Tag: cross

The Shepherd's Voice

The Image of God

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

We’re continuing our series on the fundamentals of the faith. Today we turn to humanity, being made in the image of God.

God created humanity in His image. Adam and Eve were literal people who fell from their position of innocence into sin because of disobedience. Because of that, the whole creation has been contaminated by sin, and every human born since then, save Christ, has inherited a sinful nature, desiring to live independently of God and being hostile to the ways of God. Without Christ, humans are dead in sin, without hope, and in danger of spending eternity apart from God. However, anyone who places faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved, regenerated and changed.

Genesis 1:26-27 tells us, Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Like many subjects of the Bible, the subject of humanity (men and women) sparks debate—both within and outside the church. Besides the whole evolution debate, there are questions in the church regarding the place of women in ministry. But…. we will not attempt to answer those questions. Instead, we will discuss the foundational truth that the Bible teaches concerning humanity, and draw out some implications.

First, we must realize that humankind is a special creation of God. Contrary to the evolutionary view (still trying to find the missing link), men and woman were created by God and especially for God (not that God has needs, but He created humanity for His specific purpose). We consider humanity a special creation of God because, being created on the sixth day, they are the crowning act of His creation. It was only after He created Adam and Eve that God declared creation “very” good. In addition, of all His creation, humanity is the only part of creation said to have been created in Him image and given the breath of life (thus giving humans a soul).

Speaking of His image…..

Second, Adam and Eve were created in His image. No, they weren’t divine (and neither are we, for that matter). Created in the image of God means that firstly they were created with the ability to connect with God spiritually and live in community. Secondly it means that they were created with the ability to reason and choose; they were free moral agents (meaning they were not compelled or coerced into making a choice).

Third, Adam and Eve were created in innocence. At the time of creation, they were neither sinful nor righteous. The text of Genesis makes it clear that they did not know what evil was, or that such a thing even existed. The declaration of Genesis 2:25 (the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed) speaks of that innocence. Another indication is Satan’s declaration to Eve that she would “be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). What he spoke was the truth, as God confirmed: Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:22). Adam and Eve had no need to know what good or evil was. They simply lived in dependence on God in a state of innocence.

Fourth, Adam and Eve fell into sin when they disobeyed God. Even though they were created in innocence, God had still given them the command not to eat of the tree of good and evil. When they broke that command, they fell into sin—and died. Not physically at that moment, but spiritually, in that they were cut off from God. Their first reaction was to hide, their second was to try to fix it on their own (the fig leaf incident), and the third reaction was to blame everyone else. That is the nature of the sinful heart: Do it myself. Make life work for me apart from God. Enlist others to cooperate with me, and blame them if it doesn’t work. The key point here, however, is that they were dead in sin from the moment they sinned, and their sin affected all of creation—including their descendants. And, incidentally, they (and their descendants) lost the ability to choose to do right. They became slaves to their sinful heart.

But God…..  He had a plan to redeem His creation. He sent Jesus who died on the cross and rose again. His death and resurrection made it possible to reverse the effects of the fall:

We now have full access to God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus has removed the barrier, torn the veil.

We have a new heart and a new spirit that are inclined toward God instead of turned away from Him.

We are being restored to His image fully (mankind never truly lost the image of God; it was, however, marred by sin).

Here are a few implications of the these thoughts:

First, men and woman have always been and will always be on equal footing. The order of authority that God established has nothing to do with superiority or inferiority. And it also has nothing to do with the Fall. To teach otherwise misrepresents to truth of the Bible.

Second, all are still image-bearers of God and have value in His sight. In fact, God thinks you are so valuable that He paid the ultimate price to have you! (In case you didn’t know, value is what someone else would pay for something or someone). As such, all are due the same dignity and honor. To ridicule, insult or otherwise defame one who carries the image of God (even a distorted one) is a slap in the face of their Creator. The saying is true: Love the sinner, hate the sin.

Third, contrary opinions aside, all without Christ are lost in sin. There will be no second chance. Once you take that last breath, it’s over. No spending 40 million years in purgatory. It’s either heaven or hell. Only the grace of Christ can save mankind. Trying to be good enough just won’t cut the mustard.  Why? Because even if you scored 99% on God’s test, you still fail! His passing mark is 100%. You’d have to be perfect! And there’s only been One to achieve that mark. Fortunately, though, He did achieve that mark. Because He did, He invites all to come to Him. Discover new life. Discover eternal life.

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Heart of the Matter

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

So far in our series on the fundamentals of the faith, we have examined God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Now we turn to the nature of sin.

Sin exists in the world because of the fall of Adam and Eve. Sin is more than outward behavior or disobedience to God’s commandments. At its core, sin is the desire of humanity to live independently of God. At the core of the unregenerate person lies the Sinful Heart, a heart turned from God and turned toward self. At the core of the believer is the Spiritual Heart, a heart inclined to God and desiring to obey Him.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it (Jeremiah. 17:9).

And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after (Numbers 15:39).

What is sin, and where does it come from?  Ask a child, and he or she will tell you plainly, “Sin is when you do bad things.” For many years, this understanding of sin has pervaded the church. Sin is any violation of God’s law, whether intentional or unintentional. While sin is certainly that, the Bible paints a much broader picture than that.

First, sin begins in the heart. Jesus made it clear when He told the Pharisees that out of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12-34-35). Likewise, the act of hatred, murder and adultery all begin in the heart (Matthew 6:21-28). The implication of that, of course, is that sin doesn’t stay in the heart. Sin will find it’s way out, to dwell in our thoughts, words and actions.

Second, if what Jesus said about the heart and trees bearing fruit after their kind is true, then it follows that the heart of sinful men is sinful. At the core of the unregenerate man is a heart turned toward self. Self seeks its own good, not the good of others, and certainly not the things of God. Paul has another phrase for this: “being in the flesh” (Romans 8:8). He makes it clear that such people cannot please God. To use a well-known saying, they just don’t have it in them.

Under the New Covenant, God has promised to give His people “a new heart and a new Spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Further, He promised that this new heart would cause His people to walk in His way. He described the transformation as replacing the heart of stone with a heart of flesh. Thus, God was talking about a fundamental change in the nature of His people.

“If that’s true,” you may ask, “then shouldn’t the believer with the new heart be able to walk in God’s ways?” I’m glad you asked that question. We know that our new heart is indeed inclined to obey God. That is one of the strongest personal evidences for the assurance of salvation. If a person says, “I’m a Christian,” yet has no desire to obey the Lord, what might Jesus say about that? Something to ponder.

The answer to the earlier question, though, is a word we mentioned earlier: the flesh. Though the Sinful Heart has been removed and replaced with the Spiritual Heart, what’s left behind is the flesh. The flesh is that part of a person programmed to live independently of God. The flesh, as Paul defines it, resides in the mind (hence the instructions in Romans 12:1-2). The mind has been thoroughly programmed by the heart, so much so that “when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand” (Romams 7:21). The question then becomes how one overcomes sin (which we’ll get to in the future).

At its core, sin is far deeper than flouting God’s laws and decrees. Sin, in its most basic form is embracing the lie that independence from God is freedom and life. As believers, we must reject that lie and embrace the truth that Jesus Christ is freedom and life.

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Reality of Jesus

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Continuing on in our look at the core truths of the faith, we come now to Jesus. Now, we have talked about Him a lot previously. Specifically, though, we have discussed His being both God and Man as well as the purpose for which he came.

(Listen to the podcast “The Centerpiece of the Gospel: Jesus,” or read the blogs “Jesus: Son of God,” “Jesus: Son of Man,” and “Jesus: Our Rescuer” for more details.) Now, however, we are going to bring out a few pints that are important to understanding who He is. Our statement about Jesus says:

Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity. He is fully God, and having been born of the Virgin Mary, also fully man. He was born, lived a perfect life before God and people, died on a cross, and rose from the dead. His death and resurrection secured salvation for those who turn to Him in faith. Jesus will return in bodily form in the future to fulfill the Davidic Covenant and rule the nations.

The Apostle Paul tells us:

I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

First, Jesus was and is an historical Person. Even scholars who hold no Christian beliefs acknowledge that Jesus lived. His life is well-documented, even outside of the pages of Scripture. The disagreements, however, lie in the claims that Christians make about Him. Thus, we see movements such as the Historical Jesus movement, which seek to undermine the credibility of Scripture and thus His Person and Work.

Second, Jesus claimed to be God incarnate. He made these claims both implicitly and expressly. We read in John 8:58, Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”  The question must be asked, “What did Jesus mean by this? The two candidates that are the leading possibilities are 1) Jesus simply meant that He was older than Abraham (i.e., He was born before Abraham and continued living); and 2) Jesus meant that He was the I AM, the Self-Existent One, thus calling Himself God. The reaction of the Jewish leaders is a good indication of what they thought He meant. We read in verse 59, So they picked up stones to throw at him. Now, if Jesus did not intend to make a claim to be God, He could have stopped right there and corrected the misunderstanding!

Third, not only did He claim to be God, but He proved the truth of His claim by rising from the dead. This is the linchpin. This seals the deal. Either Jesus rose from the dead (in which case everything else He said is true), or He didn’t (in which case why would I believe anything He said?)  Many opponents of Christ recognize that this claim is the central truth of the Gospel. Without the resurrection, we have nothing. Paul is right when he told the Corinthians,

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:13-19).

This is a masterful argument, and one we must take seriously. At the risk of repeating myself, if Jesus rose from the dead, then everything else He said was true (because He predicted He would die and rise from the dead). And if Jesus rose from the dead, then there is hope for the future. Without the resurrection, we have no hope; we are still in our sins. And Paul finishes his argument with a single sentence:  But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (verse 20). Thus, no matter what struggles we go through, no matter what pain we experience, we have hope. Life need not be a drudgery on the way to the grave, because Jesus whispers in all of our hearts, “I have overcome death, and in me so have you.”  That is the centerpiece of the Gospel.

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Fundamentals of the Faith

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“How can you support that person/group?” This question is heard often in Christian circles. So many churches and groups have sprung up with such wide-ranging views that it’s often difficult to determine just what makes one “a Christian.” Do you have to believe in baptism by immersion? Do you have to keep the Sabbath? Is it okay to drink wine? Is it necessary to believe that Jesus really rose from the dead? That and many more questions are out there.

In this series, we will try to determine what might be called the “fundamental” truths of the Gospel. At the core, what are those tenets that are essential to the faith? While not claiming to be the final authority on the matter, I would like to suggest these seven truths are at the center.

  1. God:  There is one God, existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All are equally divine, only their functions are different. When referring to “God” it is possible to refer to the Father singly or all three jointly. God is merciful, gracious, perfect, and holy. 
  2. Jesus: Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity. He is fully God, and having been born of the Virgin Mary, also fully man. He was born in the flesh, lived a perfect life before the Father and people, died on a cross, and rose from the dead. His death and resurrection secured salvation for those who turn to Him in faith. Jesus will return in bodily form in the future to fulfill the Davidic Covenant and rule the nations.
  3. The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. The Spirit is to be referred to as “He” or “Him,” not “it,” since He, like the Father and Jesus, is a personal being. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, assures of salvation, speaks the words of Christ, regenerates the sinner, and dwells in the believer, empowering him for service by giving spiritual gifts.
  4. Sin:  Sin exists in the world because of the fall of Adam and Eve. Sin is more than outward behavior or disobedience to God’s commandments. At its core, sin is the desire of humanity to live independently of God. At the core of the unregenerate person lies the Sinful Heart, a heart turned from God and turned toward self.
  5. Humanity: God created humanity in His image. Adam and Eve were literal people who fell from their position of innocence into sin because of disobedience. Because of that, the whole creation has been contaminated by sin, and every human born since then has inherited a sinful nature, desiring to live independently of God and being hostile to the ways of God. Without Christ, humans are dead in sin, without hope, and in danger of spending eternity apart from God. However, anyone who places faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved, regenerated and changed.
  6. Salvation: Salvation is secured by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. No other act (including baptism or keeping the law) can save a man, and failure to perform any other act (including baptism) will not condemn a man. Salvation includes forgiveness of sin, the reception of a new heart and spirit, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee or deposit of final salvation.
  7. The Church:  The Church (also known as the Bride and Body of Christ) consists of all true believers who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. While local congregations may vary in size, makeup, and style, the worldwide church is one in spirit and is to strive for unity in the truth of the Gospel.

You’ll notice that there is a lot of room for discussion beyond those seven items. Several previous posts have addressed, at least to an extent, many of these topics (and if you haven’t read previous posts, this would be a good time to do so). If you disagrees with these seven items, then I would encourage you to examine your thinking behind the disagreement. If you think something else should be included, why should it? If you think that something that has been listed is not all that essential, then let’s do some more thinking about that.

This list doesn’t suggest that other topics aren’t important. How a believer lives his life is vitally important. The New Testament gives a great deal of practical instruction on what a follower of Christ should “look like.” But, behavior springs from beliefs, identity, attitudes and goals, not the other way around. Jesus never bars the door to those who believed otherwise. He was not afraid of engagement, and neither should we be. Though we do not know the whole of the truth as He does, we can, with honest conversation and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, discern what is the truth. (If you need an example, read Acts 15.) Beyond that, we must also realize that there really are areas of conviction and conscience that are better addressed by the guidelines of Romans 14–but to be clear, these are never universal moral issues, nor are they issues concerning the fundamentals of the Gospel.

In the end, we must give and receive grace, while clinging to the Gospel, if we are to see the lost come to Christ. For they will remember either the grace and love we show, or the division, bitterness and anger. Personally, I prefer they remember the former.

Stay tuned….

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The Shepherd's Voice

Come Just As You Are–Or Not at All

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In Second Chronicles 30, we read an amazing story of celebrating the Passover.  What makes this story interesting is that neither Israel (the northern kingdom after the split) nor Judah (the southern kingdom) had celebrated the Passover in a long time. Passover was a big deal. It was instituted by God on the very night that Israel would be delivered from the Egyptians. They were commanded to keep this feast every year. But, like so many other things, that eventually fell by the wayside–especially after the kingdom split after the death of Solomon.

Then along came King Hezekiah in Judah. The first thing he did was cleanse the Temple, which had been polluted by idols and fallen into disrepair. He ordered the priest and Levites to cleanse themselves according to the Law, and restart Temple worship. He was a man dedicated to obeying the commands of God. So, Hezekiah took the next step. He called for a celebration of the Passover. We read,

Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month—for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly (2 Chronicles 30:1-4).

So, the king decided to keep the Passover, but he started off on a bad note. The priests and people had not consecrated themselves in time, so they decided to move the Passover to the second month of the year (the Passover was to be celebrated on the 14th day of the first month). Strike one?

Why did they choose to suddenly observe the Passover? The decree makes it quite plain:  O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria (verse 6). It was a call to return to the Lord, that He may return to them. Whatever their failings, Hezekiah reminded the people of this:  For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him (verse 9). It is God’s nature to be gracious and merciful and to bend His ear and heart to those who seek Him.

Not many people from the northern kingdom of Israel attended. Most laughed at Judah’s proclamation! Strike two?  But… some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem (verse 11). They “humbled themselves.” That is what attracts God’s attention.

Then we read this:   For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. . . . For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed (verses 17 and 18). So they, celebrated the Passover at the wrong time, didn’t get a lot of support, and ate the Passover while ritually unclean! Strike three?

Something must have happened, because they weren’t killed or cut off from before the Lord. What happened is that Hezekiah offered a heartfelt prayer to the God he knew to be gracious: May the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness (verse 19) How did God respond? One simple sentence: And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people (verse 20).

Now, the question may be asked, “Of what did God heal the people?” The answer is obvious. He healed them of their uncleanness. They turned to Him in faith, believing that He is good and gracious, and He made up for their deficiencies. He restored them to a right standing with Himself. It is a picture of the New Covenant. Why is this story important to us? Today we are still so apt to try to get our lives right before coming to God. We are taught that sin is a barrier between us and God–even those of us who are Christians and have had our sin forgiven.

What if, just what if, that were not quite the case? What if, instead of standing on the other side of some sin barrier waiting for us to repent of our sin and get right, God is actually standing with us giving us His perspective on our sin? Jesus met the woman at the well where she was. He met the sinners and the tax collectors where they were. He wasn’t afraid to get His hands dirty, so to speak. Why should it be any different now?

If that perspective is true, then it changes everything! We are polluted with sin, and NOTHING we can do on our own can change that. We can’t cleanse ourselves. He must do it for us. Do you think He heard and responded to Hezekiah’s prayer because Hezekiah was super-spiritual, had his act together? No. He inclined His ear and heart because, as Hezekiah said, He is good and gracious.

We have forgotten the heartbeat of the Gospel. Jesus came to save sinners, those who know they are in need of Him. And He comes to meet us where we are: no matter where we are. As the old hymn says:

Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me
And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee
O Lamb of God, I come! I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind;
Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
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The Shepherd's Voice

God Came Near

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“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which means, God with us (Matt. 1:21-23, ESV).

This passage is perhaps one of the best-known, most quoted passages at Christmas. Great songs have been written about it. And yet, so few truly understand its meaning or implications. For centuries the Jews had waited for Messiah to come and liberate them from their captors. They expected Messiah to come as a conquering King and re-establish the throne of David. This, however, is not what Jesus came to do in His first advent. What Jesus came to do is something humans have tried to do for millennia and have been unable–bring God near.

Mankind has always tried to reach God by human effort ever sense Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden. Though several in the Old Testament were said to have walked with God, He was still far away from most people because of both their sin and the sacrificial system of the day. People in general could not be said to know God, and few believed that He knew or noticed them. Of course God is all-knowing; He knows all things, even my heart. But it’s easy to wonder, as many must have, if He really noticed them among the other more “important” things.

Jesus came to correct that misunderstanding. Not only does God know me–everything about me, mind you–but He also understands me. Jesus experienced the temptations, loneliness, hurt, and rejection that we have all felt (though we may not admit it). It’s ironic that these pains are often felt most during the Christmas season–the very time when God came near. He didn’t stop, however, with living as one of us and experiencing life as we experience it. He made a way for the very Spirit of God to dwell inside us! God came up with that plan as the ultimate way to remind us, “I am with you, and you are not alone.” He whispers that to the woman who sits on a church pew surrounded by people, but feels alone and empty. He whispers it to the man who opens gifts with his family, seeing everyone laugh and have fun, but feeling alone and empty inside. He whispers to the busy pastor and mother and businessman. If only we would turn our hearts to Him and listen. The season is not about Santa or giving gifts, or even family being together (though those are good things).Christmas is about when God broke through the veil and drew near to His people, never to leave them lonely again.

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Gospel of Life

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What was the purpose of Jesus coming to earth, dying, and being raised from the dead? Was it only so that we could have a ticket to heaven? We’ve already said, in previous posts, that there is much more to the gospel than that. Jesus declared to the people, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10, ESV). Jesus came so that His sheep would have life. What did He mean by that? What kind of life has He promised those who trust in Him?

It’s not a life where all of our troubles vanish.  He told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33, emphasis added). It is, however, a life where we learn to joyfully see Him work in us and others in the midst of our tribulations. In our old life, before we were saved, we lived for ourselves; we managed our own lives. Like a child trying to be independent, we often said, “I do it myself!” That, more than the outward behaviors we often focus on, is really the heart of the sinful nature. We went through life trying to avoid the pain of life, or at least to minimize it. To admit we felt pain was seen to be weakness to our stubborn independent heart. That was the old life.

What has changed since Christ rescued us? We often have the same struggles. We still feel the pain of life’s hurts. The difference is that Christ now invites us to turn to Him in those struggles instead of trying to live independently. In the midst of those struggles we can have peace and joy, as we learn that He is really that good, that He would give everything to have us. We see the depth of our own sinfulness and then look into His eyes and still see that welcoming gaze. And as we receive His gaze, He invites us to allow Him to cleanse and change us.

Like many concepts in the Bible, eternal life is twofold:  now and then. Eternal life certainly means that we will no longer be separated from God and will spend eternity with Him. That is the then. However, eternal life is also for now. Eternal life speaks of the quality of life that we experience here. Eternal life, however, is not characterized by a trouble-free life (at least not until we are home). Jesus said we would have trouble in this life, but He also told us not to worry (Matt. 6:25-34). Is it possible to have unshakable peace, unspeakable joy, and unwavering faith in the midst of life’s problems? Absolutely. But to experience those things, we must experience life’s problems. We are going to experience them anyway, with or without Christ. Personally, I prefer to do so with Christ.

What does it mean to turn to Christ in the midst of trials? Are we supposed to be passive, as in the phrase “let go and let God”? Christ never calls us to passivity. The gospel is never against effort. It is, however, against earning. There are things that we do, and then He does what only He can, just as when He turned the water in to wine (John 2:1-11). On the other hand, it is also not a case of “God helps those who help themselves” (no, it’s not in there, for those of you looking for it). The Lord is drawn to those who are humble, weak and needy, not those who can “help themselves.”

What He desires most of us, however, is that we trust Him with ourselves. Turning to Christ means that we place ourselves at His feet and listen for His voice. He has told us that He is in control, that He takes care of His people, and that He is good. We acknowledge that, and do as He directs. While it is tempting to try and pray our way out of a problem, our real prayer should be that He does His work in us. He will bring us through it in His time as we allow Him to do so. 

As we experience His presence, peace, and joy in the midst of trials, that is the life that Jesus came to give us. He wanted us to have it so much that He gave His life that we could have His life.

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The Shepherd's Voice

The Gospel in the Old Testament

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When Jesus came to earth preaching the Gospel, He wasn’t preaching a message that was unknown to the Jews. Centuries before, several Old Testament prophets had predicted that God would usher in a new way of doing things. In fact, the Gospel really started off in the promise that God made to Abram.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).

The end of this promise is what we want to focus on. Abram was told that in (or through) him, “all the families of the earth” would be blessed. Not only would the Jews be blessed, but all people. This is really the seed of the Gospel. So you see, the Gospel goes way back, even before the formation of the nation of Israel. That is why Paul argues that the law cannot overthrow the promise. The promise was given first. But I digress….

As anyone who has ever studied Israel’s history knows, she consistently was unable to keep the Law as given by the Lord. Because of that, Israel suffered judgment after judgment and eventually exile. The Lord continually pleaded through the prophets for Israel to return to Him, but she would not. Finally, the Lord spoke through Jeremiah:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:31-34).

This is often popularly called the New Covenant. In addition, the Lord spoke through the prophet Ezekiel about this New Covenant:

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. . . . And you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses (Ezek. 36:25-29).

Many things in these two passages are indeed part of the gospel. To summarize these promises, we have:

  • A new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). The believer now has a heart and spirit that are inclined toward God instead of being hostile to Him.
  • The law written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). The commands of God are now part of our nature instead of being external standards.
  • The Holy Spirit within us (Ezekiel 36:27). Not only do we have a heart that longs to obey, and the law now part of our nature, but we also have God’s Spirit inside us to teach us and help us to obey. Though many Israelites were said to walk with God, none were ever said to have the Spirit within them!
  • Personal relationship with the Lord (Jeremiah 31:34). The Lord promises that everyone, “from the least to the greatest” will know Him. Indeed they will have His very Spirit inside them!

One final thought is in order, and it is very important when talking about the New Covenant. This may shock you. It is a one-sided covenant. Just as God made an unconditional promise to Abram, these promises are unconditional. There is no “If you will . . . I will . . .” There is only the repeated phrase, “I will . . . .” There is nothing that we have to contribute to our salvation. Even the faith we have is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8), so that no one may boast. The Gospel, the New Covenant, is all about God and His display of love and grace toward His people, and He now invites all (Jew and Gentile, man, woman, child, black, white, brown, yellow, rich, poor) to experience His love. No matter what we have done, no matter what station in life we find ourselves, He invites us: “Let Him who thirsts drink freely.”

Note: Much of the material in this and succeeding posts is adapted from my book “From Blessed to Transformed: Moving Beyond the Blessed Life”, available on Amazon. For a more in-depth look at the New Covenant, the Gospel, and the believer’s hope, you can purchase it from Amazon (paperback and Kindle editions), or read it for free on Kindle Unlimited.

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The Shepherd's Voice

What It All Means

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

What does it mean to be a Christian? There have been many answers over the centuries, some of which contradict each other. Some of the most common answers today include:

* It means I’m going to heaven.
* It means I have a personal relationship with Jesus.
* It means living by the Ten Commandments, Golden Rule, or some other subset of the Bible.

All these are (partly) true. A Christian is going to heaven, does have a relationship with Christ, and (according to both Jesus and the Apostle John) obeys the commandments of the Bible. Yet, I would like to suggest that none of those is at the core of what it means to be a Christian. All of those are (or should be) a result of salvation. The Pharisees followed the rules, but Jesus called them whitewashed tombs. Many claim to have a relationship with Christ, but show no evidence of the fruit of the Spirit.

When Christ saves a person, what He does first is fundamentally change his or her nature and identity. Whereas before I was dead because of sin, struggling to live life my own way, hostile to God and His way, now I am fundamentally different. I now long to not only obey God but know Him. Whereas before I thought of myself first (and often only of myself), now I desire to place others first. Do I always do that? No. We must learn to do that. The desire is there. We must nourish those godly desires and starve the desires of the flesh. But again, the desire to be transformed into the image of Christ is there. If one claims to be saved, yet has no interest in knowing Christ, becoming like Him, or obeying Him, that claim of salvation is highly suspect.

What does that all mean? It means, in particular, that I desire to obey the commands of God, not only to please my Heavenly Father, but more centrally because it is who I am. I desire to know Christ and become like Him because of the new nature within me. This idea is not new. The Old Testament predicted these very concepts. If you don’t believe me, look it up.

….or just read the next blog post. 🙂

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The Shepherd's Voice

Count the Cost

Posted on by The Shepherd's Voice

We’ve established that the road leading to eternal life is the Narrow Road. The Wide Road only has destruction at its end. To walk the Narrow Road requires that we relinquish all that we have and all that we are to Him, take up our cross, and follow Him. These are very serious things, and Jesus further underscores His point when He tells us that one who considers following Him must count the cost.

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:28-33)

“But,” you may object, “I thought salvation is the free gift of God!” It is free! There is nothing that we can do to earn salvation. However, salvation and the grace that makes it possible is not cheap. We in the western church have cheapened the Gospel, insisting that the sinner only assent to “accept the Lord Jesus as your personal savior.” The only thing that is important is fire insurance: I get to go to heaven. All else is unimportant and up to me. In fact, I can even live any way I choose now. That is cheap grace, and cheap forgiveness. The true grace of God leads to repentance and change (Romans 2:4, 2 Corinthians 7:10).

You see, when Christ saves a man or woman, He doesn’t just dispense a ticket to heaven. He purchases him or her with His blood. I am no longer my own. I have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). That price was His blood. Therefore, I belong to Him. When Christ tells us to count the cost, He is telling us, “Listen, My disciple must have an undivided heart. He is called to love God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength. He cannot do that while hanging onto things, people, or attitudes.” Discipleship is a life of following Christ, no matter the cost. The one who would seek to follow Him, Jesus says, must ask himself if he is ready to commit to such a life.

Over the years, I’ve heard many people say, “I am not ready to become a Christian because I know I might have to give up certain things.” I commend such people for their honesty. At the same time, I should point out that salvation is not about what we give up. Salvation is about being transformed into His image, with the result being eternal life. What Christ is looking for is commitment. Obedient faith is not blind faith. Abraham obeyed God, even when it cost him his family and when it almost cost his son Isaac. Abraham knew what he was giving up. In the same manner, the one who would follow Christ is called to make a conscious choice to relinquish all to Him. Will He actually take “all” from me? There’s no need to speculate on that, because each person’s journey is different. The point is that when Christ asks us to give something up, it is for our ultimate good.

There is another perspective to this that emerges from looking at economics. When I taught economics to high school students, we learned about opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is the next best alternative.  If I have only enough money to by either a hamburger or a hot dog, whichever I do not choose is the opportunity cost. So it is with our lives. We can’t have both Christ and this world.  We must choose. And Christ does not want us to choose blindly. He wants us to count the cost–and then choose Him.

[Much of the material in this post is adapted from my book From Blessed to Transformed: Moving Beyond the Blessed Life. You can find it here to order.

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