A Reformation Day thought.

The following is from an e-mail that I received earlier this evening, from CBMW (The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood). I commend it to all.

"It is no coincidence that the constituent doctrine of the church — the union of Christ and his church — trades in marital imagery that is predicated upon God’s creation of man as male and female. And thus neither is it mere happenstance that we find ourselves defending this very confession against the powers and principalities of this age.

 

This being Reformation Day, I thought it would be appropriate to hand it over to the good doctor Martin Luther to unpack this glorious truth that is central to our identity as Christians: the mystery of the marriage between Christ and his church — a truth that Luther was willing to defend to the death. The following excerpt is from his treatise Concerning Christian Liberty:

 

The third incomparable grace of faith is this, that it unites the soul to Christ, as the wife to the husband; by which mystery, as the Apostle teaches, Christ and the soul are made one flesh. Now if they are one flesh, and if a true marriage — nay, by far the most perfect of all marriages — is accomplished between them (for human marriages are but feeble types of this one great marriage), then it follows that all they have becomes theirs in common, as well good things as evil things; so that whatsoever Christ possesses, that the believing soul may take to itself and boast of as its own, and whatever belongs to the soul, that Christ claims as his.

 

If we compare these possessions, we shall see how inestimable is the gain. Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation; the soul is full of sin, death, and condemnation. Let faith step in, and then sin, death, and hell will belong to Christ, and grace, life, and salvation to the soul. For, if he is a husband, he must needs take to himself that which is his wife's, and, at the same time, impart to his wife that which is his. For, in giving her his own body and himself, how can he but give her all that is his? And, in taking to himself the body of his wife, how can he but take to himself all that is hers?

 

In this is displayed the delightful sight, not only of communion, but of a prosperous warfare, of victory, salvation, and redemption. For since Christ is God and man, and is such a person as neither has sinned, nor dies, nor is condemned — nay, cannot sin, die, or be condemned; and since his righteousness, life, and salvation are invincible, eternal, and almighty; when, I say, such a person, by the wedding-ring of faith, takes a share in the sins, death, and hell of his wife, nay, makes them his own, and deals with them no otherwise than as if they were his, and as if he himself had sinned; and when he suffers, dies . . . that he may overcome all things, since sin, death, and hell cannot swallow him up, they must needs be swallowed up by him in stupendous conflict. For his righteousness rises above the sins of all men; his life is more powerful than all death; his salvation is more unconquerable than all hell.

Thus the believing soul, by the pledge of its faith in Christ, becomes free from all sin, fearless of death, safe from hell, and endowed with the eternal righteousness, life, and salvation of its husband Christ. Thus he presents to himself a glorious bride, without spot or wrinkle, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word; that is, by faith in the word of life, righteousness, and salvation. Thus he betrothes her unto himself “in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies.” (Hosea 2:19, 20)

 

Who then can value highly enough these royal nuptials? Who can comprehend the riches of the glory of this grace?

 

Christ, that rich and pious husband, takes as a wife a needy and impious harlot, redeeming her from all her evils, and supplying her with all his good things. It is impossible now that her sins should destroy her, since they have been laid upon Christ and swallowed up in him, and since she has in her husband Christ a righteousness which she may claim as her own, and which she can set up with confidence against all her sins, against death and hell, saying: "If I have sinned, my Christ, in whom I believe, has not sinned; all mine is his, and all his is mine;" as it is written, "My beloved is mine, and I am his.” (Song 2:16.) This is what Paul says: “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ;” victory over sin and death, as he says: “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Cor. 15:56, 57.)"

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

It is not something that I readily admit - but I am getting old! To be fair, I reckon that I am still "young in spirit", but my physical body isn't as sprightly as it once was! Needless to say, the same is true for my dear wife. Going only by her physical appearance, she is not the girl to whom I was married heading towards fifty years ago! There is a little more of her; she has some wrinkles where wrinkles didn't exist before; she has some medical conditions of which we would never have thought on our wedding day. Yet, to me, even if to no-one else, she is still a beautiful woman whom I not only love deeply, but whom I still fancy!

How could that be? I have never fancied a woman of her age before - and I don't fancy any of the women of her age whom I know today! If I were to analyse that situation, I believe that I would quickly come to the conclusion that it is because I don't look at her objectively, but through "love-tinted spectacles". She is not just any woman heading towards seventy years of age; she is my wife - and the best wife I could ever have had.

When we read the letters of Paul in the New Testament, we discover that he uses marriage as an analogy, or illustration, of the Christian life. I believe that my relationship with my wife can certainly be used in such a way. You see, when Father God looks at me - and you, if you are a disciple of Jesus, born again by the work of God the Holy Spirit in your life - he doesn't see my failings; my weakness; my sin. He sees Jesus, and His shed blood and righteousness and, in Him, I am fully accepted - I am loved. Father God looks at me, we might say, through "love-tinted spectacles".

Of course, His love for me is infinitely greater than my deepest love for my wife. Love is the very essence of His Being. Twice, John tells us that "God is love" (I John 4:7, 16). And He has expressed that love in the most amazing way possible. "God loved the world (that included you and me!) so much that, in the Persona* of the Son, He gave Himself to die on a cross, paying the just penalty for your sins and mine that, if we are willing to place our trust, wholly and unreservedly, in Him for salvation, we may experience, here and now, His own life within us - a life that never ends." (John 3:16 - my somewhat expanded paraphrase!).

One of the wonderful aspects of the love that my wife and I share is that it is mutual. She responds to my love for her, and I respond to her love for me. The same thing is necessary of we are to appropriate the amazing love of God - we must respond, in confession, repentance, faith, and obedience.

Have you ever done that? Have you admitted that, like me, you are a sinner? Have you accepted that you are unable to do anything about your sin? Do you realise that He has done all - that, as Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus it is: "... by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast."? The way is open for you - and if I may be of any assistance, please feel free to contact me using the e-mail address above. It is not my prime address, but I do check it from time to time, and will respond as soon as I see you message. May you respond to His great love with the love and devotion of your own heart - and to Him be all the praise and the glory.

* This is explained in the chapter on "The Trinity" in my book Great Words of the Faith. Please remember that I make no financial profit from any of my books (or from this blog!). All royalties on the books are sent directly to the bank account of Release International, supporting the persecuted Church.

It's good to be home!

This afternoon, I drove almost 100 kms (c.63 miles) to the airport at Bordeaux. It wasn't a simple drive for the pleasure of driving (that particular journey seldom is!), but because I was collecting my dear wife who was returning after two weeks in Scotland, visiting our family.

I was about twenty minutes away from the airport, and was thinking about how soon I would see my wife again. "I can barely wait", I thought to myself. "I am looking forward so much to her return".

That was when the further thought hit me! There is another, world-shattering event, when there will be another return. I refer, of course, to the return of the Lord Jesus, the Christ - not as a helpless infant, but as the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

I then had to look, honestly, at myself and wonder - am I as excited at the prospect of the Lord's return, after some 2,000 years, as I am about the prospect of my wife's return after a mere 2 weeks?

Of course, although I had spoken with her, by telephone, this morning as she waited at Glasgow airport, I had no absolute guarantee that I would see her at Bordeaux! So many things could have upset our plans. I could have been fatally injured in a road traffic accident; I might have had a heart attack; my wife might have suffered the same; the plane might have crashed. Thankfully, none of these did take place, and we are safely back in our own home. But nothing will be able to stop the return of the Lord Jesus when He comes back with His bride - the previously raptured church.

One final thought in this (unusually!) short post. As we arrived at the sign for our little village, my wife said "Ah! home at last!" When Jesus takes His bride - seven years before He returns - those who constitute that body will be able to say, as have the true saints of God down through the centuries, "Home at last!" We will share in the marriage supper of the Lamb and, when we return with Him, we will share in His millennial reign.

What a prospect for those who are the called, according to His purpose; those of whom it has been said that they "love His appearing" (see II Tim.4:8). Are you in that happy band? Are you looking forward, with great excitement and anticipation, to His return? I trust so but, if not; if you aren't assured that you will rise in the Rapture; please do something about it now! Tomorrow may be too late!

The Word.

As I continue, in my personal devotions, through the Book of Psalms, I arrived this morning at the longest one - Ps.119. When I was in full-time ministry, I sometimes considered preaching on this psalm - but realised that just reading it would take almost as long as the message!!!

Of course, one tends not to deal with this psalm in one go, and I shall take some three weeks to reach the end. However, it is a very interesting psalm, and I want to share some general thoughts in this post.

It's a psalm that "majors on the Word of God", and the ministry of that Word in the lives of those who seek to worship and honour Him. Many people are aware that it is one of the "acrostic" psalms. That means that each of the twenty-two sections begins with the consecutive letters of the, in this case, Hebrew alphabet. However, each of the eight statements in each section also begins with the relevant letter! This was not a psalm that was composed in a hurry!

It is a psalm that contains a number of well-known words, e.g., "How can a young man keep his way might not sin against pure? By guarding it according to Thy Word." (v.9); "I have laid up Thy Word in my heart that I not sin against Thee." (v.11); "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things in Thy Law." (v.18); "Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (v.105);The unfolding of Thy words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple." (v.130).

The name of the writer is not provided, but he is certainly one who had a passionate desire to understand God's Word in as deep a way as possible. The psalm is rooted in the Book of Deuteronomy ("second law" - the retelling of the covenant  between God and his people Israel, presented in three addresses by Moses.). However, in Deuteronomy, as opposed to the account of the giving of the Law in the book of Exodus, the emphasis is on love, and obedience from the heart, rather than mere "ritual" that can be cold and unloving! How many, who claim to be disciples of Jesus, need to seriously ponder that thought!

Some months ago, I was invited to share with a group of anglophones on the importance of the "Old Testament" for disciples of Jesus. The first point that I made was that the use of the word "Old" did not mean that it was "out-of-date", or "past its best". Indeed, I suggested that "First Testament" would be a more accurate name! However, one of my main points was that the First Testament (the Tanakh, in Hebrew) was the only Bible that was available to the early Church! Yet with just the Tanakh, they were those who were turning the world upside-down (Acts 17:6)! 

The Tanakh was used to great effect, in the power of God the Holy Spirit. Yet many, today, tend to ignore the 66% of the Bible that it constitutes! It is constantly referred to in the Second Testament writings. Of course it contains 'law', but it also contains grace. And the law was, and is, necessary. Read Romans 7 if you want to learn more about that! To those who truly have the Spirit of God in their lives, the law is a servant, helping them to see the character of Almighty God, and to increasingly appreciate the saving work of the Lord Jesus.

"... you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit. ... ... Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have known sin." (Rom.7:4-7).

The dear man of God who penned Ps.119 was not satisfied with having the Law in his home, his hand, or even in his head. He wanted it to be in his heart. We who have received so much more than he, should surely be satisfied with nothing less!

It is highly likely that I shall return to this great psalm over the coming weeks, as the Lord permits. I hope that you will join with me!

We never know the moment!

The name of Robert Rafferty will not mean anything to the vast majority of people. He was, however, the Chief Steward on the ss Edmund Fitzgerald - a freighter that was, when launched in 1958 at 26,000 tons DWT, the largest ship sailing on the North American Great Lakes. On November 3rd, 1975, Chief Steward Rafferty wrote to his wife: "I may be home by November 8th, However, nothing is ever sure."

On November 10th, in a ferocious storm on Lake Superior, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank. With near hurricane-force winds, and waves up to 35' high, she may have been swamped but, to this day, no-one knows for certain what caused the tragedy. What is known is that all 29 crew members perished - including Chief Steward Rafferty. The prophetic irony of those last words to his wife should not be lost on anyone!

That, of course, is only one tragedy out of countless numbers. I have visited the Japanese city of Nagasaki, on which the second atomic bomb was dropped at the end of the Second World War. I have seen a section of wall - with a human being fused into it! It is estimated that some 40,000 people died instantly, with a similar number dying in the following months as a result of injuries, burns, and radiation exposure.

On December 22nd, 1999, in South Lanarkshire, a home in the town of Larkhall was totally destroyed by a gas explosion. Andrew Findlay, his wife Jeanette, and their two children - Stacy (13 years of age) and Daryll (11 years of age), died in the explosion.

Not a day passes without a reminder that our earthly lives can end at any moment - and often without any notice. All that we need to do is to read the obituary columns! One message comes across, loudly and clearly: "We're here today - but we may be gone tomorrow!"

I am currently working on the fourth book on my series on getting to know the Christian Faith. This is is to be entitled "Living the Faith", and is being based on the letter from the apostle James, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus, the Christ. It is a very practical letter - and it acknowledges this suddenness with which death may touch us. "What is your life?" asks James. The answer he provides is: "It is even a vapour that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away." (4:14).

Although Benjamin Franklin, one of the "founding fathers" of the USA, is often credited with the quotation, it was actually another writer - Christopher Bullock - who first penned the thought "It is impossible to be sure of anything but death and taxes". However, the claim is not quite true, as it it possible, in some cultures at least, to never have to pay taxes!

But is our only certainty, then, the sobering prospect that, at any moment we may be thrust into eternity - however we may conceive of it? Not for the disciple of Jesus! That same Jesus is the anchor of the soul. He paid the penalty for your sins, and mine, when He hung on a cross at Calvary. If we are willing, and humble enough, to confess our sins before Father God, and to accept that salvation that was won for us at such a great cost, then we will receive forgiveness, and eternal life, as we place our trust, solely and completely, in Him. He has promised to be with us, even in the hour of death, and we may depend on His promises.

Does your earthly life sometimes seem to be futile because nothing is ever sure? Then trust in Him, the perfect Lamb of God. He provides a joyous certainty about eternity that can be yours - right now! It's never too soon to accept the new life that Jesus offers; but, at any moment, it may be too late!

A spiritual lesson from Carousel!

I cried this afternoon! Yes, it's okay for a man to do so. The reason for my tears was, however, a wee bit unusual. I had watched a video of the musical "Carousel", in which my younger daughter was the female principal - Julie Jordan. This is not the place to provide the full story-line but, undoubtedly, if you don't know it, you will find it on the internet!

Julie falls in love with a fairground worker named Billy Bigelow, but the story of their relationship is tragic. Suffice to say that that relationship ends when Billy commits suicide rather than face a lengthy jail sentence, and leaves Julie with an unborn child. Some of the scenes are very moving - hence my tears!

It was the next part that started me thinking more theologically. Billy is taken to heaven to see the Starkeeper, a heavenly official and arrives at some gates. When he asks if these are the "pearly gates" he is informed that they are not. They are the "back gates". The Starkeeper tells Billy that the good he did in life was not enough to get into heaven, but so long as there is a person alive who remembers him, he can return for a day to try to do good to redeem himself. He informs Billy that fifteen years have passed on Earth since his suicide, and suggests that Billy can get himself into heaven if he helps Louise - the daughter that Julie bore after his death. He helps Billy look down from heaven to see her. Louise has grown up to be lonely and bitter. The local children ostracise her because her father was a thief and a wife-beater. Billy, who had earlier rejected the offer to return, is anxious to return to Earth and help his daughter. He steals a star to take with him, something the Starkeeper pretends not to notice and is taken back to earth by a guardian.

He invisibly attends Louise's graduation, hoping for one last chance to help his daughter and redeem himself. The town's elderly physician, Dr. Seldon (who resembles the Starkeeper!) advises the graduating class not to rely on their parents' success or be held back by their failure (words directed at Louise). He then prompts everyone to sing an old song, "You'll Never Walk Alone". Billy, still invisible, whispers to Louise, telling her to believe Seldon's words, and when she tentatively reaches out to another girl, she learns she does not have to be an outcast. Billy then goes to Julie, and speaks the words that he had never had the courage to speak in life - that he loved her. As his widow and daughter join in the singing, he is taken to his heavenly reward.

Of course, this is a mixture of the popular view that I gain eternal life by my own good deeds, and of reincarnation by which I am able to make up for past bad deeds by doing better in another life!

This is not the message of the Bible, the written Word of the Creator. It is much less complicated, more straightforward! I was born as a sinner. I may not have lived the life that the fictional Billy Bigelow lived, but I am every bit as much a sinner as he. My major problem is that my sin has made a great gulf between me and Father God - a gulf that I can never span by my own efforts. I can never "make up" for my sins by doing good deeds. Paul puts it like this: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph 2:8-9). It is only by the grace* of God that I can receive eternal life. I do not deserve it; I cannot earn it; I cannot purchase it.

Only the sinless unique Son of God was able to pay the price for my sins. And He did! Jesus of Nazareth was the incarnation of Almighty God. He entered the world that He had created, in human flesh that He had created. He died the cruel death by crucifixion, because "... without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (Heb 9:22). As someone has written: 'He paid a debt He did not owe; because I owed a debt I could not pay.'

There is, nevertheless, a cost to me - and to you if you take that step of faith, and receive the new life that Jesus. Immediately after writing those words already quoted, to the disciples of Jesus in Ephesus, Paul writes: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10; emphasis added). As I live my life in, and for, the Lord Jesus, I will seek to do the good works that He wants me to do. However, I am doing them, not to try to attain salvation, but out of gratitude for the salvation that I have so freely received!

Are you depending on your own 'good works' for salvation? Do you think that you might have 'another chance'? Do not let the enemy deceive you. This life is not a dress rehearsal - it is the only mortal life you will live. 

If you wish to know more, please feel free to contact me at the e-mail address given at the top of the page. I don't check it every day, but I shall get back to you before too long! Alternatively, you might wish to check out some of the relevant links in the right-hand-side of the blog (scroll down!). Whatever you do, don't do nothing. Your eternal destiny is at stake.

* This is one of the words dealt with in my first book "Great Words of the Faith".  There are three books in the series (vol 4 is 'in preparation'!) all of which will help you in understanding the Christian Faith and answering those who question you about it. Remember, ALL royalties are sent directly to Release International to support the persecuted church. I receive nothing!

Marching into a cupboard!

It was while I was a student at the Bible Training Institute, in Glasgow, that I first came across the name of Stuart Briscoe. He was, at that time, involved with the Capernwray Bible School, and also spoke at the annual Keswick Convention. 

He writes, somewhere, about the funeral for a war veteran in which the deceased's military friends had a role in the service.  The friends requested that the minister lead them to the coffin for a moment of silence. They would then follow him out through a side door.

The plan was executed with military precision - until the minister opened the wrong door, and marched the former soldiers into a broom cupboard! The men, and the embarrassed minister, were obliged to make an awkward retreat.

That clergyman made an honest mistake, but the incident illustrates the importance of leaders knowing where they are going. As go the leaders, so go the followers! 

The children's game "Follow the leader" that was popular during my own pre-multiple video-games, internet, computers, mobile telephones, and all of the other accouterments of today, adds to that statement. In that game, it was not enough to simply follow the leader wherever he went. One had also to copy his actions! It was a case of "Go where I go; do what I do" - and could lead to additional embarrassment!

The apostle Paul left his young friend, Titus, on the island of Crete, in order that he might establish a  good witness for the Lord Jesus. There appears to have been some form of witness, but there were problems with which Titus was to deal. "This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you, if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of being profligate or insubordinate." (Titus 1:5-6).

Titus was to appoint leaders for the growing group of believers. However, those leaders had to meet clear criteria. Except for preaching the Gospel, finding the right leaders was the most important thing that he could do for the disciples of Jesus on Crete. Those leaders were to be male; married to only one wife; and with children who were believers (indicating that the leader was to be of mature years!).

Those criteria have not been changed, and are confirmed in I Timothy 3. Those in positions of spiritual authority and influence in the church today, should meet those standards, and guide others to greater maturity in their relationship with the Lord Jesus. Followers should, at the same time, hold their spiritual leaders accountable to those goals. One of the things that saddens me greatly is the number of those in leadership in the church, today, who do not meet the Biblical requirements. Jesus said: "And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (Matt 15:14).

The only leader worth following is the one who is, himself, following the Lord Jesus.Whether you are a leader, or a follower, know where you are going. Otherwise, you may end up in a cupboard - or worse!