Not Keeping a Record

Psalms 130:3-4
(3) If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
(4) But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.

I think about the bitterness I can have in my heart when I remember times that someone wronged me. Just imagine how it would be if the omniscient Almighty Creator kept a record of our wrongs against Him? Of course, an omniscient God cannot actually forget anything, but He chooses not to bring our sins up against us. This is only possible through the righteous sacrifice of Christ.

Why does He forgive us? It is so that He may be feared. This would seem to speak on at least two levels. One is that it is the beginning of wisdom for us. In other words, apart from forgiveness we cannot have any kind of true wisdom since we need to be forgiven that we may fear Him. Does that make sense?

The other level is of course His glory. Our reverent awe of Him glorifies His name.

Hebrews 6

As a Calvinist, this passage always gives me pause:

Hebrews 6:4-8
(4) For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,
(5) and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,
(6) if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
(7) For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.
(8) But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

What do we do with this? Is it possible to lose our salvation? Is salvation a matter of works? How can we possibly hold up to this?

I would say that a casual reading would suggest that we could lose our salvation. However, I think that it stands in odds with a passage like Ephesians 1:13-14. How can we be sealed by the Holy Spirit and yet live in constant fear of messing up? The rest of the chapter helps to clear this up:

Hebrews 6:17-20
(17) So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,
(18) so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
(19) We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
(20) where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus is our righteousness! He is the one who has lived perfectly and we do not have to fear judgment for our sins. This does not give us a license for wanton sin, but it does mean that we do not have to worry about whether or not we measure up in the scales of God's justice. We can't possibly measure up, but Christ can. Isn't this is a wonderful promise?

If you are on the treadmill of chasing after God's pleasure through your works I encourage you to look to Christ for our righteousness. Of course, this does show that there is value in our works:

Hebrews 6:10-12
(10) For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do.
(11) And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,
(12) so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

However, our works don't save us.

So what to do with this passage that suggests that we can fall away forever? I would maintain that those who fall away like that were never sealed by the Holy Spirit as described in Ephesians 1:13-14. That seems to be the common Calvinistic interpretation.

What do you think?

Our Great High Priest

I'm in Hebrews now. I would say that this is the one New Testament book with which I am the least familiar. Every time I read it seems fresh to me. I only read chapters 1-3 today, but I'm already reminded of some amazing truths:

Hebrews 1:3-4
(3) He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
(4) having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

As we saw in Colossians, Jesus holds everything together by His power. Wow.

Hebrews 2:2-4
(2) For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,
(3) how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,
(4) while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Have you heard the good news of the Gospel? If so, don't ignore it. We have no escape if we neglect this free gift of grace.

Hebrews 2:14-18
(14) Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
(15) and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
(16) For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
(17) Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
(18) For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Jesus understands our pain. There are times when I try to minister to someone and, frankly, I can't understand what they're going through. However, Jesus can understand what it means when we are tempted. He knows our pain and He helps us.

Hebrews 3:7-10
(7) Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice,
(8) do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,
(9) where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works
(10) for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.'

This is directed to the Jews, but I think it is something for us Gentiles to think about as well. We didn't get that first chance like they did, but since we have heard the gospel we'd better not ignore it, amen?

Hebrews 3:12-13
(12) Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
(13) But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

I know that I have to deal with unbelief in my heart. I believe that my heart is regenerated so it is not completely unbelieving as it once was, but it is still prone to hardness and wandering. Therefore, I do not want to fall away. How do I protect against that? I enjoy fellowship with other believers for mutual exhortation. That is vital.

I'm really looking forward to what the rest of the week holds as I read through Hebrews again.

The Master Builder

Psalms 127:1-5
(1) A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
(2) It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
(3) Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
(4) Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.
(5) Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

This Psalm hit me right where I am today. The first two verses remind me of the point of all my toil. I can get up early and do my devotions, go jogging, etc, but it's all useless unless the Lord is in it. I can stay up late studying or doing some other good thing, but it's all meaningless unless the Lord is in it. He gives sleep to His beloved. Sleep is one thing I haven't had a problem getting lately. I may have been getting too much of it; however, I did get up with my alarm today.

Verse 3-5 are a great reminder for me now too. The kids can get a little frustrating. For some reason Noah was pushing our buttons yesterday. He's starting to get some boundaries. For example, the Christmas tree is putting the "NO" in Noah. He was just very demanding yesterday.

Yet He is a blessing from the Lord. I know that at the high level. However, I tend to forget that sometimes in the day-to-day goings on of life. Remember to cherish your children.

Hope in Being Lost

“How can you tell if he is working on you now? If you begin to sense your lostness and find yourself wanting to escape it, you should realize that that desire is not something you could have generated on your own. Such a process requires Help, and if it is happening it is a good indication that he is even now at your side.”

- Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 75.

I got this today as part of the RSS feed from the site called "Of First Importance." The stuff I get from them every day is usually helpful at some level. It never hurts to get a clearer picture of the gospel, right? However, today's really hit home.

I've had a hard time getting out of bed lately. The past two mornings I haven't made it up until 5:30 or so. I'm completely unfocused at work and frankly waste most of my days. I'm having a hard time staying focused and disciplined with my studies. I'm in a funk.

Today's quote encourages me because the funk bothers me. I've heard it said that you shouldn't be worried if you are worried that you've committed the unforgivable sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. The reason is because the fear you have of doing it indicates His presence in you. In the same way, today's quote reminds me that my thirst for holiness indicates that God is working in me. I am always encouraged by the glorious promise of Philippians 1:6. Basically, God always finishes His restoration projects.