The Bible Is For You, Not About You
There are two fundamental ways to read Scripture. One is the "Me" approach - reading the Bible as a rulebook for self-improvement, asking, "What must I do?" This approach sees the Bible as a roadmap to life. This is not totally wrong. The Bible is in some way a roadmap as to what you should and should not do. The other is the “Jesus” approach - reading Scripture as a unified story of redemption, asking, "What has Jesus already done and what is He doing? Reading the Bible from this perspective, does not merely look for principals, encouraging stories, or success keys. It looks for Jesus. In the words of 19th century English preacher Charles Spurgeon, "Whenever I get hold of a text, I say to myself, 'There is a road from here to Jesus Christ, and I mean to keep on His track till I get to Him.' ... So must we do, brethren; we must have Christ in all our discourses, whatever else is in or not in them." As an aside, this is a reason I say every sermon and Bible study must have a logical, sequential, and complete presentation of the Goepel. The “Me” approach says the Bible is about you. The Bible is not about you. I know suggesting this might jostle you a bit, because everything in culture, and in a great deal of preaching, says the exact opposite. Culture says, “You deserve, you deserve, you deserve… everything is for you, and if it does not happen for you just as you deserve, you have the right to become disappointed and mad at God.” Everything in culture and in much Bible teaching and preaching says you are intrinsically valuable…it is all about you. You are number one. To be told you are not, is a slap in your spectacular and uniquely wonderful face. Until you realize the Bible is for you, but not about you, it will not be formative for you. The Bible is all about Jesus and what He has done and is doing for you. So, when you find Jesus in the Word, you find yourself in Him, for “as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17, cf. Colossians 3:3). Reading Scripture from the “Jesus” approach sees that the Bible is about Jesus. Contrary to popular belief, the Bible is not simply a collection of ethical principles, moral platitudes, or abstract life lessons - it is about Jesus.
Jesusis in all of Scripture, because all Scripture either points to or is fulfilled in Him. Seeing Jesus in all of Scripture reminds you He is your life (Galatians 2:20), the hero of your salvation, and you are entirely accepted before God through Him. While every verse in the Scripture is not directly about Jesus, as in giving a neat Christological statement, the message of each book is about Him. The holistic intention of a given passage ultimately frames the message of God’s Word in such a way you see God’s design concerning Jesus. Jesus’ in Luke 24:46-47 indicates, there is no part of Scripture that does not bear its witness to Jesus. In this passage Jesus appears to some disciples after His resurrection. To help them understand what the Old Testament says about Him and the purpose of His death and resurrection, Luke writes, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27). Jesus also tells His disciples, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). These verses teach all Scripture is about Jesus and is ultimately fulfilled in Him. This even includes the parts of the Bible that do not seem to allude to Jesus on the surface. The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself through Jesus. The Old Testament foreshadows Jesus. The New Testament reveals Jesus. So, whether you are reading the Beatitudes in the New Testament or the genealogies of the Old Testament, the grand aim is to unfold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (11 Corinthians 3:18).
From beginning to end, the Bible is an epic story about Jesus:
Genesis to Deuteronomy is the foundation for Jesus.
Joshua to Esther is the preparation for Jesus.
Job to Song of Solomon is the longing for Jesus.
Isaiah to Malachi is the expectation of Jesus.
Matthew to John is the life and ministry of Jesus.
Acts is the continued work and spreading of the fame of Jesus and the growth of His Church.
Romans to Jude is about living for Jesus.
Revelation is about the return, reign, and rule of Jesus
To further summarize Jesus’ place in all of Scripture
The Old Testament says, Jesus is coming.
The Gospels say, Jesus is here.
The book of Acts is Jesus is proclaimed.
The epistles are Jesus explained.
Revelation says, “Jesus is coming again”.
Understanding this, you can see every part of the Bible ultimately points to Jesus as the "true and better" fulfillment. As Tim Keller wrote, “You will find Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden, His garden – a much tougher garden, and whose obedience is imputed to us. Jesus is the true and better Abel who though innocently slain – has blood that cries out, not for for our condemnation, but for our acquittal, Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go into the void not knowing whither He went. Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by His Father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us all while God said to Abraham. “Now I know you love Me because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from Me.” Now we at the foot of the cross can say to God, “Now we know You love me because You did not withhold Your Son, Your only Son whom You love, from me.” Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserve so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace that wake us up and discipline us. Jesus is the true and better Josephwho is at the right hand of the king and forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his power to save them. Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant. Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who struck with the rod of God's justice now gives us water in the desert. Jesus is the true and better Job. He's the truly innocent sufferer who then intercedes for and saves His foolish friends. Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes His people's victory though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves. Jesus is the true and better Esther who did not just risk losing an earthly palace, but lost the ultimate heavenly one, who didn't just risk His life, but gave His life, who did not say, “If I perish, I perish,” but said, ‘When I perish, I will perish for them to save My people.’ Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so we could be brought in. He is the real Passover Lamb. He is the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.”
Failing to grasp this reality, you will only see the Bible as a collection of moral examples and stories, for you to plug yourself into. In this way you become the hero or point of every Biblical passage and story. This only leads to pride or the ultimate judge of your own obedience; which leads to exhaustion, depression, anxiety, or even anger. Reading Biblical narratives as life lessons (e.g., "you are David, so conquer the giants in your life") reduces the Bible to moralism, making it a story of what you must do rather than what Jesus has already done for you. You are not David. David is not a moral example of courage to be emulated for overcoming personal, financial, or marital "giants." Putting yourself in David's shoes puts an impossible moral weight on your shoulders. You are the terrified Israelites. In 1 Samuel 17, the Israelites stand cowering in their tents. They are paralyzed and completely unable to fight the giant themselves. Jesus is the true and better David, who steps onto the battlefield on your behalf as your substitute and champion. He fought and defeated the ultimate giants - sin and death - on the cross. This, of course is the Gospel - the free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23b), from God (John 3:16), through Jesus (Romans 5:8), by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), evidenced by repentance (Acts 3:19; 11 Corinthians 7:10), and a life of obedience (Ephesians 2:10; Ezekiel 36:25-27
Reading the Bible from a “Jesus” approach, you are invited to be caught up in the love of God and your position in Christ (Colossians 3:3); not as the main character, but as adopted sons and daughters who find life by losing it in Him. Then, as you live your life in Him, you interact with the Scriptures. Only then will the Bible transform you into who you are in Jesus – spotless and holy (Colossians 1:22), just (Romans 5:1), and righteous (11 Corinthians 5:21). Christ is your salvation. But He is also your sanctification. You do not become a Christian and then sanctify yourself through moral striving, Biblical application, or trying to muster up good virtues. That is not what it means to be formed in the image of Christ. You must let Jesus be formed more and more in you through the means of grace – Bible reading and study, prayer, worship, the sacraments, confession and repentance – empowered by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11, 13). In this way, as you read Scripture, it begins to shape and form you. It helps you become more like Jesus because you can see and experience Him everywhere through it. Paul says it like this: “Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Through the Gospel God united you with Jesus. He made Him to be wisdom itself. Jesus made you right with God, made you pure and holy, and freed the guilt of sin (Romans 8:1), the power of sin (Roman 6:14), and in heaven, the presence of sin (Revelation 21:27).
Seeing Jesus in every Biblical passage is spiritually enlivening, empowering, and freeing. Reading the Bible in this reality, something special will happen to you. Seeing Jesus in the Bible, not only brings salvation, but just as the disciples on the road to Emmaus experienced their hearts "burning" as Jesus explained the Scriptures, seeing Jesus in the Word stirs affection, gives assurance, and creates joy and hope. So, every time you open your Bible, ask the Holy Spirit to help look for Jesus until you find Him. Doing this, you shift from a “Me” centered approach of reading the Bible, to a “Jesus” centered approach; and all the words of the Bible will become beautiful words, wonderful words of life. Are you ready for an exciting road trip to Emmaus? Are you ready to receive an infusion of life and experience glorious transformation? Then, start your adventure with an honest prayer. Come to the Father and say, “Father, open my eyes to see Jesus in all His glory, beauty, and love toward me. I am ready for an Emmaus Road experience. I am ready to receive an impartation of life and be transformed!”
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all Heaven and Earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away
But there's something about that name
Jesus - The mere mention of His name can calm the storm
Heal the broken, raise the dead
At the name of Jesus, I've seen sin-hardened men melted, derelicts transformed
The lights of hope put into the eyes of a hopeless child
I've heard a mother softly breathe his name at the bedside of a child, delirious from fever
And I've watched that little body grow quiet and the fevered brow cool
I've sat at the bedside of a dying saint, her body wracked with pain
Who in those final fleeting seconds
Summoned her last ounce of ebbing strength to whisper her sweetest name, "Jesus, Jesus"
Emperors have tried to destroy it, philosophies have tried to stamp it out
Tyrants have tried to wash it from the face of the earth
With the very blood of those who claimed it
Oh, yet it still stands
And there shall be that final day when every voice that has ever uttered a sound
Every voice of Adam's race shall raise in one mighty chorus to proclaim the name of Jesus
For in that day every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
So, you see, it was not mere chance that caused an Angel one night long ago
To say to a virgin maiden, "His name shall be called Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus"
Oh, there is something, something about that name
All God’s people said – Amen and Amen!
Tom Anderson
Liminal Spaces
Coming from the Latin word limen, meaning “threshold,” the term “liminal spaces” bridges the gap between where you were and where you are going. Liminal spaces, from an architectural standpoint, refer to transitional or “in-between” zones —such as corridors, stairwells, or lobbies. The walkway between the parking deck and Brookwood Hospital is a prime example of a liminal space. These spaces exist solely to facilitate movement between two spaces, rather than function as final destinations. These spaces can be eerie and unsettling. From a psychological standpoint, liminal spaces can describe a life transitional point—for example, graduation, marriage or divorce, a career change, or as in my case, retirement. This period of “in-betweenness” can feel uncomfortable, sad, and anxious, with one foot in the “known” past and one foot in the “unknown” future. Psychologists say embracing this period of uncertainty often leads to profound personal growth. [As an aside, we at Grace Church are in a liminal space as we anxiously await Peter Bartuska’s arrival as our senior minister this late Summer. Let’s embrace this liminal period for all the corporate spiritual growth we can muster.]
There are also liminal spaces in the theological or spiritual sense. How many can you think of from the Bible? One of the best examples is of the Israelites wandering forty years in the desert before they were allowed to enter the land of milk and honey.In this liminal space, the Israelites learned to rely on and trust God as their provider. As Christians, we too experience being in a liminal space. Our lives are lived in their entirety in transition. We are God’s “elect exiles,” strangers in a foreign land, awaiting “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefined, and unfolding, kept in heaven for you.”I Peter Ch. 1. Also, as Christians we live in the tension of the twixt and tween of the “already, but not yet.” We are already adopted in Christ (Rom. 8:15), but not yet adopted (Rom. 8:23); We are already redeemed in Christ (Eph. 1:7), but not yet redeemed (Eph. 4:30); we are already sanctified in Christ (I Cor. 1:2), but not yet sanctified (I Thess. 5:23-24); We are already saved in Christ (Eph. 2:8), but not yet saved (Rom. 5:9); and we are already raised with Christ (Eph. 2:6), but not yet raised (I Cor. 15:52).
By faith in Christ and what He has done for you and me, all of these spiritual blessings are ours “already.” To be clear, the victory has already been won—that was accomplished on the cross. There is nothing we can do on our own to attain that victory; however, the full, complete enjoyment of these blessings is “not yet” ours until He comes again. We have one foot firmly on our earthly home and one foot planted in our future heavenly home. In this liminal space, anchored by our faith, we embrace what we have, we follow Christ’s path, we live out the gospel powerfully, and we completely rely and trust on God’s will for us, knowing in the end He will make everything anew.
Be Still my soul: The Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways lead to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who rules them while He dwelt below.
Peace and Grace—
Carter
P.S. To warm your heart, watch this video:
Small Parts Are Largely Valuable
Do you ever feel like your contribution to God’s Kingdom can’t amount to much? Historically, there have been some towering figures in Christendom. Names like Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley come to mind.
In the last 100 years, the Church and the world have been blessed by the likes of Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, J. I. Packer, Francis Schaeffer, C. S. Lewis, Charles Swindoll, and John MacArthur.
With these heavy hitters who historically had, and still have, such blessed ministries, what can I expect to accomplish by comparison? A lot, according to God’s word. Every person who has come into relationship with God through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross has a God-given role for furthering God’s Kingdom. God has chosen people like you and me to be seed planters. It is not visibility, but faithfulness in alignment with God’s eternal plan, that creates impact.
In Matthew 13:31-33, Jesus tells us these parables to help us understand: He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Although God’s Kingdom is in the process of being realized in full, it has been small and largely invisible from its inception within a fallen world. Yet like a tiny mustard seed, with God’s blessing, it outgrows everything else. Like a small bit of yeast, it slowly permeates everything. Small, slow, and inevitable.
Take heart. As we remain faithful, we have confidence that our seemingly small parts are largely valuable in God’s economy, the only one that will last. We have eternity to enjoy God’s Kingdom once it has been fully realized. But right now, we have the opportunity to invest in that Kingdom by faith as God gives us the means and ability. That investment may look small and invisible to the world, but God doesn’t evaluate based on human standards. He searches the heart. Once we are in Christ, our faithfulness in small things will yield spiritual fruit that God values and uses, and when God’s plan comes to complete fruition, we will celebrate how God used even people like us exponentially to further his Kingdom.
In Christ,
Chris Heinss
Time Traveling
Several weeks ago, during our Wednesday Bible study, we were discussing the closing verses of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. As we reflected on the challenge of living out Christ's teachings in the real world, someone commented about his own struggles in dwelling on the future—thinking about what might happen instead of trusting God in the present moment. That observation sparked a thought: Many of us spend our lives time traveling.
Not physically, of course, but mentally and emotionally. We journey backward into the past, revisiting old failures, regrets, embarrassments, and wounds. Or we leap forward into the future, imagining worst-case scenarios, attempting to control outcomes that have not yet arrived, and burdening ourselves with anxieties about tomorrow. In all this traveling, we neglect the one place where God has actually placed us: the present.
Jesus addresses this tendency directly in the Sermon on the Mount. After speaking about food, clothing, and the worries of daily life, He tells His followers: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34). What a simple statement—and what a challenging command.
Most of us would rather live somewhere other than today. The past often tempts us with shame and regret. If only we had made a different decision. If only we had spoken differently. If only we could undo what has been done. The future presents a different temptation. We imagine what might happen and feel compelled to prepare for every possibility. We seek certainty where none is available. We want control over circumstances that remain entirely outside our grasp. But faith calls us elsewhere: Faith calls us to live in here and now.
Grace addresses the past. Through Christ, our sins are forgiven, our failures redeemed, and our shame covered. We need not remain imprisoned by what has already happened. Likewise, God's providence secures the future. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that our heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask Him. The future is not unknown to God, even when it is unknown to us. If grace covers the past and providence governs the future, then the Christian is free to live faithfully in the present.
Several years ago, Jordan Peterson commented on Jesus' teaching about the lilies of the field. He observed that many people stop reading too soon. They hear Christ's command not to worry and interpret it as a call to passivity. Yet Jesus immediately adds a crucial qualification: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33).
The point is not to do nothing. The point is to orient your life toward the highest good—to seek God's Kingdom—and trust Him with the results. That is the opposite of time traveling. Instead of reliving yesterday's failures, seek God's Kingdom today. Instead of attempting to control tomorrow's uncertainties, seek God's Kingdom today. Instead of dwelling on what cannot be changed or controlled, focus on what Christ has placed before you in this moment.
The house built upon the rock in Matthew 7 was not constructed through anxiety about future storms. It was built through faithful obedience in the present. The wise builder simply did the work set before him. The same is true for us.
Yesterday belongs to grace. Tomorrow belongs to providence. Today belongs to faith.
In Christ,
Mort Taylor
For those interested, Jordan Peterson's remarks on Matthew 6 and the lilies of the field can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxvpFwlr5kA
Never Assume The Gospel
The Gospel must never be assumed. The Gospel is assumed when it is only expressed in terms of familiar slogans or buzzwords, rather than a complete, logical, sequential message of salvation that forms what every sermon, Bible study, and theological category should clearly point to and expound. What is the Gospel? It is a gift (Romans 5:15: “But the giftis not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”6:23b:“…the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”), to sinful and fallen humanity (Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;” Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned;”Psalm 51:5: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me’), from God (John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”), through Jesus (Romans 5:6,8: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly”…”But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us;” 1 John 4:9-10: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”), received by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast”), Please read this very carefully: The Gospel message does not stop at this point. The Gospel includes more than we are saved by faith in Jesus. It is not just the entry-level message for salvation.
Receiving the Gospel message for salvation includes a lifelong journey of living it out every day, in every area and issue of life.Philippians 2:12-13: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation (the Gospel) with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” The Gospel is the "A to Z" of the Christian faith, not just the ABCs of becoming a Christian. We grow in our faith by believing the Gospel more deeply as time goes on, shifting reliance from self-salvation to reliance on God's grace for daily living. The Gospel is the answer to every struggle and sin in our present life. When faced with anxiety, pride, or fear, we must remind ourselves of the Gospel - preaching it to our own hearts - to overcome these issues. Instead of striving to obey simply to avoid consequences or earn approval, we obey because we are already accepted in Jesus.This is the Gospel Martin Luther was referring to when he said, “The law is divine and holy. Let the law have his glory, but yet no law, be it never so divine and holy, ought to teach me that I am justified, and shall live through it. I grant it may teach me that I ought to love God and my neighbour; also to live in chastity, soberness, patience, etc., but it ought not to show me, how I should be delivered from sin, the devil, death, and hell. Here I must take counsel of the gospel. I must hearken to the gospel, which teacheth me, not what I ought to do, (for that is the proper office of the law,) but what Jesus Christ the Son of God hath done for me: to wit, that He suffered and died to deliver me from sin and death. The gospel willeth me to receive this, and to believe it. And this is the truth of the gospel. It is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consisteth. Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually.”
Luther's point is clearly warranted, because we constantly forget the grace of God and the victory we already have in Jesus.While Christians are no longer under the law as a way to be justified or saved, in Christ, we are free to see it as a means of understanding God’s character and what pleases Him. Instead of just following the strict letter of the law to look good on the outside, the Gospel changes our desires from the inside out rather than the outside in. Instead of using religious rules to shame people into changing their external behavior, the Gospel transforms the human heart's deepest desires and motivations (Ezekiel 36:26-27: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws”). Because we know we are fully accepted by God, we are liberated to obey out of genuine affection and a desire to bring Him joy (Galatians 3:10-11). When we think we can win God’s approval through moral performance, and obedience becomes a crushing burden, then we are under law. When we learn Jesus has fulfilled the law for us and now we who believe in Him are secure in God’s love, then we naturally want to delight, resemble, and know the One who has done this. By grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we are born again to a God-honoring life, restored in the image of righteousness and holiness.
What is the purpose of a life saved and living by grace? In a word: holiness. When we fully embrace God’s grace for salvation and life, grace becomes the driving force behind the pursuit for holiness. A heart taken up with God’s grace can only be overpowered, conquered, and endeared to holiness. Paul says by God’s grace “we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (11 Corinthians 3:18). How does this happen? By freely turning to the law! Though Paul was not under the law he said, “I am not free from God’s law, but I am under Christ’s law” (1 Corinthians 9:21).The "law of Christ" is not a new set of rules, but the moral law of God radically fulfilled by Jesus. Rather than abolishing the law, Jesus completed its ultimate purpose, freeing Christians from relying on rule-keeping for salvation and empowering us to obey out of love for our Savior. Under the law (Law-relying): Using moral performance to earn God's approval, makes the law a crushing, impossible burden. Under Christ’s law (Law-obeying): Knowing Jesus has already fulfilled the law's demands on our behalf, the law is no longer an enemy, but a beautiful guide to freely living a life that pleases God. As the Puritan Walter Marshall beautifully said, "You need the comforts of the Gospel in order to fulfill the law."
Failing to see this leads to drifting toward "moralism" (the idea we must earn God's favor); or we never completely grasp who and what we are and have in Jesus through the Gospel. We must continually beat the Gospel into our heads and lives, because while living on this side of Heaven we remain in the “flesh” (our inherent human nature - the body as described in Romans 6 and 7), struggling with sin. Our struggle is not between a new heart and an old heart. The old self (Heart) has been crucified (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20). Our struggle is a battle between the new self (Heart) and the flesh (11 Corinthians 11:3: “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds (flesh - old self) may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (cf. Romans 8:13). These struggles are followed by Romans 8:1-4 where Paul says there is no condemnation to everyone who is in Jesus. In our struggles, we stand before God hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). God no longer sees us as we are in the flesh, but as we are in Jesus: forgiven (Ephesians 4:32), blessed (Ephesians 1:3), accepted and beloved (Ephesians 1:6), spotless (11 Peter 3:14), blameless and holy (Colossians 1:22), and righteous (II Corinthians 5:21). So, although in the flesh we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus than we ever dared hope – both at the very same time. This means the more we see our issues, struggles, and sins in light of the Gospel, and who we are in Jesus, the more valued and amazing God’s grace and the Gospel appears to us. On the other hand, the more aware we are of God’s grace and acceptance in Jesus, the more able we are to drop our denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of our sin. This is the meaning of Romans 2:4 where Paul says the kindness – grace – of God leads to repentance. Embracing this we are free to stop relying on our own performance to feel accepted, and to rest in God’s unearned grace.
Everything needed for salvation and life is accomplished by the finished work of Jesus (John 19:30). At the moment of salvation God takes us to the finish line and tells us we are there. We start the Christian life where Jesus finished. Verses, like 1 Corinthians 9:24 and Hebrews 12:1-2 are not describing the Christian life as a race we run to win. They are not suggesting we must cross the finish line to win the victory. Instead, we begin our race at the finish line where Jesus finished (John 19:30). We do not start from defeat, trying to get to victory. We start the race from the finish line; we go from victory to victory. We do not go from defeat to victory, or from trying to win to winning.We run the race from victory to victory. We run the race in light of the victory we already have in the finished work of Jesus. We run out of our secured victory rather than constantly trying to earn it. 1 Corinthians 15:57: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 8:37: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Proverbs 21:31: “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”
In the movie Ben Hur, the director wanted Charlton Heston - the star of the movie - to learn to drive the chariot himself, rather than just using a stunt double. Heston agreed to take chariot-driving lessons to make the movie as authentic as possible. Learning to drive a chariot with horses four abreast, however, was no small matter. After extensive work and days of practice, Heston returned to the movie set and reported, “I think I can drive the chariot all right, Cecil,” said Heston, “but I’m not at all sure I can actually win the race.” Smiling, the director said, “Heston, you just stay in the race, and I will make sure you win.” Through the means of grace - Bible study and reading, prayer, worship, the sacraments, confession and repentance - by the power of the Holy Spirit, we live out from the victory we already have in Jesus, through the Gospel, not for the victory. Many believe salvation is by faith, but it is by works that we run to victory and continue to earn and keep God’s love and acceptance. This is the teaching of religion. Religion says, “I obey; therefore, I’m accepted.” The Gospel says, “I am accepted; therefore, I obey. The Gospel says, “I obey God to get God – to delight in and resemble Him.” The truth is, the more we see Jesus and His love, His forgiveness, His abundant grace, and His righteousness purchased for us with His own blood, the more we will be transformed into His image.
This means God is never disappointed with us – even when we sin. Let this sink in: God can look at our sin through a "narrow lens" - where He is grieved by our sin - and simultaneously through a "wide-angle lens" - where He is infallibly working all things, including our failures, into His overarching redemptive plan. Understanding this security does not make us want to sin more. Instead, realizing God's plan is bigger than our failures create a deep sense of relief, gratitude, a desire to change an daily repentance. God is never surprised or caught off guard by our sin. He does not experience disappointment the way we do. Because of the perfect record and sacrifice of Jesus, God’s acceptance of us is unshakeable, and His love is not based on our performance. God's love for us, in Jesus, is based on what He did, not what we do; it cannot go up or down based on our daily failures. If we believe God is disappointed in us when we mess up, it often means we secretly believed God was pleased with us when we were "doing good." Both are incorrect; God's pleasure rests wholly in Jesus, in whom He is well pleased. When we sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us to draw us closer to repentance (the act whereby we see and experience afresh who we are in Jesus). Satan uses sin and condemnation to drive us away from God in shame and guilt. God knows us completely and with unrelenting affection. We never surprise Him when we do good or bad. God knew we were going to be messy. He knew we were going to be drawn to things we should not be drawn to. He knew we were going to stumble and fall. And yet, in Jesus, God delights in us. Psalm 103:10-13: “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” God is never frustrated with us. He grieves for us but not about us. God never regrets saving us. God is not waiting for some better version of us to love. This is the case because God never sees us apart from who we are in Christ – in whom He is well pleased (Matthew 3:17). As an early Church Father put it: “Behold the One [God] beholding you and smiling.”
Sadly, ministers have the habit of telling us all we need and must do to earn and keep God’s love and acceptance. We are told to do more, run faster, and pray harder. And yet, Jesus simply tells us, “Come to me and I will give you rest” – not something to do. The rest Jesus gives is not laziness; it is trust. It is acknowledging Jesus' finished work is enough. The Gospel is the "good news" of what has already been done for us by Jesus, rather than "good advice," telling us what we must do. Jesus’ invitation is a call to drop the heavy, exhausting burdens of self-justification, legalism, and the need to constantly prove our worth. This is good news for spiritual and religious workaholics who try to earn what they already have and are in Jesus by faith (1 Corinthians 15:10). Seeking to earn and gain what we already have and are in Jesus only creates fear, frustration, anger, pride, depression, and weariness. With so many programs, assignments, and standards there is no room or time for rest. The Gospel was never meant to be exhausting or frustrating. God wants our hearts not our behavior. God’s love is not conditional. Our love for God fluctuates but His love for us remains constant. Jeremiah 31:3: “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
Some will think this is too much emphasis on grace. Most Christians seem to think of God’s grace only in terms of His disposition, temperament, attitude, or the inclination to treat us better than we deserve. I still remember as a youth being taught grace was an acronym for “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” This is certainly true; but grace is also God’s power that changes things. God’s saving grace is also a living, constant, beautiful, powerful, and transformative presence in our lives. God’s grace, in addition to His inclination to act towards us in a certain way, is His active power or the influence or the force, which produces real, practical outcomes in our lives, enabling us to freely desire to do His will and obey His commands. In a survey 5,000 Christians from across the country were asked to give three definitions of the grace of God. Overwhelmingly, the top answers were forgiveness, salvation, a free gift, and the love of God. Less than two percent said God’s grace is empowerment. This indicates 98 percent of Christians are trying to live Godly and holy lives in their own strength and not by God’s grace. Grace is not merely unmerited favor or a license to sin, but also the divine empowerment that enables us to live in genuine obedience and transforms us through ongoing repentance (Titus 2:11-12; Romans 2:4). We must stop focusing on our sin.
Saved by grace alone, through faith alone, all we must do today and every day, until we die is to see continually, believe continually, and assure ourselves continually our obedience does makes us righteous, nor does our disobedience make us less righteous; for Jesus is our righteousness (11 Corinthians 5:21). If by faith, through the means of grace, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we believe and receive this truth, we will experience the victory in Jesus we already have. This is beautifully expressed in the chorus of the hymn Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus…Look full in His wonderful face…And the things of earth will grow strangely dim… In the light of His glory and grace” (Hebrews 12:2).
Tom Anderson
We Are Family
A year or so ago I gave a DNA swab to Ancestory.com. My family tree that I once thought very short can now be traced back to early 17th century England on both sides of my family. I now receive notifications about 2nd and 3rd cousins who before I never knew existed and know my unique genetic DNA traits for ticklishness, earlobes, and aversion to cilantro.
This past weekend, I travelled to Boston with Susan and my youngest daughter. While there, I visited a local, Bible-believing church, in the very center of American cultural liberalism, for Sunday worship. About 75% of the congregation was of Asian descent. Although most of the Church did not look like me, they worshiped just like we do—sang the same hymns with heart, repeated the Lord’s Prayer with meaning and conviction. I introduced myself to the visiting preacher, and we immediately made several connections—he did post-graduate work at the U of A, had come to the Lord in Florida, and became a church planter through Spanish River, the same church where Peter Bartuska had previously been on staff. What a small world.
At Grace Church, we are a family of faith. While we could always do more, in my humble opinion, we do a pretty good job of acting out what it means to be a family of faith through caring and praying for one another. Every loss, win, disappointment, or joy is shared by Grace Church’s members. But this weekend made me think about this “family of faith” concept differently. In my shallow way of thinking, I always focused on the “household” of “family” as Grace Church. However, our “family” is much larger than that.
In 1 John 1: 7, we read, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Our “DNA”—that is, our identity—is in Jesus Christ, and we share that “DNA” with all those who believe and put their trust in him. We are all members of a very large family, we have cousins living all over the world, and we can trace our family tree back to not just a few hundred years, but two thousand years! We are connected to our brothers and sisters in Christ by the same family characteristics, those same “DNA” traits—the truth that we are loved, chosen, redeemed, and forgiven.
Given that we are one family, how does that change our way of thinking? For me, it means intentionally remembering to focus outward rather than always inward toward Grace Church, praying for my fellow believers who are in need or being prosecuted, and exploring ways to connect to my fellow believers locally, nationally, and abroad. As I get older, visiting family members always brings me joy. While my family is not very good at it, I always enjoy a family reunion. Can you just imagine that great family reunion to come? Lord come quickly. Come, Lord Jesus!
Carter Dukes
A Good Question
Two weeks ago, while returning from Latin America, a cancelled flight forced me to spend an unexpected night. At sunrise the next morning, a driver arrived to take me to the airport. He quietly explained that another passenger would be riding with us—a jefe, a boss. When the man approached the vehicle, he looked as though he had stepped out of central casting for a new Netflix series:combed-back hair, a mustache, and tattoos. During the drive I asked what he did for a living. With a slight smile he replied, "I have special employment. Think of me as an entrepreneur."
He asked why I had been there. I didn’t want to provide personal information, so I talked, generally and somewhat vaguely, about missional and non-profit work. Without providing names or details, I described a mission project that Grace Church has supported for several years. I talked about a minister and his wife who founded a school for children born into poverty. I described faithful believers devoting themselves to helping those children who otherwise would have little hope.
He listened carefully before asking, "Why do you do it?You know you're not going to fix poverty. Those children will still be poor after you leave. Doesn't it seem foolish to you?"
It was an honest question. As we talked, I noticed he wore a cross around his neck. So, I asked, “If you really believe what you just said, why do you wear that cross?" For the first time, he hesitated. "My mother is a Christian," he answered. "She prays that I will live... and that one day I'll lead a different life. But I believe what I told you. I don't think Christian groups accomplish much." I replied simply, "Then take off the cross if you truly believe that. But if you won't, ask yourself why you still need to wear it."
When we reached the airport, he tapped me on the shoulder. "I've been thinking about your question," he said. "It's a good question."
I've reflected on that conversation since returning home. In one sense, he wasn't wrong. Christian mission teams travel throughout the world every day. Poverty remains. Hunger remains. Violence remains. If success is measured only by solving every human problem, Christianity can seem futile. But that has never been the measure.
Christians believe that with the coming of Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God entered history. It has not yet reached its fullness, but it has begun. Every act of mercy, every undeserved kindness, every meal shared with the hungry, every word of forgiveness, every sacrifice made in Christ's name is a small glimpse of that coming Kingdom.
We forgive not because wrongs cease to matter, but because bitterness slowly imprisons the one who refuses to forgive. We love people who may never deserve it because hatred eventually consumes the person who carries it. We serve those who cannot repay us because Christ first served us when we could offer Him nothing. These choices do not always change the world immediately. They do, however, change us.
We are all tempted to cling to resentment, pursue greed and surrender to fear. But this path slowly overtakes us, becoming a form of hell where we grasp our own chains. Christ offers another way—a truly better life. The Christian hope is not merely a better way to die someday, but a better way to live today.
Yes, following Christ can appear foolish. Loving enemies seems impractical. Forgiveness can appear weak. Serving the poor may seem like pouring water into an endless ocean. Yet Christians have always understood that faithfulness is different from worldly success. We are called to bear witness to God's Kingdom, not to complete it. That work belongs to Christ Himself.
Perhaps that is why I think about the man in the car. He dismissed Christian hope as ineffective, yet he still wore the cross. Somewhere beneath the life he had chosen, he knew he still needed what the cross represents.
And perhaps that is true of all of us. Whether we recognize it or not, we all need the cross.
In Christ,
Mort Taylor
Man In The Mirror
James 1:22-25
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Our eleven-year-old, Henry, has entered one of life’s phases. He has started to ask advice for hair products, facial cleansers, and workout routines. This development is a deviation from the forced showers and haircuts that we are used to experiencing. However, at some point in each of our adolescences, the visage in the mirror fails to meet the benchmark set by young teens across the world. I think we can all relate to those “precious” years of puberty when we looked in the mirror and did not like what we saw. We did not meet the standard set by the latest idol or heartthrob gracing the magazine covers. Therefore, like Henry, we immediately set to work remedying the ruin that hormones, genetics, and hygiene so unfairly wrecked upon our reflection.
Our Wednesday Bible study is in the midst of Exodus, specifically the ten commandments. God’s law being presented to the Israelites following their deliverance, so essential to their relationship with the Lord, poses challenges in an era defined by Grace through Jesus Christ. The law presents a confusing piece of our spiritual development; we seemingly have to walk a precarious ridge between Godly obedience, yet not leaning too much on our own works for salvation. To this, God delivers a helpful metaphor through James in describing the law as a mirror.
Just as God’s will is revealed in the law (especially the moral law), so is our own spiritual condition. Our very imperfect image against the “perfect law” exposes our need for grace and demands a reaction. A toddler who looks in the mirror, seeing the mud on his face, laughs carelessly, and moves along. A teenager believes in the higher power of popularity, however falsely, and seeks to please the opinions of others by pursuing perfection in their image. Of course, we never obtain that perfection, and over emphasizing its pursuit is misguided. Ultimately, we each long to find someone who overlooks our bad haircut, ignores this week’s breakout, and does not care that our outfit is outdated. If we find that person, how blessed we are! And if that person bought us a shirt that “looks good on you”, how disrespectful it would be to keep it forever on a hanger.
Christ died for us in our awkward phase, the mirror’s reflection stained in sin. Yet we are given something to help clean up our look. John Calvin wrote, “It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone.” The law is a gift, a diagnostic tool, given by God, so that our faith journey is not without compass. We are given the knowledge of how to please the one who accepted us despite our horridness. We can embrace obedience, knowing that doing so is pleasing the one who loves us most. We will experience the joy of the Spirit, as those old “guilty-pleasure” outfits are thrown away, replaced with the robes of obedience that never fall out of style.
In Christ,
Thomas Goodrich
Kintsugi
Kintsugi is the Japanese art form of repairing and displaying broken pottery. Instead of hiding the flaws, or discarding the pottery altogether, the broken pieces are carefully reassembled and rejoined via lacquer, dusted with a precious metal, such as gold, silver or platinum. The point is not to conceal the damage, but actually highlight the cracks and fractures, celebrating it as an intrinsic aspect of the object’s history, which offers a unique and even more beautiful appearance. Through this process, the pottery becomes a transformed vessel, more valuable, not less, because it has been broken yet redeemed.
We, ourselves, are vessels of Kintsugi. We live in this juxtaposition as God’s amphibians, creatures of spirit and flesh; being created in His image (Gen. 1:27) yet fallen (Gen. 3:1-24). While sin cast us from the Garden, we were not beyond redemption, just beyond self-repair (Rom. 3:23). As the Kintugi artist, through Christ, God does not discard us. He redeems and restores us, not by erasing our scars, but by transforming them into testimonies of grace: “But he said tome, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Cor. 12:9). Like the gold-infused fractures in the Kintsugi pottery, our past sins and present struggles, when met with grace, become markers of God’s mercy and power, not shame (Rom. 8:1; 1 Tim. 1:15-16).
This image of a broken yet redeemed vessel resonates with how the Bible describes our lives in Christ. Paul offers this contrast by proposing that while we are freed from sin (Rom. 6:18), we are also sold under sin (Rom.7:14). We are, as Paul writes, both “wretched man” and “redeemed by Christ” (Rom. 7:24–25). We still struggle within—Paul confesses he often does what he hates (Rom. 7:15)—yet we are also being sanctified, reshaped by the grace of God. The cracks remain visible, but they are now filled with the mercy of Christ. The Reformed tradition affirms this paradox: we are simul justus et peccator—simultaneously justified and sinful. Though we are declared righteous in Christ, we still wrestle with the flesh.
We can see this in ourselves as individuals, but what does this mean for us, collectively, within the church, as a community of believers? Perhaps it means that we do not expect perfection from one another (1 John 1:8). In fact, we know we will miss the mark; what we agree upon is where to aim. We bear with one another and forgive each other (Col. 3:13), as Christ forgave us. We stir one another up to love and good works, not through guilt or legalism, but through encouragement and shared hope(Heb. 10:24-25). The beauty of the church is not in its perfection, but in its Redeemer. We are an art gallery of Kintsugi vessels—each of us cracked, but mended by Christ’s grace. The gold that fills our fractures is not our righteousness, but His.
As we worship, serve and grow together, let us see each other through the eyes of the Master Craftsman: not defined by our brokenness, but through the beauty of redemption is working in us all.
In Christ,
Mort Taylor
Quenching Your Thirst
The first time I ever remember being really thirsty is still clearly etched in my mind. I was a young boy, and I had been playing a little league baseball game. I was absolutely parched after the game, so my dad gave me enough money to buy a soft drink at the concession stand. When I got to the stand, I noticed how good the chocolate caramel candy looked, so I used the money I had to buy candy instead of a soft drink.
On the way home, I got an unwelcome surprise. Not only was my mouth dry, but it was stuck together from my lips to my throat. I thought I would surely die before I got home. I couldn’t even swallow. Can you imagine how good that water tasted when I got to it? I considered how before that, I thought water was tasteless, but it surely tasted sweet on that particular evening.
You can’t quench thirst with candy; I learned that the hard way. But we as people also have a spiritual type of thirst. Specifically, we crave a personal relationshipwith God, and no substitute will quench that thirst. This need is a craving more deep than physical thirst, although we often don’t recognize it as such.
In John 4, Jesus met a woman with this spiritual longing for God. We find that she had tried to substitute other things to quench it, like several relationships with men and religion. It hadn’t worked. Jesus told this woman that he had the solution to her deepest longings, which included her thirst for personal relationship with God. She responded, and her life was forever changed.
As people, we often substitute many things in an attempt to fill that void that we all experience. It may be relationships, overeating, drugs, workaholism – you name it. But only a personal relationship with God can fill that void.
Chocolate caramel candy doesn’t quench thirst; only water does. Likewise, nothing else fills our deepest spiritual longings except communion with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus accomplished all that was needed for people to enjoy endless, perfect, unbroken fellowship with God because of what we celebrated last week during Holy Week: Jesus’ death on the cross to endure the judgment we deserved so we could be declared fully forgiven and righteous before God, his resurrection in power to confirm all he is and all he accomplished, and his ascension to serve as our constant advocate in the heavenly places. Eternal life and adoption into God’s family forever are God’s gifts through Christ, and that personal family relationship with God is the only thing that will truly quench our spiritual thirst.
May we drink freely and enjoy, because of God’s immeasurable gift in Christ.
Yours in Christ,
Chris Heinss
It Is Finished
At my core, I naturally drift towards a “works based” belief in salvation. That is, I don’t “deserve” salvation unless I have earned it. To me, life is just a big balance sheet of “debits” on the left and “credits” on the right. This flows over to every facet of my life. Not sure anyone else can relate, but I become anxious when I go out to dinner with friends, and we “split” the bill. If I order a salad and my friend did not, I make a mental note that I am now indebted to my friend for the wedge salad that I ordered. And if I never repay that “debt,” I feel guilty. It is a horrible way to live.
As we turn our focus to the cross this Holy Week, let us recall the last words of Jesus on the cross as recorded by the apostle John: “It is finished” (John 19:30). With this simple, three-word cry, Jesus declares that there is nothing more to be done concerning our salvation. “It is finished” affirms that Jesus’ work on the cross was sufficient and effective—once and for all time. “It is finished” are words of comfort for people like me who are burdened by the guilt of their imperfect lives (that is, all the “debits” of sin on the balance sheet of life that can never be offset by the too few “credits” of good works). “It is finished” means that Christ on the cross paid in full the penalty we deserved for our sins.
One of my favorite “theologian/pastors,” Ben Lacy Rose put it this way: “The check that Jesus wrote in His blood on Calvary had my name written on it—and yours too if you believe His Word. On the Day of Judgment (and there surely will be such a day), there will be a Bill of Indictment against me. All my sins will be listed there; and it will be a long list! But since Calvary, there has been written across the face of my bill: PAID IN FULL. ***** Because of the atonement wrought by Christ on Calvary, my salvation is forever settled and sure; and so is yours, if you believe in God’s Word. So, we do not wonder what will happen to us at Judgment. We can say with Paul, “There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). That is good news! That is the heart of the Gospel! With that confidence we can go on our way rejoicing!”
In sum, before I even sat down to the table to eat, Jesus paid the tab for me. My faith in the finished atonement (that he has already paid the bill) is all the saving faith necessary to await that heavenly banquet. “It is finished.” What blessed assurance!
In Christ,
Carter Dukes