First Things Second

It struck me that I need to give the basis for anything that I present here before I begin presenting. I definitely want anyone to be able to come to this presentation and get something of substance from it. That having been said, there is a necessary step that the reader or listener must take in order to really receive the benefit of anything posted here.

1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us this:

14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised .

So the teaching is that unless you know God, you will not be able to receive what it is that He has to say to you about your life. An example:

I took an Introduction to the New Testament class my sophomore year of college. I received a grade of 'D' for this class. Why? I was not a believer. I could not understand what I was being taught or what I was reading. I remember reading the New Testament and it being like reading Latin or Sanskrit or something else that I could not understand. I could not get it. Because I did not know God, I could not understand His plan for my life.

So, as you read and listen to the things posted here, I do not desire for you to experience the same frustration that I did as a sophomore in college. I want you to know God so that you may hear from Him.

How is this accomplished? The answer is found in the Bible. In fact, we can examine one book of the New Testament to find out what is the first thing that God wants from us in entering into a relationship with Him. Let us look together in the book of Romans.


We can start to find out what God would have from us by looking first at Romans 3:23 -

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We have all been born under the power of sin. I am no different. I have sinned and because of that sin, I am not able to reach God's standard of righteousness. The first step in entering into a relationship with God is to know and admit that you are a sinner and have missed God's standard of righteousness.

Our next step is found in Romans 6:23 -

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sin has a result, and that result is death. Certainly physical death is a part of that, but the most serious consequence for us is that sin leads to spiritual death. If we agree that God is good, holy, righteous, and without blemish in His character and goodness, how could He let me even stand before Him? He could not.

But there is good news in the second part of this verse. It says that God has given me a gift, whereby I am able to stand before Him. That gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ. To wit:

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8 (NASB)

Jesus died on the cross so that I could live with Him forever. He paid the penalty for my sin. I incurred a debt that I could never pay, but Christ Himself paid that debt for me. God loved me so much that He made the way for me to come to Him. So how do I receive this gift?

13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Romans 10:13 (NASB)

To receive God's gift, I must ask Him for it. I must call out to God for mercy in the name of Jesus.

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)

So receiving God's gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins is a matter of faith. I must believe that Jesus is my Lord and my Master and believe that God raised Him from the dead so that I could live with Him forever. I must pray and tell God that I believe Him and that I receive Him in my life as my Lord and my Savior.

Once you take the step of turning from your former life and accepting the new life in Christ Jesus, this is the result:

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

John 1:12 (NASB)

I would be doing you, the reader, a disservice if I did not tell you the truth about how you can get the most out of the Bible. Unless you know the Teacher, you will not be able to receive His teaching. Ask Christ into your life today and hear the words of the Creator. This is a journey that I am looking forward to sharing with you.

The Pursuit of Holiness

I do not usually recommend very many books on the topic of Christian living. The reason that I do not is because I do not think that most of them are very good. However, I have recently come across one that I think is excellent, and I would like to recommend it to you.

The book is The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. Jerry Bridges wrote another book that I absolutely love called Transforming Grace. Anyway, I picked up The Pursuit of Holiness after studying 1 Peter 1:13-21. This passage reads:

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1 Peter 1:13-21 (NASB)

The Spirit really impressed upon me that how I live and how I think are important matters to God. As one who would claim to represent Christ, it is very important that I take the admonition "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY" to heart. To this end, I decided to check out Dr. Bridges' book.

I am not through the book, but I did want to share some of the things that I have learned thus far from my reading. One of the most important things that he teaches about holiness is that it is not a matter of seeing victory, but is a matter of obedience. He points out that asking for "victory" is self-focused while walking in"obedience" is God-focused.

As we indulge or engage in sin, no matter what it is, we are putting ourself first. We have told God that our way is best and that He does not know what is most profitable for us. All sin is idolatry at it's most basic level.

So, is the author telling us to not expect to experience victory over sin? No, indeed. He is telling us that victory over sin is a byproduct of our obedience. "As we concentrate on living an obedient, holy life, we will certainly experience the joy of victory over sin." Amen and amen.

Far too often, we pray for God to take our sin away from us but we are not willing to do the things that He has asked. God desires for us to live lives that are holy. We can get there by walking in obedience. What does God's word say?

11 Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.

Psalm 119:11 (NASB)

Are we in His word? Are we doing the things that he has commanded in His word? Are we hiding God's word in our hearts (memorization of Scripture) that we may be transformed more and more into His likeness?

Pick up The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges when you get a chance. If you are like me, you will be challenged to take obedience to God to another level. Also if you are like me, you will be encouraged that God does not desire to leave me like this, but has given me all that I need to live a life that honors Him.

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence . 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

2 Peter 1:2-4 (NASB)