P4G.I.V.E 10% because it is valid throughout scripture

Deuteronomy 26:12, 17 (12)“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. (17) You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice."

Over the past few days we have been exploring the reasons for giving to the Lord in tithing and stewardship.  Thus far we have discovered in Deuteronomy 26 and other passages two reasons for giving:

1). God gave
2). Invites His presence (blessing)

In today's post we will explore what is perhaps the most often confused aspect of the discussion over tithing and stewardship - namely: should Christians tithe?

Meet the Bible's first tither
Genesis 14:20 is where we see the first mention of tithing in the Bible.  Abraham is our tither in the text.  God gave him a mighty victory over the confederation of the five kings of Chedorlaomer.  As Abraham returns from battle, he meets the mysterious figure Melchizedek, whom according to Psalm 110 and Hebrews 5-7 is none other than a pre-incarnate (before the flesh) appearance of Jesus Christ.  As Melchizedek blesses Abraham, we read in Genesis 14:18-20 "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. ¹⁹ He blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; (20) And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all."  There we see Abram giving Melechizedek, Who is Christ in disguise, a tenth of the spoils of victory.  Now this is the first mention of tithing in the Bible. 

 

Following tithing throughout the Bible

As you read through scripture, the particular word "tithe" or "tithing" occurs more than forty times.  The last time we find it mentioned in the Old Testament is in Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows."  Now many well-meaning Christians assume that tithing was nothing more than an Old Testament regulation, given by God under the period of the Law.  Often I have heard Christians say that since we are no longer under law but under grace, that means we can now give whatever we want, since tithing went away once Christ had died on the cross.

Is that true? Did Jesus' death, burial and resurrection do away with the standard of tithing?  Whenever studying both the Old and New Testaments, unless God has either removed or replaced a given institution or command, we can assume that the command or institution carries forth from Old to New Testament. 

For example, the Levitical priesthood was done away with when Christ came, since His priesthood is of a different order. (Hebrews 7-10)  We also don't sacrifice animals due to the fact that Christ's subsitutionary death satisfied the wrath of God against the sins of those who receive His work by grace through faith. (1 Peter 3:18) 

Now whenever we come to the New Testament, we discover not one prohibition against tithing.  The standard of 10% was ordained by God some 400 or so years before the giving of the law.  Abraham in Genesis 14 and Jacob in Genesis 28 were tithing some 2,000 years before Christ.  The law of God served to reinforce the standard, however when Christ came, the standard was never removed nor replaced. (compare Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42; 18:12)

In studying the more than forty passages that speak on the subject of stewardship and tithing, here is what we discover:

1. A person is free to give whatever they want (offering) only after they have been already tithing. 

2. Tithing represents the most basic level of stewardship, the ground floor if you will.  Whenever we begin to tithe is whenever we begin to hear God in the realm of giving.

3. Wherever the believer is told to give freely as to whatever amount He feels necessary to give, it can be assumed that the believer has already been tithing. (2 Corinthians 9:6-10)

The Bible's final mention of tithing
Remember where we first met the word tithing? Recall Abraham in Genesis 14 as the first recorded tither?  In this blogger's mind, the main proof we have that tithing is still the basic standard undergirding the New Testament teaching of Biblical stewardship is found in Hebrews 7:5-10, the final mention of tithingin the Bible:
And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. ⁶ But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. ⁷ But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸ In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. ⁹ And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Six times is the word "tithe" or "tithes" used in this New Testament text!  Furthermore, the final mention of tithing in the Bible connects to the first mention! Thirdly, we who have believed on Jesus Christ are considered children of Abraham by faith (Romans 4:16).  Fourthly, Christ, who lives today, received a tithe from Abraham. (Hebrews7:8) Fifthly, in a chapter like Hebrews 7, wherein the writer is showing how Christ is superior to all of the Old Testament Jewish institutions, he never once shows tithing to be abolished! 

Conclusion
With the validity of tithing established throughout scripture, what can we conclude? Should Christians tithe? Yes, and here is why: First, tithing was instituted pre-law, hence it is a standard that was not abolished despite the doing way of the ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Law.  Second, the New Testament never one time shows tithing as being either prohibited, replaced or removed from the Christian's responsibility of stewardship.  Thirdly, tithing is the standard established by God as the starting point for stewardship.  Then finally, Hebrews 7 reveals that tithing is still mentioned in the New Testament, not abolished, and thus there is no reason to prohibit Christians from tithing. 

More tomorrow......

 

P3 G.I.V.E to invite God's Presence

Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’

In yesterday's post we considered the first and perhaps the most important reason to give tithes and offerings - because God gave.  In this current blog series we are using the acrostic g.i.v.e to guide our way through Deuteronomy 26.  We already saw that the motive to our giving to God is because He first gave.  In today's blog we desire to entertain a second reason that begins with "I", namely giving to God invites His presence into our lives.

G.i.v.e to God, for it invites His presence.  Deuteronomy 26:12-16
To have the blessing of God in your life means that His presence, power and Personal involvement are in place.  As Moses instructs these people and us, He says in Deuteronomy 26:15 - "Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’  The moment you and I begin to tithe our resources, we are opening the door for God to come in and bless us with His presence.  Faith is a receiving grace granted by God, whereby I am able to freely receive with firm persuasion whatever He offers.  Whenever God is touching any area of life, that area will become more fruitful. 

Your attitude towards three books should change when you are born again by grace through faith: your attitude towards God's Book, your date book and the pocket book.  God's book becomes more dear to you, your datebook more and more revolves around God and your pocket book wants to give glory to God. 

You want more of God in every area - including your finances.  Consider Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."  Jesus notes in Luke 6:37 "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”  Or how about 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed"  God's blessing equals His power, presence and Personal activity in every area of my life.  The material outgrowth is but the outcome.  We give because we want God to know that since He already owns everything, we desire His personal involvement in the caretaking of what He has given to us. 

More tomorrow.........

P2 G.I.V.E, since God gives

Deuteronomy 26:1-2 “Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it, ² that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name."

Yesterday we began to consider what the Bible teaches about tithing and stewardship of our resources.  When we speak of stewardship, we are referring to the management of property or resources that are not our own.  The sooner you and I understand that all things come from God, the more eager we will be to give to the Lord.  But why give to God?  We turn today to Deuteronomy 26:10-19 and other passages to explore the answer.  The logic of Moses' argument throughout Deuteronomy 26, as well as the testimony of scripture on the subject of tithing and stewardship, reveals the first reason as to why you and I should practice tithing and stewardship:

God is The God who gives.  Deuteronomy 26:10-12
God as a giving God is the greatest motivation to give.  Deuteronomy 26 uses God's giving of Himself and His grace as the leverage behind stewardship and tithing.  As it has been said over the years: you cannot outgive God.  If you back up to the beginning of Deuteronomy 26, you discover the following statements:

1). Deuteronomy 26:1 "the land which the Lord your God gives"
2). Deuteronomy 26:2 "your land that the Lord your God gives you"
3). Deuteronomy 26:3 "the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us"
4). Deuteronomy 26:9 "He has brought us to this place and has given us this land"
5). Deuteronomy 26:10 "O Lord have given me"
6). Deuteronomy 26:11 "shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you"

God's act of giving to His people provides the basis as to why they should give back to Him their tithes and offerings. (Deuteronomy 26:11)  Whenever we come to the New Testament, God's giving doesn't cease.  Consider John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  The New Testament connects the giving of Jesus Christ as the basis for God's giving us all things.  Consider Romans 8:32 -  ^"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"

When you really thing about it, why would God expect you and I to give if He had not first done it Himself?  Furthermore, no matter how much we give, we can never out-give God.  Grace, not guilt, is the motive behind biblical giving and stewardship.  As true as it may be that giving begins as a duty, it should not just remain in the realm of obligation.  In fact, duty should quickly turn into delight.  The more we focus on Jesus Christ and the barren cross, the more we will want to give. 

More tomorrow.......

P1 G.I.V.E to the Lord's work

Deuteronomy 26:10-11 Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God; ¹¹ and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household.

Five things the Lord has pledged His Personal Presence and Blessing to in His church
When we look to the Bible in general and the New Testament in particular, we understand God pledging His Personal involvement or blessing in five main areas:

1. The preaching/teaching of His word
2. The singing of His praises
3. Obedience
4. Missions
5. Tithing/Stewardship

The Spirit Himself attends the preaching of the word, convicting sinners and strengthening saints. (John 16:8-16)  The Lord promises to inhabit the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3) and guide us as we obey (Romans 12:2).  Jesus Himself promised His apostles and church in the Great Commission that "He would be with her always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).  So what about the fifth area wherein God pledges His special presence and blessing - Tithing or Stewardship?  It is that particular area which will occupy the remainder of today's blog and the next several posts. 

Moses' grand sermon series
The Book of Deuteronomy takes place on the Eastern side of the Jordon River on the plains of Moab.  Moses is in the final month of the 120th year of his life.  For forty years he has led two generations of God's people through barren desert and tough hardship.  Deuteronomy records a series of three sermons (chapters 1-4; 5-11; 12-26) with a final set of personal instructions to a new second generation of God's people (chapters 27-34).  As Moses is concluding his second sermon, he turns his attention to the area of stewardship and tithing.  Deuteronomy 26 represents one of the most complete statements on the subject, giving principles whereby the child of God can look to when attempting to understanding the area of giving.

Why G.I.V.E to the Lord's work
As we come into Deuteronomy 26 we see instructions concerning the people's giving of the first fruits of their crops upon their entry and occupancy in the Promised land.  I call this a "promise provision" because when the people present the first portion of their harvest, they will testify as to how God kept His promise of bringing them into the land pledged to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 26:1-10)  That background sets the stage for stewardship - namely grace. For today's post, I want to give four reasons, patterned after the acrostic G.I.V.E, as to why and how we should give to the Lord's work.  The reasons will derive from the remainder of Deuteronomy 26:10-19:

God is a Giving God.  Deuteronomy 26:10-11
Notice the primary leverage Moses uses in instructing these people and us: namely the fact that God has given and continues to give.  Seven times in Deuteronomy 26 we find reference to God having given to the people the resources and strength.  I would suggest this is the primary reason for giving to the Lord's work - because He gave.  

Invites God's Blessing.  Deuteronomy 26:12-17
What do we mean by "God's Blessing"?  Certainly we could include the notion of prosperity in the material and spiritual sense.  However the chief idea behind "blessing" is the fact of God's presence, power and Person operating in our lives.  God wants to bless us without question.  How much of God do we want in our datebook and checkbook? As Jesus notes in Matthew 6:33 -  "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Verified throughout Scripture.  Deuteronomy 26:18
I have often heard throughout my years of ministry, as well as heard myself say from time to time: "how much does the Bible have to say about tithing and stewardship?"  Is tithing only an Old Testament teaching?  Does only the Law of Moses (of which Deuteronomy is part) teach tithing?  When the New Testament began, did Jesus and the Apostles do away with the practice? Can we as Christians decide how much or how little we want to give?  I have heard pastors preach sermons on tithing and stewardship, whereas I have heard other Godly and well-studied men who love the Book of God proclaim that Christians are not obligated to tithe.  I believe as you study scripture, you will be surprised by what you find it saying - and not saying - about tithing and stewardship.  

Expresses Worship to God. Deuteronomy 26:19
Moses' entire life was about beholding and promoting the glory of God. (Exodus 33:16-17; Psalm 90)  Whenever God's people give as they should and would desire, God's name and work is promoted.  Giving leads to missions, and missions aims to turn (by the Spirit's gifting and conviction) wicked people into worshippers of God.  The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 in Article 13 has this to say about stewardship: "According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth."

My prayer for the next few days would be that our hearts would be retuned to the Spirit's leading as we consider how we can g.i.v.e to the Lord's work. 

More tomorrow...............


 

Top Prophecy #1 - Where Prophecy Begins - Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

What makes Genesis 3:15 such a remarkable passage is the fact it contains the Bible's first promise and first prophecy.  The promise within Genesis 3:15 is about the Gospel.  In fact, theologians and Christians of ages past have nick-named Genesis 3:15 the proto-evangelium (pro-to-e-van-gel-eeum), which translated means: the first announcement of the Gospel.  The Prophecy within this same text has to do with the triumph or expected outcome of the Gospel.  Truly Genesis 3:15 is an acorn that contains the Biblical oaks of redemption and eschatology (study of last things, prophecy).

In today's post we want to consider Genesis 3:15 and the attending verses of Genesis 3:16-21 with regards to what God predicted about history, salvation and last things.  Consider the following ideas about this first of top Bible prophecies:

Conflict.  Genesis 3:15a
Genesis 3:15a records - And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed..".  Following the rebellion in the garden of Eden, God pronounced a curse upon Satan the serpent, Adam and Eve and the rest of creation.  In Genesis 3:15 we see portrayed the personal, historic and cosmic conflict that would ensue between God's Kingdom and satan's lesser kingdom of darkness.  We note firstly the personal conflict between Eve and Satan.  God made it clear: Satan and Eve were to be enemies.  God's promise and plan of salvation that was to be revealed in the Covenant of Grace issued forth to Eve would run counter to Satan's agenda. 

God drew the battle lines that would not only characterize the personal animosity between humanity and Satan, but secondly the historic conflict.  We see the historic conflict in the words "his seed" and "your seed".  What is meant by those terms "seed"? "Seed" refers to two bloodlines, two groups of people, two spiritual categories of people that would exist throughout human history.  The seed of Satan refers to unbelievers, and the seed of the woman would refer to believers.  For example, Jesus perfectly summarizes this point in Matthew 13:36-40 -
36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” ³⁷ And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸ and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 

Many other passage reveal the two different types of seed as referring to believers and unbelievers. (John 8:44; Ephesians 2:1-2) The historic conflict would entail Israel and her enemies, the apostles and their foes, and of course all subsequent generations of Christian people and unbelievers.  So we see conflict in this text of Genesis 3:15.  How will the conflict be resolved?  Where is such a conflict going to lead? That leads us to the second thought in this grand passage of Genesis 3:15, namely...

Coming Redeemer 3:15b
The Holy Ghost says in Genesis 3:15b - "He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”  The text goes from personal conflict between Eve and Satan, to historic conflict between unbelievers following satan and believers saved by grace through faith in Christ to the Cosmic conflict of the Coming Redeemer and Satan.  The fact that the text says "He" tells us that God has not only got a plan of salvation, but a Person who will accomplish salvation.  The Coming Redeemer was the entire focus of Old Testament revelation.  The "Seed" of Eve revealed in this verse would be the "Seed" promised later to Abraham. (Genesis 12,15,17,22)  Furthermore, this coming Redeemer would be progressively revealed over the centuries in greater and greater clarity.  King David was told that He would have a descendant sitting on the Throne of Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 7:13-16) In as much as David was going to have royal descendants sitting on the throne of Jerusalem, God had also in mind One Ultimate Ruler, the Coming Redeemer.  Psalm 132:11 states - "The Lord has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne."  

We know by the time of the New Testament, Jesus Christ would end up fulfilling the promises made to Abraham and David.  Through Israel the nation the redeemer would come.  Once the Redeemer came, he would live, die on the cross and be raised from the dead.  After Christ's ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, He inaugurated His reign on David's throne to rule over His church. (Acts 2:33-36)  This Redeemer who came is coming again.  Passages such as Romans 11:25-26 and Revelation 19-20 unfold the glorious Second Coming of this Redeemer.  When He returns, Christ will restore the nation of Israel as a nation and His church will reign with Him for 1,000 years.   

Now did Eve and Adam know all of these details? No.  Their level of understanding was in seed form, whereas our understanding is comparitively speaking a mature oak.  God progressively revealed His prophetic truth to each generation.  And so we see a conflict and a coming redeemer, but notice a third idea revealed in Genesis 3:16-21, namely....

Conquest.  Genesis 3:16-21
When you compare Genesis 3:16-21 to the last two chapters of Revelation, you find some amazing contrasts.  In fact, the darkness of Genesis 3 was pre-known by God.  God knew man was going to sin, it was no suprise.  God willed to permit the fall so as to show in ways we don't grasp the glories of His grace as well as to let man exercise his capacity as a responsible, moral being. 

So did the fall jeopardize God's plan for creation?  When you compare Genesis 3:16-21 to Revelation 21-22, you discover God's purpose in conquering satan, sin and death..

Genesis 3:16-21                         vs                     Revelation 21-22
-God & man separate                                  -God & believers together
-Death & Pain                                              -No Death & Pain
-Exile                                                            -A New Home
-Curse                                                          -No Curse
-Night is setting in                                        -No more night
-Long History ahead                                    -History alomost over
-Paradise lost                                              -Paradise rescued
-Blood of animals                                        -Based on Christ's blood
-Old Adam & Eve                                        -New Adam & Bride

Truly God's purposes and plans are not thwarted.  The glorious truth is that in the end God wins! All who by grace through faith believe will be saved.  Right now is the time of salvation, the perfect time to escape the wrath to come.  This is the wonder of prophecy and redemption, centered in the chief work of salvation and the chief end of God's glory in Jesus Christ. 



  

What Southern Baptists believe about God

1 Corinthians 8:6 "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him."

The Southern Baptist Convention's current statement of faith (2000 Baptist Faith & Message or BFM 2000) contains for its second article a statement about what Baptists believe about the True and Living God.  The Preamble to the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 includes the following statement about the relationship between scripture and doctrinal statements: "That the sole authority for faith and practice among Baptists is the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Confessions are only guides in interpretation, having no authority over the conscience." 

With those remarks in mind, we now turn to the first part of Article II in the BFM 2000 statement about God, reproduced in its entirety:

"There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being."

What I would like to do in today's blog is break down this marvelous statement in five headings: Divine Nature of God, Divine Names of God, Divine Attributes of God, Duties to God and the Divine Identity of God.1 

1. Divine Nature of God.
The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (BFM 2000) states: "There is one and only one living and true God."   Affirmed in this statement is the Biblical teaching of Monotheism or the belief in One God.  God is One in existence, Unique in category, the Source of His own life and Ever true in His character.  Clearly God is Unique and in a Category all His own, not dependant on any creature or creation (Holiness, Aseity), however there is a second parallel truth asserted in this statement: He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being....".  The fact that God is a Personal God, interracting with His creation, is what theologians call "the immanence of God."  The first part of what we just looked at deals with God in His separateness from creation, what theologians term "the transcedence of God."  Immanence counterbalances transcendence, reminding us that God is ever present with His creation, as well as Infinitely above and separate from it. 

2. Divine names of God
The BFM 2000 lists four main titles or names of God: "the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe." In all reality, these four names indicate the four main activities of God revealed across the pages of scripture.  In Genesis He creates the heavens, the earth, life and man.  Perservation describes His activity following the creation.  Clearly God set into place the physical constants of the universe and is sustaining all of life. The third name or title, Redeemer, points to God's chief work in scripture - salvation.2  Then the final name, "Ruler", tells us how God reigns as Sovereign and exercises that reign by ruling providentially as the Creator, preserver and Ruler. 

3. The Divine Attributes of God
The BFM 2000 states again: "God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures." The attributes of God shine as rays from the Divine Nature of God.  Since God is all powerful (omnipotent) and all knowing (omniscient), His ability to know all things from beginning to end means He is Omnipresent (everywhere present).  God is spoken of as having the ability to do what He does by both "means" and "ends".  Since His knowledge extends infinitely backwards and forwards, that means there is an ultimate end for which He created all things: His glory.  So the question is: how is it that God has ordained to accomplish His ends?  Answer: through the decisions of His free creatures.  Without cancelling out the Biblical teaching of human responsibility, the BFM 2000 attempts to preserve the two truths of God's Sovereignty and human responsibility. 

4. Duties to God
So what duty or responsibility does man have to this glorious God spoken of in scripture? The BFM 2000 attempts to answer:  "To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience." The first duty "highest love" refers to the Great commandment spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 22:37.  The second speaks of the proper end of love - reverence.  Then finally, obedience, speaks of the means by which we carry out the highest love and reverence - namely through obedience.  Truly our duties to God should lead to delight in God, which measures how much we have grasped the significance and greatness of God's glory in the faith-walk.

5. The Divine Identity of God
We have looked at what kind of God God is in the first three headings, as well as observing the proper response to this God.  However who is He? The God of Biblical revelation is revealed as having a Three-fold identity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The BFM 2000 explains: "The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being."  For sake of space I will not comment much more, since the statement adequately conveys what the scripture teaches on God being One God existing as Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Conclusion
I hope today's post has edified your spirit and excited your thoughts toward thinking more about who God is.  If you would like to look further into this particular article in the BFM 2000, go to the Southern Baptist Convention website: www.sbc.net.  Once on the site, click on the left side tab marked "Statement of Faith" and you will find the complete document of the BFM 2000 with every scripture reference.  May God richly bless you this day.   

Endnote_________________

1. Anytime we study the nature of God, we term such a study "Theology Proper", since out of all the subjects that can be studied, God is the most supreme. Theology Proper includes the doctrines of the nature of God, the names and attributes of God, the Trinity, Patrology or the study of God the Father, Christology or the study of Christ the Son and Pneumatology or the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

2. He planned redemption, sent His Son who had agreed in Eternity to come through the virgin birth to be incarnated as a sinless human being. The purpose of the incarnation was so that God the Son could purchase redemption by the shedding of blood. The Holy Spirit agreeing to apply to all who by grace through faith believe. 

The Spirit's Message in John's Writings

1 John 2:28-29 ^"Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. ²⁹ If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him." 

Review
In yesterday's blog we considered the Apostle John's treatment of the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit in his writings.  We noted that with regards to the Gospel of John we see a primary emphasis upon the Majesty of the Spirit, a theme which is also stated once in 1 John 2:25.  We also observed that in the Epistle to 1 John, a second emphasis is stated about the Holy Spirit - namely His Ministries.  In all of John's writings we see reference to the Spirit's ministry, but it seems that in 1 John, that is the main emphasis.  It was in 1 John 2:26-27 in particular that we saw three such ministries: Inspiration of scripture, illumination of scripture and the sealing of the believer in their salvation. 

With those first two emphases outlined, we can note another emphasis about the Holy Spirit in John's writings: namely the message of the Spirit to God's people.  We will now consider the Holy Spirit's message to God's people in both 1 John and the Book of Revelation.

The Holy Spirit's message in 1 John
As is often the case through scripture wherein we see reference to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit's message always points the saints to Jesus Christ.  In this instance of 1 John 2:28-3:3, we see mention of Christ's second coming.  As the Holy Spirit speaks in this text, we see two words repeated again and again:

1. Christ's "appearing", which emphasizes the physical, bodily element and visibile signs associated with Christ's second coming. (1 John 2:28 and 3:2)

2. Christ's "coming", which emphasizes the element of Christ's actual "presence" along with the visible, physical signs accompanying His return. (1 John 2:28 and 3:2)

Now these two terms have behind them Greek words that are used in ancient literature to refer to the arrival of a king in a given city following the king's victory over an enemy.  In such instances, much fanfare followed, with the citizens coming out to meet their king and he in turn accompanying them back to the city.  It was obvious when a King returned back to a city - since you could hear the cheering of crowds, smell the incense and see the King himself accompanied by his army. 

The Holy Spirit is using John's words to encourage and inspire hope in the hearts of those reading 1 John.  As the Holy Spirit prepares Christians for the day of Christ's return, the overwhelming message is to hope in Jesus Christ. (1 John 2:28-3:3) By hoping in Jesus Christ, two other points follow: hatred of sin and having love for the saints.  A summary of these thoughts is outlined below:

1. Hope in Jesus. 2:28-3:3
2. Hate Sin.          3:4-10
3. Have love for the saints. 3:11-12

The Holy Spirit's Message in Revelation
The seeds of thought we just explored in 1 John with regards to the Spirit's message become fully grown trees of thought as we travel to the Book of Revelation.  Overwhelmingly the Spirit's message is the key point of Revelation, aiming to point the reader towards the full revelation of Jesus Christ.  For now I won't event attempt to cover all that the Spirit has to say in Revelation, however there are some thoughts worth mentioning.

1. Hope in Jesus.  The Spirit's message points to Jesus. The Spirit reveals the full length Jesus in Revelation 1, detailing nearly 40 different titles that unfold the Person, work and character of the glorified and ascended Christ.

2. Hatred for sin and having love for the saints.  John states seven times in Revelation 2-3 "hear what the Spirit is speaking to the churches."  Clearly the Holy Spirit speaks to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 about Jesus' words and thoughts about each of them.  Many of their traits can be applied to churches we may see in our own day and time or elements that typically operate at times in the church at large.  

As you can see, the Holy Spirit is speaking forth a more detailed form of the message He communicated through John in 1 John, as well as two other additional thoughts:

3. The Holy Spirit reveals to us Jesus Christ, who in turn points our attention to the Father.  Therefore the Holy Spirit reveals the throne in chapters 4-5. 

4. Then in Revelation 22 we see the Spirit, along with the church, making the final evangelistic appeal of the Bible: "The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost." The Holy Spirit's message and ministry always point to Jesus, since He, along with the Son and the Father, share the same identical Majesty.

We could say more, however I hope you see the wonderful ways in which John speaks to us about the Holy Spirit throughout his writings.