According to the Gospel

God's Word is like a fire, like a hammer that breaks the rocks in pieces.  It vapourises the chaff of personal opinion and shatters assumptions about God and what we must do to please Him.  It is a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our path, guiding us to avoid pitfalls and obstacles common in life.  In reading the Bible we are warned and in heeding the scriptures there is great reward.  We are most blessed to have the Bible preserved and provided for us personally.

I was impacted as Paul hammered home the nature of the Gospel to believing Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6-10:  "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. ⁸  Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, ¹⁰ but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel..."  Like glowing embers that are stirred flare up, so God's Word stirs up our hearts to consider the things of God and live accordingly.  Paul reminded Timothy to stir up the gift of God he received by the grace of God, to use his gifts liberally without fear.

God had not given Timothy or any Christian a spirit of fear but the Holy Spirit marked by "...power and of love and of a sound mind."  The nature of God aligns perfectly with the Gospel provided for the salvation of sinners.  It is a Gospel "according to the power of God" which was evident in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and His glorification.  The Gospel has been provided "according to His own purpose and grace" which was given to us in Christ Jesus.  Before the world began God purposed to save sinners and make us His inheritance by grace, for the Gospel is "not according to our works."  God's power, own purpose, and grace has been revealed by our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the Good News of salvation offered freely to all.

Paul, Timothy, and all believers are divinely empowered and enabled to walk in the power and love of God with a sound mind.  No longer should we be ruled by fear, cares, and unknowns but rest in the Saviour we know and that we are known and loved by Him.  Having been saved by grace through faith in Christ Ephesians 2:5-10 says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."  An inventor carefully guards his designs and prototypes which are his life's work, and we are far more precious to God having been purchased with the blood of Jesus.  A Jewish sofer takes great pains to ensure the Torah is copied with perfect precision, and God knows us intimately out of His goodness and for the glory of His name.  A curator is careful to prevent any damage to a painting (or even the frame!) of a valued masterpiece when it is being displayed, moved, and stored, and God takes infinitely more care with us since we are His forever.

Like a weaver makes fabric on a loom, by the command of God this universe has been created, we have been fashioned in the wombs of our mothers, and Jesus Christ the Saviour has called out to us.  Through the Gospel we are His workmanship created for the purpose of revealing God's power, purpose, and grace through good works God has prepared for us.  Having believed we have received blessings beyond number or price, death having been abolished and life and immortality have been brought to light through the Gospel.  How amazing is the power of God and the love He has demonstrated for us.  Since we have received the Gospel we should walk according to it.  Should we suffer for the Gospel it is light affliction indeed, for how can the loss of anything compare with all we have gained through Him?

God Regards the Lowly

"Though the LORD is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar."

Psalm 138:6

God is exalted and on high, greater than all others.  The affluent, famous, and powerful among men fraternise with others like them, but the Creator of all things condescends to hear the lowly.  No amount of riches can compensate for or afford His blessings, but Jesus gladly acknowledged the widow who freely gave two copper coins which amounted to a penny because she gave all (Mark 12:41).  The Most High draws near to the humble soul He regards, but keeps the proud at a distance.

It is entirely possible to have great wealth with humility as Jesus Himself showed:  all things are created by Him and for Him, yet He gave all to put on human flesh with humility.  Since He has all authority in heaven and earth Jesus could have come as a king in glory attended by the host of heaven shouting His praise.  Jesus was instead born of a virgin, wrapped with strips of cloth, and laid in a feeding trough because there was no room for him in the inn.  He was viewed with disdain and suspicion as a child conceived out of wedlock, and when Jesus was grown even His own brothers did not believe He was the Son of God.  Even when He was crucified Jesus prayed concerning His enemies, "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do."  What grace!

Jesus told an insightful parable in Luke 18:9-14:  "Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' ¹³ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

In the Jewish culture the Pharisee would have been regarded by men for his praying, his clothing and tefillin, tassels, tithing and fasting, yet he only prayed "with himself."  A tax collector, despised and maligned by his fellows, went home justified with a short, unorthodox prayer because he humbly begged for mercy.  He humbled himself before God and would be regarded and exalted by God, yet the proud Pharisee who trusted in his own righteousness by the Law despised the man who actually found favour with God.  Thanking God did not eliminate the Pharisee's pride but put it on display as he foolishly imagined himself worthy of God's notice and favour.  The question is, are we willing to humble ourselves?  The rich and poor alike can do this if we will acknowledge God's greatness and our unworthiness.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart.  The proud man does not see his need for God while the humble realises all he has is a gift from God.  Genuine humility is like God's wisdom:  God is the only source of both.  Without God we could never humble ourselves and see self in truth as constantly and completely corrupted by pride.  Pride is endemic to the human race:  a rich man may feel superior because of possessions or station in life, and person in poverty is too proud to admit they need help.  The day we imagine we have pride quashed it pops up again like a mechanical "Whack-a-mole" game--and trying to win by brute strength or speed is impossible.  The amazing truth is the proudest, most hardened sinners can humble themselves by the grace of God and He is faithful to draw near.  He has not dealt with us according to our sins but with the grace and humility demonstrated by Jesus Christ as He walked among us.

The Good Fight of Faith

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

1 Timothy 6:12

Paul strongly urged Timothy not to be swept up by fables, the pursuit of riches, or the works of the flesh, but to fight the good fight of faith in Jesus Christ.  Paul realised a door opened by Jesus did not mean there would be no adversaries or conflict.  All who walk through doors Jesus opens will face opposition, starting with themselves.  Answering the call of Jesus will always require a personal cost of dying to self, taking up our cross daily, and following Jesus.

Being "called" by God does not mean the path of following Jesus will be easy:  there are many people Jesus called out to who refused to follow or heed Him at all!  Timothy had been called to eternal life through faith in Jesus, called as a pastor, and gifted by the Holy Spirit.  But calling was no guarantee Timothy would fulfill his calling, much less labour to lay hold on eternal life.  Eternal salvation through the Gospel is absolutely secure, and at the same time Timothy had a personal responsibility to humble himself, to submit to God and others in love, and to hear the Word of God and do it.

Paul's confidence in Timothy's calling was not on the basis of Timothy's calling, gifts, or public profession of faith, but in Jesus Christ whose blood provided atonement for the sins of the world.  Following Jesus is good but it is not easy with the opposition which withstands children of God in subtle and overt ways.  Having realised the pitfalls of pride, perverse disputes, the love of money and pursuit of wealth, Paul exhorted the young pastor in 1 Timothy 6:11, "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness."  Fleeing other things preceded the pursuit of Christ and His sanctified life.

Faith in Christ is a battle mostly waged and won within our hearts and minds, for if Jesus refused to lay down His will in Gethsemane there may not have been a Calvary.  It is glorious to be called by Jesus and to have the sure promise of eternal life provided for disciples of Christ by grace through faith.  At the same time if we have genuine faith we will hear the Word of God and do it.  Our weapons of warfare are not carnal but mighty in God to pull down strongholds--spiritual strongholds in our own minds and hearts which impact our conduct and choices (2 Cor. 10:3-6).

Praise God He has called us to lay hold on eternal life, and though our days are filled with conflict may we press on in following Christ without retreating from the front lines.  Let us press the advantage of our Saviour who has claimed the victory over sin, Satan, the flesh, and death.  We overcome not by positive thinking or self-help but because Jesus is our Saviour and we follow Him.  Going our own way leads to ruin, but Paul affirms in 2 Corinthians 2:14:  "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."  Thank God for His glorious presence and promise.

God's Pop-Quiz Moments

I don't know about you, but in school I never preferred a pop-quiz.  I always appreciated the opportunity to review and brush up on information to perform at my best.  Being unexpectedly put on the spot with the possibility of failure was never a enjoyable feeling.  The one major upside of a pop-quiz is all the students were in the same position, and if all did poorly it indicated ignorance of the students and the need of additional lessons.

Life is full of pop-quiz moments God allows for His good purposes, and when we realise we have failed it compels us to labour to be better prepared in the future.  Though God knows everything He also tests us so the condition of our hearts will be revealed to all.  These tests are not undertaken in a classroom with pencil and paper at a desk but in our responses to God in words, deeds, and attitudes.  Moses told the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:2, "And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not."  There is the test of having little and trusting Him with obedience, and another unexpected test of having abundance and humbling ourselves before God and others too.  This is the test God gave King Hezekiah after his life was miraculously prolonged, and it was a test he failed.

King Hezekiah is numbered among the good kings of Judah, a man who feared the LORD and laboured to please Him.  When strong enemies besieged the city, lobbing threats and mockery over the walls, Hezekiah's faith did not falter.  He looked to God and relied upon Him alone, and God did great wonders to save His people and Jerusalem.  Hezekiah also cried out to God during a grave illness, and God saw his tears, heard his cries, and extended his life for 15 more years. 2 Chronicles 32:25-26 reads, "But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. ²⁶ Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah."  Hezekiah failed the pop-quiz of having great abundance he showed off to the ambassadors of Babylon, but repentance for his pride reveals the test fulfilled the divine purpose because a valuable lesson was taken to heart.

When we think of being tested or tried it is likely we picture a painful betrayal, an illness, a tragic loss, or conflict.  But the test God provided Hezekiah came when the stores were well-stocked, the treasury was enriched, and his health was fine:  the pop-quiz came with the smiling, friendly ambassadors who brought gifts to celebrate his recovery from sickness.  In this entirely prosperous season of life this incident is contrasted in 2 Chronicles 32:31:  "However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart."  This is heavy, that God who had been leading and helping kind Hezekiah all the time "withdrew from him" so the real Hezekiah would show himself, Hezekiah who needed God to walk wisely and humbly.  The inevitable result?  Hezekiah failed the test being lifted up with pride, but he passed the test of humbling himself in repentance because God helped him.

Whether you find yourself in a trying season or things couldn't be better, know the only way we can pass the test is when we humble ourselves before God and are led by the Holy Spirit.  In poverty we can despair and lose hope, and when all is prosperous we are easily lifted up with pride and forget to rely upon God.  We never know what form the pop-quiz from God will take or when it will come, and the only way we can be prepared to pass is when we humble ourselves before God in faith and obedience.  And when we fail, for there is no man who does not sin, may David's words in Psalm 51:10-13 be on our lips:  "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You."