. From start to finish it’s all because of the finished work of the cross that we are number amongst the saints of God, period! It took me a long time to understand this.

 

Here is a brief version of my testimony…

 

I responded to an alter call many years ago by raising my hand on the preachers request. The following couple of days confusion reigned in my life, I was tangled, and everyone tried to convince me that I had been saved, but I remained unconvinced. Then it happened, after struggling alone in a room and wrestling with my decision, reading the Bible and through prayer God brought me to a place of understanding, I was a sinner and needed a Saviour to cover my sins. Once I realised that Jesus had paid the price for my sin, I confessed and I now understood that I had been miraculously saved. The flood gates of joy opened and unstoppable tears saturated my face, such joy had now captivated my soul and I needed to tell someone the good news. I ran into the study and picked up the phone and called my travelling buddy Sledge. The conversation went something like this, “Sledge I have found the answer to life, Jesus is the answer”, there was a deafening pause of silence and then came the retort, “Huh”. He had no clue what I was talking about, God had not opened his eyes but mercifully He had opened mine. Prior to this event, we had run in the same circles and found pleasure in similar things. Why me and not Him? Why is one man saved and another not? This remains a mystery, but all I knew is God had saved me and I needed to tell the world. We cannot claimed favouritism because of who we think we are in the work of our deliverance, what was the difference between me and Sledge, I certainly didn’t behave better than him prior to salvation.

 

On further study the Bible makes this very clear and the answer is found in the text; “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  (Ephesians 2:1-9)

 

Christian we have much to be thankful for…

 

For four years or so my life had turn on its head, wine, woman and song no longer had a hold on me and then things began to change and I found myself once again dabbling where I shouldn’t and before long I was behaving like I once had, and sadly disobedience had now become a way of life. Three car accidents in a month and then in 1993 I found out that I had been infected by the HIV virus. It took these server blows to my body to once again bring me to my senses, the love of God had brought discipline into my life to wake me up, (see Hebrews chapter 12) and I thank God for his love, without His intervention I would be in some gutter somewhere with a needle dangling from my arm and begging bread. But God! My Father was and still looks out for those who belong to Him. All glory belongs to Him! There is a lot more to “my story” but time does not permit…

 

“To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” 

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Typology

 (Act 8:9) “But there was a man named Simon,”

 

As my thoughts penned yesterday were on the warnings we receive from the Lord Jesus on deceiving men and all those that lie against the truth, I thought it may be good to look to the bible as it could give us some warnings and what those types of men and woman may look like. The bible is full of typology and we will often see the same pattern throughout time and through passing generations. The events of the Old Testament often depict similar events in the New Testament; you could say it is the silent voice of God giving us clues on what will happen in the future. In other words Typology (a.k.a. figura in Latin) in Christian theology and Biblical exegesis (a critical explanation or interpretation of a text) is a doctrine or theory concerning the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. If we look closely enough we will see repeat patterns throughout the bible, let us use an example to amplify the coming of the Lord Jesus; the Lord teaches us that in the days of Noah. “They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:27)

 

In like manner, people will be doing exactly the same things in the days of the coming of the Lord; we must pray for strength and grace not to be those who would be deceived into believing lies and  chasing false doctrine.

 

Now if we look at this man Simon the sorcerer, we see a pattern that people from that time admired him and they gravitated toward him. So why did they admire him and call him a man of God.

“They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great. And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.” (Act 8:10-11) - Let us not confuse false signs and wonders as the work of the Spirit.

 

To him they had regard (and perhaps the more because the time fixed for the coming of the Messiah had now expired, which had raised a general expectation of the appearing of some great one about this time. Probably he was a native of their country, and therefore they embraced him the more cheerfully, that by giving honour to him they might reflect it upon themselves. 2. They said of him, This man is the great power of God - the power of God, that great power (so it might be read), that power which made the world. See how ignorant inconsiderate people mistake that which is done by the power of Satan, as if it were done by the power of God. Thus, in the Gentile world, devils pass for deities; and in the antichristian kingdom all the world wonders after a beast, to whom the dragon gives his power, and who opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, Rev_13:2-5. (Matthew Henry)

 

The anti-christ will have the same effect on the world; he will appear as an angel of light and deceive the nations. Simon was a type of the anti-christ! His luring tool was the magic he was able to perform, but the anti-christ will have false religious people backing him all the way. People had expected the return of the Lord, they may have been growing impatient, and it will be the same in the days of the Lord if He chooses to delay to his return; “But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.” (Matthew 24:48-50)

 

People will be looking to advance His return then they will say he is the christ! Remember the Lord’s warning to his children; “Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:23-24)

 

He will use signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if possible! That will not happen as God’s children have understood as He has given them eyes to see and they know their masters voice. But this lure will be so great that it will rock the world as they bow done and worship him as God.

 

In the city of Samaria Simon Magus had been busy there, and had gained a great interest among the people, and yet they believed the things that Philip spoke. Phillip had just declared the wonderful truth of the gospel and people had believed his message and people had been saved. The same people that once were taken up by Simon’s magic and been bewitched by him.

 

“We are told how strong the delusion of Satan was by which they were brought into the interests of this great deceiver. He had been for some time, nay, for a long time, in this city, using sorceries; perhaps he came there by the instigation of the devil, soon after our Saviour had been there, to undo what he had been doing there; for it was always Satan's way to crush a good work in its bud and infancy, 2Co_11:3; 1Th_3:5. Now, First, Simon assumed to himself that which was considerable: He gave out that he himself was some great one, and would have all people to believe so and to pay him respect accordingly; and then, as to everything else, they might do as they pleased. He had no design to reform their lives, nor improve their worship and devotion, only to make them believe that he was, tis megas - some divine person. Justin Martyr says that he would be worshipped as prōton theon - the chief god. He gave out himself to be the Son of God, the Messiah, so some think; or to be an angel, or a prophet. Perhaps he was uncertain within himself what title of honour to pretend to; but he would be thought some great one. Pride, ambition, and an affectation of grandeur, have always been the cause of abundance of mischief both to the world and to the church.” (Matthew Henry)

 

What amazes me with this account is how much emphasis is placed upon the power of the Holy Spirit; He offered to pay for its power! Money and the Holy Ghost when accompanying one another should get us to at least sit up and pay attention. It should at the very least get us to examine what is being preached! I am thankful for the strength and the power of Divine grace, by which these new converts were brought to Christ, who is truth and will unarm the works of the devil. Grace works in the lives of those who were once captivated by the power of Satan but now is brought into obedience to Christ. Where Satan, as a strong man armed, kept possession of the palace, and thought himself safe, Christ was stronger than him and freed the captive, praise His name! He led captivity captive, and made those the trophies of his victory that the devil had once triumphed over. Let us not despair of the worst, when even those whom Simon Magus had bewitched were brought to believe. If we have been hoodwinked into believing the lies of the false prophets and the false teachers lets us repent from the errors of our ways and cleave to the finished work of Calvary.

We must remember Noah’s example; by faith Noah was warned of the upcoming judgment, we in turn must find grace in time of need to mimic him; “By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)

We have not yet seen the “Rapture” but it will happen, God has declared it to us through his Word. Therefore let us not look to this event with intrigue but rather heed the voice of our great Saviour as we attentively heed His warnings on these upcoming events and be on guard against the error of our times.

Even so, we cry to you our God as we beckon your return, come quickly Lord Jesus, we long to behold your glory and bow down and worship you, our great Redeemer and High Priest, Jehovah God we will worship you and you alone, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

 

Inheritance

The portion of one’s inheritance is not up to the individual but rather up to the one who has the power to pass on the legacy. This is an obvious truth that so many of us miss when it comes to salvation, why? I suppose our default action always stems from an attitude of self-worth. We put in the effort and therefore we deserve what we get. It’s the hope we have that drives us forward. We set goals and set monies aside to achieve those goals, our end of the year holidays an obvious exponent.

 

Stay with me here, salvation in Christ, ask yourself the question did you choose Him or did He choose you? The hope of the Christian, isn’t it saturated in God’s inheritance? It sure is, it has to be, lets us think this through. As parents, do your children determine their portion of their heritage? Or do we decide who gets what once we pass? Sure, there is often manipulation involved by siblings to get the most from their parents, it’s just the landscape of who we are, we are sinners by nature and therefore we always look out for number one, ourselves. However once we settle on the brilliance of our Saviour’s achievement and commitment to His finished work, everything changes and He receives all the glory. Salvation has nothing to do with us, we must get this through our rebellious independent streaks for it to resonate, we need the Spirit of God to break this suborn shackle in our lives. Until then we will always be looking to help God with what we do in our lives. On the cross the Lord Jesus uttered these words, “it is finished” and that’s exactly what that means.

 

I want you to look at what Charles Spurgeon has to say, not on election per se, but do me a favour, read between the lines to get the full picture of the finished work of the cross. Rest in Christ and give God praise for choosing you, remove your initial involvement from the equation and see the beauty of it all. Sure, we act in response, because He first loved us. But get it the wrong way round and we will always have something to boast about, even if we deny the claim. The Apostle Paul makes this very clear; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

 

"The Lord is my portion, saith my soul." — Lam_3:24

“It is not "The Lord is partly my portion," nor "The Lord is in my portion"; but he himself makes up the sum total of my soul's inheritance. Within the circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire. The Lord is my portion. Not his grace merely, nor his love, nor his covenant, but Jehovah himself. He has chosen us for his portion, and we have chosen him for ours. It is true that the Lord must first choose our inheritance for us, or else we shall never choose it for ourselves; but if we are really called according to the purpose of electing love, we can sing-

 

"Loved of my God for him again
With love intense I burn;
Chosen of him ere time began,
I choose him in return."

 

The Lord is our all-sufficient portion. God fills himself; and if God is all-sufficient in himself, he must be all-sufficient for us. It is not easy to satisfy man's desires. When he dreams that he is satisfied, anon he wakes to the perception that there is somewhat yet beyond, and straightway the horse-leech in his heart cries, "Give, give." But all that we can wish for is to be found in our divine portion, so that we ask, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." Well may we "delight ourselves in the Lord" who makes us to drink of the river of his pleasures. Our faith stretches her wings and mounts like an eagle into the heaven of divine love as to her proper dwelling-place. "The lines have fallen to us in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage." Let us rejoice in the Lord always; let us show to the world that we are a happy and a blessed people, and thus induce them to exclaim, "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."” (Charles Spurgeon)

 

 

Signing off

 

 

Tyrone    

Voices

I’ve always know this to be true but never realised the life-threatening power behind it until now; the renewing of the mind is an extremely powerful thing. In fact, it moulds our thinking without any efforts from our side. The mind receives the information and whilst processing, it shapes our perceptions on an array of topics. Ask yourselves have you changed your minds on anything that you were dead against in the past? You will soon realise the power behind the “renewing of the mind”. It’s not as if you woke up one day and your view has suddenly changed, it is a slow and steady process. The world, is fashioned by the greatest influencer of all, Hollywood reaches every corner of the globe. Do a study over the last century and it will soon become obvious how their voices have shaped the perceptions of the world. Do a study on gender preference in relation to power and relationships and see how their influence has affected the perceptions of individuals through time. Unswerving opposition to the voice of God. Sure, the internet and social media has played its part in forming the way we now think and make conscious decisions on. The Corona Virus hype started on news channels and social media. It was those visuals out of the east that prepared our minds, softened the blow if you like, that we too would soon be wearing masks. I say to the citizens of the world “do not be deceived” into thinking that your liberalism was sparked from your own genius. There are far greater forces at play…

 

As Christians we are also effected by those voices but we have an ace in the whole, praise the name of Jesus and we thank our Father for the written Word and the direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives, who always points us to the penned Word of God. Did you know that God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit are perfectly synced? It’s not as if they need to host a board meeting to decide what to do next, three persons but one God. Brilliance personified! I can’t wait to get to heaven when we will see the brilliance of our God and not through the "veil of the eyes of faith", what a day that will be and I’m telling you we are going to be blown away. But until that day arrives we need to keep fighting the good fight, bringing glory to our God.

 

Christian be encouraged - The Apostle Paul gives us insight on how we are to conduct ourselves; “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2) – We must value what has been penned in the Bible as the final authority on every issue we face throughout our day, period! There can be no ifs and buts, and if you perception isn’t aligned to the voice of God then the voices of the world, has achieved their objective and influenced you. You don’t have to be gifted by God with a teaching ministry to understand blatant error, all you need is to be sealed by the Spirit of Promise. The Holy Spirit will guide you, always confirming the written Word. Nevertheless, thank God for His mercies and His patience with us, while we have breath we have hope, if we have erred from the truth we can once again realign our understanding as we feed on the WORD OF GOD. If and when anything in our understanding is not synced with the will of our Father, change is important. Do not be caught up with the hype of “it’s a different time” type of mentality, NO! God is the same yesterday, today and forever; “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) - We must learn this lesson well.

 

To my beloved sisters across the globe, the same tactic Satan used in the garden is once again being used, “did God actually say” and by the grace of God, I will not stand by like Adam and allow you to be deceived as Eve was. If you have been called, born again and been sealed with the Spirit of God then we are connected. Even if I’ve never met you we share the love of God, one for another and I don’t mind taking a kick in the teeth if it will keep you safe. Do not be swayed by the influences of today’s pressures, read the Bible and if you see something that doesn’t quite gel with the voices of today, stand firm, hold your ground, I understand the immense pressures our sisters are under brethren, we need to fervently be praying for them.

 

Much love in Christ, “The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.” 

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone                        

Weaknesses

 

Weaknesses are always seen as a negative trait when it comes to our personal abilities, but this is a misnomer when we view it through the eyes of faith. The apostle Paul gives us very clear indication on how we are to view our weaknesses. And may I remind you of whom this man was in the flesh; he was a Hebrew, an Israelite and a direct descendant of Abraham. He was a better servant of Christ, who had been tasked with the same office and with far greater labours. He was a man who faced great hardships, persecution, imprisonments, and countless beatings almost to the death. A man that received 39 lashes five times. Shipwrecked three times and a time when he was adrift at sea for a day and a night. Danger on every side and always being challenge with what he taught from without and within. He faced sleepless nights, without food, water and exposure to the cold. And on top of all of that he faced anxiety from all the churches. When I look at this man’s stamina in comparison to my volatility, there is none. And yet he is quick to point us to acknowledge our weakness as something we should value greatly as it forces us to rely on the grace of God to carry us over the hurdles of life. Without our weaknesses we would always look to achieve our objectives in our own strength. This was never the intent for the Christian; we must exclusively depend on the finished work of the cross. This is the lessons we need to learn well. There is nothing to be gained by boasting, this is his conclusion, save the boast of Christ’s achievements and the acknowledgment of his weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon him. We too should share his sentiment. This is the point he drives home; “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2corinthians 12:10) – Do we truly share his sentiment? Father God, please teach me this lesson well, is my prayer.

 

It’s time to armour up; the battle of all battles is just around the corner…

 

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 

 

Signing out

 

Tyrone

The magnified mirror

 

I’m not one to fuss too much when it comes to grooming, however now that I am in the “bush” up north visiting my beloved sister where they (husband and wife team) manage a game reserve and the room I am staying in has a portable mirror with one side magnified, which got me thinking… as Christians our default action automatically drives us away from certain practices, things like running with the crowd as we once did, for me it was wine, women and song. People are watching and they observe the change and in turn ask the question what has transpired? The answer is an obvious one, we walked into the path of Jesus Christ our Lord and therefore the change had to happen. He has altered our outlook on life, we now no longer run like we once did, that type of lifestyle does not interest us anymore. However, just like the mirror, once I flipped it over, the other side was a magnified, that’s what I now want to explore. The secret sins that so many of us keep alive must be addressed. The things we think we will get away with because it isn’t obvious to the outside world and therefore we hang onto them as if it isn’t a serious matter. But it is! I am well aware of my struggles and so are you, whatever the struggle. The issues of the heart must be tackled head on. Any thought that we act upon behind closed doors, when it opposes the will of God for our lives must no longer be allowed to gain traction. The question I ask, what about the secret sins in our lives? What will we do with that part of our lives? We must find the grace of God to deal with them appropriately. Unless we flip the magnified mirror into that part of our lives nothing will ever change.

 

We have not been called to a life of the undercover agents of the world, God sees all. Remember David even tried to hide his sin and we all know how that ended. For a time he was living without the peace of God in his life and his son died because of it. But thank God for His patience with us all. Once that was address he was freed to serve God with liberty. Let us therefore be true to ourselves and let us all pray to find the same freedom, but for that to happen we must be real about the issues of the heart. The Christians relationship with their God is personal, so stop trying to excuse that part of your life that is hampering your growth.

Here is how those thoughts need to be dealt with. Certain thoughts happen without too much planning, in other words the thoughts that pop into our brains which are contrary to our great Saviours character, happen from time to time, but it’s what we do with them that matters. Do we realise that when acted upon we are sinning against our Father, or do we view it as a very light matter? Do we use the grace of God in our lives as a blanket to cover them up as if it doesn’t really matter, it matters! This life is all about working out how we can live on earth as if we were already walking the streets of God in heaven; “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, this thought must become our reality and a way of life. This is a reason why Christ paved the way for God’s children. Our carnal instinct will always drive us towards “let grace abound” and we should all know by now what Paul teaches on that subject; “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2)

 

So how are we to deal with those thoughts that “pop” into our heads? The obvious answer would be to find grace to put off the “old person”, just like a scorpion has a sting so does death and that sting is sin. Newness of life in Christ has an opposite effect, which is peace and life. Old things, old lifestyles must be eradicated from our existences. But the reality of it all, if given half the chance, sin will look to remain alive. We must look with intent to deal with all that robs us of the victory that is now ours in Christ. This is a process that we will war with until we take our last breath here on earth.

 

Let’s now look at the process we face on a daily basis; “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”  (James 1:13-15) – And yet in the same breath we must be tested in those areas of our lives, we will be lead to face them somewhere along the path. It’s the secret sins that we accommodate in our lives that we must now find grace to overcome. Let us all be aware of the reality we face and fall to our knees as we seek out God’s graces in our lives to overcome and nullify those thoughts, which in turn glorifies our heavenly Father. It’s all about His will for our lives and not our carnal selfish wants, those itches that need to be scratched must be ignored. Or rather dealt with in the right manner, we must stop making excuses for our weaknesses. Like the Italian man who has a temper and says “it’s not my fault I was born with a European temperament.” We all have our own crosses to bear. Remember the anguish the Lord went through and bring His experience to mind and that will help us call out for God’s grace to overcome. Did you know that it’s the grace of God in our lives that teaches our heart to fear…

 

“Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20)  

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

David's heart

It would be a very good idea for us to mimic those who have travelled the thoroughfare of finding the will of God for their lives as a yardstick for our lives. David a man after God’s own heart, the question we need to ask ourselves, do we share his sentiment? When I wake up in the morning is the very first thought, Father God, make me more like Jesus. This is a very personal question that we will have to examine within our own closets. The questions I now find racing through my mind are these; am I driven for more than I already have been given? Do I believe He makes me lie down in green pastures beside the still waters or is anxiousness ruling the day? Is He the One who restores my soul? Do I realise that the trial of life is leading me into paths of righteousness? And if so, is it all because of His great name sake? When the pressure is on do I fear no evil? Have I realised that my Father’s rod and staff has been instituted for my benefit or is the “why” factor constantly gnawing away at me? Have I understood that discipline is crucial for my life and that it’s because of God’s great love for His children that chastisement is necessary? Do I understand the battle beyond the visible, does my faith drive me towards the hope that will be ours in Christ, that day will arrive, when we will attain our goal and receive a glorified body just like the Lord Jesus’ eternal body? Through it all, regardless of the hardships faced, do I only see goodness and mercy?

 

David was a man who processed all of these questions and understood what we all need to understand. He was clear of all doubt. A man after God’s own heart, how I long to mimic his example in every area of my life. And yet Father I have so far to travel, forgive me. But while we have breath we most certainly have hope, praise the mighty name of Jesus.

 

Help me Father be centred on your will for my life and make all my selfish wants dissipate into nothingness. This then is my prayer for today, may we all resolve to have a heart like David…

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

Understanding the effectual call of God on your life...

Being saved under Arminian theology; I was taught that I chose God but on further study of the bible I realised that this type of reasoning is flawed. To believe that God, because of His foreknowledge, could look down the pipeline of my life and see the choices I would make somehow played its part in my salvation. In other words, to say that I frolicked my part in that equation is wrong. Why is this understanding so important? Instead at me looking at a loved one who remains on the fence or any other unbeliever that won’t believe in the finished work of the cross! Instead of me wrestling with them to wake themselves up, I realise, unless God wakes them up, it is an impossible quest. My attention now shifts, all because salvation has nothing to do with me and this understanding has now freed me from any form of boasting, all praise and honour now belongs to Him, period! When I address unsaved individuals and I share the gospel with them, I have nothing to boast about in myself, the thought that I am better than them, even if it remains a notion that lingers in the subconscious, it lives! My choice in choosing Jesus for salvation is now nullified.

 Here is an explanation on how it all works from John Piper…      

 

“How did God bring me to himself? How did he call you to himself? What happened in that sovereign act? It’s a question Pastor John addressed in a 2010 sermon on 

1 Corinthians 1:26–31.

 

Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22–24)

Call That Creates

When the called look at Christ crucified, they don’t see a stumbling block; they don’t see folly. They see power. So, there are three groups in those verses: (1) Jews, (2) Gentiles, (3) called. That’s not quite accurate, is it? Let me say it a little more carefully. There are: (1) Jews who are not called, (2) Gentiles who are not called, and (3) Jews and Gentiles who are called.

Those are the three groups. Are you with me? We’re considering our calling. We’re obeying 1 Corinthians 1:26. There are Jews not called, Gentiles not called, and Jews and Gentiles, some of whom are called. And then he describes the response of each to the cross.

1.     Jews: “Yeah, stumbling block. A crucified Messiah? Never heard of such a thing.”

2.     Gentiles: “Foolishness. A dying God? Silly — mythological.”

3.     Called: “Power — my God!”

What kind of call is that? I’ll tell you what kind of call it is: it’s the kind of call that creates what it commands. The call gives light. The call creates sight. The call raises the dead. “Lazarus, come forth” (see John 11:43). He didn’t decide to. The call raised him from the dead.

‘Wake Up!’

Let me give you an analogy that could be misleading. It helps me. Just to get your hand around it, because lots of you have never been taught about the call of God: the mighty, effectual, irresistible, powerful, saving, awakening, life-giving call of God that saved you. You’ve never been taught about this, so you need a little analogy to help you, instead of saying, “What is he talking about? I’ve never heard anything like this. I thought I just believed in Jesus.”

“If I need wisdom, Christ is my wisdom. If I need righteousness, he’s my righteousness.”

Suppose somebody is asleep, and you want to wake them up. What do you do? They’re sound asleep. You bend over them and you say, “Wake up!” And they bolt right upright. Now, what are the dynamics of that moment? They were sound asleep, and then they were awake. Did they hear the call and say, “I’ll think about that before I wake up, and then I’ll decide if I want to wake up”? That is a good analogy. When God issues a call to your dead heart and says, “Wake up!” you wake up. You did not make yourself a Christian. Just face it: you didn’t make yourself a Christian, which is why you should feel so incredibly loved.

In fact, if you need a text to say that, just go to Ephesians 2:4, where Paul says just as clearly as can be that, because of his “great love,” he made you alive when you were dead. It’s the only place he uses that phrase — “great love” — in all the New Testament. So, if you have any spiritual life in you at all, you have been greatly loved. It’s called regeneration; it’s called calling. You have been called, and you are greatly loved in this calling.

God Put You in Christ

God loved you by putting you in Christ. First Corinthians 1:30: “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus.” That’s pretty clear. In the original, very, very literally it would go, “From him are you in Christ Jesus,” or, “Of him are you in Christ Jesus.” “Because of him” is probably a pretty good translation: because of his doing, because of his work, you are in Christ Jesus.

So, he chose you “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). He, through Billy Graham, or a preacher, or your mom’s testimony, or reading the Bible, or hearing a worship song, or however he wanted to do it as far as human agency goes, he spoke the word, “Wake up!” or “Come!” or “Live!” And you suddenly stopped seeing the cross as folly. You stopped seeing the cross as boring. You stopped seeing the cross as mythological. You stopped seeing the cross as a stumbling block. Suddenly, it was what you needed, and true. And you embraced it. You embraced it. Because God woke you up, changed your heart. And in that, you were united to Christ.

When we were talking about the doctrine of regeneration or the new birth, I tried to explain how calling, regeneration, faith, and union with Christ are simultaneous. There are causal connections here, but there aren’t temporal gaps. In an instant — in an instant — he awakened you from the dead. Your eyes were opened, and what you saw was a glorious Christ. And in seeing him as glorious, you were a believer; you were. That’s what being a believer means: “He’s glorious. He’s Savior. He’s Lord. He is mine.” That’s what it is to see him for what he really is. And in that moment, you were united to Jesus, which means God loved you by making Christ your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

So, God awakened you, united you to Christ so that you have a vital union with Jesus. You’re connected with him — maybe like a vine and a branch?

All He Is, You Are

Look at verse 30 again:

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

“The call gives light. The call creates sight. The call raises the dead.”

 So, when you unite with Christ, all that he is, now you are — without making you God. All the benefits that are in him, all the inheritance that is in him, all that he ever purchased, all the obedience he ever performed, all the forgiveness he ever purchased, you now have by virtue of union with him, which you feel by faith and which God worked sovereignly. He has become, through God’s loving you this way, everything for you.

If I need wisdom, he’s my wisdom. If I need righteousness, he’s my righteousness. If I need sanctification, redemption . . .

 You are loved, Bethlehem. You are loved sons and daughters of God because God chose you for himself. You are loved because he called you to himself. You are loved because he united you to Christ. And by making you one with Christ, Christ becomes everything you need.” (John Piper)

 

Signing out

 

Tyrone