Archive for the ‘obedience’ Category
Another Example of Wrongfully Interpreting A Single Verse of Scripture Out of Its Context
Philippians 2: 12 – Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Here is a prime example of how a text, taken out of context, can be interpreted to seemingly mean one thing when it proves to be something entirely different when read contextually.
For instance, most of the time this verse is used like this, “now that you accepted Jesus and are saved you must do what needs to be done in order to remained saved.” “You must work out your salvation of your own will.”
A number of Christian religions, who lean heavily on Old Testament scriptural Law, tend to teach that once one is saved by accepting Jesus as Savior need to be obedient to the Law of the Old Testament or they could loose their salvation.
You must work at being obedient to God’s Law, being careful to observe Church teachings, and obeying all that needs to be done to insure you will keep your salvation from failing. Something that the Jews nor Gentiles ever could accomplish, nor ever will. Each day can start with fear of doing something that will cause you to loose your salvation and trembling even at the hint of sinning a sin for which one could not be forgiven.
How can one ever have confidence in their faith, with this kind of teaching, and be at peace with God?
However, the fear and trembling that is mentioned in this verse is a good thing because of what is said in the next verse that is following. Here is where reading this singular verse in its context will show a different and a more pleasing, God honoring, meaning. See if you can notice the reason for the fear and trembling when this verse is read in its context.
Philippians 2:9-15 KJV – Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Did you notice verse thirteen? When one, by God’s Grace, is born again by the will of God, and not by the will of man, he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit who begins to work God’s will in him for the works God created for him (Ephesians 2: 9, 10). You will start to see yourself in a different light, with a change of thought and language and in how you will start to treat other people in a more friendly and helpful manor, and more.
These changes, at first, will seem strange and maybe even scary, not knowing what is happening to you and who or what is causing this change. Verse thirteen explains quite plainly what is happening and why. For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Some of these changes may seem wrong and upsetting at first as it may be something you do not want. That is why in verse fourteen we are told to do these things without murmurings and disputings. You may not enjoy some of these changes, but overtime they will become second nature to you.
This will happen because of God working His will in you that you wonderfully begin to see the changes that are taking place in your life, and that can be a scary thing at first. Eventually you will start to expect seeing how God is working His will in your life for your good and God’s glory.
God is at work in you in keeping you saved so that you do not have to fear loosing your salvation. It is God’s job in keeping you saved by His grace and not of your will. For no one is justified before God by man’s will, only by the faith of Jesus is anyone justified.
Again you can see how reading a scripture verse alone can be taken to mean one thing but when it is read in its context the full meaning comes to life. Never take for granted what someone says is what a single verse means until you read it in its full context.
Would not what God says be more meaningful than what man or a religion says?
The Most Important Reason for the Coming of Jesus…
When we think of Christmas, we think about a baby lying in a Manger, surrounded by Shepherds, animals and three Wise men. Of course, many have taken liberty of those events and few really know what happened that first night. However, that is another story for another time. What we want to know is what was the real reason for the coming of Jesus.
Yes, Jesus came to save His people, His sheep if you will, from their sins. As known from verses like this:
Mat 1:21 And she (Mary) shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Knowing this, why did His people need to be saved from their sins? Read the following selected verses from 1 Thessalonians 1: 4-10 to see the answer:
“Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, And you became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.”
Yes, one-day God’s wrath will be brought upon the earth and all who have not believed on the Lord Jesus will be forced to face His wrath because of man’s disobedience, sinful activities and rejection of Jesus as we read in John 3:36:
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.
Is this what you want to face? You do not have to do so if you have the following desire in your heart:
Rom 10:9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Jesus’ coming to earth was to deliver His people from facing the wrath of God because of their sins. Upon the cross, when Jesus said, “It is finished.” Right then is the moment for when Jesus completed the task for which He came, to deliver his people from facing God’s wrath. This, my friends, is the most important reason for the coming of Jesus, to deliver His people from the wrath to come.
As God works in your heart, and if you are filled with the desire to come to Jesus, confess Him to be your Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead and you will find that you have already been delivered from facing the wrath of God.
For Whom Was The Law Made?
1Ti_1:9 (KJV) Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane…..
Nothing could be clearer than this one scripture verse that the Law, better known as the Ten Commandments, is for anyone who are not Christians.
Christians are no longer under the Law, but under Grace (Romans 6: 14), set free from the Law of sin and death (Romans 8:2) and that Christ has redeemed them from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13).
So, if Christians are no longer required to be obedient to the Law, then what is the purpose of the Law for the those described in the above scripture of 1 Timothy 1:9? In Galatians 3:24 we read, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
The Law is not for they who belong to Christ but for everyone else who are not Christians. Either they will be taught by the Law to repent of their sins and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus or it will be their judge to show them guilty of their disobedience to God and be thrown into the Lake of fire on judgement day.
As for Christians, they no longer are required to be obedient to the Law but neither does it give them free rein to sin all they want. It is God who works in each and everyone who are His children and He disciplines them as needed.
In doing so Christians will come to have a desire to be obedient to God in the framework of “love God and love your neighbor”. Anyone who calls himself or herself a Christian and is not bothered by doing sinful acts shows them not to be true Christians in the first place.
In short, the answer to the question of “For Whom Was The Law Made?” is very simple. If you are not a Christian, a true born-again disciple of Jesus, then it was made for you.
Will you not, by the grace of God, repent of your sins and bow before Jesus to confess Him to be Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead and be saved from facing the wrath of God because of your own sinfulness. I guarantee that you will not enjoy the alternative.
Why Christians Live By Faith
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
There is nothing we have done to be found worthy of salvation or anything in which we can have faith to be declared righteous before God.
When we first believed in Jesus as Lord it was due to the fact that we were first born-again, not because we were born into a Christian family, nor because we had done good works, nor because of our own will, but by the will and Grace of God. It is at this point that the righteousness of Christ was imputed to us (covering us) so that when God would look at us He would see Jesus and not our unrighteousness. As we read in Romans 3:22…
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.
Being justified, that is made righteous, is not because of any works of our own but by the righteousness of Christ. As we see in Galatians 2:16…
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
We have no righteous works of our own upon which we can have faith for salvation and be found worthy of going to Heaven. It is by faith that we believe in Jesus that He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves, and that is to become righteous before God.
We can never be justified, or be found righteous, by our works for no one is justified before God by works of the Law. Jesus came and fulfilled the Law’s requirements for becoming righteous, and it is by the faith of Jesus, not ours, that we stand righteous before God.
Christ died for sins. His perfect obedience to the Father made Jesus the only righteous person who ever lived. His righteousness is given to all who believe in Him and proclaim Him Lord so that when God looks at us He sees, not our unrighteousness, but the righteousness of Jesus.
It is for us to do nothing more than to trust in the works of Jesus the Son of God who loves us and gave His life for us, that Christians, who are made righteous by the death of Jesus, might live by faith and faith alone.
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