My Journal for Today: We must remember, when looking at this passage today, that many in the Greek culture, to whom Paul was addressing this epistle, had trouble believing in Christ’s bodily resurrection because of Greek dualism, which taught that anything in the physical realm was evil. Therefore, a bodily resurrection would be repugnant to such seekers after faith in Corinth. So, in today’s verse, Paul proclaimed (i.e., “preached”) from the standpoint of personal eye-witness testimony, essentially saying that no one could counter his own claim of seeing Jesus as the risen Christ. Paul knew it was true and he literally staked his life on it (as we know from his historical martyrdom).
In point of fact, if one cannot – or will not – believe that Christ was dead and now lives, there would be no hope for that one to rise again to be eternally with Christ after his/her own death. All of Christianity rests on this doctrine of belief in the “gospel truth” as we know it. So, as you would have observed, if you’ve been reading my devotionals this month, the “resurrection” is the baseline, foundational doctrine of Christianity. If one pulls out that pin from the structure of our faith and discards it, faith in Christ comes crashing down as meaningless.
However, Christ did die; and praise His Name, He did rise again … as history in the Bible records over 500 witnesses gave testimony [see 1st Cor. 15: 6]. A brilliant former Christian hater like Saul of Tarsus could not have believed in the risen Christ and changed the way he did to become the Apostle Paul unless the evidence was incontrovertible, as he witnesses in today’s verse. And we can rest our faith – as do I – on the biblical and historical evidence we have available. Truth from the past and as the very word of God proclaims, as did Paul in today’s passage, that Christ is risen!
I may never have seen the risen Christ as did His disciples, those 500+ witnesses, and the Apostle Paul, but no one can say to me that I haven’t seen the effects of life transformation that has taken place in the life of one who, like Paul, used to be a Christian hater and, also who, like Paul, has become one who lives (and would die) to share the Lord with others. And I think of men, far more intellectual than I, … former atheist thinkers like former scientist and now Christian apologist, Josh McDowell, British author, C.S. Lewis, and lawyer/journalist, Lee Strobel, … all brilliant men who decided to examine the historical data and came to the conclusion that Jesus of Nazareth did – IN FACT – die and was raised from the dead. And like yours truly, they all finally and inexorably put their faith in the doctrine of the resurrection; and they all, like me, saw their lives become transformed by that belief.
Christ does live in my witness; and my faith in Him allows Him to live in me! And if you’re reading this, I pray that you just said, “Amen, Bill !!!”
My Prayer Today: HALLELUJAH! HE LIVES!! Amen
Showing posts with label doctrine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doctrine. Show all posts
Sunday, April 24, 2011
April 24, 2008 … Resurrection – A Belief that Matters
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthian 15: 12 … But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
Monday, January 03, 2011
January 3, 2011 – From Doctrine To Duty
Passage of the Day [NIV]: Ephesians 4: 1 – As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
My Journal for Today: Again Dr. MacArthur has me in Eph. 4: 1a, with our focus as Christians always being on how we can live this Christian life, continually, moving toward Christlikeness, … that life WORTHY of [i.e., coming into conformity with – see my devotional entry for yesterday] the calling we have received now that we walk as “Christians” rather than as non-believers or unsaved seekers.
John MacArthur in Strength For Today teaches that Paul was emphasizing to the churches at Ephesus and Colossians (see Col 1: 9-10 below) that, as disciples of Christ, there will never be right living (i.e., a worthy Christian walk) without an understanding and application of right principles. In other words, as Dr. Mac’s title for today summarizes, duty follows doctrine.
SCRIPTURE: Col. 1: 9-10: 9…since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, …
Here in Col. 1 above, we read Paul praying that the knowledge of God [i.e., sound Christian DOCTRINE], pursued and understood by the Colossian believers would lead them to spiritual understanding and lives worthy of God [i.e., fruitful Christian DUTY]. And that’s what Paul was doing to/for the believers at Ephesus as well – and by extension for you and me. He understood this truth of human nature, brought out in Prov. 23: 7, that “…as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” [NKJV] Understanding always precedes behavior. Right thinking comes before right living. If one reads through the Apostle Paul’s discussion of right Christian doctrine in Ephesians, chapters 1 – 3, one can see that he was merely setting the table for his discussion of right Christian living in Ephesians, chapters 4 – 6 [I’ll leave that more dedicated study to you].
Paul wanted nothing but God’s best for the believers to whom he preached and taught and for whom he prayed. He knew that God would bless those who believed God’s promises, trusted in God’s will, and followed His way, found in His word. It is nothing less than God’s blessing that motivated Paul to write so forcefully to the Ephesians and the Colossians … and I say again, to you and me. In these passages from God’s word, summarized today, Paul wrote about living by following right Christian doctrine. And Paul knew that God’s people would never be fully blessed by God unless they fully understood that God’s way (i.e., His doctrine) must be trusted and obeyed in their lives.
The chain goes like this: … to KNOW God is to LOVE God … to love God is to TRUST God … to trust God is to OBEY God … to obey God is to SERVE God … and to serve God is to RECEIVE THE ENABLING GRACE [i.e., the blessings] of God. This all begins by knowing God’s way/will through His word. That’s why effective Christian preachers/teachers are those who prioritize and emphasize doctrine over emotions or experiences. Feelings, and even experiences, can be deceiving; but God’s word is always truth for the Christian who desires to live in a many worthy of God’s true doctrine. You may already be thinking of the following passage, which fits perfectly here.
SCRIPTURE: 2nd Timothy 3: 16-17: … 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
It is the preacher’s or pastor’s responsibility to expose God’s truth, i.e., the full Gospel of Christ; and it’s our responsibility as Christians to hear it, study it, test it against God’s word (as in 1John 4: 1), to fully understand it, to trust it, and then … to live it. As MacArthur closes his devotional for this date, he writes, “As we think about our worthy walk, let’s avoid emotionalism or legalism, and instead focus on living what we learn from a thorough and personal study of God’ word.”
My Prayer Today: That is my desire, Lord, ... to know Your will and Your way from Your word and to always walk worthy of Your Name. Amen
My Journal for Today: Again Dr. MacArthur has me in Eph. 4: 1a, with our focus as Christians always being on how we can live this Christian life, continually, moving toward Christlikeness, … that life WORTHY of [i.e., coming into conformity with – see my devotional entry for yesterday] the calling we have received now that we walk as “Christians” rather than as non-believers or unsaved seekers.
John MacArthur in Strength For Today teaches that Paul was emphasizing to the churches at Ephesus and Colossians (see Col 1: 9-10 below) that, as disciples of Christ, there will never be right living (i.e., a worthy Christian walk) without an understanding and application of right principles. In other words, as Dr. Mac’s title for today summarizes, duty follows doctrine.
SCRIPTURE: Col. 1: 9-10: 9…since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, …
Here in Col. 1 above, we read Paul praying that the knowledge of God [i.e., sound Christian DOCTRINE], pursued and understood by the Colossian believers would lead them to spiritual understanding and lives worthy of God [i.e., fruitful Christian DUTY]. And that’s what Paul was doing to/for the believers at Ephesus as well – and by extension for you and me. He understood this truth of human nature, brought out in Prov. 23: 7, that “…as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” [NKJV] Understanding always precedes behavior. Right thinking comes before right living. If one reads through the Apostle Paul’s discussion of right Christian doctrine in Ephesians, chapters 1 – 3, one can see that he was merely setting the table for his discussion of right Christian living in Ephesians, chapters 4 – 6 [I’ll leave that more dedicated study to you].
Paul wanted nothing but God’s best for the believers to whom he preached and taught and for whom he prayed. He knew that God would bless those who believed God’s promises, trusted in God’s will, and followed His way, found in His word. It is nothing less than God’s blessing that motivated Paul to write so forcefully to the Ephesians and the Colossians … and I say again, to you and me. In these passages from God’s word, summarized today, Paul wrote about living by following right Christian doctrine. And Paul knew that God’s people would never be fully blessed by God unless they fully understood that God’s way (i.e., His doctrine) must be trusted and obeyed in their lives.
The chain goes like this: … to KNOW God is to LOVE God … to love God is to TRUST God … to trust God is to OBEY God … to obey God is to SERVE God … and to serve God is to RECEIVE THE ENABLING GRACE [i.e., the blessings] of God. This all begins by knowing God’s way/will through His word. That’s why effective Christian preachers/teachers are those who prioritize and emphasize doctrine over emotions or experiences. Feelings, and even experiences, can be deceiving; but God’s word is always truth for the Christian who desires to live in a many worthy of God’s true doctrine. You may already be thinking of the following passage, which fits perfectly here.
SCRIPTURE: 2nd Timothy 3: 16-17: … 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
It is the preacher’s or pastor’s responsibility to expose God’s truth, i.e., the full Gospel of Christ; and it’s our responsibility as Christians to hear it, study it, test it against God’s word (as in 1John 4: 1), to fully understand it, to trust it, and then … to live it. As MacArthur closes his devotional for this date, he writes, “As we think about our worthy walk, let’s avoid emotionalism or legalism, and instead focus on living what we learn from a thorough and personal study of God’ word.”
My Prayer Today: That is my desire, Lord, ... to know Your will and Your way from Your word and to always walk worthy of Your Name. Amen
Friday, October 16, 2009
2009 – Day 288.Oct 16 – A Desert Retreat
Passage of the Day: Devotional focus on Acts 9: 20 - 25 … Acts 9 linked for study …
2nd Passage for Study: Devotional focus on Galatians 1: 1 – 11 … Galatians 1 linked for study …
My Journal for Today: We know that Paul, the converted Apostle, spent about three years in the deserts of Asia-Minor, somewhere around Galatia, being prepared by God for the Ministry unto which he was called. It was there that this converted Jewish zealot really became a changed Christian missionary; and God, the Holy Spirit, along with Paul’s prodigious knowledge of Hebrew Scripture, transformed the theology and spiritual outlook of this man of God, morphing him into a truly Godly man.
Paul had to learn to examine all the theological and traditional teachings of his former teachers, like Gamaliel; and he had to surrender to the teachings of God’s Spirit thru the study of His word on such topics as God’s sovereignty, election, man’s depravity, and above all the divinity of Christ. But this brings up a very salient point. It’s difficult for us to be all we can be as Christians, … called as we are by the Great Commission (see Matt. 28: 19 – 20) or by God’s call to witness in His Name (see Acts 1: 8). Yes, it’s difficult to be these witnesses we are all called to be unless we understand and have a grasp on sound Christian doctrine.
There’s a reason why most young Christians, who have a calling into Christian ministry, go off by tradition/practice (usually to some accredited school) and learn about God’s truth in the way it’s preached and taught in God’s word, even studying the ancient languages of Hebrew and Greek so that these young Christians can become more Godly ministers or missionaries of the Gospel. The question becomes: “How well versed are most of us in God’s truth so that we can be effective witnesses for the Gospel in our lives?”
Personally I think there is much doctrinal and biblical illiteracy in the Christian church today; and many of those who call our selves “Christians” are not as well versed as we should be in the basics of the Bible so that we can effectively be able to witness for our about God’s truth.
Am I saying that all Christians should go off into the desert and get their Christian doctrine straight? Or should we become a monk for a number of years, as did Martin Luther, to understand the intricacies of Scripture? Or does the Christian life demand two or three years of Seminary to get what we need in foundational doctrine to be a witness for Christ? … Absolutely not!
However, I am saying that many of us need more foundation when it comes to Biblical doctrine so that we can stand and be witnesses for our Lord in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity.
No, I don’t need to become an Apostle Paul or a Martin Luther; but I do need to be a Bill Berry who understands the Bible well enough to make sound, Godly decisions. I do need to be able to know enough scripture to be able to reject heretical teaching, like that put forth by crack-pot televangelists who are teaching a lot of the spiritual garbage found on so-called “christian” TV these days. It’s frightening to think how people like Oprah Winfrey and others are having so much influence over Christians when what they are putting forth are lies from the pit of hell. But Christians are buying in to many of those lies because they simply don’t know enough truth from God’s word to be able to recognize when Oprah is telling them a lie.
Here’s my bottom line today. Paul is an example of how God, the Holy Spirit, can transform the mind and heart of a Christian; but Paul had to do his due diligence to study and learn sound, foundational Christian doctrine; and so do we, my dear Christian friend! We need to be studying the world of God from trustworthy Christians teachers enough so that we can decipher the will of God and walk in the ways of God. I can only pray that we’re doing that.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, God … precious Holy Spirit, teach me in Your ways and make Your will clear from Your word. Amen
2nd Passage for Study: Devotional focus on Galatians 1: 1 – 11 … Galatians 1 linked for study …
My Journal for Today: We know that Paul, the converted Apostle, spent about three years in the deserts of Asia-Minor, somewhere around Galatia, being prepared by God for the Ministry unto which he was called. It was there that this converted Jewish zealot really became a changed Christian missionary; and God, the Holy Spirit, along with Paul’s prodigious knowledge of Hebrew Scripture, transformed the theology and spiritual outlook of this man of God, morphing him into a truly Godly man.
Paul had to learn to examine all the theological and traditional teachings of his former teachers, like Gamaliel; and he had to surrender to the teachings of God’s Spirit thru the study of His word on such topics as God’s sovereignty, election, man’s depravity, and above all the divinity of Christ. But this brings up a very salient point. It’s difficult for us to be all we can be as Christians, … called as we are by the Great Commission (see Matt. 28: 19 – 20) or by God’s call to witness in His Name (see Acts 1: 8). Yes, it’s difficult to be these witnesses we are all called to be unless we understand and have a grasp on sound Christian doctrine.
There’s a reason why most young Christians, who have a calling into Christian ministry, go off by tradition/practice (usually to some accredited school) and learn about God’s truth in the way it’s preached and taught in God’s word, even studying the ancient languages of Hebrew and Greek so that these young Christians can become more Godly ministers or missionaries of the Gospel. The question becomes: “How well versed are most of us in God’s truth so that we can be effective witnesses for the Gospel in our lives?”
Personally I think there is much doctrinal and biblical illiteracy in the Christian church today; and many of those who call our selves “Christians” are not as well versed as we should be in the basics of the Bible so that we can effectively be able to witness for our about God’s truth.
Am I saying that all Christians should go off into the desert and get their Christian doctrine straight? Or should we become a monk for a number of years, as did Martin Luther, to understand the intricacies of Scripture? Or does the Christian life demand two or three years of Seminary to get what we need in foundational doctrine to be a witness for Christ? … Absolutely not!
However, I am saying that many of us need more foundation when it comes to Biblical doctrine so that we can stand and be witnesses for our Lord in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity.
No, I don’t need to become an Apostle Paul or a Martin Luther; but I do need to be a Bill Berry who understands the Bible well enough to make sound, Godly decisions. I do need to be able to know enough scripture to be able to reject heretical teaching, like that put forth by crack-pot televangelists who are teaching a lot of the spiritual garbage found on so-called “christian” TV these days. It’s frightening to think how people like Oprah Winfrey and others are having so much influence over Christians when what they are putting forth are lies from the pit of hell. But Christians are buying in to many of those lies because they simply don’t know enough truth from God’s word to be able to recognize when Oprah is telling them a lie.
Here’s my bottom line today. Paul is an example of how God, the Holy Spirit, can transform the mind and heart of a Christian; but Paul had to do his due diligence to study and learn sound, foundational Christian doctrine; and so do we, my dear Christian friend! We need to be studying the world of God from trustworthy Christians teachers enough so that we can decipher the will of God and walk in the ways of God. I can only pray that we’re doing that.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, God … precious Holy Spirit, teach me in Your ways and make Your will clear from Your word. Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
