P1 Every Christian is supernaturally gifted by God

1 Corinthians 12:1-7 "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Introduction
In the church of the living God there is no such thing as the "haves" and "have- nots". Paul's concern is to inform and illumine his readers on the subject of spiritual gifts. At Corinth, the problem that the Christian believers had was the excess of focusing more on the gifts than the Giver - God. In a cultural center of the ancient Graeco-Roman world like Corinth, more was considered to be, well, "more". The Corinthians took a cultural assumption and attempted to apply it to the arena of the supernatural things of God. They though of the gifts as a means to self-promotion, or an avenue by which to display one's power or one's so-called "spirituality". 

Indeed, the ditch of excess was the chief sin of Corinth with respect to the gifts. I'm certain that another ditch is to be avoided - lack of emphasis on the spiritual gifts, or at least the hinderance thereof. Oftentimes in our church-world, we conceive of certain Christians as endowed by God with certain giftings. Tragically, many a Christian assumes that they were left out of God's line-up when He was distributing the gifts. I have talked to Christians over the years who took the view that they were a simple, "plain-vanilla" Christian. Such a set of assumptions can greatly constrict how one understands their full-identity in Jesus Christ. 

It appears to be one of the devices of the kingdom of darkness to coerce Christians into either the ditch of excess or lack when it comes to the gifts. Both ditches result in a misunderstanding of God or lack of focus on Him. Paul's exposition on the gifts of the Spirit is designed to inform and illumine the Christian's understanding. In today's post, I want to briefly unpack what Paul writes in his introductory remarks to 1 Corinthians 12:1-7. The underlying assumption will be that: "Every Christian is supernaturally gifted by God". So, when we lay forth this key idea, in what way can we grasp the fact that every Christian is supernaturally gifted by God?

The gifts of the Spirit are given to every believer at salvation. 1 Corinthians 12:1-3
This is Paul's first point in expounding on the giving of the gifts of the Spirit. Theologian Wayne Grudem defines a spiritual gift as follows in his Systematic Theology, page 1016: "A spiritual gift is any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and is used in any ministry in the church." At conversion the gifts are granted. Now certainly, every Christian has the responsibility to discover what has been given to them by God. The process of maturing in the faith includes understanding the way in which God has gifted us. The Apostle Peter spells out this particular point in 1 Peter 4:7-10 "The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 

Paul makes it clear that since the gifts are granted at salvation, then by definition, every Christian is gifted. There is no such things as "haves" and "have-nots". We read clearly in 1 Corinthians 12:7 "But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." So the gifts of the Spirit are given to every Christian at salvation. Lets consider a second thought related to this notion that every Christian is supernaturally gifted by God....

The gifts of the Spirit are given to every Christian to show forth God. 
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
God in the Three Persons of the Trinity is the One that dispenses the gifts. As we noted in prior posts, the spiritual gifts function as a demonstration of the reality of the living God in His church and to the world. 

With respect to the distribution of the gifts, we discover that the Spirit is the Agent of the gifts. Notice 1 Corinthians 12:4 "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit." We find this same thought again in 1 Corinthians 12:11 "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills." 

Then secondly, we find that the Person of the Son Assigns the ministries for the gifts. Note if you will 1 Corinthians 12:5 "And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord." Throughout 1 Corinthians, we find this title "Lord" used in reference to the Son, Jesus Christ, when He is mentioned along with the Father in the same passage (see 1 Corinthians 8:6-7). Throughout Paul's letters, we will see this same pattern of "Lord" used as a title to distinguish the Son from the Father (see Philippians 2:5-11). The Son operates in the Executive capacity of assigning ministries and contexts wherein the gifts of the Spirit can operate. For example, we know that the Holy Spirit gifts some Christians to preach and teach God's Word, as seen for instance in 1 Peter 4:7-11. In Ephesians 4:11-12, we discover that those gifts operate in offices such as "pastor" and "teacher" as so assigned by the Son. So, the Spirit is the Agent of the Gifts and the Son is the Assigner of the ministries in which the gifts operate. 

We then discover that the Person of the Father affects the operation of the gifts. Notice 1 Corinthians 12:6 "There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons." All three Person of the Trinity exercise together as One God, with One will, as Agent, Assigner and Affector of the gifts. The pattern of distribution of the gifts aims to manifest the Giver. God is One and yet Diverse. He is One in Being and Three in Person. The church of the living God is designed to reflect this wonderful two-fold truth. In showing forth God, Paul is setting up what ought to be a cycle that proceeds from showing forth God to serving others. 

More tomorrow....

P2 - How spiritual gifts demonstrate the reality of the true and living God

1 Corinthians 12:1-3 "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.2 You know that when you were pagans,you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit."

Introduction:

In yesterday's post, we considered how spiritual gifts function as a demonstration of the reality of the true and living God operating through His people in the local church. When I think about the place of the spiritual gifts in the local church, I'm reminded of the last stanza of Martin Luther's famous hymn: "A Mighty Fortress":

"That Word above all earthly powers
no thanks to them abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever!"

We first considered how God revealed such in the Old Testament by His gifting of various people among the Hebrews, and how such a notion was absent from ancient pagan belief systems. In such systems, the pagan worshiper would bring his or her gifts to the given deity, and attempt to appease such or make themselves worthy by a system of works and ritual. The New Testament expands upon what God first revealed in the Old Testament about the gifts and reveals that at salvation, the Person of the Spirit unconditionally bestows multitudes of gifts upon every believer. Anywhere we begin to see conditions and good works lumped into the reception of the gifts, or where we see the gifts restricted or non-existent, the sign of paganism mixed into the worldview is surely present. In today's post, we want to continue our discussion by noting a modern day example.

How the spiritual gifts distinguish true Biblical Christianity from other would-be-contenders

So we have seen how the manifestation of the spiritual gifts are expressed by Paul as demonstrating the reality of the living God in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Such an apologetic (that is, a defensive strategy for explaining the truth of Christianity to non-Christians) of using spiritual gifts to demonstrate the reality of Christianity is valid in today's culture. The James-Fausest-Brown commentary notes: "these dumb idols—Greek, "the idols which are dumb"; contrasted with the living God who "speaks" in the believer by His Spirit (1Co 12:3, &c.). This gives the reason why the Corinthians needed instruction as to spiritual gifts, namely, their past heathen state, wherein they had no experience of intelligent spiritual powers. When blind, ye went to the dumb."

Paganism as a worldview (known by its older name "New Age" but known more widely today under the headings of loosely organized movements such as "neo-paganism" and "wicca") is associated with the following underlying beliefs:

1). All of reality is a unified whole, with no distinction made between "God" and "the creation". The idea of a Supreme, all-powerful God is denied by this worldview. Reality is likened unto a one-story house, with the "spiritual" and "material" realms collapsed into one.

2). There are varying levels of "spiritual beings" that human beings can allegedly learn to control and harness for the purpose of gaining power, wealth or influence. 

3). Nature is elevated to the point of worship, and human beings becoming subjects of unseen forces to which they must either attempt to satisfy through ritual or can learn to control by way of ritual and incantations.

We could say more, but these three features tend to generally characterize a pagan worldview. Paganism by its very essence has devotees bringing "gifts" or trying to merit enough good works so as to placate their myriad of deities. Christianity is the only worldview that claims that God has unconditionally given gifts by the Person of the Holy Spirit to every Christian at salvation. Wherever paganism tries to stick its nose, one will find either a great restriction or non-existence of the gifts or some sort of additional conditions added for their reception.

Oftentimes we will see attempts to marry together paganism with more established worldviews (chiefly Christianity) to produce a hybrid that results in a form of paganism baptized into Christian terminology. An example of this is Mormonism. We find for example what all must take place for a Mormon to receive what they would classify as their version of the gifts, as cited in a Mormon reference work: "Encyclopedia of Mormonism", Volume 2, page 544: "As prerequisites to obtaining such gifts, a person must receive the ordinances of baptism and bestowal of the gift of the Holy Ghost from an authorized priesthood holder, must earnestly seek to obtain the gift or gifts, and must make sincere efforts to keep the Lord's commandments." 

Notice how access to the gifts has added "prerequisites", as well as emphasis upon what the devotee must do. Contrast this to Biblical Christianity, in 1 Corinthians 12:1-4, where such gifts are conferred upon the person in saving faith. Moreover, Mormons generally affirm six general gifts, whereas Biblical Christianity affirms at least 18. The point is this: the true and living God gives gifts for the sake of empowering His people to do His will, whereas all other systems require some measure of good works in order to hopefully make oneself worthy enough to receive anything. 

When we think about what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:1-3, we are reminded of how Christians are delivered from such a way of life. Whether it its pure unmitigated form or in its mixed format, all forms of paganism cut-off access to the true and living God, putting a surrogate deity (mainly an impersonal force) or series of deities in the place that God, and God alone ought to occupy. Moreover, the idea of God granting graces or gifts to His people in an unconditional fashion is unheard of in any other religion, creed or worldview.  

Closing thoughts

The point of these last couple of posts have been to explore how Paul uses spiritual gifts as an apologetic to demonstrate the reality of the living and true God in the face of other would-be contenders. May God grant every Christian understanding into the significance of this point, and may those who are non-Christian see how the living and true God is demonstrated by way of the gifts. 

P1 - How spiritual gifts demonstrate the reality of the true and living God

1 Corinthians 12:1-3 "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit."

Introduction

As the Apostle Paul begins his grand exposition on the spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14, the first area he addresses deals with how the gifts are given to believers at salvation. Particularly, Paul contrasts a gift-enriched, Spirit-empowered group of believers to the lifeless, dead paganism from whence they were saved. After introducing his subject, he writes in 1 Corinthians 12:2 "You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led." 

As I was reading these verses, the thought dawned on me how the spiritual gifts are God's demonstration of His reality among believers in the world. In contrast to other so-called non-existent deities and false-gods worshiped in antiquity and today, Christianity alone proclaims that God in the Person of the Holy Spirit has given graces and giftings to every devotee of Jesus. 

How the truly and living God uniquely gifted His people in the Old Testament

Throughout the Bible we find contrasts between the lifeless idolatry and pagan practices of the ancients vs the genuine article that is God's revelation of Himself to His people (Psalm 115:5; 135:15; Habakkuk 2:18-19). Isaiah goes so far as to mock the practice of idolatry and paganism in Isaiah 41:21-24 “Present your case,” the Lord says.“Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says. 22 Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; 23 Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. 24 Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination." 

Whenever you read the first mention of God gifting His people in Exodus 35, you find that all sorts of people among the Hebrews were gifted by God to do what was needed to construct the tabernacle. God gave Moses the pattern for his worship center, and then gave various people differing abilities to complete the task. Moreover, he gifted Moses with wisdom to lead the people and called forth the priests, like Aaron, to represent the people before him. Eventually, God would gift and call forth prophets and kings in Israel's history to lead the people, while gifting certain individuals within the nation to do certain tasks or encourage others along the way. In contrast to the pagan systems of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia and Persia (the four principle empires that operated throughout the Old Testament), which had their devotees bringing gifts to them in an attempt to appease, the God of Old Testament revelation graced His people with the abilities they needed to do His will. Paganism had not concept of their deities giving to their people anything that didn't have some type of strings attached to it. Moreover, God had declared His loving intentions towards His people and conceived of them in father-to-child terms (Deuteronomy 32:6; Hosea 11:1). This was patently unprecedented in any other pagan culture.

How the truly and living God uniquely gifted His people in the New Testament

The Apostle Paul too contrasts the lifeless Graeco-Roman paganism of his day with the reality of Christianity. In 1 Corinthians 8:4-7 "Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 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."

By the time we arrive at the New Testament, especially in lieu of the Holy Spirit's arrival at Pentecost in Acts 2, we find that every Christian is endued with gifts and abilities from the Holy Spirit. Again, no other religion in the world can claim that its devotees are gifted in such a manner. The able commentator Matthew Henry notes on this score:  

"(1) That their idols never could have uttered the oracles which were ascribed to them, and consequently that they had been deluded.

(2) that these idols could never have endowed them with such spiritual privileges as they now had, and consequently that their present state was far preferable to their former condition.

Even as ye were led - Were led by the priests in the temples of the idols. They were under strong delusions and the arts of cunning and unprincipled people. The idea is, that they had been under a strong infatuation, and were entirely at the control of their spiritual leaders - a description remarkably applicable now to all forms of imposture in the world, No system of paganism consults the freedom and independence of the mind of man; but it is everywhere characterized as a system of "power," and not of "thought;" and all its arrangements are made to secure that power without an intelligent assent of the understanding and the heart."

In tomorrow's post we will consider how more recent examples of paganism contrast with Biblical Christianity in their treatment of the gifts. The spiritual gifts serve as one of the evidences for the reality of the One True and Living God, operating through His people by ways of the Person of the Holy Spirit. The unconditional giving of such gifts at salvation and their God-given empowerment of believers to perform the will of God is without parallel when compared to other worldviews, whether they be in antiquity or in modern times. 

More tomorrow........

The importance of being fruitful for God

Genesis 1:11-14 "Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation,plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day."

Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Introduction:

What does it mean to be fruitful for God?  Dr. Charles Stanley's book: "The Wonderful Spirit-filled life", page 63, offers what is perhaps one of the clearest answers: "Our faith is known to others through the good deeds that overflow from our character (see Matthew 5:16), or the fruit we bear." As a Christian, God did not call me to be a mediocre, religious, morally good person that scrapes by and whittles away the time until Jesus comes. There is that kind of life that God desires of His people whereby they are partaking of the spiritual blessings He offers and thus are able to visibly live the otherwise invisible faith that is inside them. Bearing fruit for Jesus' sake is not a call to trouble-free, material prosperity. Such a life is not devoid of challenges, hardships and disappointments. If for anything, it is oftentimes in the face of these alleged liabilities that we find out how much we are truly shining forth the overcoming Christian life that depends upon the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Today's post is aimed to introduce the reader to this concept of "spiritual fruitfulness". For today at least, we want to better understand how much God desires for His people to live spiritually fruitful lives for Him. I find it interesting how much stock God places on fruitfulness in the created realm and the spiritual realm. Oftentimes we will find the created realm illustrative of what ought to be the case in our Christian lives. 

In the opening passages above, we find God engineering into His creation the property of fruitfulness in Genesis 1. We then see Paul's marvelous exposition on bearing forth the "fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5. The one text I can think of that brings together the physical realm of creation and the spiritual realm of the redeemed life is Jesus' teaching in John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."

Now we won't go into extended exposition on John 15. Rather, by reflecting upon its contents, as well as Galatians 5 and Genesis 1, we can offer the following thoughts concerning God's desire for spiritual fruitfulness in the Christian life:

1. God gives all we need to be fruitful. 

Just as He designed the ground to sprout forth plants, and just as the Spirit is the source of the spiritual fruit of Galatians 5 and Jesus is the source of life in the vine of His incarnate life - we find that the provision of grace is there for being fruitful. 

2. We must partake of the fruit in order to be fruitful

God makes the first move in this supernatural exchange between Himself and the human heart. However, lest we take the fruit, we will never be fruitful. Unless we "abide" in Jesus Christ and find in Him our contentment, our satisfaction - we will be puny in our Christianity. The "fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5 does indeed derive from Him, and yet is expressed through the Christian whose character and human will is yielding to the Spirit's leading (see Galatians 5:16, 24-25). In the natural realm we see this illustrated for us in Hebrews 6:7 "For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God."

So spiritual fruitfulness entails that God gives everything we need to be fruitful and the responsibility we have to receive such fruit. Now notice thirdly...

3. There will be weeds trying to get in the way of fruitfulness

Did you ever notice with the exception of Genesis 1, in most places in the Bible where we see reference to physical fruitfulness or its spiritual counterpart, there is some sort of opposition? When Adam and Eve had sinned, the earth was cursed and put forth thorns. Jesus' exposition in John 15 warns about being "unfruitful". Vines in Israel were the sort that would crawl along the ground and had to be propped up to prevent everything from pests damaging the fruit to little animals stealing it to avoiding blight from destroying it. Fruitfulness involves hardwork and hardship. God ultimately is credited with the overall process of our spiritual fruitfulness, however we are responsible for tapping into His provision. 

Nonetheless, we will have those "weeds" of the world, flesh and Satan working against our efforts to be fruitful. In Galatians 5, we see a list of the "fruit of the flesh". 14 different spiritual and moral liabilities that mitigate against our efforts to partake of the fruit of the Spirit. Thankfully, God teaches the willing soul to thrive in such hostile environs (see 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; James 1:3-4; 1 Peter 1:7). 

Now lets consider one final observation...

4. Fruitfulness for God is worth it

So we know that God grants what we need to be fruitful and that we must respond to it. We also know there will be weeds trying to get in the way of fruitfulness. So the question is: is it worth it. In those same texts we have looked at today, we find in each instance, whether spiritual or physical, the fruitful object or person is brought into closer proximity with God. In Genesis 1, the earth is enabled to begin fulfilling the purpose for which it was created. In John 15, we find that we get to partake of the life of Jesus, and with us. In Galatians 5, we discover that we get to walk with God and He with us. 

Closing thoughts
The benefits of spiritual fruitfulness far outweigh any liabilities. We learned four important principles when it comes to being fruitful for God:

1. God gives all we need to be fruitful.

2. We must partake of the fruit in order to be fruitful

3. There will be weeds trying to get in the way of fruitfulness

4. Fruitfulness for God is worth it

Let us therefore be fruitful for God. 

A statement and meditation on the Trinity

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” 



Introduction:
So what kind of God is God 
revealed to be in the Bible? Who is He? In today's post I want to consider a doctrine that is so fundamental to the Biblical understanding of God’s identity: The Biblical doctrine of the Trinity. The Doctrine of the Trinity has been attacked over the centuries as being illogical and of no real consequence to the everyday concerns of the Christian life.  However today’s post will aim to show the importance of the doctrine of the Trinity.



So what does the Bible have to teach us about the doctrine of the Trinity? 
Immediately some people will note: "If the doctrine of the Trinity is as core to the Christian faith as you claim, then why is the word "Trinity" not found in the Bible?"  True, the word "Trinity" itself is not found in the Bible, but neither is the word "Bible". The term "Bible" comes from a Greek word "biblos" meaning book and is doctrinal shorthand for designating the 66 books of the Old and New Testament as "The Book" - i.e "Bible". 

Thus too, the term "Trinity" is doctrinal shorthand in bringing together the Bible’s revelation of God. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, the doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention, defines the Trinity: “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.”

Three major truths comprise this very important Biblical teaching of God as Trinity. 


1. God is One God (Monotheism)

2. This One God exists as Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

3. Each Person is completely and truly God. 

Lets consider each of these in their turn.

1. God is One God (Monotheism)
The Baptist Faith and Message asserts Biblical monotheism at the beginning of its statement on God: "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 Westminister Confession of Faith offers this fine definition of God as one God (i.e monotheism): "There is but one only, living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; immutable, immense,eternal,incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will."

In consideration of the fact that we have spent the last several posts meditating on God's omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence and goodness - we must reaffirm the truth of this first fact about God in the Bible: He is One, and there is no other (see Isaiah 43:10-11; Isaiah 44:6; 1 Corinthians 8:4). 

2. This One God exists as Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
The Baptist Faith and Message then transitions into identifying this One God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Concerning the Person of the Father the BFM 2000 notes: God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

Concerning the Person of the Son, the BFM 2000 states: Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

Then concerning the Person of the Holy Spirit, the BFM 2000 asserts in part: "The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures." 

It must be underscored that God exists in, through and as the Three Persons of the Trinity. Each Person, in turn, truly expresses the fullness of what it means to be God, without exclusion to the other two Persons. All Three Persons share One will, One Divine nature and thus, are together the One God specifically revealed in scripture and generally revealed in creation and the conscience. All three are co-equal, co-eternal and co-powerful in their interrelating to one another. The totality of the reality that is God is in and among and through the Three Persons of the Trinity. 

So we see in the doctrine of the Trinity the confession monotheism, as well as the fact that this One God exists as three Persons.

3. Each Person is completely and truly God.
This final statement completes the circuit of our definition of the Trinity as found in the Bible. Each Person of the Trinity mutually indwells the other two Persons, thus making the unity of what is called "the Godhead" a true unity expressed in the diversity of the Three Persons (see John 14:10-11; 14:23; 16:12-14; 16:26-28). This arrangement of the Persons is expressed in Jesus' teaching of "He being in the Father" and "The Father being in Him" as well as "The Spirit coming forth from the Father, in Jesus name" (again, refer to John 14:10-11; 14:23; 16:12-14; 16:26-28). This mutual indwelling of the Persons within, through and by one another is called by the ancient Christians the "perichoresis" or "dance of the Trinity". This imagery ensures to us that God is not some static, abstract Being, but rather the living, dynamic, interacting God of Biblical revelation. 

How to apply scriptural meditations on God's eternal attributes

Job 42:1-6 Then Job answered the Lord and said, 2 “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” 4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You;
6 Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”

Introduction:

These last several meditations on scripture have featured the eternal attributes of God that we find in Psalm 139:

1. God's omniscience. Psalm 139:1-6

2. God's omnipresence. Psalm 139:7-13

3. God's omnipotence. Psalm 139:14-16

4. God's goodness. Psalm 139:17-24

Today's post will aim to meditate on these meditations with respect to how we ought to respond to such magnificent truths. Job's words above capture perfectly the proper response one has in light of such powerful insights into God's character.

I'll never forget my seminary days. At the end of the semester, our professor had been teaching a course on systematic theology - with specific emphasis on the doctrine of God. On the last day of class, he had us focus almost the whole time on the unfolding of Job 42. His basic word to us then young seminarians was to ever be in awe of God. In as much as our theology and preaching will convey truth about God, we can never hope to capture in a comprehensive or exhaustive way the totality of God in His being. If God ends up being nothing more than an object of speculation or a Being of fascination, then we have failed in the theological task. Instead, God ought to ever be the God of our adoration. True theology, it seems, ought to drive us to our knees and our hands raised up in the air. 

Certainly our meditations this week on Psalm 139 have been mind-expanding and hopefully, heart enlarging. With that said, our response ought to be nothing short of worship. We ought to be overwhelmed by the power and majesty of God. From Job 42:1-6, let me suggest four proper responses to what we have gleaned in our meditations on God's maximal excellencies in Psalm 139:

1. Confidence that God can do all things. Job 42:1

2. Knowing God better. Job 42:2-3

3. Dependence on God. Job 42:4

4. Exercising greater faith and repentance towards God. Job 42:5-6

When we express these four attitudes, we are positioning ourselves to receive further insights about God's character and being from His word. Paul learned this in 2 Corinthians 12 in light of his insights and illuminations from God, wherein in 2 Corinthians 12:9 God told him that His power is made perfect in weakness. Or again, in Revelation 1, we find the Apostle John falling at Jesus' feet as one who was dead, with Jesus touching him and encouraging him in Revelation 1:17  "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last". What was the outcome of that encounter? John gets to hear the explanation of what he had just witnessed in the opening vision of Revelation. 

As we close out today, I want to end with a practical note from A.W Tozer on the value we gain from meditating on God and sharing what we glean in the context of our dealings with other people. A.W Tozer writes in page 116 of his book "Knowledge of the Holy": "(A)s our knowledge of God becomes more wonderful, greater service to our fellow man will become for us imperative. This blessed knowledge is not given to be enjoyed selfishly. The more perfectly we know God the more we will feel the desire to translate the new-found knowledge into deeds of mercy towards a suffering humanity. The God who gave all to us will continue to give all through us as we come to know him better."

A meditation on the goodness of God

Psalm 139:17-24 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would out number the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. 19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. 20 For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way." 

Introduction

Over the course of the last few days we have been considering various meditations on God's eternal nature and attributes from Psalm 139. We have considered God's omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. Today's meditation has to do with the overall moral character of God, as He is, in His eternal being: namely the goodness of God. 

Is God a good God? We know He is all knowing, everywhere present and powerful - but is He good? Are His plans and purposes for you and me really in our best interest? Such questions are dependent upon what we mean by God's goodness. Theologian Michael Horton notes in his large volume: "The Christian Faith", page 265, this insight:
"God's knowledge, wisdom, and power are inseparable from His goodness. In fact, in the strict sense, Jesus said, 'No one is good except God alone' (Mark 10:18). God's infinite goodness is the source of all creaturely imitations. Precisely because God does not depend on the world, his goodness is never threatened. God is good toward all He has made, even His enemies (Psalm 145:9, 15-16; Mt 5:45). He can afford to be because He is God with or without them."

Moses prays to God in Exodus 33:18-22 to show him all of His goodness:  "Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by."

God's goodness is synonymous with His glory, which represents the display of the sum of all His perfections. God's goodness in its concentrated form is expressed in what the Bible calls "God's holiness". God's holiness is that quality of God that separates Him from the created realm. God is so good, so glorious and so "wholly other" as to have no comparison to Himself from the vast created realm. As R.C Sproul has noted, the steps of difference that lies between a caterpillar and an archangel are finite - since they are creatures; whereas the steps of difference between the archangel and God is infinite. 

God's goodness includes all of those moral attributes we find in the scriptures: as mentioned, the sum of all of them, and the one which captures God in His moral essence and character is holiness. As light refracts through a prism to reveal the hues of the rainbow, the light of God's uncreated goodness refracts through the prism of His unending holiness to reveal the eternal moral qualities which He possesses. 

In Psalm 139:17-24 we find reference or allusions to the following moral properties and expressions of God's goodness:

1. God's grace, or "God giving us that which we don't deserve". Psalm 139:17 

David cannot begin to count the "precious thoughts" God has toward him. God chooses to reveal Himself, His words, and His love to David. Grace is the first expression we see of God;s goodness in this text.

2. God's mercy, or "God not giving to us what we do deserve". Psalm 139:18 

When David awakes every day, He finds God ever with him. Do you and I deserve even to awake, or to live? All human beings born into this world deserve justice. Thankfully, God's mercies are new every morning, great is his faithfulness, as mentioned by Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:22-24. 

Now by this point we see two positive expressions of God's goodness - namely His grace and mercy. God is the source of all goodness, and the measure of what we understand to be right and wrong, just and unjust, righteous and wicked. In God is all light, and no darkness (1 John 1:5-7). God is deemed the "Father of heavenly lights, in whom there is no variation or shifting of shadow" (James 1:17). He dwells in "light unapproachable" (1 Timothy 6:16). Thus, whenever we see wickedness, or injustice or unrighteousness, we react like David due to what we know to be the case of God. 

What David says next in Psalm 139 seems jarring at first. What we find in Psalm 139:19-22 is David addressing those who have been persecuting him. In these verses we find him using the language of what we call "perfect hatred", which in our modern-day parlance would be stated as: "loving the sinner but hating the sin". In perfect, hatred, we hate "what" people become as a result of their sinful choices or due to how they treat the Holiness and loving activities of God. Perhaps the closest New Testament parallel that sheds light on this difficult text in Psalm 139 is found in Jude 1:22-23 "And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh."

Perfect hatred (as it is called in the KJV) in God is a hatred of what He is not: namely unrighteousness, wickedness, sin, injustice. This type of hatred for God is expressed without offense, without resentment and is directed in those times following all other attempts to be merciful and loving towards His creatures. This is what is referred to as the wrath of God. For God to be loving, just and Holy, it follows that such a morally excellent being "hate" what is unjust and unholy. When Abraham for instance states in Genesis 18:25 at the end of his prayer for the city of Sodom "shall not the Judge of  Earth deal justly"? 

To illustrate this point, our family has a pet cat. Recently we discovered that the cat had fleas. Now for us to be considered good pet owners, we must necessarily hate that which brings harm to our cat - namely fleas. So, we went out, purchased the proper medications and will likely need to pursue further remedies. One could say I have a "perfect hatred" of the fleas. In exercising wrath on the fleas, I am showing love toward the cat. I recognize what is "the right thing to do" because of - well, the goodness of God. Proverbs 12:10a states: "Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of His beast....". In similitude, we could say that David is expressing what he is expressing due to His recognizing the goodness of God to include...

3. God's wrath, or God giving justly to us what people choose to deserve

Romans 11:22 reminds us to not only consider those positive qualities of God's goodness in consideration of His grace and mercy, but also what are the equally necessary negative expressions of His goodness - i.e His wrath and judgment. This final point in our meditation on God's goodness is so spurned by the modern day church. Yet, as seen in the foregoing exposition, if God does not deal justly with sin, injustice and wickedness, then how could we say God is good? J.I Packer, in his book: "Knowing God", quotes the inimitable A.W Pick's observations on the three practical benefits of reflecting on the wrath of God. The three headings alone summarize well why God's wrath has to be included in our meditation of God's goodness:

1. First, that our hearts may be duly impressed by God's detestation of sin.

2. To beget "fear" or "reverence" for God in our service to Him. 

3. Thirdly, to draw out our soul to fervent praise (to Jesus Christ) for having delivered us from the wrath to come.

As David rounds out this final section of Psalm 139, he realizes that even though God's "perfect hatred" or "wrath" is more than appropriate for God, since hatred of sin, injustice and the like is necessary for a Being that is Morally excellent and thus, maximally great; nonetheless he sees in his own weakness how he could abuse such an expression. David finds that he is, in reality, no better than those whose actions and sinful choices he hates. He needs God's grace, which is why He begs God "search him" and to see what wayward ways is in Him."

Closing thoughts

Today we considered the goodness of God. We saw that by reflecting on God's goodness, we are able to better express and appreciate such moral qualities as holiness, grace, mercy and even wrath. Within God, these moral excellencies know no conflict or contradiction. Psalm 139 demonstrates to us how God is "Maximally Great", possessing all the "Great-making" properties that renders Him worthy of praise and worship: omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence and all goodness. Truly we can say: God is good.