Your Share in Christ's Ministry - Colossians 1:21-29

Colossians 1:26-28 "that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ."

Introduction:

At our home when my wife needs everyone to come and help out in doing chores, she will say: "all hands on deck". Over the years we have taught our children that taking care of a home involves everyone, and not just a select few. That idea of taking care of one's personal house is all the more true in God's house.


In our periodic study of Colossians we have considered how we are to grow up into spiritual maturity in Colossians 1:1-12 and how Jesus Christ is our wonderful fulfillment in Colossians 1:13-20. To remind the reader once again of the key theme of Colossians - "Jesus is enough", we now come to not only the final portion of chapter one but also the key verse to the whole book: Colossians 1:26-28. As quoted above, Paul's concern is to demonstrate to these Colossians and us why Jesus is enough, and why all other substitutes and man-made ideas are inadequate and condemning. To drive home these points, Paul is going to show his readers that because they have a share in the ministry given by the Lord Jesus Christ to His church, finding their fulfillment in Jesus Christ is ever more vital.

How do you know that you have a share in the ministry given by Jesus to His church?

We must recall that when Paul wrote his letters, with the exception of one (Philemon), all the others were written to churches or multiple individuals.  Even the letters of Timothy, though primarily addressed to Timothy, nevertheless contained instructions to the whole church. The pronoun "you" or its usage in verbs in this section of Colossians 1:21-29 is found seven times in our English translations. Furthermore, every single one of those occurrences refer to every single believer in the church. Thus for example, we see the first occurrence of the plural "you" in Colossians 1:21 "And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds." Clearly Paul is speaking to all the Christians at Colossae who were formerly unconverted. When we factor in other words indicating the whole church, such as "the church" in 1:24; "His saints" in 1:26 and "every man" in 1:28, it is very apparent that every single believer who is a member of the local church has a stake in the ministry which Jesus has assigned to them.

So what about this idea of ministry or service? Paul indicates that the hope of the Gospel, of which his readers believed, is something to which He was called to be a minister in 1:23. Ministers are made and called by Christ before they ever go off to school or get some type of formalized training (as important as that if of course). Paul goes on mentioning again that "of this church I was made a minister" in 1:25. The key verses of Colossians 1:26-28 indicate that everyone is not only the recipients of this ministry, but have some type of share in it. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:18 states plainly the role every born-again disciple of Jesus has in Christ's ministry: "Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." Later on we will flesh this more out as we explore the text of Colossians 1:21-29, but for now let us consider the point of application for today's post. 

Point of Application: "Everyone of you that are followers of Jesus Christ share in his ministry."  So the question is: what exactly is entailed in Christ's ministry of the local church, and how is it that you and I have a share in it? Notice....

1. You (as a disciple of Jesus) share in the message - The Gospel. 1:21-23

As Paul unfolds the message of the Gospel in which you and I share, we find four major elements that are applied to people at saving faith as a result of the Gospel:

a. Reconciliation. Colossians 1:21-22a

b. Regeneration. Colossians 1:21-22a/Eph 2:5,8-9

c. Glorification. Colossians 1:22b

d. Sanctification. Colossians 1:23/Ephesians 2:10

Herein we see that salvation is an event in reconciliation, experienced in regeneration, that upon saving faith becomes a process in sanctification, aimed at a guaranteed goal of completion in glorification. Every Christian has a share in these powerful truths, and their fountainhead is in Jesus Christ. But notice secondly...

 

2. You (as a disciple of Jesus) share in the blessings. 1:24-27

What blessings does Paul speak of here in 1:24-27? All Christians share (get ready) in Christ's sufferings. Other passages such as 2 Timothy 1:8; 2:10 and 1 Peter 5:9 speak of every disciple of Jesus suffering when another fellow believer suffers. This is part of what Paul calls "Christ's sufferings". Why are they "His sufferings?" Because though He reigns alongside the Father's right hand in heaven, He ever still retains glorified, physical humanity. By the Holy Spirit's working, Jesus is able to empathize and enter into every Christian's suffering, disappointment and pain. (compare Acts 9:4; Hebrews 2:11-15; 4:15; 7:24-25).

The second blessing of Christ's ministry in which every Christian shares is that of the scriptures, as seen in 1:25. Other passages such as Romans 15:4 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 speak of the immeasurable value of the Bible to the Christian life. We need to read it, hear it preached and apply it. 

The third blessing is Christ's glory, as expressed in 1:26-27. 2 Corinthians 3:18 spells this blessing out: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." So as believers in Jesus Christ, we all have a share in Christ's ministry assigned to His church by way of the message of the Gospel and the attending blessings of such a ministry.  Now notice one more idea....

 

3. You (as a disciple of Jesus) share in its completion. 1:28-29

Paul writes in Colossians 1:28-29 "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." How is it that the ministry in which we share will be achieved to completion? The way we measure whether or not we are headed in the right direction is by maturity in the faith, as spelled out in 1:28. Then of course nothing can occur apart from the strength of the Lord coursing through you and me. (Colossians 1:29; John 15:5; Philippians 4:13. 

Dr. John MacArthur sums up salvation in 5 terms

 Dr. John MacArthur sums up salvation in 5 terms
Colossians 1:20-22 "and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach."


Introduction:
Today's post features an excerpt from a sermon preached by pastor and Bible teacher Dr. John MacArthur years ago entitled: "Reconciled to God". In the portion quoted below, Dr. MacArthur is summing up for readers and listeners what the doctrine of reconciliation and salvation is all about. If anyone has ever listened to Dr. MacArthur's preaching or teaching or has ever read his books, you know that what he has to say is always good because it comes from God's book and is anointed by the Spirit of God. The link to the full manuscript of this message is at the following link: http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/2136/reconciled-to-god


Thus without further delay I give you the excerpt from Dr. MacArthur's sermon: "Reconciled to God".  


"Now I want to talk about the theology of reconciliation for just a moment, if I can, because it's needful that you understand it. In the New Testament, I'm trying to sum this down or draw this down to just the simplest way I can. There are probably five terms that summarize our salvation, and you ought to jot them down. Five terms that summarize our salvation. And you can talk about these five terms in various ways throughout the New Testament. They're illustrated and elucidated to us many times.


Five terms, here they are, and I'll go over them again so you don't need to worry about writing them all at once. Justification, redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation and son­ship, or adoption, same thing.


All right, let's look at the first one. The first term that's used to summarize our salvation is the term justification. In justification, and I'm just going to say it briefly so stay in there, in justification the sinner stands before God as the accused and is declared righteous. In justification, the sinner stands before God as the accused and is declared righteous.


The second term is redemption. In redemption, the sinner stands before God as a slave and is granted freedom by a ransom. In redemption, the sinner stands before God as the slave and is granted freedom by ransom.


The third term that summarizes our salvation is forgiveness. In forgiveness, the sinner stands before God as a debtor and the debt, having been paid, is forgotten. In forgiveness, the sinner stands before God as a debtor, and the debt having been paid is forgotten.


Fourth, is reconciliation. And this is beautiful. In reconciliation the sinner stands before God as an enemy and becomes a friend. Peace with God is made. In reconciliation, the sinner stands before God as an enemy, and is led to peace as a friend.


Fifthly, the term sonship summarizes our salvation. In sonship, I love this, the sinner stands before God as a stranger and is made a son. The sinner stands before God as a stranger and is made a son. Think of it. We stood before God as the accused and He declared us righteous. We stood before God as a slave and He granted us freedom. We stood before God as a debtor and He forgot our debt. We stood before God as an enemy and He made us a friend. We stoodbefore God as a stranger and He called us a son. Now that sums it up, people. That sums up salvation."

Defining the Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1-5 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.



What constitutes the core of the Gospel?
In the above text we see presented the fundamental truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Three areas are presented that provide starting points for knowing the God of the Bible:


1. Salvation by grace through Faith Alone


2. Jesus Christ


3. The Scriptures. 


Below we will unpack these three-core truths of the Gospel in order to identify how one can tell when they are being faithful to it.





1. Salvation is received by Grace through Faith Alone. 15:1-2
The Gospel is received only one way - by faith alone. John 1:12 states - "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."  It is God's grace which delivers the divine gifting of faith, whereby the sinner is positioned to make a decision of trust in Jesus Christ.  As a matter of fact, the next verse, John 1:13, affirms the necessity of God's grace for saving faith - "who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." .


All belief systems claiming to provide salvation must affirm not only the necessity of faith, but the sufficiency of it.  Faith by itself is enough to receive the gift of eternal life.  Faith alone is the exclusive means ordained by God whereby a sinner is reconciled and credited by God with Christ's righteousness. Once declared righteous (what the Bible calls "justified"), God also declares in Romans 8:14-16 that I am  a son by adoption, reconciled and loved. From the starting point of saving faith, I walk in progressive obedience and desire for God, or what we call sanctification. (Romans 6:12-13)  We are saved by grace through faith alone, and true conversion results in a working faith that is never alone. (James 2:14-26)  So saving faith is the first fundamental truth or starting point for understanding the Gospel, but now lets consider the second....



2. Salvation is in Christ alone. 15:3-5
The Gospel centers around one Person as both the source and object of saving faith - Jesus Christ.  It is vital that we get Jesus right, and that we have the right Jesus. A Jehovah Witness Christ cannot save, since their version of Jesus presents him as just a creature. The Mormon Jesus cannot save either, since He is some type of hybrid creature that is neither fully God nor fully man. A Muslim version of Jesus cannot save, since in their book, the Quran, Jesus never died on the cross.


So which Jesus are we referring to when we say: Jesus Christ alone can save sinners from the wrath of God to come? Only the Jesus presented in the Bible can save. Christ's death, burial, resurrection and appearances are the focus of 1 Corinthians 15:1-5.  More could be brought in from other scriptures: namely His human life before His crucifixion, His Eternal Deity prior to His taking on humanity, and then His ascension into Heaven. 


Furthermore, Christ is returning again in a literally, bodily return. The truth of Jesus' second advent or coming is spoken of in over 200 places in scripture. 

Jesus Christ is not only fully man is but also fully God. 


Along with the belief of there being One God, Christians assert the full Deity of Jesus Christ.  He perfectly and visibly reveals the Father, with whom He shares the same, undivided nature.  Additionally, along with God the Son, Christians assert the full Deity and Personality of the Holy Spirit.  He functions as the third Person of the Trinity who enjoys equal fellowship in sharing the One, undivided nature with the Father and the Son. (Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:9-23; Acts 5:4-5; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; Revelation 4)  Jesus Christ is our gateway to the Divine Reality of the Trinity. (Ephesians 2:18)


Why mention all of these details? Because if we get the wrong Jesus, we will end up with no salvation. The two fundamental truths of the Gospel we have looked at thus far are that people are reconciled to God by grace through: a). Faith alone in b). Christ alone. All that we just mentioned above is contained in the most basic confession of saving faith: Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord. But now lets consider one more fundamental starting point in understanding the Gospel.....



3. Salvation is understood from the scripture alone. 15:3-5
Paul's description of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 is saturated with references to the Bible.  We see the Bible referenced as "the Gospel that was preached", "the word" and twice we see the Bible called "the scriptures".  Salvation cannot take place without the presence, preaching or explanation of the scriptures to the hearer. (Romans 10:8-16)  In fact faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)  After all, Psalm 119:105 states: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."


Just as we noted on having the right Jesus as the Object of saving faith, we need to be sure we have the right book when defining the good news of Jesus Christ. No other religious book in the world can be considered the "Word of God" save the Bible. Out of all the characteristics we could cite for proving the uniqueness of the scriptures, the chief trait of Divine inspiration is evidence of fulfilled prophecy. No other book in the world claiming to be God's words has a shred of fulfilled prophecy, except the Bible. Furthermore, no other book in the world can convert the human heart to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ except the Bible. 



Only when we are right on all three can we say we are being faithful to the Gospel
In order to get the Gospel right, you have to be certain about the roles of faith, Christ and the scriptures. God's grace alone saves through faith alone in (the right) Jesus alone Who is presented in One Book - the Bible.  Any deviation, addition or deletion from any one of these areas will fail the test of what doctrinally defines the core of the Gospel.



Closing thoughts
When a person is brought to saving faith, they may not fully comprehend these truths in all their detail - yet there will be a fundamental understanding as provided by the Holy Spirit.  True saving faith acknowledges that God is addressing them through the Bible, that Christ alone can save and that by faith alone can they receive the  gift of salvation.  Once converted, the Christian builds the remainder of their Christian life from those three starting points, which comprise the core of the Christian faith.  The circumference of the Christian life, though ever growing and expanding in understanding and obedience, operates from this core.  May you and I today make it our business to know these three areas as much as we can: namely the roles of saving faith, Christ and the scriptures.

P2 - Declaring and Defending the Gospel - The main message of Galatians

Galatians 1:1-2 "Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia."

Introduction & Review
Yesterday we considered how the Book of Acts and the letters of the New Testament relate to one another.  We specifically noted how knowing the situations of Acts 13:1-16:6 can aid greatly in our interpretation of a book like Galatians. Paul's labor in those cities of Galatia that he preached through and revisited in Acts 13-14 required scripture that dealt specifically with the siren call to rely more upon legalism than the Gospel. Even with an Apostolic letter coming from a major church council in Acts 15, the churches needed the Word. Thus with all these factors in play, Paul by inspiration of the Holy Ghost penned Galatians. The main point of application was that by looking at Acts 13-16 and Galatians, we can learn the importance of defending and declaring the Gospel. We are all, after all, called to declare and defend the Gospel.

Outlining the Book of Galatians
With the basic background of the Book of Galatians and its occasion for writing being established, we can begin taking a closer look by noting the following proposed outline:

Outline of Galatians

I. Defense of the Gospel - Galatians 1-2

A.Paul's defense of His apostleship. ch 1
B.Paul's defense of the Gospel. ch 2

II. Declaration of the Gospel - Gal 3-6

A. Saving Gospel. chapters 3-4
B. Sanctifying Gospel. chapter 5
C. Sustaining Gospel. chapter 6

As we can see, the chief point of Galatians is to offer a clear defense and declaration of the Gospel in all of its saving, sanctifying and sustaining benefits. 

Key verses in Galatians
Unlike all of Paul's letters, Galatians is the only one that does not open with any sort of commendation. Paul opens his letter by defending his own apostleship, a defense that was necessary due to the repeated attacks and attempt on his own life in the events recorded in the background passages of Acts 13:44,50; 14:2,519; 15:1-5. Galatians 1:11-12 states - "For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."

In having to defend his apostleship, Paul then launches into a premier defense of the Gospel itself in Galatians 2. Galatians 2:16 is a prime example of his defense of the Gospel - "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified."

With the defense of the Gospel complete, Paul switches gears from defense to declaration.  We see him fleshing out three main aspects of the Gospel. First Paul reminds his readers of the Gospel that saves in Galatians 3:11 "Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” After further reinforcing the saving power of the Gospel in chapter 4, Paul then adds to the fact that the Gospel is not only the source of salvation, but sanctification in Galatians 5:24 "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." The Gospel declares that by grace through faith I am set free from sin's penalty at salvation (or more specifically in God's declaration of justification by faith) and am set free from sin's power in ongoing sanctification. Then we see a third aspect of the Gospel as that which sustains the believer to the end in Galatians 6:9 "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." This sustaining power of the Gospel to keep the believer until the end is stated at the beginning in Galatians 1:3-5 (3) "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen."

Closing thoughts:
My hope is that the reader has gained a better acquaintance with the Book of Galatians.  We saw the background of the letter yesterday in Acts 13-16 and we concluded the following about the main point of Galatians - As we can see, the chief point of Galatians is to offer a clear defense and declaration of the Gospel in all of its saving, sanctifying and sustaining benefits.  May we all be about defending and declaring the Gospel to those who will listen while bring every thought that opposes it under the authority of King Jesus. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

P1 Declaring and Defending the Gospel - Why Paul wrote Galatians

Acts 16:4-6 "Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe.5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily. 6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia."

Introduction:

Today's post will feature an overview of the Book of Galatians, with the point of application being: You and I can learn how to declare and defend the Gospel by noting the overall message of Galatians. Now before getting to Galatians, the reader needs to understand how important it is to see the relationship between the Book of Acts and the New Testament Epistles or letters. 

The Book of Acts gives us the necessary historical and situational details behind most of the New Testament letters. For example, we can understand the latter part of Acts 13-28 as cataloguing Paul's missionary journeys and imprisonments. By simply noting when Paul would had been traveling and when he would had been under trial or in prison can greatly aid in how we understand the New Testament letters that he wrote. 

The relationship between Acts and Galatians

We know for example that Acts 13,14 and most of 15 covered what is typically called "Paul's first missionary journey". The map below summarizes for us when and where Paul would had traveled in those chapters:

In jogging through Acts 13-14 we can track Paul's trip through the region called "Galatia": Antioch to Salmis on the Island of Cyprus (13:5). Then from Antioch to Paphos on the West side of Cyprus (13:6). Paul then journeyed up to Perga in Pamphylia in Asia Minor, which was located South of the Galatian Region in (13:13). Next Paul entered into the Southern Galatian region and went to Pisidian Antioch in 13:14, Iconium in 14:1, Lystra in 14:8 and Derbe in 13:20.  

What Paul then does is revisit every city he had stopped at in Acts 14:21-28. Like any good evangelist, Paul does follow-up on the New converts. Acts 14:22-23 records - "strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” 23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

As Paul was wrapping up this first missionary journey, he had ran into opposition from a sect of Jews bent on requiring the Gentile converts to be circumcised. (Acts 13:44,50; 14:2,5,19; 15:1-5). Such opposition and the need to defend and declare the Gospel led to the convening of the Jerusalem Council, led by James the half brother of Jesus in Acts 15.  After deliberating over how the Gospel should be preached among the Gospel, the Council came to the following conclusion in Acts 15:28-29  “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

Noting the constant journeying, the council that was convened at Jerusalem and the necessary declaration and defense of the Gospel provides the necessary background for understanding why Galatians was composed. This blogger believes that Paul may had composed Galatians sometime between the close of Acts 15 to Acts 16:6. Why? Because the churches that had been established in Galatia during Paul's missionary journey needed a book of the Bible.  Despite the efforts of Paul to reinforce them in their faith, they were being swayed by the very powerful Jewish faction called the Judiazers. As Paul made his second round of visits to those cities at the opening of his second missionary campaign, we read in Acts 16:5 "So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily."

Galatians - written to defend and declare the Gospel
We will most likely get more directly into Galatians in tomorrow's post, however these words from Bible teacher Dr. Woodrow Kroll summarize why Paul wrote this first of his letters: "But despite Paul's repeated presence, from His letter to the Galatians it is evident that the believers there were losing their joy to the pressures of legalism. Legalism is when Christians revert to keeping the Law rather than living by grace. A group of Jewish teachers had passed through Galatia insisting that non-Jewish believers must obey Jewish Law and keep the traditional rules. But we cannot be saved by keeping the Law. We are saved by God's grace and must live by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).1

Paul's labor in those cities of Galatia that he preached through and revisited in Acts 13-14 required scripture that dealt specifically with the siren call to rely more upon legalism than the Gospel. Even with an Apostolic letter coming from a major church council in Acts 15, the churches needed the Word. Thus with all these factors in play, Paul by inspiration of the Holy Ghost penned Galatians. We will close with a brief outline of the book and explore it in more detail tomorrow.  My hope is that you have seen today the value of studying Acts and epistles like Galatians together. We are all, after all, called to declare and defend the Gospel.

Outline of Galatians

Defense of the Gospel - Galatians 1-2

Declaration of the Gospel - Gal 3-6

Endnotes:
1. Woodrow Kroll. Places in the Bible. Country man. Nashville. 2005. Page 123.

A thumbnail sketch of the atonement in the Bible

1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Today I want to lay down a basic outline of one of the greatest and most central teachings of sacred scripture - the atonement. This post is not meant to be exhaustive nor comprehensive, but rather represents a thumbnail sketch of the atonement's main features.

A helpful definition of this term can be seen in the word itself: At - One - Ment. When we talk about the meaning of the term "atonement", it refers to God's saving work whereby He provides the grounds for the sinner to be At-One with Him. Other meanings of this word include the ideas of removal of God's wrath (called by Bible teachers "propitiation") and removal of the sinner's guilt before God (called "expiation"). 

For now we will restrict ourselves to the term "atonement", since it covers so much ground and is a summary word for all that was accomplished and effected by Christ's life and work on the cross (chiefly His crucifixion, but made possible by His resurrection). 
 

A Basic outline of the key thoughts making up the Atonement in the Bible

In the Old Testament, the idea of cleansing away of sinful guilt was of chief importance in the minds of the Old Testament writers. One text for example illustrates perfectly the biblical picture of the atonement: Job 37:21-22 “Now men do not see the light which is bright in the skies; But the wind has passed and cleared them. “Out of the north comes golden splendor; Around God is awesome majesty."

Notice how we see the key Biblical themes of atonement and the Gospel in this passage:

1. Lost in darkness. 

Picture men who are in darkness, unable to see the light. Ephesians 2:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 characterizes unbelieving man like the men here in Job 37:21.

2. Light of God's Glory. 

The light is in the sky, but inaccessible. The clouds of judgment veil the face of God. Unbelieving man faces judgment due to His rejection of Holy God. (Romans 1:18-31; John 3:17-19)

3. The Cleansing away of darkness. 

This is what takes place when the atonement achieved by Christ on the cross is applied to the believer by grace through faith. The darkness of judgment is swept away by the blood, and behold the sinner is declared a saint and can now walk under an open heaven with God. (1 John 1:6-9)


Two major themes of "achievement" and "application" dominate any discussion on the subject of atonement.  Christ achieved the atoning work in the events of the cross/resurrection and the Spirit applies such at saving faith.

4. The Glory of God. 

This is what the sinner had fallen short of, but now the glory of God is central. What was formerly frightening is now delightful. Atonement reconciles us to the majesty of God. The blood of Jesus cleanses, reconciles and restores. 

May you dear reader be blessed as you contemplate the atoning work of Christ.

The goal of the Christian life - To know God

Exodus 6:2-3 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them.



Why knowing the Lord is central to the Christian's faith-walk
In the passage above we see God revealing His identity to Moses.  He uses the Holy Name "Yahweh" (translated "LORD" in all capital letters).  God is literally giving Moses further insight into the revelation of His character, authority and reputation. Yahweh makes mention of the three patriarchs of Israel - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to show their level revelation in comparison to what He was revealing to Moses.  When God reveals Himself to people in the scriptures, two things are occurring:



1. He is making Himself known
2. He is aiming for them to know Him



When He states at the end of Exodus 6:3 - "but by my name, LORD (Yahweh), I did not make Myself known to them", it is not that God was not Yahweh in Genesis and then suddenly became Yahweh to Moses in Exodus.  Rather, as God was making Himself known to the Patriarchs, their level of illumination that was affected by His revelation to them was at a more fundamental level than Moses'. 



The Patriarchs "Knew God" in the level of understanding and experience of Him as "El-Shaddai" or "God Almighty.  They knew what kind of God that was making Himself known to them, and thus they walked out their faith in that measure of light.  However as you go throughout the scriptures, God is slowly but surely "increasing the level of understanding" for His people each time He reveals Himself.  Knowing God is an ongoing activity in the life of the saint.  There will never be a time that the believer ever fully comprehends all of God in who He is.  As Jesus states in John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.



The experience of knowing God proceeds from knowing the works of God, to the ways of God to God the Way

The first level of illumination is knowing  the works of God
God tells Moses that He "appeared" to the Patriarchs as "El-Shaddai" or "God Almighty" in our English Bibles.  Five particular texts are in mind where we see God appearing to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and (we'll include) Joseph:



Genesis 17:1 "Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless." 

This is the first mention of God's name "El-Shaddai" (God Almighty in our English Bibles).  Clearly it was indeed the LORD (Yahweh) appearing here, however He expressed to Abraham the name "El-Shaddai" (God Almighty).  Recall that all the names of God with "El" are expressions of the main name "Elohim", which answers the question: "What kind of God is God?"  In this instance He is revealing to Abraham that He is mighty enough to follow through in the promises He made to Abraham in his faith-walk.  Four other passages are listed below without commentary, and the reader is encouraged to look at them and draw further conclusions: Genesis 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3. 



The next level of illumination knowing the ways of God
As Psalm 103:7 states - "He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel".



In Christ, the fullest level of knowing God is knowing Him who is the Way
When we speak of our Christian experience, we understand that we come to know God by the scriptures through Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 1:1-2 notes "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world."  Christ of course is the fullest level of illuminating light by which we can truly know God - since He is the LORD, Yahweh Himself. 



The name "Yahweh" or "LORD" signifies the purpose of the faith-walk - to know God
2 Corinthians 3:18 says this about our knowing God the Way (Jesus Christ) in comparison to Moses: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." As we said in the beginning, God in the scriptures makes Himself known in order to prompt His people to further know Him.  By God revealing Himself as Yahweh, God's people could not only know the works, but also the ways of God.  By He coming as God in Human flesh, God's people could truly know God the Way. (John 14:6)  That dear friend, is the chief concern of the Christian life - to Know Him.