The Apostle Paul on Homosexuality: Romans 1.18-32

Jul 31st, 2009

The Apostle Paul on Homosexuality Romans 1.18-32 It is clear that as you go through this passage that Paul is referring broadly to sexual immorality, but specifically to homosexuality. Verse 24 makes it clear that communal degradation of the body through sexual impurity is the natural desire of man’s heart. In other words, homosexuality is part of the nature of all men. As is the case with all natural desires, they take a stronger grasp on some people than on others. You could use alcoholism as a parallel example. Some people are capable of naturally moderating their alcohol intake, but others are easily classified as alcoholics by their inability control the desire. It is the same with homosexuality; some people have no control over the desire, but others are able to overcome its lusts. Not only that, but as homosexuality becomes more socially acceptable, the threshold is lowered resulting in more and more people giving themselves over to the sin.

Verses 26 and 27 outline in explicit detail the act of homosexuality. Notice that it is focused on the act itself and not on the desire. The NIV lists this sin as “homosexual offenders” in 1st Corinthians 6.9. It’s incredibly important when dealing with this sin to recognize that “biblical emphasis is on behavior, and the verdict is always that it is sinful” (Brand, 1998). Like an alcoholic, a homosexual will always be a homosexual, but by the power of God, they can be free from the sinful lifestyle and even from the depravity of the mind which goes along with it.

Many would argue that this passage is condemning the Ancient Greek practices of homosexuality, which was specific to men having relations with young boys. This is not the case. He is referring to all homosexuality since he includes lesbians as men with other men, not boys or male prostitutes (Ash, 2001). For this reason, we can take this to be a broad condemnation of all acts of sexual immorality, including all forms of homosexuality. In light of this passage, there is no argument for allowing homosexuality within the church. Churches that do so, give themselves “over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done” by God’s people (Romans 1.28).

References

Brand, C. Ed. (1998). Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

Ash, C. (2001). Teaching Romans. Volume 1. Scotland: Christian Focus Publishing Ltd..

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Reproductive Technology: Surrogate Motherhood

Jul 17th, 2009

by Anthony Delgado.

Pregnant Couple Surrogacy has been practiced for thousands of years. In modern times there are specific moral concerns with the practice. If I were faced with my wife being a surrogate mother for another family, I could not be comfortable with it. Mothers are designed to connect with their children in ways which financial compensation or legal contracts just cannot take away. Aside from the effect surrogacy has on the mother, it also has an effect on Christ and the church which must be considered. In addition, the practice of surrogacy is baby selling, no matter how you look at it.

I would not be comfortable with my own wife being a surrogate simply because of the connection that a woman gets with a child. Regardless of legal contracts or financial arrangements, there are God designed chemical processes which take place between a mother and a child in her womb, which result in a connection that no one who has not given birth themselves can even pretend to understand. I could not live in a right mind, knowing that my wife was struggling in this way. I also believe that I would feel some sort of connection after witnessing my wife carry that child for that entire term. Still, I recognize that there are much more important things to consider than our own sensually based perspectives.

I’ve used the example many times that we must utilize the gospel when making decisions (see 1 Thes. 1.5). If a decision in any way discredits the gospel, then we can be certain that it is immoral. In the case of surrogacy, it is unlikely to be the first avenue that a couple would have taken in order to have a child. When a person has tried all available avenues and then looks to surrogacy as an option, I have to ask about the motive to have a child. Is the motive sensual or is it honestly to fulfill God’s command to multiply. “For if you live for the flesh, you will die: but if through the Holy Spirit you mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live” (Romans 8:13 KJV – simplified). In most cases, the motive is going to be sensual, living by the flesh, which makes the action sin. If surrogacy is sin because of the motive, then it is immoral. Because the situation is morally relative, based on the motive, it is unlikely in any form that it should be done as the inconsistency of the conviction could discredit the church and therefore discredit the gospel message.

Financial compensation is another problematical issue. In almost no place is the practice of selling babies an acceptable or legal practice. The attempts to make a moral decision in light of financial compensation are simply a way to justify what God has called sin. Commercial surrogacy has never existed apart from conflict. Even the unchurched can agree that there are moral concerns regarding surrogacy. This is why lawyers carefully write up contracts in order to make it appear legal. Legal or not, the process proves the immorality of the act since man is simply attempting to justify what God has laid on our hearts as sin.

Where I believe that everyone must consider their own motives in considering surrogacy, I don’t believe that it has any place in my own life. I also believe that regardless of the circumstances and the motives, there is a potential to discredit the gospel, which would make it immoral. In any case, financial compensation should never be considered as it is illegal to sell babies and any attempt to justify the practice is justifying sin. The major issue regarding surrogacy is man’s inability to accept the life circumstances which God has given.

Image Credits: omar_franc, sxc.hu

Mortifying Sin

Jul 9th, 2009

by Anthony Delgado.

For if you live for the flesh, you will die: but if through the Holy Spirit you mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. (Romans 8:13 KJV ~ simplified)

Understanding Lust

The secular definition of lust goes as follows:

An overwhelming desire or craving.

Intense eagerness or enthusiasm.

craving, desire, hunger, itch, longing, thirst, wish, yearning

The biblical definition is consistent, but comes with implications.

…we…all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind…(Ephesians 2.3 NAS)

The Bible says that lust is the indulgence of the desires of the heart and mind. This is the

What is Mortification?

The secular definition of mortification is as follows:

To practice ascetic discipline or self-denial of the body and its appetites.

Comes from the middle English word ‘mortifien’ which means ‘to deaden or subdue’ and from the Latin word ‘mortificare’ which means ‘to kill’.

abolish, annihilate, blot out, clear, eradicate, erase, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, liquidate, obliterate, remove, root out, rub out, snuff out, stamp out, uproot, wipe out.

Again, the biblical definition is consistent, but comes with implications.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, (Romans 6.12 NAS)

To mortify is to get rid of sin, so that it is not the focus of your mind and heart so that you will not act in sin.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is…with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you shall also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members…(Col 3.2-5 KJV ~ simplified)

To mortify is to remove all concentration on worldly things and to focus on heavenly things. To mortify is not simply to root out or eradicate sin, but to remove the focus of sin from things which are against God to things which are for God.

Why Should I Mortify Sin?

…God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie [literally: we are liars] and do not live by the truth. (1 John 1.5,6)

This passage makes it abundantly clear that the person, who walks according to Christ’s ways, is a brother of Christ and will receive his inheritance in God’s kingdom. The person who claims to be a brother to Christ, but instead of following His commands lives according to his own lusts is living a lie and does not live according to the truth. The implication is that this person whose sin is un-mortified is only claiming the name of Christ, but has no inheritance, has not made a true commitment to follow Christ and therefore is not saved from eternal condemnation.

How Do I Do It? *

Habitual weakening of lust. Every lust is a righteous habit, which has not been developed and is therefore pushing the heart toward evil. This person who does not form righteous habits is described in Genesis 6.5, “the LORD saw that…every intent of the thoughts of [man’s]…heart was only evil continually. A persistence for bodily and mental sin leads to an evil heart. By nature, man’s habit is to “gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Rom 13.14 NIV). Sin is “waging war against the law of my mind [God’s law according to general revelation] and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Romans 7.23 NIV).

If every desire of the heart is habitually bent on evil, then the logical conclusion is to form righteous habits to replace the negative ones. Even clinical psychologists agree on this principle and have used it to break smoking and other drug habits. Paul gives advice on the matter of discerning good and evil when he told the Corinthian church, “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10.31 NAS). The idea is that we should not be so concerned with formulating a legalistic set of rules to follow; rather in all we do, we should take time to discern what would glorify God and do that. As we perform actions for God’s glory, we replace actions which are for our own gratification, thereby mortifying our sin. In case of specific struggles that we have, the principle applies as well. Find an action which you know to glorify God and when the lust of your flesh tempts you to sin, do what glorifies God. Examples are prayer, singing of hymns and reading God’s word.

Fight against sin. We are at war with sin. The following are important in any battle and are pertinent even on the topic of overcoming lust.

Know the enemy. It is critical that you understand what you are dealing with in order to overcome it. The enemy is our own sinful nature. Adam and Eve were only had one sin, which was to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2.17). There was only one lust. That lust was a desire to be like God. The temptation was to eat the fruit so that they could be like God, able to discern good and evil (Gen 3.5). Notice that where the serpent was the tool of for the temptation, the lust itself was rooted at the heart of man. If Adam and Eve did not have the wicked desire to be like God, they COULD NOT have been tempted by the serpent. Your battle against sin is rooted in your own wicked heart. “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick;” (Jer 17.9).

Be acquainted with the success of lust. I’m not suggesting that you intentionally fall to sin. That would be foolish indeed. Rather, you must be aware of situations, places, people and occasions which make it difficult for you to overcome your sin. Once you know your enemy, where they go, what they do, it is easier to defeat them. So it is with sin. We must be familiar with the situations which cause us to fall and succeed. Once we know how to defeat an enemy, we can do it repeatedly, which means we can form a habit so that the sin will be mortified.

Intentional daily attack. Don’t wait for sin to attack you in order to attempt defense. Form a game plan. List your struggles and make conscious efforts to attack them daily. Do this by considering what you will be doing day by day so that you can prepare yourself for the temptations that are coming. You know your lusts so only you are qualified to determine this attack.

Conclusion

We can only mortify our sins in order to overcome lust by the power of the Holy Spirit and through forming of convictions. We do this so that we can bring glory to God and partake in Christ’s inheritance which is the kingdom of God.

* Much of this section on mortifying sin is sampled from John Owens, “The Mortification of Sin.”

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Forming Convictions

Jul 9th, 2009

by Anthony Delgado.

A person is made up of three primary elements: heart, mind and body. The body is the outward appearance. The body is everything that you do or do not do. The mind is everything that you think. It is man’s knowledge and ability to reason, logic. Your heart is your attitude and your feelings. Man has the ability to control his body in order to not appear in sin. The Pharisees, where they misunderstood sin, made great progress in this area, as do many professed Christians. We can appear on the outside to be free from sin. But, it is not enough to be free from sin in body, but we must also be free from sin in mind. Christ said that if we are angry with someone, we are guilty of murder (Matt 5.21,22). This is still not enough. Christ said that the root of our sin is in our hearts (Matt 15.17-19). Not only that, but if we recognize sin in our hearts, then God turns his ear from us (Ps. 66.18). He will not act on our prayers if we are harboring sin. How do you know if you are harboring sin? You know by your convictions.

Defining Conviction

The most common use of conviction is used in a legal sense. It is a declaration of guilt or innocence made by a court. It can also be described as a strong belief or something that you have become convinced of. To convict is to declare blame and to condemn. Based on these definitions, conviction can be summed up as, ‘An action which a person is convinced will result in condemnation.’ The Bible is consistent with this definition. Proverbs says, “The guilty are convicted” (Prov. 24.25) and the guilty are convicted by the Holy Spirit (John 16.8). Therefore, when we form a conviction, we should become convinced that the Holy Spirit will condemn us for an action. Moving forward, remember that the most important part of forming convictions is becoming thoroughly convinced that something will result in God’s condemnation. For most, ‘because the Bible says it’s sin’ will not be adequate to be thoroughly convinced.

Why form convictions?

The obvious response is to avoid God’s condemnation, but there is a bigger reason. It is a reflection of our heart. God is more concerned with our hearts than with our actions. Romans 14.22,23 gives an accurate answer to this question.

The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God.

Our free will cannot be a reason to sin. All are at liberty to sin, but as Christians, our faith in Jesus Christ should be demonstrated to God through our forming of convictions, our agreement on what is sin.

Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.

The idea is that we will find joy in Christ if we do not approve of things that are sin. Notice that it says ‘approve’. Convictions are not just a list of don’ts, they are also a list of dos. Do not be solely concerned about what not to do, otherwise you live fearful, timid lives. Instead fill your life with what you should do, what you approve of, which with proper convictions will result in joy.

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin

This passage has to do with the context. Gentile Christians were eating meat which was sacrificed at the temples of Pagan gods. This is not a sin, but the Jewish Christians believed it was. What Paul is saying here is that if they eat the meat, they are sinning by eating the meat from the temple if they have not formed a conviction on the matter, even though eating the meat is not sin. The application is that we cannot simply assume something is sin simply because Mom said so or because our Sunday school teacher said so. We must form a conviction, in order to be absolutely convinced, so that we can exercise our liberty without condemnation.

In summation, we must form convictions in order to not sin. We cannot avoid sin accidentally. Why? God knows the heart. If our hearts do not reflect a desire to follow Him, then our actions are immaterial. For example, honesty can be a sin if it is done out of pride rather than faith. God desires that we have a heart to obey Him, that we form convictions about His will, then our minds and bodies follow suit.

Forming Convictions

As discussed earlier, it is not sufficient for most to read God’s word and call something sin, because scripture suggests it is. It’s like this:

A man opens the Bible to find God’s will. He opens his Bible and reads of Judas, “Then he went away and hanged himself” (Matt 27.5). The man then flips to another scripture and reads, “Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Luke 10.37).

There are many areas which people argue as to the meaning of a scripture and ultimately what conviction should be derived from it. There are also areas of scripture that seem to contradict values (Ex. Story of Rahab in Joshua 2). There are other factors which must be taken into account, namely, the Holy Spirit and general revelation. God has provided us with multiple sources which will guide us to form convictions and we should make use of them all.

Before forming a conviction, we have to be presented with a situation. This can be a ‘what do I do’ or a ‘what don’t I do’. For example, a conviction can be, ‘I am convicted that lying is evil’ or it can be ‘I am convicted that God wants me to become a missionary.’ In reality we should be forming both types of convictions, dos and don’ts. Scripture is a great place to start for either type of conviction since “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3.16,17). All of these elements are related to dos and don’t, but the purpose is to do God’s work and that is our ultimate goal.

Example: It is not enough to read the book of Acts and decide that it is God’s will for you to become a missionary simply because Paul was a missionary. If you read Acts and are challenged to become a missionary, it is likely the work of the Holy Spirit which is calling you to it. In order to form a conviction on your calling you have to spend time in prayer over the matter and ask God to confirm it for you. This brings up another dilemma though. How do you know when and how it has been confirmed?

Sometimes the confirmation is easy, because doors open and God makes it really obvious. Sometimes it’s not so easy. This is where general revelation comes into play. General revelation is our ability to discern good and evil, whether an action is in accordance with God’s will or against it. General revelation is the knowledge of good and evil that was obtained by Adam and Eve when they ate the fruit in the garden. So when we are making a decision, we can look at our evidence and use our God given discernment to begin to form a conviction. Back to the example: if you are trying to confirm whether or not to become a missionary, you have to look at God’s work in creation in order to determine if that work is confirmation or not. If God opens all the doors to go into missionary work, then your natural ability to discern should tell you that is His will for you. If there is no feasibility in it, then your discernment should tell you that it is not your will.

Three main elements are required in order to discern God’s will, but there is one other of vital importance. The “gospel [the message of salvation through Jesus Christ] did not come to you in word only, but also…with full conviction” (1 Thes 1.5). We should always form convictions based on the benefit of the gospel. By nature, a Christian should do this since this conviction was put in us at the time of salvation, but it is an important tool in discerning God’s will. Specifically, you can ask, “How will this benefit or discredit the Gospel?”

Sin is only sin because it’s against God’s will. Similarly everything which is against God’s will is sin. So we are not so much looking to figure out what is sin, but what is for or against God’s will. Let’s return to the story of Rahab. She had a choice to lie or to go against God’s plan to have the Israelites conquer the land of Jericho by giving up the Israelite spies. Since Rahab recognized God’s plan, she hid the spies and God’s plan was done. It is uncommon that we will be faced with such a paradox, but the principal remains the same. Seek God’s will to form convictions.

Result

Without convictions we condemn ourselves out of ignorance. If you do not form convictions by faith them you sin, even if that act is in accordance with your liberty. To obey God’s commands blindly and legalistically without forming convictions based on faith is to bring eternal condemnation upon you. But to discern convictions through scripture, by the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of expanding the Gospel is the hearts demonstration of true faith in Jesus Christ by which we are saved from condemnation.

Live According to the Spirit not according to the Flesh

Mar 27th, 2009

by Anthony Delgado.

live-according-to-the-spirit-not-according-to-the-flesh Chapter 8 is by far my favorite book in Romans and possibly in the whole Bible, specifically verses 28-30. It is beneficial, however to look at this passage in context of the whole chapter or even the whole book. It settles some arguments as to salvation in relation to a sinful life as well as some long argued misconceptions regarding the will of God.

Throughout Romans, the law is a major theme. It explains that the law was to keep men righteous, but men chose to ignore it and that is why Christ would come; not “to abolish them [the laws] but to fulfill them,” that is to fulfill the purpose of the law, righteousness (Matt. 5.17). Paul writes that the “mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit [of Christ: v.9] is life and peace” (Rom. 8.6). So if our minds are focused on Christ, then we are alive spiritually and are the fulfillment of the law through Christ. This is an elaboration of Rom. 8.1 where it says that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Going forward, the chapter provides more evidence of the life lived through the Spirit and then in verse 18 we start to see the chapter come to a peak as Paul begins to write about all creation and the will of God for creation through verse 27. This is where it gets really interesting. Remember that in context, we are talking about the justification of man in relation to the will of God.

Verse 28 says that God caused all things to “work together” for the good of those who are faithful to Him. This is not talking about peace on earth, rather peace in eternity. This verse is wrapped up with an apparent Calvinistic statement that says, “to those who are called according to His purpose.” This is a liberal interpretation. It is more accurate to say, “All this through a purpose appointed to happen.” So the meaning is that all things work together for salvation of those who would choose Christ because God decided that it would happen this way. In context it is saying that God has a plan for His people, not that there is an individual calling of a single man.

Verse 29 says, “For those He foreknew [the ones that God knew would choose Christ] he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son [All Christians were predestined to become like Christ. They were not predestined to choose Christ.] so that He [Christ] would be the firstborn among many brethren [Jesus as the head of the church.].”

Verse 30 says that he also called those whom he predestined to be like Christ. Remember we are not talking about a call to salvation. This is a call to be like Christ according to the context. We as Christians are not to live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. This says we are called to be holy.

Going on in verse 30, those who were called were also justified. God called us to holiness, but he knew before creation that we would fail and so he set up His plan for our justification. And for what purpose? That we might be “glorified” along with Christ, through his blood.

OK, at this point, many would say, “Who cares?” “Why does this require explanation?” If God did not have a purpose in explaining predestination versus free will, then Paul would not have written the conclusion to this chapter the way he did. There are two major applications that we can pull from this section, remembering the direct context: that we were predestined to be like Christ through the foreknowledge of our choosing him and that we are justified through Christ by the will of the Father.

1.) Do not fear the world. God predestined justification for those who would choose him before the beginning of time. “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8.31). “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies” (Rom. 8.32). (The elect is a term used in the bible to identify those who are in Christ, not to identify those whom God chose to be saved.) God is the judge, not man, so don’t fear the world. To fear the world is to live according to the flesh, but to fear God is to live according to the Spirit.

2.) There is nothing that can separate us from the plan of God. He decided it from the beginning. There is nothing that can separate us from God—not “death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor any other created thing” (Rom 8.38,39).

Through the context, it is easy to see that Paul was unconcerned with determining the calling of man and more concerned with giving those who are Christian’s tools to live according to the Spirit, free from worry.

God and the Lion’s Den – The Book of Daniel

Feb 17th, 2009

by Anthony Delgado.

god-and-the-lione28099s-den-the-book-of-daniel

KevinMcG, www.sxc.hu/photo/1111045

There are epic and fantastic qualities to the book of Daniel that can easily overshadow the true meanings of the book. The story of “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” is often taught to children as a way to express God’s faithfulness to His people and the simplicity of that message is what the book is really about. The book of Daniel thematically points to God’s faithfulness to the nation of Israel, even when all appears as loss due to the exile. God’s faithfulness is established through His demonstration of kingship over all mankind, the pagan acknowledgement of the Most High God (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan. 6.26,27) and God’s control over the establishment of rulers on earth.

From the beginning, God is recognized as the king of Israel, but later it is established that He is also the king over all when he is referred to as the “Ancient of Days” (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan. 7.9,13,22). The meaning of “Ancient of Days” is more literally “one who forwards time and rules over it” (Brand, Draper and England 66). In context, the meaning is more of one who controls kingdoms; the beasts in the chapter represent the countries involved in the post exilic battles and it is explained how they are controlled by God and their actions are predetermined by Him as part of His plan for Israel and the Church (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan. 7).

God causes pagan kings to acknowledge Him as the “Most High God” and other similar titles of recognition after miraculous signs are performed before them. Nebuchadnezzar called God the “God of gods” and the “Lord of kings” (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan. 2:47). After God delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, Nebuchadnezzar praised God for their faithfulness to not worship anyone other than God (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan. 3:28-29). Belshazzar would not humble himself, but did recognize God’s hand over him when Daniel deciphered the writing on the wall (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan. 5:21-23). Darius recognized, after the deliverance of Daniel from the lion’s den, that God is eternal and that “His dominion will be forever” (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan. 6.26).

Not only is God recognized by the rulers of the earth, but He is recognized because He established their reign. “He removes Kings and establishes Kings” (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan. 2.21). This is consistent also with Romans 13 where it is written, “there is no authority except that which God has established” (Men’s Devotional Bible, Rom. 13.1). Every ruler and every man who holds authority over another was predetermined to be so according the perfect plan of God. This is difficult in light of the Israelites, because if they were to have been the holy people that God desired them to be then they would not have been led into exile, under the authority of the Babylonian kings which had been predetermined. The plan was predetermined based on the foreknowledge of the faithlessness of Israel and mankind.

It is this understanding of the plan that proves God’s endless faithfulness. He predetermined salvation for a people who He knew would repeatedly deny Him. Even in exile, God’s hand was on the nation of Israel, as a remnant was protected in order to reestablish the Israelite community. This was so that the ultimate form of God’s faithfulness could be established, the Messiah. Daniel is told about the plan of “everlasting life” for all who have their names written in the “book” (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan. 12.2). Daniel receives assurance of his own salvation and that he will “enter into rest and rise again…at the end of the age,” completely consistent with the prophesy of Revelation (The MacArthur Study Bible, Dan 12.13).

The guarantee of salvation through God’s faithfulness presents a new light on man’s relationship with Him. God established authority on earth that His will would be done for the Israelites and for all mankind. Not only has He established authority, but He is the authority over all, and recognized even by pagan kings. Finally, God’s perfect faithfulness is deliverance from the ‘lions den’ for all who will choose it, through Christ.

Works Cited
Brand, Chad Owen., Draper, Charles W., England, Archie W., ed.
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 1998.
Men’s Devotional Bible: New International Version. Zondervan, 1993.
The MacArthur Study Bible: Updated New American Standard Translation. MacArthur:
Thomas Nelson Inc., 2006.

The Blessings of Tribulation

Sep 23rd, 2008

by Anthony Delgado.

hope In times of trial, the temptation is to flee from God and to blame God. In reality we need to take shelter under God as his word instructs us.

…we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:3-5 NIV

Tribulation is defined as great affliction, trial, or distress (American Heritage Dictionary). When faced with tribulation we have two options. We can give up or persevere. Example: Say you just found out that you have cancer. You can:
a.) Choose to fight it through treatments and surgery

b.) simply give up and die.
Most would choose to fight, to persevere and overcome the cancer. To do so would be a lesson in perseverance, but to what avail?

Perseverance is defined as steady persistence in adhering to a course of action (American Heritage Dictionary). To persevere is to demonstrate steadfastness.

Character is the combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another (American Heritage Dictionary). It is what defines an organization or individualization.

Look at it this way: Christians undergo tribulation which produces in us perseverance. That perseverance is a distinguishing element in the organization that is the body of Christ. The character we demonstrate is one of steadfastness. And if we have this character of perseverance which defines us as Christians and is a product of our trials, then we know we have hope.

Hope is a wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment (American Heritage Dictionary). So, because of tribulation, there is a desire with an anticipation that the desire will be delivered. The verse says that this hope “does not disappoint”. You have assurance that this hope will be fulfilled because the hope is the love of God which is present within the Christian through the Holy Spirit. This hope is salvation through Jesus Christ.
The application in these verses is that we should not become depressed or give up on God or life because of the trials we face. Many walk further and further from God because of trials in their lives because they do not understand this. We are called to be sanctified in Christ, set apart from holiness and we walk the other way. Rather, take comfort from the love of God in times of trials because your reward is in heaven.

Are You Sanctified Through Christ?

Sep 5th, 2008

by Anthony Delgado.

Are You Sanctified Through Christ?
In the following passage Paul expresses his thankfulness for the Corinthians. Paul addresses the characteristics of their sanctification as well as acknowledgment of his own sanctification through the evidence of confirmation in Jesus Christ of the Corinthians. It is interesting that Paul always thanks God when others show evidence of salvation.

Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:1-9 NAS

Thankfulness
Paul thanks God for the Corinthians. He thanks God because they have been saved through grace and that they are enriched in Him (love, grace, mercy, etc.). This enrichment comes through in their speech and knowledge so that they express the character of God. This enrichment came as confirmation of their salvation. They were sanctified in Christ. Another element of this confirmation is that they had all spiritual gifts present within the church so that they can fully serve God. This is a picture of God’s faithfulness. He provided the gifts to the Corinthians through fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ so that He could be glorified by them when they are presented before the throne of God as blameless.

Characteristics of Sanctification
1. Church of God.

They were addressed as a church of God. In these times, where you were from (or of) said a lot about your character. The identity of ‘church’ says that they are a collection of people, gathered for a higher purpose, an ecclesiastical separation from the group which is not the ‘church’. To say that they are ‘of God’ is to specify a purpose and an affiliation. For example, if you were the King of England, you would be by definition, a ruler, your purpose would be to rule over England and your affiliation would be the English people. So, the church of God is a collection of people identified by an ecclesiastical separation which is for the purposes of God and to be affiliated with him. We can draw the application that if we identify ourselves as a member of a Church of God, we should not be affiliated with the non-ecclesiastical, the secular, and should act in accordance with the will of God and be affiliated with Him for His glory.

2. Saints by calling. To be a saint it to be a follower of Christ.

There is a lot of discussion about the balance between free will and predestination. My understanding is that there is a plan for the kingdom of God (Christians post-resurrection, Israelites pre-resurrection). If one man chooses Christ, he/she will be a part of that plan. Some people, such as Paul, certainly seem to be handpicked and called to a higher purpose so this is not to suggest that God does not call people to specific tasks, ministry, etc. Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son” (NAS). This suggests that the men whom God knew before creation would choose him, would be conformed to the likeness of his son, blameless.

3. All who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

Romans 10:9 says, “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; “(NAS). Notice it says Jesus as Lord not Jesus is Lord. All we say and know (like the Corinthians and like Paul) should identify Jesus as Lord. Check the context here. Paul is about to convict the Corinthians in following verses about following false prophets who do not identify with Jesus as Lord, but do say that Jesus is Lord as a means for financial or prideful gain. It is not likely that a great number of the Corinthians were following false prophets or he would not identify them as “those who call on the name of our Lord”, but certainly there significant was means for concern and we should be concerned about this today as well.

Paul’s Sanctification
Back on the topic of Paul thanking God for the Corinthians; Paul’s recognition of their sanctification and of their salvation is recognition of fruit being produced in his own life. By this we should be challenged to examine ourselves. Can we say that others have come to know Christ or that our brothers and sisters have been encouraged in Christ through our actions? If so, thank God for the fruit. If not, we have work to do.

Not One is Holy

Sep 2nd, 2008

by Anthony Delgado.

Not One is Holy
Reading through Ezekiel you get a pretty good idea of the wrath of God, but you also get some insight into a huge question that people ask about Christianity? Why is the God of the Old Testament vengeful, but the God of the New Testament is a God of love? The answer in short is that He is and was both a loving God and a vengeful God. Ezekiel makes this pretty clear.

I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 22:30: 31

God says that he looked upon man to find someone who could bridge the gap. This gap is between the sinful ways of man and the perfection of God. His desire is to be with man, but only on His terms, which are perfection. God looked and found no one because, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV).

This passage is actually a foreshadowing to the coming of Christ. Jesus Christ is the bridge between man and God because He provides atonement for sin so that we are “Holy and Blameless in his sight” as we have been commanded to be (Ephesians 1:4 NIV). Not without sin, rather forgiven of our sin. Atonement is the sufficient payment required from God for our sins. The acceptable payment was Christ’s death on the cross.

The important thing to note, as an application of this passage is that we, like the Israelites are deserving of destruction, however we do not experience destruction because God looks down and sees Christ who is able to bridge the gap so He does not have to destroy us. We should accept the gift of Christ with humility. How much blessing is in our lives as a result of Christ and we are deserving of destruction?

Understanding of Salvation

Aug 12th, 2008

by Anthony Delgado.

Understanding of Salvation
(Word by word study of John 3:16.)

For
It is critical to understand the word ‘for’. It means ‘because of this’. So you have to understand the context. Christ is talking with Nicodemus, a Pharisee, about salvation. Christ says, “everyone who believes in him [Christ, the Son of Man (John 3:14, NIV)] may have eternal life” (John 3:15, NIV).

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

(John 3:16, NIV)

Because everyone who believes in Christ, will live for all eternity,…

God so loved
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). God, who existed before all things and who’s word existed before all things loved. How big is God’s love? But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever (Psalm 52:8, NIV). Unfailing: Always able to supply more; inexhaustible (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition). His love is unfailing, unable to be exhausted for those who flourish in his house. Make note that loved is past tense, for further use.

…the creator of all things, who existed before all things, inexhaustibly loved…

the world
The world is the world. It is everyone, everyone who walks on the face of this earth, everyone who has walked on the face of this earth and everyone who will walk on the face of this earth. His love is so great that he can love all with an unfailing love if they choose to be a part of his house.

…all mankind whom are His creation and children…

that He gave
He, God, gave to the world. Whatever the gift it is important that He gave. What would you give to the world? The better question is “What would you give to your children?” We are all truly children of God. Like we give all we can for our children’s lifelong provision, God gave all He could for his children’s lifelong provision.

…that He provided the means for their eternal security,…

His one and only Son,
Jesus Christ is God’s only son, who is 100% man and 100% God and therefore free from sin. He was given on the cross to provide the perfect blood sacrifice which is required by God for atonement, or acceptable payment, of sin.

…the only acceptable payment to atone for sin through the blood of Jesus,…

that whoever believes in him
Whoever means anyone in the world. Anyone who has lived, is living or will live. If any of these people believe in Jesus Christ, then they will receive the gift. The word believe is important. Believe (in context): to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in, of the thing believed, to credit, have confidence. So you not only have to think it is true that Christ died, but you also have to have confidence in him. It’s like the verb for faith which does not exist in the English language.

…so that if anyone who has ever lived or will live believes in Jesus Christ and places their confidence in him…

shall not perish
To perish is to suffer eternal separation from the love of God. It is eternal torment. All mankind has an understanding of God either through direct contact with the gospel or through general revelation. If they did not pursue this calling to submit to Christ, then they go to hell “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12, NIV).

…will not suffer eternal torment due to separation from God’s love…

but have eternal life.
Eternal life is “the prize for which God has called me [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). The gift is eternal, forever, timeless.

…but will instead spend eternity enjoying His love.

Because everyone who believes in Christ, will live for all eternity, the creator of all things, who existed before all things, inexhaustibly loved all mankind whom are His creation and children that He provided the means for their eternal security, the only acceptable payment to atone for sin through the blood of Jesus, so that if anyone who has ever lived or will live believes in Jesus Christ and places their confidence in him will not suffer eternal torment due to separation from God’s love but will instead spend eternity enjoying His love.

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