Freedom in Christ

What is sin? It is “missing the mark” – “falling short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). It is rebellion and disobedience. It is faithlessness (Rom 14:23). It is the choices we make, the road we take, our words and actions. But it is still more. Jesus said sin is a slave master – “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). And Paul said that we are by nature sinful: “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is in my sinful nature” (Rom 7:18). That is why we are slaves to sin.
The Bible is clear: we are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. We sin because it is our very nature and we have no choice but to obey our nature. When Adam and Eve obeyed the serpent instead of God they unleashed sin on the world and on every human born into the world. Every person comes into life as a slave to sin. Even my precious, slightly imperfect granddaughter. Trust me, I know this for certain.
We cry out with Paul, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Is there any hope for us? Yes, there is! “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom 7:24-25).
Jesus had no trace of sin. He was perfect and holy. Yet He died because of sin. Your sin and my sin and the sin of every person who ever lived was heaped on Him at the cross and buried with Him in the grave. But when He rose from the dead, those sins stayed in the tomb. But not everyone will receive what He has done. When someone rejects the salvation Jesus bought with His blood, it is like they are marching into the tomb and taking their sins back. “These are MINE!”
I don’t want my sins back. I much prefer to run free in God’s forgiveness and mercy and grace. Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). That means that, in Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin. We no longer have to obey our sin nature – even though we sometimes do.
If you hear nothing else I say, hear this: If you have received what Jesus did for you, you are not who you once were. You are “a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). Receive it. Believe it. Live in it. Beloved, freedom looks good on you.

Advent 2023: Son of a Woman, Son of God

Wrap your head around this: the baby in the manger was the son of a virgin and the Son of God. The Scriptures say “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son . . . “ Matthew 1:23/Isaiah 7:14. I know – you’ve heard this scripture a hundred times at least. But have you stopped to consider what it really means? We tend to fly over it but we need to give it some time and attention because it is important.
It was crucial that the Savior of the world be spotless, without flaw or error, stain or blemish – perfectly pure. That could never happen with two human parents. Joseph was a righteous man, but he had a sin nature like every other human being. Mary was a virgin and she was“highly favored” by God, but she had the same sin nature. Joseph would be Jesus’ earthly father, but not his “biological father.” Mary, however, would be His biological mother – therefore she had to be a virgin – sexually pure. The Scripture said that Mary was “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit as the “male party” to conception. The DNA stored in Jesus Christ’s physical body was that of the Lord God! The Father was in the Son.
More importantly, He provided spiritual purity so that the child would be the only human born without a sin nature. Now I am a Bible teacher. I like to make difficult things understandable. But I cannot explain how this occurred. It was a divine action that we must accept with wonder.
Why does this matter? Because you and I are unholy people in need of a holy Savior. The Levitical law declared that “the life of a creature is in the blood,” and “it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Lev 17:11). Only holy blood – divine blood – could atone for the sin of all men*. There’s just one problem: God cannot die. That is why Jesus had to be both divine and human. It was the only way to provide the perfect blood sacrifice required to redeem mankind from their sin nature*. It is the only hope you and I have.
Beloved, I encourage you to slow down through the familiar Christmas account. Take in every scene and ponder every word. This is not just a warm, fuzzy story to tell around the tree. This story is life. Eternal life. It is wonder and awe. It is Jesus – the God-man who came to save you. Indeed, it is good news.

*The blood of Jesus is sufficient to atone for all sin for all mankind, but not all men will receive what Christ has done.

My Redeemer

You may have heard folks talk about “the patience of Job” I don’t know who coined that phrase, but I’ve studied Job a lot and I can say that he was not the paragon of patience he is purported to be. Neither am I. He and I have a lot in common. We both have been attacked by satan and we both have struggled to keep our eyes on God. Granted he had a rougher time of it than I, but I know what it’s like to be in the devil’s crosshairs. Which leads me to another similarity. Like Job, I also tend to whine. A lot. This year has been full of trials and heartaches. I trust God, but man, those fiery darts can be mighty painful.

Here is another point in which Job and I are alike. We both have a Savior.  He said, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand upon the earth . . . [and] I myself will see him with my own eyes . . .” He was sure with all his heart that God would vindicate him and redeem him. I cling to the same hope And we both long for the day when He destroys the evil one and death forever. He said, “How my heart yearns within me” (Job 19:25,27). Mine too, Job. Mine too.

But there is one way that we differ. Job looked for a Savior he didn’t know. But I have found my Redeemer and His name is Jesus. Job spoke in his pain, wishing God would “guard my steps, but not keep track of my sin.” He wanted God to “seal up my offenses in a bag [and] cover over my sin” (Job 14:16-17). Because I am in Christ, that is exactly what He has done! My sin – “Oh the bliss of this glorious thought”[1] – all my sins are under the blood of Jesus and God watches me – not to keep track of my every offense, but to guard and guide my steps.

Peter wrote, “Love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). Jesus’ blood is love poured out lavishly on those who believe and receive God’s gift of salvation. And He didn’t seal our sins up in a bag, but He left them buried in the tomb that could not hold Him. Do you know my Jesus? Do you have the sweet assurance of His forgiveness and grace? You can be set free from your sins, Beloved. He is just a prayer away.

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[1] “It Is Well With My Soul” Horatio Spafford and Philip Bliss 1873.

East and West

I was reading in the Psalms this morning and came across David’s prayer, “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord” (Ps 25:7). What a comfort this verse is. I’ve always tried to be transparent but I have done things that I will probably never share with you. They are things I am not proud of, things that I am, in fact, ashamed of. If you’re honest, you have some of them too.

Satan loves to go back through the record of my life and say, “Remember THIS sin? Oh, you were rotten.” “And don’t forget this day, you even made your mama cry.” “What were you thinking when you did THAT?” “How could God ever want someone like you? He is disgusted with you!” Does any of that sound familiar? Guilt is his favorite tool to beat us down and shut us up. It worked with me for a long time. But God . . .

A few years ago I was studying the names of God, particularly Elohe Chaseddi – The God of Mercy, and found Psalm 103, once again by David. He praised the Lord, “who forgives all your sins . . . who redeems your life from the pit . . . [who] is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, [and] abounding in love” (vs. 3, 4, and 8 ). This doesn’t sound at all like the angry God the enemy was touting, does it? This sounds like the God who “does not treat us as our sins deserve” (v. 10). Oh, praise His name!

This is the God who “has removed our transgressions from us – as far as the east is from the west” (v. 12). Do you know how far the east is from the west? Infinity. There’s a reason why East and West are represented on a compass by arrows. They stretch out in opposite directions and go on forever, never to meet again. Do you understand what that means in the context of this verse? If you have received God’s mercy and grace through Christ Jesus, your sins can never circle back on you.

If you have a past – and you do – that’s good news. Whatever you have done, God has placed it under the blood of His Son. You are free. He has given you a new life and a new hope. Go after it, Beloved.

God Moved Heaven and Earth for You

Have you ever done something that made you wonder if God had finally given up and turned away from you? I have. And if you’re honest you will admit that you have too. All of us have. The Scripture says. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). You. Me. The most religious person in the world and the most ungodly criminal on death row. God could – and rightly should – wash His hands of us and walk away. It’s what we deserve. But He never will.

Paul posed an important question in his letter to the churches in Rome: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). That raises another question: How can we be certain God is for us? Look at the next verse: “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all . . .” We can be sure God is for us because of the cross. Because God sent His one and only Son to live in human flesh and die a cruel and painful death to atone for your sins and mine and redeem us – to buy us out of condemnation. Jesus didn’t deserve to die. He had no sin of His own, but He took on our sins and died for our freedom. If the cross doesn’t convince you then nothing will. This verse begs another question: Why would God be for us? We are steeped in sin and have nothing to offer in response to His mercy. Why would a holy God have any concern for a sinful wretch like me? One word. Four letters. Love. Paul added, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, 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” (vs. 38-39). It was not our sin that sent God’s Son to the cross, it was His love for human beings – for you and me.

I’ve been writing these devotionals for more than ten years and I’ve covered a lot of topics and Scriptures. But if you forget every word, take this to heart: God loves you and He is for you. He will move heaven and earth to save you. Come to think of it Beloved, He already has.

Promise Keeper

Have you ever had someone break a promise to you? I am sure you have, and so have I. It’s part of life in this fallen world. But we have a God who always keeps His promises. Jeremiah declared of the Lord: “He has done just as He said He would” (Jer 40:3).

He promised the first man and woman that if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die. They ate and became mortal with death in their future. He promised Noah that he and his family would be rescued from the terrible flood that destroyed all life on earth. And they were. He promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations and that his people would have a land of their own. Israel is the fulfillment of that promise. He promised to rescue Abraham’s descendants from slavery and 2 million plus Hebrew people marched out of Egypt and across a dry seabed between walls of water and into freedom. The Bible is replete with God’s promises and His fulfillment of them – to the nation of Israel and to the world.

Here is another promise God made: “He will crush your head . . .” (Gen 3:15). This promise is spoken to the evil one, the devil, satan himself – the one who threw all of humanity into chaos and sin. God promised to send Someone who would bring divine justice and break the enemy’s hold over humanity.  He was true to His Word. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise.  

He also promised rest. Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). He wasn’t necessarily talking about physical rest, although David declared that God leads him to restful places to be restored (Ps 23:2-3). In this context He was speaking of spiritual rest – He promises us rest for our souls. You and I are sinners and the penalty of our sin is condemnation – eternal death. The heart of the gospel is that Christ bore the burden of our condemnation on the cross. He gives us rest from our burden and rest from trying to atone for our own sins.

Paul said, “No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ” (2 Cor 1:20). Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises God has made. Do you believe Him, Beloved? Do you trust the Promise-Keeper?

You Cannot Out-sin God’s Love

“You don’t know the things I’ve done. God could never forgive me. I’m too far gone.” I had never seen such a forlorn look on anyone’s face. The young woman was convinced she had committed the gravest, most unforgivable sins and was destined to eternal misery. “God could never love a sinner like me.”  I wanted to tell her that she was wrong – that no sin was too big or too ugly or too heavy for God. I wanted to say that God could – and did – love a sinner like her because he loved a sinner like me. My own list of sins was long and shocking. But she turned away quickly and was gone before I could collect my thoughts.

I thought about her as I was reading in Leviticus tonight and I hoped that someone was able to catch her and tell her she wasn’t God’s lost cause. When The Lord gave the regulations for the Day of Atonement, He commanded the priest to make a blood sacrifice for “himself, his household, and the whole community of Israel” (Lev 16:17). He left no one out, and He left no sin uncovered. He told Moses that the sacrifice was for “the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been” (v. 16). Read that again – “Whatever their sins have been.” Every sin. All sin. “Big” sins and “little” sins. It was all atoned for by the goat’s blood.

Consider then, that the writer of Hebrews declared that Jesus’ blood was superior to “the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:4). And consider that Jesus’s sacrifice was “once for all” (Heb 7:27; 9: 12, 26; 10:2, 10) – whoever you are and whatever your sins have been. And consider John’s words: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins . . .” (1 John 1:9). Whatever they may be.

The blood of Jesus covers it all. Abortions. Affairs. Addictions. Theft. Violence. Sexual immorality. Selfishness. Pride. Anger. Murder. Abuse. Lies. Idolatry. Hatred. How do I know? Because mine are on that list and He’s forgiven me. And because Scripture says “Love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8).

Jesus left heaven out of love. He went to the cross out of love. He shed His blood out of love. For you and me. I have given Him a thousand reasons not to love me and He’s never taken a single one. Beloved, God stands ready to forgive your sins. All your sins. Whatever they may be.

I AM: The Good Shepherd

My favorite “I Am” statement of Jesus is “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). It is precious and comforting to me. To get the full scope of this statement, please read John 10:11-30. Remember that Jesus is talking to the Pharisees, the ruling religious party of the Jews. They had just tried to discredit His miraculous healing of a man born blind (John 9) and had thrown the man out of the temple for defending the One who opened His eyes. This I Am also comes on the heels of His claim to be The Door/Gate (10:7-10).

The Pharisees knew exactly what Jesus meant by this statement, and it infuriated them. It was a reference to the Lord’s proclamation against the worthless “shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves” (Eze 34:2). They used and abused the sheep they were called to tend, ate their curds, and took their wool for their own coverings. They had no compassion for the weak or sick or wounded. They left the lost to wander alone and in constant danger. So the Lord said, “I myself will tend my sheep . . .” (Eze 34:15). Jesus came to be the Shepherd – the Good Shepherd – and step in where they had failed.

The Good Shepherd, Jesus said, “lays down His life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11-12). Sheep owners would hire shepherds who had no stake in the flock other than a paycheck. When a wolf attacked, the careless shepherds would run away, leaving the defenseless sheep in mortal danger. Of course, the wolf is satan, and Jesus did not run away. He faced down the devil, laid down on the cross, and died to save His beloved lambs (v. 18). And by God’s divine power, He rose to life and stands between the wolf and His flock.

Here’s the part I love the best – Jesus said, “I know my sheep and my sheep know me” (v. 14)”. The twin words, “know” speak volumes in the original Greek. It means to be acquainted with or have knowledge of. But it also means intimacy, the kind that only a husband and wife enjoy when there is nothing between them but love. No pretense. No distance. No distrust. Jesus knows me like no one else, and He loves me. All of me. Even the parts that I do not love about myself.

It is the same love He has for you. Intimate. Abiding. Unwavering. Unfailing. Eternal. He is the Good Shepherd. You, precious little lamb, can trust Him.

The Problem is Sin, The Answer is Jesus

My back hurts. Low and on the left side. I “googled” my symptoms and found out that I may have endometriosis, kidney stones, IBS, sciatica, muscle weakness, muscle imbalance, and muscle strain. These are due to how I sit, how I stand, how I sleep, how strenuously I work out (bwahahaha), and how I twist my back when I swing a golf club. No, I don’t play golf, but I’m looking for any excuse here because I know what’s really wrong with my back – it’s my front. It’s all the excess girth sitting in my tummy area. I’m trying to lose weight, but then Reese’s made Peanut Butter Cups with potato chips.

When you and I look at the world and the horrible things that human beings do to one another we want to ask “Why?” The news broke yesterday of another tragic shooting that left many families grieving.  Immorality is being celebrated and paraded. Babies are murdered in what should be the safest place on earth – their mother’s womb.  I shake my head and wonder, “Why?” Even in my own life, when I do things I know I should not do, I look in the mirror and ask myself the same question. I suspect you do too.

But I know why, and so do you. Sin. Sin opened the door wide for all these evil things to become part of the human story – part of me and part of you. Sin breeds hate and greed and selfishness and lust and every manner of evil. It is the curse of rebellion against God. When Adam and Eve bit the fruit, mankind was doomed to live in enmity with God, condemned by the sinful nature that has invaded every person for all time. Except one. In Romans 7, Paul lamented that sinful part of himself. He also asked a question – but it wasn’t “Why?” He knew why. “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature” (v. 18). He asked instead, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (v. 24). And then he answered his own question: “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v. 25) Jesus Christ changes everything. He breaks the curse of sin and He transforms our hearts so that redemption – not sin – is our forever story.

Beloved, you were born a sinful creature, but God sent His one and only Son to set you free. You know what the problem is, and now you know the answer. Won’t you come to Jesus today?

Good and Evil

I came across several verses this morning that set up a theme.

“Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Rom 12:9)

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (v. 21)

“Be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil” (16:19)

“In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults” (1 Cor 14:20).

“Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thess 5:21-22).

Verse 16 intrigues me. Innocent describes a person with a pure mind – unmixed with evil. That was Adam and Eve, the first humans and the last innocent people on earth. God told them not to take the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because, at this point, they were pure.  In their innocence, they were free from the harmful effects of the knowledge of evil, a knowledge they—and we—are unable to bear.  The serpent led them to believe that if they ate from the tree, they could know what God knew. And he was right. To a point. He failed to tell them that they did not have the moral capacity to bear that knowledge without disastrous repercussions. 

When she plucked that piece of tainted fruit Eve got “knowledge” all right, but she also got much more than she bargained for.  When she and Adam were exposed to the knowledge of evil, evil overtook them and buried their innocence.  They had the “knowledge of evil,” but not the power to resist it.

But Paul said there is good news: good can overcome evil. That’s where Jesus comes in. He is the only pure, good, innocent human being to walk on earth. He took His good to the cross and to the grave and there overcome the evil that was destroying God’s good creation.

So how do you and I overcome evil? The same way the saints did: “They overcame [the evil one] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev 12:11). We overcome the evil nature within by faith in Jesus. We overcome evil in the world by proclaiming what God has done for us. And we overcome evil in our daily lives. We avoid it, hate it, and turn our minds away from it. We refuse to give it a foothold (Eph 4:27). You were not made for evil, Beloved. You were made good (Gen 1:31).