T.R.U.E Love that waits and succeeds - P2

1 Timothy 6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.


Reviewing yesterday's definition of a man/woman of God
In yesterday's post we spent some time exploring what the scripture has to say about what it means to be a man of God.  We closed with this thought: true love that waits and is faithful succeeds when you and are a t.r.u.e man / woman of God.  In the post we looked at four characteristics that we drew from 1 Timothy 6:6-16 to define a man / woman of God:  

Trusting in the Lord. 1 Timothy 6:6-11a

Running faith's race. 1 Timothy 6:11b-12

Understand God's Word.  1 Timothy 6:13-14a

Endure till Jesus comes.  1 Timothy 6:14b-16

For today I want to explain why being a t.r.u.e man/woman of God is vital in a particular message I will be presenting centered around the event called "True Love Waits".

The message of true love waits
The reason we labored yesterday to define a man/woman of God is due to what I wanted to write about regarding the call to abstinence until marriage.  Back in February 1993 a small youth group of teenagers at a Southern Baptist Church had made a pledge to moral purity before marriage.  God took the message embraced by those teenagers and used it to launch a movement that became known as "True Love Waits".  In a featured article of the Baptist Messenger, Editor Brian Hobbs layed out the purpose and outcome of the movement:1

"What is surprising is that since its beginning, literally millions of teenagers have taken the pledge for abstinence until marriage, unleashing a positive peer pressure trend upon this nation. Connected to 'True Love Waits' pledge cards and even jewlery have acted as reminders of the commitment to God and before man."

So what is the pledge made by teenagers who resolve themselves to purity until marriage? Hobbs references the statement from the card each teenager signs:

"Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to be sexually abstinent until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship."

This message is something which I as a pastor and the church of which I am blessed by God to pastor strongly supports.  This Sunday our morning service will feature our youth pledging themselves in front of our church body to the commitments they made during the several weeks they participated in the "True Love Waits" program.2  For me personally this weekend will be especially touching, since my 15 year old son will be among them. 

The message of "True love waits" can only be achieved by those who are committed to being t.r.u.e men/women of God
The morning message will be based around 1 Timothy 6:6-16.  The only way young people and older people alike can carry out the Biblical vision of moral and spiritual purity is by being a man or woman of God.  In reflecting once again on Brian Hobbs' feature article about "True Love Waits", Hobbs notes from his interviewing other key Southern Baptist leaders that: "at the core of sexual integrity is our very walk with God." 

Moral/spiritual purity is not just about one area, but every area of the Christian life
The area of our physical relationships is of major significance, since it is a key battle ground being attacked by our enemy in 21st century society.  Everyone is wanting to redefine marriage, erase it all together, or replace it with lifestyles that define human beings only as biological entities who can have relationships free of moral constraints.  When we think about the message of "True Love Waits", as much as it does center on abstinence before marriage, the principles of moral and spiritual purity do not cease once that young person says "I Do".  The New Testament's vision of a Christian life of holiness entails presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and commiting our thought-life to Christ (Romans 12:2).  Furthermore, this vision includes serving the Lord with purity of devotion (1 Peter 1:15-16) and praying for our leaders, both spiritual and political, with clean hands and a pure heart (1 Timothy 2:1-3).  Without these truths of scripture, marriages fail, families deteriorate, churches suffer and society crumbles. 

Being a man/woman of God is how moral/spiritual purity is maintained and effectively lived
Being a man/woman of God who trusts God, runs faith's race, understands God's Word and endures until Jesus comes is an identity that touches every aspect of the Christian life.  When Paul wrote 1 Timothy, he was writing to a Pastor who was to be an example to everyone around him.  No one said being a man/woman of God would be easy.  In fact, unless you by grace through faith have trusted in Christ and are submitting daily to the Spirit's leading, scripture, prayer and weekly church attendance, the call to moral and spiritual purity in Christ will never be successfully achieved. 

However if you make it your aim as a young person, or middle aged person or older person to be through the strength of Christ the best man/woman of God, you can have a glowing testimony for the Lord.

In tomorrow's post we will unfold in more detail the reasoning of Paul in 1 Timothy 6:6-16 as it pertains to being a t.r.u.e man/woman of God. 

End Notes:

1. The article of which I referred to can be found at baptistmessenger.com

2. To find out more information about "True Love Waits", you can check it out at lifeway.com, where in the site you can key in "True Love Waits" and read featured articles and discover resources connected with its message.

T.R.U.E love that waits and succeeds - P1

1 Timothy 6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

A God-centered church in need of a man of God
The Apostle Paul is writing to a young pastor at the church of Ephesus by the name of Timothy.  The Ephesian church was a great church that was founded by Paul in Acts 19-20.  For 2 1/2 years Paul ministered at Ephesus, with his time ending in a riot of the citizens wanting to kill him.  With the fledgling congregation attempting to minister the Gospel in such a hostile environment, their greatest need was stable leadership.  With that background, it was within a span of a few years that Paul's young protege, Timothy, came on the scene and was installed as the new Pastor of what was a growing church at Ephesus.  As Paul wrote 1 Timothy, his aim was to urge Timothy to be a man of God and lead this flock to be a God-centered church. (1 Timothy 6:11)

What is a T.R.U.E man of God?
In 1 Timothy 6:11 Paul refers to Timothy with a title that we only find in one other place in the New Testament - the title "man of God".1  Even though this title is used only twice in the New Testament, its background and usage in the Old Testament is quite extensive.  In over 70 places we find the Old Testament refer to people like Moses (Deuteronomy 33:1), Elijah (2 Kings 1:9); Elisha (2 Kings 8:4); King David (2 Chronicles 8:14) and various other prophets as men of God.  To be called a "man of God" is no light title, and for Timothy and ultimately every Christian to be called a "man (woman) of God" means that certain qualities are in mind. 

We could certainly do a character study on those Old Testament passages that speak of Moses, David and others as being "men of God", however I want to use 1 Timothy 6:6-16 as our key text - since Paul undoubtedly had at least one of those 70 plus other passages coursing through his mind as he wrote under Divine inspiration to young Timothy.  For today's blog, we will just list the key qualities of a true man/woman of God by utilizing the acrostic T.R.U.E as we see in 1 Timothy 6:6-16.  A t.r.u.e man/woman of God is defined by the following four characteristics...

Trusting in the Lord.   1 Timothy 6:6-11a

Running Faith's Race.  1 Timothy 6:11b-12

Understand God's Word.  1 Timothy 6:13-14a

Endures until Jesus comes.  1 Timothy 6:14b-16

When you think about men of God like Moses, David or Elijah, they each had all four of those qualities.  Moses and David both appear in the famous faith chapter of Hebrews 11 exhibiting every single one of those qualities.  In James 5 we see reference to Elijah, who being called by the title "man of God" at least 8 times in the Old Testament, evidence all four traits as well.2  Truly men like them and Christians today are called to be t.r.u.e men/women of God. 

Conclusion and upcoming blogs
This little study on what it means to be a true man/woman of God will be used for the next couple of days to encourage young and old Christians alike to aim for moral and spiritual purity.  Only a t.r.u.e man/ woman of God will see the necessity and have what it takes to heed such a call of God on their lives.  As we go into this coming weekend, our church and many congregations nation-wide will be participating in a biblical emphasis that will encourage young people to pledge themselves to abstinence until marriage.  This emphasis, called "True Love Waits", will be explained in more detail over the next couple of blogs. Our main idea will be that true love that waits and is faithful succeeds when you and I are t.r.u.e men / women of God. Until then, Lord bless.

End Notes:_____________________

1. The only other place we find this title "man of God" used in the New Testament is in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. "

2. Elijah evidenced trusting in God (James 5:17) running faith's race by praying repeatedly to God (James 5:18). By using men like Elijah as an example, James emphasizes the need to keep people accountable who turn from the truth - thus telling us that Elijah and those like him operate in the understanding of God's Word (James 5:19-20). Then of course since Elijah did endure to the end describes his overall life as a true man of God as we see in his life story recorded in 1 Kings 17 - 2 Kings 2. 

The Grace of Humility leads to Christ-likeness

James 4:6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

Defining Humility
When you begin to study the subject of humility in the scripture, you will find rich meanings in the Old and New Testament words used to refer to humility.  The chief word for humility in the Old Testament literally pictures a servant bowing their knee in respect to a master or a king.  In the New Testament we see two main Greek words used to render the term "humility".  In the list of the nine fruits of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22, the word translated "meekness" in some translations could just as easily be rendered "humility".  The term used in that text speaks of striking a perfect balance between strength and control - thus meekness is a form of humility.  The other Greek word for humility is found in James 4:6, which refers to a person who desires to place others ahead of themselves.  I heard one preacher give this definition for humility: "humility is knowing what you are and what you are not."  At a Sunday School class I heard another person give this defintion of humility: "humility is not thinking less about yourself but thinking about yourself less." 

Certainly humility at one level can be expressed by all people - however non-redemptive expressions of humility will ultimately lead back to that person, even if unintentioned.  True Christian humility will result in the attention going away from the humble person to Jesus - since humility, next to love, is the best way for Christians to act, talk and think like Jesus. (Philippians 2:1-11)

Humility is a virtue
Humility is both a command given to believers and a Divinely given grace from the Holy Spirit.  Older Christians used to speak of what was called "Christian Virtues".  A virtue is anything that is Divinely given by God that in turn becomes a decision of of the will, resulting in that person drawing closer to God by their own choosing.  Case in point, humility is a Divinely given grace (John 13:15; Galatians 5:22; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5) and yet at the same time it is a disposition of the human heart exercising such humility. (John 13:14; Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:3; 1 Peter 5:6)  Furthermore, humility results in a person drawing closer to God and being drawn closer to God. (Isaiah 57:15; James 4:7-10; 1 Peter 5:5-6)

So to sum up what we have said thus far - humility is both a responsibility of every Christian and a Grace given by the Spirit of God.  Without the grace of humility, a Christian cannot truly carry out their genuine responsibility to be a humble person.  Furthermore, the way I know I have successfully achieved Christian humility is when no one talks about me but rather talks about what Jesus has done. 

The Grace of Humility enables me to be like Jesus
James 4:6-10 is a remarkable text that shows how humility is given and acted out by Christians.  Furthermore, as you begin to look at James's series of commands in the text, you discover that they give you a working outline of Jesus' life and ministry.  Let me show you what I mean:

1. Jesus was given grace without measure due to His humility
John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. "

Philippians 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Thus Christians are given a measure of grace in humility.
James 4:6 "But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

2. Jesus' humble submission to His Father led to Him resisting Satan and Satan's fleeing
Matthew 4:10 10Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” 11 then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Thus Christians are able to resist Satan when they humble themselves to God
James 4:7 "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

3. Jesus' humility led Him to depend on His Father in prayer
Luke 22:39-41 39And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray.  (There are over a dozen examples of Jesus praying in the Gospels)

Thus Christians are to humble themselves in prayerful dependance upon the Father
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

4. Though Jesus was sinless in his humanity, He humbly drew near to God His Father
Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety."

Thus Christians who are not yet sinless have even greater need to humbly come to the Father in prayer
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

5. Though sinless, Jesus humbly went to the cross, bearing our sins and cried out to God
Mark 15:34 At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" which is translated, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"

Hebrews 5:8 "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered."

Thus Christians need to keep ever focused on the cross so as to hate sin and hasten more to Jesus
James 4:9 "Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom."  As Christians, we ought to be heartbroken anytime we sin.   

6. Jesus humbled Himself to death, and God raised Him up to be exalted at His right hand
Philippians 2:8-9 "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (9) For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name"

Thus Christians who humble themselves under God's mighty hand will in due time be lifted up
James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you."

Conclusion

The Grace of humility enables you and I to be like Jesus.  As we have seen in the above thoughts, whether we speak of Christ's incarnation (point #1), beginning of his earthly ministry (point #2), His prayer-life (point #3), His over-all daily life leading up to the cross (point #4), His crucifixion (point #5) or His resurrection (point #6), humility ran through the entirety of Jesus' earthly life, ministry, ddeath and reusrrection.  You and I as Christians are called to humility for the sake of being like Jesus.  May we operate in the grace of humility this day.   

Revelation, Inspiration, Canonicity, Preservation, Illumination

Genesis 3:1 "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”


The first question in the Bible has to do with God's Word
Everything up until Genesis 3 had been commanded and declared by God. Satan took God's commands and declarations and put question marks on the end.  Sin entered into the world as a result of man losing and refusing to fight the Battle for God's Words.  As Christians, we need to know that the Bible we carry in our hands is the Word of God.  In today's post I want to introduce the reader to five terms that have been used by theologians to describe how the scriptures journeyed from God's mouth to man's hand.  Those five terms of which I speak are the following:

1. Revelation
2. Inspiration
3. Canonicity
4. Preservation
5. Illumination

Each of these terms could be given their own post, however for today I just want you the reader to be equipped with brief definitions so as to get in your mind the reliability and sufficiency of your Bible as God's very words.

1. Revelation - Making known that which was previously unknown  
In Bible doctrine we usually distinguish three types of revelation:

a. General Revelation - This is God revealing or making known His glory and power in creation and the conscience  (Psalm 19:7-11; Romans 1:18-31, 2:15)

b. Full Revelation - This is God's revelation of His Person and Majesty through the incarnation of God the Son, Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:1-3)

c. Special Revelation - This is God's Revelation of His purposes and will through the writing of the Old and New Testament scriptures, of which we are focusing upon in this particular blog today. (Deuteronomy 29:29; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)

God revealed His words to His prophets, by whom spoke and then wrote down the revelation. In the New Testament the terms employed to refer to God's revelation refer to "unveiling that which was previously hidden".  (Exodus 24:4; Amos 3:7; Ephesians 1:10; 1 Peter 1:10-11)

2.  Inspiration - Human authors were given a unique measure of grace through their own writing styles to produce documents free from error and sufficient for faith and practice

Revelation (not the Book but the act of God making the unknown known) leads next to inspiration.  Quite literally God breathed out the scriptures.  Just as He breathed out His breath into the nostrils of Adam and Adam became a living soul, so did the writings of the Apostles and Prophets become living scripture as they wrote.  With the more than 40 authors, writing on three continents and in three languages, over 1500 years period of time, God used their writing styles and situations to produce a unified document free from error.  Once the last period of the Book of Revelation was completed, the Grace of inspiration would never operate again.  So with God's words written as errorless words, how would God's people know which books were God's books as opposed to forgeries?

3. Canonicity - The identification, reception and arranging of the individually inspired Bible books into the official collection of God's words
Virtually all the Bible books were immediately identified, received and collected by God's people for public reading, preaching and application.  The term "canon" literally means "measuring rod", hence the Bible is the final authority or "measuring rod" on all matters.  Not just any book could be considered part of God's Divine Library of the Bible.  Church history tells us that God's people used a variety of tests for recognizing God's words.1

God perfectly inspired the individual Bible books, not the manner of their order or arrangement.  Rather God in His Providence led the people of God to take up the task of receiving and arranging the books of scripture.  Without a doubt the Holy Spirit guided the process, and it must be remembered that the Bible produced the church, not the other way around.  By recognizing the nature of canonicity, we can see why its not a big deal for certain Bibles to have differing order or arrangement of the Bible books.2  We could spend more time in detail, but we must move onto the next term....

4. Preservation- God's Providential preservation of the words of the Bible in the hand-copied texts of the Old and New Testament.

We possess more certainty over the words of the Bibles in our possession today as being those originally penned by the Biblical authors than we do of any other ancient document.  Once that original manuscript left the hand of that prophet or apostle, how was it preserved as it was copied over and over again?  A whole field of study aims to answer this question.3  If God had not guaranteed the preservation of His words down to our day, we would have no idea what He commmunicated. (Matthew 5:18)  More could be said but we must hasten to the final key term...

5. Illumination - How God the Holy Spirit helps Christians understand the meaning of the Revealed, Inspired, Canonical and Preserved Text

When a Christian is converted by grace through faith, the Holy Spirit enables them to understand the meaning of the words of the Bible.  Passages such as 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 and 1 John 2:20,27 give us this promise of the Spirit's ministry in the life of the Christian.  Without the Holy Spirit's work of illumination, I could not preach the Bible with clarity nor could those to whom I preach apply what is preached.  Furthermore, without the proverbial "light-bulb" of understanding given by the Holy Spirit, no Christian could have fruitful study of God's word.4 

Conclusion
As you consider the five terms: Revelation, Inspiration, Canonicity, Preservation & Illumination, you will discover the truth of the matter: the Bible that you and I carry to church and read every week is the Word of God.  I would like to end today's blog with this quote from the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 Article 1 on the Holy Scriptures,  of which I affirm, and hope you do as well: "The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy."    

End Notes:______________________

1. So what were the tests?  Some examples are as follows:
a. Was the author a prophet, apostle or associate of an apostle?
b. Does the book correspond with previous revelation?
c. Does the Book bring about conversion?
d. Does the book point to Jesus Christ, the fullness of God's revelation?
e. Is the book recognized by virtually all Christians as God's word?

Tests such as these were used, and once individually recognized, the church came to arrange the books for use and preaching purposes.

2. For example we know by Jesus' day that the Old Testament was arranged in a three-fold way (Law, Prophets, Writings). (Luke 24:44) However in our English Bibles our Old Testaments are arranged as: Law, Historical Books, Poetic Books and Prophetic Books (Major and Minor Prophets). These differing arrangements have nothing to do with the words of scripture (inspiration), rather they represent the ways God's people came to organize the 66 Bible books.  Thus we see for instance Catholic Bibles, Eastern Orthodox Bibles and Protestant Bibles (the last which would be to most readers perhaps the most familiar) having their Bible Books in differing order.  The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox have additional books, of which I will not address right now (these issues have been addressed in other past blogs).  Suffice it to say, all three orderings have in common the universally recognized 66 Books which appear by themselves in such English translation and versions such as KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, ESV, NLT. 

3. The scholarly field to which I'm referring is called textual criticism. 
 Without going into too much detail, the thousands upon thousands of copies of manuscripts, both Old and New Testament, can reconstruct the original text in over 99% of cases, with no variation in the copies affecting any doctrine or teaching.  

4. Often people will confuse the terms "revelation" and "illumination". It is important to keep those two terms distinct, since God is not giving no new revelations today. Any insights people have into the spiritual realm or in guidance for every day life is a result of the Spirit's illuminating work through the scriptures. Even when we hear God's voice and know what He wants us to do, its because at some point we heard a Biblical based sermon or read a Bible verse that spoke on that subject. 

The Fountain of Christian Assurance is God P2

1 John 1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life—

Yesterday we considered two distinctions within the doctrine of perseverance: eternal security of the believer and assurance of salvation.  We also briefly considered four ways we can see God being the Fountain of Christian Assurance of Salvation:

1. Work of Christ - Evidence of God being the Fountain of Assurance. 1 John 1:1
2. Will of the Father - Eternal Foundation from whence comes the Fountain of Assurance. 1 John 1:2
3. Work of the Holy Spirit - Effects Fellowship between believers and God who is the fountain of Christiann assurance. 1 John 1:3
4. Word of God - Explains fully how the Triune God is the Fountain of Christian Assurance. 1 John 1:4

Since we only briefly touched upon how it is God is the Fountain of blessed assurance in 1 John 1:1-4, I thought we would take some time in today's post to expand upon the four main thoughts listed at the end of yesterday's post.  So how it it that God is the fountain of Christian Assurance in the Persevering of Christians in their salvation? 

1. Work of Christ. 1 John 1:1
John starts out his letter by noting the Lord Jesus Christ and his firsthand witness of Jesus' life and ministry.  Curiously John does not say in 1:1 "He who was from the beginning, whom we have heard, who we have seen with our eyes, whom we have looked at and touched with our hands..."  Rather John states: "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life" using the terms "what" rather than "who".  Why the impersonal pronouns in this opening verse?  John is concerned with establishing the foundation for Christian perseverance and blessed assurance in salvation.  In using these neuter pronouns, John is focusing our attention upon the work of Christ, rather than the Person of Christ.  Passages such as John 5:24, 10:28-29, 17:24 and Hebrews 7:25 also testify to Christ's work as being the evidence of God being the Fountain of assurance.  Christ Himself is God who came in human flesh.  We know from other passages that salvation is from the Lord. (Jonah 2:9-10)  It is because of the once and for all finished work of Jesus Christ that we who have by grace through faith believed can know that we know that we are forever saved.  John closes out this first verse by using the title "the Word" as a reference to the Eternal pre-existence of God the Son, which He had written about in the prologue to his Gospel. (John 1:1-18).  So the Work of Christ is the evidence of God being the fountain of Christian assurance, but notice secondly...

2. The Father's Will.  1 John 1:2
1 John 1:2 tells us -  "and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us."  Notice that term "manifested" in this verse - it refers to something previously huidden that is now made fully revealed.  God the Father and the Son in eternity made a covenant that redemption would be sought and bought by the action of the Son coming to take upon Himself a full human nature.  John 3:16 and other passages tells us that it was the Father's will for the Son to be virgin born, live a perfect life, die on the cross and be raised from the dead.  But now notice the two word phrase at the end of the verse: "to us".  That little phrase carries a lot of weight, since it tells us that God willed salvation for all who by His grace would believe. (John 1:12-13)  It is God's will for the Christian to be kept until the end. (1 Peter 1:5)  God the Father is the One who has willed for Christians to make it, persevere and to appear before His throne with great joy in eternity. (Jude 24-25).  So the work of Jesus Christ the Son is the evidence and the Father's Will is the eternal foundation for God being the fountain of Christian assurance.  But notice thirdly....

3. The Work of the Holy Spirit.  1 John 1:3
1 John 1:3 states: "what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." Now you may ask where we find the Holy Spirit in verse 3?  As is often the case throughout the scripture, the Holy Spirit's job is to point our attention to Jesus Christ, who in turn points us to God the Father.  The Holy Spirit, though co-equal with the Father and the Son, chooses to be submissive to the Father's will and the Son's work  when it comes to the Triune God's plan of salvation.  The Holy Spirit is the One who makes the fellowship spoken of here by John a reality. (Romans 8:16) 

At salvation, the Holy Spirit is the One who seals the Christian and gurantees that the Christ Whom they have believed in will deliver on His promises. (Ephesians 1:13-14)  It is the Holy Spirit who applies the graces of assurance to every Christian who is in fellowship with Him. (Romans 5:1-5)  In salvation, God the Father plans it, the Son purchased it and the Spirit applies it.  It is the Spirit Himself Who tells me that He as God is the Fountain of my assurance.  It is in His work that He brings to me the Person and Power of God the Son, Who then reassures my heart with the love of the Father. (1 John 3:1-3)  So with the work of the Son, the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit we see God as the Fountain of Christian assurance.  But lets notice one final truth..

4. The Word of God fully tells us that God is the fountain of Christian Assurance.  1 John 1:4
John communicates in 1 John 1:4 - "These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. "  As John has communicate the Eternal Security side of Christian perseverance in 1 John 1:1-3, He now deals with the assurance side, our experience, of such security.  We find out that by the scriptures are we able to see that God is the Fountain of Christian assurance.  It is by them that we are saved and believe. (James 1:18; Colossians 3:16)  Furthermore, it is by the scriptures that we are able to persevere in hope. (Romans 15:4)  Thus through these four truths of Christ's work, the Father's will, the Spirit's work and the Word of God, we can see how God is the Fountain for Christian Assurance as we endeavor as believers to persevere in the blessedness of such assurance.     

The Fountain of Christian Assurance is God P1

1 John 1:4 "These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete."

For this Lord's day I want to draw our thoughts towards what the scriptures have to say about Christians persevering in the blessed assurance of eternally security.  To achieve this, we will first look at the doctrine of perseverance itself, followed by a brief outline of 1 John 1:1-4 which details for us how God is the Fountain of blessed assurance. 

Perseverance of the Saints consists of Eternal Security and Assurance of salvation
Older Christians talk about what is called "perseverance of saints" or what is more popularly termed: "once saved always saved".  In the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, Article 5 - "God's Purpose of Grace", we see a fine definition of this doctrine of perseverance:

"All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation."

To bear witness to the full testimony of scripture on this subject of whether or not a Christian can lose their salvation, we need to consider for a moment two ideas contained within the Biblical truth of Christian preseverance: namely "eternal security" and "assurance of salvation":

1. Eternal Security - As the Baptist Faith & Message states in the above article in the last statement about Christians and their eternal security: "yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation."  Eternal security is that part of perseverance that guarantees I will make it.  Philippians 1:6 explains how the work of salvation, begun by God in believers will be completed.2  To quote Dr. Daniel Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Seminary: "By His work on the cross Jesus obtained my salvation, and, by His work in heaven Jesus maintains my salvation."

2. Assurance of Salvation - If we consider Eternal security to be the objective side of perseverance, whereby God is the one who keeps the child of God safe and secure in their salvation, then assurance can be regarded as our daily experience and awareness of that truth.3  Romans 8:16 is perhaps the most concise statement in scripture about the place of assurance in the believer's life: "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God." 4 

Illustrating "eternal security" and "assurance" with a dollar bill
Lets say you and I went to a store and I offered to buy you a cup of coffee.  You express your appreciation and so when we come to the counter, you see that a cup of coffee costs 75 cents.  Now here is the question: what will secure my purchase of that cup of coffee and what assures me that I can purchase that cup of coffee? Only one thing can securely purchase that cup of coffee: a Federal Reserve Note, back by the Federal Government with a number "1" printed on either side.  Monopoly money won't do it, nor will an I.O.U secure your coffee for your friend. 

So you fumble around in your pocket, and now you realize that the dollar you thought you had is not there! Does that put into jeopardy the entire monetary system of the United States Government? No.  Your assurance of having the money all has to do with your proximity to it.  As the blood begins to drain from your face, suddenly your friend suggests looking in your other pocket.  To your relief, you find the dollar bill is in the other pocket and suddenly, your assurance level has increased.  Now did the security part of the purchase change? No.  A dollar is a dollar.  However my ability to have confidence in my spending of that money hinged on me being made aware of my having the dollar from my helpful friend. 

Like the above little story, eternal security is that part of perseverance that is backed eternally by the work of Christ, the will of the Father, the work of the Spirit and the Word of God (and is far more secure than the Federal Government!) Assurance is that confidence I have in my perseverance that is dependant upon my proximity of fellowship to Jesus Christ.  As much as assurance deals with the believer's experience of salvation day by day, it is still a divine given grace that comes from the Holy Spirit bearing witness in my spirit.  How well I hear that witness will regulate how much assurance I have. 

1 John 1:1-4 spells out how God is the Fountain of Christian Assurance
The book of 1 John was written by the Apostle John to a group of Christians in Asia Minor to give them the understanding of how they can know the assurance of their salvation. 1 John 5:13 tells us -"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life."1   In light of our discussion today on the distinction between Eternal Security and Assurance, here is what we glean from 1 John 1:1-4 concerning four ways we can see God being the Fountain of Christian Assurance of Salvation:

1. Work of Christ - Evidence of God being the Fountain of Assurance. 1 John 1:1

2. Will of the Father - Eternal Foundation from whence comes the Fountain of Assurance. 1 John 1:2

3. Work of the Holy Spirit - Effects Fellowship between believers and God who is the fountain of Christiann assurance. 1 John 1:3

4. Word of God - Explains fully how the Triune God is the Fountain of Christian Assurance. 1 John 1:4

More tomorrow......

End Notes:_________________

1. In the 105 verses of this amazing little letter, we find some seventy references that explain how you as a Christian can know that you know that you are saved. In over 25 places in 1 John you will find the statements "this we know" or "we have this confidence" functioning to reinforce how a Christian can truly be assured in their salvation. As Dr. Daniel Akin, President of South Eastern Baptist Seminary notes about John's writings in the New Testament: "John wrote his gospel to convert sinners, his letters (1,2,3 John) to confirm the saints and Revelation to Coronate the Savior as King of Kings and Lord of Lords".  

2. Undoubtedly God's plan for Christians to persevere is rooted in His eternal choice of them, as stated in Ephesians 1:3-4. Without question scripture affirms that "God's gifts and calling are irrevocable". (Romans 11:29) The Apostles Peter and Paul state it is God who keeps the believer safe and secure in their salvation. (2 Timothy 1:12; 1 Peter 1:5) So Eternal security is that aspect of Perseverance that guarantees that the true Christian will indeed endure to the end. 

3. In the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 we find reference to assurance under the discussion on the believers growth in Christian salvation or what is termed "sanctification":

"Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life."

I underlined key words in that statement to underscore the fact that assurance is something we experience as we persevere in fellowship with God.

4. We could mention numerous other passages (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 5:1-5; Galatians 5:6; 2 Timothy 1:12; James 1:3-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 John 1:5) that point to the God-given grace of the experience of assurance that every Christian should want to enjoy.

Christ's Continuing work: Prophet, Priest, King

Hebrews 1:3-4 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.


A Brief Overview of Christ's Completed work as the Lamb of God
Yesterday we looked at Christ's completed work as described by His title "The Lamb of God".  From the picture of His completed work in the passover lamb of Exodus 12:21 to the Prophecies about Him being the lamb in Isaiah 53:7, the Old Testament looked forward to the completion of salvation.  It is only fitting for God to use the Passover as a picture of Christ's finished work, since the Red Sea deliverance itself was a "once and for all event" in the Old Testament.  With the lamb imagery used repeatedly in the Old Testament, we discovered John the Baptist heralded Jesus Christ as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world", thus showing the portrayal of the Lamb of God.  In Acts, the Epistles and Revelation we saw the explanation of Christ's finished work as the Lamb of God in passages such as Acts 8:32-33; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19 and Revelation 5:12. 

Zeroing in on Christ's continuing work
The Bible is very clear that Christ's work of redemption is once and for all completed. (1 Peter 3:18)  But what about now? Is Jesus doing anything now in Heaven?  Hebrews 1:1-2 tells us what Jesus did when He came from Heaven to earth in his incarnation, died on the cross and raised from the dead.  Through the scriptures, particularly the Gospel, we see the complete work of Jesus Christ.  However Hebrews 1:3-4 shows us the sequel to the empty tomb.  Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven to begin his post-ressurection ministry as the Mediator between God the Father and Christians as the Prophet, Priest and King.  1 Timothy 2:5 states - "there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."1 

Christ's continuing ministry pictured and predicted
Just as we saw in Christ's completed work, we have pictures and predictions in the Old Testament of what would be Christ's continuing work following His resurrection.  Three offices were created by God in the Old Testament to communicate His character and will to Israel - namely that of the prophet, the priest and the king.  In Deuteronomy 17 & 18 we see Moses communicate all three of these offices:

1. Deuteronomy 17:15 "you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman."

God through Moses is looking forward some four centuries into the future, predicting the days of King Saul, David, Solomon and other kings.  Through this picture and prediction would come forth the Ultimate King.  Scores of verses could be cited to demonstrate the fact that Jesus Christ was to be the Ultimate King.  When He ascended, Jesus was declared to had inaugurated His reign on David's throne over His church. Peter proves this in his first sermon in Acts 2:30 “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE".  The Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:15-20 affirms this same truth.  Hebrews 1:3-4 above tells us that Jesus Christ, right now, reigns as King.  We of course understand in other scriptures that there will be a day when Christ returns to physically manifest that reign both visibly and physically. However understand that as King, Jesus Christ is continually reigning as the King of individual Christians and His church.

2. Deuteronomy 18:1 “The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the LORD’S offerings by fire and His portion."

The Levitical Priesthood had already been functioning for some 40 years in Israel, however Moses wanted to reinforce to the people of their need for mediators.  The priest throughout the Old Testament was to represent the people's interests before God.  Hebrews 1:3 plainly tells us: "after He had provided purification for sins, He sat down".  Jesus Christ is the believer's Eternal High Priest.  Hebrews 7:24-25 plainly states - "but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."  

3. Deuteronomy 18:18 ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him."

Prophets had been ministering on the earth for centuries on the earth.  According to Scripture, we know that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, was the first recorded prophet in the Bible. (Genesis 5:23; Jude 14)  Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, was a prophet and of course Moses was the greatest prophet of his day. (Genesis 20:7 & Exodus 4:15) However there was a Prophet whom was not only being pictured but predicted.  It wasn't later prophets like Isaiah or Jeremiah - rather there was to be an Ultimate Prophet who not only by His words and actions, but by His very being was the complete revelation of God to people.  Peter directly connects Deuteronomy 18:18 to Jesus Christ in Acts 3:21-22 - "and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. 22“Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you." Furthermore, in our opening passage in today's blog we find Jesus functioning as "the Prophet" who by nature is the very God whom He reveals through the scriptures. (Hebrews 2:1-4)

Jesus Christ's ministry explained and applied
So why is it so important for you and I as Christians to understand the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ? First of all, as our King, Jesus reigns to protect us, as Priest He repesents us before the Father in prayer and as Prophet He reveals God's Person and will through the scriptures.  Secondly, we as Christians understand our own identity through this three-fold identity of Jesus Christ's continuing ministry.  Think about it, at salvation was were seated positionally as co-kings with Jesus in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 2:6)and will one day take part in a judgment of the fallen angelic realm when Jesus returns. (1 Corinthians 6:3) According to 1 Peter 2:9-12 we are identified as a Kingdom of priests, lifting up prayers to God on behalf of others.  Then together as the church we function through the word of God preached and taught as the prophetic mouthpiece.  We are His presence here in this world, calling men, women boys and girls unto repentance. (2 Corinthians 5:15-21; 1 John 4:17)  If Jesus Christ were not continually ministering as the Prophet, Priest and King at the right hand of God, we as Christians would fail in our faith and faithfulness.  But because He ministers continually, we too will continue on and persevere to the very end. 

End Notes:______________________

1 As theologians throughout the ages have explored Jesus present ministry on behalf of His people, they have used the term "session" to summarize His three-fold office as Prophet, Priest and King. Just as a a baliff in a courtroom announces that "court is now in session" upon the seating of the judge at the bench, Christ too is seated at the right hand of power, co-equal with the Father. As He stated in Matthew 28:18 - "All power has been given to me on Heaven and on earth."