GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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FREE FROM THE LAW
Living Under Grace
Part 2 of 4
By Richard Jordan




FREE FROM THE LAW

Gal. 4:1,2 demonstrates the two-fold use of the law:

"Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

"But IS UNDER TUTORS AND GOVERNORS until the time appointed of the father."

A "tutor" is one who teaches, while a "governor" is one who controls, restricts and restrains. These are the two basic functions of the law: to stop or control sin and/or to teach how to bring forth fruit that would be acceptable to the justice of God.

To thus use the law, however, only demonstrates our own inadequacy, for the problem with the law is really the problem with us --- it points out our inability. As Rom. 8:3 reminds us:

" .. WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO, IN THAT IT WAS WEAK THROUGH THE FLESH ... "

The only answer to the condemnation of the law is to deal with sin by some other means.

The law can never stop sin in our lives simply because sin is there. Rather the law makes sin active and alive for "by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). Thus Rom. 7 tells us:

"For when we were in the flesh, THE MOTIONS OF SINS, WHICH WERE BY THE LAW, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death."

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I HAD NOT KNOWN SIN, BUT BY THE LAW: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

"But SIN, TAKING OCCASION BY THE COMMANDMENT, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. FOR WITHOUT THE LAW SIN WAS DEAD.

"For I WAS ALIVE WITHOUT THE LAW ONCE: BUT WHEN THE COMMANDMENT CAME, SIN REVIVED, AND I DIED.

"And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

"For SIN, TAKING OCCASION BY THE COMMANDMENT, DECEIVED ME, AND BY IT SLEW ME."

"For we know that THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL: BUT I, AM CARNAL, SOLD UNDER SIN" (Rom.7:5,7-11,14).

It is our identification with Christ at Calvary that frees us from sin. In Rom. 6 our freedom from sin is based squarely on the fact that we have been crucified with Christ:

"Knowing this, that OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM [CHRIST], THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DESTROYED, THAT HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN.

"FOR HE THAT IS DEAD IS FREED FROM SIN" (vs.6,7).

In Rom. 7 we learn that this same identification with Christ at Calvary has also made us free from the law:

"Wherefore, my brethren, YE ALSO ARE BECOME DEAD TO THE LAW by the body of Christ. .. "

"BUT NOW WE ARE DELIVERED FROM THE LAW, THAT BEING DEAD WHEREIN WE WERE HELD; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter" (vs. 4,6).

To be "free from the law" means that Christ has delivered us from trying to "be good" in order to be accepted by God. No longer is it necessary to be under external enactments, under conditions of performance and duty. "In Christ" we already have an eternal standing in grace --- have already secured Divine favor, by a sovereign act of God which has not only reckoned to us Christ's redeeming work but has placed us fully in His present acceptance with God!

This deliverance from the law gives us liberty from sin's dominion in the details of our lives. The relationship between sin and the law is explained in I Cor. 15:56,

" ... THE STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW."

Our problem all along has been sin --- and the law points out sin on its every occurrence, thus condemning us. Having been made free from sin through the cross-work of Christ, however, the law has lost its job, as it were. Thus the cross also makes us free from the law:

"BLOTTING OUT THE HANDWRITING OF ORDINANCES THAT WAS AGAINST US, WHICH WAS CONTRARY TO US, AND TOOK IT OUT OF THE WAY, NAILING IT TO HIS CROSS" (Col. 2:14).

Since the cross has so effectively dealt with sin, should we then use the law for its other purpose --- to motivate us to live in a godly manner? Let's see.

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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FREE FROM THE LAW
Living Under Grace
Part 3 of 4
By Richard Jordan



LIVING UNDER GRACE

Paul declares that it is grace that teaches and motivates the believer today to "maintain good works."

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, "TEACHING US THAT, DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS, WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY, in this present world" (Tit. 2:11,12).

Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness --- to stop sin in our lives --- and to live soberly, righteously and godly --- to bring forth fruit that will please God.

Paul says, "By the grace of God I am what I am" (I Cor. 15:10), and we need to discover in our lives what this means. It is grace that produces results, whereas law-keeping makes only for frustration. The gospel of the grace of God liberates us into a life of service for Christ and if it were truly understood it would electrify present-day Christianity. The problem of our present time is that the Church preaches a message that is little more than warmed-over Judaism rather than the liberty that comes from faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Let's understand this clearly: The Christian life is not earning credits and blessings from the Lord. Instead it is the grateful response to what He has already done for us in that He has given us everything in Christ. Rom. 8:32 sets forth our confidence:

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, HOW SHALL HE NOT WITH HIM ALSO FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?"

The little word "for" in the middle of Rom. 6:14 is intriguing. We believe both parts of the verse --- but why this "for"? The answer is the key to the Christian life: for the believer, being under grace brings about what all his legal efforts could never attain. Thus it is all important to discern what it means to be "under grace."

The answer is repeated over and over in Paul's epistles: it is discovering that we have everything in Christ, believing it and resting in it.

We must never believe that these truths are merely abstract doctrines that have no relevance to our lives. The motivation for the marvelous ministry committed to our trust grows out of the great joy that comes when the truths of grace grip the heart. A clear understanding of and confidence in the grace of God is the only way to success.

GRACE WORKS

Grace is not against good works! It simply does not bless on the basis of good works. We receive blessing from God based solely on the merits of His Son --- blessings freely given to us in Christ and nowhere else. The completeness that is in Christ means deliverance from trying to "be good" and "do right" in order to be accepted by God.

Never think for a moment, however, that good works are not important to grace. We must learn that grace is God's way both in salvation and the Christian life. It is the modus operandi for the Christian life. The good works the law demanded, grace produces.

The law demands good works and uses its terror --- rejection, shame, fear of punishment, unanswered prayer, personal tragedy, etc. --- as motivation. Here performance is a necessity to secure the blessings and avoid the curses.

Grace, on the other hand, allows us to serve on a different basis --- not from fear but on the basis of love and gratitude, from appreciation and gladness for blessings freely given and freely received.

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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FREE FROM THE LAW
Living Under Grace
Part 4 of 4
By Richard Jordan



This is the fundamental difference between the way law and grace produce results: the reason for doing the good works under law is different from the reason for doing them under grace. Two familiar passages well illustrate this:
Consider first, Matt. 6:14,15.

"For IF YE FORGIVE men their trespasses, YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO FORGIVE YOU:

"But IF YE FORGIVE NOT men their trespasses, NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER FORGIVE YOUR TRESPASSES."

The motivation to perform the good work of forgiving others is quite clear: If a person forgives others, then they will also be forgiven. If not --- then there is no forgiveness for them. This is the law principle and its motivation.

Now contrast this with Eph. 4:31-32:

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and damour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, EVEN AS GOD FOR CHRIST'S SAKE HATH FORGIVEN YOU."

This is the program of grace --- we do the same good work but for a different reason. Rather than being against good works, grace motivates and produces good works --- but it produces them for a different reason than the law does.

Under grace we serve simply as the natural response of who we are in Christ. Are we to forgive one another because they perform up to our expectations - because they confess their wrong or make restitution? No. We forgive because by faith we are free to live consistently with who we are in Christ, simply out of gratitude.

As we rejoice in an understanding of how God values and esteems us in Christ, that understanding will motivate us to serve one another. Gal. 5:13,14 instructs us:

"For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but BY LOVE SERVE ONE ANOTHER.

"FOR ALL THE LAW IS FULFILLED IN ONE WORD, EVEN IN THIS; THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF:'

Thus as we live "under grace" we are able to produce the very good works that the law demanded --- but which we were not able to accomplish under that system (Gal. 3:10).

A knowledge of the love of God so clearly demonstrated for us in Christ is His powerful motivation to encourage us to godly living and faithful service. It is the love of Christ which constrains us --- not our love for Him, but His love for us. This is the motive of gratitude and appreciation. Our lives are lived simply as a "thank you" in response to God's unspeakable gift.

Sometime ago the writer witnessed an illustration of the power of love to motivate which all can understand: On the TV screen was a burning house. A young mother was in the front yard while her two small children were on the second floor, which was consumed with fire and smoke. Two big firemen were trying to restrain the little mother as she struggled to break free from them.

Finally, in a burst of energy, she escaped their grip and ran into the flaming house to her death. While newsmen asked the TV camera, "Why did she do such a thing?" everyone viewing knew the answer.

Was it some city ordinance requiring parents to care for their children that sent that mother into the flames? Hardly! Rather it was a motivation that simply would not be denied --- a mother's love. There is no other motivation like it --- except the love of Christ. Thus Paul declares that "the love of Christ constraineth us" (II Cor. 5:14).

Knowledge of God's love for us in Christ is His powerful motivation to encourage us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. To view Rom. 12:1,2 as a command is utterly wrong. It is to make a law of grace. Paul beseeches by the "the mercies of God, " which will bring about a submissive heart. Vows cannot obtain this. Even if they could, the sacrifice would not be acceptable to God, for "though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. "

How can this powerful motivation of love be produced in our lives? Paul has told us, "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5). The Holy Spirit and the Word of God always go together. It is as we look into the Word of God and learn the details of all that has been accomplished in Christ that we can rest by faith in God's amazing grace. It is our faith resting in the facts of Calvary that allows the Holy Spirit to empower those truths to transform our lives ---- thus the word of God "works effectually in you that believe. "

The Church will realize the greatness of its potential when it discovers not new methods but the message it professes to believe. It is grace that sets us free from the frustration of the performance system of the law.

We are made capable in our service for Christ in our own right when we see ourselves as children of God, set free from the bondage of the law and brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God --- this by understanding His grace.

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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DEITY IN THE PERFECT HUMANITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
PART 1 OF 4
BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

Those who should know better are propagating a false doctrine that places doubt on the Deity of Christ. They have now come to the erroneous conclusion that our only Saviour, Jesus Christ, could have sinned! Mind you, He didn't of course, but they say He could have! This doctrine is not only erroneous, it is also heresy, and precious souls are being led astray.

Furthermore those who propagate such teachings plainly reveal that they do not believe in the Deity of Jesus Christ; nor do they know, or understand, the purpose of God in entering the stream of humanity through the Virgin Birth.

If Christ could have sinned then He was no different than the first Adam, and His sacrifice was no better than the Mosaic system, and we are yet in our sins! It is WE rather who inherited Adam's sin, and Adam's sinful nature, and not the Lord Jesus. He was no sinner. Adam's sinful nature was NOT transferred to Him. There was none of Adam's sinful blood coursing through His veins. Thus the purpose in the Virgin Birth of Christ is fulfilled. He lived the perfect sinless life before the world. Consequently, at Calvary, He could take our sin - that Adamic nature - upon Himself, and bear our sin on the cross. As Paul states in II Corinthians 5:21, Christ was "made sin for us" at Calvary, Christ, who "knew no sin; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM." But not only did the Lord Jesus take our sin upon Himself, Paul further declares that "CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS." He took our SINS upon Himself also, when He died upon that cross. Thus in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians we read these words concerning the Lord Jesus:

"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph.1:7).

Plus, His resurrection from the dead is a clear declaration that there was not one fraction of a possibility that our Lord Jesus Christ could have sinned.

In Hebrews 7:26 we read these words concerning the Lord Jesus Christ: "For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and MADE HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS" (Heb.7:26).

It is therefore not a question of whether or not Christ could have sinned - what a horrible thought! It is rather a fact that Jesus Christ WOULD NOT sin. Lucifer rebelled, and sinned wickedly in departing from God to do evil and became the Devil. Adam and Eve sinned, and plunged the whole human race into sin (Rom.5:12). You and I sin! But Jesus Christ WOULD NOT sin. He "set His face like a flint" to bear our sins on Calvary's cross (Isa. 50:7; Luke 9:51; Heb.10:5-7).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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DEITY IN THE PERFECT HUMANITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
PART 2 OF 4
BY RUSSELL S. MILLER



In Isaiah 7:3 the prophet was told to go to Ahaz and to take his son with him, and this is a clear declaration that Isaiah's wife was not "the virgin" spoken of in Isaiah 7:14, for his son was already born and named "Shearjashub" (Isa.7:3), NOT Immanuel! And in Matthew 1:23 we have the quotation of Isaiah 7:14, "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which being interpreted is GOD with us" (Matt.1:23), speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus the angelic announcement in Luke 2:13,14:

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

It is concerning Immanuel's birth, the birth of Jesus Christ, that the Apostle Paul writes these words in Hebrews 1:6:

"And again, when He bringeth in the Firstbegotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him" (Heb.1:6).

It is because GOD "CANNOT LIE" (Tit.1: 2) that the Apostle pens these words, and in the same chapter, God the Father again speaks, showing that Christ IS God!

"But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom" (Heb.l:8 ).

Furthermore, the Apostle Paul ascribes the entire work of creation to the Son of God. "And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands" (Heb.1:10).

In the first chapter of John's Gospel, and the first verse, are these words:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. "The same was in the beginning with God" (John 1:1,2) .

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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DEITY IN THE PERFECT HUMANITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
PART 3 OF 4
BY RUSSELL S. MILLER


In the discourse, at the feast of tabernacles in John, Chapter 7, the Jews "marvelled" that the Lord taught with such grace and truth.

"For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matt.-7:29). The Lord spoke very boldly to these Pharisees that His "doctrine" was to do the will of God (John 7:16,17). And as they went about accusing Him of having "a devil" (7:20; 8:48,52; 10:20), notice His response to their wickedness in John 8:44:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44).

The Lord was compelled to answer their bitter unbelief with such strong language because they, knowingly (John 15:22-24), would not accept Who He was.

Thus these words are written of God: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: FOR GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED WITH EVIL, NEITHER tempteth He any man" (Jas.1:13).

In the Apostle Paul's struggles to do the will of God he utters these words in Romans 8:3 concerning the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ, and His Deity:

"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh."

The Lord Jesus was in "the likeness of sinful flesh" but He did not sin! There was no old Adamic nature in Him! It was on account of our sins, your sin and mine, it was "for sin" that God "condemned SIN in the flesh," and turned His back on His Son (Matt. 27:46) . The Lord Jesus wasn't just "found in appearance as a man," He was wholly man, and at the same time wholly God:

"And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil.2:8 ).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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DEITY IN THE PERFECT HUMANITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
PART 4 OF 4
BY RUSSELL S. MILLER





"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS; of whom I am chief" (I Tim.1:15).

"By the which Will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

"But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins FOR EVER, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb.10:10,12).

And not only would Jesus Christ not sin, He CANNOT sin, for He is GOD! See I John 3:9. Thus the perfect Man, the God Man Christ Jesus, offers a propitiatory sacrifice that satisfies God's holy Law forever.

The work of redemption was finished in Christ's sacrifice for sin, God was satisfied; salvation from sin was fully purchased, because Jesus Christ is the spotless, sinless, Lamb of God.

Now here is something to consider in light of the fact that "we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in His Body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (II Cor.5:10).

Will this Athenian doctrine (Acts 17:19,21) that is being espoused bring others closer to the Lord? Or, are they being "carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph.4:14)?

Furthermore, in his Romans epistle the Apostle Paul states:

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Rom.16:17,18 ).

Don't join their camp, nor invite such teachers into your church no matter how good of a speaker, but "reject" their teachings, and "avoid" them. "For ... they shall turn away their [your] ears from the truth, and [you] shall be turned unto fables" (II Tim.4:3,4).

"A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject;
"Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself" (Tit. 3:10,1l) .

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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COMPLETE IN CHRIST
Part 1 of 4
by William B. Hallman


Colossians 2:8-10 - "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of The Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power."


THE GREATEST DISCOVERY that any human being can make is the discovery of the ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST, and the utter worthlessness of man without Him. Christ is all, and in Him we have all. Without Him we are nothing, absolutely nothing. It makes no difference how many times we multiply ciphers: they will be devoid of all magnitude or quality until we place some digit before them. But, once a digit is placed before them, they take on meaning, value, significance.

"CHRIST IS ALL" is the covering principle of this Book of Colossians. Look at the following verses: "That in all things He might have the preeminence" (1:18 ); "In Him should all fulness dwell" (1:19); "In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (2:3); "In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (2:9); "In Him, which is the Head of all principality and power" (2:10); "Christ is all and in all" (3:11).

I am sure we all can sing with Charles Wesley, "Thou, 0 Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find."

Browning wrote, "I say, the acknowledgment of God in Christ, accepted by that reason, solves for thee all questions in the earth and out of it, and has so far advanced thee to be wise." And it was Bishop Moule who said, "No surer test according to Scripture can be applied to anything claiming to be Christian teaching. Where does it put Jesus Christ? What does it make of Jesus Christ? Is He something in it, or is He all?"

This Epistle of Colossians is a positive presentation of the antidote to every form of heresy. Epaphras had come to Paul at Rome with the news that a real danger of false teaching had beset the church at Colosse. This new heresy called Gnosticism was a combination of Judaic Ritualism and Oriental Mysticism (see 2:16-18 ). These Colossians were asked to accept something in addition to Christ. They taught that Christ was not sufficient, not unique. They taught an additional philosophy (v. 8 ), an additional astrology (v. 8 ), "elements of the world" having to do with stars and planets), an additional circumcision (v. 11), additional ascetic rules and regulations (vss. 16, 20-23), and additional worship of angels (v. 18 ).

When anyone says that we are to be saved or kept by the Law, they have never understood the phrase, "COMPLETE IN HIM." "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). When anyone suggests that we can add to our salvation by doing something, they have never understood the phrase, "COMPLETE IN CHRIST." "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8 ). When anyone suggests that water baptism in any form is necessary for salvation, or as a testimony to one's faith or the door to the church, they do not understand the phrase, "COMPLETE IN HIM." "For we are Buried with Him in baptism" (Col. 2:12). When we are told that we must keep the Sabbath, we know men do not understand the COMPLETENESS we have in Christ. "The Sabbath days which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" (Col. 2:16-17).

The word translated ''fulness'' in 2:9 is in the Greek the word pleroma, and the word "complete" in 2:10 is the word pepleromenoi. This latter is a perfect passive participle of the word pleroo. The word means to "make full, to fill up, to fill to the full, to diffuse throughout, complete, nothing wanting." So the great word in this Epistle, both with reference to Christ, is this word pleroma or pleroo. This fulness is worked into the very structure and language of the Epistle. (See 1:9; 1:19; 1:24; 1:25; 2:2; 2:9, 2:10; 4:12; 4:17.)

Not only in Colossians, but in the whole Bible we have tributes to Jesus Christ. He is seen in every promise, parable, prophecy, type, poem, narrative, allegory, and symbol. He is likened to the sun, the stars, the shepherd, the lamb, the lion, the door, the cornerstone, the foundation, the bread, and the wine. Everything about Him is superlative. He is the "Lord of Lords," "the King of Kings," "the fairest among ten thousand."

Nothing can go beyond completeness. You can add nothing to it. You might as well try to purge a sunbeam, or purify the whiteness of the newly fallen snow as to add to that which is already perfect. And it is not only true that "all fulness dwells in Him," but also that we are "COMPLETE IN HIM."

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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COMPLETE IN CHRIST
Part 2 of 4
by William B. Hallman


One day Michelangelo went into the studio of the young painter Raphael, and, finding him gone, left without leaving his name. But before he went, he took a piece of chalk and wrote on the canvas of the poor and meager design of Raphael a bold and sweeping line with the word "amplius" (wider). When Raphael returned and saw this, he knew immediately who had been there and done this. He thus changed his style. So our Lord points to His fulness and our narrowness and emptiness, and challenges us to partake of His fulness - His pleroma.

It is the privilege of every person to recognize their completeness in Christ. This can be done first,



BY RECOGNIZING CHRIST'S FULNESS



"For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9)
Alford paraphrases this verse, "For in Him all the complete perfection essential to the Godhead abides corporeally, substantially, and really, and not in the manner of shadows."

CHRIST'S FULNESS is resident in His Person ("in Him" -en auto). This phrase is given the emphatic position in the verse, and draws our attention first to the One Who has the FULNESS. The Holy Spirit wants us to see Him, even before we see HIS FULNESS. This is important.

We must also recognize the Permanence of this FULNESS in the word "dwelleth" - katoikei. This word means "to settle down, to be at home." Deity is at home in Christ, and dwells so in a permanent way.

There is also the Plentitude of this FULNESS as seen in the words, "all the fulness of the Godhead" - pan to pleroma tes Theotetos. To make this matter exceedingly clear, the Apostle use the word "pan" (all), emphasizing that the FULNESS is complete. There is no portion of the plentitude that is not present. Paul is pointing out further by the use of the word Theotetos (Godhead) that not mere quality of God resides in Christ, as seen in Romans 1:20 by the use of the word Theiotes, but the absolute essence of God dwells in Christ. CHRIST IS NOT MERELY LIKE GOD, THAT IS DIVINE, BUT HE IS THEOS - GOD. This was Paul's declaration against the Gnostics before Athanasius had to oppose Arius (who said that the Son is not of the same substance as the Father, but was created as an agent for creating the world).

IN THIS FULNESS OF CHRIST we also recognize the place in the word "bodily" - somatikos. This is an adverb modifying the verb "dwell," pointing to the manner. It means "bodily/' or "in bodily manifestation." This does not mean a mystical dwelling, nor a mere spiritual dwelling, nor a limited bodily dwelling. It does mean an eternal bodily dwelling. There can be only one tenable explanation, and that is that Christ was and is God. All the fulness dwelt in Him before the incarnation, during the incarnation, and continues so permanently. Since "in Christ" the plentitude dwells permanently, and bodily, there is the manifestation that gives the lie to all forms of Gnosticism, which perverts the truth about the person of Christ.

If the foregoing exposition is true, and it is, then certain things follow in logical sequence.

CHRIST IS HEAD OF ALL CREATION. ""For by Him were all things created, ... all things were created by Him, and for Him" (Col. 1:16-17). In creation, Christ is preeminent. Every form and kind of matter, simple and complex, were created by Him. The atom and the star, the sun and the cloud, every grade of life from the worm to the angel, every order of intellect and being around and above us, the splendors of Heaven and the nearer phenomena of the earth are the product of the first-born of all creation. Three prepositions are used in relation to Christ as Creator - en, dia, and eis, - "in Him," "'through Him," and ''for Him." Christ is the source, the means and the end of all creation. He is also the conserver of all - "by Him all things consist" (Col. 1:17). He impresses upon creation its unity and solidarity, making it a cosmos instead of a chaos. He feeds the sun with fuel and the sparrow with corn. He guides the planets in their courses, and keeps the heart beating in man. He cares for the tiniest insect that makes the coral and the mightiest leviathan which plows the deep. He guides the seraph and the cherub in their inter-spacial missions. The helm of the universe is in His hands that  were nailed to Calvary for you and me. Everywhere we behold His footprints; out of every storm and solitude we hear His voice across the darkness saying, "It is I, be not afraid."

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[nChrist]

COMPLETE IN CHRIST
Part 3 of 4
by William B. Hallman



CHRIST IS ALSO THE HEAD OF ALL REDEMPTION.



"And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself' (Col. 1:20). He is both the "Author and Finisher" of our faith, the "Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End" of our redemption. When He cried, "It is finished," it was finished. Nothing was left undone, and nothing need be added. In the incarnation He became both God and man; in the crucifixion He became our means of peace and provision for every spiritual blessing; in the resurrection He became our power over death, the grave, and Lake of Fire; in His ascension and seating at God's right hand, He became our guarantee of all future glory with Him. Nothing has been left undone for our future glorification with Him "in the Heavenlies."

CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH, HIS BODY.

"And He is the Head of the body, the church" (Cot. 1:18 ). The head is the glory of the body. There the chief beauty of manhood dwells. Christ is fairer than all. We are circumcised with Him, baptized with Him, risen with Him, ascended with Him, and seated with Him in glory. What a complete identification! It is the head which unifies the body, coordinates all its movements, regulates all its actions. From the head comes the mandate which lifts the hand and moves the foot.

CHRIST IS AGAIN THE HEAD OF OUR HOPE.

"When Christ Who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). Christ takes care of all our sorrows, sufferings, trials and tribulations. Matthew Arnold shows the failure of the Greeks' religion to take into account the sorrows of life. It was only a fair-weather religion.

Twenty miners were once buried in a coal pit in Wales, standing in water to the waist, until but five remained. Yet they were singing, "In the deep and mighty waters there is none to hold my head, but my only Saviour Jesus, Who was offered in my stead." The South Sea Islanders have a palm tree that they use for bread, drink, clothing, shelter, light, material for books, cordage for boats, and for needles. So our Lord Jesus Christ is all and in all. We are God's heavenly people; our citizenship is in Heaven, and from thence we look for our Saviour. "Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).

THE "FULNESS" OF CHRIST is but half of the story.
The apostle hastens on to show the other side. So we must also,

RECOGNIZE THE CHRISTIAN'S FULNESS.

"Ye are 'complete in Him" (2: 10). Note our present possession in the words "ye are." This word in the Greek holds the emphatic position. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God" (I John 3:2). Note also our present position "in Him." Again the Greek gives this an emphatic location. "In Him" is the richest little phrase in all of Paul's Epistles. This is the sphere of the believer's life. It is a sphere, not a mere circle. We are "in Him," surrounded above, beneath, beside, and all around. So nothing can come from without to harm us, and with Him within we should be "more than conquerors." "In Him" we have all that He has, and He is our fulness, our complement, our completeness. So also our past perfection as believers. The word is pepleromenoi, and means "COMPLETE, FILLED FULL, PERFECTED." This is a perfect, passive participle, so it represents a past perfect work. Demosthenes used the word here translated "complete" in describing a ship fully manned. Truly our ship is fully manned, from prow to stern, by her Captain Who steers the vessel, stills the storm, guides through rocks and reefs, feeds the crew, fills every need, and brings the vessel to its desired haven.

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[nChrist]

COMPLETE IN CHRIST
Part 4 of 4
by William B. Hallman



If we are "COMPLETE IN HIM," and we are "by grace through faith," then it follows what Paul sets forth in this Epistle.

WE ARE COMPLETE WITHOUT PHILOSOPHY, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments (elements) of the world, and not after Christ' (2:8 ). We need no sophisms of this world to prop our faith. There is nothing new in philosophy except old error. One day three friend philosophers came to Job to comfort him and to set him straight as to his thinking. These three represent the reasonings of the best of men. Eliphaz reasons on human experience (4:8; 5:3; 15:17): "Even as I have seen," "I have seen," "I have seen." It is what he had seen, heard, and felt. Bildad comes with human tradition (8:8,10): "For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age," "search of the fathers." Zophar reasons on human merit (11:13-14): "If thou prepare thine heart." This is the gospel of humanism. Six thousand years of human gropings after wisdom have not given men the true knowledge of God, nor His ways with men. Man's reason is inadequate to understand either the will or way of God. If man by his own reason could find God, and His way of redemption, then there would be no need of a revelation. Like little David we are content with the sling and the stones. As for the armor of philosophy, we leave that to proud Goliath to wear. "Spoil you," says Paul. The word is sulagogon, and means "to carry off as a captive, a slave, as booty." It is used of kidnapping and plundering a house, also seducing a maiden.

WE ARE ALSO "COMPLETE IN HIM" WITHOUT CEREMONIES. "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days" (2:14, 16-17).


All these ceremonies had their day. They belong to the time of shadows; we now have the Substance, Christ. "Finished are the types and shadows of the ceremonial law." Circumcision, sacrifices, Passover, water baptisms, temple services, priestly functions, etc., are but "beggarly elements" of a past age, encumbrances no longer needed. Who looks for the moon as long as the sun is shining? We are in the day of the Substance, not in the night of the shadows. But man is so prone to be religious, and to add something to Christ. He must "touch," and "taste," and "handle" something.

Again, WE ARE "COMPLETE IN HIM" WITHOUT ANY HUMAN MERIT. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast' (Eph. 2:8-9). All our righteousnesses are but filthy rags. If we were "dead in sins," and we were, how could a dead man do anything? He cannot see, hear, touch, smell, speak, or walk. So how utterly foolish it is like Zophar to talk about preparing one's heart to appease God or to merit His favor.

Therefore, if "IN HIM" there dwells all "the fulness of the Godhead bodily," and we are "COMPLETE IN HIM," let us live as those who know this fulness! The Pauline doctrine of Christ is His absolute "fulness," His pleroma. And the doctrine of "ye are complete in Him." Christ should therefore command all our worship, our admiration, our love. There is at our disposal the infinite merit of His righteousness; the infinite efficacy in His blood; and the infinite power of His resurrection and glorification.

The celebrated artist Danneker was asked by Napoleon to paint Venus for the Louvre, and declined. An enormous sum was offered him, but still he declined. The little emperor angrily demanded the reason. "I have just painted Christ," was the answer, "and I can never lower my brush to paint such an inferior subject as Venus."

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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

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[nChrist]

The Breath of God
Part 1 of 2
by Pastor James R. Gray



Learn more reverence, not for rank and wealth that needs no learning, That comes quickly, quick as sin dies, aye and culminates in sin;
But for Adam's seed, man, trust me 'this a clay above your scorning, With God's image stamped upon him, and God's kindling breath within.
-- Elizabeth Barrett Browning


God's breath! What a concept! One that is completely Biblical. The Bible clearly speaks of the breath of God. God's breath is an indispensable part of man. We cannot escape it. The Bible reveals there are distinct times that the breath of God is related to man:

* IN CREATION
When God created man, we are expressly told that He "formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7). This verse is revealing about the creation of man. We see man was "formed" by God. The Hebrew is yatsar. It is an artisan word. It means to mold or form, and describes the activity of a potter forming or molding the clay on the potters' wheel. It carries the idea of molding the day with particular care and personal attention. Here God is seen as the potter. He fashioned us out of the clay of the earth with minute and precise detail. Interestingly, the word for dust here is not a clot of dirt, but the finest part of the material of the earth. No wonder the writer of the Psalms declares that he was "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14).

Not only was man made by the artistic hands of God, but God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." The word translated "breathed" is interesting. It is the Hebrew word napah, the root meaning of which is to puff, as one puffs to forcefully ventilate a fire, thus to blow, to exhale. It is used of the giving up of life (Job 31:39, Jer. 15:9), as well as giving of life. In this passage the meaning of giving of life is dear, God exhaled or blew life into man. God formed man from the dust of the earth after His own likeness, and into this mold of dust, breathed or exhaled
into it His own immortal breath. Of all creation, God did this only to man. As Leupold in his comments on Genesis notes; "A personal, vitalizing act of the Creator imparts life to man -- an honor bestowed upon none of the lesser creatures" (Exposition of Genesis, 116).

The result of this act was that "man became a living soul," The student of the word should be careful here.

While the act of imparting life to man was unique, the result does not seem to be. The phrase does not seen to point to a distinguishing aspect of man. In Genesis 1:24, we see that the same Hebrew word, here translated soul, is translated "living creature" and it refers to animal life. The Scofield Bible notes that the Hebrew word nephesh (soul), "implies self-conscious life, as distinguished from plants, which have unconscious life" (p. 5). A study of the phrase "living soul" shows it refers to both man and animals (Gen. 1 :24; 2:7; I Cor.15:45; Rev. 16:3). By the act of God exhaling into man the breath of life, man became animated, a living soul.

Because both man and animals are living souls, that does not mean that this event was not unique. God's breath animating man does have a special significance. It does place man on a higher plane, and a special place in relationship to God that is higher than the beasts of the field. It directly links man with God, a link formed by God Himself at the time of creation, a link that was marred and corrupted by an act of sin. Man will not be able to escape the responsibility before God for breaking that link.

* IN CONVERSION
The breath of God is active not only in creation, but conversion. Not unlike the work of creation, is the miracle of regeneration where the breath of God is a quickening breath. It quickens and converts dead sinners into living saints. This quickening is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is significant that the New Testament word translated spirit is pneuma, like its Hebrew counterpart ruach, means both "breath" and "spirit." It is a form of the Greek word, pneo, which means a current of air, to blow upon.

The word pneuma is translated both "wind" and "spirit" in John 3:8. Christ is making a comparison here between wind and the Spirit. Both are sovereign in their activities and mysterious in their operations. Both are sovereign in their actions, beyond all human control. Both are irresistible in their power and invisible, for who has seen the wind or the Spirit? Both are invigorating, refreshing us from the heat of the day and life.

There are those, however, who would argue that this verse needs to be better translated. As we have already pointed out, the word wind and spirit are the Greek word pneuma. This is the only verse were the word is translated wind. Some suggest that a better translation would be: "The Spirit breatheth where He willeth, and His voice thou hearest; but thou knowest not whence He cometh and whither He goeth. Thus it is (with) everyone who has been begotten by the Spirit. " Their points for this are well taken. They point out that if wind was meant, that the normal word would have been used (anemos). In fact, John uses the word anemos to express wind in John 6:18. It is also pointed out that it is not correct to say that the wind cannot be traced. Scripture itself affirms that comings and goings of the wind can be known and traced (Eccles. 1:6). It seems that this view deserves consideration by the student of the Word.

There can be little doubt that breath is the emblem of the Holy Spirit. To become a child of God one must be "born from above" which is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. It is He who breathes life into those who are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. Just as God breathed into man at creation to animate physical life, so the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, animates man's spiritual life, and the sinner becomes a new creation in Christ. The Apostle Paul reminds us that "if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8:11). Quicken means to be made alive. Thus, we are born again from above "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13), the breath of God, the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that gives life eternal (II Cor. 3:6).

To be continued

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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[nChrist]

The Breath of God
Part 2 of 2
by Pastor James R. Gray




* IN JUDGMENT

The third place that the Breath of God will meet man is in judgment. Scripture is clear. Isaiah 11:4 declares that God "shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked." The very breath of God is the rod with which He will chastise and smite the wicked. The return of the our Lord Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom will be accompanied and accomplished by the outpouring of His breath of judgment.

The Apostle Paul uses this phrase regarding the judgment of the Antichrist. Notice II Thessalonians 2:8 where Paul declares that this one will be consumed "with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." Again the word pneuma in the King James Version is translated "spirit," however, it can be equally and better translated "breath" as in the New King James Version. The Antichrist will be consumed "with the breath of His mouth."

A parallel to these events is seen in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 19 the breath of judgment is symbolized by the sword proceeding out of Christ's mouth, which shall consume the wicked (Rev. 19:15, 20-21). At the second coming of our Lord, He will not return in a lowly procession upon a colt, but upon a white horse, as the great conqueror over the Antichrist and His forces. The manifestation of Christ at Armageddon will be a time of dire judgment, out of His mouth will come the breath of judgment, symbolized by the sword. The wicked will be judged.

Paul describes this outworking of God's judgment in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9. Even as Antichrist and His army are destroyed and consumed with the breath of the Lord's mouth, so also will two classes of people be punished in that judgment. Two groups or classes are clearly intended in the text by the repeated articles in the original Greek. They are those who "know not God" and those who "obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." The first class, those who "know not God" are what we would refer to as heathen, those who have refused such knowledge of God to be had from the light of nature (Acts 10:34, Rom. 2: 1 0-15). The second class are those who have heard the gospel and rejected it. Their guilt is even greater. In disobedience they turned their back upon God and the gospel. Scripture indicates that those of this class, who have lived in this dispensation of grace, refuse the message of grace, and are alive after the rapture will still not believe. They will be duped by the Antichrist, "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth; but had pleasure in unrighteousness (II Thessalonians 2:10-12).

Do you have "God's kindling breath within?" Have you been born from above, animated by the breath of God spiritually? If not, He who breathed life into man, will come with the breath of judgment. You are under that condemnation already, for "He that believeth not is condemned already" (John 3:18 ). You cannot escape the breath of God. But be assured, those who accept His provision of salvation by faith will pass from spiritual death into eternal life (John 5:24). The breath of God will quicken you spiritually, and you will be a new creation in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17).

By James R. Gray

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

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[nChrist]

THE SOURCE OF EVIL
By Pastor Bob Hanna



One of the most frequently misquoted passages of Scripture is I Timothy 6:1O. The phrase so often thus abused is quoted as saying, "Money is the root of all evil." The actual meaning of the verse is totally lost when so interpreted. Accurately read, the statement says, "The love of money is the root of all [manner of] evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

That it is the love of money, not money itself, that is the subject of this passage, becomes clear when we read on, as the apostle writes, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good  works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (I Timothy 6:17-19). God doesn't decry material wealth per se. But He encourages generosity and spiritual investment on the part of those possessing physical treasure. God discourages the wealthy from pride in their wealth. God said, "Let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord" (Jeremiah 9:23,24).

The apostle Paul consistently endured poverty, for the sake of his ministry, though not shunning the advantages of physical prosperity. He didn't spurn the comforts provided by opulence, but they held second place to service to his Lord and Savior. He wrote, " I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need" (Philippians 4:11,12).

Paul had been a man of means in his career in the sanhedrin. "I profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation" (Galatians 1:14.) "I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8 ).

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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[nChrist]

"DEAD FAITH"
by C. R. Stam

Nothing in the Bible is stated more clearly or with greater emphasis than the blessed Pauline revelation of justification by grace, through faith, without works.

Romans 4:5: “To him that worketh not, but believeth...his faith is counted for righteousness”. Ephesians 2:8,9: “For by grace are ye saved, through faith...it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast”. Titus 3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us”.

Yet James states, just as clearly that “faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone” (Jas.2:17). He challenges professing believers: “Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith BY my works” (Ver.18 ), and declares that “by works a man is justified and not by faith only” (Ver.24), since “faith without works is dead”.

Some have imagined a contradiction here, while actually there is none. There is a dispensational distinction, for to Paul had been committed “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph.3:1,2). His was “the preaching of the cross” (ICor.1:18 ), offering salvation by grace, through faith alone, to all who would trust Christ as Saviour.

James, on the other hand, was an apostle of the kingdom, proclaiming the kingdom rights of Christ and offering a changed way of life on earth which had already been experienced by the disciples in Judaea (Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-35).

Hence with James the emphasis is on works, not because good works can save or even help to save, but because true faith inevitably bears fruit and we can judge true faith only by the fruit it bears. Our Lord said: “By their fruits ye shall know them”. Hence James' epistle abounds with such phraseology as, “ye see”, “show me”, “I will show you”, etc.

What we must be careful to remember is that according to both Paul and James, faith comes first, then good works. Faith is the root, good works the fruit. The absence of fruit indicates that the root is dead, that while there may be an intellectual assent, there is no true heart faith, and “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb.11:6).

The source of justification is grace; the basis, Calvary; the means, faith; and the evidence, works. Think this through; accept God's grace and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. He will cause you to produce good fruit.

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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