Colossians 2:8-15 (Part Two)

Colossians 2:8-15 (Part Two)

“8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

2:11-12

The sufficiency of Christ’s work for complete salvation

Romans 4:11-12, “He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” In the OT God established a covenant with His people. The outward sign of their devotion to Him in their hearts was circumcision.

Deuteronomy 30:6, “And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” God had established a people for himself. Israel was set apart to Him, to love Him with their heart, God through Christ has circumcised the hearts of those who are his. God has brought about a new covenant through the body and blood of Christ that is established through the work of Christ in the hearts of men.

This circumcision is spiritual, and it is complete. The work of Christ is one that has put to death sin in the flesh. The Christian is no longer driven and controlled by his flesh, but by Spirit of God. The baptism that is spoken of is the spiritual baptism of the Spirit through which we are transformed by the power of God. We are dead to sin and made alive to God in Christ! Romans 6:6 “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” This is only possible because of the powerful working of God that raised Christ from the dead. The idea behind the “powerful working of God” is that of God’s active power. Those who believe and trust that God raised Jesus from the dead will also be raised with himJust as Christ was buried, our sins are buried. Just as Christ was raised to life, we are given new life. All of this is the result, not of anything done by our hands, but by the work of Christ and through our faith.

2:13-14

The sufficiency of Christ’s work for the forgiveness of sin

We are sinners who stand separate from a holy God because of our sin. We have the need for forgiveness of our sins. We do not stand in place of neutrality before God. We stand condemned in our sin in need of rescue. But who would rescue us in our sin? Who would forgive those who don’t deserve it? Who would pardon those who deserve their punishment? Where is the justice in the pardon if there is no punishment? Where is the righteousness of undeserved forgiveness? Where is the holiness of God in communing with sinners? (Ephesians 2:1-10) God in His mercy has brought us to himself through Christ. He has rescued us from our sin. God has granted forgiveness to those are in Christ Jesus. He has pardoned our inquities through the blood of Christ. God has punished Christ for our sins so that we can receive the forgiveness of sins. By the work of Christ on the cross God has brought us into communion with Him.

The work of Christ is sufficient for the forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness of sin is offered to the sinner because we who are set apart from God in our sin cannot make a way for our sins to be forgiven or removed. But, God through Christ has made a way for sin to be forgiven. “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 There is nothing that we can do to earn the right to be forgiven. The work of Christ for the forgiveness of sin is not dependent upon the works of any man. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

The forgiveness of sin is fully dependent upon the grace of God through faith in Christ. There is nothing else necessary for forgiveness of sin, the work of Christ alone is sufficient. The work of Christ is sufficient to pay the debt owed by sin. It was common for the debt that was owed to be displayed above the head on the cross of the dying criminal. God has set our debt aside and nailed it to the cross of Jesus Christ. Christ has died in our place for the forgiveness of our sins. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:23-26

2:15

The sufficiency of Christ’s work and freedom from sin

The sufficiency of Christ’s work results in freedom from sin. For the believer there is freedom in Christ! We are no longer under the dominion of evil and sin, even though we still live in the presence of sin. Paul writes of his personal struggle with the presence of sin in Romans 7:14-25.

What then do we do with the struggle of sin in our lives? We must focus on the truth of Christ. Paul celebrates the truth that is found in Christ in Romans 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Some may ask then, “are we free to live in sin?” Romans 6 “by no means!”

How then do we live under grace and free from the dominion of sin? We live according to the expressed will and pleasure of God as revealed in scripture. “1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 We must focus our hearts and our minds on following Christ in obedience to the will of God. Our efforts are still to be done in the grace and mercy of God, lest we find ourselves focused more on our efforts than on the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

How do we guard against legalism and heresy in the church of today? We must make sure that as we teach a manner of life that is in accordance with Christ, that we always present the reason why and the hopeful result, which is Christ. If not, we will find ourselves with generations who know how to live a moral life but who don’t know the one who died to rescue them from their sins. We must teach Christ in all things so as to honor and exalt him and guard against the enemy as well.

We must preach the gospel to ourselves daily! Even today I have struggled with my own sin in publishing this as a blog, I have struggled with my own inadequacies and my desire to be respected and appreciated by you the reader. But, God in his mercy has reminded me of the sufficiency of Christ, that it is not my efforts that save me or anyone else, but the work of Christ on the cross. In light of our sin and his glory we must preach Christ to ourselves daily! If our goal is Christ, and He is the initiator and sustainer of our faith, then the life we live in Him we now live by faith in Christ. A life lived by faith in Christ is done holding Christ as our normal, seeking to be like Him, and where we fall short, we ask for forgiveness, repent of our sin, and pursue Him more!

Colossians 2:8-14 (Part One)

Colossians 2:8-14 (Part One)

“8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

2:8 We must guard our minds and hearts with the Gospel of Jesus Christ

As Paul writes to the Colossian church he is dealing with heresy. Heresy is false teaching. There were some who were teaching that faith in Christ was not sufficient for salvation. The heresy Paul is writing against involves two main components; false Greek philosophy, and Judaistic legalism and ceremonialism. The Greeks denied the sufficiency of Christ through teaching that Christ alone was not adequate. They taught that salvation involved both Christ plus knowledge. This knowledge came through visions in which they were given deeper insights into the divine mysteries. The Jews denied the sufficiency of Christ by teaching all or some of these beliefs: that circumcision was necessary for salvation, asceticism (rigid self denial or harsh treatment of the body), and an emphasis on keeping the Jewish dietary laws and observing holy days.

Though these teachings might seem to have some physical or seemingly spiritual value, they are in addition to Christ. Therefore they are not of Christ. Anything that takes away or adds to the person and work of Christ is considered to be non-Christian. Therefore Paul writes to instruct and encourage them to focus their hearts and minds on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

We in today’s church are not exempt from the attacks of the evil one. We too must guard against anything that does not found itself on and proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ. We must guard ourselves both in the world and in the church. We too are susceptible to the ploys and the strategies of the enemy that slowly and deliberately carry us away from the truth of Christ.

2:9-10 The sufficiency of the person and work of Jesus Christ

The sufficiency of Christ is established in the person of Jesus Christ and the work of Jesus Christ.

The person of Jesus Christ

John 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The sufficiency of the person of Jesus Christ is found in the fullness of God in flesh. Jesus Christ is fully God and has always been and always will be fully God. Jesus Christ is not a lesser God or an ascended man as the Colossian heretics claim.

Paul establishes the deity of Christ in Colosians 1:15-19,” He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him”

As a member of the godhead Christ is head of all rule and authority.” Scripture consistently teaches of the fullness of Christ’s deity, in 1 Peter 3:22 it speaks of Christ saying, “who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” Philippians 2:9-11, says “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” And Ephesians 1:20-23 says “which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Jesus Christ is Lord and ruler of all, the promised Son of God. The sufficiency of His work on the cross for salvation is the result of who he is.

The work of Jesus Christ

Because of who Christ is, we as His people are made complete in Him. As we read in Ephesians 1:23, the church is Christ body, and his fullness fills the church. His fullness is imparted to us by faith through grace. We who have been separate from God are now one with God. Those who have been incomplete as a result of sin are now complete through the work of the Savior. This is only possible because of who Christ is. The redemptive work of Christ has brought about complete salvation and the complete forgiveness of sins. There is no need for anyone or anything else for the salvation of men.

Following Christ pt. 4 “Exalting Christ”

This is the 4th post pulled from a recent sermon, I hope that your walk is encouraged and centered through these posts on following Christ!

Luke 9:23-27

“23And he said to them all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words of him will the son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

In verse 26 Jesus says “whoever is ashamed of me and my words of him will the son of man be ashamed…” So who is Christ and what are His words?

Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah

Luke 9:18-22 “Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, ‘who do the crowds say that I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.’ Then he said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God.”

In following and treasuring Christ we are not following a mere man, our lives are radically altered by the word of God through faith because of the divinity of Christ! Jesus is the “Christ of God”. There is no other person who should beexalted in our hearts, minds, words, actions, or homes.

Jesus’ words give glory to the Father

John 14:6-7 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

1. Jesus is the “Way”: There is no other way of life to pursue, no other lifestyle than that of passionately pursuing Jesus Christ at the loss of everything but with the gain of full satisfaction and the hope of eternity.

2. Jesus is the “Truth”: There is no other truth than that of Jesus Christ being the son of God, the Christ, the promised Messiah!

3. Jesus is the “Life”: There is no other life than that that comes through Christ! Life is not gained through our endeavors on earth. Our endeavors on earth in pursuit of greater meaning and fulfillment found in anything other than Christ will not last and will pass away. The world only has death to offer in the end, but with Christ we have life and we have it to the full!

This life is promised in eternity. Jesus calls us to die to ourselves, to follow him down a road of rejection, humiliation, insult, and suffering, a road to the cross where there is redemption and satisfaction. The promise of blessing is that He will be with us even until the end, and then we will receive blessings that are immeasurable and countless in the presence of God!

Questions to consider:

1. Are you ashamed of Christ? (Do you talk about your salvation? Do you share what you have been saved from or recently forgiven of?)
2. What is the message of your life? (Is it look what I do for the Lord? Or, is it look at what the Lord has done for me?)
3. Are we ashamed of Christ? (Are we sharing with Jackson the salvation we have in Christ? Have we made ourselves vulnerable to our community and let them know that we are people who need God every day of our lives?)
4. What is our message? (Are we telling people that God can help us to be better people? Or, are we telling Jackson, TN that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, and that we don’t become better, we become forgiven?)

In becoming forgiven we begin a journey and process through which God is leading and working in our lives for His glory and our satisfaction that shapes us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Christ exalted is the theme of our lives, our families, and our churches. If he is lifted up He will draw all men to Himself!

Following Christ pt. 3 “Treasuring Christ”

Here are some more thoughts from a sermon and some study on Luke 9:23-27

Luke 9:23-27

“23And he said to them all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words of him will the son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

As Christians we are called to follow Christ in vs. 23. In verses 24-25 we are called to treasure Christ.

When our hearts have been captured by the surpassing greatness that is knowing Jesus Christ we pursue not our own gain, but die to ourselves. We are driven to gain Christ and not the world, willing to give up absolutely everything to have Christ. Jesus taught on the value and sacrifice to gain the treasure found only in Him in Matthew:

Matthew 13:44-50 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Christianity is the people of God treasuring God through faith in Christ above all things. To follow Christ we not only deny ourselves, but we treasure Christ. Our lives tell the story of a people whose greatest treasure Jesus Christ. Here are a couple of quotes to help us understand the depth of God’s call and our need to follow and treasure Christ:

“Self preservation is suicide” A. McLaren

“The Christian must realize that he is given life, not to keep it for himself, but to spend it for others; not to husband it’s flame, but to burn himself out for Christ and for men”  W. Barclay

To treasure Christ, there can be no other object or desire other than the one for Him. If we are to treasure Christ then we must give up, give away, sacrifice, and sell everything to have Christ. If we are not willing to part with the things of this world to gain life through the creator of this world then we need to pray and ask God for help in letting go of the things and people of this world. Examples of what you may give up to gain Christ: comfort, security, status, ownership, the pursuit of being better to be made whole.

What are your treasures? (Where your treasure is there your heart will be also…) Is your treasure your job, your future, your family? Would you still follow Jesus if you lost any of these?

Do you treasure Christ? Does your life reflect that your greatest value is God?

Does your church treasure Christ? Does your church reflect that its greatest value is God?

As Christians our greatest and only true value in life is God and His glory! Everything else will pass away with time or the coming of Christ.

Tomorrow: Exalting Christ vs. 26-27…

Following Christ pt. 2 “Following Christ”

Luke 9:23-27

“23And he said to them all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words of him will the son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

What does it meant to take up our cross daily and follow Christ? To those who had seen men take their cross and walk to their death, they understood this to be a one way journey. Taking up your cross to those in the first century was understood this way. Following Christ involves denying ourselves our own pursuit of life by putting to death this life to take up a life of faithful obedience to Christ.

Christ teaches us more about this in Luke 9:57-62  “As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes; and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God”

For us as Christians we have been saved from a life of death and destruction to a life that is lived on complete dependence upon God for He is the giver of our life in Christ. In taking up our cross and denying ourselves, we are in fact bringing the greatest satisfaction possible to our souls. Faith is self renouncing, trustful reliance upon God, and it is seen through our complete abandonment of our own ideals and pursuits to depend upon the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ. Our promise is in Christ, our fulfillment is in Christ, our want is Christ. We have put our hand to the plow to follow Jesus and we will not look back. What we have left behind is of no value in comparison the treasure that we have found in Christ.

Taking up our cross is not something that can be finished and removed so that we may take on new endeavors. If we are Christians, then we have confessed Jesus as Lord, asked for the forgiveness of our sins, and repented. This is not what we did, it becomes who we are. We continue to confess Jesus with our lips and with our actions, and when we sin we ask for forgiveness and repent of that sin. Repentance is a way of life, not a one time act. The only one time act in the story of salvation is the death of Jesus on the cross. Let us follow Christ and persevere in our faith as we deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him!

Part Three (Luke 9:24-25) tomorrow…

warning… dangerous question ahead

Last night we had a meeting with a leadership team at our church and talked about what we can do to reach people with the Gospel, We talked about what we can do to reach out to the people in our neighborhoods. In the time of discussion we mentioned so many great characteristics about our church and our staff. All of which I hope are true. But, there seems to be a disconnect between our efforts and results. Results is a dangerous word in the world of church because people have so many different ideas in their heads when they hear the word results. But, there seemed to be a consenus last night that we are not seeing the kingdom results that we are praying for. Sitting at my desk this morning and replaying last nights conversation I am finding a phrase that is missing.

In all of our conversation and effort in my 3 years at FBC Jackson, I cannot remember us saying “God has told us to do _________” I sat in a room full of some of the most earnest and sincere Christians I have ever met. These are men and women who have a hunger in their gut to see Christ exalted in our fellowship and in our city. So, maybe it is time that we ask God this question: “Lord, what do you want us to do?” I understand that it may take some time for us to hear and comprehend His answer for our church. So, to steal some advice a friend of mine recently received and shared… “What was the last thing God told us to do?” I think that it is time that we earnestly seek the face of God, and in line with the sermon our interim pastor preached this past Sunday, we need to learn to “knock” and persevere in our prayer as well as our faith. I believe that God will answer our request, I believe that God enjoys the conversation with us as well. So, we need to remember what the last thing God told our church to do and do it, while we pray for God to give us fresh direction and vision as to what we should do next. This has direct application even to the individuals in our fellowship. If each of us asked the Lord what He wants us to do in every aspect of our lives, and then did it, we would be in line with the picture of following Christ that is seen throughout the scriptures. I am confident that Christ will finish His work in my life, my family, in other people’s lives, and in His church! Because of that I am asking Him what is it that He wants me to do?

I must warn those reading this that asking this question may radically alter the landscape of your life. If you choose to obey and follow Christ as Lord, then what you do with your stuff is no longer your decision. Which house you live in, what car you drive, what you spend your money on, etc. Asking God what he wants us to do applies to every aspect of our being, and thus transfers to the fellowship of believers. Asking what He wants us to do is different from asking Him to use what we have. It means that we have only what He wants us to have, use only what He has told us to keep. It changes the conversation from our efforts to be used to our obedience to His will. It is an awesome place to be when we are trusting on His will and plan for our every move, and it is often a worldly difficult place to be as well. He may want us to look very different than we do now. He may have plans to showcase His glory in ways that we cannot fathom, but when He is magnified we are not. It is in our weakness that He is strong. So, go ahead and ask God what He wants for you to do. Ask knowing that in being obedient to Him you will find the greatest satisfaction of your soul and He will receive the greatest glory through your life!

Patience…

this word invokes so many emotions and thoughts for each of us. For some it evokes pictures in our heads of different people we know.  A specific relationship in which you have been on the giving or receiving end of patience. For others it is a difficult word. Some of us struggle with having patience towards others. Very few of us struggle with receiving patience. But does it cause you to think about your salvation?

1 Timothy 1:15-16 “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”

Jesus came into the world to save sinners! Paul may have felt like the worst sinner, but he didn’t have the market cornered on sin. I understand why he felt that way, because I feel that way often. There are many days where I struggle with God loving me for who I am. There are other days where I struggle with God loving me in light of what I’ve done or thought. It is so humbling to realize that I have received mercy in response to my sin. God’s mercy has a purpose, it’s purpose is to display his perfection and his glory! His glory displayed in my repentance of my sin and full faith and trust in Christ as my Savior!

Romans 2:4 “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is mean to lead you to repentance?”

As Christians let us be reminded today of God’s patience. Let us be reminded of his patience through acknowledging our own sin, taking advantage of the mercy given to us today by repenting of our sin and following Christ! Let God’s mercy and patience in our lives transfer to the giving of mercy and patience to others for the purpose of his perfect glory and their salvation!

Marriage…

During this last year I have had the privilege of performing 5 weddings. Each of the couples has held a special place in my life and ministry over the last 10 or so years. During the time spent counseling and preparing for the wedding’s God reminded and revealed much to Jill and I in scripture. Here is a little of what God has led us to share with other couples as they prepare for marriage. Below is an excerpt from one of wedding addresses used in a wedding:

In 1 Peter 3:7 marriage is referred to as the “grace of life”. (Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.) As Christians we experience one of the greatest blessings in life through marriage. This blessing on earth is the “grace of life”

Genesis 2:24 says, “therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Marriage is a divine institution established in Adam and Eve and continued today! Much has been written and will continue to be written helping us understand the purpose of marriage. Paul in Ephesians 5:21-33 writes:

submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

This union of man and wife resulting in one flesh is referred to as a mystery.  Referring to marriage as a mystery is true on many levels! But the mystery that Paul is speaking of is revealed in verse 32, “it refers to Christ and the church.” The Christian marriage is a parable, metaphor, or copy of the original. The original is God’s marriage to the people or Christ’s marriage to the church. The metaphor, parable, or copy is found in a husband’s marriage to his wife.

There area few points we can make about Jesus’ relationship with the church. First we see that Jesus loves the church. In Ephesians 2:4-5 it says “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved.” Jesus loves us even though we have done nothing to deserve it. This undeserved favor is defined as grace. Second Jesus gave himself up for the Church. In giving himself up he died on the cross.  And third Jesus cleansed the church from the guilt of sin.

The guilt of sin deserves punishment and Jesus received the wrath of God poured out on our sin in our place.

The church in its relationship with Jesus is constantly being made holy. This process of being made holy is so that the church will be presented to Christ, perfected, as his unblemished bride. Jesus’ work on the cross secures salvation for everyone who puts their faith in Christ and brings forgiveness for our sins through his substitutionary death on the cross.

The relationship between husband and wife is based on the relationship between Jesus and the Church. Christian marriage serves as an example of the gospel portrayed in the relationship between husband and wife. In following the pattern set by Jesus and the Church there are roles for the purpose of God’s glory for both husband and wife.

According to Ephesians 5, a husband is the “head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.” This does not mean that a husband is superior to his wife. In marriage the husband is to take the primary responsibility for Christ-like servant leadership, protection, and provision in the home.

A husband who loves like Christ bears a unique responsibility for the moral and spiritual growth of his wife and his family. The husband is to be like Christ, he is not Christ. And he is to lead his wife to conform to the image of Christ, not to himself. Practically speaking a husband should turn all of his leading into serving and not be puffed up, but build his wife up in her faith.

In Ephesians 5, the wife is to submit to her husband as to the Lord. This submission refers to the divine calling of a wife to honor and affirm her husband’s leadership and help carry it through according to her gifts. This does not imply mental, emotional, or spiritual inferiority in any way. Instead it is a willful inclination of her will and disposition of her spirit to support and affirm his initiatives. A wife is a help-mate, meaning that there is a need for a helper! As he leads and seeks to serve you, it is your responsibility to pray for him and love him, but also to speak truthfully and give him caution as you work together to accomplish God’s will in your marriage.

Both husband and wife serve each other out of reverence for Christ. They are equal in standing before God as seen in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew or Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Both husband and wife are submissive to the Lordship of Christ, and in their obedience to his will and word they are mutually submissive to each other. A husband is the servant leader to his wife and the wife is the affirming helpmate to her husband.

Christ loves us while we are still sinners. Through our faith in him He promises to be faithful to us by continuing the work he began in us until the last days.

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It is my hope that Christian marriages will so display the Gospel of Jesus Christ between man and wife that the lost will find Christ in the display of love and grace seen through Christ like service and submission. There are men who had great influence on the words written above: John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Charles Spurgeon, and Steve Riser. I am grateful to God for each of these men!

Sacrifice…

“Has the Lord as great delight in burn offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

What does the Lord delight in most? He delights in obedience. To obey the Lord is dependent upon hearing Him speak. I want to obey the Lord more than I want to continue to try and offer up pleasing sacrifices. I want to listen, hear Him speak, and do His will for my life. What is it that Christ is telling me to do?

What house does he want me to live in? What car does he want me to drive? How does he want me to spend my money? What does he want me to do with my life? These questions are the type of questions that God finds delight. Yet, I find myself looking at my stuff all to often and telling God it is His, and how thankful I am for Him blessing me with it. I pray that today I will hear from God and obey. I no longer desire to offer sacrifices for my benefit, I want the Lord to find delight in my inclined ear and obedient response.

If you love me…

…, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.” John 14:15-17

“If you love me…”

Do you love Christ? If the answer from your lips today is “yes”, then is the answer in your pursuit of life obedience to the word of God? This can be a very difficult question for us to consider as Christians. For as we look at our lives and see our sin we have the tendency to begin to justify the ways in which we are not following Christ. As followers of Christ our instinct should be repentance from sin, not justification of sin. We have been justified before God through Christ, but that does not justify the abuse of God’s grace through the persistence of sin and disobedience. God’s grace is real, and his kindness is meant to lead us to repentance.

If you love Christ, are you following Him through obedience? Do you truly love Christ? Or do you love Christ for the stuff you get from Him?

I pray today that we as Christians would love Christ with a love that has no room for the pursuit of anything but obedience to Christ!